Fried Okra Smothered in Toasted Chickpea Flour

Fried Okra Smothered in
Toasted Chickpea Flour

The alkalinity in okra takes some getting used to, if you're trying it for the first time. It's a popular vegetable in India and Burma (or Myanmar as it is now known). There are several techniques to cut down on the alkalinity. 

Keep the okra dry at all times, so wash the pods and dry overnight before cutting or wipe each pod dry before cutting. Toss the cut okra in sufficient amchur (dried mango powder) before cooking. Fry the okra in oil until de-alkalized before seasoning or adding chopped onions and tomatoes. Toss the cooked okra with toasted chickpea flour and toast some more until it turns golden brown.

To add a Burmese flavour to this dish, I seasoned the chickpea flour with dried shrimp powder and seasoned the okra with fish sauce instead of salt, before frying with onions, garlic and tomatoes.

Mung Dal with Spinach

Split Mung Beans with Spinach

This simple preparation for lentils and spinach is a breeze to make and gets dinner on the table in a jiffy.   

Cauliflower in Yogurt Sauce - Doi Phoolkopi

Doi Phoolkopi

It's hard to keep cauliflower from turning to mush when it's cooked in a gravy base. Today I learned a new trick from the internet food blogs, to microwave the florets for 3 minutes and allow them to soak for 15 minutes in the hot water. The texture remains firm after cooking in the yogurt sauce. Another trick I learned today was to add a teaspoon of besan (chickpea flour) to the Greek yogurt while whipping it, which prevents the curds separating from the whey when it's heated.

To save some cooking time, a can of Del Monte's sliced potatoes came in handy in place of the russet potatoes I would have otherwise used.  

To give this dish a taste of Kashmir, the ground spices consist of Kashmiri mirch (paprika) along with powdered ginger and fennel seed powder.

Savoury Pancakes

Savoury Pancakes

Makes: 8 pancakes

Ingredients

1/4 cup chickpea/gram flour (besan) or all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. rice flour

1 egg, beaten (optional for vegans)

3 Tbsp. plain yogurt (not fat-free)

1 small onion, chopped finely

1 medium tomato, chopped finely

1 green chilli, chopped finely

1 tsp, crushed kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

Salt to taste

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Method

1. Combine the first four ingredients and stir batter until smooth.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients except oil and set aside.
3. Heat a frying pan and add oil; wipe oil over surface of pan with a paper towel.
4. Pour 3 Tbsp. batter into pan, swirling to make a circular shape.
5. Cook until bubbles surface, flip over and cook until done.
6. Set pancake aside and wipe the pan with the paper towel that was used before.
7. Repeat this process until all the batter is used.
8. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

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