Lavender Peda (Milk Fudge) ..

The Journey

The journey that led to this recipe is the happy confluence of two different experiences. The first one starts with an amazing person I got to know after I met my awesome other half..my sister in law..She is the rock of our family and my initial foray into cooking started with her gift of a traditional Tam Bram Cookbook.  In my initial years as a novice in the kitchen, I was always ears for quick, fool proof recipes. She shared this amazing recipe for a quick and easy Peda (or Milk fudge). I fell in love with this recipe for the ease and many years later realized the versatility. I made this recipe for years with different dried fruit and nut toppings and it was my "Go To, Never Fails to please the crowd" kinda recipe. 

Then one day, the travel Gods smiled down on me and I made a trip with my friend to Maui in Hawaii. In our attempt to free ourselves from the kids and escape from the ordinary, we decided to check out a lavender farm called the Ali'i Kula Lavender farm. I thought I died and went to heaven when I got there.  Until that visit, I  believed that lavender belongs in a talcum powder tin made by Yardley or a potpourri sack with my clothes ! After a two hour tour, many samples of lavender jellies, honey, syrups and cookies, I turned into a die hard fan of lavender. I was itching to get back to St.Louis and plant them in my front yard..different kinds..the French, English and I was hungry for recipes to put these to use.  I made this peda recipe for a religious gathering of friends at home and decided to add a lavender twist to this. If you don't grow your lavender (I strongly encourage you to), you can easily find it in the spice isle of your grocery or make this your excuse to plan the trip to the lavender farm in Maui and be inspired.. :)

Ingredients (makes about 20 pedas)

2 cups of Non fat dry milk a.k.a Milk Powder. I use Carnation brand in the US.
14 oz ( 1 can) of Sweetened Condensed milk - low fat or regular.
1 stick unsalted butter.
1/2 tsp of ground cardamom powder.
1 pinch of saffron.
4 tablespoons lavender flower tips for the garnish.
1/4 tsp of liquid purple food color - if you really want the lavender effect. You can omit this if you are an anti food color kinda person.

Now let's get cooking..

Microwave the butter stick in a wide bowl for a minute.












Add the milk powder and condensed milk and mix them all gently. Just fold everything.

Now microwave the whole mixture for 3 minutes and every other minute take it out mix it gently and evenly. 

Add the ground cardamom powder, lavender extract and saffron into it. If this is your first venture into adding lavender for your recipes, you can skip the lavender extract and just stick to the garnish of lavender flowers alone.

Add the purple food color. Stir vigorously to the base to make a lavender color peda base.

Microwave for 3 more minutes.

The peda base is now ready..It is really that simple.

Gently remove the lavender flowers from the stems. If you grow fresh lavender at home, squeeze the buds gently before you garnish so the essential oils are released from the lavender. You can do this while the peda is cooking in the microwave. 

Grease your hands with melted butter. 

Make small balls out of the fudge mixture using a cookie dough scoop. The scoop is not necessary, but helps to get these balls the same size. 

Roll the fudge mixture with your palms using a circular motion. 

Then once you have a ball, flatten the ball into a small patty. The hotter the base, the smoother the patty. So hurry with the balls!

Continue until all the peda mixture is rolled into patties. 

Garnish the peda with lavender. Press down gently while it is still hot so it does not fall off when cooled. You can garnish with nuts as well, but I chose to keep it simple with the lavender. I have tried almond slivers as leaves and they look spectacular with the lavender in the middle. 

Roll the remaining pedas and garnish all the pedas with lavender buds.  


Your kitchen by now probably smells like a Spa!

Your awesome, deliciously fragrant Lavender pedas are ready for you to dazzle your senses and your guests!






The good in this recipe

Lavender - Lavender is an herb. The flower and the oil of lavender are used to make medicine.Lavender is used for restlessness, insomnia, nervousness, and depression. It is also used for a variety of digestive complaints including meteorism (abdominal swelling from gas in the intestinal or peritoneal cavity), loss of appetite, nausea, intestinal gas, and upset stomach. Some people use lavender for painful conditions including migraine headaches, toothaches, sprains, nerve pain, sores, and joint pain.Lavender is applied to the skin to repel mosquitoes and other insects.Some people add lavender to bathwater to treat circulation disorders and improve mental well being.By inhalation, lavender is used as aromatherapy for insomnia, pain, and agitation related to dementia.

