Classic Indian dessert - moong dal halwa

My eldest sister got married in the late 70's. Back then, the 5 star marriage culture had not crept in. Food was prepared in a very traditional manner with the halwai being called a good week in advance for making the sweets. Moong dal halwa was one of the desserts served in the marriage and as usual, the halwai made everything in excess. What I remember is how much fun it was, eating this delicious mithai for a long time, much after the marriage was over.

Though the halwai culture is pretty much extinct, at least in the cities, Moong dal halwa has still not lost its appeal and is still a huge favorite. In fact my daughter who does not (unlike the rest of the family) have a sweet tooth never says no to this awesome mithai.

Moong dal halwa is a traditional Indian sweet - sinfully rich and dripping with ghee. It is still a regular feature in marriages and has thankfully not gone out of fashion. It is pretty straightforward to prepare this dessert ... though one does need to make sure that the paste is not finely ground and remains coarse / grainy, so as to ensure the right texture of the halwa. Also it requires constant stirring in the initial stage, to prevent, the paste from sticking to the bottom of the wok. It is subtly flavored with cardamom and saffron and tastes best when eaten hot. Though it is usually made in winter months ... but honestly such a yummy sweet can be had any time. The calorie conscious may reduce the desi ghee and khoya by half, if they so desire - it is definitely very rich for the health buffs. In fact even I was in two minds about adding so much of ghee but later realized that the halwa soaks up the ghee pretty fast particularly if it is not eaten immediately after being made.

Moong dal halwa

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6

1 cup split green gram (dhuli moong dal)

1 cup clarified butter (desi ghee)

1 cup sugar

1 cup concentrated milk (khoya/ mawa) crumbled

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon cardamom (elaichi) powder

A generous pinch of saffron

10 - 12 blanched and peeled almonds sliced into slivers

Soak the moong dal (split green gram) for 6 -7 hours.Grind the dal coarsely with very little water.

In a pan add the sugar and one cup of water and boil, till the sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens slightly. Keep aside until required. Soak the saffron in warm milk.

Heat the ghee in a thick bottomed kadai (wok) and add 1 tablespoon of whole wheat flour or chick pea flour/ besan (this prevents the dal from sticking to the kadai and forming lumps) and then add the ground dal. Cook, stirring continuously, over low heat till golden brown, this will take around half-an-hour. Add the sugar syrup and saffron milk. Stir constantly till everything is well mixed and then add in the khoya and cook till the ghee starts showing up in the halwa. Lastly, add the cardamom powder and mix it all well.

Serve hot garnished with almond slivers

 

 moong dal halwa

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Scottish Highlands - a date with Nessie

Scotland has it all rugged mountains, historical sites, lochs and forests. Our holiday in Edinburgh, Scotland's capital was filled with visits to beautiful castles and well preserved museums. Edinburgh is a modern city with a historical past and the two have blended together very seamlessly, giving it a unique character. One experiences both the worlds, the New Town with its beautiful Georgian architecture and the Old Town home to medieval fortresses and narrow cobbled streets. The nicest experiences for us were the Scottish people who are very friendly and ready to help out.

After an enjoyable stay in Edinburgh we went onto the Scottish Highlands - the land of lochs, with it's amazing landscapes, magnificent glens and fascinating history. We travelled from Edinburgh to Inverness by road and took the Highland Tourist Route which has some spectacular scenery between Aberdeen to Inverness. It’s a single carriageway at some places so the traffic moves cautiously and it took us around 4 hours to reach.

Inverness the Highland's capital is on the banks of the River Ness at the northern end of the Great Glen. It is a full - fledged town and has all the high end London stores here so one didn’t feel that we were away from civilization. Inverness is such a paradox ... here you are in this charming little village and all around is the vast open expanse of the countryside giving you a total rural feel and just 10 minutes drive away is the bustling city center with its fancy stores where one can indulge in some retail therapy and dine at top notch restaurants. At the Victorian Market one can pick up souvenirs to take home. Tesco, the chain of supermarkets is supersized here and stocks up a mind boggling range of goods.

