Fara…UP Style Desi Momos-(Steamed Lentil Stuffed Dumpling)

I have been promising lot of my friends to share this interesting traditional desi recipe from Uttar Pradesh….Traditionally it belongs to the spiritual and cultural capital of UP-“Varanasi”

Cooking a traditional recipe is always a fascinating experience for me and my way of adding magic to it is to have my own little innovation or rather adding my style of cooking to make it more palatable and enjoyable to suit the contemporary liking.

I have to admit that I owe this one to my mother in law. Although she never cooked it herself before I started pestering her to find out the recipe from her sister in law. I often heard her talking about it and somewhere I was sure that this recipe will be good to taste as well as a very healthy food   compared to other traditional dishes. I almost forced her to take the recipe on phone and had the courage to make an attempt to cook it on my own without actually tasting it before ….However, I do admit that my way of cooking might not be the authentic way but it is surely very healthy way of cooking.

It is no doubt very labor intensive and a time consuming recipe but I totally enjoy doing this and I love when I see happy faces around me ......... as I always believe that food always succeeds in spreading happiness.

I have been promising to share the recipe of “fara” to a lot of my friend’s for a while now but finally got time now to pen it down… Cooking time including the preparations done for the recipe was about 6 hrs. ...........to soak n grind and then actually cook the fara.....it took about 2 hrs on the kitchen counter............and it was all worth doing it.

The first step to cook “fara” is to soak chana daal and urad daal for 4-5 hours and to ground it in the grinder with appropriate spices.....

Now see the ingredients for the filling...

For the Filling

1)   Equal quantity of chana and dhuli urad daal soaked for 4-5 hours.

2)   Green chillies 5 nos

3)   Garlic cloves 5-6 nos

4)   Ginger 2 inch piece

5)   Cumin seeds 2 tsp

6)   Black pepper corns 2 tsp

7)   salt to taste

Grind all the ingredients mentioned above together with no minimal water. The paste should be grainy in consistency and not a ketchup one which will  be difficult to use as a filling.

 Once the paste is prepared mix Asafoetida ,Aromatic garam masala and pinch of turmeric powder to it.

8)    Asafoetida 1 pinch

9)   Aromatic garam masala 1 tsp

    10) Pinch of Turmeric powder



Coarsely grounded filling for the dumpling



Ingredients for the outer shell..

1)Rice flour 2 cups and some more
2)Whole wheat flour 2 cups or as needed
3)salt to taste

To make the whole wheat dough you just mix whole wheat flour n rice flour in equal amounts , add salt to taste and make a medium soft dough by adding appropriate amount of water. Adding the rice flour to the wheat dough makes the fara have a nice bite , and it is more moist even when cold.

Now is the time to shape the faras, pull out small portions of the dough, roll small disks about 1 cm thick and place the dal mixture over it, fold and make a semi circle and seal the sides by pressing the corners with a fork to ensure that the filling doesn’t come out while steaming them.

Giving shape to the aromatic fara's

All the dumplings will submerge on top at once, but they will start coming up as soon as they start cooking .........let it cook for another 3-7 minutes after they float ........3 minutes for the smaller ones and 7 minutes for the bigger ones ...

Getting steamed

Take out one of them and prick with a pointed knife , if it comes out clean it's cooked .

Use a slipped spoon to fish them all out , you may need to boil them in two batches but this is the easiest step and you'd feel like popping one of them in your mouth as soon you fish them out.......

It will give you an enchanting experience of a wonderful bite full of aromatic spices inside .. The covering is a perfect wrap for a soft crumbly spicy filling ...........a bite into the doughy shell leads to aromatic spicy interiors.........a perfect alternative to regular daal -roti and it’s definitely a much healthier and exotic food option.

Another option is to slice them into half after steaming and pan frying them with mild spices to make them a perfect choice for an evening snack.

Ingredients for the Fried Fara’s

1) Black Mustard seeds

2) Pinch of Asafoetida

3) 1/2 tsp of red chilly powder

4) Salt to taste

5)2-3 Whole Dry Red Chilli

6) Pinch of turmeric powder

7) ½ tsp Roasted Cumin Powder

8) One Tsp Refine oil

9) 1 tsp amchoor powder

10) 4-5 Curry leaves

Take a pan and put 1 tsp refine oil and wait till it gets hot. Slip in the black mustard seed, curry leaves and Asafoetida powder. When the seed starts crackling lower the heat of the flame and add whole red chilly and the remaining dry masala into the oil. Stir all the ingredients nicely and ensure that it doesn’t get burn. Once the raw  aroma of the dry spices are gone, you can slip in the cut pieces of the steamed fara’s and fry tem or rather toss them well so that it gets quoted nicely with all the spices. You don’t need to cook/fry them for long as they are already steamed before. Just make sure that you are giving them nice light crispy brown color by tossing them gently over low flame.