Adai - Protein Rich Lentil Pancakes

The Journey

Adai is one of the most traditional protein rich pancake recipes popular in South India, particularly in Tam Bram households. Being a vegetarian, getting protein in my diet has always been important and I constantly look for ways to supercharge that protein with vitamins and essential nutrients. One such wonder dish in my mind is Adai...sadly, a late realization for me. As a child, I used every trick in the book to avoid being at the table when Adai was on the menu. My mother and grandmother will tell you stories of how I drove them nuts with skipping meals or running away to a neighbor's house for food when Adai was prepared at home. I was a novice in food sensibilities and food preparations as a child or youth, so I simply avoided eating it rather than figuring out how to incorporate the super nutritious adai into my palate. I was too defiant and would not eat it just because my parents asked me to. Adai is really so versatile that everyone can enjoy this with a little creativity and flexibility. The nutrition in this is ridiculously good, it's silly to pass on this. I also realized in my journey as a home cook that there are no rules about this dish, or for that matter any dish..this is something that is generally not characteristic in a traditional Tam Bram kitchen that generally shunned customizations or variations from the traditional recipe. There is no adai police (as chef Emeril probably would say) that mandates you to eat this in a certain way! The protein packed pancake base can be a canvas for many veggies and herbs that you enjoy and that takes it to a whole new level of yumminess. If you like it spicy, add fresh serranos..if your kids like carrots, grate some in. My son will eat anything with spinach and red pepper flakes..so guess what..I am not going to tell him that's not how this is done. I will gladly add a few spinach leaves and red pepper flakes if that means he will eat this without a fuss. So twist your way through Adai bliss. When you read the good in this you will see why it's a good idea to make this a part of your healthy lifestyle. Perfect for breakfast or dinner. If you are an athlete, try this after your workout. Great for an after school dinner for tired school kids. If you are a busy mom or working professional or both, this is such a simple, nutritious, complete weekday meal that your whole family will enjoy. If you are on a low carb diet, simply reduce the amount of rice in the recipe(will be less crispy though)and enjoy the pancakes as a low cab meal. At last my years of Adai abstinence were a thing of the past and I am so happy about it! 

The ingredients (serves 4)

Drumstick leaves

For the batter:

1/2 cup black gram lentils - a.k.a Urad dhal in Hindi or Uluttham paruppu in Tamil.

1/2 cup red gram lentils - a.k.a Toor dhal or Arhar dhal in Hindi and Tuvaram Paruppu in Tamil.

1/2 cup bengal gram lentils - a.k.a Channa Dhal in Hindi or Kadala Paruppu in Tamil.

1 cup rice

4-6 whole red chillies

1 inch ginger (I leave the skin on after scrubbing really well)

2 stems of curry leaves chopped (if you are the kind to pick this one out, grind it along with the ingredients in the batter..pls scroll down to the good in the recipe to see why)

To be added after the batter is prepared: (remember to get creative here..there are really no rules.)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp asafetida powder a.k.a Hing in Hindi and Perunkayam in Tamil

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

1 red onion finely diced

1 cup chopped drumstick leaves (traditional favorite shown here). The leaves of the drumstick plant are really hard to find in American groceries or even Indian groceries. For a yummy powerhouse twist, this can be easily substituted with chopped kale or rainbow swiss chard or arugula. I have tried all 3 and love them all. 

Now let's get cooking..

Wash the ingredients for the batter really well in a large bowl until all the cloudiness in the water disappears and the water looks clear.

Soak the ingredients for the batter in the water for 2 hours.

Grind these to a coarse batter using limited amount of water. This should not be ground into a smooth paste. I love to use the Vitamix grinder or a good food processor for this step as you can get the perfect texture doing so. 

Add the salt, asafetida. Now the base batter is ready and you have an open canvas for your creative toppings. 


Take a smaller portion of the batter and add the vegetable and herb toppings. You can customize who gets what in their adai this way and everyone is not stuck with all the toppings. Another reason is that the batter without the vegetables last longer and fresher and can last up to 3 days.

Now your batter is ready for pancake action!

Prepare your griddle by heating it on medium heat and coating with a little bit of oil from a spray bottle and wiping off with a paper towel. Cast iron griddles will work great, but I cheated and used a non stick griddle since I can use less oil in the preparation.

