eatwritethink » tuber

Subz Galouti Kebab ~‘meat free’ kebab with yam and plantain~

Rajani — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 13:02:49 +0000

Somewhere during the rule of the Mughals in India, Awadhi cusine came into existence in Uttar Pradesh, Northern India. Awadhi cuisine has been shaped by three major influences – central asian, middle eastern, and north indian. The food of Awadh is what’s called Shahi or Nawabi meaning princely – rich not only in taste but also in texture. The dum style of slow cooking that’s so popular today owes its roots to the bawarchis (chefs of the Mughals) of Lucknow. The typical Awadhi platter would include elaborate dishes like kebabs, kormas, biryani, nahari-kulchas, roomali roti, warqi paratha (similar to Kerala parotta), and several thousands more dishes rich in meats and spices, as well as a few vegetarian ones developed by the vegetarian Hindu community that lived in and around Lucknow during the age of the Nawabs. The richness of Awadhi cuisine lay in the use of rich spices and ingredients. Even today you are likely to find, on the streets of Lucknow, kebabs that hark back to the princely days – Kakori Kebab, Galawati Kebabs, Shami Kebabs, Boti Kebabs, Patili-ke-Kebabs, Ghutwa Kebabs, Seekh Kebab… it goes on and on.

Now almost all of the great Lucknowi kebabs I can never eat because they’re made of meat – but a long time ago somewhere I had tasted a memorable vegetarian version of the famous Galouti/Galawati kebab, so called because of a toothless old nawab. Now these Nawabs of yore were an indulgent lot who never let things like age or lack of teeth come in the way of their decadent eating ways. So a clever Bawarchi of the toothless ruler decided to grind the meat over 30 times, and put over one hundred aromatic spices in it, to ensure further long life and happy digestion for the ageing royalty. The kebab was then cooked over a low charcoal flame – so that it not only tasted good but had an aroma that was typical of the kebab.

In my case, I have made redundant two annoying steps – done away with the meat and all that grinding, and avoided the charcoal and all that mess! The resulting patty is delicious, great in texture and the use of mace, a very important ingredient in this kebab, makes for an aroma that you don’t usually find in vegetarian kebabs.

So here’s my (melt-in-the-mouth) Galouti Kebab made with yam (zamikand/suran) and plantain (unripe banana)…

Ingredients
2 cups cooked yam (suran/zamikand/chena), mashed
1 cup cooked plantain, peeled and mashed
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon mace, powdered
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 teaspoon crushed pepper
4 tablespoon besan, lightly roasted
2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
1 tablespoon ghee
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method
1. In a large bowl mix together mashed yam and plaintain, along with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Divide the dough into golf ball sized portions.
3. Grease your palms with ghee and roll into balls, and lightly press to get a patty shape.
4. Heat oil in a skillet and shallow fry the Kebabs till golden brown on both sides.
5. Serve with roomali roti and sirke waala pyaaz (onion pickle).

serve with roomali roti and sirke waala pyaaz

Kali and Kootu ~spicy south indian tuber stew served with whole wheat halwa~

Nina — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 08:45:55 +0000

I was recently visiting my dad in Madras and he decided to make kali and kootu for breakfast since I had skipped making this dish for Thiruvadurai this year [kali kootu is traditionally made on this day – I am clueless as to why this particular dish and even why this festival is celebrated – but I refuse to google it since I’m a lover of mystery and I like figuring out stuff through various well-informed and ill-informed sources and piece together my own version of celestial events!]

In our family, kootu is made using an amazing root vegetable much like Yam that we call Kavathu – its looks quite odd with its skin on [sadly it had been scrubbed before I could take a pic] but once it is peeled and chopped, kavathu reveals its purple hues. Another important ingredient is avarakkai – the larger variety. Our recipe for kavathu kootu is mind-bogglingly simple and delicious.

Ingredients

Equal quantities of kavathu, avarakkai and carrots chopped.

a cupful of peas

green chillies to taste

1 cup of grated coconut

a little bit of tamarind soaked

salt to taste

1 teaspoon turmeric

coconut oil

Method

1. Cook the vegetables [drop in the kavathu first, then as they are half cooked the rest] in tamarind water – add salt and turmeric.

2. Meanwhile grind the coconut and green chillies to a fine paste.

3. When the vegetables are done, add the coconut-chilly paste. Let it simmer once. Stir well to combine. Switch off. Pour a little coconut oil on top. Some of my relatives like to splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves in coconut oil on top. That tastes good too.

Now you’ve got to eat this kootu with kali – it’s the most amazing combination of a sweet and spicy meal.

We make kali with coarsely ground wheat instead of rice. I can’t list exact ingredients because I really don’t know – basically what you need to do is dissolve jaggery in water – I guess about half cup powdered jaggery to a cup of flour depending on how sweet the jaggery is – when the water with jaggery starts boiling, add a pinch of salt and add the wheat flour and stir like you would an uppuma…when everything is cooked, stir in some finely cut coconut pieces.

Switch off and enjoy it steaming hot with kootu on the side.

About the author: Nina is a film maker based in Bangalore, India. She likes to eat and feed her friends; loves animals and a good laugh. To see more about her work visit Elephant Corridor.

Oven Roasted Aloo Gobhi

Rajani — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:40:00 +0000

Oven Roasted Aloo Gobhi

Living as I am in the middle east I can’t really talk about seasonal vegetables, as our supermarkets are loaded with vegetables and fruits from every conceivable corner of the earth. And they should be because the country is really a melting pot of nationalities. Food on my table indeed gets here from the global village around the corner.

So knowing the virtues of fresh seasonal food doesn’t do much good for me either, as neither do I have a patch to grow something I might like, nor would it be akin to nature here. But I do try, very valiantly to eat (and cook) foods according to seasons, Indian seasons definitely. So while Aloo Gobhi (curried Cauliflower & Potatoes) is a staple all the year around, it definitely gets a special flavour during winters. Its a very commonplace dish in Northern India, and I have eaten close to 20 versions of it in my lifetime. The oily shaadi (wedding) party style, the healthy home cooked ones, aloo gobhi with gravy, without gravy, with ginger without ginger, its a pretty versatile dish and adding or deleting an ingredient doesn’t kill its taste at all. Really trust me on this one, there is no one authentic aloo gobhi. Every Indian home makes it their own way and stamps it A U T H E N T I C.

I have been experimenting in the kitchen, and thought of oven roasting aloo gobhi, it was well worth the effort. Virtually fuss free, very simple to handle and time saving. The addition of Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) really adds to the taste. And I am experimenting with Sattvic food these days, so without onion and garlic, this makes for a great side dish.

right before popping into the oven

Ingredients
Potatoes, diced – 2
Cauliflower florets – 2 cups
Thick yoghurt, beaten – 1/2 cup
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Garam Masala – 1 tbsp
Cayenne Pepper – 1 tsp (optional)
Coriander Pdr – 1 tbsp
Cumin – 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil – 2 tbsp

For garnish – some kasoori methi or chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Method
1. Preheat oven to 200 C, for 10 minutes.

2. Mix Yoghurt, turmeric, c. pepper, coriander, salt, garam masala, cumin and oil in a bowl.

3. Pour over the readied potato and cauliflower, mix well using your hands.

4. Turn into a flat oven dish, spreading evenly.

5. Place in the oven and roast for 30 – 35 minutes, turning over in between, just to make sure the potatoes get cooked and the cauliflower doesn’t burn.

6. Remove and sprinkle some kasoori methi.

Combine with plain basmati rice, or Chappatis.

crispy on the outside and soft on the inside