Well Shut My Mouth and Call Me Paniyaram

 Here are the results of our corn-sesame paniyaram/idli batter.  The batter did not quite ferment as I had hoped.  I think it was a bit dry and so just didn't have the oomph to rise.  Also, maybe needed more heat and time.  Anyway, I cheated a bit this morning and added a half teaspoon of baking powder to make sure they wouldn't turn out like hockey pucks.  They actually turned out pretty good.  A nice breakfast. Michael likes HushPuppies and Corn Bread.  So these were the Indian version of that.  The paniyaram do have a fritter-like feel to them.  They are not deep fried, but are cooked in just a bit of butter to give them a nice browning on the outside and to keep them from sticking.  I am still trying to figure how to turn them over.  You can see the one next to the handle did not quite make it all the way back into its little cup.  I am using a spoon and chopsticks and fingers to try to get them flipped.  I'll get it eventually.  As for the idli, they were a bit dense (really did need to get a better fermentation going) but still tasty.  We put in corn kernels and hot pepper flakes (a bit of a deviation from the recipe) and they had a nice Southern feel with Indian overtones. Michael ate them with maple syrup.  I ate mine with, get this, a sweet adzuki bean paste chutney.  I'll post about that another time.  Here is the recipe as we made it.

Corn-Sesame Idli/Paniyaram
adapted from Lord Krishna's Cuisine
1/4 cup semolina
1/4 cup Cream of Rice or Idli Rava
1/3 cup corn meal
2/3 cup urad flour
1 cup yoghurt or buttermilk
1 and 1/2 t salt
water to make a smooth batter like cake batter
1-2T sesame oil
1t cumin seeds
1t mustard seeds
1t or more if you like it spicy crushed red pepper flakes
3T sesame seeds
1T sugar
1/2 - 3/4 cup of corn kernels (fresh or thawed if frozen)
1/4 cup of minced red bell pepper
(1/2 t baking powder if you are feeling insecure or your batter didn't rise as it should)

Toast the semolina in a pan until it starts to darken a few shades.  Let cool and mix with the remaining grains in a large bowl.  Add the yoghurt or buttermilk, salt, and enough water to make a smooth batter, like half-whipped cream or cake batter.  Cover and set in a warm place to ferment.  This can take as little as 12 hours or up to 36.  To speed things along, heat you oven to 180F and the turn it off.  Place the bowl in the oven and let it ferment in there.
When it has fermented, it well have almost doubled in bulk and will have cracks on the top and hopefully some bubbles.  Heat the oil in a pan and fry the cumin and mustard seeds until the mustard seeds start to pop.  Add in the crushed pepper and fry for 15 seconds and then add in the sesame seeds and sugar.  Cook until the seeds start to darken.  Let cool a few minutes and stir gently into the batter.  Stir in the corn kernels and/or the minced bell peppers.
Meanwhile heat up your paniyaram pan and when hot, place small dabs of butter or ghee in each cup.  Use a pastry brush to spread the butter around the cup and onto the rim to prevent sticking (I am using a cast iron pan, but they do sell non-stick).  Place a generous Tablespoon of batter in each cup and turn the heat to moderate/low.  Needs to be on the low side so the inside cooks while the outside gets lightly browned.  When the tops are dry, carefully turn them over.  Cook for a few more minutes til browned.
For idli, use the same batter, but put them in your idli stand and steam for 15 minutes.

Dedication is Driving Around A Culver City Rave

On our quest for vegetarian Indian food last night we ventured to Culver City. We drove around for about 20 minutes trying to find the restaurant and in the process passed by scores of teens and early twenty-somethings that looked like they had emerged from a Rave. People standing all over and in the middle of busy streets, no shoes, talking on phones, trying to flag down cars... It had the making for our own version of the Tina Fey & Steve C film "Date Night." When we finally found the place judgment said it was probably best to go there for a lunch than hang out with Seus Hat wearing acid dripping crowd.

On we went to our local standby Kate Mantilini; where the only thing Indian on the menu was arguably a pale ale which Lisa ordered. My tasting notes are:

West Coast India Pale Ale. The key aromas are of fruit - a piney grapefruit, coupled with a malt undertone. These also come through in the taste which has a sweet crystal malt feel. The mouth-feel is astringent on the palate and thick - not quite like pancake syrup but heavy none the less.

While all this was going on we had a batter for corn idli fermenting on our kitchen counter for cooking today (which Lisa is doing as we speak). We're also going to try and make fritters out of them. The key ingredient included yogurt, semolina, corn meal, idli rava, and urad flour.

I'm sure these will make for a wonderful Sunday breakfast.

Pictures & Post to Follow :)

Michael

Tandoori Chicken, Neru, Nixon, Primavera, Salama

A gracious thank you to our friends who have forwarded on many pleasant tandoori chicken recipes over the past couple of months. After shabbat services tonight we enjoyed a quick Indian meal. The centerpiece of my dinner was a tandoori chicken; which after our experience last Sunday in Artesia and Lisa's work this week in the kitchen has me feeling a bit empty since I've learned this dish is a relatively new invention and not too traditional.

Like many well known Indian dishes in the states this one originated with Kundan Lal Gurjal who started Moti Mahal in Peshawer (G. Ramsey takes a trip there in his Great escape to the new location which I believe is in Daryaganji). Tandoori chicken is nothing but chicken cooked in bell-shaped earthen ware ovens generally used to cook bread (fired by wood or charcoal). This dish is reported to be a favourite of Neru's (the first prime minister of India) and I have read Nixon as well. So, that may be the only connection we have to Neru and Nixon. Many folks without a tandoori oven looking for a comparable cooking experience use a very large stock pot and heat it on a grill or fire pit. I have also read of folks using outdoor pizza ovens to make the chicken.

