Thekua|Khajoor|Bihari snack - Remembering Bokaro

Today was a "Festival of Sun", called "Chhath Pooja" celebrated with great fervor in the northern part of India especially Bihar, Jharkhand, U.P., Assam, Bengal to name a few states. A day when Hindu God, Sun and his consorts, Usha and Pratyusha (popularly called as Chhathi Maiyas) are worshipped together for being the God of energy and the life-force on Earth and for their continual blessings to promote prosperity and progress of mankind invariably. The festival involves holy bathing, fasting, preparing offerings for God and worshipping the setting and the rising Sun eventually.

This festival holds a special nostalgic memory in my life as it used to be one of the main festival of the small city I spent my wonderful childhood days at. Yep, though a native of Kerala, I was brought up in an industrial city ,"Bokaro Steel City", home to the largest steel plant of India,"The Bokaro Steel Plant" in Jharkhand which used to be Bihar earlier and also one of the most stereotyped state of India which always breaks my heart , a heart of a proud Indian.

The way Biharis/ natives of Bihar are disrespected,underestimated,disdained is just so unfair and pathetic  that I can't stop scoffing and wondering about those people's (the culprit's) immaturity,narrow mindedness , the way they were raised (values imparted by their near & dear ones/parents),the environment they grew in, in short their feeble values ,wisdom and moreover the hi-fi or any education they gained.Pity neither the values at home nor the educations at schools,college or job helped a few bullies to remember and apply,"Treat everyone with equal respect irrespective of caste,creed,religion,color or STATE." and when you give respect,you get respect back .

Obviously, it's not those people it's the bureaucrats, political system, media who are in fact screwing (reminds me "3 Idiot movie's ",the "B" word) doing balatkaars of the state to fulfill their own selfish wants .They are to be blamed and mocked for sure .Otherwise when it comes to intelligence,talent and hard working traits Biharis score at par.It's well known that it's the "Biharis" who come out most with the flying colors especially in IITs, IIMs, JNU, DU and other well-reputed colleges of India and they are in every top-notch field be it sports,politics, civil services, any art ,entertainments ,different businesses,as doctors,engineers etc etc etc..They are in no way inferior to any proud Indian. One should not judge a book by its cover afterall.Well, even I was teased at college , nothing serious though but still it hurts , to see people discriminating each other in their own country and then calling themselves ,"Proud to be an Indian" .. Really?

I believe in only one thing , it's called ,"Being Human" .... That matters irrespective of any status,caste , religion or country !!Hope you'll agree with me .

A peek into the forgotten or ignored striking History....

Courtesy:theproudbihari

Yes , I am very proud to be brought up in one of the smaller yet major city of Jharkhand without any hustle-bustle like a metro city but still we had everything to live and enjoy a meaningful memorable life  .I can't thank my parents enough again and again .I wouldn't have asked for more.I love it more than my native state,Kerala.(I hope Keralites are not reading this :P)

Again a long post but I wanted to document & erase the misconceptions about the state where I was raised and present it to anyone who will be reading my blog to tell you that I am as proud as a Bihari as I am a proud Keralite and moreover an Indian.I owe Bokaro for everything. So, it's a small tribute from me on this auspicious occasion of this festival.

Also,I hope everyone would discourage any kind of stereotyping like I do,occasional fun (mere leg pulling) is ok but it shouldn't be done with the intention of harming or hurting any one's feeling in any way .Agree?

Coming to the festival (finally ) : D, Thekua/Khajoor is a quintessential Bihari sweet snack , a traditional food made during this festival of the Sun, chhatt pooja,made up wheat flour and Jaggery as an offering to God especially and which is eaten once the fast is broken.My neighbors used to bring this to our home on the eve of this festival and I just loved it :D I remember all ladies looking nothing less than a bride actually,with a looong vermillion drawn right from their forehead to their hair especially,singing prayer songs and going in a group to any river ghat nearby to worship Sun .Those songs though I hardly understood,still plays deep in my memory.:)

Thekua

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup

Jaggery (Grated) /Sugar - 1/2 cup

Water - 3/4 cup

Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup (optional)

