Dad is stationed in the town of Ajmer in the northwest of India. Ajayadeva, an 11th-century Rajput ruler, founded it. It surrounds the expansive lake of Ana Sagar and is surrounded in part by the Aravalli Hills range. Ajmer’s most historic landmark is the Sharif Dargah, considered among India’s holiest Muslim shrines. Khwaja Moin-ud-din-Chishti, a Sufi Saint from Persia, is enshrined there. Pilgrims worldwide visit to be blessed by the Khwaja and have their wishes and desires come true.
Ajmer is 8 miles from Pushkar, a town that hosts the Pushkar Mela (Fair). It is one of the world’s largest camel/cattle fairs. Like all fairs, it holds other attractions, amusements, local arts, crafts, and food. Multitudes descend on Pushkar to enjoy the fair. Pushkar Lake, located by the town, is a sacred lake to the Hindus.
Ajmer is different from the other towns we have lived in. It is a semi-desert, arid climate.
Dust storms precede the monsoon season—with its welcome rain and coolness from the heat. These dust storms kick up the dry earth and transport it with strong winds into every nook and cranny. It is like a sandstorm; you better get inside if you see it coming!
One such storm is on its way. The wind is picking up, and the sand blots out the sun. Mama calls out to us kids to shut all the doors and windows. We scramble. The dust storm hits and soon passes, followed by the sweet smell of rain. It is pretty heavy for the long-awaited monsoon season’s first rain. I can smell the dry earth soaking up the moisture. Since it is tea time, Mama has cook fix us pakoras to accompany evening tea. They are perfect for a rainy monsoon evening!
Pakoras (aka Bhajis) are deep-fried fritters or dumplings made with chickpea flour (besan). The chickpea flour used is the Indian small brown chickpea, not the garbanzo chickpea. You can fix pakoras with various vegetables such as potatoes, spinach, onions, zucchini, eggplant, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, chilies, or a combination of vegetables. as well as paneer.
Pakoras can be made prepped in two ways. One, you dip the vegetable of your choice into the seasoned chickpea batter to coat, and then deep fry them.
The other method is to chop or grate a combination of vegetables. Add the chickpea flour and seasonings, and then deep fry them.
This recipe is the batter dipped and fried pakoras. Pakoras are served as snacks or appetizers, but generally a tea-time snack served with hot milky sweet chai.
Allu Pakoras (Savory Potato Fritters)
Pakoras(aka Bhajis) are deep-fried savory fritters or dumplings made with chickpea flour(besan).
Ingredients
- 2 cups potatoes (peeled and sliced not thicker than 1/4 inch)
- 1½ cup besan (gram flour)
- ¼ cup rice flour (optional)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp chili powder (or to your taste)
- ⅛ tsp ajwain seeds (thymol or carom seeds)
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt (or to your taste)
- ½-¾ cups water
- 2 cups oil (for deep frying—use an oil with a high smoke point like peanut or canola, safflower, or soybean)
- Dash chaat masala or black salt (available at any Indian grocery store)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
- Add a little water at a time and whisk until smooth. The consistency should coat the back of a spoon. You don't get delicious pakoras if the batter is too thin.
- Scrub, peel, wash, and slice the potatoes. Keep a bowl of water handy and place the cut potatoes in the bowl as you go along. Do not cut them too thin or too thick.
- Rinse again, drain, and pat dry with paper napkins or a kitchen towel, and place them in the chickpea batter. If you don't pat or drain them dry, the excess water will thin the batter, and the pakoras will end up with a thin layer of batter.
- Heat oil on medium-high heat in a deep wok or pan (approximately 350 degrees if you use a reading thermometer).
- When hot, carefully pick each slice of potatoes from the batter and slide them in slowly and carefully into the hot oil. You can use kitchen tongs to do this. I use my fingers, but you must be careful of the hot oil.
- Deep fry in batches on medium heat till golden brown. It takes about 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Remove with a slotted spoon or sieved spatula and drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil. If any crisp bits are floating around from the batter, remove those too before you put in the next batch to fry.
