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VANGYACHE KAAP

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Vangyache Kaap

Vangyache Kaap

Vangyache Kaap is a mouth-watering, crispy traditional fritters from the Maharashtrian cuisine popularly known as Vangyache kaap where ‘Vangi’ means Eggplant and ‘Kaap’ means slices. This dish is unique with distinctive flavours that can pamper your tongue and make the eggplant palatable.

Generally Eggplant or Brinjals or Aubergines are disliked by many especially the kids. Kids very rarely eat this vegetable. To get them truly attracted towards the Brinjal, Vangyache kaap is the right recipe that is an incredible fritter, which is crispy to eat and hardly would they know that it is made with Eggplants.

Vangyache Kaap is simple and fast to prepare moreover flavourful and delicious too. This is a great chatpata snack best served in the evening. This Maharashtrian dish is generally eaten as an evening snack or starter. It is crisp, mildly spicy and very simple to make. Eggplants are usually considered as comfort foods and can be cooked in various variations. There is a similar dish that is popularly prepared in the state of West Bengal, namely, Begun Bhaja (Bengali Eggplant Fry). This dish is also prepared with the big sized eggplants and is popular for their size and taste. They taste little sweet after cooking. These fritters are especially fried in mustard oil which gives a unique taste to the Begun Bhaja whereas in Maharashtrian cuisine, generally groundnut oil is used for frying or cooking most dishes.

There are a variety of recipes that can be made with the big size variety Eggplants. This variety of eggplant or brinjal is also used for preparing the Baingan ka Bharta which is mildly spiced and is choice for many, mainly for its smoked flavours. Eggplant is an internationally popular vegetable that is used in making an array of delicacies. Some of my favourites are Vangyachi Barith, Bharli Vangi (Stuffed Eggplants) or Gutti Vankaikura, Eggplant Tomato Chutney, Eggplant potato curry, Eggplant and Sesame seeds, Baba Ghannouj, Mexican Eggplant etc.

Brinjal or Eggplant is popularly called the King of Vegetables by some cultures and is one of the most versatile vegetable that blends excellently well with the simplest of spices to the richest, to make the dish truly divine, flavourful and delicious. There are different varieties of brinjals available around the world and each has its speciality and unique taste in its own way with a distinctive flavour and many essential vitamins and minerals within it.

Vangyache Kaap is a delightful recipe that goes perfect with hot steamed rice, dal and curd. The eggplant is nicely pan fried with mild spices cooked to perfection, crisp and is sure shot a winner dish to your palates. They also taste wonderful with Varan bhat (dal rice) and are a feast on its own. Simple to prepare, fast to cook and yet taste yummy and delicious!

To prepare this humble, simple and lip smacking Vangyache Kaap, in a plate mix pinch of hing, black pepper powder, turmeric and red chilli powder together. In another plate, combine besan flour (chickpea flour) and fine semolina together. Make thin slices of eggplant and apply little salt on both side of the eggplant (this will stop the eggplant from discolouring). Sprinkle some spices over the eggplant slices and coat them well. Take the eggplant slices one by one and slightly press it in the besan and semolina mixture so that the mixture will get nicely coated to eggplant. Keep aside. Heat little oil in a tawa/ frying pan and arrange the eggplant slices on the tawa and fry on both side until they become crisp and golden in colour. Vangyache kaap are ready to serve. Serve warm with varan-bhat.

Eggplants are naturally low in fats and calories and are a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals. It also has good amount of antioxidants and is referred as ‘brain food’ as it helps to protect fats in the brain cell membrane. So including them in your regular diet would be a great idea and this recipe would also be loved by the kids as they love having fritters with less spice. Do give this a try and enjoy the taste. This recipe also adds more nutrition as it is pan fried and not a deep fried recipe.

To try this dish, click on the link for detailed recipe:

http://www.vahrehvah.com/VANGYACHE+KAAP:7840

The brinjal or eggplant contains vitamins like B1 and B6. It also contains a good amount of potassium, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, and folic acid. It is one of the most important vegetable valued for its high nutritive value. The eggplant has been found to have a great impact on the sugar levels of a diabetic person. This effect of the eggplant is because of the low levels of carbohydrate in the eggplant and also because of the fiber present in the vegetable. The eggplant is especially useful in preventing and reducing glucose levels of Type II Diabetes. Eating vegetables like the eggplant can help in reducing the weight of an individual as the vegetable contains a lot of moisture and low in calories. Regular eating of eggplants effectively controls obesity.

