Samak Rice Idli Meals for Navratri and fasting

Nine days of festivity and remembering the power of the goddess who wields all power..

Faith can move mountains and can eensure that your belief remains untenable. Huunger is inconsequential in front of faith. ..
Hungry here at this very moment. ..

What is allowed is anything that doesn't originate from grain or animals. ..Milk and it's products are allowed. So this samak rice is a fruit or a non grain seed. As the body is greatly detoxified already with the fruits that are ingested, some salt and spice becomes of a life saving urgency.
So...

Samak Rice idli with curry...


you need

1 cup samak rice
1.5  cups sour buttermilk
pinch soda bi carb or bicarbonate (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
oil to grease the idli moulds

If your buttermilk is not sour enough leave it out overnight and use the next day.
Wash  the samak rice well a couple of times and place the rice and buttermilk in a bowl with the salt.  Set aside a couple of hours.

 Grease the idli moulds or glass bowls and now add the soda bicarbonate to the rice mix.However if you dont use soda bi carb,just keep this soaked rice overnight.The fermentation will do the trick.

Quickly stir and spoon into the idli moulds. Be sure to place sufficient water in the microwave steamer.
With medium to low   power microwave the idlis for 6 to 7 minutes. If you try to hurry up the process, the rice will be under cooked and bitter.
Allow this a few minutes as standing time.
Unmould fluffy idlis that you can serve with a potato or vegetable cuŕry.

May the blessings of Maa Durga stay on you and your family forever. Let the faith take you far abd keep you safe.

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Cookies-Singhare Ka Atta cookies with cardamom -Invoking the goddess and some detoxifying

That time of the ear again...
Time to invoke your faith in the goddess and all things holy...
Time to bring your gratitude to the fore and pray for the goddess to keep you safe and happy ...

And refrain from all things that are made of grain and are irresistible...
Like cookies and bread and all things meaty...
So we fast and and feel good...

And midweek we start getting cravings...
Cravings that will drive you nuts...
Cravings for cookies...

Am I the only one??
I know there are laddoos available and then there are Indian sweets galore...but the satisfaction that one cookie with a cup of coffee gives you...beats all else.
And in the middle of the fasting...I missed the bite of the cookie with my cup of coffee.
There had to be an easy way...right??
Then I remembered ...last Navratras..I made Buck wheat flour Crackers-crackers with kuttu ka atta and sesame seeds...
But I was dying for sweet cookies...
So sweet with cardamom ...
Like Whole wheat atta and semolina cookies.
So ...
Now with singhare ka atta- or flour made from water chestnuts...dried of course.
Singhare ka atta is  used a lot in Shivratri...Specially for the halwa...
But I decided to cookie it.

for the

Cookies-Singhare Ka Atta Cookies with cardamon-Invoking the goddess and some detoxifying...

1 1/4 cup singhare ka atta
1/2 cup sugar powdered with 4 cardamom
1/2 cup clarified butter or desi ghee

You cant use butter here, as butter has salt...so ghee it is.
I put back a tbsp of the clarified butter or desi ghee into the container and replaced it with ...water!At least make an effort at lo cal...My cookies were thus not that crisp...a little hard -but what ever!
The clarified butter or desi ghee I creamed and added the powdered sugar. I didn't want to use icing sugar as it contains some cornflour...

Now creamed in...you can see the cardamom flecks and I could smell it...

Now the singhare ka atta in...

Oven preheated to 180C/350F.
Atta kneaded together with a bit of water... I reduced the clarified butter or desi ghee...you can go with a wee bit of ghee more...

Small balls of dough flattened on the cookie sheet.

That's how I made the balls...uneven they were...but whatever... was just dying to bite into the cookies the shape was immaterial!

Mid way though the cookies smelt fine,but didn't look cooked enough. So I flipped them over and baked them for a further 10 minutes...

And Now out of the oven cooling...I had a few cookies while they were still warm and tempting...

And ready for the photo shoot!

Enough to last me the next 4 days???
I'll eat a real cookie after my prayers on Friday...so I think I'll last till then.

Jai mata di!


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Til ke Laddo Til Phugga-Happy Makar Sankranti -Homemade and Microwaved...

As the Sun transmigrates and begins its ascendancy and entry into the Northern hemisphere, let all your lives be filled with resplendent joy and may you all have an year of success and prosperity.

Happy Makar Sankranti...

Happiness and sunshine..

OK ,I may be a little late...

OK,I may be a lot late....

But I am here.

I am not cribbing about the cold...that is being done to death...