- Depending on how large your fryer is, it will take several batches. Do not crowd them in.
- Sprinkle chaat masala or black salt over the pakoras and toss gently.
- Place hot pakoras on a serving dish.
- Serve with mint chutney, tamarind chutney, tomato ketchup, or hot sauce.
Notes
Rice flour absorbs excess moisture, giving the pakoras a crispier finish.
You can also cut the potatoes in half and fix many varieties of them.
Pakora Variations
Cauliflower Pakoras
Substitute the potatoes for cauliflower flowerets. Cut about 2 cups of the flowerets to about an inch or a little more in size. Slice lengthwise and in half again in case the pieces are too broad. Wash, pat dry, dip in batter, and fry. Turn gently after 3-4 minutes. Fry until you get a nice golden brown color—approximately 8 minutes.
Zucchini Pakoras
Wash two medium zucchini, pat dry, and slice into circles. Add to batter, coat each slice well, and deep fry in batches, slowly turning them around till golden brown. Approximately 6-7 minutes.
Eggplant Pakoras
Wash the eggplant and cut it into thin circles. If you use the large Black Beauty variety, you can cut the circles in half if they are too large. Wash and pat dry. Dip in batter and fry on medium-high heat till golden brown on both sides. Approximately 8-10 minutes.
Cauliflower Pakoras
Substitute the potatoes for cauliflower flowerets. Cut about 2 cups of the flowerets to about an inch or a little more in size. Slice lengthwise and in half again in case the pieces are too broad. Wash, pat dry, dip in batter, and fry. Turn gently after 3-4 minutes. Fry until you get a nice golden brown color—approximately 8 minutes.
Zucchini Pakoras
Wash two medium zucchini, pat dry, and slice into circles. Add to batter, coat each slice well, and deep fry in batches, slowly turning them around till golden brown. Approximately 6-7 minutes.
Eggplant Pakoras
Wash the eggplant and cut it into thin circles. If you use the large Black Beauty variety, you can cut the circles in half if they are too large. Wash and pat dry. Dip in batter and fry on medium-high heat till golden brown on both sides. Approximately 8-10 minutes.
It is 3.30 in the morning, and I quietly let myself out of the door so that I won’t wake the sleeping household. It is a freezing winter’s day in New Delhi, and I tug my long black uniform coat snugly around me. The airline transport that just drove up will transport several of us who live in the area to the airline bus depot. We will wait until the other vehicles arrive, and then we will be shuttled to the airport in time for the 5:00 a.m. shift.
We arrive at the bus depot with half an hour to spare. The dhabba that serves at the canteen for the folks who work there is open. Several of us make our way to it. A cup of hot chai is just what we need to warm and wake us up. The owner is ready for us. He has been down this route every morning with the different groups on the morning shift. “Chai?” he asks. We nod, breathing in the wonderful aroma.
He pours out the hot tea simmering on the chula (mud stove) into the kulhars (handleless terra cotta cup). I watch, fascinated, as he froths the tea by pouring it from one kulhar to the other, keeping about 2 feet of distance between the two kulhars. Surprisingly, he doesn’t lose a drop. He hands me a kulhar. My frozen fingers around the warm kulhar with the steaming hot tea soon warms me up. I am now awake and ready to welcome the incoming passengers and aircraft.
Real Chai has to be aromatic, sweet, and milky, but you can adjust it according to your taste.
Chai: Indian Aromatic Tea
The authentic Indian tea classic. While real Chai has to be aromatic, sweet and milky, you can adjust this recipe according to your taste.
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk (you can also use low fat if you are watching calories, or a vegan milk substitute)
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp sugar (white or brown, according to your taste)
- 2 teabags black tea (or 2 teaspoons of loose black tealeaves)
- 2 green cardamom
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp clove powder
Instructions
- Crush the cardamom with a rolling pin. The top shell should come off easily. Bow crush the seeds as best you can. It does not have to be absolutely smooth.
