Biryani: The best-loved and most inventive dish in Indian subcontinent

By: Anoothi Vishal :ET:19 May 2013

Aliki, a Greek friend, struggles with some quintessential Dilli dishes that I have cooked, mild to my palate, but obviously a tad too spicy for her. That's when I bring out theyakhni pulao, rice cooked in stock, delicate, fragrant and a speciality of my community. She looks at it and her eyes stop watering and instead light up in recognition. "Pulao...pilafi..!" she says. "It's like the Greek pilafi". Indeed, take out the spices, and the pulao from old Delhi could well be the Greek rice dish cooked in lamb (or beef broth), flavoured with onions and finished with lemon juice: a dish they serve at those big fat Greek weddings.

Just as we do here in India. The pulao is a generic dish common to many cultures and known by similar sounding names (pilaf, pilau, plov..) across Turkey, Iran, West Asia, Afghanistan, the Balkans, South Asia and, yes, Greece: regions influenced by older Persian culture. We can perhaps never be sure of the origin, with food historians tracing even an early Sanskrit name for it. But what is more certain is that biryani, a derivative of the pulao, is a dish intrinsic to the Indian subcontinent.

There are many popular stories as to how it came into being. While the pulao was the regal, refined, elite dish, one myth states that cooks in the royal kitchen used leftovers and spices to concoct the biryani — the common man's highly flavoured singledish meal. Whether or not this is true, in Mughal India, the biryani established itself as a well-documented, favoured dish.

Changing Complexion 

Later, as the doddering empire lost its clout to powerful regional dynasties in Avadh, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Rampur, Bihar, Bengal and elsewhere, the use of different spices and local flavouring agents changed the complexion of the biryani, giving rise to the many distinct (and notso-distinct) "styles": the pulao-like subtle Avadhi biryani; the kachchi biryani (raw meat cooked with rice) flavoured with potent green chillies and much more masala from Hyderabad; the Bengali version, where ostensibly potatoes replaced some portion of the meat to keep costs low and whose genesis is credited to the exiled Wajid Ali Shah's cooks. Meanwhile, southern and western India have their own takes on the biryani: dishes where you can clearly see an intermingling of cultures. For instance, the Arab traders' style of cooking and marrying local spices, seafood, coconut and cashews in Kerala.

The Same Difference 

For a single rice-and-meat dish, it is extraordinary how many different versions there are — and how much debate and passion each of these excite. Is the Avadhi biryani superior to the Hyderabadi? What is the finer distinction between the Rampuri and the Lucknowi? Or, indeed what really is a "true" biryani vs a "true" pulao (the simplest determinant is that while biryani is layered, pulao is not)? All these are potential minefields. Food consultant Salma Husain, who has researched into the cuisines of the Mughals, says at least a part of this diversity came from royal experiments. By the time Bahadur Shah Zafar II came to the throne, the dastarkhwan was more elaborate and diverse than ever before in Indian history. The emperor's table had "Turkish, Persian, Afghan and Indian flavours as Persian and central Asian cuisine travelling in the camp kitchens of the conquers had made its way into northern India", Husain says.

The Appeal of the Exotic 

Husain has created an exotic recipe based on the culinary culture of that time. For biryani "Zeenat Mahal", take ½ kg rice and soak it in water. Take ½ kg goat mince, 125 gm ground onion, ginger paste, garam masala, roasted gram flour, salt, red chilli powder and poppy seed paste, grind all to make a fine paste. Make small kofte of this, fry and keep aside. To make stock, boil ½ kg tender goat meat in water, adding salt and whole spices (tied in a muslin cloth). When the meat is tender, strain the stock. Bhuno meat pieces in sliced onion, ginger-garlic, add salt and yoghurt. Simmer. Remove and reserve. Now, boil the rice in stock (temper the stock with cloves) and 1 cup rose water. When fully cooked, take a thick bottomed pan, grease the bottom with ghee, spread half the rice, sprinkle cardamom powder and saffron dissolved in milk. Spread the sauted meat, cover this with another layer of rice. Pour hot ghee on the rice and cover the pan and put on slow fire. While serving, place the koftas over the rice, garnish with fried almonds and browned onions.

