selling the selroti

I know the great festival of the Nepali people came and went, i know delicious meals were cooked in every household including mine, i know the tunes of deusi/bhailo still lingers for some of us... and i also know that i have been neglecting this page :(

My only excuse is that i've been busy, not glorifying it but just plain, dull, mundane busy with work. So busy that i couldn't even send this recipe which i'm posting today to V when she needed it. I know i'm forgiven (because my girlfriends have massive hearts, specially her!)...nevertheless, this one is for Vaishali/ Falguni.

Selroti is an important fermented rice food of the Nepalis consumed traditionally during marriages, festivals and other special occasions in Nepal, the Darjeeling Hills, Sikkim and everywhere else in the world where you might find Nepalis.

the batter

My grandmother used to insist on using traditional tools while preparing selroti. The okhli and mushli to pound soaked rice, a nanglo to dry the soaked rice, a suiro, which is a pointed bamboo stick to turn the selroti upside down, lift and drain oil to take out the fried rings of selroti.

The tawa, a cast iron frying pan was a must ( as used below)and a thumsey, a wicker made basket to store fresh selrotis.

frying the sel roti swirls in golden glory

My mother still tries to keep the selroti preparation in our family as traditional as possible, besides the grinding part. Of course, we use the blender and i say a silent prayer to the science gods for that wonderful invention...

the suiro from my grandmom's days

Is it just me or do other people also want to know the origin of this delicious bread in the Nepali community? I love stories specially when it revolves around food so after putting in my best to find out,the only conjectures that i could come up with after many queries and online research is that the name could be derived from saela, a Nepali word given to any food item that is lifted by a suiro.Hence, saela roti becomes selroti. 

Also, Seli is a local variety of rice grown in the foothills of Nepal so the product prepared from this particular variety of rice could have been called selroti.

Although the nomenclature given to that beloved concoction is still a mystery, am i glad that it's NOT Fox Bread of all the   interpretations in the world! I almost cried when i heard that the first time :(

crispy selrotis served with sukha aludum

My Grandmother's Recipe

Come Tihar or a wedding or any festivity, she was the go to person for everyone we knew for the best selrotis in town.People flocked to her house to have it made.

Ingredients:

The estimate i have given is for a kilo of rice which would roughly give you 40-50 pieces of selroti. 

Rice

100 gm ghiu / clarified butter

garam masala ( cardamom, cloves, cinnamon etc)

500ml milk ( depends on how thick you want your batter)

2 unripe banana

Heavy Cream to soften the dough

250gm wheat flour

200gm granulated sugar

Oil to fry

Method

Clean, wash and soak rice in cold water overnight.

Drain excess water and spread to dry for 1 hour.

Grind soaked rice into a coarse powder - (this is how we do it at home which ensures the texture of the final selroti is not smooth but rough.To get this texture,you must also make sure that your gas flame is not too high and is kept to a medium flaresre).Some people prefer the surface to be smooth, so for that result, you must grind the rice to a fine paste.

Mash and add unripe banana, spices, ghiu, heavy cream, sugar, wheat flour and knead the mixture to a soft dough.

NOW add the milk slowly to batter the mixture into a thick and luscious paste.

Leave the batter to ferment for at least two hours or more in a cold climate.

Heat oil in a cast iron pan and deposit the batter as rings into the oil and fry until golden. Make sure that your flame is not too high.

Seloti can be eaten warm, hot or cool with aludum, simi ko achar and chiya.

this photograph was taken by my dear friend, Pranavesh, at his girlfriend's house...and i begged him to part with it...scrappy, ain't i? :)

A little late in the day but HAPPY TIHAR everyone!

x

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Bangalore Bites - Part 2

An old friend and a Korean dinner 

Meeting Priscy in Bangalore brought back fond memories of the many, many years i have known her which dates right back to school until now. Although much has changed in our lives,nothing has changed between us. It was great to catch up over Korean food at Soo Ra Sang at Airport Road in Bangalore.

She chose the place because both of us wanted to try Korean food, me not owing to the sudden emergence of Korean pop culture in our parts or all over the world for that matter; her reasons are another matter altogether. She's a huge fan, i find out, of all things Korean ( read films, TV series, movie stars, even music, food - in that order)

 

View from the top

She chose this place due to its online reviews and a wise choice it was because we loved the food although we were a little apprehensive while riding the elevator to the rooftop where the restaurant is, which read ' don't open lift till land fully ' among other signs. We did not, of course.

