Vegetable & Kasundi Paratha Frankie

Today, I am going to tell you about one of the dishes that I made using the kasundi that I picked up at the Bangla Mela, a while back. This was such a huge hit at home, the first time I made it, that I ended up making it again and again and again. Now, the bottle of kasundi is over, and I am dying to pick up some more! 🙂

These frankies are stuffed with veggies, to which I add tomato ketchup and a hint of green and red chilli sauce for flavour. There’s also the added beautiful flavour of kasundi, which takes the dish to a whole new level. Unlike store-bought frankies, I make them using whole wheat flour, so that they are relatively guilt-free to eat. Moreover, they can be put together quite fast, making them the perfect lunch or dinner idea for a busy day.

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Here’s how to make them.

Ingredients (for about 8 frankies):

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

A few florets of cauliflower, chopped finely

8-10 beans, finely chopped

A small piece of cabbage, finely chopped

1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped

1 medium-sized carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 small capscium, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

Salt, to taste

Green chilli sauce, roughly 2 tablespoons or to taste

Red chilli sauce, roughly 2 tablespoons or to taste

Red chilli powder, to taste

3-4 tablespoons of tomato ketchup, or to taste

7-8 tablespoons of kasundi, or to taste (I used mango-mustard kasundi, but plain kasundi would do just fine, too)

2 tablespoons of oil + more for making the frankies

Method:

  1. Using a little water at a time, bind the whole wheat flour into a soft but non-sticky dough (similar to the dough that one makes for parathas). Cover and let it rest till you make the stuffing. I do not usually add salt to my roti and paratha dough, but feel free to add it if you must.
  2. While the dough is resting, prepare the stuffing for the frankies. For this, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add all the chopped vegetables – onions, beans, carrot, capsicum, cabbage and cauliflower – and mix well. Add a little water, cover and cook on a medium flame for about 5 minutes.
  3. Now, add salt to taste, turmeric, and red chilli powder to the vegetables. Sprinkle more water if necessary. Cover and cook for some more time, till the vegetables are cooked but still retain their crunch.
  4. At this stage, switch off the gas and add tomato ketchup and green chilli sauce to taste. Mix well. The stuffing is ready – keep it aside.
  5. Get a heavy dosa pan nice and hot. Meanwhile, roll out into the dough into about 8 equal-sized balls. Make a paratha out of one ball of dough, neither too thick nor too thin, large enough for it to contain a couple of spoonfuls of the vegetable stuffing.
  6. Cook the paratha on the hot dosa pan. Spread a little oil on both sides, and cook uniformly on both sides.
  7. Make parathas similarly out of all the balls of dough. Keep them aside.
  8. When you are ready to serve the frankies, heat up the dosa pan again. Spread out one paratha on the pan, and put a couple of tablespoons of the vegetable stuffing in the centre. Add a tablespoon or so of the kasundi over the stuffing. Cover the frankie – roll it up or just fold it into a semi-circle, and the sides will stick together because of the stuffing inside. Heat up both the sides of the frankie well, turning sides often. Serve immediately.

You like? I hope you will make this at home too, and that you will love it as much as we do!

Notes:

  1. I wanted the sauces and the kasundi to be the dominating flavours in this frankie, so I omitted the use of other spices like amchoor, garam masala, coriander leaves and ginger-garlic paste. You could add them, if you want to.
  2. Be careful while you are adding the red chilli powder, because the green and red chilli sauces are quite spicy already. If you want to, you could just add the sauces and omit the red chilli powder entirely.

 

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Recent Foodie Hits And Misses

Gondhoraj Lebu and Orange-And-Chocolate ice cream at Pabrai’s

I don’t know much about Bengali food, though it has always been a dream of mine to visit Calcutta, the City of Joy. I have had just one meal at Oh! Calcutta!, and that too was limited to luchis and a simple, mustard-flavoured aloo sabzi whose name I cannot recollect now. Puchkas, jhalmuri, aloor dum, sondesh and rosogulla are a few other things from Bengal I knew of, but hadn’t really tried. After my recent visit to the Bangla Mela in Bangalore, I decided to get out of my ignorance of Bengali food. I began reading up about the cuisine – blogs and online articles, mostly – and got to know a whole lot. I got as up, close and personal as one can get to Bengali food in Bangalore, at the Durga Pujo pandals. I am still learning, still experimenting with Bengali food, but I am happy to say that I now know a wee bit more about it than I used to.