Another Style 

Have you ever tried the Rampuri version? Influenced by Kashmiri, Hyderabadi and other cuisines, Rampuri food is considered more robust than Avadh's delicate preparations — more whole spices, nuts, green chillies, for instance, are used. Chef Rohit at the Kempinski Ambience hotel in east Delhi gives the recipe for a chicken biryani from the region. Marinate 1 kg chicken in a paste made with onions, ginger-garlic, green chllies, cardamom powder, mace powder, black pepper powder, milk and ghee. Add slit green chillies, ginger juliennes, whole spices, pounded, chopped green coriander and mint to the marinade. Let it rest overnight. The next morning, take 500 gm of rice and cook in 2 litres of chicken stock, adding ghee and whole spices in a muslin cloth. When the rice is 70% done, take off the flame. In another pan, cook chicken (in the marinade) till half done. Now layer the rice and chicken, garnish with mint leaves, soaked saffron, browned onions and green chillies. Cook in a sealed container on low flame (dum) till the biryani is fully done. Enjoy!

Paan Biryani for Vegetarians

There is no "veg biryani". Traditionally, we have only had vegetarian Avadhi tahiri. But the biryani is an inventive dish and there is no reason why vegetarians cannot enjoy it! I found an unusual recipe courtesy chef Satyabir Singh Tyagi from Baluchi restaurant at The Lalit New Delhi. In a pan, heat ghee, add a bay leaf and vegetables such as carrots and beans. Saute for a few minutes. Add a mix of butter, cream and curd to this. Add water and salt. When the water is boiling, add 1 kg of soaked basmati rice and let it cook. When the rice is almost done, add biryani masala (you get this pre packed in stores), a tsp of paan masala, a few strands of soaked saffron and kewra water. Cover and let it cook till the rice is fully done. Garnish with a paan leaf, green chillies and mint. Serve hot.

The writer is a Delhi-based food writer & curates food festivals

Snake cucumbers are worth trying

ET : Vikram Doctor, | 26 May, 2013, 04.00AM IST

When a friend of mine accidently left a honeydew melon next to the vegetables, the cook simply cut it up and used it with the regular masalas. My friend only realised this when she got home and found a rather strange tasting sabzi waiting for her. One could imagine the cook thinking that young people ate such weird foods, and that this must be one of them.

I am reminded of this incident every time I see carts on the street piled with the long, curling, pale green, ribbed shapes of snake cucumbers. The cook wasn't totally wrong. These cucumbers have a lot in common with the melon; Cucumis melo var flexuosus being their botanical name. Melons are plain Cucumis melo, while cucumbers are Cucumis sativus, so the families are close, but while most melons move to the sweeter, fruit variety, these flexible snaky kinds are closer to their cucumber cousins in taste and texture, though they retain a faint melon-like sweetness.

Global Connections

They are also termed as Armenian cucumber, which is a bit confusing since there is little evidence that they came from Armenia in particular. Snake cucumbers seem to have been grown in the swathe of land from Armenia through Turkey, down the Eastern Mediterranean to Egypt. Gil Marks, in The Encylopedia of Jewish Food, suggests that it was these, along with another unsweetened, round type called chate melons, that were what the Israelites longed for when they found themselves stranded in the desert of Sinai after Moses lead them out of Egypt.

In one bout of complaining against their leaders, the Israelites remembered, "the fish, which we ate in Egypt for nothing; the cucumbers, and the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic." Marks notes that what we call cucumbers today originated in India and probably arrived in West Asia later, but evidence from seeds and pictures found in Egyptian tombs points to unsweetened melons being what was grown there, which got confused with the Indian cucumbers when they appeared there.

Indian Links

What makes this plausible is the fact that snake cucumbers are sparsely grown today in West Asia as much as in India. They are supplanted by Indian cucumbers, which are, in truth, a more pleasing fruit. Real cucumbers are juicy, cooling and filling — compared to them there is something evanescent about snake cucumbers. They are more textural and offer plenty of crispness, especially since they don't need to be peeled. Their flavour is so mild to be almost imperceptible. So why are snake cucumbers still grown at all? Why do they make an appearance on our streets regularly, about twice a year — once just as the summer begins to set in, and then around Diwali, after the monsoons have gone? The simple answer is that they are an exceptionally fast growing crop, which can thrive even in poor soil.


This is probably why the Israelites, who were slaves in Egypt, prized them, since like the other foods in their complaint, they would have been available even to the poorest people. This is still largely the same in India. Vegetable vendors in the marketplace rarely sell snake cucumbers; they are generally sold in carts along the streets and are meant for immediate consumption, not to be taken back home to cook (though they taste nice enough in salads). Since they grow quickly, they are one of the first to show up. Later in the season these carts sell watermelons, guavas or tadgola (Palmyra palm fruit) or the sour drink made from black carrots in north India, or the large cucumbers and green mangoes that are sliced and plastered with chilli powder and salt.