Ghee- 1/4 cup

Cardamom powder- 1/2 teaspoon

Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon(optional)

Ghee or oil for deep frying

Method:

• Boil water in a pan and add grated jaggery into it .
• Allow it to completely dissolve into a syrup like consistency.
• Add fennel seeds, coconut  and cardamom powder into it.
• Now put the stove off , remove the pan and allow it to cool.
• Take flour in a big bowl , add ghee and the above jaggery liquid little by little and knead it until it becomes a stiff dough.
• Make big lemon size balls out of the dough.Keep them aside.
• Heat the ghee or oil in a deep pan for frying.
• Meanwhile apply little ghee on your palms and press each ball between the palms to form either a circle or an oblong shape and design it if you wish on the top using the fork or any design making stuff.
• Now fry one by one without crowding in the ghee for 2-3 minutes on both the sides until crisp and light or dark brown (but not burnt) on medium-low flame.
• Drain them , allow to cool (on tissue paper so that it absorbs all oil) and store it in airtight containers or like me eat it right away.:D

Happy Chhat pooja!!God bless !!

Sending this to  Priya’s Virundhu 's CWS event announcement

Potato Kheer|Potato Pudding|Potato Payasam

Today I've a kheer/payasam/pudding with a twist and something that is not that familiar to everyone I believe ..atleast I wasn't until my momma darling told me once over the phone that she saw this local Malayalam channel that aired a cookery show and the recipe of the show was "Potato Payasam" and she tried it ,came out perfect .

So,she gave me the recipe & asked me to try it as well.However,when she told me about this ,it was during the initial days of my married life and guess what ,"That was absolutely not the right time"....Let me tell ya,I was so dumb those days..phewsss...I only knew a handful of vegetables name..don't even ask me about any vegetables belonging to the squash family (remember the zucchini story)... and after landing in the US,the fish names were also so confusing (I didn't even know the Malayalam names properly), let alone any fish per se...(whoops dirty secret out..shh don't spread it)

Luckily, I had my mom's recipes scribbled in one of my notebook (chalo kuch to kaam aya notebook ka :P) the days before my wedding and I've no idea in which language it is exactly ,it looks sheer gibberish to me at times and that's also one of the reasons why I started this blog to jot them down properly at one place for easy access and reference ...

If my mom would read this ,guess what she would be saying,"AWESOME" ..u deserve it my child(to tease me) :P...now you'll understand why I used to drag and compel you to learn cooking ...well,it wasn't that I never ever entered my mom's department ,her kitchen ..during holidays I had no other strong excuse to get away from her cooking lessons otherwise during school times,I became the most studious girl of this world if she ever beckoned me to learn La cooking Klass ...Still during holidays I just helped her in chopping ,blending  at the most making Tea or yesss Omellete to keep her silent and not violent:P..that's it ..and my mom being a perfectionist and me being the impatient-ist , it was impossible to stand long :P...somehow I escaped...but now I wish I wouldn't have..after wedding each and every day was what to make,how to make,when to make and "WHY TO MAKE" :O...if only I mastered atleast the basics..sighh..sobb...

Seriously,hope my mom won't be reading this ever otherwise she'll be LOLing sarcastically...which she does whenever I ask her for recipes over the phone for hours but then she is understanding and encouraging too..THANKFULLY!!

Similarly lucky to have a husband who is equally encouraging and supporting me through thick and thin and now after a couple of years of our wedding,he is finally saying from "Not bad " to "Better" to "good"to "PERFECT"..and needless to say ,how I long and am satisfied to hear that (though still learning not that perfect)...and now cooking has just become my passion..I agree with my mom ,"Cooking is indeed an art" and "Practice does make a man and a  woman perfect"..& moreover,that I didn't let her down :).

