Tag: indian culture

What makes Delhi, Dilli – 3

The Final Chapter of the trilogy, thus begins.

Delhi, the city with a heart has been featured, loved and adored with artists of all types of media. Whether it is Journalism or Film making, it is song writing or singing it, whether it is blog writing or writing professionally; most of the artists have had a love tryst with the city and continue to do so. But people from other places wonder why? People new to this city cry, what is the hue and cry about this city? It is only after you have lived in the city long enough that you feel its love swallowing you complete. That you feel yourself falling for a city which you didn’t understand just some time ago. Let’s try and comprehend the city and why you will love it!!

The modern symphony:

Delhi is one of the oldest inhabited city, no doubt. But this does not make the city ageing. The city with the evolution of time has grown dynamically. And the goading sign of the city’s modern outlook that appeals to people is its dense Metro network. The Delhi Metro is one of the longest fully functional Rapid Transport System in the world. The Metro system augments the Delhi suburban rail system and the fleet of Delhi Transport Corporation bus system. This requirement of today was just a dream in the pipelines a decade ago. The Delhi Metro has been a pioneer in harbouring in a new era of mass urban transportation in India. The swanky Metro system brought about a comfortable, air conditioned and eco-friendly services for the first time in India and completely revolutionized the mass transportation scenario in Delhi. Besides carrying millions of people every day, the Metro also reduced the pollution levels in the city by 6.3 lakh tons every year since its inception. The DMRC is enroute to adding another 140 kilometres to its already labyrinthine 193 kilometres. So, anywhere you see the Delhi Metro, it gives you the special feel of living in a New York styled Metropolitan with a quick and accessible Transportation System.

India Gate:

One of the landmarks of the city, showcased in every Delhi based movie is the magnanimous India Gate. The India was originally called the All-India War memorial and is a memorial located just besides the Rajpath. India Gate was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and is a magnificent piece of architecture often drawing comparisons with the Arch of Constantine and Arc de Triomphe in Paris. This memorable landmark was built to commemorate the thousands of Indian soldiers who have died in wars outside and inside the country. This arch shaped marvel has the names of some 13,300 servicemen inscribed on its body, eternally commemorating them. After the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971 a black marble plinth like structure was erected underneath the great arch of India Gate. This plinth is surrounded by four flames and is covered with an army man’s helmet. This structure is called the Amar Jawan Jyoti or the Flame of the Immortal Soldier.

But besides the historic reference, India Gate today is one of the hot spots for picnic for the modern nuclear family. India Gate, is surrounded by many Ice-Cream vendors and balloon sellers which make it worthwhile for the kids to hang around the place. For the elders in the family, the lawns of India Gate serve as a detoxifying day out, away from all their routine tensions and monotonous schedules of their work life. A day out at the India Gate is counted as a well spent day with your family and is a must for any new visitor in town.

The Red Fort:

Red fort was constructed when Shah Jahan decided to shift his capital from Agra to red Fort. The great Red ‘Bindi’ on Delhi’s construction started in 1639. And it took a whopping 8 years for it to complete. Initially its name was Qila-i-Mubarak and it was Delhi’s first fort. A magnificent one at that. It had 2 km long running walls whose main was to keep intruders out, but the mighty walls had to kneel down before the Sikhs and the British. The entire architecture is made from huge blocks of red sandstone. For the visitors of the town, there is a hour long light and music show every evening there which showcases the fort’s history. And since it is nearby chandni Chowk, you will be killing two birds with one stone, so go visit it as soon as you can.

Qutub Minar:

The qutub Minar has a speculative history at best. It was constructed in 1206 by Qutub-ud-din Aibak of the slave dynasty and is currently the tallest brick minaret in India. Some say that it was constructed as a sign of victory of the slave dynasty over India . whereas others say that it was merely constructed for the people so that they can be called for prayer. The brick minaret has five storeys and is 72.5m tall. People often flog the monument to get a moment or two of peace amidst their extremely busy schedules.

