Sheer Khurma / Dates and Vermicelli Pudding

                                                                           

Sheer Khurma  or Sheer Korma, as it is sometimes called,  is a traditional Indian dessert made during the  Eid ul Fitr festivities.  The name itself has originated from the  Persian word Sheer meaning  milk and Khurma which means dates.

There are many, many variations to this popular dessert, with every family having it's own favourite version of it. The recipe I am sharing is extremely easy and can be made by anyone. Fine Vermicelli  is roasted in ghee and set aside. Meanwhile  milk is put to boil and  simmered for a while  till it is slightly reduced. The roasted vermicelli, cardamom powder, dates and sugar are then added and  cooked for a few minutes till vermicelli softens. Finally  dry fruits are added and our delicious dessert is ready.

Ingredients: 

5 cups milk
2 table spoon sugar
1 cup sewai ( vermicelli)
1/2 cup dates, chopped
2 table spoon ghee
1/2 tea spoon green cardamon powder
3 cloves
2 table spoon almonds, sliced
2 table spoon raisins
Few strands of saffron ( optional)

Method:  Wash and chop dates and soak in little warm milk. If using saffron, soak strands in little milk.  In a pan heat ghee and saute almonds and raisins. Remove. In the same pan add vermicelli  and stir till lightly roasted. Remove from pan and keep aside.

In the same greased pan add cloves and allow to crackle. Pour milk into the pan and let it come to boil. Lower heat and allow to simmer for ten to fifteen minutes till milk reduces a little.  Add the roasted vermicelli.  Also add sugar, cardamom powder, dates and saffron. Allow to cook for a few minutes on low flame till  vermicelli softens.Switch off flame and transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with the fried almonds and raisins. Can be served warm or chilled.

The addition of dates gives the dish a lovely golden colour and a nice flavour too. The amount of sugar is kept to a minimum in this recipe as dates add sweetness of their own. Do not thicken milk too much as vermicelli is very absorbent. It will absorb milk when added and will continue to thicken further even after flame has been switched off. Adjust consistency by adding more milk later, if needed.


                                                                    

Baingan Bharta / Indian Style Smoked Eggplant Mash

                                                                         

I have found, for reasons I have yet to understand, that baingan ( eggplant) evokes strong emotions in most people...either they love it or they detest it with a vengeance.  I guess we come in the former category for, in my family, baingan has always been a well loved vegetable. Even when they were small, I  never had any problem making my kids eat baingan. They loved all the different recipes of baingan but the most favourite by far was baingan bharta!

Baingan Bharta is at heart a rustic North Indian recipe that has now found wide acceptance. The best baingan bharta I have had was not in any classy restaurant but in my native village where the baingan was placed in a bed of wood stove embers and turned from time to time till it's skin was burnt and it was tender. The smoky flavour that infused the dish was beyond amazing. Epic baingan bharta!!

It is hard to replicate that in a normal kitchen! But, here is what I do.... roast the baingan  on the gas stove flame till it softens..... peel off the charred skin.... stir fry the mashed baingan pulp with very few, minimal ingredients, to retain the essence of the dish. Fairly easy, right? And it tastes pretty awesome too!!

Ingredients: 

250 gm or 1 large baingan ( eggplant, brinjal, aubergine)
1 cup onions, finely chopped
1 tea spoon garlic, finely chopped
1 tea spoon ginger, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 green chilly, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 tea spoon red chilly powder
Salt to taste
2 table spoon oil
1/4 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method:  Finely chop onion,ginger, garlic, green chilly( if using),tomatoes and coriander leaves.

                                                                          

Smear a little oil on the eggplant and place directly on the gas flame.  Keep turning gently so that all sides get roasted. When the eggplant is evenly roasted and  has softened, remove from the flame and place in a dish. Cover and leave aside. The steam generated in the closed dish will soften the eggplant further.

                                                                         

Using a knife, cut off the eggplant stem and peel the skin of the roasted eggplant.  Mash the eggplant  to a smooth pulp.

                                                                             

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and add ginger and garlic. Stir. Add onions and green chilly. Saute till onions turn translucent. Do not brown the onions!  Add tomato, salt and red chilly powder. Continue to stir till mixture leaves oil. Add the mashed eggplant. Mix it in well and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Close flame and add plenty of chopped coriander leaves. The coriander leaves are not just a garnish here. They are an integral part of the dish.

