From: M Lal Dhondiyal <ml.dhoundiyal@gmail.com>
Uttaranchali Recipes
Alu Tamatar ka Jhol
Ingredients
Potatoes - 250 grams
Onion - 50 grams
Tomatoes - 100 grams
Ginger - 2 cm piece (finely chopped)
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
Garam masala powder - ½ tsp
Fenugreek seeds - ½ tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp (chopped)
Ghee - ¼ teacup
Method
1. Put the frying pan on a moderate flame. Pour the ghee and allow it to get hot. Add cumin and fenugreek seeds in the hot oil. When the seeds start crackling add garlic cloves and chopped ginger.
2. Stir-fry till the garlic and ginger turns slightly brownish. Now add chopped onion. Fry until onion becomes tender. Add red chili and turmeric powders, chopped tomatoes, and fry for a couple of minutes, till tomatoes become soft.
3. Add one teacup of water; add pealed and big pieces of potatoes and garam masala and cook for about 10 minutes in moderate flame.
4.Add 2-tea cup or more water and salt to taste and cook on slow fire for another 10 minutes until potatoes get tender. Remove from fire and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.
Baadi
Sometimes there was no prepared dough left if the male members ate with too much gusto. The lore is that Baadi was a dish quickly prepared by the ladies of the house at such times. Baadi is a rather unappetizing sounding dish that is made as a substitute to Rotis or bread made from Kwada ka Aata (also known as Choon or Mandua flour and is black in color). The recipe for Baadi call for the flour to be roasted with ghee for a bit after which water is added and this whole is cooked for a while till it is semi solid. This is then rolled into balls and swallowed whole. Baadi is best eaten with Gahat ki daal or Phanu. Hot Baadi and hot Phanu is now very popular food in Uttaranchal.
Black and White Roti
A flat, unleavened bread with a distinction of being black on the inside due to the use of the Mandua flour that is black in color. This bread is eaten with a lot of Butter or Ghee. It can also be eaten with Curd and Mango Pickle or Mixed Pickle.
Chainsoo
Chainsoo is a preparation of Urad daal (black gram). Due to the high protein content of this daal it is said to be difficult to digest but that gets nullified by the roasting of the daal. In the far reaches of the Garhwal regions where electricity has not reached, this daal is probably still made the old way by grinding on a Silbatta, which resulted in the ground daal being damp. After the advent of the dry grinder it is possible to grind this daal without the addition of water and results in a much more flavorful version.
Ingredients
Whole Kali Urad (Black Gram seeds) - 1 cup
Mustard Oil - 1/2 cup (can be substituted with refined oil if mustard is unavailable)
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves (more if you are a garlic lover) bruised
Ginger – 1 inch piece reduced to a paste in a mortar and pestle
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Black peppercorns - 4 - 5
Red chilies whole - 4 to 5
Asafetida - a pinch
Dry coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilies powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 3 cups
Salt - 3 tsp or to taste
Garam masala-1/2 tsp
Amchur – to taste
Method
1. Grind the Black Gram coarsely. Place an iron kadhai** on a moderate flame.
2. Heat the oil in the kadhai, splutters the Cumin. Roast the daal for a while till the aroma of roasted daal rises from the vessel, Add all the dry spice powders except the amchur.
3. Add the salt, ginger and water. Bring the whole to a rolling boil.
4. Cook till the daal becomes very soft. Lower the flame, and Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add the bruised garlic about 2 minutes before you remove from the flame. Before removing from the flame, stir in the Garam masala.
Garnish with pure ghee and chopped coriander leaves. Serve with hot steamed rice.
- In our home we cook the Chainsoo in the Ghee itself, and do not add any later. We do however garnish with coriander.
- In a variation to the shorter process above the whole daal is roasted, then ground and stir-fried in the oil.
**Though an iron kadhai is preferred for this recipe because of the chemical input of cooking in it, any deep heavy utensil may be used instead)
Jholi
In Garhwali, Jhol means very thin gravy. A Jhol can be made out of tomatoes, potatoes and other tubers. On the other hand Jholi is gravy made out of curd. It is comparatively much thicker than a Jhol and similar to Phanu in preparation. (Some of the Indian egulleters might recognize this as a Kadhi)
Ingredients
Besan (chick pea flour) or Rice flour - 1 cup
Curd - 3 cups
Oil or Ghee - 1/2 cup
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilies whole - 4 to 5
Asafetida - a pinch
Dry coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilies powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 3 cups
Salt - 3 tsp or to taste
1 cucumber grated or chopped spinach or spring Onion leaves -optional
Fenugreek seeds
Method
1. Mix besan, turmeric powder and salt. Gradually add water continuously folding with a spatula to make a thick paste. Add Curd and blend the mixture well.