Jama Masjid:

The mausoleum constructed in the year 1656 in the heart of delhi is the largest mosque of the country. The lawns of the mosque can hold upto 25000 devotees at one time. Being in the vicinity of heavily crowded areas of chandni chowk and chawri bazaar, Jama Masjid has become quite a landmark in its own regard. On the different occasions of Eid, the muslim community often fills the mosque upto its brim. Before visiting it make shure that you cover your head, legs and bare hands.

Thus this concludes our little round up of things, food and places that make Delhi what it is and quite possibly the reason as to why people love it and other metropolitan cities don’t. the country’s love towards is unfathomable and once you visit and stay there for a period of time, it colors you in its own ink. Forever.

December 30, 2014
Spinach Delights !

Misty morning fog , delightfully low temperature & hot cups of tea or coffee reminds me of my favourite season Winters. The best part of winters is that laziness is justified . As winters have arrived its time for some awesome food and gossip sessions with friends . I still remember during my childhood we use to have varieties of dishes made by my mum and we use to desperately wait for meal times so that we could relish those mouth watering dishes. Winters are meant for foodies like me and trust me few non-

foodies too show their interest to grab some crunch to their palette.Variety of veggies and fruits also brings in the the opportunity for us to cook umpteen number of dishes and impress our loved ones. The appetite increases with great food and variety in food . winter is the season of bell peppers , carrots , cauliflowers , radish , spinach and many more nutrient full vegetables. Variety in fruits is also not less and true happiness lies in blending these natures delights in mouth watering recipes and bring in joyful of bowl to the dining table and watch everyone silently eating with smiles on their faces. Its truly a bliss for someone to loves cooking and tries to happy their family and friends with
awesome relishes. Happy and satisfied faces on dining table makes them feel on cloud 9.Variety in vegetables and fruits bring in variety for your meals. Its simpler to try different stuffs when ingredients are easily available and cheaper in rate. Among those few blissful vegetables and fruits my pick would be Spinach . Immensely rich in vitamins , minerals , Iron . Great in texture, colour , and taste. A large variety of dishes can be prepared which are very basic and simple to cook yet so delicious and nutritious. It can be blended with rice , flours, curries, fries, yoghurt, salads & soups. It is a highly recommended natural food resource by the physicians and very helpful for anaemic patients. Best thing about spinach is you can just purée it and prepare numerable dishes out of that purée . Few relishes are not only healthy but very appetising.

Today I am sharing a whole lot of such relishes with you guys that you have may be eaten several times but didn’t try . The recipes are very simple and less elaborate which you would easily be able to follow and make . So grab your apron and rush to your kitchen with this bundle of delight named Spinach .

Palak Pakora :

Ingredients : 2 cups finely chopped Spinach , 1 cup gram flour (besan), 1 teaspoon carom seeds, 1 teaspoon Asafoetida, 1 teaspoon red chilly powder, 2 large green chilly chopped, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/2 tablespoon coriander chopped, water as required for batter, Oil for deep frying.

Servings : 4 (One overfilled platter of delight )

Method : Mix all the ingredients with water to get thick flowing consistency. Leave it for 30
minutes.With the help of a large spoon drop small drops into the heated oil of the drying pan and fry till golden brown . Do not fry in high flame else it will remain uncooked in the centre. Fry in medium or slow flame. Once golden brown Pakoras are ready serve them hot with your favourite dip and hot coffee or tea.

Palak Puri :

Ingredients : 2 cups of whole wheat flour , 1/2 a bundle of spinach roughly cut de-rooted and washed,1 teaspoon oil for moistening of the dough , 1 teaspoon red chilly powder, 1 teaspoon Asafoetida, 1 teaspoon carom seeds, salt to taste, 1 teaspoon of green chilly paste. Water if required for dough, Oil for deep frying.

