Gondhoraj Lebu and Blueberry Bundt Cake

Some days ago I treated myself to a haul of expensive but gorgeous fruit imported form across the world. I don't eat fruit at all but the hubby does. But I hadn't bought the fruit to be eaten as they were - I was going to play with them. Seeing so many beautiful cakes and desserts with fruit of various kinds in them I wanted to make some these tempting things, and of course the chance to play with new and unfamiliar ingredients is always a big lure!

 And then from my recent trip to Kolkata I had these beautiful Gondhoraj Lebu (lemons) waiting to be used.

The hubby ate up the blackberries. I have plans for the currants and the Meyer lemons too, but the blueberries just begged to go into a cake. Instead of the usual blueberry and lemon combination I decided to use the Gondhoraj instead. A nice desi twist to an otherwise classic combination but without going too far out of the box.

Gondhoraj Lebu and Blueberry Bundt Cake

2 tbsp zest of Gondhoraj lebu
1 cup blueberries, washed and dried.
2 cups maida or APF
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups fine sugar
250 gms butter, softened
6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

for the glaze
 1/4 cup lemon juice
3-4 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp zest of Gondhoraj lebu

Preheat the oven to 180C

Prepare your bundt tin by greasing it well with butter.

Sift the maida with the baking powder and set aside.

In the mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar till it is a pale whitish yellow and there are no lumps of sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and keep mixing in between each addition. Add the vanilla and continue to beat. Add the lemon zest to the mix and stir further till it is all blended in.

Add the sifted flour a little at a time till you get a smooth thick batter. Stir half the blueberries into this batter using a spoon.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and then add the remaining blueberries. Smoothen the top patting gently with a spatula.

Put the cake into the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 180C till the cake is done. A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out clean.

While the cake is baking make the lemon drizzle by mixing the icing sugar and lemon juice till you have a smooth lump-free thickish solution. Stir in the zest.

Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes and then unmould carefully onto a plate. Drizzle the still warm cake with the lemon glaze. This is a thin glaze that will seep into the cake giving it a nice lemony kick. Use as much as you like depending on how lemony you want the cake to be.

Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake

This turned out to be one of the best cakes I've ever baked in my life. I was browsing around on Pinterest looking for something new to try out. I also had a new bag of Callebaut cocoa powder that I was waiting to play with. As I looked around I chanced upon this recipe on the Taste and Tell blog by Deborah Harroun. I had most of the ingredients and the recipe was the kind I like - straightforward and uncomplicated. What I didn't have I could make or replace easily and so I decided to try it out.

I didn't have cake flour so I made some - all you do is replace 2 tbsp of plain flour with 2 tbsp of cornflour for every cup of flour and sift it well. I made more than required for the recipe and stored the extra cake flour in a labelled canister in my baking supplies cupboard.

I didn't have Dutch processed cocoa so I just used the Callebaut cocoa I had.

For buttermilk I put in a dash of white vinegar into the required quantity of milk and let it sit for a few minutes.

Instead of unsalted butter I used normal Amul butter and didn't add salt as the recipe demands. Most of us are used to baking with Amul butter and so am I and I don't stress out when a recipe asks for unsalted butter because usually the recipe also required you to add salt. I just use good old Amul and no one has complained about my cakes yet!

I used a Nordicware bundt pan instead of a regular 'boring' cake tin to get a fancy looking cake. This was also because I didn't want to ice the cake and therefore wanted it to look nice on its own. Since the pan I have is quite large I doubled the recipe. You will find the original recipe in the link above.

Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake


2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup hot coffee
3 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Set the oven to preheat to 180C.

Butter the bundt pan well and dust with loose flour.

Mix the hot coffee and the cocoa powder till you have a smooth thick mixture. You can brew fresh coffee or simply use instant coffee and hot water like I did.

Now sift the cake flour with the baking powder into a clean mixing bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl if you're using a hand held mixer) cream the butter and sugar till it's pale. This should take around 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time and keep mixing between each egg. Make sure your eggs are not cold from the fridge because the batter might curdle. Don't panic if it does, though - just proceed with the recipe and it will sort itself out on its own.