- Put all ingredients in a small pot and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes while you do a taste test. Add more spice accordingly.
- Pour into cups and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon or grate a little nutmeg on top.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Some do not like the taste of crushed cardamom in their mouth while drinking chai. In that case, you can strain the chai and then serve it. Most Indians do not mind the cardamon as it serves as a breath freshener!
Milks: If you are lactose intolerant or vegan, you can use oat milk instead, or another vegan milk substitute. The flavour will be different but still delicious! If you're watching calorie intake, you can also use a low-fat or non-fat milk instead of whole milk.
Indian Airlines Photo by Sean D’Silva
Kulhar Photo by Inspo on Unsplash
My neighbor has sent over some Seviyan Kheer she has fixed for Eid-al-Fitr, one of the biggest Muslim festivals. It marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting and prayer. Celebrating religious festivals was special in India due to the diversity of faiths. It was common for neighbors to share the sweets prepared to celebrate their festivals, irrespective of religion. This was especially so in smaller towns than big cities.
Seviyan, is made out of roasted vermicelli, milk, sugar, plums, cardamom, and almonds. It is a quick fix and a dish most Indians like to make as a dessert. There is also Sweet Seviyan, a dish that does not involve milk.
Seviyan Kheer (Vermicelli Pudding)
Seviyan is a delicious dessert made from roasted vermicelli,milk, sugar, plums, cardamom, and almonds.
Ingredients
- 1 cup roasted vermicelli/seviyan (available at Indian grocery stores—see notes )
- 5 cups milk
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup roasted slivered almonds (save some for garnish)
- ¼ cup golden raisins (save some for garnish)
- ⅛ tsp green cardamom powder (or take 2 cardamom pods and crush it in a mortar pestle till coarsely powdered—remove husks)
- 2 drops Kewra water (optional—available at Indian grocery stores)
Instructions
- Break the roasted seviyan into several bits.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed large saucepan on medium heat and add the tablespoon of butter and the seviyan. Stir for about 1 minute.
- Pour it onto a plate and set aside.
- Return the pan to the stove, and on medium heat, add the milk and bring it to a boil—about 10 minutes.
- Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Add the crushed cardamom and let it simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes until the milk is reduced slightly. Stir often, scraping the sides and bottom to avoid the milk sticking and burning.
- Add the roasted vermicelli and let it cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. About 3 minutes.
- Do a taste test and add more sugar if desired.
- Add almonds, golden raisins, cardamom powder, and kewra drops.
- Simmer for another 5 minutes,stirring gently, until the pudding mix is creamy.
- Pour into a serving dish and garnish with reserved almonds and raisins.
- You can serve Seviyan warm or chilled.
Notes
1. If you cannot get roasted vermicelli, you can roast it yourself. Add 2 teaspoons of ghee or unsalted butter into the pan and roast the vermicelli for 3-4 minutes on medium heat till golden. Be careful not to burn. Remove from pan and set aside. Now add your milk to the pan and follow the rest of the instructions.
2. Seviyan kheer will thicken as it cools and get a film on top. If you plan to serve it chilled, cover it with cling wrap and keep it in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, mix it well. You can add some heavy cream or half-and-half to thin it out if it is too thick. It should have the consistency of porridge. You can then pour it into a serving bowl or individual bowls and garnish it.
3. Tip: When using a stainless steel pot to boil milk, rinse it with water first, as the milk tends to form a quick film at the bottom that tends to burn.
Our second-youngest sibling is a picky eater. Not only that, she takes forever to finish her food! I recall a day when we sat chatting around the dining table. Aunt Dolly was visiting. She watched while my sister ate a banana. Finally, she said, “For goodness sake, finish that thing, you have taken 45 minutes already!” We all laughed at her exasperation! Today, I am fixing her lobia curry, one of the few lentils she enjoys.