Enjoy Cooking!

Varathuaracha Meen Curry (Kerala Fish Curry)

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Varathuaracha Meen Curry

Varathuaracha Meen Curry

Varathuracha Meen Curry is an excellent Kerala style fish curry cooked in tangy roasted coconut gravy. This is a wonderful dish for all the seafood lover’s as this makes a sumptuous curry, very flavorful and aromatic.

Varathuracha is a Malayalee word which actually means coconut roasted with spices and freshly ground. Kerala, which is universally known as God’s own country with lots of greenery and abundance of coconut trees and spices made available all over the state reflects in their fantastic and mouth-watering cuisine.

Coconut is one amazing ingredient that is almost a staple used in all the dishes cooked in their daily menu varieties from a simple Puttu (steamed cake), Avial (mixed vegetable stew), cabbage thoran to exotic sweets, seafood and meat preparations . Coconut is majorly used in various ways giving that traditional and authentic essence to the dish.  Apart from the coconut, fish also plays a major role in the daily food preparation in most of the Keralite household.

Varathuracha or varutharacha curry signifies fish cooked in roasted coconut and spices gravy. This curry is a great combination of fish cooked in an old fashioned vessel called the chatti or manchatti which is a clay pot; fish simmered in freshly roasted coconut and spices gravy. It’s very simple to make and best eaten the next day as the flavors are nicely absorbed into the fish.

Usually fish namely, seer, mackarel or yellow tuna is used for preparing the Varathuracha meen curry, but you can also use a good fleshy fish for making this dish. Fish curry is prepared in a lot of variations even in the uniqueness of flavors even though the ingredients are almost the same. Varathuracha meen curry is made with mild spices taking care not to overpower the flavors of the fish and another substantial difference is the usage of tamarind (valan puli) over gambooge used in most Kerala fish curry recipes.

Another important element that uplifts the flavors of any fish curry is the Earthenware or Clay pot in which the dish is prepared. This is commonly known as Manchatti or Chatti. You would notice that every house in Kerala would be having at least one of this clay pots which comes from their ancestral days for generations. Fish curry cooked in the earthern pot brings out the taste of fish curry to perfection. There are a variety of delicious fish recipes from Kerala such as Meen Moilee, Meen Pada, Meen Thullichathu etc.

Cooking in the manchatti is traditional and authentic. Generally before using the new clay pot or manchatti, it is soaked overnight with few cups of rice stock water (kanji vellam) or plain water. The next day, the manchatti is placed on top of the stove or fireplace and the rice stock or water is boiled for some time swirling the water. This helps to make them strong and open up the pores. Later the water is thrown off and used for cooking. This is one of their golden treasures and the secret in making a magnificent meen (fish) curry.

For preparing this superb Varathuracha meen curry, firstly we should prepare for making the spice paste. For Step 1, heat two drops of coconut oil in a pan and add about 8 to 9 whole shallots and roast them over medium flame till the outer layer turns slightly brown in color. Remove and allow to cool. In the same pan, dry roast whole coriander seeds, and after a couple of minutes, add whole dry red chillies and then add grated coconut. Continue roasting till the coconut turns golden brown color. Add methi seeds and roast for another minute, remove from fire. Shift all the roasted ingredients into a plate and keep aside for cooling. When cool, grind all the above ingredients to a fine paste. Do not add too much of water. Remove from blender and keep aside.

Step 2 : Soak some tamarind in about 50 to 75 ml of water for about 15 minutes and later extract the juice and keep aside.