So,I tried this potato kheer during one of our get together/Potluck party with friends .Infact,I would always opt for "Pappadums or pickles or at the most semiya payasam " for such potlucks:D ..you know why :P...easy breezy escape :P but this time (I guess I was having shani dasha going on .astrologically bad time) ,my friends forced me to bring something different ..they were literally pleading :D...I being humble and benevolent :P ..I obliged ...So,I thought of making potato kheer ..which I tried first at home and got a green signal from my hubby ..so I went ahead prepared and  took it proudly to the get together and when I told them it was potato kheer everyone were just dumbstruck ...then some one from the back shouted ,"Oh I know ,I know "..everyone were curiuosly like ,"What ,what,whaaat"..He said,"It's April fool day people". Tha'ts a prank ,a trap!!...

Everyone were just ..ahaan...LOLing..and guess what I already saw that coming because that's exactly why I prepared it I knew they would hardly believe it whatsoever..first it was April fool

's day ,second we all were like newly married ones..so ,no one were that expert in cooking ...Anyways,I asked them to taste it ..still they were like it tastes like a rice pudding/payasam ..then someone said hey I just tasted a bit of something,I believe it's a "POTATO" and everyone  ,"Reaaaally!"...I gave them the recipes eventually to try and with braveheart they all did try and were extremely happy with the outcome and me happy beyond words as they not only accepted and loved the recipe but also,I did make them all April fools indirectly ..lesson learnt ,"You don't have to necessarily play a prank to make someone a April fool" :D

So that was a looOng story AGAIN,I really don't know how to write less I think....afterall,what needs to be said,should be said I believe...well,that's me..I remember one of my manager at work said once,"I was verbose" :D (in a good way though)...now coming fast to the recipe(kinda), Potato Kheer/Payasam is a dessert made with the ordinary potato , milk, condensed milk and tapioca pearls. It is an apt dessert for people who do fasting or as an offering to God , a sure party pleaser  , everyone are gonna just love it and be ready for some compliments :) or just have it anytime you wish :)(like me )..trust me you will hardly taste the potato..will taste exotic infact :)

Potato Kheer/Pudding/Payasam

Ingredients:

Boiled Potato (large) - 1 no.

Milk - 2 cups

Sugar - 1/4 cup

Condensed milk (Fat free) - 1/2 cup

Sago/Sabudana/Tapioca Pearls- 3 tablespoon (optional)

Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon

Ghee - 2-3 Tablespoon

Raisins & Cashewnuts - a few (10-15 nos.)

Rose syrup for decoration (optional)

Method :

1. Wash and soak Sabudana in a cup of hot water for a while. Drain it once it becomes a little fluffier and keep it aside (15-30 minutes approx).
2. Fry raisins until it plumps and cashew nuts until light brown in ghee in a small pan (low flame) and keep it aside.
3. Mash the boiled potato (a few bits instead of complete paste would be good) and keep it aside.
4. Heat a wide pan with ghee and saute the mashed potato until the raw smell of the potato disappears. (5-10 minutes approx)
5. Add drained sabudana and milk to it and boil it on a high flame .Once everything boils reduce the flame and let it simmer for a while on medium flame (do keep stirring so that it doesn't stick to the bottom and get burnt) until the sabudana gets cooked and milk reduces to half its quantity.
6. Add sugar, raisin, cashew nuts and cardamom powder to it. Give it a stir.
7. Add condensed milk to it and mix everything once again and allow it simmer for another 5-10 minutes on low flame.
8. Potato kheer is ready .Serve it hot or cold.

Note:

• Sabudana if not soaked can be boiled separately and directly used for the kheer.By the way Sabudana is optional as I love to bite it in the kheer.
• Add sugar carefully as per your desired sweetness keeping in mind the condensed milk used.
• If the payasam is too thick,add extra milk.This payasam has got the tendency to become thick gradually.
• I used rose syrup for decoration purpose .

sending this to Sharanya's Let's cook for christmas

Quick Gajar ka Halwa|Carrot pudding|Festival sweets

Today is technically speaking,"Husbands day" for all Indian married women especially North Indian women as today is one of the famous Hindu festival "Karwa Chauth",a festival dedicated to husbands in short.The day when all married women observe from dawn to dusk strict fast of no food,no water and pray to almighty for their husband's long life and total well-being .This day once again the married women adorn themselves as a bride clad in beautiful sarees/bridal costume,loads of jewelery ,mehendi/henna on their hands & legs,bindi on their forehead,Sindoor/Vermilion on their head (in parting of the hair),beautiful makeup on her face,heart full of prayers for her spouse,stomach growling but she ignoring happily,lips smiling,face glowing ,in short sizzling like a pretty bride ALL FOR HER BETTER HALF :).