Street Speciality

Most of these vegetables that double as snacks sold on the streets seem to have a slightly different cultivation system than the regular produce. The main commercial growers aren't interested in these at all, so they are left to be cultivated by smaller farmers, usually close to those areas where they are consumed. Somewhere near our cities a few farmers are growing the long vines from which the snake cucumbers grow — if the vines are trained on trellises, the cucumbers grow hanging down and straight, but curve if grown on the ground. The snake cucumber will never be a major crop, but is a pleasing niche one, well worth trying while it appears on our streets.

Chilled Snake Cucumber Gazpacho

Serves 4 10 minutes + chilling

Recipe: Amit Pamnani

Ingredients

Snake cucumber: 600g, peeled, deseeded & roughly chopped Green capsicum: 1/2, deseeded & roughly chopped Spring onion greens: 3, chopped Coriander: 1 tbsp, chopped Garlic clove: 1 Extra virgin olive oil: 1/4 cup, Water: 3/4 cup, Yoghurt: 1/2 cup, White wine vinegar: 1 tbsp, Salt to taste & Red chilli powder to garnish

* Mix all the ingredients together except the chilli powder, and puree in a blender till smooth * Refrigerate it for at least 3-4 hours and serve with a sprinkling of red chilli powder Content Courtesy: Good Food Magazine India May issue on stands now

THink before you eat

The Hindu :Prabalikm borah:30 May 2013

ISSUE It’s not enough to stay hydrated during the hot summer months; it’s also important to eat food that’s safe and easily digestible

Haven’t we all been reaching out for a bottle of anything that’s water-based to quench our thirst this summer? While this is so, eating is as important as keeping ourselves hydrated throughout the day if our body and mind are to be energised to enable us to carry on with our daily chores.

While we can put a check on what’s being served at home, the same cannot be done when a menu is placed in front of us at a restaurant. We go overboard when the choice is wide, and the outcome isn’t always good.

Walking after a heavy meal may be possible in the evening, but what do we do if we indulge ourselves with an elaborate lunch? “Skip the next meal or give a gap of at least 5 to 6 hours before the next bite,” advises a Hyderabad-based dietician. Most of us would agree with this but there are others who’d like to play safe with their food choices in summer.

“I have some simple rules. A meal is usually accompanied by non-alcoholic drinks on a Sunday. And if I am drinking beer, then the food has to be absolutely light. I prefer Continental fare, complete with baked dishes, otherwise I go Indian with dal and tandoori rotis,” says food lover and writer Vijay Marur.

Wrong food will not only ruin your day, but it can lead to other problems if not attended to properly. That is because during summer the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) falls, so eating right and light will go a long way towards keeping us healthy. Nutritionist Esther Sathiaraj says, “BMR is high in winter; hence, we feel the need to eat more during these months.

During summer, on the other hand, it is more important to keep ourselves hydrated. One shouldn’t wait to feel thirsty. Grab a bottle of water at any time and start drinking it; this will protect us from the heat. To let the food settle and help the digestion process, begin your meal with nimbu pani or jal jeera . For the main course, stick to salads and fruits. Anything fresh and cooling. Opt for breads with accompaniments such as a light gravy or stew.”

Doctors suggest eating curd along with a meal and drinking buttermilk at other times. When it comes to eating meat, red meat can take a back seat, and fish and white meats can find a prominent place on the dining table.

Drink nimbu pani or jal jeera

Order rotis or plain rice instead of greasy varieties

Include fruits and vegetables in your diet

Keep yourself hydrated

Opt for white meats and fish instead of red meat

The power of ideas

Brainstorming: Have an idea? Discuss it. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar


The Hindu ; Sumathisudhaka :30 May 2013

Your ideas can make a difference to the world around you. 

Don’t give them up. 

Keep trying.

Harsha and her friends sat chatting about the invention of anti-rape lingerie by college students in Chennai. 

The news was trending on Twitter. 

The international media raved over it. “Wonder where they got the idea from?” Harsha commented. “We will never hear the end of it,” grumbled Prachi. “My parents have already started: why can’t you be inventive and all that.”

The anti-rape lingerie came about as some people’s response to life around them. In the aftermath of the Delhi gang rape, it became increasingly clear that the threat of sexual violence was not the stuff of movies. It was very real. Everyone was outraged. But it took a few students to come up with a likely solution. Whether the product will be effective or commercially viable is not the moot point here. That some students took the initiative to look for a solution, and applied their knowledge and skills to come up with one is significant.