Now to finally add some beauty and a ting of magic- green chutney or even a sonth chutney is a great accompaniment, but I prefer making the chutney with green garlic and tomatoes.

Ingredients for the Spicy Green Garlic Tomato Chutney

1)   2-3 sprigs of green garlic with the stem and leaves

2)   2 green chilies

3)   One big ripe Tomato

4)   Salt to taste

5)   Few sprigs of green coriander leaves

6)   1 tsp of whole cumin seeds

Place all the ingredients together in a mixing grinder to make a smooth paste.



Yummy Chutney



Some people have come back to me with little amusement because of its name. My take on it is-What's in a name when the end product is so yummy ............ You can make it for a week and store it in the fridge to savor it through the week........... Warm it with a sprinkling of water in microwave and enjoy it steamed for dinner with a soup.............. Or fry them for a snack.........

Now it’s time for you to try it out at home and rest assured you will simply love the experience and most importantly the taste…I am welcoming all your suggestion or feedback that you might have for the recipe. Hopefully my next blog will not take so much of time and I am able to get you some really tasty and simple food. A treat for your eyes…

Fried and Steamed Fara's with Geen Garlic Chutney

 While you are shaping the faras, boil water (with a little salt and a tbsp of oil) in a big wide pateela, when the water starts boiling, slip the faras into it taking care not to scald yourself.

Some more from the Land of Scenic Beauty: "Lanka" in search of pure beauty of nature and good food

My constant urge for good food can take me anywhere in the world. I can live without good house but no ways about good food. I don’t mind splurging my entire saving for the sake of good food. Sri Lanka is famous for its diversity in landscape, natural beauty and the friendliness of its people.

I have visited Colombo twice (once in 2006 and the second time in 2010) and I am quite positive about making a third visit sometime soon in my life for the sake of diversity of its food. This is one factor that goes relatively unnoticed to the rest of the world. Food traditions from all over the world come in to the limelight in Colombo. Recipes spanning from the Far East to the spicy fresh cuisines from India and the local delicacies wrapped with fresh herbs and spices are something too difficult to resist.

The food in Colombo is a reflection of its rich and varied history. Naturally there is a lot of seafood; what else would you expect on an island in the Indian Ocean? But there is also a whole lot more, such as spicy curries and a strong Indian influence in the cuisine. You won’t go hungry being in Colombo with a wide selection of restaurants, fast food outlets and coffee shops serving a range of Sri Lankan, South Asian, Eastern, Western and fusion cuisine. For a true taste of Sri Lankan cuisine, try one of the smaller eateries serving local hawker-style favorites like string hoppers, lamprais, koththu roti and biryani.

 

Yummy ric e wrapped and cooked inside banana leaf

I can talk good about the variety of restaurants in Colombo but one place which has really caught my attention and more precisely my taste buds: is the “Beach Wadiya" restaurant. It is an unpretentious sea food joint off a virgin beach along Galle face but you do get surprise by the scanty vegetarian spread which is very fresh and looks like it’s planted in your backyard garden. Some of it comes from the sea world. The sea weed and other exotic stuff which you don’t get to eat anywhere else. I was lucky to get some pictures of some of the dishes that they serve.


Butter pepper Crab



Fresh Menu of the Day

Olwyn Werasekara, the owner of the restaurant had no prior training in the Industry but it was his love for the food of south that motivated him to get into the restaurant business. While seating in the restaurant you can feel the sand beneath your feet and the sound of the beating sea waves is just too fascinating and a divine experience to go through while enjoying your meal.  The wall of the restaurant is full of photographs of cricketers and famous celebrities from all over the world. You can possibly get your eyes set on each and every popular Asian cricketer. The owner told me that Dravid and Gavasker are one of their greatest patronages. The owner will happily show you the high Tsunami marks on the wall which affected the restaurant so badly that it was totally submerged into the water but the love for the food was much stronger to get it back running in its full swing.