Add the vanilla after the eggs and then start adding the cake flour. I use the smallest measuring cup from my set and slow the speed of the mixer as I drop in the flour a little at a time. Once the flour is all in and is just about combined it's time to add the coffee-cocoa mix. Keep the speed of the mixer slow so you don't splash everything with the liquid.

Once it's mixed in pour in the buttermilk. Mix and then finally add the chocolate chips and mix further till just blended into the batter.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake till the cake is cooked through - around 35 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the bundt and your oven. Poke the cake in the centre with a cake tester or long satay stick to check. If it comes out clean your cake is ready.

Let the cake cool in the tin for a while - at least 20 minutes - and then unmould carefully. Let the cake cool completely before you cut it or it will break while cutting.

You can serve the cake with a dollop of plain vanilla ice cream to balance the rich dark flavours of coffee and cocoa, or have it as it is like my family did.

Chushi Pithe'r Payesh

Making payesh is as good as meditation for me - with a dessert to look forward to at the end of the process. Payesh takes patience and needs attention and concentration, just like I imagine meditation does. The process is simple but it's slow and it takes time. And practice. Just like meditation. And I find it calming and steadying, just like meditation is supposed to be. So I make payesh more often than I meditate.

My last visit to Kolkata threw up many new ingredients as I wandered markets and melas whenever I had the chance. Among the myriad things I saw was Chushi or Choshi Pithe - small rice shaped dumplings made with either white flour or rice - used in payesh. It reminded me of 'ghavlye', a similar dumpling made in Maharashtrian households and also used in kheer. Payesh and kheer are both desserts made by reducing milk till half and then adding flavours, sweetness, and a thickener in the form of either rice, vermicelli, and occasionally these rice-like tiny dumplings. Similar dumplings are made among many communities across the country.

Chushi pithe are extremely laborious to make and as a result not many women make them any more. Who has the time?! Fortunately there are enough enterprising women from villages and small towns who are happy to make these labour-intensive products and bring them to the big cities for sale. I bought several packets and once back home in Kharghar I made Chushi Pithe'r Payesh at the first chance.




The lady who sold me the pithe gave me very simple instructions. Fry the pithe in ghee till it's a nice golden brown and keep aside. Make payesh as you normally do adding the pithe to the reducing milk so it cooks properly. That's all.

Chushi Pithe'r Payesh

2 litres full fat Milk
1 cup Chushi Pithe
1 cup fine Sugar
5 Cardamom pods
3 Indian bay leaves or Tej patta
2 - 3 tbsp Ghee
1/4 cup Raisins

In a thick bottomed vessel bring the milk to a boil and then simmer over medium heat to reduce it to half. Put in the cardamom pods and the tej patta while the milk is reducing. Remember to pop open the cardamom pods.

In a small pan heat some ghee. Use good quality ghee and not vanaspati. Once the ghee is hot fry the chushi pithe till the grains turn a light golden brown. This takes just 10 to 15 seconds so keep an eye on it while frying. Do it in batches if necessary. Drain off the ghee and keep the fried pithe aside.
In the same ghee fry the raisins and keep aside.

Once the milk has come to a boil add the fried pithe to the milk so it cooks while the milk reduces. Stir gently to ensure the pithe doesn't stick and form clumps. Let the milk simmer gently and reduce till at least half. The colour will change to a light pinkish brown. Check that the pithe is cooked through and isn't hard in the centre.

Add the sugar and stir nicely to combine. Add the fried raisins too keeping aside a few for garnishing later. Let the payesh cook for another 10 minutes or so till it is as thick as you like it. Remember payesh will thicken as it cools so don't reduce the milk too much or you will end up with a solid pudding.

Remove the payesh to a serving bowl and garnish with the remaining fried raisins. You can also add lightly fried cashew nuts or almond slivers to the garnish.

FBAIDailogues 2016 - A Morning Well Spent

I have been very openly skeptical about FBAI since it started a few years ago and viewed it as a bunch of bloggers going from restaurant to restaurant doing reviews. I did't see how it functioned as an association of bloggers or how it helped blogging in any way. And so I kept my distance.

