Til Gul Wadi/Vadi - Sesame Seed Fudge

The first week of January has passed by and we are inching towards 14th of January, when the first Indian festival of the year will be celebrated. This is "Sankrant" also known as Makar  Sankrant in India. It is a festival to celebrate the harvest season. This is one festival which almost always falls on the 14th of January (this year it was on the 15th) and is based on the movement of the Sun rather than the Moon. It is celebrated throughout India and is called by different names in different states. Some names that I am familiar with are Lohari (in Punjab), Uttarayan (in Gujarat), Makar Sankrant (in Maharashtra) and Pongal (in the southern states). In Gujarat, the entire day is spent on the terrace of the houses and in streets flying kites. It is one of the most colorful scenes I have ever seen. In Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated over a period of three days.

In Maharashtra, it is celebrated by distributing sweets made from sesame seeds and jaggery. These are called "til gul vadi" and the tradition is to say "til gul ghya ani goad goad bola" which translates to "please take this sweet and speak sweetly". There are multiple variations in how this sweet is made, some are really hard in texture, some are brittle and some are soft. Each family has it's own recipe and tradition of making this sweet.

The ones I make have a soft texture and are easy to bite into and extremely simple to prepare. You can roll it into a ball and make a "laddoo" or you can flatten it and cut it into "vadi/barfi" akin fudge pieces. This is my Mom's recipe and my favorite version of this sweet. I hope you will give it a try and enjoy it.

Ingredients
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup peanuts (shelled and without the peel)
1 cup finely cut jaggery, cup should be packed
1 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
2 tbsp of grated dessicated coconut, for garnish
some ghee to grease the plate in which the sweet will be set.

Method
Take a plate with an edge or a pan with a small edge and grease it with some ghee.
In a dry skillet, on low to medium heat, roast the sesame seeds till you get the aroma of the sesame seed.  Keep it aside and let it cool. In the same skillet roast the peanuts following the same method as for the sesame seeds. Be careful not to burn these ingredients. Once these cool down, coarsely grind them separately and then mix the two powders together.

In a pan, add the ghee and jaggery and keep it on a very low flame to cook. The jaggery will start melting. Be sure to keep it on very low heat.. Stir the jaggery so that it doesn't caramelize. Within a couple of minutes, the jaggery will start bubbling and foaming. At this stage, turn off the heat and add the powdered mixture of peanuts and sesame seeds and mix well together. Then pour this mixture (it will be quite thick) into the greased plate. Then using another bowl/measuring cup (grease the bottom), pat the this hot mixture and even it out into the plate. Make sure to level it properly. Then sprinkle the dessicated coconut all over the top and using the cup, pat it into the mixture. All this must be done while the mixture is hot.

Then, after the mixture cools a little, cut it into square pieces of about 1 inch sides. Let the mixture cool completely befor you take the individual pieces out of the plate.

Tips
You can roast the peanuts and the sesame seeds in the microwave. Initially you can do it for 1 minute intervals. Stir it after each minute and then you can reduce that to 30 second intervals. It takes about 2-3 minutes based on the power settings of your microwave. Let them cool completely and then grind.
If jaggery is kept on high heat, it will start caramelizing as soon as it melts, so be careful of the temperature. Also, it is necessary to turn off the heat as soon as the jaggery foams to get the soft consistency, the longer it is cooked, the harder the end product will be. If you feel that the jaggery syrup has become very thick, you can add some more ghee or alternately add a couple of tbsp of milk to the syrup to thin it out (if you add milk, this shortens the shelf life, so be sure to keep it refrigerated and eat it in a couple of days). If  after adding the sesame and peanut powder, the mixture becomes very dry and powdery, then sprinkle a teaspoon of warm milk and stir (while the mixture is hot). The mixture will immediately become moist (if it becomes too soft and moist, then re-heat it).  Then spoon the mixture into the greased plate.