It is significant because it is a rare instance of Indian students applying knowledge in a real world scenario. Knowledge is life-oriented. It is only for the convenience of study that we have chunked it into subjects. Unfortunately, though, this has fragmented our vision and most of us stop with acquiring knowledge and do not go on to apply it.

Many studies and reports have rued the lack of application and original thinking in Indian students. No innovation has taken the world by storm. If the number of patents applied for by a country is an indicator of its industry-driven innovative technologies, India is nowhere on the global map. Reports say that the number of patents applied for by India is about 2 to 3 per cent of that in the US, China and Japan, and far behind South Korea, Canada and Russia. In this bleak context, the invention of the anti-rape lingerie seems like a ray of light.

Learning to apply is not so difficult, though. The first step is to be in touch with the world. The real world that is beyond the world of Wassup and Facebook. You first need to get to know it well. Not like Deepak who did not know who Dave Cameron was and when someone enlightened him, could only remark, ‘But what does it matter to me? I am not interested!” To get to know the world that has accommodated us and provided a platform for our growth is not just in our interest; it is our responsibility. Surely we owe this much to the world.

Being in sync

Read the newspaper every day, watch news on television and keep abreast of current affairs. When you take a bus or walk down a road, unplug the headphones and start observing things around you. Living in the present is a simple way to develop the skill of observation. Observation builds an eye for detail at the sensory level and empathy at an emotional level. Reading not only adds to knowledge but also develops critical thinking and the ability to analyse, associate ideas and synthesise. Awareness is just a step away from involvement. Empathy and involvement will make you see the world’s problems as your problems. It will also help you develop an integrative vision that goes beyond the narrow confines of your subject area. Being more aware of the world, you will learn to situate your knowledge in the context of the world — which is the first pre-requisite for application and innovation. Be able to think for the world.

Power of positivism

The next most important thing is a positive outlook. It is easy to get weighed down by the problems in your life, leave alone the issues facing society. You need a robust positivism that tells you that change is possible, and that you, a tiny cog, can be part of it. Have faith in yourself and your ideas. Never forget that all the momentous advances in human civilisation in the last ten thousand years were made possible not by aliens or superhuman beings, but by people like you.

Think with a calm mind, express your craziest ideas with courage, be objective and self-analytical, and take criticism in a positive way. Learn to distance yourself from your ideas and look at them objectively.

Remember that an idea is a seed, not a fruit. A seed needs to be planted, watered and nurtured, if it has to grow. Your ideas too need to be discussed — with friends, teachers, others — and modified and worked on, if they have to bear fruit. Make a habit of brainstorming. Be ready to give up one idea for another. But don’t give up trying. Because you wouldn’t want to regretfully ask yourself some day whether you could have made a difference.

Email: sumathi.sudhakar@gmail.com

Traditional food : A taste of tradition

Chef K. Damodaran gives a cooking demo at Gramathu Virunthu at Nalas Appakadai Photo: M. Periasamy.

Chef Damu makes an appeal to revive traditional food that is fast disappearing from modern homes

There is heat and licks of flames rising from stoves at Nalas Aappakadai. Chef Dhamu is in action and people, who huddle around his stall, step back, as the chef pours some more oil into the hot tawa. “ This is my signature style. I begin my sessions with this item,” he says with a wink. 

The chef has designed the menu for Gramathu Virundhu, a traditional Tamil Nadu food festival at Nalas Appakadai. He demonstrates the cooking of Pazhamulagu prawns.

 His stall is a traditional straw hut with fruit koodais, ammis and earthen lamps. “I have used only traditional vessels to prepare the dishes in the menu,” he says. He adds small onions, coriander powder and curry leaf powder into the tawa. “Now this is a very traditional recipe, and we use ripe red chillies.

A dish on display at Chef K. Damodaran's Gramathu Virunthu at Nalas Appakadai Photo: M. Periasamy.

 One signature feature about traditional cuisine is that the quantity of spice is low”. He then adds the prawns and the ripe red chillies and a handful of pepper, which he says is healthier than chilli powder. Within five minutes, the Pazhamulagu prawns are ready! The hot dish wins you over with its blend of sweet and spicy taste.

The nine-day festival features recipes that no longer frequent the modern kitchens. “But these dishes are healthier and simple to make. They are actually medicinal food, which used to be recommended by the doctors for good health,” says Damu.