Over the years I met Sameer Malkani at random events and gatherings and got acquanted with him and his wife Saloni who is also a part of FBAI now. My friend Rushina has been associated with FBAI for quite a while and told me about the FBAIDialogues, something interesting that was not about reviewing restaurants but was about conversations related to food, the various aspects of the food industry, and bloggers who wrote about these things. For various reasons I'd been unable to attend the earlier two sessions and after Sameer called me to invite me once again I decided I simply had to attend this one. And I am so glad I did.

The FBAIDialogues Season 3 started with a panel discussion on Ethical Blogging with Rushina Ghildiyal, Kalyan Karmakar, Nikhil Merchant, all very senior bloggers, and chef Ashish Bhasin, Executive Chef at The Trident, BKC, on the panel with Bhisham Mansukhani moderating. The conversation covered many areas of being an ethical blogger ranging from the importance of research, identifying your audience, responsibilities to your audience and writing constructively even when doing a negative review. The idea of a charter outlining basic blogging ethics was also proposed. A healthy and fruitful discussion followed by an interactive session with the audience made this session well worth my journey from Kharghar to Juhu.

There are many issues that dog the food blogging world and it was good to see many of these issues being acknowledged and discussed on an open forum with bloggers, journalists, restaurant owners and chefs in the audience - instead of being confined to private conversations in closed rooms. It was good to see a relevant and constructive discussion about issues that affect blogging and the food industry.

The next session had restaurateur and icon Rahul Akerkar speaking about the Next Chapter in the Indian Restaurant Business. To say the least, I was star struck!

Unfortunately I couldn't attend the subsequent sessions but my experience of that morning gave me great hope. Here we were talking honestly and openly about issues that affect the ecosystem of bloggers, food professionals, restaurants, and the entire food and hospitality at large. Dialogues solve problems and I was happy to see meaningful and constructive dialogues that morning.

There is hope after all and I have a positive feeling about the FBAI and its role in the future helping bloggers improve their game. 

Pork with Lai Xaak

There's a special place in my heart for food from Assam and the rest of the North East. With all sorts of vegetables and lots of variety in meats the cuisines of the North Eastern states have so much to offer it will take more than a life time to savour it all. My friend Gitika has been working hard educating us Mumbaikars about the food of that region and she regularly has fresh produce and ingredients flown in for her very popular pop ups showcasing the wonderful food from the NE. A couple of days ago she called me to inform me that she had a little surprise for me - lai xaak! She was sending some over so I cook with it in my own kitchen. I am indeed blessed to have friends who share not just food but ingredients too. There is a different joy in cooking with things that are new to us and for me, a chance to cook with lai xaak was special indeed!

Lai Xaak Image

There was no discussion or even any question about what I'd make with the lai xaak - pork of course! I looked up a few recipes and made something that suited the tastes of the family. The brother, who' visiting, likes it hot, the hubby will sulk if there are no potatoes, I was in the mood for something comforting to be enjoyed with rice. The recipes I saw were very frugal in flavours letting the greens dominate. I have saved half for a more authentic rendition, today I just sort of winged it. It's not too far off from what you might be served in an Assamese household but I don't claim this to be an authentic Assamese recipe.

1 kg Pork 

1 bunch Lai xaak 

2 Onions 

2 Potatoes 

4-5 Green chillies 

2 tsps Ginger paste 

1 tsp Garlic paste 

1 tsp Turmeric 

2 tsps Chilli powder 

Salt 

Oil

Wash and clean the pork pieces and marinate with salt. 

Chop the potatoes into large chunks and chop the onions fine. 

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and chuck in the chopped onions along with the green chillies. Fry on low heat till the onions turn pink. 

Add the pork to the pot and braise well for around 10 minutes. 

Put in the ginger and garlic pastes. I used freshly made pastes for better flavour. 

Add turmeric and chilli powder, mix them in and cook the whole thing covered for 5 minutes. 

Wash the lai xaak well in running water separating out the leaves and washing inside the stalks properly. Break into rough pieces and add to the pork. Stir well to mix and let it cook for another 5 minutes. 

Now add the potatoes and enough water to give you plenty of gravy. I used around a cup and a half. 

Shut the cooker and cook the pork under pressure. Once the cooker whistles reduce the flame and cook for 10 minutes. Shut off the heat and let the cooker cool on its own. 

