Baklava and the Brouhaha

After every two or three posts, my mind invariably turns towards sweets and desserts... Need I say more! And I don't see anyone complaining either! This post isn't about my kitchen adventures, but rather the newfound love for a sweet in particular! And what better forum than this to share a little but more about this sweet, a little background and some more info!

A serving of assorted Baklavas

I haven’t travelled far and well to experiment and experience several cuisines, gourmet foods and the likes but I've surely tasted a few that have left a lasting impression on my mind and taste buds! One such being the lip-smacking ‘Baklava’, a rich, Mediterranean dessert, probably known to have originated in the Middle East made of phyllo pastry filled with chopped nuts and soaked in honey.

History:

While the origins of this delicacy have been debatable, history suggests that the Assyrians first created the Baklava around the 8th century and it was the food of the wealthy until the mid-19th century, a luxury of sorts! Baklava was discovered by Greek merchants and seamen who travelled east to Mesopotamia, after which they brought the recipe to Athens.

What makes it Delicious:

Representation of various types of baklava

Who knew something as simple as nuts, honey and a dash of spices could give such rich and delicious flavours! That's what makes the Baklava so special. The basic ingredients used in making the baklava are nuts, flat bread (phyllo) and syrup or honey. The type of nuts or the syrup ingredients often suggest the origin of the recipe. Syrup with rose water and cardamom would most likely be from Arab countries, while syrup with cinnamon and cloves would most likely from the Balkan region is what I am told. They have different varieties such as Baklava pistachio, Baklava walnut, Bird’s Nest, Burma, Fingers, Balloorieh, Kol-ou-Skor, Basma, each depending on how they are rolled, what they are filled with and how they are wrapped.

Maharashtrian Chirota &
Sindhi Praghree

In-roads into India:
My first tryst with this divine treat was almost four years ago when a friend travelled from Dubai and carried a box of baklavas for us at work. It is around the same time that baklava has slowly been finding in-roads into the palates of foodies around the country, albeit scarcely. When I traveled there, I picked up a couple of boxes and ensured I hid them from everyone! 

Wonder what took them so long to introduce these delectable flavours to India, especially when several other Middle Eastern delicacies are already a rage here. Also, if you look carefully, a baklava can probably suit an Indian palate for the simple reason that we have a variety of sweets within our country that, when slightly tweaked, can resemble the baklava, like the Sindhi delicacy Praghree or the Maharashtrian Chirota. 

As I understand, perhaps one reason why there is less demand of the baklava is because it is tedious to prepare, requiring the right ingredients, especially the phyllo sheets that are difficult to source in India and need to be worked with care and precision, along with the nuts and hint of spices which make it an expensive affair! In fact I happened to spend almost Rs 800 for a half a kg box of baklavas recently. Ordering them online from specialized dealers can increase the cost further.

However, if you are the adventurous kind, love food, and enjoy trying your hand at something new, I found out a recipe of creating phyllo at home and making your own baklavas.

http://gayathriscookspot.blogspot.in/2011/06/baklava-with-home-made-phyllo-sheets.html 

Where can you find Baklava in namma Bengaluru:
While Baklavas are fairly easy to source in Mumbai and Delhi, it was rather challenging for me to find one in Bangalore. Hours of Google search and driving around in rain and traffic-filled roads, finally yielded some result as I found two places in Bangalore that served it, although I have managed to source it from one so far: 

• Zaks, Frazer Town, Bangalore - You have to pre-order since it is not readily available. Depending on your order, they deliver within 2-3 days and you have to pick it up from there. Price range is around Rs 700+ for 500gm of Baklava

• Byblos, Indiranagar, Bangalore - The in-house Syrian chef prepares a delectable spread, around 5-6 varieties of them, available at their live Baklava counter any time of the day! Subtle hints of cinnamon and other herbs, full of pistachio and nuts soaked in honey, the bird's nest baklava and fingers are an absolute delight among others. A box of 500 gm of Baklava can cost up to Rs 800. You can order a generous portion with your main course at the restaurant for around Rs 275

Here’s one for the Turkish touch - ‘Sizin baklava keyfini çıkarın!’

