The Amish and The CauliFlower

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So The Amish County was visited and enjoyed. The idyllic green farmlands, the quaint villages with equally quaint names like Bird-In-Hand, Kitchen Kettle Village, Intercourse (ahem !!), the buggy ride through the Amish Farms, the Dutch Farmers Market with their fresh produce and the jams & preserves was thoroughly enjoyable , more so with the lovely weather bestowed on us since Friday.

The little daughter was an angel, no throwing-up, no car seat blues, very co-operative during the entire trip, The parents were happy, The husband was happy, he got his own TV to watch while me watched chick-flicks with dear Momma (yeah I carried Movies as a backup plan for the Rains), The People who did business with the "Amish" as their USP were very very happy indeed, The Amish...I do not know.

Everything was fine except something that kept gnawing at the back of my head, that something called commercialization of the entire thing. I had gone there thinking there would be villages & farms and maybe a gift shop or two thrown in as is the norm but I was astounded by the bustling business that had built up around the whole thing and the malls that had sprung up to cater to the visitors.

Coming from a culture and a background where materialism is not the norm and simplicity is or at least was the way of life, I wasn't very amazed by the Amish way of living, though I am impressed now that being there bang in the middle of all those malls with brands screaming from BOSE to BASS they still adhere to their culture and lifestyle not perturbed by the "Amish" brand visitors are falling for.

All said and done, we had a nice break, I got lovely veggies and pickles & jams. I got a huge cauliflower so there I go and cook. I got this recipe of cauliflower called “Ada FulKopi” or “Adraki Gobi” or “Ginger Cauliflower” from my bengali recipe book by an author known as Bela De. My Ma too does this with a little variation, but the one I did yesterday was almost by the book. It is a very nice dish with ginger dominating the flavor and the taste is a little emphasizing the tartness of the tomato and the crunchiness of the cauliflower.

The BIG cauliflower :)

Ada FulKopi or Ginger CauliFlower

What You Need

Cauliflower ~ 1 cut into florets. I used half of the cauliflower shown above and cut the florets a little on the large size
Baby Carrots ~ about 10 of the small ones cut into halves
Green Peas ~ ½ a cup
Ginger ~ 1” chopped fine in juliennes

For Paste
Onion ~ 1 and ½ medium sized
Garlic ~ 2 big cloves
Ginger ~ 1 & 1/2”
Grind all of the above to a paste

For Puree
Tomato ~ 2 medium sized nice plump red tomatoes pureed. I did with skins and everything

For Phoron or Tempering
Elaichi or Cardamom ~ 2
Laung or Cloves ~ 2
TejPata or BayLeaves ~ 2
DarChini or Cardamom Sticks ~ about a 2" stick
GolMirch or Peppercorns ~ 10
Coarsely pound the above

Yogurt ~ 2/3 cup
Turmeric Powder
Red Chilli Powder (according to taste, I did not use any)
Salt

How I Do It

Cut the cauliflower into medium sized florets (not very small else they will turn mushy while cooking)
Chop the carrots
Heat Oil in Kadai/Frying Pan. Use Olive Oil if you prefer
Lightly fry the cauliflower (no deep frying, more like sauté them) florets till Golden. Tip: I always add Turmeric Powder to the hot oil and then add the cauliflower to prevent the oil from spluttering. This also makes the cauliflower golden with light frying. Also cover while frying.
Remove the florets and keep them in a bowl.
Grind the onion, ginger and garlic to a paste. Keep about 1 tbsp of the paste for frying, use the rest in the next step
Mix the yogurt with this paste and a little salt. Also add chilli powder if you want to the yogurt according to your spice level.
Marinade the cauliflower florets with the above marinade for about half an hour.

Heat Oil in Kadai/Frying Pan. You can use the same oil.
Add TejPata, Elaichi, Laung, DarChini, Gol Mirch as phoron or temper with this
Add the finely chopped ginger and fry a little
After frying the ginger for a little add about 1 tbsp of the onion/ginger/garlic paste and a little sugar
When the onion turns a light brown, add the carrots and peas
Saute for a little while

Add the cauliflower along with the marinade
Then cover and cook till the masala is cooked and coats the veggies uniformly. This in Bengali coking term is called “kashano”

Add salt according to taste and add the tomato puree

Cover and cook till the veggies are done. They should be crunchy.
Add a little sugar if the taste is little sour to your liking
This has very little gravy so adjust that accordingly
Garnish with coriander leaves

You can have this "Ada FulKopi" with Roti, Paratha and even Rice (I love my Rice :)). This can be served as a dish when you have guests over and also for your weekday lunch or dinner.

Trivia: Mark Twain said " Cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a College Education"

MuloShaak or Radish Greens

My weekend visits to the local Farmers Market, leaves me rejuvenated. When I was new to the US, I used to go to the ShopRites (US Grocery chain in our area) or the Indian stores for getting my veggies & fruits, but after I discovered the Farmers Market, it was a different story.