 From the thick and tangy kozhumbus to red round syrupy thaen mittais, they are all there . Kuli paniyarams, kos puttu (puttu made of cabbage), and nei choru are the other highlights. 

Among the 46 dishes in the menu, there are century-old recipes such as kalaan milagu varuval and kozhi soru.

Full of flavours

The meal begins with kozhi rasam, strongly flavoured with garlic and mustard. Hot rice is served on banana leaves. Rasam, sambar, curd and a variety of kozhmbus, are served in small bowls. Nethili mangha kuzhambu, a fish curry cooked with mango and tamarind pulp, will win a fish lover’s heart. 

A dish on display at Chef K. Damodaran's Gramathu Virunthu at Nalas Appakadai Photo: M. Periasamy.

• A dish on display at Chef K. Damodaran's Gramathu Virunthu at Nalas Appakadai Photo: M. Periasamy.A dish on display at Chef K. Damodaran's Gramathu Virunthu at Nalas Appakadai Photo: M. Periasamy.

The succulent chicken pieces, coated with the paste of crushed chilli, cumin and coriander powders, and finally sprinkled with crushed peanut powder, is the perfect accompaniment to the meal. 

So is the cabbage carrot poriyal, which comes with a generous dose of coconut. The baingan kozhumbu has a mild spicy flavour and tanginess. Chef Damu ensures that the dry ingredients he uses in his cooking are hand pounded.

There are other vegetarian delights such as ennai kathrikkai kuzhambu, kai kari thengapal curry and kadamba kuzhambu. Hot off the tawa are kal dosai, ragi dosai and godhumai dosais and aappams, parottas and chapattis. Semiya payasam, with cashew, is the right finish to this sumptuous meal. The dessert platter also has Suiyam, appam, rava laddoos and sojiappam.

Chef Damu, who is a consultant at Nalas Aappakadai, has always taken an interest in promoting the food from the villages. “These recipes are disappearing from our culture. For convenience, we are all opting for junk food available in the market. The objective of the festival is to bring these dishes from the villagers to the cities.The eating habits have changed and the number of people who knows cooking has decreased.”

The spread at at Chef K. Damodaran's Gramathu Virunthu at Nalas Appakadai Photo: M. Periasamy.

Chef Damu fears that may be 10 years down the line, there won't be any kitchens in households.

 He says. “We must not let that happen. We should pass on our traditional recipes as well so that the art is not lost. I request parents to teach their children cooking as it is important to good health.”

The festival is on till June 2, from 11 a.m. to 3.30 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

 The chef will also give free demonstrations of cooking the traditional dishes on Wednesday.

 For details call: 90947-89789.

Keywords: Chef Damu, traditional food, Nalas Aappakadai, Gramathu Virundhu, traditional cuisine festival

FOOD SAFARI :In search of RAMASSERI IDLI

Ramasseri idli. Photo: K.K. Mustafah

The Hindu : k pradeep ;jan 5,2013

In a tea shop in a nondescript village near Palakkad, K. Pradeep discovers a flatter version of the idli, almost like a mini dosa, whose secret restaurateurs and chefs have not been able to decipher.

A narrow, ribbon-like road that deviates from the Palakkad-Coimbatore Road at Puthussery (or turns from Kootupathai on the Palakkad-Pollachi Road) takes you to Ramasseri, hardly eight km from Palakkad town. 

It’s nearing noon when we stop at Sankar Vilas, one of the two tea shops in this nondescript village whose only claim to fame is its idlis.

Sankar Vilas is at one end of a row of tiled building strips that house a quaint grocery, a few houses and a rice mill.

 A few women, with colourful plastic pots, wait their turn at the water tap. A dog wakes up, stares, stretches, and goes back to sleep. 

The palpable silence is broken by the occasional vehicle that passes by and the strains of a vintage T.M. Soundararajan film song from the radio at the tea shop.

A bleary-eyed, ruffled Jeevanandan, who runs this tea shop, ushers us inside. He still has customers gorging on leaves full of soft, puffy idlis. Two men, who have finished a rather late breakfast, discuss the daily newspaper.

 While serving his clients Jeevanandan offers us a hot cup of coffee and talks about this tradition of making Ramasseri idlis that have become popular.

“I took over when my father (Sankaranarayanan) died,” says Jeevanandan. “This shop must be more than 75 years old. I have heard my parents say that the Ramasseri idlis date back to over 100 years.