Add a large ladle of the batter in the centre of the griddle.

Move the batter in concentric circular motion using the back of the ladle till the batter is spread evenly into a pancake that is 8-10 inches in diameter. 

 

In my mind, this is the most difficult step if you never done this before. The good news here is that it only gets better and easier with practice. My initial adais turned out in weird shapes although it still tasted great. I also used to make crazy shapes like flowers and odd looking cars so my kids would eat this. The other important thing I figured was that the heat on the griddle makes a difference, especially when you add the batter at first. If the griddle is super hot, it starts to cook the moment you add the batter, thereby not letting you to spread it into a larger circle. So remember to turn the heat back to medium before you make the next one. 

Add oil to the circumference of the adai and also add a few drops to the center. Traditional Tam Bram households and restaurants make a hole in the center of the adai and add so much oil and butter to the cooking process. They actually pride in a melted butter fountain coming out of the hole in the center when pressed with a forefinger. Yikes! That would hurt my conscience and undo some of the good here. I cut back heavily on that crazy fat addition and only add what is needed for making good pancakes.
 

Cook till it is golden brown (you can increase the heat to make crisp adais) and then flip to the other side for 30 seconds. If you are packing this as a healthy lunch, make it less crispy so it is soft and delicious. Crispy adais turn into hard adais if you consume them after 4 hours. 

The adai pancake is ready.

 

Enjoy the adai with plain yogurt, a thin slice of butter, jaggery (or brown sugar) or any savory chutney. I am not a hot and sweet kinda person, so I usually skip the jaggery. I made fresh gongura chutney today, so that's what is shown here as the side dish with the yogurt. 

The good in this recipe..

All the lentils used in this recipe are high in protein and packed with amino acids. If you are vegetarian, this is a great way to get your protein in. 

Black Gram Lentils, in addition to the protein, also help with increased energy and iron levels. They are rich in fiber that naturally aids digestion. The rich magnesium and folate levels in the black grams also help boost cardiovascular strength. 

Red Gram Lentils are a rich source of protein. The biological value improves greatly, when rice is combined with Red gram because of the complementary relationship of the essential amino acids. No wonder dhal chawal is so famous in India!  It is particularly rich in lysine, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin and iron.

Bengal Gram Lentils are also a rich source of protein and have a super low glycemic index. This makes it a great lentil if you are worried about blood sugar spikes after a meal. They are low in fat (most of that is poly unsaturated) and some recent studies show that they help lower cholesterol in the blood stream. They are also a good source of zinc, folate and phosphorous. 

Asafetida is used to stimulate appetite and digestion. It helps neutralize flatulence caused by beans and other legumes. Though there is very little published research in the West about asafetida, it has been used as a digestive aid, an anti-inflammatory herb and a bone builder for centuries in Indian and Iranian cooking. It also has been shown to contain natural blood thinners and reduce blood pressure. Certain strict vegetarian diets of India forbid the use of onions and garlic (like Tam Brams), and asafetida is used in their place for its distinct aroma.

Drumstick leaves are the most nutritious part of the plant, being a significant source of B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin A as beta-carotene, vitamin K, manganese and protein. Much of these vitamin functions as co-enzymes in carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism.The leaves are one of the fine sources of minerals like calcium, iron, copper, manganese,zinc, selenium, and magnesium. Iron alleviates anemia. Calcium is required for bone strengthening. Zinc plays a vital role in hair-growth, spermatogenesis, and skin health. In Ayurvedic medicine, the leaves are also believed to affect blood pressure and glucose levels in a positive way. Unbelievable! 

Curry leaf is an essential ingredient in Indian cooking especially in South India. However, it's customary for most of us to simply remove and throw the leaf from our food and not consume it. Well, we shouldn't be doing that! Curry leaf has many medicinal properties. It stimulates digestive enzymes and helps break down food more easily, especially when combined with asafetida. There is research that proves that when consumed regularly help with healthy hair growth, premature graying of hair and prevents hair fall. Curry leaves are also highly regarded for the fact that they have high quantities of iron, phosphorous, vitamin C and nicotinic present. Curry leaves are a good source of vitamin A and it is one of the most important components for maintaining good eyesight. Studies on curry leaves have shown that they can help in controlling the blood glucose levels. Years ago, thanks to a gift from my sister in law in Chicago, I started growing this at home. It is so much more aromatic and flavorful than the store bought or dried kinds.

