Nolen Gurer Til Gajak

Getting back to a normal routine after an amazing and relaxed holiday is perhaps one of the most difficult things to do. I have been back from a splendid time spent in Allahabad for almost a week now and am struggling to find  enthusiasm to click and share some food on the blog. I am literally rubbing my cold fingers to warm them up and start the new year with a bang. 

Well, a bang it was, as Vaanya started Montessori last week and I as a typical Indian mother had tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat to see my little pumpkin being taken away to her class. She cried most naturally being taken away from the warmth and protection that she has known since birth but I cried even more and tried my best to hide my tears from other parents who perhaps have gone through the very same thing. 

Vaanya is still taking time to adjust and will hopefully very soon love the idea of going to a place called school, a place to make new friends, learn new exciting facts of life and thus enter the inevitable social world. 

Amongst all the craziness in our world nowadays, I just realized that it time of the year to feel cozy warming yourself against the heat of the bonfire, munch on loads of gajaks, rewadis and popcorns and sing merry songs. It is Lohri time. 

Lohri is celebrated to denote the last of the cruel coldest days in North India. It is celebrated in lieu of the harvesting of Rabi crops. All over India, this time of the year is festival time which is known by different names. For Sikhs it is Lohri while for Hindus it is Makar Sankranti just like it is Pongal down South and Bihu in Assam. 
When Kolkata Food Blogger's got together to celebrate Poush Sankranti by sharing sweet delicacies, I was in pretty much a fix as I have never tried the regional sweets devoured at this time of the year. Since the same is celebrated as Lohri by us, I decide to put my hands on this extremely easy and quick recipe called Til Gajak. To add some Bengali flavour to this Punjabi sweet, I made one batch with Nolen gur. For the other batch I used normal jaggery. Both came out wonderful but the Nolen gur ones had a lovely deep colour and looked amazing with the white sesame seeds doing a peek-a-boo. The normal jaggery ones hid the sesame seeds in its own colour and so needed some extra sprinkling on top while rolling thin. 
Both ways it is the easiest way to spend a wonderful cozy time with family doing chit chat, warming yourself against the fire and munching endlessly on goodies  enjoying the last day of the cold winters.

Ingredients : Serves 4-5

• 1/3 cup grated Nolen gur/normal jaggery (I made 2 batches with both)
• 3 tbsp white sesame seeds

Procedure : 

Take a pan and dry roast the sesame seeds on medium heat till they begin to change colour.

Transfer to a plate and allow to cool.

Heat the pan and add Nolen gur/normal jaggery. Stir continuously till it dissolves.

Remove from heat and add the roasted sesame seeds.

Quickly spread the mixture on an oiled surface like your kitchen counter or a plate. 

Allow to cool for 5-10 secs and then put a sheet of plastic on top and roll with a rolling pin as thin as you want. (For the normal jaggery batch I had to sprinkle some extra sesame seeds on top as they hid in the colour of the jaggery, but this is completely optional)

Trim the edges with a sharp knife and make desired shapes out of it. I made rectangles. 

Gajak with Nolen gur

Gajak with normal gur/jaggery

Notes : 

• You can make rewadis out of the same by simply rolling the gur-sesame seeds mixture into round or flattened balls. Be careful as the mixture can be very hot for your fingers.
• Try your hands on Moongfali gajak by substituting sesame seeds for halved moongfali/groundnuts. 
• You can make the same with sugar in which case you will get white gajaks. 

Check out here to see some amazing sweets served for the festivity by my friends at Kolkata Food Bloggers.

Happy Lohri

Amrita

Vellam Appam/Jaggery Pancake

I think children are like pancakes. You sort of ruin the first one, and you get better at it the second time around.
Kelly Ripa 

Pancakes are one of the most versatile food. Found in almost all cultures and their cuisines, pancakes are both sweet and savoury. Eaten mostly at breakfast, pancakes are a rage worldwide and are considered a quick and easy option. It is amazing to see the variety of pancakes, with unique regional grains, fillings and toppings.
Vellam Appam/Jaggery Pancake is traditional to South India. It is somewhat similar to the 'Meetha Pooda' eaten in Punjab where the batter is made from whole wheat flour and jaggery. Food truly is the common thread among all cultures!!
This month SNC challenge for the month was suggested by Shama nagarajan who blogs from Shama's easy 2 cook recipes. I adapted the recipe and made some changes to suit my palate.