I try to go at least once a week to buy veggies, mostly the greens like Spinach, Bok Choy, Brussels Sprouts etc. and the Fruits. It is the greens that attract me here, for the rest I am ok with the other grocery places, but the greens here are so vibrant and earthly (not organic though, for organic WholeFoods Market is another great store but it's a bit far from my place and a bit pricey) that I always buy them here. If you are in the US and there's a farmers market in the neighbourhood do try it out if you haven’t already, they won't be glossy and well packaged but they will taste good and cost you less.

This reminds me of the weekend market we used to go to on Saturdays when we were in Koramangala, Bangalore. It was near Hosur Road, I think it was called Madiwala (??)and there would be all these people selling & buying and the place would be thriving with life. With my knowlede of kannada stopping at "Stop Mari" (a phrase I often used with the auto drivers), I would happily bargain and return home with a loaded bag. It was also a good place to get Fish.

So this Saturday as I was wandering around my Farmer's Market (ok not mine, someone else owns it) I came upon these beautiful bunches of radish, the radish were small pinkish red balls and they were hanging from the green leafy bunches. I brought them home for 1 dollar a pair. Now, normally I would have just cut the radish, tossed them in a salad or ate them raw. But now my Ma is here, yehhhhhhhhh and though I don't let her do the daily cooking to give her a little rest from all the years of cooking that she has done for us, you know how Moms are. She has just arrived and yet she cooks something during the day so that I don't have to cook when I get back from work but get to eat the goodies


So, my Maa sat down, chopped up the leaves real fine, kuchi-kuchi as we say in Bengali and made Mulo Shaak. A very nice, easy, healthy recipe. I never wanted to eat it growing up and only today I appreciate this dish. Maybe am getting old :)

Mulo Shaak or Radish Greens is a typical way a Bong eats his greens. Spinach or other greens are also coked in almost similar ways. This is usually eaten as a second course in the traditional Bengali Lunch.

What You Need

Bunches of radish with nice green leaves ~ 2 bunches. The variety I got is known as Red Globe and popular in US

Green Chillies ~ 2/3

For Phoron:
Kalo Jeera or Kalonji ~ 1/2 tsp
Shukno Lanka or Dry Red Chillies ~ 2/3

Salt

How Ma Does It

Chop the radish greens (stems included) real fine, in small pieces
Also cut some of the radish about say 4 small ones into fine pieces
Heat Oil in Kadai/Frying Pan
Add Kalo Jeera(Kalonji) and Shukno Lanka(Dry Red Chillies) as phoron
Sauté the radish pieces
When they are little soft add the greens
Cover and sauté till they are soft.
Add salt
Dry up all the water
Serve with Rice or Roti



Enjoy your holidays wining, dining and feasting. I am off on a 3-day break to Lancaster County , PA to visit our Amish neighbours. Shall resume cooking and blogging once I am back :)

Trivia: Radishes were first cultivated thousands of years ago in China, then in Egypt and Greece. Radishes were so highly regarded in Greece that gold replicas were made. Are you kidding ??

Enchor-er Dalna ba Enchor Chingri

That means Green JackFruit Curry

Enchor (ch pronounced as in chair and not as in choir) or Green Jackfruit is another veggie pretty popular in Bengal. I knew the jackfruit tree grows in the tropics but didn’t know this:
The jackfruit is believed indigenous to the rain forests of the Western Ghats of India. It spread early on to other parts of India, southeast Asia, the East Indies and ultimately the Philippines. It is often planted in central and eastern Africa and is fairly popular in Brazil and Surinam.

Both the ripenend fruit of this tree, popularly known as Kathal in Bengali & Hindi and the green unripe one known as Enchor in Bengali is very popular. The ripened jackfruit is sweet and has a delicious heady smell and is eaten as a fruit. The green unripe one is eaten as a vegetable. It is also a very nutritious fruit. It contains protein, fat, calcium, iron vitamin B, B2 and vitamin A. More on JackFruit here.

My grandparents house in Bihar had a huge jackfruit tree in the garden and it produced abundant fruits during summer. The huge tree with broad, deep green glossy leaves & the green jackfruits clinging to it was a pleasure to watch. Though I was not very fond of the ripened jackfruit I liked the enchor er dalna or the green jackfruit curry. The enchor when cooked in the aamish or non-veg way with onion & garlic closely resembles the goat meat and hence this enchor also has a nickname in Bengal “Gach Pa(n)tha” which literally translated means “Tree Goat” but the essence being Vegetarian Meat.

Also if you are a young Bong and are trying to act too smart, you know what the elders would say, you are “Enchore Paka” !!!! This means you are a green jackfruit who has ripened before age ;-)

Here in the US I like the Chaokoh canned green Jackfruit. They are pretty tender and since they are canned in brine, it takes very little time to cook

I cooked jackfruit in the non-vegetarian way with onion & garlic over the weekend. I also threw in some shrimp after I saw that a dish called Enchor Chingri really exists, I can go that extra mile for my love of shrimp. You can skip the shrimp, no harm done, my Ma never cooked enchor with shrimp.