 It is believed that the Mudaliars, the community to which I and the other families in this village who make idlis belong, migrated from the neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu. We have been following a tradition handed down to us by the elders. 

We now have only four families and two shops that sell these idlis here. In the past, this village had handloom. Now it is the idlis.”

Jeevanandan says the tea shop is not profitable. He sells 500 idlis on an average every day. A set of two idlis costs Rs.8. “We make them twice a day, depending on the demand. What helps us survive are the bulk orders we get from hotels, weddings and other functions. During this time, families get together and make them. We don’t give them the chutneys; they have their own combinations like stew and sambar.” The voices of TMS, P. Susheela, and P.B. Srinivas take turns to keep us company.

What makes the Ramasseri version of the idli so special?

 Jeevanandan and the others in the village still make idlis the same way their forefathers did. They use rice, black gram, fenugreek and salt to form a batter. “The trick, the taste, of the idlis is in the way we cook them,” Jeevanandan says, even as he moves to serve chutney to new customers.

What strikes you first is the unique shape of these idlis. The Ramasseri version is a trifle flat, unlike the more common ones; it is almost like a mini dosa. It feels fluffy, spongy and soft.

Jayan, a carpenter, stays close to this village. He is at Ramasseri on work and has been eating these idlis for many years now. “Though I stay nearby we don’t make these idlis at home. We have tried, but they never come close to what we get from these families. Only they know the ‘trick’,” he says breaking a big piece of idli, and mixing it well with two varieties of chutneys and the podi (a powder of pepper, roasted rice, black gram and red chilly) before shoving it into his mouth.

Even restaurateurs and professional chefs have not been able to decipher the secret taste of the Ramasseri idli. “There is a popular story among our families that the recipe of the idli and the podi was handed down by an old woman called Chittoori Ammal. I’m not very sure about this. I was married into this family, and ever since I have been making this. I was ‘trained’ by my mother-in-law and the other older women in the family,” says Rajammal, Jeevanandan’s mother, and the oldest member of the clan.

It is noon and customers begin to dwindle. The shop opens as early as 4 a.m. and remains open till 9 p.m. every day. It is not unusual to see people queuing up and cars and vans halted under the tree close to the shop in the morning. “We have our regular customers from the village and the surroundings who come here almost every day. Then there are people from the restaurants in the city who come to collect their orders,” says Jeevanandan, as he gestures to us to follow him to the “kitchen”.

Jeevanandan stays with his family behind the tea shop. He leads us to the dark, small kitchen. Four fireplaces occupy most of the space. One of them is burning. Jeevanandan sits down and opens a large pot of idli batter. He takes four round clay steamers (like the ganjira), almost eight-inch in diameter, tied tightly on the mouth with a piece of wet cotton cloth. He pours a ladle full of batter on these net-like cloths on each of these hollow-bottomed steamers and stacks them one over the other. Then he places them on a large pot on the fireplace. The fire logs flicker and it is hot inside the kitchen. He then covers them with another blackened pot.

“Earlier we used only earthen pots. We used to have expert potters who made them for us. But now we don’t get that kind of quality. Most of them tend to break in the heat. We have substituted them with aluminium pots now. But the round steamers are still made of clay. In the past only three steamers were stacked together. Since we need to make large numbers we use four,” Jeevanandan explains even as the idli gets steaming.

Once they are done, he lifts the cover, removes the stack of steamers one by one, places a wet leaf, usually of the jackfruit tree, over the steaming idli and turns the steamer upside down, sliding the idli into a huge tray. “The firewood we use is only from the tamarind tree. It takes hardly a minute or two to make an idli. But it’s tough during summer to stay close to the fire right through in a hot kitchen.”

Vallakutty, a spinster, who walks with a slight shuffle, has been working in Sankar Vilas for “more than 20 years.” “She reaches here by three in the morning and by seven makes around 300 idlis and leaves. We take over after that,” says Jeevanandan.

There was a time when Ramasseri idlis were packed and carried abroad. It used to have a shelf life of three to four days. “Not any longer,” confesses Jeevanandan. “At the most it may last a day. The quality of rice has gone down. Earlier, we used to get it from our own fields or buy from those who cultivated rice. Not any longer. The taste starts right from the boiling of paddy itself. In fact, we used to use parts of the husk to make the podi. We now depend on the grocer who chooses the variety of rice we need. We use electric grinders and mixers to make the batter and the podi. This has also affected the quality.”