The best part is the menu, which they hand over to you, the moment you make yourself comfortable on the table. It’s a plate full of fresh fish that had been caught for the day and ready to be grilled/cooked/baked or cooked according to your liking and taste. You can get your meal customized according to your liking. Where else in the world you can feel so special and royal while enjoying a divinely crafted meal just for the “sake of taste”

Beach Wadiya has attracted a popular following for decades, including an impressive list of celebrities: Princess Anne and Richard Branson, among others. You have to come early to pick a table inside the weather-beaten beach shack or outside in the sand, order a chilled Three Coins beer while a waiter fills you in on the day’s catch, and receive your specially customised grilled or fried seafood platter. You also have to take take care when entering the restaurant: you have to cross the railway tracks and there is no signal when trains approach :) but anything for the sake of good food and as they say in Hindi “पापी पेट का सवाल हैं"

So if you guys really want to feel divine and you are an ardent fan of sea food like parwns, sea weed, lobsters and exotic fish cooked delicately simmered in aromatic herbs and spices and to lock its aroma in your heart- This place is surely worth visiting once in a lifetimes. How about creating your own top 100 list of heavenly places on earth to eat. If the answer is yes! It’s time to pack your bags and discover the rich tradition of Sri Lanka and I bet what better way than-eating your heart out :) After all it’s food for life!

Now I need to ask you all food lovers about something

very special:

Have you heard of something called “fara” and “saloni”

I am sure for most of you, its relatively a new term for your dictionary…

So watch out for my next Post on to get the recipe of

“Fara” -The Indian Authentic rustic desi momo  and 

“Saloni”-The  Queen of Winter”

 

Where it all started!

Welcome to my world “full of dreams and aspirations”. I am addicted to two things: good food and living the simple pleasures of life to the fullest...I have no qualms in admitting that I am a born “Foodaholic” It’s hard to find the meaning of “foodaholic”in dictionary but the wiki dictionary explains it as: One who suffers from an addiction to food.  

However I like to use it as per my perception-“Addiction to innovative, authentic and tasty food”

Now to talk about my other addiction is to have a life where I am able to enjoy every bit of simple pleasures that our everyday lives offer. That doesn’t mean that I don’t desire to lead a pompous life but I do want to enjoy every bit that comes along our way and we often tend to overlook its value by not giving enough importance or just by simply ignoring the value of what we already possess.

We are always aiming to get something which we don’t own it and we know that trying hard enough might not get us there but we still hold it close to our heart. I guess it’s simple because of our ever demanding human aspirations. Somewhere deep down my heart I always wanted to follow a simple life and struggling every day to make myself happy and my journey will continue till I come to peace with myself.

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe it to my angel Mother!!! I miss her a lot but all that she taught me helps me to overpower any setback that comes into my life. She was a fighter and I continue her legacy :)

She taught me the meaning of Simple pleasures of life-those little magical moments in the day and the simplest things we do that make us smile or feel happy. You can’t help but smile when you think through it. You can divide them into three categories: First one comprises of your experience that comes through your daily life. The ten minutes in the morning with a huge cup of tea, when everyone else is still in the bed, a bath full of fragrant body wash, climbing into a bed made with cleanly laundered sheets and stretching out, eating your favorite meal all by yourself , having a foot massage from our loved ones (when they can be bothered!).The second one consists of magic moments with our children.  Huge squeezy cuddles, listening to and watching our kids giggling and playing.

The third category of magic moments is to enjoy the world around us.  Taking time to stop and appreciate the garden, the sunshine, flowers and the birds. 

 

Being born to an empowered family, getting sense of the beautiful world around us was not rocket science for me. As a teenager, I found a broader purview on the importance of loving your existence and to live happily and feeding yourself beautifully was another important part of it.

Nothing pleased my mom more than cooking for good friends and family. I also cook for the same reason I try out new places/eating joints -- to experience the thrill of discovering something new.

My mom was a working woman but on weekends my home turned into a little Indian Colony.

She was not known for churning out exotic food but she just made simple basic food very exotic. I guess because she poured all her love while cooking. You could feel the spicy smells emanating from the kitchen. Cooking authentic homemade Assamese food was her way of keeping herself close to the roots; and is the most important way to remain healthy.

This blog is an attempt to recreate the magic of some vanished classic foods of all time by keeping it alive and to explore the rustic authentic cuisines of India in my own style of cooking.

I believe that cooking can bond us to loved ones, while food can evoke memories. I hope my recipes and interesting insights about eating joints will inspire you to cook your own inspired meals, and to create your own landmark events and fondest memories about food.”While enjoying the food it’s important to cherish as I mentioned before-“simple pleasures” so we will definitely indulge ourselves with some doses of light hearted moments which will help us to relish-“Food for Life”

Do watch out this space for more exciting updates on food and life :)