Serve the hot pork curry with plain hot rice. 

Alu Phulkopi diye Chingri - Prawns with Cauliflower and Potatoes

A few mornings ago as I rooted around in the freezer I found prawns. Later that morning as I was explaining to the hubby that I didn't need to make a trip to the fish shop immediately because I'd found the prawns his eyes lit up and he said "make phulkopi alu chingri". I stared at him in surprise. I'd never made it before. Where had he learned of this dish?! Somewhere on social media, I guess because we see so much food online every day. Well, I had everything required for the dish so there was no reason not to make it. I Googled, and looked up a couple of Bengali cookbooks from my own library and set out to make this very typical Bengali dish.

1 cup Prawns 

1 Medium cauliflower 

1 Large potato 

2 Small onions 

1 Tomato 

1 tsp Ginger paste 

1 tsp Garlic paste 

3-4 Green chillies 

4 Cloves 

2 inches Cassia bark 

3 pods Cardamom 

Mustard oil 

Salt 

Turmeric 

Chilli powder

Shell, devein, and wash the prawns. Drain well and marinate with salt and turmeric. 

Cut cauliflower into small florets, peel and cube potatoes, finely chop onions, and puree or finely chop the tomato. 

Heat mustard oil in a wok and fry the prawns for a minute or so just till they turn opaque. Remove from the oil and reserve in a bowl. 

Fry the cauliflower and potato cubes in the same hot oil till they start browning on the edges. Remove from the wok and keep aside. 

Add a little oil to the wok if it has reduced considerably, let it heat up well and then put in the whole spices. Stir for 30 seconds and then add the finely chopped onions. You can also add the green chillies at this stage. Slit them if you want more heat from the chillies. Fry till the onions start to pink. 

Now add the fresh ginger and garlic pastes. Stir and mix and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the tomato, followed by the chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Stir and cook on a low flame till the oil is released from this mix. 

Put the fried potatoes and cauliflower back in the pan and mix. Cook for a minute or so and then add half a cup of water. Add salt. Bring to a boil, simmer and cook covered till the potatoes are cooked through. 

Now add the prawns and cook for another couple of minutes till the prawns are done. 

Serve with plain rice, parathas or rotis. Depending on what you're serving with make more or less gravy, as required. 

Soupy Pork Stew

Soupy Pork Stew is perfect for nippy winter evenings in Kharghar where the temperatures don't freeze your bones but there's still a nice chill in the air and a hot soupy meal is very welcome. It's a basic no fuss recipe and something that I like make as often as possible, after all it tastes great and is easy to put together - what's not to like?!

1 kg Pork 

Ginger garlic paste 

4 Potatoes 

2 Carrots 

3 Onions 

2 Green chillies 

1 Star anise 

3 pods Cardamom 

5 Cloves 

2 Indian bay leaves 

1/4 cup Bacon fat 

Oil 

Salt 

Fresh pepper

Wash the pork and marinate with salt and ginger garlic paste. Use a little less salt because the bacon fat that's used later will be salty. 

Cut the potatoes and carrots into large chunks.

Chop the onions fine. 

Heat oil in your pressure cooker and fry the carrots and potatoes till the edges turn brown. Remove to a plate and set aside. 

In the same oil drop in the whole spices, fry for half a minute, and the throw in the chopped onions. When the onions turn translucent throw in the green chillies. Use more chillies if you want the stew to have a lot of heat. 

After a few minutes when the onions begin to pink add the pork pieces to the pot. Stir well and braise the meat for 10 minutes at least. Grind fresh pepper directly into the pot. Mix. 

Add the bacon fat and stir again. Let it cook for another five minutes. 

Now put in the potatoes and carrots. Add just enough water to cover the pork and shut the cooker. Let it come to pressure and then reduce the heat. Let it cook under pressure for 10 minutes. Then switch off the heat and let the cooker cool on its own. 

Check salt and adjust if required. 

Serve hot with plain rice, pav or sliced bread. 

Hokus Porkus - A Porky Pop Up

Anyone who knows me knows I love pork. 

