REGIONAL GREK EASTER LAMB & GOAT DISHES

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REGIONAL GREK EASTER LAMB & GOAT DISHES:
Here is a collection of recipes for lamb and goat from all over Greece. You’ll find dishes from Epirus and Macedonia, in Greece’s mountainous north as well as dishes from the islands. If you have a regional Greek Easter recipe you would like to share, please send it along. If you have a picture, all the better.
Go to recipes.

Drumstick Blossoms Stir-fry

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Drumstick Blossoms Stir-fry:

Drumstick Blossoms Stir-fry 

How long it takes: 30 mins

Number of servings: 2-3

A long planned recipe on this blog that I’m uploading today – now that the drumstick tree has bloomed and it’s the perfect time to use the blossoms to prepare this dish.  which is the favorite of all of us in the family.  I have previously shared recipes for drumstick blossoms cutlet, drumstick  greens  paratha, brinjal drumstick curry, and today I would like to put up this simple recipe which can be prepared in minutes if the blossoms are available. Here it is, a family favourite and I hope one that you’d enjoy too:

What you need to have:

1. Drum-stick blossoms – 1  and 1/2 cup
2. Chopped Potatoes – 1/2 Cup
3. Chopped Onions – 1 Cup
4. Tomato chopped – 1 (small)
5. Chilli powder – 1 Teaspoon
6. Turmeric powder – 1/2 Teaspoon
7. Dhania-Jeera powder – 1 Teaspoon
8. Salt – To taste
9. Cooking oil – 3-4 Teaspoons                                                                                                                               

Ingredients of drumstick blossoms stir fry

What you do with what you have:

1. Place a pan with 3-4 Teaspoons of cooking oil in it on low flame. When hot, add chopped tomatoes to it and also a little salt and fry till done.

Chopped tomatoes being fried

2.When tomatoes are fried, add chopped onions and also required quantity of salt to the dish and fry till transparent.

Chopped onions being fried till transparent

3. When onions turn transparent, add all seasoning powders and stir in well.

Seasoning powders

4. Now add chopped potatoes, and the drum stick blossoms, stir well and place a plate containing water to cover the vessel – this helps the cooking process as well as retains the aroma and nutrients.  If the water on the plate begins to evaporate – change the water till the dish is cooked.

Chopped potato & the blossoms being added

A plate of water covering the pan

5. Ready to serve drum stick blossom stir fry is as shown in the image below.  Enjoy with either rice and dal, curd rice or even with roti/chapati. Like I always say – yummmmm !!!!

Ready to serve Drum stick blossoms stir fry

How long it takes: 30 minutes
Number of servings: 2-3
Good to remember:
1. Better to use fresh blossoms for the dish. Potato is used to enhance texture of the dish.
2. The purpose of placing water on the top of the dish is to retain the aroma and the oil content and also the nutrients.
3. Adding water directly to the dish to cook the veggies will cause it to lose the nutrients and turn the dish soggy.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Papaya Burfi

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Papaya Burfi:

Papaya Burfi

How long it takes: 1 Hour
Makes: Around 50 Burfis
Papaya is a tropical fruit available throughout the year. The fruit has been ascribed many medicinal qualities, especially enhancing digestion, and nutritionally rich in Vitamin A, B and also C.  Though not particularly liked by all, it is normally found in all Indian kitchens.  The raw fruit is used in curries too.  I just tried the Burfi with coconut in combination with dry fruits and it tasted as tasty as “Doodh peda” – so much so that my friends were surprised by how tasty it was. The incredible response was my incentive to share this recipe with you and add it to the list of burfis already uploaded on this blog (milk burfi, coconut burfi, peanut chikki/burfi, tomato burfi, besan burfi, maida-sujee burfi, seven cup burfi, almond burfi, sesame chikki-burfi, mixed atta burfi, kuvale khadi/ash-gourd burfi).

What you need to have:

1. Chopped Papaya – 2 Cups
2. Fresh grated coconut – 1 Cup
3.  Sugar -2 and 1/4 cup
4. Milk powder – 2 Tablespoons
5. Pure ghee – 4 Tablespoons
6. Dry fruits – 1/2 Cup in all

                                                                                                                            Ingredients of Papaya Burfi

What you do with what you have:

1. Peel and grate the papaya fruit and keep aside. Grate coconut and then grind the grated papaya and grated coconut and sugar in the mixer to a fine consistency. Peel cardamom and powder it too. Grate cashews, pista and keep aside.
2. Place a skillet with the ground mixture of the fruit, sugar and coconut from step-1 to it with 2 Tablespoons of pure ghee to it; adjust the flame of your burner and cook the concoction till it thickens.

                                                                                                                                               Papaya, sugar & ghee being cooked

3. When it starts thickening add milk powder and stir well. When it starts separating from/leaving the side of the skillet, add rest of the ghee and grated dry fruits and cardamom powder to it.  The mixture will attain the consistency of chapati dough.

                                                                                                                                                    The mixture being thickened

4. Spread it on a wooden plank and cut it into pieces of required size spreading it to required thickness.

                                                                                                                                                      Burfi mixture being cut into pieces

5. Store it in air tight containers and will remain fresh for more than 15 days at room temperature.

                                                                                                                                                  Ready to serve Papaya Burfi

How long it takes: 1 Hour
Makes: Around 50 Burfis
Good to remember:
1. Use fresh and ripe papaya for the dish.
2. Time taken may differ as per the size of your burner.
3. Use any dry fruit of your choice except raisins.
4. I have used only 2 cups of chopped papaya and hence it took about 1 hour. It will take longer if you use greater amounts of ingredients.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Burfi, Festivals, Newbee, One hour, Sweets

Rajma Rice

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Rajma Rice:

Rajma Rice

 How long it takes: 1 hour

Number of servings: 4-5

This makes for a sumptuous and delicious one-pot meal ! It is very popular among North Indians, and not that appreciated in the South – mostly because we don’t employ rajma in our ethnic dishes. However, I’m sure it’ll be appreciated if made at home, especially as a departure from the routine veg pulav or tomato/coconut/lemon rice. I’ve previously uploaded recipes for dal makhni and rajma, and essentially you can have these dishes served with rice. However, I have tried to make it as a one-pot meal and this is my version. Be advised that it requires some advanced planning.

