Monsoon Fruit (ThursdayTreeLove)

As the rains begin, and mangoes go off the shelves, its time to enjoy other fruits. Jamun or Jambhul is one that immediately comes to mind. Its a common tree in Pune and it flowers and fruits profusely here. In the monsoon, the raindrops carry the fruit down to the ground with them. The streets are lined purple as the fruit is squashed underfoot or beneath vehicle tyres. 

Jambhul or Jamun goes by the botanical name Syzyium cumini and belongs to the Myrtaceae family. It finds a place on my TTL post, simply because the tree has just finished flowering and I wanted to share these unique flowers with everyone.  

Jamun is an evergreen tree and its flowers are hidden in the shiny smooth leaves. The leaves are aromatic when crushed which is typical of the Myrtaceae family.

 The tree blooms in April-May and the green fruit ripens to a deep purple by June-July. It is common in public gardens, home gardens and even by the roadside in my city. 

The fruits are delicate, crush easily and expert tree climbers come around to harvest them from the trees. The fruit has a typical sharp taste and stains the mouth once eaten. The pulp can also stain clothes if one is clumsy when eating! 

Jamun also called Indian Blackberry or Black Plum

Jamuns are typically sold on hand carts in Pune, the sellers walk around the city calling out to folks to come out and buy these juicy delights. 

I must add, that personally I don't like the Jamun but those who do enjoy it are its dedicated fans!! 

Have you seen the Jamun tree? Do you enjoy its fruit?

I am joining Parul in her ThursdayTreeLove bloghop. Do head over to see some wonderful trees from around the world. Better still, join in!

R is Recipes

Hello! Welcome to my seventh attempt at the April AtoZ blogging challenge. My theme this year is Experiences of a first time grandmother! Some sweet, salty moments and learnings! My posts are totally based on what I felt (may even border on rants) and are not meant to be a guide. 

As I have said time and again, I am a reluctant cook, I was was really stumped when we returned home with a two-day old infant and a list of things the new Mom was advised against eating.
These are supposed to cause Colic and suddenly I was thrown into the deep end.
You see Potatoes, Baingan (Egg plant), Raw Onion, Besan (Chick Pea flour) were a absolute no no. This list also included Dals which were popular in our home.

These were not allowed

Coffee (Wordless Wednesday)

 It takes a special effort to whip up foam in coffee.. I remember the days when I spent up to 10 minutes beating together sugar and coffee powder to a smooth paste in the cup .. this was to ensure a perfect froth when hot milk was poured in. 

Technology has ensured I now need not trouble my shoulder .. I get a perfect frothy coffee in a jiffy with the battery operated Frother! 

I am joining Esha' s Wordless Wednesday..

Hunger Pangs (Wordless Wednesday)

Carrot Cake 

Linking with Esha's Wordless Wednesday

Cool (Wordless Wednesday)

Refreshing (Wordless Wednesday)

The cup that refreshes!

Choices (Wordless Wednesday)

Early morning decision making-breakfast choices

Mouthwatering! (Wordless Wednesday)

Z is for Zingiber

Welcome! 
I am writing about herbs in the 2016 April AtoZ blogging challenge. Most of the herbs written in this series are those I have seen or used. Its been a roller coaster ride all through the month, reading some wonderful blogs, making new friends and ofcourse learning many new things. 

Hey this is not the reflections post, so I better get on with the topic of the day! The last letter, my final post for this year's challenge is Zingiber officinale of the Zingiberaceae family. We know it better as Adrak (in Hindi), Ginger, Ale (in marathi)! Is that a big Aha I hear!!!
:)

Truly, just recognising a particular plant gives a feeling of meeting a friend does it not? So if botanical names put you off, not to worry, go with the local names. The former have the advantage of being universally accepted so you can discuss the plant with anyone anywhere in the world being sure of what you refer to.

Getting back to Z. The edible part that is commonly used is the root. However its inflorescence is quite pretty as well but its quite rarely seen I am told. I have it planted in a pot but here are an image of ginger leaves from a friend. Mine is still an infant!!

Image courtesy Supriya Shelar

Ginger root

The root is used to flavour curries in Indian, Eastern and even Western cuisine. Adding crushed ginger to tea takes the beverage to a totally new level! Try it especially on a rainy day...Yet another winter specialty in Maharashtra is Ginger Squares also known as Alyachee wadi.. It is basically grated ginger cooked in sugar syrup and set into squares. It is a unique combination of hot and sweet. Via the 2016 April AtoZ I have discovered Ginger oil which seems to have immense medicinal effects.  

Getting back to the ginger blossoms, I have seen a variety called Champagne Ginger being used as part of flower decorations.

Champagne Ginger in a flower arrangement

 Here is an image of the blossoms of Torch Ginger. Isn't amazing?

Obviously there is more to ginger than meets the eye!

That's it from me! I hope you enjoyed this herbal journey as much I enjoyed putting it together. This is not the end of the road, as we will keep meeting in the blogsphere! 
Keep revisiting dear readers, I will be honoured. 

Thank you for your comments all through the month, they made were most encouraging.

Till we meet again, take care and happy blogging!
:)

R is for Rosemary

Welcome! 
I am writing about herbs in the 2016 April AtoZ blogging challenge. Most of the herbs written in this series are those I have seen or used. Today's herb is used widely in India and overseas mainly to flavour food. 