I started The Porkaholics on Facebook just to share my love of this wonderful ingredient with like minded folk, a space where we could revel in the joys of honey roast hams, bacon breakfasts, jamon Iberico, Goan choriz, and everything pork that anyone encountered. As with most food groups on Facebook off line meet ups soon began to happen and I organised a couple of lunches and dinners at restaurants known for great pork dishes, pork-centric pop ups with home chefs, and even pork based pot lucks. These events were always fun and well attended and soon members in other cities got together and had similar events celebrating the beauty that is pork. I was ready for something new. 

And so I thought of doing a small Porkaholic Bazaar sort of event - a few stalls with people selling porky goodies. I was sure it would get a decent audience and it would definitely be fun. I told the hubby about my latest new idea and he just rolled his eyes. I could see that thought bubble above his head - "Here we go again!" For me that was the go ahead sign ;) 

Next, I pinged a few of my pork loving friends who I knew were really good cooks, already doing a variety of pork dishes at their pop ups and other events. I pitched the idea to them and within minutes we were excitedly exchanging ideas. The bazaar was going to happen! Ideas, options, and possibilities flew back and forth and finally Hokus Porkus was born. 

Menus were discussed, our venue was fixed, we had a date, and we were ready to tell the world. 

I was a pop up virgin. I've never cooked food myself and put it up for sale at an event. Yes, I've done pop ups under the Katy's Kitchen banner but there I was managing things, not shopping, prepping, cooking and packing. For Hokus Porkus I was on my own, as Euphorhea. I had no idea how to go about things beyond the basic idea that I would cook stuff and carry it all to the venue on that day of the event. I leaned on my team mates -Gitika,Subhasree and Madhumita - who were generous with advice, ready to hit the brakes on me every time my enthusiasm gave me unrealistic ideas, and perked me up when I felt I couldn't really do this on my own. To tell you the truth, I was never alone, they were always with me. And for that I am supremely grateful. Euphorhea couldn't have asked for a better team to debut on to the pop up scene with. 

My menu featured a selection of some of my favourite pork dishes. Obviously! These were things I'd cooked often enough at home but now I was going to be cooking for the paying public. So more attention to detail, strict quality control, and a lot of organisation was required. On my menu I had Bacon Jam, Pigs in Blankets, Choriz Pav, and Bourbon Bacon Brownies. I tried to have a menu that could make a complete meal, plus I had a condiment that people could enjoy at leisure at home. 

Hokus Porkus had no budget for marketing and we decided to do everything ourselves at minimum cost. This part of doing Hokus Porkus was a huge learning experience for me because I knew nothing about sustained promotion on social media. After the first edition of Hokus Porkus, seeing the incredible turnout at the event I was just awed. It IS possible to successfully market your event without spending a bomb on marketing or hiring a professional.

We had a lovely venue in Cafe Terra and very cooperative and supportive people running the place. I loved the open bright space - it looked so inviting! Many of my friends who'd not been there before fell in love with the place and have vowed to go back just for the relaxed ambiance and vibe. And the beer. 

The event itself was quite a success. On the whole things went really well and I was very heartened to see the incredible turnout - way, way beyond anything I had expected, certainly not numbers I'd even dared to dream about! I was sold out really quickly. Which was good, but not good at the same time because so many people took the trouble to come and went away without trying my stuff. I felt I let them down, and I did. This was another lesson. 

I had a great time doing this event. Interacting with people, serving them food I'd cooked myself, getting feedback there and then, watching happy porkaholics relaxing with food from my kitchen, seeing people come back for more... it made my heart sing. This is what I want to do... celebrate pork. Here are some photos from Hokus Porkus. See you there next time :)

Friends and family sent me cute piggy stuff to use at Hokus Porkus!

That's four of us all set to make pork great again! I just LOVE the piggy ears Subhasree made for us :)

Bacon Jam! I made two variants - One richly flavoured with Port, and one with the solid punch of Bhut Jolokia chillies.

A little self promotion!

Pigs in Blankets with beer - a marriage made in heaven!

