Author: Ish

I love to cook and write. Growing up in India, I learned how to make rotis and blend spices for different dishes. Now my cooking, here in the Montana is more focused on local, seasonal produce, cooked and flavored in many more ways....I enjoy cooking for my family, friends, gatherings at home and for fundraisers.

Squash Blossoms: Dosa (Crepe) & Salad

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My friend, Stephanie gave me Squash blossoms from her garden today. I have never cooked with them before.

What does one do with Squash blossoms?  Well I ask Google and find many recipes that urge me to “Fill them up with cheese and then deep fry.”  While other recipes call for putting them in Omelets, Frittata, Quesdillas or use them as a Pizza topping.

So now what am I going to do with them? I eat one raw, it is delicious!  Then I chop some of the Squash blossoms, put them in an existing Dosa ( crepe) batter. And I make some Dosas for lunch! Delicious!!!

chopped Squash Blossoms
Added tot he dosa batter
Blend well
Pour the batter on a hot griddle
The edges are brown, it is ready to be flipped
Crispy Dosa!

I stir fry the remaining Squash blossoms  on a medium-hot sauce pan for about 4 – 5 minutes, then add them to shredded to Red Cabbage -Cucumber salad with a bit of lemon juice and a sprinkle of crushed pepper on the top.

Yummy! Next time, I will stir fry the Squash blossoms with some rice, peas ….and cumin………….

 

 

Steamed rotis – Auntie Trejavathi’s Kitchen

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Soft, moist and yummy is how I remember Bilavalege – a steamed roti of sorts with tomato gojju, a spicy, tangy, sweet sauce.  It was one of my favorites at Auntie’s kitchen. Even after 25 years, the warmth and her immaculate kitchen remain unchanged! She was really happy to show me how she made them.   To… Continue reading Steamed rotis – Auntie Trejavathi’s Kitchen

Cooking Class party for Myrna Loy @ Creperie

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These ladies had fun making Dosas, Chutney, Raita, Alu & Masala Chai

Tamara Blank and her friends won my cooking class at the Myrna Loy Auction. They wanted a gluten free class, what could be better than a dosa ( Indian crepe)? It was a fun group and I had met some of them before. Anyways, one can’t go too far in Helena without bumping into someone you know:)

This time I experimented with setting up stations for the different items and it seems like it worked out just fine….The Cucumber Raita(blended yoghurt) went well as a dip with crackers and so did the Cilantro-Coconut chutney…. The Alu ( Boiled potatoes) had just the right flavor with all the spices and a sprinkling of freshly chopped cilantro on the top. The Chai had a strong flavor of black cardamom. And Jeff’s Crepe griddles are the best for making dosas.

Everyone experimented making dosas of varying shapes and thickness, they all tasted good. I think!

Jeff was in the background prepping food for the next day, I saw him blending some delicious looking strawberries and blueberries for his crepes. I can’t wait to have them tomorrow…. yum!

 

 

Spiritual India – Dinner for 12 @ Creperie

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Beautiful Altar & Table set up with steel Thaali & tumblers by VJ, Jeff Spurlin & Taylor – We are ready for our guests

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Jeff & VJ friends for 30+ years…
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Our guests all in white ready for their journey to Spiritual India
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Naan with Tomato- Date Chutney & Masala Chai  – Appetizers-

And ….I forgot to take pictures of the food, as we got busy serving…… I got so taken in by the ambience and the lighting. VJ did an excellent job of setting up the Altar with pictures and idol of lord Ganesha with flowers, tea candles & lighting around them. It was nice of Taylor to help us, besides, he can tie a turban so well, after watching it being tied once. Jeff brought out his beautiful table clothes and Napkins.

When the guest arrived, all dressed in white ( as a part of the spiritual theme), I got busy making Naan. While VJ did a little ceremony and Taylor served tea. I was the only one not wearing white, while VJ wore a white saree. I just wasn’t thinking when I was getting ready….

All I did was make the food. It was the usual Langar ( community kitchen) kind of vegetarian food with Rajma Dal ( Kidney beans & Black lentils in a creamy sauce), Alu Gobi ( Caulifower & potatoes), Matar- Paneer Pulao( Rice dish with peas, nuts & homemade cheese), Raita & Halwa ( Semolina pudding with cashews & raisins) and of course Naan made right there on Jeff’s special griddles….All organic & made extra special with Ghee and coconut butter.

And everybody got to take a banana home as prasadam ( religous offering)

It was a TCEF fundraiser – “Indian dinner for 12 with a theme”-

 

Naan on the griddle… Everyone’s favorite …

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” We never make Naan at home”, I would proudly tell any Naan- Indian food enthusiast. It is made of white flour, while the humble roti that is made of whole wheat flour is much more nutritious. But then, after making dosas ( Indian Crepes) on the griddles at the Creperie for six  Indian dinners. I was ready to try something new… so why not try making Naan…

… Continue reading

Alu Parontha at the Creperie

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We had a fun cooking class at the Creperie today. The Creperie looks even more beautiful with all the Christmas decorations. It was a simple one hour + class. We made Chai tea and Alu Parontha ( potato stuffed flat bread) with whole wheat flour and gluten free ( rice flour and garbanzo bean flour) as well.

