Let us be together,

Let us eat together,

Let us be vital together,

Let us be radiating truth, radiating the light of life,

Never shall we denounce anyone, never entertain negativity.

-The Upanishad

Indian cuisine is As Diverse as Its Civilization.

The finest of India's cuisines is as rich and diverse as its civilization. It is an art form that has been passed on through generations purely by word of mouth, from guru (teacher) to vidhyarthi (pupil) or from mother to daughter. The range assumes astonishing proportions when one takes into account regional variations. Very often the taste, color, texture and appearance of the same delicacy changes from state to state.

The hospitality of the Indians is legendary. In Sanskrit Literature the three famous words 'Atithi Devo Bhava' or 'the guest is truly your god' are a dictum of hospitality in India. Indians believe that they are honored if they share their mealtimes with guests. Even the poorest look forward to guests and are willing to share their meager food with guest. And of particular importance is the Indian woman's pride that she will not let a guest go away unfed or unhappy from her home. Indians are known for their incredible ability to serve food to their guests - invited or uninvited. Food customarily forms the crowning part of most festivities and celebrations. Whatever the occasion Indians eat with great gusto and are adept at finding reasons to feast and make merry. At traditional and festive meals, the thali (plate) or banana leaf is decorated with rangoli (a design drawn with white and colored powders around the edges).

One can eat a different Indian dish everyday, but still not repeat it for an entire year! The food of India offers a staggering range of dishes to the gourmet with an adventurous palate. Essentially spicy, the cuisine is, however, not always hot. It is the different combination of a handful of spices that produce the most delectable dishes in the world. In India, preparation of food is an art, perfected over time and passed through generation by just word of mouth.

The summer school has started and kids love junkies anytime. The best way to introduce nutritive meal yet appeasing to a kid is another interesting part to Indian cuisine. There are healthy recipes for kids and can also be time specific in the sense that they can cater to any mealtime-- breakfast, lunch or dinner. As the kind of food we eat is slightly different at these 3 specific times, the healthy recipes will also correspondingly alter. Whatever be the purpose of the healthy vegetarian recipe, the bottom line is that should be highly nutritive in value. One can introduce veggies to kids in this fun recipe by adding colorful veggies like cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, peas and peppers.

Often food items are prepared with gram flour. Golden yellow colored flour not only tastes mildly sweet, it’s also gluten free and famously known for its anti-diabetic properties. Attract the kids with this fun recipe “Besan ka Cheela” with veggies. Besan Dosa is a traditional Indian breakfast and evening snack item, prepared by mixing gram flour with a variety of finely chopped vegetables. The dosas are usually served with chutney and raita. They are quite easy to prepare and we can experiment with ingredient quantities quite liberally without any dire consequences. Elders can spice it up to eat with spicy “Red Bell Pepper Chutney”. Red bell peppers are matured green bell peppers and when bell pepper ages, not only the color but the flavor also changes. They become sweet, which is a surprise. Usually maturing into red signals the more fierce kind of flavor in vegetables, but here they mellow.

Gram Flour Dosa (Besan ka Cheela)

Ingredients:

1 Cup - Gram flour (Besan)
1 - Small Onion

1 - Green chilies (finely chopped or use Green peppers)

1 Cup - Finely Grated Carrots and Cabbage and Peas

1 Tsp of each - Cumin and Ajwan

1 Tsp - Red Chili powder

1-2 Cup - Water to mix

Salt per taste

1 Tbsp of oil/ghee per taste

Garnish:

Few sprigs of cilantro - finely chopped

Method:

· Heat oil in a saucepan. Add and cook onions and tomatoes until they soften.

· Sift gram flour to aerate and to remove lumps.

· Take in a big vessel. First add cumin, ajwan, and salt. Mix to combine.

· Next, add the finely chopped vegetables.

· By gradually adding water, about 1 to 2 cups mix well w/o lumps.

· Add chopped cilantro and whisk again to a medium-thick pouring consistency, like idly batter.

· Heat an iron dosa pan and grease it little oil. When hot, pour ladleful of batter and spread into thin round.

· Sprinkle half teaspoon of oil or ghee on the top. Wait for bubbles to appear. When the underside starts to brown, gently lift and turn to other side.

· Cook the dosa until the second side is lightly browned.

· Remove and serve hot with chutney. (They are not that good when they get cold, so prepare them just before mealtime.)

· For kids serve with their favorite ketchup!

Red Bell Pepper Chutney

Ingredients:

2 - Big Red Bell peppers
1 - Medium Onion
1- Garlic clove (optional)

Dried red chilies to taste

Small lime sized Tamarind

¼ Cup – Roasted peanuts

½ Tbsp - Powdered Jaggery

Oil/Ghee to sauté

Salt to taste

Method:

· Heat about 1 to 2 Tbsp oil or ghee in a skillet. Add and roast the cut peppers, onion, garlic and dried red chilies on high heat.

· The mixture should be very well browned and soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

· Meanwhile soak tamarind in half-cup of warm water for about 10 minutes. Or microwave for 30 seconds - This is to soften the tamarind, so it can grind well.

· Roast half-cup of peanuts until golden and remove skins. Store bought un-salted, roasted peanuts are fine too.

· Blend all the roasted mixture, tamarind, along with the water it soaked in, roasted peanuts, jaggery and salt.

· Grind them together to coarse puree, without adding any extra water.

· Serve with your favorite breakfast/lunch/supper items.

Enjoy the recipes! Keep it simple! Kep it Authentic! Keep it Indian!

Kitchen Tip – Besan also known as chickpea flour, chana or gram flour is used commonly throughout India and in parts of the Mediterranean also.

It is rich in protein, and is produced from dried chick peas (garbanzo beans). It is easy to make your own besan flour- simply grind lightly roasted chickpeas in a blender.

Store in an airtight container in the pantry or fridge and it will last all year.

Submit feedback to newsletter@mahaganapati.org

with subject line as <Recipe>

Disclaimer: Views of readers/column writers are that of their own and not of the Temple

Vageesh Express