The complete Hokus Porkus Menu

We're definitely stirring the cauldron again and gearing up for Hokus Porkus 2. So stay tuned because if you missed us this time, you're getting another chance :) 

Pav Bhaji - Spiced and Mashed Vegetables with Bread

Pav Bhaji is an iconic street food from Mumbai that is now available in various versions across the country and even abroad. I love it and my favourite is from Sardar Pav Bhaji in Tardeo where the bhaji and the butter seem to be in equal quantities! That steaming hot plate of flavourful bhaji topped with a huge chunk of Amul butter, garnished with fresh coriander and finely chopped onions, and accompanied by soft ladi pav that's been lightly grilled with ... you guessed it, butter, is something that makes me weep with pleasure. 

It occurred to me that I'd never made pav bhaji myself. Innumerable posts on various Facebook food groups made me drool and when a vegetarian friend was set to come for lunch I had the perfect opportunity. The hubby was sent off to shop for the essentials and pav bhaji was on the menu. I didn't have time to make the pav at home but luckily there's a local bakery that makes lovely pav so we were sorted.

3 Large potatoes 

1 Large green capsicum 

2 Carrots 

1 Small cauliflower 

2 Onions 

2-3 Fresh green chillies 

2 Tomatoes 

half cup Tomato puree 

1 inch Ginger 

8 cloves Garlic 

Salt 

Pav Bhaji Masala 

1 tsp Turmeric 

2 tsps Chilli powder 

2 tsps Jeera powder 

Fresh coriander 

1 Medium onion 

Amul butter

Oil 

12 -15 Pav

Peel the potatoes and carrots, break the cauliflower into florets.

Pressure cook these vegetables till cooked through.

Chop the onions and green chillies finely. Chop the capsicum too.

In a flat thick bottomed pan heat some oil and fry the chopped onions. Add the green chillies and continue frying for a few minutes till the onions are completely soft and begin to brown.

Smash the ginger and garlic in a mortar and pestle. Add to the frying onions and cook it for 5 minutes.

Chop the tomatoes and add to the frying pan. Stir well to mix and then add in the chopped capsicum. Let this cook for 5 minutes and smash the tomatoes with your spatula as it cooks.

Add the spice powders and 2 -3 teaspoons of Pav Bhaji masala and mix. 

Add the boiled vegetables and mash it all in as best as you can. Add salt and some water at this stage.

Use a potato masher to mash up the vegetables making sure there are no big chunks of any vegetable in the mix. You don't need to have a smooth puree, but a properly mashed mix works well. 

Add the tomato puree and more water if required, cover the pan and let it all cook for a few minutes.

Now add around 50 grams of butter to the bhaji and stir it in. Taste the bhaji and add salt if required. If the mix is bland add more pav bhaji masala.

Heat a tava or griddle for the pav. Take two pavs at a time, cut them into half horizontally but not right through. Butter generously and grill on the hot tava. 

Make a nice pile of grilled pav to go with the bhaji.

To serve garnish the bhaji with fresh coriander and a big chunk of butter. On the side have finely chopped onions and lemon wedges ready to be added as per individual preference.

Add green peas to the mix if you like. I didn't as the hubby is not particularly fond of them. To be honest, I didn't really miss them either.

The thing about pav bhaji is that you can't be stingy with the butter. Ideally use good old salted golden Amul (that's what Sardar uses!). While you don't need to add excessive quantities of butter, you must be generous with it. The butter is the backbone of pav bhaji and without it, it simply doesn't work.

I Love Luchi!

"I love luchi" is something nearly every bengali you know will say and my Parsi hubby says it with equal fervour. While I'd love to make luchi every week I barely make it once a year - all that white flour and deep frying has made it one the most forbidden treats of all. So it is only natural that one chooses a special day for luchis - either a birthday or anniversary, or a favourite festival. 

This year I was convalescing through the Durga puja after a nasty bout of the mumps and hadn't cooked any special meal or made any dessert through the puja duration. On Dussehra day - Bijoya Dashami for us Bongs - I felt a keen need to make SOMETHING at least. I couldn't let the pujas pass without putting at least one special treat on the dinner table, I just couldn't! So luchi -torkari it was. 

Puffy pillowy luchis accompanied by my favourite Aloo Phulkopi'r torkari. Luchis are the Bengali puris made with all purpose flour, with not a hint of any healthy whole wheat or other flour tainting its pristine complexion. The dough must have good quality ghee in it, and is kneaded with plain water. While frying the luchi you must make sure the luchis remain white with just a bare blush of brown, if at all. Of course, they must puff up like perfect little balloons.