It was from one of the online articles about Calcutta I read that I got to know about Gondhoraj Lebu, that gorgeous lemon/lime that is unique to Bengal. And, then, I got to know that one of my favourite ice cream parlours in Bangalore, Pabrai’s, has launched a Gondhoraj Lebu-flavoured ice cream this Durga Pujo! Of course, I had to go and try it out!

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On the left is Pabrai’s Gondhoraj Lebu ice cream, on the right is their Orange-And-Chocolate one

Sadly, though, I was utterly disappointed by the ice cream. I had expected it to be sweet and sour, and very lemony, but it was just like any other plain ice cream, with just the essence of lemon. In no way does it match up to Pabrai’s lovely, lovely, lovely Nolen Gur ice cream. The husband quite liked the Gondhoraj Lebu ice cream, though, so it could be just me.

For me, the one good thing that came out of our visit to Pabrai’s was that I discovered their Orange-And-Chocolate ice cream, another recent introduction. I loved the ice cream to bits – I thought the slightly bitter chocolate and the orange made a gorgeous pair. We have been on an ‘orange’ spree lately (See this, this, this and this!), so we were all the more delighted to find this. The husband didn’t love this one so much, but didn’t hate it either.

These ice creams are priced between INR 80 and 90 per scoop, like most of Pabrai’s offerings are. They are super-fresh, though, and I think the price is justified for the quality of their products. If you plan to visit Pabrai’s in the near future, give the Gondhoraj a miss if you must, but do try out the Orange-Chocolate, I tell you!

Schezwan Vada Pav at Eateroo, Marathahalli

But for this girl’s repeated ravings about the food at Eateroo, I might never have visited this place. I might never have been thrilled by the sort-of food lane that opens up in Marathahalli every evening, serving everything from litti chokha, rabdi jalebi and dabeli to dosas, sweets from Orissa and pav bhaji. Thanks a ton for helping us in this discovery, GB! 🙂 Now, we just have to go back to this food street again and again and again, to try out all the lovely fare that is on offer here.

I don’t know why I thought Eateroo would be a smallish eatery, with seating and all. It so isn’t that. Eateroo is a street-side cart in Marathahalli that dishes out varieties of vada pav, dabeli, and some other delicacies from Mumbai, everything priced between INR 30 and 50.

We tried out their Kutchi dabeli, Special Vada Pav and Schezwan Vada Pav.

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On the left is the Eateroo cart. On the right, from top to bottom: Special Vada Pav, Schezwan Vada Pav, Kutchi Dabeli

I found the dabeli to be okay – not ‘Wow!’, but not too bad either. The Special Vada Pav was delish – well-made and just the right blend of flavours. The Schezwan Vada Pav was lovely – the home-made spicy Schezwan paste adding to the taste greatly. The husband’s opinions were exactly the opposite of mine – ‘Wow!’ for the dabeli, ‘Just about OK’ for the Special Vada Pav, and ‘Meh!’ for the Schezwan Vada Pav.

If you find yourself in Marathahalli any time soon, I would highly recommend this outlet to you. Especially the Schezwan Vada Pav.

Jalebi With Rabdi at Jai Gurudev, Marathahalli

While at Marathahalli, we also discovered a cart called Jai Gurudev, which was manned by a Rajasthani guy doling out jalebis, rabdi and jalebi-rabdi. We couldn’t stop ourselves from trying out the jalebi with rabdi and, my, what gorgeousness it was!

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On the left is the cart. On the right, the gorgeous jalebi with rabdi

Piping-hot ghee jalebis dunked in a beautiful, sweet, cold, thick rabdi – this was simply a plateful of heaven for us. We slurped it up, thoroughly enjoying every bite.

One plate of jalebi-rabdi here is priced at INR 50.

Don’t miss this beauty, if you are ever in the food lane at Marathahalli, I would say!

What have your recent foodie discoveries been? Hits or misses? I’m all ears!

 

Cake Mixing Ceremony At Sheraton Grand, Bangalore

It is not even Diwali yet, and it is already beginning to feel like Christmas for us. We have two very Christmas-sy goodie bags lying in our kitchen, and my camera smells of cinnamon and spice. My mind is full of festive cheer. All thanks to attending The Grand Cake Mixing Ceremony at Sheraton Grand, Brigade Gateway, Rajajinagar, yesterday.