Step 3 : For making the gravy, in the chatti (earthern pot) if you have one otherwise use any wide open vessel or pan. Add the freshly ground paste with required amount of water and mix well (this depends on how thick or thin you want the gravy to be). Slit green chillies and add it to this mixture along with some finely chopped fresh ginger juliennes. Close the pan with a lid and allow it to boil well. After few minutes, remove the lid and add salt to taste. Allow to boil for few mins then add tamarind juice.  Boil for some more time. Check for seasoning (salt and tanginess as per your taste). Close with lid and allow boiling till the raw flavors of the masala and tamarind juice is gone.

Once the raw flavors are gone, slowly drop in the fish pieces one by one and do not stir the mixture once the fish is put in. Simmer the flame on low heat and cook for about 5 minutes. Before the dish is done, check for salt. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Step 4 : For tempering – Take and slice the shallots, few curry leaves. Heat some coconut oil in a pan and when it becomes hot, add the sliced shallots, curry leaves and when the shallots become brown and crispy remove from fire and add the tempering to the fish curry. Close and keep aside. Serve with hot steaming rice or dosas etc.

Tips –

If you like the taste of pepper, then you can sprinkle some freshly ground pepper over the gravy for that extra spiciness.

After the fish is added, avoid mixing the gravy with a spoon. Just gently twist the pan or swirl the pan lightly.

Fish curry tastes becomes more flavorful and delicious if eaten after few hours or the next day.

The dish can be altered to suit individual tastes by increasing or decreasing the quantity of spices.

If you do not have shallots, use can use onions but shallots tastes a bit better and makes the difference in taste.

If cooked in chatti, the curry can be left out in room temperature, especially in winters. Every night it is slightly warmed and would stay at least for 2 to 3 days.

Usually most of the fish curries in Kerala commonly use kudam puli also known as kodampulli, kukum star or black tamarind as a souring agent. This recipe we have used the regular tamarind as a substitute.

Go ahead and enjoy the fresh flavors of spices and fish. Do get the details of ingredients, click on the link:

www.vahrehvah.com/varathuaracha+meen+curry:5881

Enjoy Cooking!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND MASCARPONE GNOCCHI

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Butternut Squash and Mascarpone Gnocchi is an excellent Italian dish made with a combination of butternut squash, mascarpone cheese spiced with fresh ground black pepper and salt cooked into small soft delicious dumpling and fried to a crusted brown exterior. This dish is remarkably delicious and luscious served as entrée or appetizer.

This is a simple, classic, surprisingly tasty and easy to make dish. It has very simple, subtle and delicate flavors. Made with butternut squash and mascarpone cheese, the dish gives a refreshing, crispy and exotic taste to the palate. It looks attractive, golden in color, crispy exterior and soft and creamy inside.

Butternut Squash comes from the gourd family and is a popular winter squash that is pear shaped pale orange in color with a hard thick skin and soft bright orange flesh. It taste sweet and is quite similar to pumpkin. Butternut Squash is also commonly known as Butternut pumpkin or Sweet Pumpkin in English, Kalyana Poosannikai in Tamil, Thiyya Gummadikaya in Telugu, Kaddu in Hindi, Seegumbalakayi in Kannada and Mathanga in Malayalam.

Due to its sweet, rich and nutty flavors, squashes are amongst the most versatile of vegetables and ideal in many preparations. It can be roasted, toasted and also be puréed (to make a butternut squash soup) or mashed into soups, casseroles, breads, and muffins. Grilled butternut is normally either seasoned with spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon or the de-seeded centre stuffed with other vegetables for example Spinach and Feta before wrapped in foil and then grilled. The grilled butternut is often served as a side dish to brais (barbecues) and the soup as a starter dish.

If you are tired of eating the regular stuff like noodles, pastas, Manchurian, pakoras etc, Butternut Squash and Mascarpone Gnocchi makes an excellent dish to delight on. Gnocchi are thick, soft dumplings traditionally made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, flour and egg, cheese, potato, breadcrumbs or similar ingredients. Like many Italian dishes, there is considerable variation in recipes and names across different regions.

Gnocchi are eaten as a first course (primi piatti), alternatives to soups (minestre), or pasta. They are generally home-made in Italian households. They may also be bought fresh from specialty stores. In supermarkets, industrially-produced packaged gnocchi are widely available refrigerated, dried, or frozen. Common accompaniments of gnocchi include tomato sauces, pesto, and melted butter (sometimes fried butter) with cheese.