Ingredients: For 4 medium sized 

• 2 tbsp boiled rice(Note: this does not mean rice which is boiled. It is a variety of rice you will get in stores selling South Indian groceries. Use normal rice if you cannot get this variety)
• 2 tbsp rice
• 1 tsp urad dal
• Jaggery-lemon sized
• 1/2 tsp fennel/saunf powder

Procedure: 
Wash and soak both kinds of rice and urad dal for 2 hours.
Grind to a smooth paste using little water.
Take jaggery in a pan and dissolve in some water on medium flame till the mixture becomes thick.
Cool and add this syrup to the ground rice and dal mixture. Add fennel/saunf powder.
Heat a non stick deep pan/kadhai. Pour a small ladle of this mixture and spread it by moving the vessel. 
Add a spoonful of oil and let it cook on low flame,covered with a lid.
Let it cook till golden brown in colour, turn and cook the other side too. 
Remove and serve while it is hot and crispy!!

Only a week left for our 1st Anniversary Celebration 3 amazing Book Giveaway!! 

Happy Pancake eating
Amrita

Amla ka khata meetha achaar/Indian Gooseberry Relish

Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures. 

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Relish!

Relish means to savour or enjoy to the full and is also a spicy, sweet or savoury condiment or appetizer.

In the world of cooking a relish is used to enhance a staple. Having originated in India, relish is now a rage everywhere.

One of the gems of Winters various produce is Amla/Indian Gooseberry.

This wonder fruit is enriched with Vitamin C which is said to be 10 times more than orange. Being a rich source of Vitamin C, minerals and polyphenols, it provides resistance to our bodies to fight several diseases and works as a coolant. It is also believed to have anti-ageing and anti-stress properties.

Amla is used in various preparations from chutney, pickles to murabba. My favorite of all is this preparation which gives a tangy, sweet and sour taste. 

Ingredients:

• 150 gm (6-7) Amla/Indian Gooseberry
• 1 medium size onion, chopped
• 1 medium sized tomato, chopped
• 4-5 green chillies, chopped
• little gur/jaggery(about the size of a lemon)
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp kalaunji/onion seeds
• 1 tsp saunf/fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
• salt to taste

Procedure:

Put amla's in a pressure cooker with just a splash of water and cook till 1 whistle. Take them out and let them cool. Remove the seeds and chop them. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add kalaunji and saunf. Add chopped onion. As it turns pink, add chopped tomato and green chillies. When the tomato gets mashed, add the chopped amla. Add salt and haldi powder. Add vinegar and jaggery. Mix well and add little water(about 1/4 cup) Cook on medium flame for 5-10 mins or till the mixture becomes thick and the water reduces. Adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Enjoy it with hot chappatis and sabji or with rice and dal or better find your own excuse to enjoy this relish. 

Sending this recipe to Bon Vivant #11-Healthy Apetite

Walk Through Memory lane,

Cook like a celebrity chef, New U 2013 and Foodabulous fest event organized by Preeti's Kitchen life

Happy Relishing
Amrita

Khejur/Nolen/Gur-er Payesh/Kheer/Date palm Jaggery Rice Pudding

Winter is definitely the Foodie season!
With the nip in the air and the days getting shorter, its  the best time of the year to make and eat winter delicacies. Its also time of the year to have the markets flooded with Notun/Nolen/Khajur Gur/Jaggery. With so many synonyms, you may well understand its popularity in this part of the world. 
This type of Gur/Jaggery is basically made from boiling the sap of  Date Palm tree unlike the usual one which is made from sugarcane.
This very easy and traditional recipe served in an earthen pot with a lone Frangipani flower is my ode to mark the sweet beginning of the wonderful winter season and the sweet end of the event I have been Guest hosting for this month-Favorite Rice Dishes. 

Ingredients:

• 1 litre milk
• 2 tbsp rice
• 3 tbsp notun/nolen gur/jaggery
• 1 crushed cardamom for garnishing

Procedure:

Pour milk in a thick bottomed pan and bring it to a boil. Lower the flame and add washed rice.

On a medium flame let the milk cook, stirring continuously, till it reduces to half the quantity. This should take anywhere between 10-15 mins.

Once the milk has thickened to your desired consistency, turn the heat off and add the slightly crushed gur. Mix well and let it cool. Adjust sweetness to your liking.

Pour the cooled Payesh/Kheer/Rice pudding in an earthen bowl and garnish with crushed cardamoms.

Sending this recipe to Favorite Rice dishes

Bon Vivant#10-Festive Feasts

Milk Sweet Recipes

60 days to Christmas

and Lets Celebrate Indian Sweets

Happy Payesh Eating

Amrita