Soo ra sang is small and family run and it looked to me almost like a pop up restaurant with decor and furniture that is quite simple, minimal and not too over the top. It could have been a hole in the wall but those are truly the best kind of places with the best kind of food, isn't it?

 and then some

Service is fast and friendly except for the Dragon Lady who did not let us click photographs of the place but was very gracious with the food. I hope she does not read this review. 

She did give us her best table which according to her, is their family table.

Our food was served with Oksusu Cha which is an authentic roasted corn drink. It tasted nice and reminded us of satua. Next came the Soju, a potent Korean drink which looked like Saki to me , and then the many, many accompaniments and side dishes which i can't remember the names of because the soju had already done its duty by me. But they were all delicious and exactly how i like my food to be - light, delicate and fresh.

The kimchi gets a special mention because it was quite tasty and extra points to the attendant for coming over to the table and personally shredding it for us.

   a shot of sparkling soju...

For the main course we had Kim Bob, Beef stir fry, Pork red stir fry and Dol Sot Bidimbap.

Kim Bob is like a vegetarian sushi filled with rice and veggies wrapped in nori and dol sot bidimbap is a stone pot rice served warm topped with vegetables and a chilli pepper paste, served with a fried egg.

 kimchi being administered at our table

 we hastily make a go for it

 pork red chilli stir fry

 kim bob - rice and veggies wrapped in nori

 bidimbap - stone pot rice

 beef, pork and accompaniments

priscy risks the dragon lady's wrath to pose for a picture for me so that i can give you guys a glimpse of the restaurant!!

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Bangalore - First Bite

What does a foodie do when she visits the Garden City after 18 solid years? Of course, heads for the first restaurant that serves up local, authentic fare! No rocket science that...:)

Friends took me to one of the outlets of the famous restaurant chains Nagarjuna, which serves up the best in Andhra cuisine, blending ancient recipes with contemporary flair. I was not disappointed. The food was simple and subtle and the condiments like the gunpowder, fried red chilies, pickled pastes lent the meal just the right amount of spice that one needs in a meal. We all had the thali on plantain leaves and ate with our hands. Must say they make a mean daal! 

Nagarjuna was founded by Nalagatla Krishna Reddy in 1984 who was from Andhra Pradesh.

N Mohan Reddy ( CEO, Nagarjuna Hotels) now successfully runs the chain learning the ropes from his father who was the sole inspiration that pushed him to embark on his culinary journey.

People flock to Nagarjuna because they never falter in the quality of food that they produce and also for the  the consistency in taste and texture which never changes especially for staples like their daal and biryani. The reason being that the chefs function from a centralized kitchen with a set recipe that supplies to all the outlets in Bangalore.

The fiery Andhra cuisine mostly uses coconut, tamarind and chilies as staple ingredients in its    preparations.The chefs, some of them who have been with them for many years, use the slow cooking method to prepare the dishes in addition to individual spicing. 

Besides Andhra food, they also have North Indian Grills, Seafood and Vegetarian meals on their menu.

They have three outlets in Bangalore - on Residency Road, Indiranagar and Koramangla. You can step into any of them to taste the best of Andhra. Give them a try and come back a satisfied customer.

Find out more from their website:

http://www.nagarjunarestaurants.com/index.html

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Farm Fresh

Spent a weekend at our farm when my brother was visiting last month and i made an impromptu ravioli with potatoes, bacon and baby spinach from the kitchen garden.Served it with a classic burnt butter sauce.

Needless to say, it was lip smacking good. and yes, i don't know modesty...what is that? :)

I made my own pasta sheets. You can find the recipe anywhere on the internet.

 Filling:
2 tspn olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped

2 potatoes mashed

finely chopped bacon bits
¾ cup finely grated fresh cheese
2 tspn finely grated lemon rind
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground salt and black peppercorns, to taste

To serve:
20g butter

soy granules

sprinkling of baby spinach

Method:

Roll your pasta dough out and cut round sheets off it with a cookie cutter or in this case with a steel bowl/ batuka! 

Mix the filling together and place a spoonful each on the cut round sheets. 

Moisten the edges of the the remaining round sheets and place them on the mounds, firmly pressing the edges as you go.

Cook ravioli for 3-4 minutes in boiling water until just tender. Drain with a slotted spoon and place into warmed serving bowls.