We stayed in a charming cottage with mules grazing in the fields outside. It was set in a remote area with no signs of any other cottage within a km radius. The cottage had a fireplace in the living room and basket load of logs for burning ... in fact we got so enthusiastic about keeping the fire alive little realizing that the whole cottage had become like a furnace.

 A major attraction in this area is the Loch Ness Lake and its famed mythical inhabitant Nessie.This is the largest fresh water lake in Great Britain and contains more water than in all the rivers and lakes of England and Wales combined ... the lake is awesome and is truly amazing.  The lake is seemingly endless ... we learnt that, as my hubby drove along the lake in the Avis rented Vauxhall wagon. There is surely something about this lake ... what with its placid waters hiding all the innumerable tales of sightings of the so called Loch Ness Monster ... it was a little late in the evening when we stopped and spent some time near the lake ... the unusual calm and its crystal clear waters sure did manage to send a shiver down my spine. I guess the fear also comes from watching too many of 'Lake Placid' series of movies!!! If you are into cryptozoology then a perfect place to advance your knowledge ... hopefully not your experience.

 

 Loch Ness Lake

We visited Nairn, a sea side resort home to excellent golf courses and beaches. And lo behold! There was a fairly serious cricket match going on too ... Scotland is still working on getting Test status!  In the 19th century it was believed that the sea water here had medicinal properties and thousands of people flocked here for that reason as well. It is half an hour drive from Inverness and is a great place to spend a day in.

There are plenty of things to do and see in Inverness- Urquhart Castle, a medieval fortress on the banks of the Loch Ness, it has had a long bloody history and was, at one time Scotland’s largest castle. A walk upstream along the River Ness, which runs through Inverness took us to the Ness Islands, beautiful parks which makes you feel as if you are in the countryside. It’s a great place for salmon fishing and seal spotting. Cross over to the other side of the river using one of the many footbridges to get a view of the majestic buildings along the way. Past the Islands, a little further down is the Floral Hall, with its lovely gardens, small waterfall and charming cafe where we had a great cup of coffee and some yummy baked goodies. Watch dolphins at Chanonry Point, between Fortrose and Rosemarkie on the Black Isle and the best time to spot them is couple of hours before high tide.

 

The Urquhart Castle

Inverness is one of those idyllic country villages - one's dream place for settling down post retirement, a perfect place away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Simply irresistible Indian fudge

Nowadays, most of the vegetables are available throughout the year, but personally I like consuming in season and fresh produce as opposed to food which is canned or is from the cold storage as their nutritious value and taste gets substantially reduced.

Though 'Lauki' (bottle gourd) seldom figures in anyone's list of favorite vegetables it is known to have enormous health benefits. 'Lauki'  has immense cooling properties which makes it an ideal summer veggie. It has a lot of water content and is therefore low in calories. Its juice of late has become immensely popular amongst the diet conscious and is arguably the latest health fad. This vegetable is very versatile too, apart from the everyday ‘lauki ki sabji’, one can make ‘koftas’ or add it to curd to make 'raita'. Not to miss out on the lauki ki 'kheer' and 'barfi' ...  two yummy Indian sweets that one can make. 'Lauki' is one of the vegetables that can also be eaten during a fast, so it's barfi makes an ideal 'vrat ka khana’ (food eaten during a fast).

Select fresh and tender 'lauki' for making the barfi (Indian sweet) and discard the seeds. Weigh the grated 'lauki' and sauté it in 'desi ghee' till it starts losing its moisture then add milk (twice the weight of lauki). Simmer on low heat and keep stirring it from time to time. Making it with milk may take more time but trust me all the pains in cooking are justified by the end result ... you have to literally stop yourself from polishing it off.

The 'barfi' has a milk cake texture and remains soft even after refrigeration and also keeps well. The 'barfi' has a dark creamish hue because of the milk and 'khoya'. To get a green colored lauki barfi one can add food grade color to it. Lauki ki barfi ( bottle gourd fudge ) has always been a favorite with me and between me and my husband we managed to polish off almost a kilo of it much before the week could get over. This of course did not go well with my daughter who gave me strict instructions to restrain ourselves from gorging on sweets. Though with my sweet tooth, I know, that's a tall order.

