Jeera Aloo

At home, we are not great fans of having dry subji with roti; but I've always wondered how north Indians crave for jeera aloo. I just wanted to tried it myself... I liked it, Kundan didn't like to combine it with roti but otherwise liked it. So you got to try and see if you would go for it. Actually it goes well with dal rice also.

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes - 5
2. Oil - 1-2 tbsp
3. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
4.  Kasoori Methi - 1 tbsp
5. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Chili powder - 1 tsp
8. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
9. Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Method:

Step 1: Boil the potatoes with until done but firm. Peel and cut them into cubes.

Step 2: Heat oil in a non stick pan and crackle cumin seeds; sprinkle asafoetida and add the potato cubes and toss gently so that the cubes don't mash or break.
Step 3: Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, chili powder, crushed kasoori methi, little salt and toss again gently to coat the potatoes with all ingredients evenly. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.

Step 4: Open the lid, toss again and cook without lid for a couple of minutes again.

Carrot Cake

This is a very daring step in terms of baking, that I took when I baked a carrot cake using jaggery and that tooo with whole wheat flour and that toooo with just 2 spoons of butter :)

It did not turn out so well and not in any way comparable to a fluffy, light, floury cake. But I think it serves the purpose of some dessert for a sweet toothed person like my husband. It was a however a sweet, hard and dark cake minus the glamour of spongy cakes.

Ingredients:

1.Wheat flour - 2 cups
2. Grated carrot - 2 cups
3. Jaggery - 1 1/2 cups
4. Water - 1 1/2 cups
5. Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
6. Baking powder - 2 tsp
7. Raisins - 2 tbsp
8. Salt - 1/2 pinch
9. Sugar for sprinkling on top (optional)

Method:

Step 1: Dissolve jaggery in water, filter it and then boil them with the grated carrot until the carrot is soft. Turn off heat and let it cool down.

Step 2: Add cinnamon powder raisins, salt and mix well.

Step 3: Preheat the oven or cooker without washer. Grease a cake tin with butter and dust with some flour.

Step 4: Fold in the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Step 5: Pour the cake batter into the cake tin and place it inside the oven/ cooker.

Step 6: Depending on the thickness and your mode of baking it takes time. I experience that it takes more time than the usual cake as wheat flour and jaggery makes it time consuming.
Step 7: Once the cake's aroma fills the house, you can start checking periodically by inserting toothpick or a knife for readiness.

Step 8: Once does turn off heat, take out the cake tin and let it cool down before taking it out and cutting.

Step 9: Dust powdered sugar or just sprinkle crystal sugar on top before serving.

Kamarket

My mom had given some country- jaggery when we started the family in the new home at Chennai.I was not using big portions in any recipe and suddenly, what came to my mind was “Kamarket” which is most of our childhood favorite.

Ingredients:

• Jaggery scrapped– 2 cups
• Coconut grated – 1 cup
• Ghee – 2 spoons
• Water – ½ cup

Method:

1. Roast the grated coconut in a spoon of ghee
2. Dissolve the jaggery in the water and filter it to remove any mud like particles in the jaggery
3. Now bring it to boil and keep stirring until it reaches a stage when the boiling jaggery sets firm while dropped in cold water; you’ll be able to shape it like kid’s play-clay
4. At this stage add the roasted coconut and keep stirring until it rolls together with the ladle; this would take some 15 min.
5. Pour it on a plate greased with ghee.
6. While it is still hot, with the ladle pull a small portion and roll into gooseberry or marble sized balls. Apply a drop of ghee on palms and fingers as necessary.
7. Let the kamarkets cool before popping them

TIPS:

 Store only when the kamarkets are completely cool, otherwise they will stick with each other
 While rolling into balls if the mixture sets hard in the plate due to cooling down, just boil water in a vessel in stove and keep this plate on top to loosen it.
 Some people like it chewy and some like it brittle and hard. For chewy type add more coconut and for brittle & hard ones, boil for a little longer. I’ve heard they add about a spoon of rice flour to make biteable kamarkets
 It’s seems such a simple recipe, but most people don’t get it right at all. That’s because, the recipe depends on parameters such as the type of jaggery and the stage to which it has to be boiled.
Yes, it is a little tricky and slightly messy recipe but you can still do it for the joy of lingering in nostalgic thoughts of school days when you pop one into your mouth and keep relishing it.