Mascarpone is another vital ingredient in this dish, rich in taste and flavor; is milky-white in color and is easily spread. It is used in various dishes of the Lombardy region of Italy, where it is a specialty. It is a main ingredient of modern Tiramisu and sometimes used instead of butter or Parmesan cheese to thicken and enrich risotto.

Generally people don’t like gnocchi, which is the actual traditional, potato-dough style dumplings, and not the much easier and lighter, cheese-based versions, like this one featuring butternut squash and mascarpone cheese. Traditional potato gnocchi are too often dense, gummy nuggets of disappointment. However, as temperamental as the classic recipe is, these cheesier, low-starch versions are really quite simple.

To prepare this incredible Butternut squash and mascarpone Gnocchi, firstly wash and dry the butternut squash. Cut off both ends and slice the squash in half long ways. Microwave the butternut squash until tender. This would take about 8 to 10 mins. You can also roast the butternut instead. Remove and let the squash cool for some time before scooping out the pulp. Remove the skin and place the pulp aside.

Roasting butternut squash also happens to be extremely simple. The Roasted butternut squash brings a whole new level of flavor to the butternut squash caramelizing it adding a musky sweetness to the squash. You can use the roasted butternut squash to make a butternut puree to use in soups, breads, and desserts. Freeze the puree in recipe-sized servings for ease of use.

In a large bowl, add 1 cup mascarpone cheese (very rich Italian cheese), 1 ½ tsp salt to taste, black pepper, 2 large eggs, ½ cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese and combine all the ingredients with a whisker. Whisk until smooth. To this add 2 cups cooked butternut squash pulp and mix well. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour and mix. It gives the batter a very soft, light dumpling. Once your mixture is done, wrap the bowl with a plastic sheet and refrigerate overnight until firm.

Simultaneously place a stock pot with salted water to boil and on the other side heat a non-stick pan and melt 1 stick unsalted butter. Take a spoon of the mixture and push it into the salted water. You can put about 10 dumplings at a time. Cook in batches. Once done, simply fish them out of the boiling water, draining well, place on a plastic wrapped sheet pan to cool. Then fry these soft dumplings in the melted butter.  You can follow the spoon-boil-fry-method, or you can do the spoon-boil part ahead of time, and then fry in the sage butter when ready.

Fry all the dumplings until golden brown and crispy on the outer side. Season the fried dumplings with salt, cayenne and pepper to taste. Finally add sliced sage leaves and toss well. Serve hot slightly pouring the browned butter and grated cheese over them.

Tip: Gnocchi-making takes practice, patience, and persistence. At their best, gnocchi can be light and delicate. At their worst, they get dense, rubbery, and/or soggy. The very worst are the gnocchi that come apart in the boiling water before they even reach your plate.

Butternut squash is a good source of an array of vitamins and minerals. It is a stand-out in providing vitamin A, a vitamin associated with the deep orange color of the butternut squash. It is also a good source of magnesium, calcium, iron, and B vitamins.

Either way, prepare your palate for some incredibly light, tender, and delicious gnocchi. You can use them for a first course, or as a very special side dish to some roasted meat. I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy Cooking!

TOMATO JAM

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Tomato Jam

Tomato Jam

Tomato jam is an excellent vegetable preserves which is made with ripe tomatoes, sugar, few cloves, elachi, cashew and ghee. Any jam contains both fruit juice and pieces of the fruit’s flesh or vegetable.

Generally vegetable preserves are preparations of fruits and salt often canned or sealed for long term storage. The preparation of fruit preserves traditionally involves the use of pectin as a gelling agent, although sugar or honey may be used as well. The ingredients and the way it is prepared determines the type of preserves; jam, jellies and marmalades are all examples of different styles of fruit preserves that vary based upon the ingredients used.

There are many varieties of fruit preserves or jam made globally which includes the strawberry jam, mango jam and culinary vegetables like tomatoes or squash etc. This tomato recipe is easy to make and is best when tomatoes are available in plenty as they are available in an extremely affordable price. For making a yummy tomato jam, choose tomatoes that are pulpier as it reduces the cooking time and also use a mixture of pulpy and juicy tomatoes.