If you forget to remove the pieces and then it gets difficult to take them out, heat the bottom of your plate or keep it in a warm oven for a couple of minutes and then it will be very easy to get the pieces out.

Fig and Blackberry Crostata

A couple of weekends ago, I had invited a few friends over for brunch. I wanted to make this a special occasion. Sometimes, it feels good to turn an ordinary day into something special by inviting friends over and cooking something special. Of course, I started planning the menu as soon as the invitations were sent and finally decided on waffles with mixed berry syrup, hash browns and home made bread along with assortments of jams and preserves. But, I was still missing that something which would make the menu all the more special. So, I finally asked my husband for suggestions. He reminded me about a crostata that I had made earlier and I decided to make it. A crostata, I believe is a type of Italian pie and it seemed the perfect addition to the menu.

I had just bought some fresh figs and decided to make a fig and blackberry filling. The recipe is from the "Baking with Julia" book, and I made some modifications based on the fruits I had on hand.  The end result was delicious. The pie made sixteen medium servings and we enjoyed the pie for dessert  over the next couple of days as well.

Ingredients
For the crust
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp lemon zest
8 ounces/2 sticks/ 16 tbps butter, cut into small cubes, and chilled

For the filling
16 ripe fresh figs, cut into quarters
12 ounces (1.5 cups) blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1.5 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp unsalted butter

For the egg wash and topping
1 egg
1 tbsp water
1-2 tbsp granulated sugar

Method
To make the crostata crust
Lightly toast the almonds. Then toast the sesame seeds. Cool both before using further. Grind together the almonds, sesame seeds and 1 tbsp of sugar. The resulting mixture should be powdered and not overly processed to the stage where the oils are released. In a bowl, add the vanilla extract to the eggs and whisk them together. In another bowl, mix together the almond and sesame powder, flour, remaining sugar, cinnamon, salt and the lemon zest. Then add the butter a little at a time and mix till the mixture becomes crumbly. There maybe some pieces of butter still remaining. Do not overmix the dough. Add the eggs and them mix till the dough comes together. At this stage, take it out onto a floured surface and knead gently a couple of times to bring all the ingredients together. Any pie crust should not be overworked as it will impact the flakiness of the crust. Then cut the dough into two unequal pieces. Wrap each piece up in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.

To make the filling
Mix together half of the figs and blackberries, both sugars, butter, flour and lemon zest and heat it over low heat. Cook till the mixture reaches  a boil and starts to thicken. Stir occasionally. Turn off the heat and add the remaining fruit to the cooked mixture and set aside.

To assemble the crostata
Remove the smaller piece of the crust dough and roll it out to get about a 10 inch diameter. Use a well floured surface covered with parchment paper to roll it out. Then cut this into half inch strips. Slip the parchment paper onto a plate/baking tray and refrigerate. Then roll out the larger piece of dough to about an 11 inch circle or to cover the entire pie dish or tart pan, with a bit of dough as overhang. Now, using your rolling pin, roll the rolled out circle onto the pin and transfer gently to the pie dish. Then using your fingers gently press down the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. Trim the dough that is over the sides leaving about 1/8th of an inch. You can shape the side of the pie if you want. If using a tart pan, press it well into the ridges of the pan and then remove the excess dough that comes up the sides.

Next, make the egg wash, by beating together one egg with one tbsp of water.

Next, pour the cooled fruit filling into the pie dish and make sure that it is spread in an even layer. Then brush the sides of the pie shell with the egg wash. Remove the strips from the fridge and arrange these onto the top of the pie in the form of a lattice. Use half the strips in a vertical direction and the remaining to form the horizontal strips. Based on the length of the strips, place them onto the edges or the center of the pie dish. Place on horizontal strip and then the vertical strip. Do this till all the strips are used up. Based on the number of strips you have cut, decide how far apart you will need to place them to cover the entire top surface. Now chill the assembled crostata in the fridge for at least half an hour.