On Saturday Lisa and I will be going to vegetarian restaurant in Culver City which we hear is amazing. More to come then.

Cheers and Chicken.

Idli Idylls

As I mentioned in my last post, I purchased an idli stand during our trip to Artesia.  The photos are actual idlis (is that the right pluralization, I wonder?) made in my very own kitchen.  A vast improvement over the first ones I made in cupcake papers.  The right equipment makes all the difference.  The batter is easy to make.  I made the first batch using a plain urad dal and basmati rice batter.  Just put a bit of shredded carrot and some sliced cashews on top for interest.  Not bad. I made a second batch and added some mustard seeds and ajwain seeds, yoghurt, and a bit of black salt (I'll do a post on the black salt next week).  Much more interesting.  What I really need is some hing (asafetida) to round out the taste.   I had asafetida in my spice cabinet for years without doing much with it.  I threw it out last year because I thought I would never use it; guaranteeing that I would want to use it a year later.  Now, you would think that these beautiful idli would have been gobbled up at once.  Not so. My son, who ate the idli at Udupi Palace, contends that he actually likes the ones I made in the cupcake papers better.  No one else has tried them yet.  Except for me, of course.  For breakfast...with chutney.  They do seem to reheat pretty well, although fresh is best.  

Simple Idli and Variations

Adapted from Lord Krishna's Cuisine

1cup basmati rice

1/2 cup urad dal (without skins)

1/2 t salt

water to process

Rinse the rice and dal and soak overnight in water.  Drain and put into blender with the salt.  Blend with just enough water to make a grainy paste.  This takes patience and scraping down the blender often.  Texture should be like partially whipped cream.  Place mixture into a bowl and place in a warm place to ferment.  Let it ferment for 12-36 hours, depending on temperature, until it is doubled in bulk, crackly on top and has some bubbles.  Spoon into lightly oiled non-stick idli stand.  Heat about an inch and a half of water in a dutch oven large enough to hold the idli stand.  When the water is boiling, place the filled idli stand in the pot and cover with a dishcloth and then the lid.  Let steam for 20 minutes.

Variations

1. sprinkle with shredded veggies and sliced nuts on top and bottom before steaming.

2.  Dry roast your favorite spice seeds and add to batter.

3.  Add yoghurt and dry roasted seeds to batter.

4.  dot the top with a bit of chutney.

 

I wish I could make these at home

"I wish I could make these at home. "  That was my constant refrain when we used to eat at Natraj down in Laguna Hills.  Dinner there always started with papadams, chutney, and pickles.  Like bread, caponata, and olive oil at an Italian restaurant, they would be offered as a snack while waiting for your order.  They are so interesting.  Crunchy, spicy, ultra thin, and a perfect vehicle for getting the chutney into your mouth.  Wash them down with a cold ale and, ahh.  But how could I eat these at home, I wondered.  Well, now I finally know.  Thanks to the internet (naturally), this project, and my local Indian grocer.  I saw lots of packages of flat, light brown, discs on a rack at the grocer.  I didn't exactly know what they were, but closer inspection showed that they were labled, "Papad."  "OK, these must be papadams." I thought.  So I bought a pack.  I opened them up in the car and tasted one.  YUCK.  Not the transcendent experience I was hoping for.  When I got home, I fired up the computer and Googled papadams and ended up at Show Me the Curry (link at left).  I love those gals.  They demonstrated how to roast the papadam on the stove top.  I tried it and, HOORAY, a crunchy delight just like in a restaurant.  We have been eating them every day since then.  Low cal, fat free, high protein; what more can you ask?

Apparently, you can do other things with them, like make a curry, or sprinkle onion, peppers, and spices on top, kind of like a tostada ...  Hmm, papadam nachos seem to be inevitable at this point.   Why not make a very thick red lentil dal, spread that on a papadam, crumble on some paneer, tomatoes, and peppers and give it a quick few seconds in the microwave or put it under a broiler?  OK, I think I have my project for tomorrow.

Popping Papadums

Well before this project started I remember occasionally buying bagged and flavoured mini-papadums from the shelves at Whole Foods (masala I think was the best). For some reason they stopped carrying them. Baji's used to be the go-to brand here; and, in the UK you can find a number of brand, including Sensations.

We've rediscovered them as part of this project. Once you try the real thing you will want to forgo the type bagged like chips for something more authentic, less sodium packed, and more tasty, unless you are buying them for Superbowl Sunday instead of Doritos.

And the papadum is? The papadum which also goes by the name papad in Northern Indian is a thin and crispy round bread, often made of rice, chickpeas and other grains. If you are on a gluten-free diet these are for you. The papad is generally served with chutneys or other dips. Below is a picture of one being heated over the stove top for a snack tonight.

Lisa, will be able to give more details on the experience so kindly read her post for more.

Welcome to Paneer Avenue

Pioneer Avenue in Artesia, CA might as well be named Paneer avenue. This was the most fantastic Indian experience of our adventures yet. The green chili pepper samosa Lisa describes is pictured to the right. Talk about a burn that stays with you. 5 hours and the memory of this dish is still emblazoned in my mind. The coating was pleasant, nicely spiced and not oily at all. The peppers held their heat and were crispy - they actually snap when you bite into them; how these guys do it is a mystery. One can find any of the freshest ingredients, grains, spices, etc. to prepare an authentic regional fare. Our Son is pictured with his fresh coconut find. Sadly we did not meet the specs for the local PBS casting call notices posted near the spice and candy shops we visited upon (they are also pictured). We are thoroughly energized for a sound week of cooking and writing.

L'Chaim (to life)

Michael