Finely Chopped carrots

The fasting she happily undertakes is broken only at night after seeing the moon through a sieve directly or in a water as a reflection and offering prayers later on and she literally starts eating the first bite fed by her dear husband lovingly . Sweet !!:) A day for husbands indeed :).

I certainly ,like other festivals love this festival but still I am not a big fan .First of all, I can't imagine the plight of those women who unfortunately don't get to see the moon that day by chance and that means an ill omen ,inauspicious for her husband.Secondly,I believe women are already doing loads of sacrifice ((read) as her pure love & genuine responsibility) for their family by hook or by crook,more than anyone in the family .Doesn't that imply how loving,responsible ,sacrificing she is already? Does she have to observe a fast from day to night without any food or a drop of water to prove her love for her family,her spouse ?

I would have loved it if there was a wife day as well like a "Men"wa chauth something lol :P..excuse me ;D...I mean there are husbands who don't even remember their wedding days ,their wife's birthdays ...Anyways,it's all beliefs,customs and part of our culture as a reminder ,rejuvenating the sacred bond I believe but if you ask me how I celebrate this day,then for me every day is a Karwa chauth sans any fasting but the most important thing wholehearted prayer to almighty for my man's long life and prosperity forever ..That's my ideal Karwa Chauth infact :).

Anyways, since it's a whole day fasting for women there's a lot of celebration in between to keep her occupied, loads of delicacies are prepared for the day and even though I don't celebrate it, I certainly prepared one such popular Indian sweet pudding,"Gajar ka Halwa" , made up of grated carrots, milk, sugar, ghee (Clarified butter). It is rich , yummy and also a nutritious dessert .This is a very simple version but the best for me.Really apt for people who do festival fasting.

This dessert is so popular in India that in most of the Bollywood movies this delicacy is a celebrity of the dessert kingdom there:D..All Indians can recall those hilarious line by all amma/moms in the movie,"Aaja beta ,maine aaj tere pasand ka gajar ka halwa banaya hai"/"Son,I've prepared your favorite dessert,Gajar ka halwa for you" :D.

 Gajar ka Halwa

Ingredients

Fresh Carrot , grated - 3 cups
Milk - 3 cups (Preferably whole fat for richness)
Sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Raisins and Cahewnuts - a few (10-20)
Ghee (Clarified butter) - 1/2 cup

Preparation Method:

Watch me how to make an easy gajar ka halwa in the video below :
 

• Wash, peel and grate the carrots using any grater or I used my mini chopper that just chops it finely just the way I want it.
• Pressure cook the grated carrots, milk and sugar together for one whistle.
• Turn the flame off and once the steam escapes completely & cooker calms/cools down, open the lid carefully.
• Now put it on medium flame , stirring now and then until all liquid/milk evaporates.
• Now heat a wide pan with ghee, fry raisins and cashew nuts till light brown.
• Now transfer everything from the pressure cooker into the above pan.
• On medium-low flame keep on stirring until everything mixes well  & finally ,starts leaving the edge of the pan,for say 10-15 minutes approx.
• Add cardamom powder to it. Give a final stir.
• Transfer it to a plate greased with ghee & allow it to cool.
• Quick Gajar ka Halwa is ready to serve.
• Decorate it with raisins and cashewnuts.

Note:

1. I used pressure cooker to make the halwa fast,saves lots of time when compared to making it in a pan directly.
2. Once the halwa cools down, I kept it in the freezer to harden them a bit and then used cookie cutter to cut it into diamond shapes.
3. Adjust the sugar as per your sweet tooth and adjust ghee to keep it as it is or to increase richness.
   