While the pie chills, preheat the oven to 350F. Remove the crostata from the fridge and brush the top lattice with egg wash. Then sprinkle some sugar on top of the strips. Bake for about 45 mins to an hour till the crostata is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Transfer to a cooling rack and then you can move the crostata out of the pie dish upon cooling. You can also serve it from the pie dish. Serve at room temperature. 

Tips
Plan to start the process of making the dough a few hours before you plan to bake it. Serve it the day you cook it. It keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven before serving. You can toast the almonds and sesame seeds in the microwave. Heat it for a minute at a time till you can get the toasted smell. I lined the pie dish with parchment paper before assembling the pie, for easy removal. You can also use a pan with a removable bottom to make this. Use a spatula to easily remove the strips and place them onto the pie. You can chill this overnight and then bake this a couple of hours before you plan to serve it. You can refrigerate the egg wash. Cover it with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate. Keep the pie dish on a larger baking sheet before putting it in the oven. This way if the filling bubbles over, it will not fall onto the heating elements in the oven.
Store leftovers in the fridge and reheat in a 350F oven till brought up to room temperature before serving.

Chiwda - Savory Dish made with Pressed Rice

Continuing on the theme of items made at home during Diwali, another staple is the "Poha Chiwda". Pohe/Poha is pressed rice. The one I use for making Chiwda is the thin version though. The thick one is used to make the breakfast dish "Pohe". This is a very easy recipe, especially if you use the microwave for assistance. I do make it during the rest of the year too. It is just the perfect accompaniment with a nice cup of afternoon tea and definitely makes a healthy snack, especially my low fat version.

Ingredients
6 cups thin poha
2 tbsps oil
1/8 tsp turmeric
10-12 curry leaves
1/8 tsp mustard seeds
1/8 tsp jeera seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2-3 green chillies, sliced
pinch of hing
1/2 cup peanuts
1/4 cup dall/daliya/roasted gram
1/4 cup dry coconut slices
2-3 tbsp raisins
salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
pinch of citric acid

Method
Roast the poha till it is crispy. The color doesn't need to change. The texture will change and it will become crispy and crumble easily when crushed. The poha starts curling up a bit as it gets crispier. I generally roast the poha in the microwave. Start with heating it for 2 minutes at a times and then reduce this to 1 minute and then 30 seconds as it is roasted. Stir it in between to avoid heat from being concentrated on one patch. Keep a close eye on it to avoid burning as it gets closer to being completely done.
Mix the citric acid, sugar and salt together and sprinkle it on the warm roasted poha and mix it togther so that the poha is well coated. In a pan large enough to hold the poha, heat the oil. To this add the mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add the jeera, hing, curry leaves, chillies, peanuts, and roasted gram. Fry the peanuts  and gram they turn start changing color. Add the sesame seeds, coconut slices and then roast these for another minute. Then add the turmeric, raisins and the seasoned poha. Stir all the ingredients well so that all of the poha is coated with the seasoning and turns a light yellow color. If you feel that the oil is less compared to the quantity of poha, you can add a little more oil to the pan before adding the poha. Cook this for a couple of minutes. Taste and adjust the salt and sugar as needed. Store in an airtight container after it cools down completely. This will last a few weeks and doesn't need to be stored in the fridge.

You can serve this with a few slices of onion with some lime squeezed over it. The combination tastes fantastic.

Tips
Check for the poha variety before you buy it. Do no use thick poha, the taste will not be the same. You can substitute red chillies for the green ones. Use 4-5 if using red ones. If a small quantity of turmeric you are using is sufficient to impart the yellow color, use a smaller amount. Adjust it as needed. Do not add more than 2-3 pinches, as turmeric has an overpowering taste. Add the coconut slices before the peanuts and gram turn brown, else they will burn while the coconut is fried. Also, sesame and coconut slices take lesser time to brown, so add them after the peanuts and gram. You can increase the quantity of oil to almost twice the amount noted above for a richer taste.