Tabouleh/Tabouli - A Parsley and Bulgur Wheat Salad.

Tabouleh is a wonderful salad. It is mainly made of bulgur wheat and parsley. This is the only dish I have come across where parsley plays the role of a main ingredient. Now, the very first time I heard the description, I thought that the parsley would over power the rest of the ingredients and it maybe on the more astringent side. Unfortunately I let my preconcieved notions get the better of me and I didn't order the dish. I actually came across it when I ordered a "Mediterranean Platter" at a local Mediterranean/Greek restaurant. Of course, I tasted all the different components on the platter like the falafel, dolmas, hummus and a wonderful green salad. And I loved the salad!! So, I asked our server what it was and to my surprise she said it was tabouleh. Ever since then it has become a regular feature on my plate whenever we visit the restaurant.

Now, in the variations of taboleh/tabouli that I have eaten, I have noticed that the bulgur wheat proportion is significantly less compared to that of the parsley. Some versions have tomatoes that have been added and some had small pieces of cucumber or onions or a combination thereof. The dressing always seems to be simple and lemon based and the parsley is the dominant ingredient. However, when I made it, I decided to increase the quantity of the bulgur wheat so that I could serve this as a complete meal and wouldn't need to cook too many additional dishes. So, you can scale back on the proportion of the bulgur wheat if you want to keep it on the light side or add more if you want to make a hearty meal out of it.

Ingredients
1 cup bulgur wheat
2 cups water
2 cups of parsley, chopped finely
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1/2 cucumber, peeled and finely diced (optional)
2 green onion stems including the onion portion, finely diced (optional)
salt to taste
1 large lemon or 2 small lemons, juiced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
black pepper, to taste

Method
Heat  the water till it is at a rolling boil and pour over the bulgur wheat. Make sure the the wheat is submerged and then cover and keep aside for about 15-20 minutes. The wheat should be cooked through and fluffy. If there is excess water, drain it and keep aside. Make sure that the onions, green onions and cucumber are finely diced and all about the same size pieces. Discard the stems of parsely and finely chop the leaves. Mix all the vegetables and the cooked bulgur wheat together. Season this with some salt and mix well. Then in a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and oil to form an emulsion. Add black pepper and additional salt as needed to this. Pour some of the dressing over the mixed salad and toss all the ingredients together. Taste and add more dressing as needed. It is important to taste,  and not pour all the dressing into the salad so that you don't end up adding too much and over-dressing it. It is best to make it at least an hour before serving and let it sit in the fridge for about an hour so that the ingredients will get time to mix well. If serving fresh, you may need additional dressing on hand.

Tips
Bulgur wheat is pre-cooked wheat, hence it is not necessary to cook it for a long time. You may
even have instructions on the packet to soak it in cold water for about 1-2 hours. Drain and let the excess moisture from the wheat drain away, else the dressing will become diluted and not coat the ingredients well. You can cut back the bulgur wheat to half to quantity to make it a lighter salad.
You can use tender stems of parsley, but discard anything that is mature and fibrous.

Batata Vada/Wada (Fried Potato Fritter)

"Batata vadas" are fried spicy potato fritters. It is one of the most common street foods in Maharashtra. Sandwhich one in a bun, add chutneys and voila, it is now a very Indian "burger". I have so many fond memories related to batata vadas. One that stands out is one rainy afternoon when my Dad and I had gone on a short hike on the outskirts of the city. There was a bracing wind, and a slight drizzle which soon turned into a downpour. Fortunately, we took found a small restaurant and took refuge there. Then, my dad ordered a plate of batata vadas with some hot tea. It was just fabulous! While the restaurant was pretty run down, the vadas were hot and tasty and the hot tea,the perfect drink for two drenched souls. Now, whenever it rains, I always wish that someone would hand me some vadas and tea. Well, I finally fried some when it rained the last time and they were lip smacking. So, next time it is dull, grey and pouring cats and dogs, whip up a batch and enjoy.

