Hot, Crisp and Spicy Fried Arvi

This is neither a vegetable that figures first on your shopping list nor is a choicest pick when you go grocery shopping. This poor fella is usually left out in favor of the good looking luscious veggies. Cant blame it on looks alone, this one gives a nasty itch to your hands if you dont know how to treat (peel) it right.

Fuss apart, Arvi is a lovely little vegetable that packs in a lot of taste, texture and surprise. Also known as arbi or taro, this rhizome is a great filler and substitute for potatoes in curries and most dishes. Its leaves are edible too and make great wraps for steaming other delicacies.

My childhood memories are linked with arvi ka khatta, or even better arvi gosht ka khatta. This root goes well with any meat. It is equally tasty in simple and solo dishes. I guess it important how this vegetable is introduced to you as a child. Once you like it, there is nothing like it.

Here is my version of simple arvi fry. When you cook this, you should not worry about the slime, spice or quantity of oil. They all end up as a marvel in unison.

Cooking Colocasia Can Cause Craving

Here are the simple steps:

Mix arvi chunks with salt, chilli powder, dhania power and turmeric. Keep aside.
Temper hot oil with mustard seeds, dry chillies, curry leaves and garlic.
Add the masala coated arbi chunks to the tadka. Keep frying till done.
Thats it. The crispier the better.

My Notes:

• If you are new to colocasia, you will definitely end up with itchy hands. The trick is to peel this vegetable dry. The moment water comes in contact with its scaly skin, you will end up scratching your hands for a while…  swearing never to touch it again. But who said good things come easy?
• Most people pressure-cook before peeling. It makes your job a lot easy for its half cooked and less itchy.
• The key to tempering is to wait till the mustard seeds split and crackle. Then add the other  ingredients of tadka.

Now, is colocasia in your shopping list?

Rich Sheer Khurma with Dry Fruits

Eid in Hyderabad is not complete without Sheer Khurma. After haleem and biryani, Shir Khurma overdose lingers on a little longer as it is continued to be served for days to come.

Legend has it that the recipe for sheer khurma was imported to India during the Mughal rule and has ever since been a part of the Dhakni culture and tradition. Sheer Khurma has nothing to do with religious practice. It is purely a regional tradition of making something sweet for the special occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. Since dates are of special significance during the month of Ramzan, these are integrated in a creamy and tastier form on the day of Eid.

There are many names to this dish ranging from sevaiyyan, semiya, sheer qurma, semiya pudding, vermicelli pudding, and what not. Hyderabadis have always known it best as shir qurma. This dessert is made with equal frenzy and love in Pakistan and that is one thing I would love to taste.

Our grandparents once told us that the word shir was derived from the word shireen which meant sweetness and always stressed upon being shireen-zubaan (sweet language) in dire situations too. Eat sweet and speak sweet; that’s all I remember about the dish. I thought khurma meant gravy until Google clarified as dates aka khajoor.

A Festive Vermicelli Dessert made in India, Pakistan, Afganistan, and Bangladesh

Shopping for sheer qurma in this city is an event by itself. The moment the moon is sighted, the market reaches its highest crescendo. No matter how much you plan in advance and sort things out for the festival, there is always something that will make you step out into the festive air.

The energy is infectious. The traffic is horrible. The policemen are fretting and frantically swearing. Anywhere you turn to, there is vendor screaming at the top of his voice. You are partially deafened. And the pick-pockets are right beside-behind you.

But you still want to go out.

For there is no stopping you for that last experience of the frenzy that surrounds, for that last plate of haleem, maybe that last visit to the Charminar (even if there was nothing left to buy), the steaming hot chai, the shouts and screams, the jaw dropping discounts offered…. and all this while you or your loved one is trying to save the intricate mehendi on both hands from getting smudged. You don’t want to come back home soon for more work waits.

Dry fruits would be bought only from the friendly neighborhood dava-saaz ki dukaan for it was believed that they had the most authentic ingredients. Semiyan is picked up from the makeshift stalls along the road followed by fresh milk, chicken, mutton, veggies and so on for that rich biryani. Sometimes Khobani ka Meetha is also included in the festive menu.

You are quite lost and loving every moment till you remember what you had stepped out for. And that brings me back to the recipe for sheer khurma, the traditional Hyderabadi way.

My method of cooking is not measured so given below are nearest estimates. You will have to tweak the proportions to make it work for you. You can add or remove the quantity of ingredients to suit your taste and style. Some like it thick with more vermicelli and some prefer it milky. That is why most of the dry fruits and milk are served additionally, to customise the dish.

Dry Fruits for Dressing the Creamy Shir Khurma

Ingredients for making Sheer Khurma

• Pure Milk – 1 litre
• Sugar – 1 cup or as per taste
• Vermicelli – Semiyan – Sevaiyyan – 1/4kg
• Pure Ghee – ¼ kg (or just enough for frying the vermicelli into light golden brown)
• Cardamom – 3 pods.
• Dry Fruits such as almonds (badam), cashewnuts (kaju), raisins (kish mish), watermelon seeds (tarbooz ke beenj), musk melon seeds (kharbuze ke beenj), charoli (chironji), pistachios (pista), etc. Use what you like and as much as you want to for the final dressing.
• Dates – Dry or Raw, for dressing.

How to make Shir Qurma

1. Break the semiya into manageable size. Fry this vermicelli or semiya in a thick bottomed dish in ghee on medium-low flame. The color of the vermicelli should be light golden brown and even. Keep it aside.
2. Bring milk to boil and stir continuously to reduce the quantity. Add sugar, powdered cardamom and stir.
3. Add the semiya to the milk and stir for few minutes till it is soft and cooked. Don’t overcook.
4. Before serving, top it with the nuts, raisins, dates and maybe a speck of ghee.
5. Serve this as you like – hot, warm, room temp or chilled. Since it has ghee, it is better to avoid the colder version.