We sit inside the shop as Jeevanandan places fresh-washed banana leaves before us. The fluffy idlis fall on the leaf. The coconut and tomato chutneys give the green leaf and the snow-white idlis a dash of brightness. The podi is served last. For the next few minutes we are not sure if Jeevanandan said anything or if TMS was still singing. The peppery-hot podi hits you hard, yet you keep going for that lovely, tangy taste. We clean up the leaf in quick time, and buy a parcel of idlis to take home.

Now I will believe those who told me of the separate queues at the two tea shops in Ramasseri from the crack of dawn. Watching the idlis being steam-cooked in those mud pots, arranged in a three-tiered method till they are slipped on to the green leaf before you is an experience. 

In minutes our car has sped past the little village. The TMS songs are heard no more, and the aroma of steamed idlis cannot be felt. I touch the packet of idlis in the bag — some reassurance.

Ramasseri idlis being made. Photo: K.K. Mustafah

HOW IT’S MADE

The ingredients and process are almost the same as those for the usual idli.

Soak one kg of good parboiled rice and 150 grams of black gram in separate pots for some hours. 

Wash and remove the skin of the gram and grind it with a large pinch of fenugreek to a smooth, thick batter.

 Wash and grind the rice separately and combine the two. 

Add salt to taste and stir well. 

Cover it and set it aside for 10-12 hours, overnight preferably, to ferment.

 Use this batter to make the idlis.

Keywords: Ramasseri, Palakkad town, Sankar Vilas, Ramasseri idlis, flat idlis

Millets :Chennai City experts work to make millets ‘tastier’

The Hindu : Serena Josephine .M :May 24,2013

In a metro like Chennai, where fast food is a way of life, millets might be the least appetising option.

But the health food is set for a makeover in the city, with a number of studies looking at introducing preparations — from biscuits to ‘payasam’ — using millets.

With increasing focus on right diet and healthy living, millets have become of great interest to doctors and nutritionists as they are considered nutritionally superior to rice. (See infographic 'Nutritional Content in Millets' on the left.)

“Millets are inexpensive and highly nutritious. It promotes healthy eating as it is rich in fibre, carbohydrates and minerals. Its nutritive value is enhanced when combined with pulses and legumes,” said Kundala Ravi, lecturer, department of clinical nutrition, Sri Ramachandra Medical University (SRMU).

A number of SRMU students are working to develop millet recipes make it appetising, she said.

“We are looking at how millets can be combined with other ingredients. For example, we can make ‘payasam’ using millets, green gram dal, jaggery and milk. Similarly, ‘puttu’, ‘sevai’, ‘dosa’, ‘idli’ and ‘vadai’ can be prepared with millets,” she said.

For diabetologists, the humble millets assume significance due to their low glycemic index. “The starch-protein interaction causes the glycemic level to drop. Millet-based formulations are suitable as a food supplement or meal replacer for those with diabetes,” said R.G. Abirami, nutrition research associate, M.V. Hospital for Diabetes and Research Centre, Royapuram.

The hospital is involved in studies to develop low cost millet-based recipes for breakfast and lunch using foxtail millet and barnyard millet.

For long, rice has been the staple diet in south India and people here tend to eat large servings, said Vijay Viswanathan, head and chief diabetologist at the hospital. “The glycemic index is high in rice, especially the unpolished variety. We are developing products specific to south India, using millets — recipes hitherto prepared with rice. We are asking patients to judge the taste factor,” he said.

Dishes made with millet. Photo: Kedarnath

Students of Women’s Christian College (WCC) too are looking at creating recipes using millets such as biscuits and nutrition bars, said Sheba Jeyaraj, assistant professor, department of home science.

“People do not use millets as they feel the food lacks in taste and looks unappetising. But a 100-gram portion of finger millet (ragi) has 344 mg of calcium. No other cereal has such high nutritive value. Millets are gluten free and can be consumed by people with celiac disease (gluten-sensitive enteropathy). They are rich in vitamin B and help in controlling diabetes and reducing cholesterol levels,” she said.

The Institute of Community Medicine, Madras Medical College, has been promoting consumption of millets at its interactions with the public.

“We have been asking people to add millets to their diet. Various millet-based products are available in the market today. Whole wheat ground with millets such as ragi, ‘cumbu’ and ‘cholam’ can be used to make chapathis,” said A. Chitra, an assistant professor at the Institute.

Meals That heal :Explore the spice route

Cumin is a good digestive aid. Photo: K. K. Mustafah


The Hindu : Alok Anand :May 26,2013

For a popular Arabic spice mixture

The spice cumin, indigenous to the east Mediterranean, features in many cuisines. 