Servings : 2 to 3

Method : Firstly take a pan and boil water into it. Put the washed spinach leaves into the boiling water and boil till the stem of the leaves are tender. Immediately put the boiled spinach in icy cold water so that overheating does not soil the colour of spinach. Once the spinach cools down blend it in form of thick puree. Now Mix all the ingredients into a fine and soft dough . Try using less water to make a dough as puree itself has a lot of moisture to bind the flour and spices.Keep the dough for 30 minutes and then make small rounds of it with the help of rolling pin . deep fry it till it pops out of the oil and once ready serve hot with any curry or chutney.

Palak Paneer :

Ingredients : 2 cups of palak puree (prepare it as per the recipe given above for the puree), 200 g of paneer cubes (cottage cheese), 1 cup tomato puree, 1 tablespoon garlic paste, 1 teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon black pepper corns, 1 cinnamon stick , 1 teaspoon garam masala powder, 1 teaspoon red chilly powder, Salt to taste, 1 tablespoon ghee.

Servings : 4

Method : Take a deep pan and add ghee , cloves, black pepper corns, cinnamon stick and fry it till it stops spluttering. Now add Garlic paste and stir it for a minute. Stir in Tomato purée cook it for another 4 to 5 minutes until it separates oil . Now add dry spices red chilly powder, salt and garam masala powder in it and sauté it for a minute . Add Spinach purée and cook it for 2 minutes until a boil and immediately add paneer cubes and close the flame . Just gently mix the paneer cubes in it and cover the lid of the pan . Keep it this way for another 5 minutes (without flame ). Serve Hot with any assorted breads or Jeera rice .

Palak ka Raita :

Ingredients : 1 cup finely thinly chopped spinach leaves, 1 cup curd, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon roasted cumin crushed into powder, I teaspoon roasted sesame seeds, I teaspoon red chilly powder, I teaspoon Cumin seeds, 1 whole dry red chilly, 1/2 tablespoon oil.

Servings : 2 to 3

Method : Take a pan and heat oil in it. Add cumin seeds and whole dry red red chilly. stir till it stops spluttering, Then add spinach , red chilly powder and salt to it. Sauté for a minute and switch of the flame. Add this tadka to the bowl of curd and add roasted cumin powder and roasted sesame seeds into it. Mix it well and serve as a side dish with any. meal.

December 20, 2014
The Great Indian Breads !

Indians are known for their eating habits and their love for food . In India there is a wide range of cuisines and varieties with every 100 km you stretch . We live to eat that’s proven and we are the most natural host when comes to throw a party . If you sit and think Why I am claiming that Indians are such big foodies and party lovers , you just need to visit an Indian family for lunch or dinner (Even breakfast is not spared ) and see how they treat you as God ( We truly believe in Atithi Devobhavah….its not just for a commercial ). If I have mentioned about lunch and dinners I am talking about full rich 5 course meals (Yes! we eat that daily …at least I do) .Not only do we cook great curries and starters we have wide variety in flat breads too.We do have in offer variety in flat breads with every changing season.

All have great value addition to their taste , be it fluffy, rich in taste, soft, their fillings , sweet , salty , spicy , rich in proteins and minerals . You name it and we have it. India is diversified in its customs , culture , tradition and each part of India has their specific preferred breads be it chapati , Fulkas, Naan, Kulchas, rumali rotis , parathas, various flavoured pancakes, tandoori roti etc that too with different kind of cereals. Our flat bread preparation largely depends on what kind of crop is grown in that region .For example : Western part of India eats a lot of Bajra , Ragi, Northen India eats Maize or Wheat , Eastern eats a lot of Rice flour or refined flour and if we consider Southern India they eat mostly rice flour in fermented form .Breads are staple food for any country, city or tradition.

