Cardamom Cake

Posted by Shalini Nanda on February 26, 2014 1 Comment

Cardamom Cake

Reproduced with permission, from Niloufer Ichapouria King’s “My Bombay Kitchen”

In Niloufer’s words:

The recipe for this cake, one of the most precious gifts I’ve ever received in my life, comes from a generous Swedish friend, Ragnhild Langlet, a textile artist of extraordinary talent. The cake became an immediate favorite in our household, an honorary Parsi dessert and our most requested birthday cake.

We met Ragnhild Langlet in a Berkeley garden in the early summer of 1987 at a potluck wedding celebration to which she brought an unassuming cake baked in an unassuming pan. That unassuming little cake was one of the most powerful things I’ve ever tasted. It was suffused with a scent of cardamom, crunchy whole seeds throughout, sweet enough, rich enough, light enough. Cake perfection. The taste is so exotic, so tropical, yet so adaptable to any cuisine that it’s a surprise to know that it comes from Sweden, which turns out to be the world’s second-largest market for cardamom, India being number one.

This cake is excellent the first day, even better the next and the next and the next, if it lasts that long. Serve with fruit or a custard or ice cream. There’s nothing that it doesn’t complement.

Serves 6 to 10.

2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, for the pan

Sliced unblanched almonds, for the topping (optional)

4 large eggs

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 1/3 sticks unsalted butter

1 tablespoon cardamom seeds

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

Pinch of salt

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch diameter springform pan by buttering it liberally, sprinkling 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, and shaking the pan until the bottom and sides are coated with sugar. Don’t worry about extra sugar on the bottom. Cover the bottom with sliced almonds if you want a particularly crunchy topping. Ragnhild also suggested ground almonds or bread crumbs. If you want to be absolutely sure that the topping won’t stick, use a parchment paper disk to line the bottom of the pan before buttering and sugaring it.

• Using a stand mixer if you have one, a handheld beater, or a powerful and patient arm, cream the eggs and sugar until thick and pale and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Melt the butter in a little saucepan. Bruise the cardamom seeds in a mortar. Quickly fold the flour and salt into the egg and sugar mixture, followed by the butter and the cardamom. Give the batter a thorough stir before tipping it into the prepared pan. Thump the pan on the counter to settle the batter.

• Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes. The top should feel dry and spring back when lightly pressed, and a skewer or knife inserted into the center should come out dry. Remove from the oven and leave in the pan about 5 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the pan before inverting the cake onto a rack to cool. Remove the bottom of the pan carefully while the cake is still very warm. Let cool before serving.

Rose Geranium Cardamom Cake:

For our dear friend Catherine’s birthday in 1987, I embedded rose geranium leaves in the top of the cake (actually the bottom of the springform pan) along with the almonds, and served it with a winter fruit compote also lightly scented with rose geranium. If you can ever get near a cardamom plant, which is a member of the ginger family, try a leaf from it, too.

Baine Barthad

Posted by Shalini Nanda on February 26, 2014 Leave a Comment

Asha’s Bainé Barthad (Stuffed fried brinjal/eggplant)

1/2 kg brinjal, preferably a thin skinned variety

Grind together to a coarse paste:

1 1/2 cups freshly grated coconut
1 tbsp ground coriander seed
1 –1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp jaggery
Salt to taste
2-3 tbsp oil (untoasted sesame oil, or peanut oil are good choices here)

This quantity of oil will give you a drier finished dish. If you want a more luxurious dish, feel free to use more oil. Brinjal loves oil and will happily drink whatever you send its way!

Trim the brinjal, leaving the stems intact. Score a deep cross into the flesh, going about 2/3 of the way through.

Spoon the coconut and spice mixture into the cuts and press in firmly.

Heat the oil in a wide, shallow pan and put in the brinjal, carefully moving them around to brown the outsides.

Cover and cook on medium low for a few minutes, then cook uncovered until tender.( If there is any coconut mixture left over, add it now and continue cooking.)

This recipe works well with the thin skinned japanese eggplants available here. Cut them into 3-4″ lengths, then score about halfway through before stuffing.