3. In a sauce pan or Kadhai heat the fat. Add the Cumin and splutter, add the Asafetida. Immediately pour the curd mix into the frying pan.
4. Let the Jholi cook for about 10-15 minutes till the gravy starts thickening and the raw smell of the flour is gone. If you are using rice flour then cook it for few minutes more. Add more water to keep the consistency thin.
5. Before taking it off from heat, add the optional grated cucumber or a handful of chopped spinach leaves or chopped spring onion leaves. Cook for few more minutes till the leaves are tender.
Garnish with additional ghee (entirely optional), coriander leaves and green chilies (slit apart into two pieces) and serve with steamed rice.
Kapilu / Kafuli
- Kapilu / Kafuli is a thick green curry (for want of a better word) made as an accompaniment to steamed rice or Rotis made from green leafy vegetables. In Pahari cooking it is made with Pahadi palak or Rye. However a lot of Paharis have moved away from their home ground to areas where Pahadi palak and Rye are not so easily available. They have adapted the recipe to normal Spinach as follows.
Ingredients
Spinach - 2 bunches,
Fenugreek leaves, (Methi) optional - 1/2 bunch
Green chilies - 4 to 5
Oil - 2 tbsp (preferably mustard oil)
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves,
Ginger - a 3 cm piece,
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Asafetida - a pinch
Dry coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Rice powder or rice paste - 1 tbsp
Curd- 2tbsp (optional)
Water - 1-2 cup
Salt - 2 tsp or to taste
Method
1. Chop previously washed spinach and Fenugreek in running water and boil both vegetables along with the green chilies in a little water till tender. (A Pressure cooker or microwave can be used here). When cooked smash it against the walls of the utensil it has been cooked in. The result should be a coarse puree. (Do not use a blender as that will result in a smooth puree and the dish will lose its texture).
2. Finely pound ginger and garlic. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add garlic and ginger. When the garlic and ginger are browned, add the cumin seeds and Asafetida. Add spinach and fenugreek puree, turmeric powder, dry coriander powder and salt.
3. Add required amount of water to Kafuli and bring to boil. Now add rice paste or rice powder dissolved in water to thicken.
4. Cover and cook for 8 - 10 minutes on slow fire till the gravy is thick. If dry add some water and boil.
Garnish with pure ghee and serve hot with Roti or steamed rice.
- To add sourness, we usually add a tomato or two into greens in the first step in which case we omit the curd.
Roat (Rote) (related to Puja Offering)
Roats are a mildly sweet pancake traditionally made in large quantities at weddings to give to the groom's party for their journey home. They are favored because of their long keeping quality. They are traditionally made in a wooden mold but work just as well as follows.
Whole meal wheat flour (Gahun ka atta) - 2 cups
Cold milk - 1/2 cup
Butter Oil (Ghee) - 150 grams
Green cardamom (Ilaichi) - 1/2 tsp
Aniseed (Saunf) - 1 tsp
Jaggery (gur) - 1 1/2 cups
Water - 1 cup
Method
1.Heat the water and dissolve the jaggery in it. Sieve the jaggery solution through a muslin cloth. Set aside, and allow the solution to cool.
2. Mix thoroughly the wheat flour with the milk along with two-tbsp. ghee. Add Saunff, Elaichi and mix well. Add the jaggery solution to the prepared wheat flour, gradually kneading it.
3. Continue adding the jaggery solution and kneading the floor till it turns into a stiff dough. Make thick roats like roties out of the dough.
4. Place an iron tawa on a moderate flame. Pour about a tsp of Ghee on it. When the ghee gets moderately hot, place the Roat on the tawa. Turn the Roat upside down and add more ghee to cook if needed. Cook each roat till it becomes brown. Remove the Roat from the tawa. Serve it when cool.
Arsa
A sweet delicacy, which is again made on the occasions of Marriages and Festivals. It is a very unique sweet and can be stored for upto 15-20 days. Since it is prepared from rice and jaggery (Brown Sugar), it is very sweet and nutritious. It is traditionally made in Mustard Oil but can also be made with ghee (clarified Butter).
Ingredients
Rice flour (Chawal ka atta) - 2 cups
Mustard Oil - 150 grams
Resins - 100 grams
Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Water - 1 cup
Method
1. Heat the water and dissolve the sugar in warm water. Allow the solution to cool and sieve it through a muslin cloth. Set aside.
2.Add the sugar solution gradually kneading the rice flour into soft dough. Place an iron frying pan (kadhai) on a moderate flame. Pour about 100 grams ghee in it. When the ghee gets moderately hot deep fry small poorie like arsas made out of the dough.
3. Cook each Arsa till it becomes brown. Remove off the flame.