… Continue reading

Quick Orzo stew with dehydrated veggies

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The first time I bought Orzo (rice shaped pasta) was at the Pike place market in Seattle. It was lemon flavored Orzo. I forget how I made it, but I remember it being easy to make and delicious. So I bought it again the other day and made a simple one pot meal . To a pot of  about 4 cups of boiling water, I added  the dehydrated vegetables that had been lying around for ages and a cup of Orzo. … Continue reading

Simple ….Garam Masala

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Whenever people tell me that they find it intimidating to use spices, I am reminded of “Garam Masala” and turmeric;  the oxygen of my mother’s cooking. Every dish started out with half a teaspoon of turmeric in the beginning and ended with a sprinkle of about 2 teaspoons of Garam Masala, be it Daal, a vegetable side dish or a Pulao – Rice dish.

… Continue reading

It is raining Peppers……..stuff them with potatoes

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I have so many peppers; Poblano peppers and Bell peppers. All freshly plucked from Stephanie’s kitchen garden. When she asked me if I wanted three dozen peppers, I wasn’t sure what I would do with them. Then I thought of my dinner and I knew I could use them for my next dinner at the Creperie. Yes! Peppers stuffed with flavored potatoes. Just like my mom made them!

Pepper sliced in halves
Washed under running water
Steamed for 2 mins in the pressure cooker

My mom  would slice the top of the bell pepper and fill them with the spiced potato filing and sew back the top on with thread and needle.  Then slowly roast them in oil for about an hour or so. It was one of my favorite dish to have. I like to slice the peppers vertically into four and fill them with the potatoes, and then bake them in the oven, it is easier and quicker..

Poblano pepper – Intense flavor
Filled with spiced potatoes and baked at 350 F for 20 – 30 mins

The Poblano peppers have an intense spicy flavor, we ended up eating them all. The peppers were so fresh that when I sliced them there was about a spoon of water inside them… I could feel the freshness and the love with which they were grown by Stephanie with no chemicals whatsoever…Thank You Stephanie!

Here is the recipe

6 Bell Peppers
6  Med sized Yukon gold potatoes
1/2 t turmeric powder
1 T Coriander powder
1/4 – 1/2 t  Cayenne Pepper
2 t Cumin Powder
1/2 t  Amchur ( dry mango powder) or 1 T lemon juice

  1. Cut the peppers in half
  2. Wash & Steam them for 3 -4 mins in a steamer or 2 mins in a pressure cooker
  3. Boil the potatoes
  4. Mash them & add all the spices …also  salt to taste
  5. Spread 1 Tbsp of oil on a baking sheet
  6. Place the steamed peppers on the baking sheet
  7. Fill the potatoes into the peppers
  8. Bake them at 350 degree F until the peppers & potatoes get crisp & the peppers shrivel.. for 20 to 30 minutes…
  9. Enjoy them as a side dish or a main dish with Pita bread or Naan

Oh no…….Hing!

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hing1Hing or Asofetida is perhaps the smelliest of all spices. I had never thought of using it. “It is the worst smell on earth!”, according to my father, who endured smelly suits for a whole month – because of Hing! He was in Nigeria then, he had taken along a dozen bottles of hing in his suitcase, for a friend. As luck or ill-luck would have it, during the journey the hing sprinkled on his clothes, including his favorite suit. No amount of dry cleaning or washing helped him get rid of that “obnoxious” smell and he had to wear those smelly clothes for his business meetings.

My mother never used hing in her cooking, I did not feel the need either. Not until now. On our recent visit to India, I kept hearing about the medicinal properties of hing, it aids digestion, it can be substituted for onion, garlic and ginger. It especially helps make the daals and beans ( garbanzo/kidney) less gassy. I was sold.

I bought it freshly ground from a store just a day before leaving Bangalore. I put the bottle of hing in the outer pocket of the suitcase, which still smells of hing after two months. At first I was terrified that the smell would take over the entire house.

hing2 But then, it wasn’t that hard to isolate it, I encased it in a bottle containing lavender and tea bags.. Incidentally, I learned that used tea bags absorbed odors and smells of all kinds…I open the cap just a little bit, sprinkle it and snap it shut right away. All you need is “just a pinch.”

Now, that I have started using hing in my spice blends – Goda Masala,  Sambhar Masala and daal & cholle, I have no idea how I lived without it. It adds a distinct flavor, and you can get away without adding garlic and ginger – makes life simpler!