Ladleful of Spices: 2018

~ByInvite

#ladlefulofspices

It has been a year since I had been away from any kind of activity related to active blogging, restaurant food etc etc. So when Vishal Fernandez (https://thefernandist.com/) called me for an organic lunch, I said yes. Partly because I had never ever set foot on the venue before - Ruci & Idoni. Don't get mad at me!(for people in Hyderabad).

Inner Being Wellness Private Limited (http://www.innerbeing.in) is a startup that is working hard to bring quality and organic food to our dining table, and they do it by forming an alliance with farmers and crop producers where both sides focus on quality product through stringent checks. The Company's co-founder Mr. Jadhav, who was with us that afternoon, walked us through their processes and products.

And if I was speculating on how the millets will be cooked and presented, Chef Amey Marathe's team actually put an end to my speculations. They came up with some really amazing conventional dishes (yes, if you were expecting me to write "brand-new, unheard of, or out of world" then you are wrong!) . A soup that has barley as the main ingredient, a salad that stars quinoa, a fish cake that is covered with Jowar flakes for that healthy addition - yes, all regular dishes but with ingredients replaced by millets or other traditional cereal grains.

I am not much a soup eater, but I liked the taste of barley and mushroom. Both had subtle flavors, none overpowering each other and it felt like a full meal by itself. The barley grains were soft, just about a couple of minutes away from porridge consistency but still retaining their shape.

Mushroom with Barley Soup

The quinoa salad was a head-turner on the table and the vegetarians and non-vegetarians enjoyed it - as it would look to me. A cold salad, it surely did pack a lot of greens and the quinoa blended well with them. In the next few minutes that I spent enjoying the salad, I discovered that it tasted even better if I sprinkled a wee little bit of oregano and few drops of Tabasco on it. Lip-smacking! But yeah, a warning for you - don't try to be adventurous and drizzle mustard sauce on it. You will be left with a pungent taste and no quinoa....no salad...no other taste...

Quinoa Spinach Power Salad

The fish patty which came up next had this feeling of being very ordinary, and that is the most extra-ordinary thing about it, when you realize that jowar flakes are the significant ingredients. A nice crispy texture on the outside does the trick. In essence, if we replace many of the common ingredients in our daily diet by a millet or a cereal like oats or barley, we actually are not losing anything in terms of taste or flavor.

Fish & Jowar Flakes Patty

The barley risotto was a bit of let down. May be because barley had a much sticky consistency than anticipated. May be some other cereal(part from rice ofcourse) would suit a risotto...just what I think...

Barley Risotto

The Jowar cake was quite interesting! It was so well done! There was almost no difference in taste and texture from a regular flour cake and I am sure all of us at the table enjoyed it. Note:- It had egg in it.

Jowar Cake

A few products from Inner Being Wellness

Once again, thank you Chef Amey, Mr, Jadhav from Inner Being and the staff of Ruci & Idoni for hosting us and treating us to a well curated millet and organic lunch!

#ladlefulofspices

Its been a while since I have written anything - precisely a full year! Had been involved in a lot of things in personal and professional lives to find time to write. And so I begin today's blog with one of my most favorite things - Pakhala! (Pronunciation: Pou-kha-lo)

20th March is celebrated as "Pakhala Divas"(Day of Pakhala) by Odias spread all over the globe. Slightly fermented rice in a bowl of water, or Pakhala as it is called by Odias is the most staple summer main course of Odisha that you would find if you happen to visit any Odia household. Not forget the vegetarian and non-vegetarian sides that add a charm to Pakhala and showcase the richness of Odia cuisine.

As for me, I started my Pakhala Utsav almost 10 days early, thanks to the rising temperatures by beginning of March. The most traditional and typical pakhala is made with a mix of fermented rice. While cooking rice, the excess water is not drained off and stored along with some cooked rice for a day(or two depending how much fermentation takes places) in a vessel. The next day, when we cook and serve fresh rice in a bowl with some water, we added a handful of the fermented rice along with its starchy water (popularly known as "Toorani" in Odia) and our Pakhala is ready!

But wait! Pakhala is just not limited to one style and you will come across a number of variations. Read on to see my version of Pakhala and the side dishes. I hope the pictures below and the corresponding description does justice to what Pakhala means to so many of us!

Since I decided to make an impromptu Pakhala, I did not have the privilege of readymade fermented rice and Torani available. Sadly, this is the situation in many homes these days, we hardly find any torani and have to make do with other sour things like lemon or curd. So while the rice is cooking, I start sauteing up badi (dried rice flour dumplings) - this is as traditional as it can get!

Badi - being dry roasted

I would usually heat up the badi in a wok or pan a bit without oil. I have seen this leads to less oil absorption(for those who are oil-conscious). When its roasted just enough to be golden, I move them to a pan with hot oil, just about a couple of spoonfuls. The lightly roasted badi is ready to be used any which way I like.

pan-fried badi - ready to be used

The first and most basic dish ever in Odia cusine that complements a Pakhala is "Saga Bhaja" or "Saga Kharada" or just plain "Saga". Why the most basic? it is also the most easily available green in the countryside and cheapest too. You will be astonished by the amount of spices or masala it needs - nil, well almost! Here is how I prepare it - chop onions and garlic and saute them in a little oil along with mustard seeds, fenugreek and cumin. When translucent(dont wait till goldern color of onion, the caramelized taste spoils it) add Amaranthus leaves(the most common green) to after washing thoroughly and stir for sometime till the "Saga" starts wilting. Time to add salt, and yes no other condiment is needed, cover the wok and let it kind of steam in its own juice till done. Stir occasionally for an even cooking. Now here comes the "Badi" part - you can choose to add the "Badi" at the beginning or at the fag end of cooking. If added in the beginning, the badi will become soggy and acquire a wee bit of flavors from saga and onions and garlic. If added at the end, it remains crispy and and its own oily flavor. Now which one do I like ? Both! I add a handful of badi at the beginning and a few more at the end.

Saga Bhaja/Kharada - Amaranthus greens roasted up

If I keep on writing about the vegetarian dishes that would go well with pakhala, it will never stop! So this paragraph is for a non-vegetarian side and unarguably the most sought after side dish - "Machha Bhaja!"(fish fry). As a tradition, rohu is the standard fish for this, but since I got hold of some King fish, I have used the same. Moreover, I hate fish-bones and so king fish suits me.

Fish and spices - ready for a fry!

The fish slices are smeared with basic spices - salt, turmeric, chilli and cumin powder. Tawa fried in mustard oil and are ready. Were you wondering or waiting for some more steps? They are indeed ready!

being fried up in mustard oil

Meanwhile, the rice is cooked and has cooled down. Yes it is important to cool it down, that is the essence of pakhala. So to make my version of pakhala, I added generous scoops of curd, salt chopped onions as a topping and a bunch of badi that I had fried earlier. yes, badi is something that you can add to almost any dish....almost! the final touch to my version of pakhala is the tempering of green chilli, curry leaves and asafoetida or hing (Hengu in Odia)...ummm...smells heavenly!

Beware! eating pakhala and finally drinking the remaining water or torani (in this case its a mere diluted curd with flavors) will result in a beautiful and heavenly doze of sleep...yes! afternoon siesta!