The key to making good baingan bharta is choosing the right eggplant. Select an eggplant that is light, which indicates that it has few seeds. An excess of  seeds spoils the texture of the dish, which should be soft and creamy. Also, choose a fresh looking eggplant. An aged/ withered eggplant will not roast properly as all it's natural water content would have dried up. Make sure there are no scars on the eggplant and it is free of holes which points to worms in the eggplant.

Gatte Ki Sabzi / Gram Flour Dumplings Curry

                                                                            

I called my daughter on her way back from work last week and asked her to run me through this recipe. She was taken aback and, instead of sharing the recipe with me, she demanded," Have you forgotten how to make my favourite recipe Mom!!?!!" Her tone indicating that I was guilty of a major crime!!  She was a little mollified when I reassured her that I hadn't forgotten it but, as she made it far more regularly these days than I did, I wanted her to refresh my memory before I made it. As I was making it for company I really wanted it to come out well.

With my daughter's inputs and by jogging my own memory I did finally manage to make Gatte Ki Sabzi  and it turned out pretty good. Phew!! But, lest I forget again, am posting the recipe pronto, complete with step by step pictures.

Gatte Ki Sabzi, is a very popular recipe in Rajasthan, Haryana,Western UP and parts of MP. Gatte, refers to steamed gram flour dumplings, which are cooked in a spicy gravy, to make this mouth watering curry. An amazing dish, it can be served with rice or chapati ( Indian flat bread) and will complement any meal.

This recipe was a regular at my parents place and I loved it as a kid. Somehow I never learned how to make it then. You know how it is, you think you can learn it any time, and then don't get around to it.  With my mom passing away very early I missed that chance. So, it wasn't  till several years after my marriage, that I picked up this recipe from our neighbour in Ahmedabad, Sushma Bhabhi.  A wonderful person, who is not only a fabulous cook, but also an amazing hostess. She could rustle up an artful looking and delicious meal at short notice with seemingly little effort. I used to be totally in awe of her culinary skills. After sampling this dish at her place a couple of times I ventured to mention to Bhabhi that I would love to have this recipe. Next thing I knew, she very kindly came home, and showed me how to prepare it, in my own kitchen! So indebted to her for teaching me, as I have followed her recipe and made this dish many, many times.

Ingredients: 

For Gatte:
2 cup besan ( gram flour)
4 table spoon oil
salt to taste
Pinch of hing
1/4 tea spoon red chilly powder
Water as required, to knead

For Gravy
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, blended
2 tea spoon garlic paste
1 tea spoon ginger paste
1 large tomato, pureed
1/2 cup yoghurt
Salt to taste
4 table spoon oil
1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder
1/2 tea spoon red chilly powder
1 tea spoon coriander powder
1/2 tea spoon cumin powder
1 tea spoon kasoori methi 
1 tea spoon whole spice powder
Whole spices: 1/2 tea spoon cumin, 1 bay leaf, 1 inch cinnamon, 3-4 cloves, 1 black cardamom, 2 green cardamom
Coriander leaves to garnish, finely chopped

Method:  To make Gatte:  Sieve besan. Add salt, red chilly powder, oil and hing. 
Mix well so that the oil is nicely incorporated.

                                                                         

Gradually add water and knead to make a firm dough. The dough should be tight, yet slightly pliable, so that it  does not break when forming cylindrical shapes.

                                                                             

                                                                       
Pinch off lemon sized balls from dough and, using palms, form cylindrical shapes ( as shown in above picture). Make medium length cylindrical shapes, to avoid breakage while boiling.
                                                                           

Heat sufficient water in a heavy bottom, wide pan and, when water starts boiling, gently drop the cylindrical shapes into the pan. Let it simmer on medium heat for about ten minutes. The gatte will gradually change colour and become lighter. Do not over boil. To check if the gatte are of right softness, take a knife and chip off a small piece. If it is easy to cut through and is tender inside, switch off the flame. Drain water gently and transfer the cooked pieces to a plate. Reserve the water to use while making gravy.

                                                                         

Allow to cool and then cut into one inch pieces.  Keep aside.

                                                                             

To make the gravy:  Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and add whole spices. Once they crackle add the chopped onion. When onions begin to turn golden add the onion paste, tomato puree, ginger and garlic paste. Also add the spice powders - turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Stir till water dries out. Then add yoghurt  and cook till oil separates from mixture. Add  the reserved water ( from boiling gatte). Once the gravy comes to boil, lower heat and  add the gatte, salt, kasoori methi and whole spice powder.

                                                                               

Simmer, covered with a lid, for few minutes. Close flame and and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.