You will probably now agree that this is a very nutritious, conscientious, low fuss addition to your diet and will certainly make your heart content if your children enjoy this! 

Brussels Guac Salad

The Journey

I was out on a date night at an Italian restaurant that served this amazing salad with fresh shredded Brussels sprouts, lemon and pine nuts. I watched my awesome other half chomp this one down quickly, head nodding in appreciation multiple times. Right then I knew that this one has to make its way into my kitchen.  The thought of grating Brussels, while they slip and slide was scary.. To my surprise, the groceries came to my rescue with fresh, organic, shredded Brussels in the salad isle. Hooray! Since everyone at home loves guacamole and brussels have a bad rep for their taste in my household, a guacamole twist to these brussels was the logical choice. I like the balance of creaminess from the avocado with the crunch from the Brussels. The lime in this recipe really helps mellow the tough and mighty brussels. The great thing about this salad is you can make this in advance since the greens here (brussels) don't wilt easily like other salad greens. They hold up pretty well if there are left overs or if you wish to make this in advance for a party. This salad can easily convert into a filling for a wrap or a topping for a warm crostini. Yes, this one got the head nod too!

The ingredients (serves 4)

1 packet store bought shredded brussel sprouts/ 10-12 fresh brussels grated (no knuckles pls :))1 cup of cherry tomatoes halved

1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

1/2 red onion finely chopped

1 Serrano pepper finely diced (without seeds and white flesh if the heat is too much for you)

2 cloves of garlic, pounded into a paste

1 large avocado cubed (do this last just before tossing into the salad to avoid discoloration)

Juice of 1 lime (only fresh please because you can't zest the plastic bottle ;))

Zest of 1 lime (if you don't have a zester, blame it on me and buy one)

2 tsp avocado oil

1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup walnuts

Now, let's get started..

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the avocado oil, Serrano peppers, salt, black pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic.

Add the onions, tomatoes, shredded brussels and finally add the avocados and cilantro.

Serve with the garnish of the walnuts.

The good in this recipe..

Brussels sprouts are high in fiber and contain sulforaphane, a chemical believed to have potent anticancer properties. It is tough and usually edible only when cooked. However, this magical health benefit is completely lost if boiled, so consuming it raw and grated will bring the most health benefit.It is rich in Vitamin K and is a good anticoagulant - so folks with heart disease need to eat this in moderation. 

Avocados have traditionally had a bad rep for their high fat content but research shows otherwise. They are now recognized for their high fiber content, cardiovascular health benefits, ability to moderate blood sugar levels, increase absorption of carotenoids in salads, have great anti inflammatory properties and the list goes on. Adding Avocado to your salads can help the absorption of phytonutrients in your salad from 200-400%. Wow!

Walnuts are a great source of anti-inflammatory omega-3 essential fatty acids and are rich in antioxidants and Vitamin E. 

Tam Bram - what's up with that?

A typical Tam Bram neighborhood in South India

What is Tam Bram? What does that have to do with me or for that matter food? I answer by saying this.."Everything". Let's start with the boring straight up definition of Tam Brams..Tam Bram stands for the Tamil speaking Brahmins in Southern India. I belong to one such traditional household and my foundation as a human being was shaped in my upbringing as a Tam Bram. For you skeptics who think this is some kind of racist blog, I say "Nooooo, not at all". Just proud of my heritage, that's all and I encourage you to be proud of yours! That's where my roots are, that sub consciously flows into my cooking style. What I like to do is create these original dishes as it was intended to be and then bring those spices to locally grown produce, grains from around the world available in the United States. I am a big believer in creativity and improvisation that builds on a good foundation. 

Some facts about Tam Brams that you probably did or didn't know.  

• They were historically expected to lead a spiritual life and devote their lives either to the study and propagation of Vedas and Hindu scriptures or function as temple or household priests.However, the evidence shows that they were engaged in many activities such as warfare, study of science, medicine, politics, astronomy, astrology, music and many more intellectual fields as early as 13AD. Focus for Tam Brams has always been on the intellectual capital more than the physical strength and valor. I say this knowing this all sounds like generalization and of course it is. I am talking about 70% scenario here.