Ingredients
For the stuffing
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 large potatoes, boiled and mashed
salt to taste
2 garlic pods
1/2 inch ginger
2 chillies
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 lemon
2 tsp oil
1/8 tsp mustard seeds
1/8 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of asafoetida/hing
pinch of turmeric

For the cover
1 cup besan/gram flour
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp oil, warm
1/4 tsp baking soda
salt to taste
1/8 tsp turmeric
water

oil to fry the vadas - there should be about 2-3 inches of oil, so that the entire potato fritter can be fried easily.

Method
Grind the green chillies, ginger and garlic into a paste. Mix it into the mashed potatoes. Mix in the onions and cilantro. Then add the sugar and salt to the mixture. In a small pan, hehe at the oil and add mustard and cumins seeds. Once they crackle, add the hing and turmeric. Turn off the heat and pour this onto the mixture. Mix well. Then squeeze some lemon juice into this mixture.

Roll out the potato mixture into small balls, about 1.5 - 2 inches in diameter. Keep aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the besan, chilli powder, salt and baking soda. Add some oil which has been warmed and then add some water. Add a little water at a time and mix to form a batter. The consistency of the batter should be thick so that when you dunk the potato balls the batter should coat it evenly.

Heat the oil. Then, dunk a potato ball into the batter and gently drop it into the oil. (be very careful not to splash any oil on you). Add about 3-4 vadas only at a time. Do not over crowd your frying pan. Fry the vadas till the cover is brown. Serve with spicy mint chutney and tamarind chutney.

Tips
If you add more water to the cover batter by mistake, add a little more flour and adjust the salt and chilli levels to taste. To check if the oil is hot enough, drop a little batter into the oil and if the droplets come up immediately, then the oil is hot and ready to fry the vadas.

Scallion/Green Onion Stir Fry - "Paati Chi Bhaaji"

This long delicate green is tender onion and is called scallion or green onion. In Marathi its called "Paati cha Kanda" which literaly translates to "Leaves of Onion". Now, occasionally I have confused the word scallion with scallop, but these are nowhere in the same food category. One is a vegetable while the latter is a type of seafood. However, always remember that scallion ends with the word "onion" and that will help you remember that scallions are "green onions". This is a vegetable commonly found in Chinese style stir frys and salads, but usually is not used as a standalone agent. This is possibly one of the only preparations that I have come across where this is the star of the show. When you cook scallions, they tend to shrink and reduce significantly in volume, so you must start off with double the volume of these fresh green onions, so you end up with a sufficient quantity for your meal.

Ingredients
2 tbsp oil
1/8 tsp mustard seeds
1/8 tsp cumin/jeera seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 green chilli
4 cups chopped scallions/green onions (use the green leaves as well as the onions)
1 cup besan/chickpea flour
salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp turmeric

Method
In a bowl, mix the chickpea flour, salt and sugar together and set aside
In a large, broad pan, heat some oil. To it add the the mustard and cumin seeds. Once the mustard seeds start sputtering, add the sesame seeds and the green chilli. Once the sesame seeds are slightly golden, add the chopped white tips of the scallions. Cook till they are transparent and then add the turmeric powder. Next add the greens and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Now, sprinkle the chickpea flour mixture into the stirfry and mix well. This will ensure that most of the leaves and onions will get coated with the mixture. Now, let this cook for ten minutes or so on low to medium heat. You can stop cooking it as soon as the mixture tasted cooked, however I prefer to cook it on longer till the flour coated parts start to brown and crisp up. At this stage, turn off the heat. Serve as a side or with chapati.

Tips
Instead of green chilli, you can use 1/2 to 1 tsp chilli powder (adjust to taste). If you use the chilli powder, mix it into the chickpea flour. Always add the white part of the onion a few minutes before the green leafy part. The white part takes a little longer to cook.