okra & aloo gobi

so the third part of last sunday's lunch didn't appear the next day, but here it comes, okra and aloo gobi. yes, i found fresh okra in one of the asian markets in helsinki! my next mission is to find those small eggplants and make peanut stuffed eggplants. now to sarojini's recipe for dry okra. she made this while i was visiting and i might have some of the spices wrong but the okra tasted great (not as good as saroj's!)

the spices from top: 4 cloves of garlic chopped, ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp jeera, 1/4 tsp chilli powder, 4 pieces of kokum, ½ tsp cumin seeds and ½ tsp fenugreek seeds.

start by heating up 2 tbsp oil on high heat and fry the cumin and fenugreek seeds until they start to pop...

...then add the garlic, fry for a minute...

...then add the sliced okra and the kokum. still on high heat fry the okra for a few minutes, turn the heat to medium low and add rest of the spices (and some salt if you wish).

put the lid on and cook for another 15 to 20 mins, remove from heat.

the aloo gobi...this was the point i got busy with everything cooking along...i did manage to take pics of the cauliflower florets...

...the spices which included cumin and black mustard seeds, ground coriander, turmeric, chilli powder and salt...there was also potatoes, but they didn't get their picture taken. i think i used (very freely) laxmi khurana's recipe, but the web is bursting with different aloo gobi recipes.

cooked cauliflower has never been a huge favorite of mine, but in this curry it's nice.

zoom was right, cooking indian is time consuming and a lot of work! one dish is ok, but indian meal isn't about just one dish, you need your chapati or rice and one or two things to go along. i did show certain someone and his mom how you eat with your hands...certain someone stuck to his fork, the mom tried her fingers...

masala chai & spices galore

it's almost 3 weeks since i returned from my trip to india. my mind still seems to wander there, remembering details of the people, places, food and whatnot. it feels like my brain is still on overdrive processing all things indian. i have 1700plus pics to sort out...some of which i will post, eventually. i had the best hosts who took me to places i definitely wouldn't have seen if it wasn't for them. thank you so much for taking care of me!

first order of things indian, masala chai. i love it, had it first thing in the morning on most mornings. little apprehensive before the first sip but i got hooked right after it. since returning home i have tried to get the flavor right, took me several tries...

...but my recipe for one cup, for now, is:

1" piece fresh ginger (2,5 cm)
4 pods of green cardamom
1 small stick of cinnamon
1 whole clove
1 tsp black tea
1½ tsp sugar
1 cup water (2,5 dl)
1/4 cup cream / milk (i use 10% coffee cream)

in the picture i've peeled the ginger, but it really isn't necessary.

you can use any old way to crush / mush the ginger and other spices (not the sugar though). measure the water into a small kettle, add the spice mush and tea leaves and bring to a boil. once boiling add the cream and sugar, turn off the heat, leave kettle on stove for 10mins to infuse, then strain into a mug (or tall glass).

there are people who say that you really shouldn't boil tea leaves, but that was the way they did it in india (and lots of recipes on-line tell you to do the same), so who am i to argue. then again, the choice is yours, i guess you could add the tea leaves after turning the heat off...

i also got into the habit of dunking toast, cookies and biscuits into the tea...i also gained 4 kg in two weeks...as much as i would love to have this every morning, i make it only as a treat, and i most certainly will not dunk cookies in it. well, not every time anyways.

this is probably my favorite souvenir ever, i got it as a gift from my hostess. besides the fact that i had been wanting one for years, it is so pretty with the colorful spices, this one has engraving so everyone will know when and from whom i got it. thank you again!

the spices came along the masala dabba, i placed them into airthigt jars once home.

the spices are, from the top (clockwise) black mustard seeds, ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin (jeera), cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and chilli powder in the middle. i hope i got them right...

the spice package includes also kokum that i had never even heard of. i will use to make dry okra dishes, it prevents the okra from getting slimy, i'm told.

yesterday after work i felt (for the longest time) well enough to venture to the asian markets in helsinki. i was amazed what we get these days, fresh okra among other things. long way from trying to find ghee about 10 years ago, when no one even knew what it was...

in the indian market there were mixes for jalebi, gulab jamun, dosas, dozen different types of rice, huge variety those spicy indian snacks and spices and lentils. what i found interesting is that the prices were considerably lower than in our regular stores, and coconut milk was downright cheap.

trendy as i try to be (hah!) i also got myself a pressure cooker...i'm a little nervous trying it for the first time later today, cooking indian, will post the results later on.