Tomato jam is indeed sweet, a little spicy by cloves and savory and makes a great relish which tingle your taste buds and it is an excellent way to use a bumper crop of tomatoes and super over cream cheese with crackers. Jams are generally prepared from pulp and juice of a fruit, vegetable or combination of several fruits. An excellent jam is the one that is soft even consistency without distinct pieces of fruit, is bright in color, a good fruit flavor and is easy to spread but has no free liquid.

In general, jam is produced by taking mashed or chopped fruit or vegetable pulp and boiling it with sugar and water. The proportion of sugar and fruit varies according to the type of fruit and its ripeness, but a rough starting point is equal weights of each. When the mixture reaches a temperature of 104 °C (219 °F), the acid and the pectin in the fruit react with the sugar, and the jam will set on cooling. However, most cooks work by trial and error, bringing the mixture to a “fast rolling boil”, watching to see if the seething mass changes texture, and dropping small samples on a plate to see if they run or set.

For preparing this simple yet delicious tomato jam, firstly clean and wipe the tomatoes well then chop the tomatoes and put them in a heavy bottomed pan or vessel and heat the pan in low flame. Add all the other ingredients like cloves, cardamom, ghee, cashew and sugar. Melt the sugar well and cook stirring occasionally over medium to high heat until almost all liquid evaporates and the mixture is reduced to form a thick jam. Keep aside to cool. The tomato jam is ready.

For this recipe there no need to remove the seeds and skin from tomatoes as it adds taste and consistency to the jam but if you prefer to remove tomato skin and you can remove them. Serve tomato jam with any Indian bread like paratha, chapatti and poori. Tomato jam also tastes splendid on burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches etc. To try this delicious tomato jam, click on the below link for detailed recipe:

http://www.vahrehvah.com/Tomato+Jam:4015

APPLE PIE

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Apple Pie

Apple Pie

Apple pie is a very popular fruit pie or tart where apples are the principal filling ingredient. For making a homemade pie crust it is best to use fresh apples and the perfect blend of spices to make the apple pie a true delight in every spoonful you have. Apple pie is generally served with whipped cream or ice cream on top.

Traditionally in making the apple pie the pastry is generally used top and bottom making it a double crust pie where the upper crust of which may be a disk shaped crust or a pasty lattice woven of strips; exceptions are deep dish apple pie with a top crust only and open face tarte tatin. The fruit for the pie should be fresh, canned or reconstituted from dried apples as this affects the final texture and the length of cooking time required. Dried or preserved apples were originally substituted only at times when fresh fruit was unavailable.

Ingredients like good apples, fresh spices, figs, raisin and pears are to be used in making the apple pie. You can also use saffron for coloring the pie filling. In most of the English speaking countries, apple pie is a dessert of enduring popularity eaten hot or cold on its own or with ice cream, double cream or custard. There are different style of making the apple pie as per their cultures and tradition.

Apple pie is a part of almost all American traditions. It is an exceptional and exotic dish that brings families together around the table for dessert after a good, Thanksgiving meal. It is also an fantastic dessert filled with aroma that brings pleasure in most of the kitchen in the night of Christmas Eve. Just say apple pie, and the first thing that enters people’s minds is a flaky crust with a sweet, apple filling melting together with a scoop of homemade, vanilla ice cream that everybody would crave for.

For making a delicious, homemade crust and perfect tasting apple pie with a flaky crust, the secret behind the crust is that it consists of both shortening and butter which actually gives the crumbliness of a shortening crust along with flakiness of a butter crust. Next would be a perfect and delicious filling which while eating would just melt away in your mouth with the sweet, apple sensation punch combined with its salty crust topped with vanilla ice cream can be truly heavenly and exotic to eat that no dessert can beat this apple pie.

For preparing this delectable and classic apple pie, firstly preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C).

In making the crust take a large bowl and mix together the all purpose flour (maida), oil, milk, sugar and salt until evenly blended. Pat the mixture into a 9 inch pie pan spreading the dough evenly over the bottom and up sides. Crimp edges of the dough around the perimeter.

