Sindhi Lasagna (Mani Seyal Cake)
A hearty sindhi breakfast , tasty and simple to make .
Sarson (Mustard) Paneer And Peas With Chilli Oil Kulcha
This recipe, which is a fusion recipe, combines the tanginess of mustard and the smoothness of coconut milk. East India merges with South India. Mustard is one of the most important spices in Bengali cooking. Whole mustard seeds or a paste of mustard seeds are happily incorporated into daily cooking, used liberally to coat fish and wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. I have also used panch phoran to temper this dish. Panch phoran is a combination of five spices. Mustard seeds, onion seeds or kalonji as they are called in Hindi, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, and fennel seeds are mixed together and used whole to temper the oil in the beginning of the cooking process. The use of mustard oil here imparts a nice nutty flavour. I love using mustard oil, coconut oil or ghee in all my Indian cooking. These oils bring out the true regional flavours of dishes from all over India. The use of coconut milk in this recipe balances out the tartness of mustard and vinegar used. Paneer, or cottage cheese, is so widely used in India, more so in the western, northern and eastern states. We Indians love our paneer in different forms, paneer pakodas, shahi paneer, paneer parathas, paneer bhurji, rosgollas, or kalakhands. Most Indian gatherings or parties will surely have a paneer dish on their menu. I remember when my mom magically transformed curdled milk into a delectable sabji just by adding a paste of green chillies and coriander leaves and some garlic. Paneer has been very subtly introduced into the Chindian cuisine in place of tofu, paneer chilli fry and paneer Manchurian for example. My love for paneer started with a cold paneer sandwich which was served in Greenfields restaurant in Main Street way back in the seventies when I was a very young girl. This awesome sandwich had thin slices of paneer sprinkled with only salt and pepper, sandwiched between two slices of white bread, slathered with mayonnaise and topped with crisp lettuce. Sadly, this restaurant shut its doors long ago. Puneites will surely remember this restaurant fondly. Do try this recipe and serve it with chilli oil kulchas, the recipe of which I will be sharing here. Mustard Paneer in Coconut Milk Ingredients Panch Phoran Mix Mix and use as required. In this recipe I have used 1 tsp. Method Serve garnished with grated cheese and chopped coriander leaves. Chilli Oil Kulchas Ingredients Method
The Sindhi Beeh (Lotus Stem) Pakoda
The Sindhi kitchen revisited! Sindhi food is rather simple to make, in the sense that basically onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chillies are what you need to start cooking any dish. We normally don’t use complex pastes made of many spices, and cream or nuts are kept to a minimum. All the recipes handed down in my family are simple, and sometimes even I get surprised when the food turns out to be so delicious in its simplicity. Growing up in Pune, where most of my mom’s family lived, we frequently visited my Mami Kala’s home, which was the headquarters of the Mohinani family. Many beautiful memories are attached to the nanaron (nani’s home) at Kanyashala Road — those lazy afternoons when all the aunties and cousins gathered for scrumptious lunches arranged by my aunt, the wonderful aromas wafting from the kitchen where the cooks (bhaiyas) literally cooked up a feast, everyone laughing and talking. Memories of that bygone era are truly beautiful. Those were the days when the only way to have a group chat was to meet — and of course, the admin was Aunty Kala. The snacks were more often than not fried, but no one cared — we just enjoyed the delicious food and company. Today I would like to share a recipe of Beehyan ja Pakora, which is not commonly served nowadays. This snack is quite simple to make and is my mother’s recipe, using lotus stem — or beeh as we call it in Sindhi. My amma (paternal grandmother) loved this snack and would often ask my mom to make it. This vegetable was served on special occasions at home, especially when important guests were invited for lunch or dinner. Mom always cooked it in a rich onion gravy, topped with raw onion slices, a squirt of lime and some sev sprinkled over the curry, and served it with bread buns or pao, making it easy to dunk into the delicious gravy. Lotus stem on its own is quite bland, but it beautifully absorbs the flavours of whatever spices it is cooked with. Lotus stem is easily available here in Jakarta because it is also widely used in Chinese cooking. In Pune it used to be seasonal — I remember a man who brought lotus stem and pabharees (lotus seeds) all the way from Pimpri, a small satellite town of Pune. Nowadays it is available all year round. As a child I wasn’t very fond of this vegetable, but I have grown to really enjoy it. So here is the recipe — do try it and enjoy. Bheeyan Ja Pakora (Lotus Stem Pakora) Ingredients for the Besan Batter (Chickpea Flour) Method Ingredients for the Beeh Wada (Lotus Stem Filling) Method