Happy Karwa Chauth to all married women out there !Hope your married life will be just like this gajar ka halwa-rich ,yummy ,may your sindoor on your hair be as vibrant and colorful as this carrots forever......

Reminds me that Bollywood song from ,"Hum Dil de chukey Sanam"

Chand Chupa Badal Mein, Sharma Ke Meri Jaana ,(ofcourse she is looking that beautiful afterall)
Seene Se Lag Ja Tu, Balkha Ke meri Jaana,(She is looking forward to)
Gumsum Sa Hai, Gupchup Sa Hai
Madhosh Hai,Khamosh Hai, (Hogi hi na because of the fasting yaar,jaanam samjha karo )
Haan Ye Sama, Haan Ye Sama Kuch Aur Hai, ..(Bilkul ye Karwa Chauth jo hai ) :D

(Ok jokes apart,let's get serious)

Aaja Re Aaja Re Chanda,

Ki Jab Tak Tu Na Aayega, Sajana Ke Chere To Dekhne Ye Man Tarsa Jayega,
Pyaar To Naam Hai, Sabra Ka Humdam
Aaja Re Aaja Re Chanda,Tu Laakh Duayen Payega...

Those few lines here and there sums it up :))

God bless you all lovely ladies & their lucky halves,

7 CUP cake/Burfi|Festival sweets

Are you all out there having fun in and out ? Well, I am. Because first thing first it's a festival month and I am trying my best to make my all time favorite,"Sweeeeeeeeeeets" ..I am one happy girl but then wish I had a sweet making robot or something then I would have been the happiest .One of my secret wishes when I was a child was to marry a Confectioner /Halwayi in Hindi :D so that I could eat fresh home made sweets daily forever..how heavenly life would have been !! Sighhhh ! ...(By the way don't you dare tell my hubby ok otherwise  hehe..just kidding ..Actually he already knows:P..Hope he is not thinking I wish I knew it before the wedding :O) :P...jokes apart,he would always buy me sweets but then can't buy every day right...well I don't mind but then what if my hubby would think it would be more sweeter if I shift to the sweet store forever..OMG!! How hell ly shoot I mean how not so sweet life would become then ...castaway....That's how I realized it's better to learn how to make sweets ASAP .. Hmm.... and after a couple of trials and errors when finally my sweets came out good,that feeling,so ecstatic I was.:)..

So here is a recipe for an Indian sweet called 7 cup cake (I don't get it why it's called a cake ?:O) but it is a famous Indian sweet made up of 7 cups of total ingredients (as always easy to remember for me)especially with chickpea flour,ghee,milk,coconut and sugar.It is a close cousin and light and quick version of another quite famous decadent Indian sweet called ,"Mysore pak".

7 Cup Cake/Burfi/Sweets

Ingredients

Gram Flour/Besan - 1 cup

Milk - 1 cup

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 cup

Sugar- 3 cups

Cardamom powder - a pinch (optional)

Grated sweet coconut for garnishing(optional)

Preparation method :

• Grease a plate/cooking tray with ghee and keep it aside.
• In a heavy pan/Kadahi , roast the gram flour with a teaspoon of ghee until the raw smell disappears (5 minutes approx).
• Next add rest ghee,milk,grated coconut and stir well until the batter becomes smooth and lump free on medium flame.
• Add the sugar & cardamom powder and stir well until you can see the batter bubbling.
• Reduce the flame(low) and keep stirring until the batter starts leaving the sides of the pan and becomes a gooey batter hugging to the ladle lol :P.
• Stir for 5 more minutes on low flame.
• Pour the batter on the greased plate/tray.
• Allow it to cool a bit but warm enough to make marks to cut into any desired shape later.
• Now allow it to cool completely and remove cut marked pieces one by one and store airtight.

Note:

• I used my cupcake pan with cupcake liner to get that shape/design and garnished with some sweetened grated coconut as well.
  
• If the batter after pouring into the greased plate is still runny ,place it in a microwavable bowl and microwave it for another 4-5 minutes and it'll be ready to be cut into desired shape.

Enjoy,

Sending this to cooks joy's Diwali Bash 2013 Event