If you’re using the denser fleshed variety of eggplant, you could try baking them instead. Brush with oil and bake at 350 F for 15 minutes until the skin turns brown.Then cover and bake for another 30 minutes.

Finish by cooking them uncovered for another 10-15 minutes, or until done.

Asha’s notes: The coconut mixture should not be ground too fine. To help prevent the brinjal from absorbing too much oil, keep the heat on high initially, until the skin is lightly browned.

Baimbalé curry

Posted by Shalini Nanda on February 26, 2014 Leave a Comment

Baimbalé curry (Tender bamboo shoot curry)

½ kg thinly sliced bamboo shoot

(if the bamboo is very tender, you can cook it directly into the curry. Otherwise, it is usually parboiled before use with a little turmeric and salt and using the sour soaking water*.)

2 medium onions, finely sliced

5-6 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
A small sprig of curry leaves
½ tsp mustard seed
2-3 dry red chillis,
½ tsp turmeric
1 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chilli powder, or to taste
1 ½ cups grated coconut, ground to smooth paste.
1 tsp dark jaggery (optional)
A dash of kachampuli** or ½ tsp thick tamarind extract
2-3 tbsp oil.

Grind together:

1/2 tbsp dark roasted cumin
1 tsp roasted mustard seed

Heat the oil on a deep pan, kadhai or wok and put in the mustard. When it sputters, put in the red chillis, curry leaves and garlic. Sauté briefly, then add the onions and cook until they are soft and beginning to brown.

Put in the bamboo shoot, all the remaining spices and 2 cups of hot water. Bring to a low boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the bamboo is tender but still firm to the touch.

Add the jaggery if using, followed by the ground coconut paste and simmer for a few minutes more. Stir in kachampuli or tamarind two minutes before removing from the heat.

A perfect pairing with akki ottis and a touch of ghee.

* For more on the preparation of fresh bamboo shoot, refer to www.acookeryyearincoorg.com)

** a souring agent made from the fruit of Garcinia gummi-gutta.

Appa Kajjaya

Posted by Shalini Nanda on February 26, 2014 Leave a Comment

Appa kajjaya (Sweet banana fritters)

400gms ripe bananas (preferably mara balé or any creamy fleshed banana with an optional squeeze of lime juice)
75gms plain flour
50gms rice flour
1 1/2 cups fresh grated coconut
2 tbsp khus-khus (white poppy seed) very lightly roasted
•or 2 tbsp brown (unhulled) sesame seed, lightly roasted
5 tbsp jaggery (you might want more if you prefer things on the sweeter side)
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
Oil for frying

Sift the flour, rice flour, salt and baking soda together.

Mash the bananas to a smooth pulp and mix all the ingredients together to a soft batter. If it looks a little too wet, don’t add more flour.

Allow it to sit for a few minutes and it should thicken to easy dropping consistency.

Heat the oil in a kadhai or wok and drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture in gently.

Fry on medium heat, stirring the kajjayas around occasionally.

When they are an even brown on the outside, remove and drain on absorbent paper.

Cool, then store in an airtight container.

Makes approximately 36 bite sized kajjayas.

Akki Otti

Posted by Shalini Nanda on February 26, 2014 Leave a Comment

Akki Otti (Rice flatbreads)

3 cups soft, cooked rice (freshly cooked is best but leftover rice is fine too)
1 cup rice flour
Salt to taste
Rice flour for dusting

Combine the ingredients and knead to a smooth dough, adding no water if possible. Too much water or flour in the kneading process will make the ottis hard.

Roll or press out balls of dough into 7-8″ rounds. Heat a heavy griddle and cook the the ottis on medium high for two minutes on one side before flipping. Cook for another two minutes, pressing the edges to seal any cracks that might appear. Flip once again, and using a spatula or clean cloth , press down gently and evenly over the surface to encourage puffing. This can also be done by holding the otti over a direct flame. Eat right away, or stack in a cloth lined dish until all the ottis are ready.

Makes approx. 10 ottis.