The husband and I have always wanted to attend a Christmas cake mixing, but never had the opportunity to. Till yesterday, when we got to know of this event, and then, just had to go. What a lovely, lovely, lovely experience it turned out to be! Donned in an apron, with a Santa cap perched on our heads, gloves on our hands, we – along with about 20 other guests and hotel staff – mixed about 450 kg (yes, you read that right!) of dried and candied fruits and nuts with alcohol, ginger, orange peel, jam and sugar. We put our hands in and mixed, mixed, mixed. We used paddle oars. We went all out and then piled up the mixed fruit and nuts in containers, to let them soak till Christmas time, when they would be baked into fruit cake and other festive goodies. All the while we were mixing, we gorged on the pizza and burgers and Christmas cookies and fruit juice, refreshments that had been arranged for the ‘Santa’s elves’.

We loved the experience so very much, we would do it all over again, in a heartbeat!

I leave you with pictures from the event, for your viewing pleasure.

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That’s nearly 450 kg of fruit and nut, waiting to be mixed!
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Part of the alcohol that was poured onto the waiting fruit and nuts
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Christmas Delight – a refreshing drink for the participants
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Mini burgers!
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The mixing begins!
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Adding fruit jam, orange peel and sugar
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Paddling away!
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Mix, mix, mix, mix, mix!
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Adding more alcohol to the mix!
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A drone watching over the proceedings
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More mixing!
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Storing the mixed up dried fruit and nuts
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The fruit and nuts, done and dusted!
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Chocolate crinkle cookies  to take home – goodie bags for the participants
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The Christmas goodies that Sheraton Grand will be selling – you can pre-book whatever you want right now!
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More Christmas goodies on offer – the best part is, part of the proceeds from the sale of these goodies will go to charity

Interesting, right?

Scenes From Durga Pujo 2016

This year was the first ever time we went Durga Pujo ‘pandal hopping’, if visiting three pandals can be called that at all.  We visited the pandals at the RBNAMS Grounds, Ulsoor, as well as the ones by Barsha and Eisha at HSR Layout and, I must say, it was quite an experience.

We felt the pull of Durga Ma – I don’t know how else to put it in words. From the foodie perspective, we got to hog on a whole lot of Bengali delicacies, some for the first ever time, including lovely Kolkata-style puchkas. I also managed to pick up some lovely Kantha work blouse pieces that I hope to see in action soon! 🙂

Here are some pics from our Durga Pujo 2016 celebrations, for your viewing pleasure.

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The pandal at the RBNAMS Grounds
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A stall selling pretty, pretty papier mache stuff at Eisha’s Durga Pujo pandal, HSR Layout
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Aloor dum and peas kochuri at the RBNAMS Grounds – my, what an explosion of flavour that aloor dum was!
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Nolen gurer rosogulla at the RBNAMS Grounds – again, gorgeous!
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Calcutta-style Maghai paan at the RBNAMS Grounds – super duper!
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Mishti doi in an earthen pot at the RBNAMS Grounds – whattey loveliness this was! I could literally taste the flavour of the earthen pot in the doi!
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My kala khatta, orange and raw mango ice gola at the RBNAMS Grounds. It was as hot as a summer’s day when we visited, and this chatpata iciness helped a whole lot!
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The Pujo pandal by Barsha at HSR Layout

A few of my Bengali friends pointed out that most of the food in Bangalore Pujo pandals like these is usually substandard in quality and taste, and overpriced. I haven’t had the opportunity to try out authentic Bengali fare, in Calcutta or elsewhere, everywhere. For me, this was as close to Calcutta as I can get, for now, in Bangalore. To me, every single thing we tried out was delicious. I can’t wait to experience the real Calcutta, but for now, this has to do. And, it did do very well for us, I would say.

If you haven’t yet gone pandal hopping (especially if you are in Bangalore), I would strongly urge you to. The vibes of the pandals will surely leave you moved and fill you with a festive spirit. Don’t miss out on all that lovely food, too!

What have you been doing, this Navratri/ Durga Pujo/ Vijayadashami/ Ayudha Pooja? Tell me all about it!

