Olkopir Dalna

I always thought Olkopi or KohlRabi is a veggie popular only in Eastern India, because we had it in Bihar and Bengal but somehow never noticed it in Bangalore. So I thought it was going to be a surprise veggie for most of you and I could blog about it and yell SURPRISEEEE !!! But that was not to be, you foodies surprise me all the time. Laksmik already introduced it and there is even a South Indian Name for it, Noolkol (see the "ol" in every language ?)

This is known as Kohlrabi here in the US and as Lakshmi pointed out till date I have seen it only at the Asian Stores, the Indian stores don’t carry it.

Interesting facts about KohlRabi from Wiki
Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group) is a low, stout cultivar of the cabbage which has been selected for its swollen, nearly spherical, Sputnik-like shape. The name comes from the German kohl (cabbage) plus rabi (turnip), because the swollen stem resembles the latter. Kohlrabi has been created by artificial selection for lateral meristem growth; its origin in nature is the wild mustard plant
They are a good source of Potassium and Vitamin C

In Bengal we have different kinds of gravies and classifying all of them as curry would be shameful so though this is a curry based dish I am not calling it so. "Dalna" in Bengali means a thick gravy based dish as opposite to a “Jhol” which is a very light gravy more on the liquid side. Olkopir Dalna or “KohlRabi in a Gravy” is a spicy gravy of cubed kohlrabi, potatoes and peas thrown in. The gravy is tempered with methi(fenugreek) seeds and whole garam masala and spiced up with ginger, tomatoes and cumin and corriander powder. Though Kohlrabi resembles the turnip , when cooked this way it tastes more like a squash.

Read more...

OlKopir Dalna

What You Need

Olkopi/Kohlrabi ~ 1 peeled and cut into small cubes. Be careful not to buy the older ones as they get a little tough.
Potato ~ 1 cut into small cubes. You can forego this if you want
Green peas ~ 1/2 cup frsh or frozen
Tomato ~ I used 2/3 tomatoes from a can of peeled whole tomatoes with 2tbsp of the tomato juice
If using fresh tomatoes blanch them for better results
Ginger paste ~ 1 and 1/2 tsp

For Masala

Jeera or Cumin Powder ~ 1 tsp
Dhone or Corriander Powder ~ 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder ~ to taste
Kichen king masala ~ 2 tsp . This is a masala I thing adds that zing, if you don't have it use something else like garam masala powder
Yogurt ~ 1 tbsp
Maggi Hot & Sweet Tomato ketchup ~ 2 tsp . Use any other suitable alternative or skip

For Phoron or Tempering

TejPata or Bay leaves ~ 3
Elaichi or Cardamom ~ 2 pods
Laung or Clove ~ 2
Darchini or Cinnamon sticks ~ a small 1/2" stick
Methi or fenugreek seeds ~ 1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil

How I Did It

Chop the Kolrabi and the potatoes. Peel the outer skin of kohlrabi and then chop
Steam the KolRabi and the potatoes. I have a Futura pressure cooker where I cook it for 3 minutes. You need to steam them a little more than potatoes
Heat oil in kadai/Fryimng pan
Add the methis seeds, bay leaves, cardamom, clove and cinnamon
Add the tomatoes when the fragrance of the methi engulfs you
Cook the tomatoes well till you see the oil separating.
Add the ginger paste and saute
Add the steamed kolrabi and the potatoes
Saute or as in bengali we say "koshano" till the veggies take on a little colour
Mix the dry masala(cumin, corriander & red chili powder) with 2 tsp of yogurt and add
Saute till the masala coats the veggies well. Fry for a couple of minutes.
Add 2 tsp of tomato ketchup and salt to taste
Add about 2 cups of water and cover and cook till veggies are done. The dish usually has a little gravy so adjust the thickness according to your taste level. The kohlrabi has a slight crunch and I like it that way.