• Tam Brams despite all the stereotype victimization tend to be a lot more liberal in their acceptance of new ideas and harbor modern, secular views.  

• Most Tam Brams are die hard fans of Filter Coffee. I believe this is down to the genetic make up and it is nothing short of a divine revelation when you take that first sip. I am drooling as I am typing this up..I am even starting to wonder if this is why there are so many Tam Bram Java programmers... 

• Most Tam Brams are 100% vegetarians not vegans. They do consume milk and milk products and use it in their cooking and for their worship.  

• Tam Brams typically end their meals with yogurt rice. This is simply white cooked rice mixed with salt and plain yogurt that is usually homemade. From this base, you can get creative with the spices and toppings and condiments to accompany. A typical Tam Bram will feel amiss without this happy ending to their meals. You might even hear some folks bullying Tam Brams this way : "Seriyaana Thayir Saadam"...jokes apart, this has amazing health benefits and it only makes perfect sense to include your probiotics daily. 

•  Tam Brams are renowned for making traditional comfort foods such as rasam, sambhar, vathal kozhambu, more kozhambu, paruppu usili and the 100s of different varieties in the same. For those of you tongue twisting your way through that last sentence, I have detailed recipes heading your way soon. 

•  Tam Bram cooking has roots in Ayurvedic cooking and when followed to the tee it has many health benefits.

• The traditional Tam Bram kitchen shuns onion and garlic. There are specific days when consumption of onions and garlic is strictly prohibited. I have seen my grandmother almost show the same reaction to garlic as meat! I have never seen a head of garlic in her kitchen. It is crazy but true. Bing a modern cook and after learning about the health benefits, onion and garlic are staples in my kitchen. The roots run deep however...so I don't use onion or garlic when cooking for religious occasions. My son is on a strict garlic diet and will take it on everything except dessert :) Wonder how my grandmother would react to his plate...I wish she was alive for me to test that out.

 Here is a very funny, exaggerated cartoon creation on Tam Brams..original.. http://tambrahmrage.tumblr.com  

My Journey...

into the food world was one that was born out of necessity and ignorance. I will not claim to have a born interest in making food or that I was always the first to jump in and stick my nose in my mother's or grandmother's kitchen. Growing up, my interests were simple and my palate was even more limited. I stuck to my comfort foods for the longest time and then high school came upon me. That's when I started exploring the street food in India and restaurant eating, which slowly started expanding my palate. It was the first time I ate a pizza or sampled cheese! Although I loved eating out and exploring the flavors, I still showed no interest in making food. From there, I went on to college where the food choices were not only limited but also awful. After I graduated, I met my awesome other half and when I entered wedded bliss, I vividly remember not being able to cook a single meal or worse still the nightmares of a pressure cooker or microwave explosion in our apartment. I needed to eat homemade food but it was even more important for me to be able to satisfy someone else's need and see that person enjoy that moment while they savor my creation. So right at that moment, my cooking skills were born and started taking shape. I learnt all my cooking skills in the kitchens of America; so clearly my cooking benefited from the comforts and facilities of a modern kitchen. I had a newfound appreciation for the way my grandmother used to make food and how much more it took for her to make the same food I was able to pull off in a jiffy with all the tools and facilities. I tried to make one new dish a week and I perfected the ones I already tried, all for one nod of appreciation from my awesome other half. I am a vegetarian but that does not necessarily have to limit the variety. 

Conscience, by definition is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment of the intellect that distinguishes right from wrong. I decided that my food would always be fresh, tasty, healthy and visually appealing (even if the only two people who ate is were me and my other half)and that was so satisfying.  I decided to make food with a conscience. I usually did not follow a recipe to the tee (realized that was a bad idea when I started baking) but followed what I called "gut-feel recipe", born out of an inspiration in a traditional recipe or a particular ingredient. I explored several ingredients, spices and herbs that were not part of the traditional Indian palate, but fit beautifully with the flavors and theme of the recipes I was cooking. I grew my own herb garden (after an accidental trip to a lavender farm in Maui) that brought me more awareness and excitement to blend these flavors. Today, my kitchen is the central hub in my home - for my friends, family and anyone who walks in the door and no one leaves my home with an empty stomach. This journey, in my mind was truly worth sharing with you - but please do me a favor..don't take my word for it, add your own twist to it and be true to your conscience. It makes it that much more satisfying.