Of Some Zany Momo Innovations: Lunching at Wow! Momo

The husband and I love momos, especially the street-side ones that are sold by vendors from the North East. We love everything about momos – from their paper-thin covering to the way you get them with a variety of stuffings and the fiery sauce they are eaten with, though the latter does give me some amount of heartburn. We just can’t resist them. 🙂

I find a plate of momos to be the perfect antidote to those hunger pangs that strike in the evening, when you crave for something hot and spicy and sinful, but which isn’t deep-fried. The maida covering of the momos isn’t very healthy, I understand, but then at least they are just steamed – that’s how I console myself on the days when I go for a walk and end up buying a plate of momos instead.

I even tried making momos at home once, and was rewarded with good enough results. I am yet to try out some healthier versions, though – like momos with rice or wheat flour.

I digressed. The point of this post was to tell you guys about our visit to the Wow! Momo outlet in Marathahalli over the weekend. I had heard so much about the wonderful things these guys do with momos – I really don’t know what stopped us from visiting for so long! Well, the thing is we did visit over the weekend, and were stunned by the food.

The food

We ordered a momo burger aka MoBurg (yes, that zany!), which came with a fried momo inside a bun, accompanied by mayo and some other sauces. Though a little skeptical about trying it out, it turned out to be absolutely lovely. The momo and the bun were soft and succulent, and the sauces and mayo added just the right amount of naughtiness to the dish.

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MoBurg at Wow! Momo

The outlet serves pan-fried momos in a couple of different sauces. We opted for the pan-fried momos in Schezwan sauce. Again, these were nice and succulent, and the sauce was super flavourful. I loved this one to bits.

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Pan-fried momos with Schezwan sauce at Wow! Momo

Next, we ordered a thukpa – a Tibetan noodle soup – that we have always been keen on trying out. It turned out to be simple but tasty, hot and loaded with vegetables, and just the thing we needed at the moment.

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Thukpa at Wow! Momo

For dessert, we ordered a couple of their Chocolate Momos. They came generously doused with gooey chocolate sauce and chocolate shavings, with a filling of chocolate brownie or cake, I couldn’t tell. They did taste good, though both the husband and I felt that chocolate didn’t really go well with the momo shell – some things are best left savoury, and momos are that sort of thing. Also, the outer covering was a tad hard and chewy, as if the momos had been prepared in advance and frozen. That was something we didn’t like.

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Chocolate momo at Wow! Momo

We didn’t try out the regular fare there – like mushroom momos and the vegetable ones, but I hear they are really good too. Next time, maybe? And, yes, there definitely is going to be a next time here. 🙂

The ambience

This particular Wow! Momo outlet is a tiny one, located within the More Megastore. It is manned by a single person, and I doubt any cooking happens at the outlet itself. Maybe the food is prepared elsewhere and just heated up and served here? That was also a bit of a turn-off for us, really.

As for the ambience, there is none. The outlet has just two tables, that too beneath the store’s staircase. Not a fancy place at all, so please be okay with that if you plan to visit!

The prices

We felt the prices were slightly on the higher side here. This meal cost us close to INR 350. At a roadside stall, though, four plates of momos would have cost us just about INR 200 or so, sans the innovations of course.

Innovation-wise, I give the outlet full marks.

Other outlets

This particular outlet did not stock the Momo Sizzler and Tandoori Momos that we have heard a whole lot about and which we were highly interested in trying out. So, we were disappointed on that count. We were told we might find these two dishes at the Wow! Momo outlets in Phoenix Market City, Whitefield or Orion Mall, Malleshwaram.

I have a feeling these two outlets (Whitefield and Malleshwaram) would be equipped with a proper kitchen, and that the food would be cooked on the spot and would be fresh. No personal experience of that, though I can’t wait to find out.

Have you eaten at a Wow! Momo outlet? What was your experience like?

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, but a rendering of personal experience eating at this food joint. We paid for the meal ourselves, and are not party to any kind of gain by recommending the outlet to you.

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We have never had anything as zany as a momo burger or a chocolate momo, ever. So, these two definitely make it to the list of crazy food stuff we have tried out so far.

Interested in reading about the other seemingly crazy things we have tried out so far? Here you go: Chandan sherbet, chocolate with sea salt, dark chocolate sandwich, ice cream chaat, bhoo chakra gadde, rasgulla chaat, chilli chocolate, fried ice cream, and paper sweet.:)