Melt in the mouth barfi

Lauki ki barfi

1 kg grated lauki (bottle gourd)

2 litre milk (full cream)

4-5 tablespoon desi ghee (clarified butter)

2 teaspoon elaichi (green cardamom) powder

250 gm sugar

200 gm khoya /mawa (concentrated milk)

Peel the 'lauki' and then grate it, discard the centre seedy portion. Take a heavy bottom kadhai (wok) and roast the grated lauki (bottle gourd) in desi ghee for 10-15 minutes till the water in the lauki evaporates. Then add the full cream milk to it and let it simmer on low heat for a couple of hours. Stir it in between so that the mixture doesn't stick to the pan.

When the quantity of milk reduces, add the khoya and cook on medium flame till the khoya gets well blended. Then add the sugar and stir continuously till the whole mixture starts to come together and forms a lump. Lastly, add the cardamom powder, mix well and then spread the barfi on a greased plate.

Let it cool and then cut into pieces and enjoy. Since its milk based sweet, it should ideally be refrigerated in case it is not consumed the same day.

Creamy lauki ki barfi

Celebrating summer with a pear spice cake

We are in September and this is pretty much the fag end of the season for many a fruits - including pears. It has been a wonderful summer with abundance of both pome and stone fruits. Have been using them up in different ways -chutneys, jellies and of course jams. Some of the pears have been poached in brandy syrup and hopefully they would last till the next season. This was my first attempt so keeping my fingers crossed that they taste as good as they look after poaching.

In this season I had already made pear cake twice - however the son liked it so much that I made another one for him to take to college. So it was like enough of pear cakes for the summer but when I came across this new cake recipe I couldn't resist it and wanted to try it immediately. But the recipe specified - "fully ripened pears", so I had to be patient - not an easy thing for me for once a recipe catches my fancy my fingers ache to get on with it. Anyways, so the pears were  left outside to ripen, which took a couple of days because the hubby saw them lying outside and put them promptly back in the refrigerator ... can't blame him with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees C, ordinarily it sure would be madness to leave anything outside.

Finally it got made and what an amazing cake it was, the taste of cinnamon coming through so nicely. It didn't need any fancy glazing or much glamming up, just a fine dusting of icing sugar in case you wish to. A full bodied cake whose taste just grows on you and the flavors get more enhanced with each passing day ... only if you are able to make it last till then.

This Pear Spice Cake comes from Euro Pane bakery in Pasadena, California which featured in the LA Times and made it to their list of top ten recipes of 2012. A guest at the restaurant had liked the cake so much that she requested for the recipe and the owner Sumi Chang shared it with LA Times. This is in the owners’ words a 'humble looking cake but the taste is incredible". It is now an absolute favorite of mine with its firm well browned top, moist base and an incredible fragrance.

 

Pear spice cake

 "Euro Pane's Pear Spice Cake"-source LA Times

3 cups  ( 12.75 ounces ) flour

11/2 teaspoon baking powder

11/2 teaspoon baking soda

11/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 eggs

3 cups sugar

1 cup canola oil

7 ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped into cubes

2 cups walnuts

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. grease a 13 by 9 inch baking pan, line the bottom with parchment paper then grease again.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda and cinnamon and set aside

In a separate large bowl beat together the eggs and sugar, then beat in the oil. Beat in the flour mixture until just combined then fold in the pears and nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until puffed and golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Check the cake after an hour and cover the top loosely with a sheet of foil if it browns too quickly before it is done. Remove and cool completely on a rack before serving.

