Our Guest Recipe Poster- Ranjana... and me.

A big thanks to our special guest recipe contributor on Bengfort.com- Ranjana Sharma. Ranjana, or Rani as we call her at school, is a classmate of mine at NDSU. Not only is she a skilled computer scientist, chemist, polymer-magician, teacher, and student, but she is also an amazing cook! This is probably due to the fact that she has over 90 graduate degrees, most of which are chemical related, and she can therefore explain the mysterious molecular magic of masala.

Born in Madhya Pradesh (Central India), she is an expert roti maker. However, as her father was in a transferable job, she didn’t grow up in one place in India. Even though she traveled all over India’s varying cuisine geography, she was delighted to find that our own Guyana Cookbook had such similar recipes to her own “home style” food.

I was super lucky to be assigned the same office as her, because as soon as she discovered the Guyana Cookbook, she was determined to feed me her distinct version of Indian cooking to see how well it compared. After a semester of mostly taco bell, subway, and absolutely nothing spicy in North Dakota, it came as a welcome relief to warm up my frozen, flooded self. For the rest of my time at North Dakota, my classmates and I were treated to feasts that could not be found anywhere else in the Midwest, feasts that were very reminiscent of home.

Shweta & I enjoying Ranjana's Cooking

It is purely my fault, that I haven’t yet asked Rani to contribute to our growing World Cookbook. I’m truly sorry that it has taken this long to get her recipes up. As Ranjana is a strict vegetarian, I’m sure that Jaci especially is going to enjoy these recipes! I’m sure the rest of you will also recognize them as you make them, either from Nanee’s cooking, from Indian restaurants, or from your friend’s Indian cooking. The one distinct thing about them, though, is that they are cooked in a home-style that you probably won’t get elsewhere, and while the dishes are recognizable, the recipes and taste is very unique.

So, Rani has already posted 9 recipes to the blog. They aren’t on the front page, because we posted them under the auspicious date December 19, 2009. However, you can find all her recipes, and future posts under her author page: http://www.bengfort.com/author/ranjana/. (Or by looking up the Indian Cooking Tag, or the World Recipes Category, etc. etc.) I’m pretty sure she is planning on gracing us with more (hopefully). But here are links to the first few:

• Chhole
• Gulab Jamun
• Halwa
• Khatta Aloo
• Masala
• Matar Paneer
• Pao Bhaji
• Rajma
• Shahi Paneer

I know the girls especially are going to be excited by the Gulab Jamun recipe! So these recipes are still a little bare, and are missing pictures and descriptions, but don’t worry, as Ranjana and I cook them, more content will be added. Enjoy!

Salad dressing, that is.  (insert drumroll here)

These crabs come from the sea to be dressed in the delicious flavors of Old Bay.

You may get the impression that here at Bengfort.com we eat all Guyanese, all the time.  In fact, we have a growing collection of recipes from around the world, and we enjoy a great variety of foods.

Preliminaries out of the way, I wanted to share two recipes, one new, one old.

I came up with the first the other day when I had bought a can of crab from the grocery store.  (This can be purchased in the tuna section and is surprisingly good.)  There was a mini crabcake recipe on the inside of the can label, but I didn’t have all the ingredients called for, so I decided to serve the crab on a bed of greens instead.  Using the recipe for crabcakes as a rough guide, I came up with the following deconstructed version:

Crabcake ala Jacquelyn

a salad

Note: all measures are approximate–when I’m making something up, I do a dump-and-taste method.  Which, I guess, means all ingredients are approximate as well…

• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 teaspoon mustard (I used a very liquid gourmet Champagne mustard)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• dash Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (enough to give the dressing a dressing consistency)
• mixed greens
• 1 small can lump crabmeat
• Old Bay seasoning

Mix together the mayo, mustard, cumin seed, onion, W-sauce, salt, and pepper; add in the oil and stir, adjusting the amount for the desired consistency.  Use this to dress the greens (this will be enough dressing for two medium/large salads–you’ll have to eyeball it).  Dish up the dressed greens and split the crabmeat between the two salads; sprinkle with Old Bay, to taste.