We actually consider breads to be very important for a wholesome 5 course meal. Its practically not possible to avoid a meal without adding bread to it . we don’t feel yummy tummy until we eat bread. Today its very simple and convenient to barge into a supermarket and get frozen breads ,which my generation people gladly do , But if asked to me I would prefer preparing it at home as any dish has to be fresh to consume and for that packed food is totally a “No No” for me.When I started cooking after my marriage making rotis or chapatis was my biggest challenge (many do agree with me- its a common syndrome )but tummy wants food , so slowly I learned how to get the perfect shaped chapatis to not impress anyone …but to satisfy my own hunger. With every occasion we have specific choices in food and we do set our happy menu accordingly, so today my attempt is to bring a variety in your life .If you are done with frozen parathas or frozen chapatis try out few of my simple recipes of very commonly eaten Indian breads .Today I have tried to assemble few regional breads for you variety and taste change. Some of it is widely eaten but Do you really want to eat frizen or try these simple recipes with much nutrition and taste.

Garlic Naan :

Ingredients :2 cup Plain refined flour, 1 cup yoghurt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon sodium bicarbonate, 1 teaspoon onion seeds, 1 tablespoon garlic finely chopped, 1 tablespoon butter to glaze the naans.

Servings : 3 to 4

Method : mix plain refined flour, baking powder, sodium bicarbonate and sieve it well to add up air . (this process makes fluffy & soft naans). Kneed the flour mixture with yoghurt into a fine soft dough , if you feel yoghurt is little less then u may add some Luke warm milk to make a softer dough. wrap the dough with a damp cloth and keep it for minimum two hours ( You may keep it overnight if you have preparation time ). This gives the dough time to ferment well , more the fermentation more fluffy and softer naan you would get. Once the dough is fermented you can make naans of your desired size with the help of a rolling pin . Once you get the desired shape top it with garlic and few onions seeds and with the help of your hands elongate it from two ends to get a longitudinal naans. Now the way you cook chapatis you just have to repeat it for these naans (No tandoor required , just simply toss it both sides on a hot tava ) the naans themselves will blow u beautifully. Once done glaze it with butter on top and serve hot .

Makke di roti :

Ingredients : 2 cup Maize( Makka /makai ) flour , Luke warm water to kneed , 1/2 cup wheat flour , ghee or unsalted butter to cook and for glazing .

Servings : 3 to 4

Method : Its simple recipe but you need to be very careful while making it as it has a tendency to crack up from sides and eventually break. To avoid that its important to kneed the dough just before serving it. Its easy to make a dough so its not a very difficult thing to maintain

Mix maize flour , wheat flour with the help of a siever and kneed it with Luke warm water. Make a soft dough as hard dough may crumble up easily. slowly with the help of your palms flatten it and increase its size. Try to maintain the shape the sides will crack its something which is obvious , so do not worry. Once you have flattened the bread , bake it in a hot tava from both sides and glaze it with ghee . Serve it with Spinach curry, or simply with jaggery it will taste awesome . Its very commonly eaten in Punjab (North India) on a day to day basis during winters. It has natural warming ability so it keeps warm from within.

Paneer Paratha :

Ingredients:

For Dough :
2 cups whole wheat flour , 1/2 cup refined flour , 1 tablespoon cooking oil( Oil helps the bread to get moistened crusty look ), Luke warm water to kneed , pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon Ajwain ( carom seeds ).

For stuffing :

1 cup grated cottage cheese or Paneer , 1/2 cup coriander leaves chopped , 1 tablespoon finely crushed pomegranate seeds , salt to taste ,1 teaspoon red chilly powder, 1 teaspoon Aamchur ( dry mango powder), 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chillies.

Oil for glazing the parathas.

Servings : 4 to 5 parathas

Method : Sieve whole wheat flour and and refined flour and add cooking oil , salt ,ajwain & Luke warm water to make a soft dough out of it . Keep it for 30 minutes and prepare the stuffing .For the stuffing mix all the ingredients mentioned above for stuffing purpose.

Once you are done preparing both take equal portions from the dough and stuff the paneer mixture into each portions and flatten it with the help of a rolling pin . Bake it on a hot tava from both sides once its crusty glaze it with oil ( you may use butter ) . Serve hot with your choice of curry or you can simply serve it with yoghurt . Enjoy the flavours of these great Indian breads and see your family smiling.

December 13, 2014