Ramgarh - serenity in kumaon hills

Ramgarh is a lesser visited hill station of Uttarakhand and is the perfect place for those looking for quieter holidays in an idyllic setting. I had been to Ramgarh around 15 years back -that time we had stayed at Bhowali, a sleepy little, largely untouched place, with fresh, pure mountain air (Bhowali is about 15 km downhill from Ramgarh). Not surprisingly, one could understand why during British times, patients came to Bhowali for convalescing for its invigorating environs were considered therapeutic. It is not bitingly cold in winters yet very pleasant in summers. The T.B.sanatorium here was built in 1912, which I made it a point to visit because at one time my grandmother had stayed there for a month (I had heard from my mother that my grandma had been suspected of suffering from TB and was sent here to recuperate and further that the whole extended family stayed put in Bhowali for a couple of months and had a blast).

I remember a stream running right besides our Guest House in Bhowali and both my kids would love going down there to float their paper boats. From the bay windows of the guest house, one was mesmerized by a magnificent morning view - just beyond the stream were the mountains which were heavily forested.  The caretaker would repeatedly warn us not to go very far in our walk in those mountains as these were inhabited by bears (am still not sure whether that was really true). The drive from Bhowali to Ramgarh was also breathtakingly beautiful with pine, deodar and oak trees surrounding both sides of the hilly road. So on this trip, I was looking forward to revisiting both the places and re-living the charm which I hoped that the interim years had not watered down.

To my chagrin, Bhowali has changed beyond recognition; it's no longer that quiet and simple place that I remembered. Instead, now it was a bustling town, over populated, spilling over with concrete structures – gone were the simple thatched sloping ‘khaprel’ cottages … replaced by ugly and incongruous apartments that seemed to make the whole place, an eyesore. Apparently, the stream had also dried up in all these years. We quickly made our escape from Bhowali -not wanting to mar my lovely memories of this place.

Ramgarh is another 45 minutes drive from here. The route is still very scenic, and it got pretty nippy as we winded our way up the hills. Ramgarh is divided into two parts the higher elevation area is called ‘malla’ where the so called market is, and the lower one is ‘talla’.

We stayed at Taradale Cottage, it's a heritage property nestled amidst great natural beauty of the Kumaon hills. I understand that the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore had stayed here and a part of his classic 'Gitanjali' (book of poems) was penned here. Taradale cottage is a charming place with a rather Victorian feel. Its exterior is reminiscent of a well preserved English cottage. The huge bay windows and the Victorian styled swing in the garden completes the colonial effect. The cottage is at a vantage point and offers great view of the valley and mountains. There are lots of fruit trees in the garden and for us city folks who are deprived of simple pleasures, it was great fun plucking them right from the trees – it became so evident what is the true meaning of ‘fresh fruits’.

Ramgarh is a perfect getaway for someone looking for a leisurely vacation - away from the crowds, to relax, catch up with the latest Graham Greene; - long walks which make you feel ravenous, eat all day long and just soak in the natural beauty. It’s not like a typical bustling hill station- no de rigueur Mall road to walk down … the only market is  a small stretch of a road with few small shops and a dhaba kinda restaurant and  where the main activity is to catch up on the local news. I have known some city folks who got thoroughly stressed in this place – deafened by its extreme tranquility - and only the bright lights and ‘chahal –pahal’ of Nainital were able sooth their ruffled nerves. So basically, Ramgarh is not everyone's cup of tea particularly if you do not know how to amuse yourself in the village like calm.

This place is a treat for bird watcher's – sorry guys … only the feathered ones. Other things to do here are going for nature walks or, even trekking down to one of the villages.  There are a lot of fruit orchards here ... apples, pear, apricots and peaches, and justifiably it is known as the fruit bowl of Kumaon. Mahadevi Verma the famous writer also lived here and her house has been converted into a museum. Ramgarh also finds a mention in one of the books written by wildlife conservationist, Jim Corbett who had come here perhaps enroute to one of his tiger hunts.

Mukhteshwar, one of the pilgrimage towns (with Shiva as its main deity) is just  25 kms  up hill from here and the drive is very pleasant as we passed through small hamlets …even today one can actually witness the lost in time village life in this area. Another quintessential feature of the hill country – terrace farming makes for a picturesque countryside setting. Mukhteshwar in recent years has become quite a buzzing place, lots of new cafes have mushroomed – few of these also cater to the western palate. There was a cute shop where one could indulge in some gourmet chocolates, besides, for adventure enthusiasts plenty of fun activities too are on offer here - from rappelling to rock climbing, and, if the wind and weather permits, then paragliding.