The second recipe is an old favorite of my Grandma Dorothy’s.  The name alone nearly put Ben off of it, so you can call it Catalina or French if you like–but to me, it will always be…

Grandma Dorothy’s Tomato Catsup Salad Dressing

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup vinegar (I used white rice vinegar–any kind will do)
• 1/2 cup “catsup” (ketchup to you non-North Dakotans)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Blend all ingredients together.  This recipe will make a lot of dressing, but it keeps well for a few weeks.

With these two recipes at your side, not only can you dress your salads, but you can begin to discover the joys of making your own small-batch salad dressing instead of filling your fridge with giant bottles of the stuff–no more race to see whether or not it will go bad before you’re sick of same flavor on salad after salad.  Think of it as couture for your naked greens.  Enjoy!

Don't let your roti turn out like this!

Top Ten Tips for Making Roti

1. Use WARM to HOT water when making the dough. I don’t understand the physics of it, but it makes the dough turn out better than using cold water.

2. ALWAYS keep dough covered while you are working with individual pieces to keep it from drying out. I like using a damp paper towel. Nothing is worse than working with dried out dough.

3. WOODEN rolling pins are better than marble. Something about the grainy texture provides the right amount of traction but no stick. (Beer bottles can be used in a pinch if you find that someone has stolen your rolling pin for unknown purposes, or if your significant other/children/ayi put it in the wrong cupboard and you just didn’t find it in time)

4. TIE UP YOUR HAIR (if you’re a girl with long hair)- stray hairs in the dough just isn’t appetizing

5. Use ONE hand to mix the dough, that way you’ll have a clean hand to turn on  faucet to refill your water cup without getting flour all over the sink

6. Instead of rolling and oiling and refolding individual rotis, save time by rolling just-made dough into a LARGE RECTANGLE, about twice as long as it is wide. Spread oil and sprinkle flour across the surface like you would in the recipe instructions for individual rotis, and then starting from the long-end, roll the dough up like you would a yoga mat. Then pinch off into balls, twisting the ends closed and pressing them in.

7. Individual roti balls should be about the size of a TANGERINE

8. DON’T roll roti too thin, or else it won’t rise and separate. Optimal thickness is 1/10 of an inch, the thickness of a 5 cent coin.

9. Make sure the Tawa is HOT HOT HOT before you cook. Water should sizzle and evaporate immediately when sprinkled on the surface.

10. Only flip 3 times! Any more and the roti will become tough.

I hope these tips help!

• 300 gms Paneer/Tofu
• 1 large onion
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• ½ cup milk
• ½ tsp shahi paneer masala
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp oil

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Finely chop onion and fry until brown
3. Add tomato paste
4. Fry for 2 mins
5. Add tomato ketchup and milk and stir
6. Add shahi paneer masala.
7. Add Paneer/Tofu
8. Add salt.
9. Bring it to boil. Cover for 2 mins.
10. Add milk if needed. Do not add water.

Ingredients:

• One large onion
• 3 tbsp Tomato paste/puree
• ½ tsp Ginger-garlic paste
• ¾  tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp Red chilli Powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp dry mango (amchur) powder
• 1 tbsp Oil

Directions:

1. Grate onion ( may be in a mixer)
2. Heat oil
3. Add ginger-garlic paste.
4. Fry until brown.
5. Add grated onion
6. Fry until brown
7. Add tomato paste, turmeric, chilli, coriander and amchur powders.
8. Fry on low heat until the mixture leaves sides.
9. Masala is Ready

Note: If ginger –garlic paste is not available, peel and grate 1-2 bulbs of garlic. Fry until brown. Grate ginger and add with tomato paste.

Grated coriander leaves can be used for garnishing.