Quickly heat the butter swirling the butter for about 1 minute only over a medium high heat until very foamy and a slightly golden nutty color (do not burn), add the spinach and soy granules, stir and quickly remove from heat.

Drizzle over the ravioli and serve.

You can grate more cheese over it if you want.

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The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Cafe - Calcutta

It's always fun to explore a city, even if it is in the confines of a mall, when you have food on your mind. It was a surprisingly cool day in early August when I stepped into Forum, the Mall in Calcutta to grab a late light lunch for Zy and me. I went for the Veggie Lasagna and Zy, the Crusty Chicken Sandwich and we both dug into the Sticky Toffee Cheesecake with equal gusto at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Cafe. The food is tasty enough, more like grab-on-the-go fare but the best part about the place was this huge mug of coffee - dark, rich, aromatic, distinctive and Columbian, exactly what one needs after having spent an entire afternoon trying to meet the demands of a super energetic eight year old boy.

Of course, I forgot to photograph that one...

By the way, did i mention the slice of heaven?

half eaten toffee cheese cake

veggie lasagna

crusty chicken sandwich with coleslaw

The Coffee Bean &Tea Leaf Cafe is a Southern Californian coffee and tea retailer since 1963. It is the largest privately-held specialty coffee and tea outfit. Their coffee is always freshly roasted on a daily basis in small batches to meet the needs of the customer.

“Am I tough? Am I strong? Am I hard-core? Absolutely.
Did I whimper with pathetic delight when I sank my teeth into my hot fried-chicken sandwich? You betcha.”
― James Patterson

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Mission Menu & Tasting 

So on a day that looked like this, we got together at gatty's cafe to add some more items to his existing menu so to get ready for the upcoming tourist season.

I taught them how to make stuffed garlic bread 

Like Stuff-Your-Face-Now-Or-It-Will-Fall-Apart kind of stuffing!

Rice, bean and bacon burritos 

Pita Bread in an Oven

And succulent falafels with my kind of hummus :)

 In Pita Pockets

It was quite awesome if i may say so :)and was devoured by the guests we had invited for the trials...!

We also made thick, luscious ragu which we forgot to photograph:( 

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Stickiest Lemon Cake Ever!

....with lots of syrup:)

Don't you just want to smash your face into that?!

My favorite critic and taster!

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Lemon Drizzle  Cake

125g unsalted butter

175g caster sugar

2 large eggs

zest of 1 lemon

175g self raising flour
pinch of salt

4 tablespoons milk

1 cake tin buttered or lined

For the syrup:

juice of 1 and a half lemons

100g icing sugar

To Make The Cake:

Preheat your oven to 180 C/ gas mark 4.

Cream together butter and sugar and add eggs and lemon zest, beating them in well.

Gently fold in the flour and the salt, mixing thoroughly and then add the milk.

 Spoon the batter into your prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

For the syrup:

Put the lemon juice and icing sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves.

As soon as cake is out of oven, puncture all over with a fork or tooth pick (in my case) and pour the syrup.

Leave cake to cool completely before removing from the cake tin.

Serve or eat with weak Darjeeling tea…

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Hardcore Foodie Workshop

The Hardcore Foodie workshop last week was a bit of a challenge to me since i had to draft out a purely vegan menu for the participants. Which meant tweaking recipes, cutting corners, adjusting ingredients yet still making the dishes taste just as good. I can't say it wasn't fun and i can't say i did not meet that challenge :)

Glimpses from the Class

lucy's so engrossed in the recipes

some tips and tricks being imparted !!

making mango pulp for the dessert

deep fry

life always gives us lemons but no one's complaining

tasting time is the best time

lucy takes recipe reading to another level

cathy's job hazards

charlotte with the dessert mix

great food on the table

ta dah - the dairy free, gluten free, semolina and mango bake!!


FIND THE RECIPE HERE

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And while we waited for the food to be served

wine was flowing

tattoo art was in the making by our very own deejayshe

wifi benefits

joy and jest

private moments

 and enough time for some weird shots

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and then the french algerian belly dancer gave us some shimmy tips

and we sashayed to her tunes for a while until food was served

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Glimpses of some of the guests who were invited to relish what we cooked

 Gatty, Jamie, Matt and Sharad

Susannah, Mike, Cath

and the rest of us

Another Hardcore Foodie class, another great day spent with good friends...

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