A major attraction of this place is the Mukhteshwar Temple, a 350 year old ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, surrounded by tall and old deodar trees. Then there is the 'Chauli ki jali' situated on a cliff behind the temple which has natural lattice work on rock. There is the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) a British legacy, the Institute campus houses a library and a museum. We caught spectacular views of the Himalayas and the famous Nanda Devi peaks from here. At the market place we bought rhododendron (buransh) squash, a Kumaon specialty which is supposed to have cooling properties. As you move away from its main market area and drive down towards the temple there is the local post office, which is right from the colonial times and still maintains the same pre-independence British looks, and is a very charming feature of Mukhteshwar.

If my blog inspires you to drive down and spend a weekend in Ramgarh – you have two routes to choose from (both take about 7/8 hours). One is the sedate, Delhi-Ghaziabad-Hapur-Moradabad-Rampur-Rudrapur-Haldwani-Bhimtal-Bhowali-Ramgarh. And other one, which is definitely greener (and shorter) is that from Moradabad you take the Bazpur-Kaladungi road and then to Nainital-Bhowali- Ramgarh. By the way, apart from Taradale another good option is the Writer’s Bungalow of  Neemrana  fame.

We enjoyed our Ramgarh weekend – it is not the typical Mussorie/ Simla kind of getaway, for it is far more peaceful and thankfully less touristy. Little chance that you would bump into your long lost ‘friend’ whom you never really wanted to spend an evening with!!!.

Street food of Old Delhi - Kalmi Vada | lentil fritters

It is an undeniable fact that for good authentic chaat there is nothing comparable to what one gets in Chandni Chowk, a market in Delhi, dating back to the Mughal era. Though one has to traverse through narrow streets and a sea of humanity but the food shops here, some of which have been around for over a century, make it worth the effort. A walk through its meandering alleys will lead to some of the most delicious street food. There are small hole in the corner shops and khomchewalas (street hawker) at each nukkad (corner) which do not figure in any food guide list or may not be well known but serve equally delectable stuff. From golgappas to aloo tikkis, kalmi vadas, aloo-kachoris,dahi bhalle, papri chaat to seasonal delicacies like fruit kulfis - here you get all the Purani Dilli (Old Delhi) specialities and much more to feast on.

                                                                                                                                                         

Kalmi vada is a crisp and spicy lentil based patty which is double fried. It can be served either as a chaat wherein it is topped with curd and saunth (sweet tamarind chutney) and masala is sprinkled on top. It also makes for a good finger food which can be prepared in advance and is a perfect accompaniment to drinks.

This recipe for Kalmi vada is from Geetaji who is my neighbor. Her family is originally from Old Delhi and like any old illustrious baniya family takes a lot of pride in their vegetarian cuisine.Their food infuses me with a sense of nostalgia as it brings back memories of a bygone era when the masalas were hand grounded and there was a lot of emphasis on freshly prepared meals, and there used to be a maharaj in every household for cooking. Geetaji herself is a very good cook and rustles up traditional baniya food with all the desi flavors intact, in a jiffy. Kalmi vada is an age old snack of our forefather's times -  it is now not so easily available and is becoming elusive even in the streets of Old Delhi.

Kalmi vada

2 cups chana dal (Split Bengal Gram)

2 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped

2 tablespoon green chillies, finely chopped

2 tablespoon saboot dhania (whole coriander seeds)

3-4 whole dried red chillies

2 tablespoon kasturi methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

1 tablespoon black pepper, coarsely ground

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Soak the chana dal overnight.Next day strain the dal ( lentil ) so that the water gets drained out completely. Then grind it without adding any water to it or at the most a couple of spoons of water. The paste should be grainy in texture /coarsely ground but without any solid dal pieces showing up. Now add the chopped ginger, green chillies, saboot dhania, kastoori methi, black pepper, break each of the red chillies into 3-4 pieces and add to the mixture and finally add salt. Mix everything well so that the spices get blended in the paste. Taste, and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

 

The dal paste with all the spices

Heat up oil in the kadai (wok). Shape the dal mixture into evenly sized and flattened round patties and slide into the hot oil.