2 States and Adventurous Food Tales!

What happens when a Marathi mulgi from Chattisgarh marries a TamBrahm paiyyan from Kerala? It is a marriage of not just these two individuals, but also of two cultures, of ideas and most importantly of several palatable encounters! I've been having the time of my life through and through and I have to confess, when it comes to experimenting with food from Kerala, exciting, sumptuous and divine are mere understatements! 

A beautiful weather this morning got me thinking about the first road-trip I took with my husband to explore the many facets of the picturesque state of Kerala. With this road-trip, came the much awaited adventures with some authentic street food - a taste of which you cannot experience elsewhere! 

At one such instance I recall how I hesitantly got out of the car, early in the morning, outside a tea-shop somewhere between Kochi and Kumarakom to see my husband excited over what looked like various forms of 'Bhajiyas'... A strong aroma of ripe bananas blended with coconut oil caught my attention and when I tasted this particular local delicacy, a favourite with my husband, I was instantly transported to a different world. It was sweet and savoury, crisp and hot and a perfect combination with a piping hot glass of masala chai! And that my friends was the "Pazhampori" (pronounced as pal-am-pori), or Banana Fritters in simple English. Never mind the pronunciation, because things like these are best experienced with taste and not the way they are called! 

For those whose palates can a heady concoction of coconut oil and ripe bananas, this is one deep fried snack you should not miss next time you're in God's Own Country. 

More so, you can try your hand at making these at home and get familiar with its taste so that you can experience more enchanting little short-eats on your next trip. Here's a simple, easy-to-follow recipe that was shared with me by my lovely niece...

PAZHAMPORI

Prep Time: 15 mins | Cooking Time: 20 mins | Servings: 10-15 nos

Ingredients:

1. Bananas - 1-2 nos (long, ripe but firm - Ethakkai or the Nenthra variety of Banana) 
2. Maida - 1 cup
3. Water - for preparing a thick batter 
4. Sugar - 2 teaspoons
5. Salt - 1 teaspoon
6. Turmeric - a pinch for the colour of the batter
7. Coconut Oil - to deep fry

Procedure: 

1. Whisk the maida, sugar, salt and turmeric with water to form thick batter of dropping consistency
2. Slice the banana diagonally into thin pieces - you can either slice them long or of medium length depending on the size of the fritters you want 
3. Dip the banana slices into the batter and ensure it is well-coated
4. Deep fry them in hot coconut oil until golden brown
5. Place them on a tissue paper to remove excess oil and serve

A plate of hot Pazhamporis accompanied by a hot cup of chai, cool breeze and an old movie on TV is hopefully what today evening is going to look like! Will let you know if I succeeded in this picture perfect evening! Until then, Bon Appetit! 

Spice it up!

Last year I had the privilege of attending the World Spice Congress, a bi-annual event co-hosted by the Spices Board, the premier Government Body responsible for and in control of spices exports out of India and the All India Spices Exporters Forum, an industry organisation that represents the spice exporters in the country. So habituated I was with the availability of various spices around me that I was literally taken by surprise that there was a body to regulate all this! My thoughts immediately went back to the little spice box in my kitchen, a regular with every Indian family - a round box with spice bowls in it to store various everyday spices, keeping their aromas and flavours intact!

With spices available in plenty every nook and corner and some growing in our backyards, it made me wonder how we end up taking things for granted! Which is why, I thought this morning, how about sharing some interesting Spice Trivia on our everyday spices... Who knows, we may end up respecting and appreciating these value adds a lot more, soak in their aromas and cook better using all our senses of smell, touch, taste!

Read on a few and ponder!

• Giants of Spice Consumption: India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices in the world today, contributing to about 48% of the world's requirement of spices!

• Mint: Small, green, fragrant leaves adding that dash of flavours to our raita, salads, buttermilk, icecreams, chocolates, chutneys and the likes! Available in plenty, did you know that Mint happens to be the largest exported spice from our country?!

• Asafoetida: Some simply cannot stand the strong aroma of asafoetida! This potent spice, used in both powdered and block forms has a novel ability of letting go of its pungent odour and taste and rending great flavour to food. In some cultures, it is often used instead of onion and garlic and has great medicinal value. It releases its flavour well in hot oil and the ideal time to add it is while tempering.

