Wheat Flour Halwa

Being cooped up inside all the time is not easy. I am trying to keep my sanity by trying different things. My mom has been talking about wheat halwa the entire week. I remember this being served at weddings in India. It would take hours to make it from wheat berries. She gave me an easy recipe to make this from wheat flour. We would have celebrated my parents' 50th anniversary today (April 3) had my dad been alive. I made this in their honor today. It took only 20 minutes using just 4 ingredients.


Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted ghee
1 1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cashew nuts
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 tablespoon sugar, caramelized

Method:
1. Roast cashew nuts in 1 tablespoon ghee to golden brown. Remove from the heavy bottomed pan and set aside.

2. Roast wheat flour on medium heat in the same pan using half of the ghee. Boil water simultaneously. Add sugar to water and melt.

3. Pour this water to the roasted wheat flour, stirring constantly. Caramelize 1 tablespoon sugar while halwa is cooking and stir this into wheat flour mixture while still hot. This enhances the color of  halwa. This is optional.

4. Stir halwa, adding remaining ghee util halwa comes to center without sticking to the bottom and attains a sheen. Stir in roasted cashew and powdered cardamom.

5. Remove from stove and store in a container.

Enchilada Rice

With the whole world on edge with the spread of COVID 19, we are into the third week of stay at home. It feels like I am running between the kitchen and my computer most of the day. I go out for groceries once in 10 days. I have to stretch out my produce as long as I can. I have been trying out new recipes. My son who is home from school (closed for the rest of the semester) wanted to make something new for dinner tonight. He loves Mexican food and offered to make Enchilada Rice using a recipe that he found online. It is a one pot dish made in cast iron pan. It turned out to be a great hit.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped tomato
1 1/2 cup rice, rinsed and soaked in water
4 cups water
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Mexican cheese
sour cream to serve

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400 deg.F.
2. Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet on medium heat. Cook garlic till brown.

2. Add onion, saute till translucent. Add pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in  tomato and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

3. Place the skillet back on the stove to medium heat. Bring 4 cups of water to boil. Drain water from rice and add to the skillet. Stir for a couple minutes. Cover and cook until rice is cooked, stirring occasionally.

4. When the rice is done, make a well in the center, add cooked vegetables.

5. Top it with black beans.

6. Stir well. Add cilantro. Pour tomato sauce over rice. Mix everything together.

7. Spread cheese evenly. Drizzle taco sauce over cheese.

8. Place skillet in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.

9. Remove from oven. Serve hot with sour cream and avocado.

Aval Adai

An easy protein packed pancake for breakfast or dinner. It is quick to make when you do not have batter for idly or dosa.

Ingredients:
2 cups aval(poha or flattened rice)
1 cup cream of wheat (sooji)
1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour)
1 cup roasted peanuts, powdered
1 teaspoon chili powder or to taste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teastpoon garam masala
3 green chili, chopped
1 table spoon chopped cilantro
1 medium onion, chopped
salt to taste
oil to make pankcake

Method:
1. Soak poha in water for 5 minutes. Drain water, place in a large bowl.

2. Add all the ingredients except oil.

3. Add just enough water to make a dough that is not too soft. Leave aside for 15 minutes.

4. Make balls out of the dough.

5. Grease plastic sheet with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Place a ball on the sheet, dip your fingers in water and flatten the ball evenly with finger tips to a round pancake.

6. Heat griddle on medium flame. Spoon a teaspoon oil around the edge of griddle. Gently place the pancake on the griddle. Spoon oil around the pancake. Cover with a lid. Remove lid when edges change color. Turn pancake over and cook the other side to golden brown. Remove from griddle onto a plate.

.7. Cook the remaining dough. The pancakes are crispy and can be served hot as is or with any chutney.

Pattani Sundal

A popular street food found at the beaches beaches in Tamil Nadu, Pattani Sundal is the goodness of
 boiled green peas and sour mango bits and coconut bits to give the crunch. I grew up in  the beach town of Pondicherry. The Promenade is a popular hangout spot for young and old. The whole stretch of the Promenade is closed to vehicles  from 6 PM to 8 AM. I remember going to the beach to buy this delicious snack, thenga manga pattani sundal from this old man who brought it in a huge wicker basket on his bicycle every day. The whole batch would be sold out within few minutes. The sundal would served on leaf packet, wrapped in a news paper. I tried to re create the recipe from memory.

Ingredients:
1 Cup green peas, soaked and pressure cooked very soft
1/2 cup green mango bits
1/4 cup coconut bits
2 green chili, chopped
1 teaspoon red chili powder (more if required)
salt to taste
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon urad dal

Method:
1. Drain cooked peas. Mash a little.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard, urad dal and let it splutter. Add green chili, red chili powder, salt, mango and coconut bits. Combine them. Add cooked peas and combine well. Taste and add salt if required. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Broccoli Slaw

Creamy Broccoli Slaw is a crunchy salad with fruits, vegetables and nuts. It is a nice addition to a summer barbecue. Shredded broccoli mixed with shredded tart apple or pear, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, tossed with a simple creamy dressing.


Ingredients: 

32 oz broccoli slaw mixture
1 granny smith apple
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise (regular or vegan)
2 tablespoons vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed or celery salt
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Wash and cut apple in half and remove seeds. Cut into fine julienne slices and toss with lemon juice to prevent from color change.
2. Mix all dressing ingredients and set aside.

3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to combine.

4. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Note:
I used pear instead of apples, and dried cherries instead of cranberries. I also added roasted hazelnuts for extra crunch.

Methi Paratha ( Fenugreek leaves stuffed flat bread)

                                          

Methi Paratha, stuffed flatbread is a popular dish in Gujarat. It is usually served with yogurt or pickle (achar). In India, people bring this on long train trips. I remember seeing fellow travelers open packets of these fragrant flatbread. This  reminds me of the eleven bread Sam and Frodo open on their journey. These parathas stay fresh for a few days, and can be eaten at room temperature.

Ingredients for making 10 parathas:

1 1/2 Cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon each coriander and cumin powder

1 teaspoon red chili powder

2 teaspoons turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

2 teaspoons white sesame seeds

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste

2 Tablespoons plain yogurt

2 teaspoons oil

water for dough

2 Cups fresh fenugreek leaves, washed

Ghee for making parathas

Method:

1. In a large bowl mix the wheat flour and dry ingredients together. Add yogurt, ginger-garlic paste to it. Add fenugreek leaves. Add enough water and mix to form a soft dough. Make sure the dough is not sticky ( excess water will make the dough sticky). Rub oil all over to make a smooth ball. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes.

2. Divide the dough into equal portions.

                                       

3. Roll the dough into a flat circle using a rolling pin. Make sure that the paratha is even all over.

                                           

4. Heat the skillet or tava on medium flame. Place a paratha on the hot skillet. Cook on both sides for 3 minutes. Drizzle 1 teaspoon ghee and cook on both sides until golden brown. Transfer to a serving container. Repeat process with the remaining dough.

5. Serve paratha with your favorite side.

Notes:

Other vegetables and pulses can be used to make parathas. Cauliflower, sweet potato, spinach etc would be great for stuffing. You can find more paratha recipes on my blog.