Belonging to the parsley family (along with caraway and dill), cumin has reportedly been used in kitchens for several millennia.

 It was introduced by the Spanish and Portuguese colonists in the 15th Century in America.

Cumin today is an essential ingredient in South Asian, Latin American and African cuisines.

 It is used in cheeses such as Leyden; spice mixes and Indian preparations such as dals and kormas.

Cumin has long been known for its medicinal properties, especially on the Indian subcontinent where it is consumed as a digestive aid.

 It is also used to help control flatulence, nausea, diarrhoea and dyspepsia. Cumin water or tea is given as a curative for common cold. 

Along with high iron content, cumin is rich in the mineral magnesium, essential for promoting heart health, controlling blood pressure and aiding in calcium absorption.

Now, for a recipe.

Baharat

Baharat is an Arabic spice blend used as an all-purpose seasoning in Middle Eastern cuisines. While the blend varies from region to region with ingredients as varied as dried rose petals, mint and saffron, but it always includes black pepper, cumin, cinnamon and cloves and is used in soup, stews and rubs.

Ingredients

Black peppercorns: 2 tbsp

Coriander seeds: 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds: 2 tbsp

Allspice: 1 tbsp

Cardamom seeds: t tsp

Whole cloves: 0.5 tsp

Cinnamon sticks: 4 (3 inch)

Sweet paprika: 2 tbsp

Grated nutmeg: 0.5 tsp

Method: Grind the whole spices using a mortar and pestle or spice mill. Add the paprika and nutmeg and mix well. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

The writer is the Executive Chef at Taj Coromandel

Eating out :Ashvita Nirvana...new restaurant in Besant Nagar,Chennai

The Hindu :Anusha Parthasarathy :May 28,2013

With its range of veg and vegan options, Ashvita’s new restaurant in Besant Nagar gives foodies a taste of Nirvana

At a Glance Address:

Ashvita Nirvana

5th Avenue,

Besant Nagar.

Tel : 4269 9026

What to Try :

Mock meats

Cake Shakes & Pastas

Price Range :

Rs 90 - @s 250

It’s Nirvana, but specially for gourmets, because this one is all about food. That’s why as we step into Ashvita’s new restaurant on Besant Nagar’s 5 Avenue we expect food for the soul. And we discover that the restaurant-cum-bistro offers vegetarian and vegan fare with options for a quick bite and a relaxed meal.

One half of the space is brightly-lit with interactive walls and low seating, catering to those who want loud music and louder chatter. To others, the feeling of fine dining, is created by the European staple — yellow and white walls, wooden cupboards and ceramic wall mounts. We decide to spend time in the intimately-lit room over a quiet meal on a balmy evening.

Delicious starters

Dynabites, Sweet Potato Fries and Roasted Jalapeno Potatoes for starters — we’re high on starch! While we wait, we decide to play Funskool’s Battleship, fighting over our cruisers and carriers like we did as 10-year-olds. The Dynabites are crumbly on the outside but mouth-wateringly molten inside. Even if their shape isn’t perfect, you can’t complain when your mouth is full of warm cheese and jalapeno bits.

The Roasted Jalapeno Potatoes are all right; the fried jalapenos complement the crispy, roasted potatoes. We’re not impressed with the Sweet Potato Fries; they are a tad soggy and lack salt.

We do try a mock meat; of course, it is called BBQ Chicken Sandwich and comes stacked with soya pieces and hot BBQ sauce. The result is a good mix of smoky sauce, vegetables and chunky bits of soya.

The Penne with Pesto and Vegetables is al dente with a generous sprinkling of grated cheese (the accompanying piece of brown bread, though, seems stale). The pesto sauce is fresh and the seasoning, perfect.

The hero of the evening, though, is the humble ‘Cucumber, Sweet Peppers, Lettuce, Dates and Tomato with Olive Oil’ salad. The dressing is minimal and the sweet, chewiness of the dates goes well with the crunchy lettuce and cucumber.

The restaurant staff recommend the cake shakes. We order a Chocolate Hazelnut Shake (vegan) and Chocolate Fudge Cake Shake. The hazelnut shake is thick and creamy, and the usual strong taste of soymilk is reduced by the chocolate. The hazelnut, of course, adds a nutty sweetness to it. The fudge cake shake is grainy and oozes rich chocolate — a perfect substitute for dessert!