What You Need

1 can of Chaokoh Green JackFruit ~ 1 can is about 570g. I got it from my Indian Grocery Store, you can try other Asian stores too. It is here on Amazon, but the price of the same can is 3 times as compared to my local store!!!
Potatoes ~ 1 whole, peeled and cut in cubes
Onions ~ 1 medium grind to a paste
Tomatoes ~ 1 medium very well chopped
Green Chillies ~ 3/4 chopped (Optional)

For Phoron or tempering:
TejPata or BayLeaves ~ 3 or 4
Dry red Chillies ~ 3/4

For Masala:
Elaichi / Cardamom ~ 2-3
Darchini or Cinnamon ~ a small stick
Laung or Cloves ~ 2-3
Jeera or Cumin Powder ~ about 2 tsp
Garlic Paste ~ 1 tsp
Ginger Paste ~ 1 tsp
Yogurt ~ 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder
Garam Masala Powder ~ 1/2 tsp
Ghee ~ 1 tsp optional
Salt

With Shrimp:
15/20 pre cooked medium or small shrimp ~ after thawing mix them with little turmeric powder and salt.

How I Do It

Since the jackfruit is canned in brine, it becomes a little salty. So the night before you cook, open the can, drain the liquid, wash the jackfruit several times in water and soak them in fresh water over night
Cut the Jackfruit pieces in Cubes, cut Potatoes in Cubes
Note: Toss the jackfruit cubes with a little Red Chili powder, 1/2 tsp of Cumin and Corriander powder each
Heat Oil in Kadai/Frying Pan
If I am using shrimp I fry the shrimp first and then keep them aside

Note: Add about 1/2 tsp of sugar to the oil if using canned jackfruit. When the sugar browns add the jackfruit pieces. Lightly fry the jackfruit pieces in oil. Remove and keep aside. Similarly saute the potatoes. Remove and keep aside.


Add the Tej Pata (Bay Leaves) and Dry Red Chillies as phoron
Coarsely pound the Elaichi (Cardamom), Laung (Cloves) & Darchini (Cinnamon Sticks) and add it to the oil
As soon as the spices start crackling Add the onions.
Add a little sugar and fry them till they are light brown in color.

Note: You can also chop onion in large chunks --> fry till soft and brown on the edges --> cool and blend. Use this fried onion paste instead of raw onion paste for a very nice taste.

Add the chopped tomato and the green chillies
Continue frying till the tomatoes are well blended, all mushed up.

Note: For a smoother curry, puree the tomatoes and green chili and then cook

Add the potatoes, a pinch of turmeric powder and fry till they take on a light golden hue
Add 1 tsp of Ginger Paste & 1 tsp of Garlic Paste
Add about 2 tsp of jeera Powder mixed in 1 tbsp of Yogurt to a paste and continue what we say in Bangla as “Kashano”. I don’t know how to explain this but this means cook, stir do the whole routine, till the masala looks and feels cooked.

Note: Instead of only Cumin Powder, you can add 1 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder + 1 tsp Roasted Corriander powder + 1/2 tsp of Kashmiri Mirch. I normally lightly dry roast cumin & corriander and then make a large batch of such powder.

Add the cubed green jackfruit and Cook for some more time till the masala coats the jackfruit and the potatoes nicely.

Add little water as needed for gravy, salt, and cover and Cook
Cook till Potatoes and Enchor or jackfruit is done.

Note: Adjust for salt and seasonings. I usually add some sugar at this point to balance the tartness of canned jackfruit

The above pic is before the potatoes were done, so the gravy reduces more and the gravy is not very watery
If I am adding shrimp, I add the fried shrimps at this point
Sprinkle a little Garam Masala Powder and add a ½ tsp of ghee (optional , but lends a nice smell)
Cook for maybe some more minutes, check if tastes perfect and you are done.
Have this with Rice or Roti.

For the Vegetarian or Niramish way:

I asked my Ma for this and though I haven’t tried this, this is how she makes it.
Heat Oil and add about 1 heaped tbsp of Ginger paste and about ½ tsp of hing or asafoetida powder.
Saute and add BayLeaves , Dry Red Chillies and coarsely ground Elaichi, Cardamom, & Darchini
Follow procedures as above, but omit the onions & garlic Paste.
Also along with Cumin Powder add Corriander Powder.
Rest is same.

Everyone at home enjoyed this dalna and even my almost 3 yr old who is not a veggie fan ate up her enchor.
This is my entry for WHB a event started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen and this week hosted by Nandita of Saffron Trail. I was not sure if I could send an entry for this but since I cooked this over the weekend, I thought it would be a nice thing to share.

Trivia: Jackfruit or Kathal is the National fruit of Bangladesh. Wow that's a big thing