Lobia Lentil Curry (Black-Eyed Peas)
A delicious lentil curry made with black-eyed peas simmered in a tomato spicy sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried black-eyed peas
- 2½ tbsp cooking oil
- 2 medium onions (peeled and chopped very fine)
- 1 medium green Serrano chili (optional)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste ( or 1 8 oz can tomato sauce)
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger paste (or bottled)
- 1 tbsp fresh garlic paste (or bottled)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp tumeric powder
- ¼ tsp red chili powder (more or less, according to your taste)
- 4-6 cups water (or more, depending on the amount of gravy you want)
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves, for garnish)
Whole Spices
- 1 large black cardamom ( )
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-3 cloves
- 4 peppercorns
Instructions
To Prepare
- Pick and clean the black-eyed peas of any grit. Rinse well 4 times. Cover with 5 cups of water and soak overnight. When ready to cook, rinse through a sieve.
To Cook
- Heat oil in 4-6 quart cooking pot over medium heat. Add the whole spices, wait 30 seconds, stirring once or twice, and then add the onions. Sauté till ¾ brown, about 5-8 minutes.
- Add the rest of the masala, garlic, and ginger. You can mix these all together with a little water before adding them to the pot. Stir for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to ensure the ginger, garlic, and masalas don't stick and burn.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes. Then add the black-eyed peas and water. Cover and cook until tender. Approximately 35-40 mins. If the water starts to dry up during the cooking process, add a little more hot water.
- When nearly done, use the back of your ladle to mash some peas against the side of the pot to make a thicker gravy. Cook for another 3-5minutes.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the chopped cilantro. It tastes good with plain boiled rice or any Indian-style pilaf.
Simple Tadka / Tempering
- A simpler tempering can be done with just: 1 medium onion chopped, 1 large tomato chopped ½ tsp turmeric 1 tsp cumin powder Chili powder to your taste. Sauté the onions and tomatoes, and then stir in the powders and pour the mixture into the boiled beans.
Notes
You can boil the beans separately and then add to the onion-masala mix. You can also use canned beans. Rinse them before use. Since they are already cooked, it cuts the cooking time in almost half.
You can also use frozen black-eyed peas which, again, cook faster.
Cook them till they are soft but not mushy.
When using an electric or manual pressure cooker, I suggest you cook the beans for less than the time indicated in the instruction booklet. When all the pressure is released, remove the lid and then return it to the stove top to simmer it for another 10-15 minutes until the beans are fully cooked, and the gravy has a nice consistency. If you do that, the beans don't end up a gooey mess. Once you start to gauge the cooking time in the pressure cooker, you will not have to do that.
It is the winter holidays, and school is out. Dad is stationed in Calcutta. Dad and Mom’s social life is pretty hectic. Nanny watches us like a hawk when they are out for cocktails, dinner, or at the club.
Daniel, our cook, is prepping for a pre-Christmas party. Some of us, older siblings, have helped him beat the eggs for the vanilla cake and are fascinated as he slowly places the cake in a large round tin half filled with sand sitting on top of the sigiri (a clay stove fueled with coal).
Daniel tests to see if the sand is hot enough. He then slowly sets the cake pan in the middle of the drum on top of the sand. He then covers it with a fitted lid and places hot coal on top. This way of cooking was the method that Daniel preferred to use to bake our cakes, and they always turned out delicious.
In those days, other than clubs, restaurants, and military dining halls, ovens (other than tandooris) were not widely used in Indian homes since most Indian cuisine did not require it. The local bakeries, schooled under the British Raj with recipes handed down for generations, baked some of the best pastries and cakes I have ever eaten. They would also oblige families by baking any homemade cakes in their ovens upon request—and for a fee, of course!
With time, stovetop and small electric ovens found their way into homes. Baking ovens have now become a necessity in most urban Indian homes.
I used to bake cakes from scratch, but when I moved to the US, I took the easy way out and used packaged cake mixes. The one that I like best is the Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix. My twin was in town one holiday season when I prepared to bake the cake. She suggested I substitute some water with rum and fix a rum cake.