INGREDIENTS 

500 gms Maida 

2 tsps Ghee 
1/2 tsp Salt 

Water 

Oil for frying

Empty the maida into a large flat bottomed vessel or platter. Add the ghee to it and mix it in with your fingers till you have a crumbly mix. Sprinkle in the salt and mix properly.

Add water a little at a time and bring the dough together with your fingers. Keep kneading till you have a soft and smooth dough. 

Knead for around 5 minutes and then let the dough rest, covered, for 30 minutes.

Set enough oil to heat in a kadai or wok to fry the luchis.

Divide the rested dough into small balls, each of which will be rolled out into a luchi. Try to make these balls as uniform as you can.

Dab each ball with a little oil and then roll it out into a disc around 5 inches in diameter. 

Roll firmly pushing the dough out and avoiding folds as you roll.

Place the disc as flat as possible into the hot oil and gently push it down with your slotted spoon to make it puff up nicely. Flip it over quickly and fry the other side.

Remove the luchi to a plate and proceed in this fashion till you have fried all the luchis.

There is a skill in making perfect luchis.

Remember to let the dough rest. You will get a more pliable dough and will find it rolls out better.

Use a firm and confident hand when rolling out the discs and try to roll as uniformly as possible avoiding thick edges. A uniformly thin disc will make for a perfectly puffed up luchi. Make sure there are no folds or tears in the rolled out disc.

Once the oil is nice and hot reduce the heat to medium and maintain that temperature. If your oil is too hot the luchi will turn brown and not cook properly. If the oil is not hot enough the luchi will absorb loads of oil and will not cook fast enough, nor will it puff up.

Practice makes perfect and if you're like me, making luchis just once a year, don't worry if the luchis are not perfect to start with. Just keep the above tips in mind and you will have beautiful 'phulko luchi' in no time!

Shonibar'er Haat - Saturday Market - at Santiniketan

One of the things I was eagerly looking forward to on my recent visit to Santiniketan was the weekly haat or market where local craftsmen and now, traders from surrounding areas and even Kolkata, set up simple stalls to sell their wares. The haat happens in Sonajhuri, in the Khoai area of Bolpur.

Santiniketan has become a hub of NGOs and local craftmen's organisations that now work together to promote the innumerable local handicrafts ranging from pottery, batik, kantha embroidery, to woodwork, dokra crafts, and much, much more. The weekly haat is now spread over three grounds, each walkable distance from the others, and is definitely worth a visit if you are in Santiniketan. Plan your visit in such a way that you're there on a Saturday evening so you can visit the haat. Carry cash. And like me, carry a big shopping bag too! While you can bargain a little the vendors are not very flexible about the prices. But don't let that stop you from buying a host of beautiful hand crafted things at the haat.

The stalls are all simple sheets of cloth or jute spread on the ground with the wares laid out. There are a few food stalls too selling tea and typical Bengali snacks and sweets like pithe, pathi shapta, etc.

Loofahs, table mats, coasters, and other knicknacks made of grass.

Jewellery! So many colours and designs. And you can see piles of kantha embroidered sarees in the next stall. The work is simply stunning and if you're into sarees then it's a good idea to shop for a few here.

Dokra seller. Made using the cire perdu or lost wax technique, dokra metalware is a traditional craft in Bengal and Orissa. While you get dokra-ware in most fancy shops in the big cities buying it from the artisan himself is something else entirely. Don't miss the adorable owls!

These are some hair-pins I bought. Aren't they pretty?

Handmade wooden combs with pretty patterns. This was love at first sight for me.

More jewellery, musical instruments, and other bits and bobs

I'm a sucker for embroidery and picked up a pile of these potlis with kantha work on them. These will be perfect as gift bags for the foodie goodies I give my friends.

One of the big highlights of the haat - the baul singers. These minstrels wander the countryside singing about life, the universe and all its ironies. We heard them sing a tongue in cheek version of a very popular song and I was highly entertained! 

The fun thing about this haat is that there are different vendors every week. Some might be back the next week too, but you can be sure you will see a hoard of other sellers and products every Saturday along with a host of new faces.