What you need to have:

1. Basmati Rice – 1 cup
2. Sprouted/ Normal Rajma – 1/2 cup
3. Salt – As per taste
4. Cooking oil – 4-5 Teaspoons

Basmati Rice

Sprouted Rajma Beans

Ingredients of Wet Masala:
1. Green chilly – 1
2. Ginger chopped – 1/2 Tablespoon
3. Garlic cloves – 4-5
4. Chopped Mint leaves – 2 Tablespoon
5. Chopped Cilantro – 2 Tablespoons
6. Shallots – 4-5

Ingredients of Wet Masala

Ingredients of Seasoning:
1. Chopped Onions – 1/2 Cup
2. Chopped Tomatoes – 1/4 cup
3. Cumin powder – 1/2 Teaspoon
4. Cumin seeds – 1/2 Teaspoon
5. Garam Masala powder – 1/2 Teaspoon
6. Chilli powder – 1 Teaspoon

Ingredients of Seasoning

What you do with what you have:

1. Wash and drain the basmati rice and keep it aside as shown in image-1.  Wash, peel and cut tomatoes fine.  Peel and chop onions fine and keep it aside as shown in image-4.
2. Soak Rajma beans in water overnight.  Drain water from it and tie it in a cotton cloth tightly  and keep it aside till evening.  By then it will have sprouted – however this happens only in the heat of the summer, and even so, the sprouting is not complete (as in image-2).
3. Grind the ingredients of wet masala in the mixer adding very little water if necessary to a thick consistency.

Ground Wet Masala

4. Place a cooker with 2-3 Teaspoons of cooking oil in it on medium flame.  When hot, add cumin seeds to it.  When it splutters, add chopped onions and a little salt to it.  In the mean time add chopped tomato from step-1 also to it and keep stiring till it is fried well.  When fried add grind wet masala to it.

Wet masala being added

5. Finally add all powders in a row and also the cumin powder and stir in well.

Seasoning powders being added

6. Finally add basmati rice and sprouted rajma beans from step-2 and step-2 to it and also add required quantity of salt and water to it and cook till done.

Rajma and rice being added

7. Enjoy with tomato onion salad or raita of your choice when done.

Ready to serve Rajma Rice with salad

How long it takes: – 1 Hour
Number of servings: 4-5
Good to remember:
1. This requires advance planning – especially overnight soaking of rajma.
2. Sprouted beans enhance the taste and nutritious value of the dish.
3. The proportion of both cilantro and mint can be as per one’s palate.
4. Cooked rice also can be used in place of rice being cooked with it.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Advance planning, North indian dishes, One hour, One pot meals

Oats-Dry fruits Laddoos

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Oats-Dry fruits Laddoos:

Oats-Dry fruits Laddoos

Makes: 20

How long it takes: 1 hour

My personal fascination with oats continues – from my own conscious caution about healthy eating and also spurred by the encouragement of many readers of this blog. I continue experimenting with oats – some past successes have been uploaded as oats appam, oats poha upma, oats upma, oats-chana dal laddoos, oats chiwda, oats roti, oats paratha, peanut-oats laddoos. Today’s recipe is also hopefully mindful of healthy eating – oats with dry-fruits, peanuts, and just about a teaspoon of pure ghee. There is no sugar or jaggery in this recipe, and all sweetness is rendered only by dates (which are healthy). Please do try out and hope relish it too!!!!!!!!!!

What you need to have:

1. Oats – 1 cup
2. Peanuts – 1 and 1/4 cup
3. Seedless dates – 1 and 1/2 Cup
4. Poppy seeds – 2/3 Cup
5. Cardamom – 15

6. Pure ghee – 1-2 Teaspoon                                                                                Ingredients of oats & dry fruits laddoo

Other ingredients of laddoo

What you do with what you have:

1. Place a wide skillet with Quaker oats (or any other brand)  in it on low/medium flame and dry roast it till you get a nutty aroma.

Oats being dry roasted

2. Empty the skillet and dry roast peanuts until you’re able to peel the peanut skins off.

Peanuts being dry roasted

3. Powder roasted oats in the mixer to a fine consistency. Peel the roasted peanuts  from step-2 on cooling and powder it separately in the mixer along with peeled cardamom too. Dry roast poppy seeds as well in a skillet till you get a pleasant aroma. When cooled, powder it in the mixer to a fine consistency. Grate dates and mix all the ingredients in a bowl.  Also add grated almonds and pista.

                                                                                                                                            The essential laddoo mixture

  4. Pinch out required quantity of the mix and make them into round laddoos.

Ready to serve Oats Dry fruit laddoos

Makes: 20
How long it takes: 1 hour
Good to remember:
1. Roast oats with a teaspoon of pure ghee  on low flame till you get a nutty aroma but  do not burn it
2. This laddoo may not be very sweet as neither sugar nor jaggery is used. The sweetness is only of the dates.  So one can increase the quantity of dates to turn out a little sweeter. Pure ghee can be also added if needed.                                                                                                .

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Festival food, Festivals, Laddoos, Oats, One hour, Sweets