The Rum Cake became a big hit at potlucks, church gatherings, dinners, and as baked gifts to my neighbors for Christmas. Thank you, Twin!
Rum Cake
A delicious, festive, super moist yellow cake drizzled with rum!
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix (I like Betty Crocker's Super Moist Yellow Cake or Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Deliciously Moist Cake)
- ½ cup vegetable oil (Please check the instructions on box to see the exact amount of oil needed as it may differ)
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup rum (Ensure it is an excellent strong rum, white or dark)
- powdered sugar (for dusting the cake - more or less, per your taste)
- dash cake sprinkles
Instructions
Yellow Cake
- Prepare according to the instructions on the box.
- Keep an eye on the cake towards the end to ensure it does not dry out. I generally stick a bamboo skewer into it 5 minutes before the bake time. If it comes out clean, I remove it from the oven and allow it to cool.
- Once cool, dust it with the powdered sugar and decorate the top with sprinkles.
Notes
Where the recipe on the box indicates adding water, substitute it for ¼ cup of the water with a ¼ cup of rum (I've already done this in the recipe above).
Sometimes, my twin will make a Buttercream frosting or rum drizzle.
Buttercream Frosting
Check Wilton's easy recipe. Click the link here: Best Homemade Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.Buttercream Rum Drizzle
1 cup Buttercream Frosting ¼ cup rum Heat the cup of buttercream frosting in a saucepan on low heat. When it starts to bubble, add the rum. Be careful as the rum makes the frosting bubble up. Stir and drizzle it over the cooled cake. When I prepare the drizzle, I take a cup of store-bought frosting and zap it in the microwave for less than a minute. Remove from the microwave, and add the rum. Stir and drizzle the mixture over the cake. I do prefer the light sugar dusting!
Some salads are a meal in themselves. Here is a salad Mama used to fix during Christmas instead of boiled vegetables and béchamel sauce. It is a blend of diced boiled vegetables, boiled eggs, and raw apples served chilled.
The salad was created in the 18th century by Lucien Olivier, a Russian chef of Belgian-French descent who owned a restaurant in the early 1860s in Moscow. It was called Olivier Salad or Russian salad. Variations of the salad spread all over Eastern Europe and eventually worldwide.
This recipe is one version of it. Please read the notes before you start.
Olivier Salad / Russian Salad
Some salads are a meal in themselves. Here is a versatile one—a delicious blend of diced boiled vegetables, boiled eggs, and raw apples served chilled.
Ingredients
- 6 hard-boiled eggs (peeled and cut into medium cubes - ½ inch more or less)
- 1½ cups boiled peas and carrots (cooked al dente - I use a 12 oz mixed frozen package)
- 2 large boiled potatoes (peeled and cut into cubes - about 3 cups)
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples (peeled and cut into cubes)
- 1¼ cup mayonnaise (homemade or store-bought, your choice)
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black or white ground pepper
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 can sliced beetroot (for garnish - you can also boil a fresh beetroot, al dente, peel, and use)
Instructions
- When all the boiled ingredients are cooled, transfer them to a large bowl, except for the sliced beetroot.
- Add the mayonnaise, sprinkle with pepper and salt, then gently mix all the ingredients until well coated.
- Pour into a serving dish.
- Garnish the salad with the sliced beetroot any way you like. I like to circle them in the corners of the salad so that the beetroot does not stain the salad before it is set on the table.
Notes
The eggs and potatoes should be boiled separately.
If you are using separate packets of frozen peas or carrots or fresh peeled and diced carrots and peas, boil them separately (or zap them in the microwave).
The potatoes, apples, and eggs should be about the same-sized cubes.
The vegetables should be at room temperature or chilled before tossing the salad. This step can also be done a day ahead and refrigerated.
Transfer all the boiled vegetables, except the beetroot, into a large bowl, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Then garnish with the sliced beetroot.