Comfort
Foods
| I
love this time of the year, the leaves are changing
color and the temperature is getting a little cooler
at night. Clearly it is time for comfort food, the
changes in the atmosphere certainly compel me to think
of many heart-warming and fragrant dishes. I am convinced
that each of us have our own set of comfort foods,
they could be anything from grandma’s cookies
to the fragrant curries. There is a reason why we tend
to lean towards certain foods, it is just the way we
tend to resonate with certain food memories. I am not
sure about everyone else but when the seasons start to
change, I tend to think more about the foods which bring
stability and warmth to my life. One of these foods is
pakoras…………absolutely delicious
and addictive. Pakoras are deep fried fritters; sliced
vegetables are dipped in a spicy gram flour batter and
then deep fried. A variety of vegetables can be used
for the pakoras, for example, fresh spinach, sliced zucchini
or sliced potatoes, my favorite is zucchini slices.……….now
how can anyone go wrong with fried food? I decided to
surrender to deep fried foods several years ago and thought
well why not enjoy the foods which I like and then I
can always go to the gym. What is the point of fighting
it, sometimes embracing the issues can make life so much
easier. You may not agree with this philosophy but that
is my story and I am sticking to it. |
| Pakoras are traditionally served as a
snack back home with hot tea and a dipping sauce in the
afternoons. It is customary to serve hot tea with cream
and sugar and always accompanied with a couple of freshly
cooked snacks it is considered rude to serve just tea
on its own. There are always a couple of snacks like
pakoras or samosas and then something sweet in addition
to go along with all the savory dishes. |
| Attached is the recipe of the traditional
pakoras, you will notice that the main spice is cumin.
Ground and whole cumin is used generously to add a slightly
spicy flavor and a wonderful texture to the batter. |
| You never know, this recipe may become
one of your comfort foods very quickly. |
| Enjoy the season! |
Huma
Siddiqui
President |
Zucchini
Pakoras
Sliced Zucchini and cilantro dipped in gram
flour batter
2 cups gram flour
1 cup water
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon whole cumin
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
2 cups zucchini-sliced
1 cup cilantro, chopped
cooking oil for frying |
 |
| Mix gram flour, water and all spices
to make a batter. Add sliced zucchini and cilantro.
Heat oil in a frying pan, so it is hot but not smoking.
Add a tablespoon of the batter to the oil at a time.
Turn it over when one side is firm and light brown.
Take it out when both sides are done and leave it on
kitchen towel so excess oil is absorbed. Transfer to
the serving dish and serve warm with raita (yogurt
dipping sauce with cumin and cilantro). |
|
|
| Upcoming
Events and Classes |
| |
Whole
Foods Market Cooking Classes
Madison, WI
Wednesday, Oct 11, 6–8:30 pm
Wednesday, Nov 14, 6–8:30 pm |
All
Through The House Cooking
Classes
Stoughton, WI
Thursday, Nov 8, 6:30–9 pm |
Orange
Tree Imports Cooking Classes
Madison, WI
Thursday, Nov 1, 6:30–9 pm
Tuesday, Jan 22, 6:30–9 pm
Tuesday, Mar 4, 6:30–9 pm |
|
|
| |
White
Jasmine, LLC • info@whitejasmine.com
Toll Free: 866-774-2995 • Voice: 608-437-1250 • Fax:
608-437-1247 |
|
|