Mixture in a patty shape

Deep fry the patty from both sides till it firms up and turns golden brown then remove from the wok and keep aside. 

Kalmi vada after first frying

Leave the patties to cool down. Then slice into finger sized 1/2 inch thick pieces and fry them in hot oil till they turn crisp. Sprinkle some chaat masala on top and serve hot with coriander chutney or ketchup.

The patties can even be made a couple of days in advance and kept in the refrigerator. When required cut them into pieces, deep fry and serve

Delhi's buzzing theatre scene

Delhi is fast emerging as India's cultural hub. From art to theatre (more than hundred productions staged every month) there is a lot to watch and Delhiites couldn't have asked for more.

Mandi House (near Bengali Market) is home to  the finest performing art  institutions -  Triveni Kala Sangam, National School of Drama, Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra, Sriram Centre, Kamani Auditorium, LTG, (Little Theatre Group) and Habib Rahman's - Rabindra Bhawan. India Habitat Center and Alliance Francaise in Lodhi Road Institutional Area are also active on the theatre front.

Even though I live close by but of late I hadn’t been catching up on the theatre scene. This hiatus ended recently when Atul Kumar staged "Noises Off” and for watching this West End hit even the hubby took time out.

 "Noises Off" is a play by the English playwright Michael Frayn. It was staged in Delhi by The Company Theatre at Kamani Auditorium.  In fact, this play was staged ten years back and has now again been revived, retaining some of its original cast. It's a farcical comedy of an ambitious director and his troupe of mediocre actors who are trying to make a sex comedy-"Nothing On".

It's a play within a play- and explores the on and off stage doings of a theatre group as they flounder through the rehearsals. It's about fiascoes that happen backstage when the actors are not in tandem with each other, about their conflicting love interests, and how all this disharmony spills on to the stage in a slapstick comedy.

 

The stage for "Noises Off"

The first Act begins with dress rehearsals in which you see actors forgetting their lines, missing cues, a lot of talk of sardines and countless entrances and exits and banging of doors, and the actors really have their hands full, and not just figuratively (holding  plate of sardines)

For the second Act the stage is turned around so the audience gets to see the drama that happens backstage. This is more hilarious than the comedy on stage. It is a total laugh riot with the human emotions of envy, revenge and backstabbing coming to the fore. It looks at the relationship between the cast and crew with all their foibles and eccentricities.

In the third and final Act, the play is being performed at the end of its ten week run, and by now the relationship between the crew is at an abysmal level but they go on spiritedly, determined to put up a good show. As actors forget lines and situations, the play goes on contrary to the script and with impromptu improvisations becomes maddeningly comical.

This play has been a resounding success in Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi and has had a sellout run. The director, Atul Kumar has already received a lot of critical acclaim for 'Piya Behrupiya', and “Noises Off" is another feather in his cap.

Another interesting play that I caught up with was Merry Go Round Entertainment's much acclaimed "Khabsoorat Bahu", written by Late Nag Bodus and directed by Tarun Dangwal. The play is written in Brij Bhasha (dotted with Bundeli flavor).

It is a satire on the superstitious beliefs that foster in our villages and how it affects relationships. The play was about the society's emphasis on looks when finding a bride. It had its light moments of buffoonery when the village's flirtatious youth spend their time fantasizing about the beautiful 'bahu' who has just got married to a local boy.

It was a well enacted play interspersed with folk songs sung by the characters.  'Chachi' (aunt) and 'sutradhar' (facilitator) characters were well etched out and the actors performing these characters gave a fine performance. It was a hilarious and enjoyable play and one lost track of time ... and the two hours went by in a jiffy.

The cast and crew of "Khabsoorat Bahu"

Both the plays would definitely make the cut for any theatre enthusiast for their quality of production and are worth a watch. Delhi's theatre scene is livening up and makes for a good alternative to some of  the inane bollywood offerings.