I am cribbing about the binging that the cold is making me do.

I hope it is making a lot others do too...

Its cold and I feel peckish ...like always!
Like a bird ,I peck on seeds, but my appetite is positively garangutan compared to a birds appetite...
The worst part about Ranchi , was that there never was much available to binge ,so I baked and made and binged.
Here, there is so much...
That I now need to make the gym my second home,seeing that my new home is not yet ready for us to move into..
That explains my sorry state on the blog list...
I'm barely managing to make the daily food...

So, these are pictures from my past...
well, only the last months in Ranchi...
I was preparing...

Til Phugga or Bhugga...whatever you call it ...
Supposed to be auspicious, healthy,sesame seeds and milk and nuts...
Wow!
The ancients preferred to ignore the sugar and the cholesterol causing khoya...
Ignorance is bliss!!
And life was blissful then!
Essentially they are til laddoos made with sesame seed and Khoya(reduced milk).
Amazingly yummy-as Sanskriti says...yummilicious!!
There was this big brouhaha about the khoya and adulteration...so we skipped that and used condensed milk instead.
Condensed milk and milk powder.
Simple.
And microwaved!

for the

Til ke Laddo Til Phugga-Happy Makar Sankranti -Homemade and Microwaved...

you need

1/2 cup or 75 gms milk powder
1 can or 400 mils condensed milk we used MILKMAID
1/2 cup sugar ground with 2 green cardamom
1/2 cup white sesame seeds
handful of nuts and raisins
A little ghee to grease your hands
A little extra sesame roasted and coarsely pounded to roll the laddoos in

Measured out the milk powder in a microwave safe bowl.
You can do this in a pan on the gas...but whatever...If you do, take a heavy bottomed pan and cook on a medium to low flame.Keep stirring and cook till this all comes together like a ball...
Then do the rolling...

All the condensed milk in..

The sugar and the cardamom...

The til or sesame seeds, dry roasted in a pan, cooled and just buzzed in the mixie...don't powder the seeds you want the crunch.

Mix all the stuff well and nuke or microwave at 80%...you need to stir every two minutes...

Add in the nuts and raisins midway...

The total nuking time will be about 16 -20 minutes...take out a  little on a teaspoon,when a little cool ,see if you can make a ball and it holds shape...its done then...
If it does not hold shape, you need to cook it a little further...

You can pour it out on a greased thali or plate to set it, or cool it in this bowl itself...

We wanted authentic laddoos...
Grease your hands with ghee or oil and roll..
Warmth comforting little balls in the hand...roll the in the extra sesame ...

This was one of the last things that I made with friends Ritu Sharma and Kanchan Bhartari in Ranchi...
Sweet memories indeed.
Enjoy with a cup of hot ginger laced tea in front of a bonfire...
Happy new year...
Makar Sankrant is the Hindu new year...
Wish the new year is as sweet as this laddoo...

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BuckWheat Flour(Kuttu ka Atta) and Sesame Crackers-Navratri Recipe

Navratri.

Seven Days and Nights of Celebrations.

Festivities...

A renewal of faith...

An awakening of the connection you have with the force that brought you to mother earth and has been nourishing your body and soul.

This period of seven days and seven nights is also good for your character. It teaches you control...detoxifies your body and gives you a chance to sample things you would not the whole year.

I have been fasting all seven days ,twice a year ,for the last seven years.Ordinarily, I need a cracker or a Marie biscuit with my morning cup of coffee.I can survive the entire day with just a couple of crackers or Marie biscuits.

For me, the fact that seven days I go without meat or carbs holds no issues. Totally doable.

I am happy with fruits and salads...that cracker or biscuit is what I miss the most.

I don't want to be eating fried mixtures available in the market,or eating dry fruit...absolutely pointless.

Why would I want to pump my system with saturated fats when I am fasting.

Big problem.

So what does one do???

Trial and Error!

The fasts allow one to eat pseudo cereals-Buck wheat flour.Kuttu ka Atta...as it is called in India.Good for fasts.Safe.

The last few days I have been experimenting.

Experimenting with the flour and various proportions and various fats.

Zeroed in on Extra Virgin Olive oil.(Yes ,I checked-olive is a fruit ,not a grain)

All using Sendha Namak(rock salt/salt allowed for fasts).

After 3 batches...

Hallelujah,or should I be saying Eureka!!!

When they went crack ,crack in my mouth...I was so, so happy!