Rajma

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Rajma (Red Kidney beans)
• ½ tsp Rajma Masala
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Soak Rajma for 3-4 hrs
2. Boil in a pressure cooker until soft ( about 20-30 mins)
3. Add 3 tbsp of above masala.
4. Add salt
5. Boil for 5 mins
6. Add Garam masala

Note: Additional tomato paste can make Rajma tastier.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup chopped green peppers
• ½ cup chopped green beans
• ½ cup chopped carrots
• ½ cup chopped cauliflower
• ½ cup green peas
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 large potato – boiled and finely mashed
• 3 tbsp tomato paste /puree
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp haldi(turmeric)
• 1 tsp pao bhaji masala
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 8 Burger buns
• 1 tbsp oil
• Butter

Directions:

1. Pressure cook green pepper, beans, peas, carrots and cauliflower in water for 10-15 mins
2. Heat oil in a pan.
3. Fry onion until brown
4. Add tomato paste and fry for 4-5 mins
5. Add all boiled vegetables and potato.
6. Add haldi, red chilli powder and salt.
7. Mix to mash all the vegetables well
8. Add any remaining water in pressure cooker.
9. Boil for 4-5 mins. Stir.
10. Remove bhaji from heat and add Pao bhaji masala and mix well
11. Heat burger buns and serve with bhaji.

Note: Some people prefer adding butter to bhaji. So butter can be added according to taste when bhaji is hot or some bhaji could be reheated separately and butter could be added to it.

• 2 cups Matar (Green peas)
• 100 gms Paneer/Tofu
• 1 medium potato boiled and coarsely mashed
• 1 tbsp oil
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp Garam Masala
• 1 cup water
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds
2. Add 2 tbsp Masala (recipe given elsewhere)
3. Add peas, potato and Paneer/Tofu
4. Add water and salt.
5. Boil it for 5 mins
6. Remove from heat and add garam masala
7. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Ingredients:

• One large onion
• 3 tbsp Tomato paste/puree
• ½ tsp Ginger-garlic paste
• ¾  tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp Red chilli Powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp dry mango (amchur) powder
• 1 tbsp Oil

Directions:

1. Grate onion ( may be in a mixer)
2. Heat oil
3. Add ginger-garlic paste.
4. Fry until brown.
5. Add grated onion
6. Fry until brown
7. Add tomato paste, turmeric, chilli, coriander and amchur powders.
8. Fry on low heat until the mixture leaves sides.
9. Masala is Ready

Note: If ginger –garlic paste is not available, peel and grate 1-2 bulbs of garlic. Fry until brown. Grate ginger and add with tomato paste.

Grated coriander leaves can be used for garnishing.

• 1 large boiled potato mashed
• Sour yogurt
• ½ tsp turmeric (haldi)
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp oil
• ½ tsp cumin (jeera)
• ½ tsp mustard seeds (rai)
• ½ tsp asafetida (hing)
• Salt to taste.

Directions:

1. Add water in sour yogurt and blend well in a mixer.
2. Heat oil in a pan (kadhai).
3. Add asafetida, cumin and mustard seeds.
4. Add potatoes, and yogurt. Mix.
5. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt.
6. Boil it for 5 mins
7. Your Aloo is ready

• 1 tbsp fine Semolina (Sooji )
• 1 tbsp Chick pea flour (Besan)
• 1 tbsp Butter or Ghee
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp golden raisins
• 1 tbsp cut cashews
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp coconut powder
• Any other dry fruit (Optional)

Instructions:

1. Melt butter/ghee in a pan
2. Fry sooji and besan with continuous stirring until the mixture is brown
3. Add water
4. Add sugar
5. Add Raisins
6. Boil the mixture until semi-solid
7. Remove from Heat
8. Garnish with cashews, cardamom powder, coconut powder.
9. Serve hot.

Note: Halwa can also be made using only Sooji/Besan/Atta (Wheat flour).