For the filling, mix together sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle over apples and toss to coat. Spread evenly in unbaked pie shell.

To make the topping: using a pastry cutter mix together flour, sugar and butter until evenly distributed and crumbly in texture. Sprinkle over apples.

Put the pie in the oven on a cookie sheet to catch the juices that may spill over and bake for about 45 minutes.

Apple pie is one of the excellent old fashioned perfect desserts that can be enjoyed anytime. Do try this recipe and enjoy the trendy flavors. Click on the link for the detailed recipe at:

http://www.vahrehvah.com/Apple+Pie:1972

Apart from apples you can make different types of pies like strawberry pie, banana pie, lemon pie etc. Usually Granny Smith or Jonathon apples are used in cooking the apple pies as these fruits tend to have a sweet yet tart flavor as well as a firm, crisp consistency that holds up well when baked. Fillings in apple pie comprises of peeled, sliced apples; sugar; butter or shortening; and spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. These ingredients create a sugar-and-spice flavor with a gooey consistency that makes it an ideal comfort food.

As apple pie is a sugary dessert, one should enjoy it in moderation to keep healthy. The spices commonly used in apple pie recipes like the cinnamon helps regulate blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity. Apples help lower cholesterol and provide healthful fiber. In addition, both cinnamon and apples offer antibacterial properties.

ZUCCHINI FRY

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Zucchini Fry

Zucchini Fry

Zucchini fry is an excellent battered with tempura batter and deep fried dish. It makes a delicious appetizer or snack especially when zucchini is mixed with other tempura fried vegetables like eggplant, broccoli, carrots or cauliflower.

Zucchini is a flexible vegetable that lends itself to different preparations. It is an excellent summer fruit squash and is popularly known as Zucchini or summer squash. Gastronomically a exceptional vegetable with great nutritional values that also has several health benefits. Zucchini is a cylindrical shaped vegetable similar to cucumber or melon, it has a sweet and tangy flavor and is commonly available in green and yellow colors. This veggie is an integral part of traditional Italian, French, British, Spanish, and modern American, Australian, and Mexican cuisines.

Zucchini fry is unique in taste and has an exceptional flavor. These fries make a great side to any meal or fun snack or also can be an amazing snack or appetizer. These fast food fry knocks off not only the taste but also can be made with different seasoning mixes. Zucchini is low on calories and makes ideal stomach filler for those trying to lose weight. Zucchini or summer squash is more similar to a cucumber having a sweet, tangy flavor and leaves aside a good taste tingling on the taste buds.

Zucchinis can grow as large as a baseball bat but have little flavor when they reach this size. The flavor of zucchini is excellent when it is less than six inches long. Zucchini and other summer squash varieties contain vitamins A and C and also rich in potassium and calcium. Zucchini has fewer calories and fewer more complex carbohydrates. Zucchini fry is crunchy, delicious, light, and flavorful and munching on these fries would make a great snack.

Zucchini contain about 95 percent water hence makes you feel heavy but is actually very low in calories. A cup of zucchini contains only about 20 calories. Zucchini is a great vegetable and makes a great vegetable in salads, stir fries and a best way to incorporate it into a meal. Sliced zucchini can be added to a sandwich or grilled for a side dish. Being so low in calories means that zucchini is a good addition to a diet and fills up the stomach without filling out the waistline.

For preparing the Zucchini fry, firstly clean the zucchini and cut them into long strips. For marinating, add chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and mix well. Add rice flour to this mixture mix well and apply this mixture to the Zucchini cut strips. They should be coated well and keep aside.

Now pour some oil in a non stick pan and when it gets hot add the coated Zucchini and cook them on a very slow flame till both sides are cooked and crispy. Remember to pat the zucchini dry after washing as this will help the batter to stick to the zucchini.

Do try this recipe and enjoy the flavor and taste of zucchini. Click on the link for detailed recipe at:
http://www.vahrehvah.com/zucchini+fry:3550

To enhance the basic recipe of Zucchini fry, try innovation and creative ideas experimenting with different seasonings and dipping sauces for fried zucchini. Spicy flavorings added to the batter make a nice pairing with a ranch dipping sauce.