• Saffron: Said to be the costliest of the spices in the world, it is known for its rich aroma and a beautiful golden hue it renders to various Indian dishes, especially desserts. Known to be harvested only for a few weeks in a year, did you know that about 70,000 to 80,000 flowers yield about a pound of saffron! It is also said that saffron strands should always be soaked before adding them towards the end of cooking a dish.

The Kokum fruit and dried kokum used in cooking

• Kokum: A purple berry and the dried fruit, it is widely used as a medicine as well as a spice in most Maharashtrian, Gujarati and Goan delicacies and is a native of the Western Ghats and Konkan Region. Its culinary uses range from seasoning to canning to colour and flavour while health benefits such as digestion, healing wounds, reducing body heat, skin care are in plenty! 

These were just tidbits on few of the many spices available around us... Spices take different times to release their flavour, which is why they are added at different intervals during the cooking process. Respect them, experience their richness, flavours and add that little spice and zing to your next dish!

Watch out this space for more interesting trivia! 

  

Thailand Trails....

Traveling to a destination you've never been to can be both exciting and intimidating. Intimidating is probably a harsher way to put it. Let's call it daunting, especially if you're a vegetarian and the place hardly has anything to offer when you're gonna be rummaging through it for a few days! One such destination that took me by surprise was Thailand, an extremely colourful, picturesque, fun and naughty destination but a challenge when it came to 'fishing' for vegetarian food during our week-long stay. The non-vegetarians are sure to feel like kids lost in candy stores, considering options ranging from street food to glitzy restaurants!

Here's a quick guide to a vegetarian's survival in places like Bangkok and Pattaya:

Fruits stacked neatly in the local market

• Whether you're checking out tourist attractions or simply strolling away on a colourful Thai street, you are bound to find several '7-Eleven' stores and we practically survived on flavoured yogurt, sugar-coated crackers and cheese-sandwiches (simply placed a slice of cheese between 2 slices of bread), picked up from there, considering it is difficult to read the local language and ingredients on packaged food. Even chips are flavoured with fish or some other protein. 

• However, if you're the health-freak kinds, and you happen to pass the local vegetable and fruit markets, it is quite a delight with luscious fruits neatly stacked or cut and packed. 

The perils of  the Dangerous Market

• We took a trail to this interesting place called the 'Dangerous Market' - a local market in Bangkok running on either sides of a railway track. The specialty is that the vendors wrap the market up within second before the train arrives and it is up and running once the train has crossed - all this in a span of seconds! This exercise is like a big attraction and a must watch if you're anywhere close to the place. 

• Whether it is a boat ride exploring the floating market or a walk down the beach in Pattaya, you simply cannot miss packs of colourful fruits and it is bound to make you feel fresh and cheery! 

• Indian restaurants are extremely expensive and if you want to order Thai food at any of the local restaurants, be very clear about not wanting meat, fish sauce or oyster sauce in your food. You can do this by keeping a few words of Thai handy:
• Neua - Meat
• Khung - Prawn
• Nam plaa - Fish Sauce
• Nam Man Hoy - Oyster Sauce
• Kai - Chicken
• Plaa - Fish
• Mai Sai - Don't want/ without
• Mai Ow - Without
• Jay - Vegetarian
• Khaw Suwai - White rice
• Khaw Path Jay - Vegetarian Fried Rice
• Naam - Water
• Kua - Salt - you may want to ask for Kua separately since they do not add too much salt to their preparation



That's right... It is called the Drinking Street in Pattaya!

• Bia - Beer - available in plenty.... Probably seen more than a bottle of Naam! 

So if you want to order a "Som Tam (Papaya Salad)", make sure you tell them Mai Sai Khung/ Nam Plaa - 'you want the salad without prawn and fish sauce' 

The jolly-good time we had at the Jollyfrog Restaurant

If you're backpacking and you've found yourself in Kanchanaburi, don't forget to peak in to the Jollyfrog Backpacker's Restaurant - ridiculously cheap western food and good taste - value for money in an otherwise expensive-for-food-Thailand! 

ขอบคุณ (Kappunkaa -Thank you!!!)