I just had to share.

for the 

BuckWheat Flour(Kuttu ka Atta) and Sesame Crackers-Navratri Recipe...

you need

1 cup Kuttu ka Atta/Buck wheat flour(a little extra to roll)

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp sendha namak/rock salt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil-use any fat you are OK with-ghee/oil whatever

2-3 tbsp hot water to knead

Pre Heat oven to 230C/475F.

In a bowl place the flour,salt and sesame seeds.

Pour in the oil.

Mix with your finger tips,and knead into a firm dough with the hot water.

Divide into three balls.

Flatten and roll with the help of the flour.

Roll out as you can. Thinner the better.

Whatever the shape, place the rolled dough onto the baking tray and bake till firm.Its difficult to get a round disc...any shape will do.It should be THIN!

Bring them out and cut into whatever shape you want to.Rather whatever shape they break into.

Back into the oven in a single layer, baked till they are nice and crisp.

You do not need to wait till they cool before you eat them.

Since this is made with sendha namak you can eat them whenever..as many times in the day.And if you don't eat salt...I made sweet cookies too...

Never say that the reason you do not fast is because you miss your morning fix of salt.

Enjoy.

Jai Mata Di.

I've got my salt fix.
And I am happy.

I can fast for some more days...

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Egg Free Mango Ice Cream Home made

“...stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot oftener, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. ” 
― Robert J. Hastings, Tinyburg Tales

Yay! Three cheers for ice cream!
The perfect end or beginning to any meal. You don't need a reason to lick an ice cream off  a spoon. My idea  of heaven ...chocolate ice cream over a bed of Brownies , topped with a hot fudge sauce and salted caramel to just contrast the flavours...

My mouth is watering as I blog...
But unfortunately for me...no one in Ranchi stocks my faves...the best Indian Brand is undoubtedly is Nirulas21 Ice creams. Though the salted caramel is my addition...you need some salt to break the onslaught of the sugar!

My mind seems to be a little confused...am I blogging about chocolate or mango.(if you have been keeping track- I am not that fond of mangoes.)
And sadly for me, no one here shares my adoration for chocolate.
So I tread the chocolate-path alone!
And blog about mango!The ladies around me- my partners in crime are quite obsessed with mangoes...so I indulge them...I do get my way around once in a while..remember the Chocolate chip Oreo Brownie Bar??Next on the agenda sometime are Oreo Cupcakes with oreo-"ed" frosting!
Back to Mango Ice cream! Egg free and so simple that even those with two left feet in the kitchen will be able to make them.
And you only need four things , and your freezer!

for the

Egg Free Mango Ice Cream Home Made...

you  need

700-800 gms mango puree
350 gms whipped cream(non dairy here of course)
1 tbsp gelatin
2 tbsp lemon juice
sugar to taste

Mangoes are the only fruit in season here, so there is no dearth of mangoes. Various varieties available . Take your pick of the fruit. You can use puree if mangoes are not available.
We started with a kilo of mangoes.

Peeled , now chop and process the mangoes.

Now the lemon juice and the gelatin...let the gelatin blossom. Place the bowl in simmering water and let the gelatin melt.

Once processed, pass the mango through a sieve.
Messy,I know...but some one's got to do it!(PS I didn't!)

Basic reason, you don't want mango fibres in your mouth when you slurp or lick the ice cream off your lips...do you??
OK in a big bowl...add the whipped cream.

Gently blend them together, tasting if you need sugar. We added about 3 tbsp of sugar...as the non dairy cream is also mildly sweetened.If you use dairy cream, that will make your ice cream really SMOOTH....like a baby's bottom.

Add in the melted gelatin and mix thoroughly. Else you end up with streaks of set gelatin. 

The gelatin ensures that you don't have any ice crystals....and the texture is smooth like...

No baby's bottom but....This baby's smooth head...freshly shaved...she liked the ice cream even now.
Yes I had company....along with Ritu and Kanchan...this time the baby and her mummy Rashi came for coffee, gossip and a lesson in ice cream making!
Freeze till almost solid and then process once.

And refreeze.
Now , the volume reduces a bit....as you have beaten some of the air out.
After a couple of hours...we had a power failure that made the ice cream melt out...so I processed it again...and popped it in this container...to look store bought!
Ready to scoop out...

And pop in a glass...style quotient, eh?who likes plain?
Et Voila...

Embellish with Hershey's Strawberry Syrup and Skittles....

And dig in...I did have a couple of spoons! For mango...it is good.

The scoop looks  like a  little yellow Elmo!
OK better pic!

I hope you stored the mango in your freezer...
I did warn you..
Go ahead, and indulge...I am most definitely going to do the chocolate ice cream ASAP!


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