Any guesses?  That's right, it is Rosemary. The botanical name is Rosmarinus officinalis and belongs to the Laminaceae family. It is generally errect with needle like aromatic leaves. I was a late user of this particular herb and am a big fan now. So much that I am trying to grow it at home. It seems to be happy here but has not flowered yet. Hence I am reluctant to use its still young stems and prefer to source my rosemary from the super market!  

Rosemary twigs ready for cooking

Tiny Rosemary shoots in my kitchen garden

As you can see from my bio, I am a reluctant cook, yet here is an absolutely divine dish that you can make using rosemary. Do not count calories because as someone said, whatever tastes good would be calorie rich too...

Do follow this link for the detailed recipie of Baked Potato and Rosemary Gratin, but here is what it looks like:



I am sure there will be no leftovers! 
Enjoy!

D is for Dhania

Its still early days of the 2016 April AtoZ and I my posts are about herbs. I have tried to write about herbs that I have seen and identified, those that I use in my cooking.

D is for Dhania which is the Hindi word for Coriander or Kothimbir (in Marathi). This is my favourite seasoning and is an integral part of Maharashtrian cuisine. Almost every savoury dish is transported to a new level when garnished with chopped coriander. It lends a refreshing flavour and I find it reduces the heat in a spicy dish. While coriander is freely available almost all year round in Pune, the same was not true years ago in Punjab when we were posted there. This herb is mainly a winter plant and cannot stand the harsh summers. In North East India, we used a herb called Nagdhania (Eryngium foetidum of the Apiaceae family) as a substitute for regular Dhania during the summer. 

Besides a wonderful flavour, the feathery Dhania leaves are extremely pretty and often used as part of salad decorations. The botanical name is Coriander sativum and it belongs to the Apiaceae family (Carrot family). Tender stems can be used to make chutney and the seeds are an important spice in Indian cuisine. However the leaves tend to lose flavour once the herb flowers. Seeds of this plant are used as a spice. 

The Coriander inflorescence is said to be an Umbel. Umbel inflorescence is a characteristic of the  Apiaceae, Asclepiadaceae and Taccaceae families. Identifying the inflorescence type in the field will help narrow down the search for species id.

Here is an image of tender shoots of Dhania in my fledgling herb garden!

As my bio says, I am a reluctant cook and I am sharing my Mom's recipie of Kothimbir Vadi- a delicious snack or starter or meal accompaniment. It uses both leaves and powder of Dhania seeds.

Coriander leaves in the market

Close up of coriander leaf

Ingredients:

• Dhania patta (Corinader leaves)- one bunch
• Besan (Chick pea flour)- 2 or 3 teaspoons
• Hing (asafoetida) powder - half teaspoon
• Dhania and Jeera powder- half teaspoon
• Salt, chilli powder - to taste
• Water- if required - one fourth cup
• Cooking oil- two teaspoons and to line steaming tray

Method:

• Wash leaves well and drain on a towel for 10 minutes. 
• Chop as finely as possible and mix in the spices, salt. Add besan one teaspoon at a time. The leaves tend to leave water hence additional water may not be required unless the leaves are totally dry. Continue to add besan as necessary till you get a sticky dough. Pour some oil over it and let it rest till you complete preparations for the next step.
• Prepare shallow steaming trays with a coating of oil. 
• Spread the dhania and besan dough so its about one centimetre thick.
• Steam in a cooker for about 10 minutes
• Cool, cut into squares. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• The vadi can be consumed at this stage but it tastes better when shallow fried till crisp.

Recipe feedback welcome!
:)

Delectable Squares (Wordless Wednesday)

Wordless Wednesday will be on a one month break.
Spice Of Life! continues unabated with the April AtoZ Challenge.
Take Care!

Instant Refresher (Wordless Wednesday)

Breakfast (Wordless Wednesday)

Fafda, Jalebi, Dhokla 

Grind (Wordless Wednesday)

Lunch (Wordless Wednesdays)

Thirsty kya? (Wordless Wednesdays)

Innovative display at annual fruit and vegetable show in Sambhaji Park, Pune

From Fruit to Kernel

Cashews are coveted as dry fruits and are commonly added to gravies and sweets in Indian cuisine. I did know that the nuts grow outside the fruit but beyond that I had given no deep thought about its journey from the farm to the table. It is quite an arduous route, one that I recently witnessed. 

Any guesses? That's right, at a cashew factory! 

The cashew tree is Anacardium occidentale that belongs to the Anacardiaceae (Mango) family. Its fruit is an accessory fruit (or false fruit) that has a pear shaped structure called cashew apple and at its end is a kidney shaped drupe. The drupe contains one seed which is the cashew. The apple is used to make Feni and the drupe is processed to make the cashews we know. 

Merry Christmas!

An unusual Xmas tree made of newspapers seen at Maison Perumal Puducherry in Jan 2014

Nativity scene made with baked goods

May is for Mangoes

May. The month that every one dreads for intense searing heat, blazing sunshine. It is also the month that mangoes are at their peak. While mangoes are available in India right from the month of March, I firmly believer that they taste their best only in May. The heat allows them to ripen naturally and their colour and flavour is best enhanced in these conditions. It is often called the King of Fruits.



Lovely ripe mangos fill the air with their intoxicatingly sweet fragrance that is sure to tempt passerbys to buy them.

It is widely known that fruit that is available in earlier months may be artificially ripened using various techniques. That obviously prevents the real flavour from developing. Reports state that Carbide is often used to ripen mangoes. Since they are available much before their natural ripenening period, they are obviously very costly and yet do not taste like the real thing.
So how do we know?