My Notes:

1. To make the dish creamier or tastier (we will never talk about calories here), you can take more milk and boil to reduce the quantity. Some recipes call for addition of condensed milk for shortcuts.
2. The nuts are generally prepared the previous day/ night. They are soaked for couple of hours to easily skin and sliver, before roasting.
3. The key to bringing out the flavor of nuts is to roast it right. All the nuts need to be roasted in low flame till they change their color and give out their flavored fragrance. Most people deep fry the nuts in the ghee and this works great too. Never over fry or darken the nuts.
4. In good old days, the dried dates would be soaked overnight to soften them. Now, with Mediterranean dates available in every nook and corner, the concept of soaking and waiting is over. Just buy, slice and garnish.
5. Personally, I like it with less sugar. It not only tastes good but is a welcome relief for most guests who are fully fed up with the sweet dish. The dates can be added for sweetness.
6. The cooking vessel needs to be thick-bottomed. This dish requires frequent stirring to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom of the dish which eventually gives out the burnt smell. A No No.
7. Milk is the base for this dish. Get it as fresh and pure as possible. Toned or skimmed milk can take a hike.

Sheer Delight of Tasting the Rich and Creamy Sweet Sheer Qurma Dessert

This year, following Eid was Ganesh Chaturti which is equally festive in Hyderabad. The crowds take to streets for ten days. There is a lot of dazzle in the city at the moment. And shir kurma is still going strong.

The beauty of this dish is that it  is served to and is loved by one and all. What matter is the love that goes into making it for anyone who comes to your doorstep. Nothing rich or poor about it.

Let me know if you made this dish and have some interesting twists up your sleeve. The best one I read was about adding some orange zest to this creamy pudding. It sounds nice and contemporary. But I’d dig for the good ol semiyan any day.

Please leave your thoughts and ideas for me to tinker with.

Baked Vegetable Cutlet with Sprouts - Ready to go into the oven

A cup of tea is a must when it rains. Tea-time snack is much better when it pours. Here is a quick fix cutlet recipe, made with leftover sprouts and some vegetables. The best part about this snack is that it is totally veggie, tasty and guilt-free.

Ingredients for Sprouts and Vegetable Cutlet:

2 handful of mixed legume sprouts (soaked, fried or seasoned)
2 big potatoes (boiled, peeled, and partly mashed)
1 big onion (finely chopped)
1 hot chilli (finely chopped)
Salt, Chilli Powder, Chat Masala Powder (as per your taste)
Juice of 1 lemon
Handful of Coriander Leaves (chopped)
Cornflour, Wholewheat or poppy seeds (for final touch)

How to make Vegetable & Sprout Cutlet:

Mix all the ingredients above except the cornflour.
Fashion the sticky dough into any cutlet shape and roll each piece in the cornflour/ wholewheat.
Line baking tray with aluminium foil and grease it with little oil.
Place your cutlets leaving enough gap as the mixture spread during baking.
Brush your cutlets with little oil on the top.
Bake at 150-180 degrees centigrade for about 20-30 minutes, till done.
Enjoy.

Tea Time Snack - Vegetable & Sprout Cutlets

Whats so good about these cutlets?

Made in a jiffy. Does not need elaborate preparation.

Uses wholewheat for rolling the cutlets, instead of cornflour.

Unlike deep-fried ones, these require minimal oil.

And they taste so good that you cant stop at one.

Semolina or Suji Cake with Yogurt, Veggies and Seasoning - Not for the Sweet Toothed Ones

Semolina or Suji Cake is perhaps the easiest make and bake. All it needs is leftovers from your kitchen shelf and fridge to make it happen. This was the first non-sweet bake of this year and it was fantastic to taste. Thanks to Anjum Anand, I got this Semolina Cake right – the very first time.

Ingredients for Semolina-Suji Cake:

For the batter:

1 cup semolina

1/2 cup yogurt

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp chopped onion

Two handfuls of mixed vegetables (as you like and have, for example 1 carrot, handful of peas, beans, brocolli, zucchini, etc.)

1 inch chopped ginger (or 1/2 tsp of ginger garlic paste)

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp ground turmeric

salt, to taste

For Tempering:

3 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp sesame seeds

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

How to make Semolina or Suji Cake:

Set your oven to 200 degree C and grease your loaf tin with oil.

Mix semolina, curd, water, ginger, vegetables, salt, turmeric, chilli in a dish

Heat oil for tempering. Pop the mustard seeds, add cumin and sesame seeds. Toss this tempered oil into the semolina batter and mix. Adjust your taste with the salt-chilli seasoning.

Lastly, add the baking soda and immediatly pour the batter into the baking dish and toss it in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes and check with a skewer or knife if it is done.

Done. Sit back and enjoy.

This snack is perfect if one is wondering what to make for quick breakfast, lunch or dinner or simply for teatime.

There are a hundred ways to make that quinnsential tomato chutney/ dip. This is our emergency lip smacking fix – a life saver.

All Time Chutneys - Tomatoes Tempered in Indian Spices

4 Red Tomatoes – chopped/ squashed
1 Onion – sliced
Cumin seeds
Red Chillies
Curry Leaves
Ginger + Garlic
Salt (as per taste)
Coriander leaves.

Heat oil. Add red chillies, cumin, curry leaves for tempering. To this tadka, add onions and ginger garlic paste and tomaotes. Add salt. Stir well. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with other dishes.