Enjoy with Rice or Roti

I am sending this dish to talented Kalyn the WHB creator from Kalyn's Kitchen for this weeks WHB



Trivia: Hamburg, Michigan has titled itself the "Kohlrabi Capital of the World" and at one time had a kohlrabi festival which drew 600 people at its peak in 1985

MySpice -- Garam Masala

Whole Garam Masla for me consists of the following spices, Elaichi or Cardamom, Laung or Cloves, Tej Pata or Bay Leaves, Darchini or Cinnamon and in some cases mace and peppercorns
In North Indian and Bengali cuisine Whole Garam Masala and Ground Garam Masala play an important role. If you have paid any attention to my recipes till date you will find in most I use Cardamom, Cloves, Bay Leaves and Cinnamon or whole Jeera for tempering. This is in sharp contrast to the cuisine from South of India where the spices for everyday tempering is Mustard seeds and Curry leaves. The different spices used for tempering lend a different flavor to the oil and hence the food.
While Whole Garam Masala is used for tempering, ground garam masala is mixed with the food at the last stage of cooking to lend a flavor and aroma and peps up the dish. I use the Ground Garam masala mostly for meat dishes and if I want to make a dish rich & spicy.
Ground Garam Masala is sold at stores in several varieties. But most of the time I dry roast the above whole spices and then grind them in a spice or coffee grinder to make the powder. In many regions the Bay Leaves might be omitted while grinding.
Though "Garam" means hot, this hot is not the same "hotness" as in peppers. This masala helps increasing the body temperature and so makes it "garam".

So in this cold winter spice up your life with Garam Masala

Strawberry and a Meme

Strawberries...my daughter loves them so. She eats them just as they come fresh, juicy and red. When Maheshwari of Beyond the Usual said Fruit of this Month is Strawberry, I knew that was a fruit I always had in my refrigerator. But I didn't want to make anything using them, they are so good and delicious just as they come, I don't have the heart to put them in a pie or a cake. Since a fruit is best eaten fresh I didn't want to present another option to my daughter. She likes strawberries fresh, biting into them, the juice filling her mouth and so let that be so...

Shilpa of Flog & Rosbif had tagged me with a MeMe "5 Things Most people Don't Know About Me". Now I am not very good at Memes but this was funny, so here are some skeletons from my closet

Though I drive a considerable distance each way to work every day, I am afraid to drive on the dreaded NJ Turnpike. Just to avoid the turnpike I have to drive 15 minutes extra :)

Now to dispel some myths -- dear Supriya said I am "fun loving and adventurous". Fun loving, yes but adventurous, have my serious doubts on this one. The most adventurous I am is when we go out to eat, I always end up taking the less trodden path i.e. deciding on something I have never even heard of before and then almost always end up eating what D has ordered. In other walks of life, less said the better.

One more...another blogger buddy Sra said she thought I was cherubic. Now I would love to think what she meant was I had an "angelic demeanor". However what she must have actually meant is I have a "chubby" appearance :) and I must give it to Sra for her insight. I am inclined to put on weight easily, no luck like Shilpa here and have never been skinny.

I have a penchant for hoarding...no no don't get me wrong..what I mean is I just cannot throw/give away stuff as in books, old shoes, old clothes etc., I cling on to them. I still have almost all the issues of the "Anandamela" a very popular children's bi weekly magazine in bengali, I used to subscribe from LKG to High School. My Ma threatens to sell them each year.
Now whenever I have to sort my lil' girl's clothes as she outgrows them, I am tormented. Maybe that's another reason I like computers, just store.

I love, love, love to read fiction both in bengali and english and I like learning as in go to class, take part in hot discussions, do assignment, give test. Strange as it may sound and though I cursed when I had to study, I now realize that I really like the process.

I was in the hospital for the last 17 weeks of my pregnancy, yeah 17 you didn't read that wrong, due to some complications. I was in total bed rest and was allowed to get up for occasional showers only once in a week or so. That experience taught me a lot and made me a better person I think. I now know how important everyday things that we take for granted are and I know when God closes one door he opens another, we just need to have faith and believe.

Ooop six already...stop, stop that's it. I would like to tag IndoSunGod, Sri and Maheshwari if they haven't done this already. Take it only if you want to.