PAKORA:what is pakora?

PAKORA
These are popular snacks in Pakistan and northern India, and are easy to make. People serve them to unexpected guests washed down with cups of tea, as the ingredients are readily available in subcontinental kitchens. You can make them with aubergines (eggplants), or potatoes, but the most important ingredient is the chickpea flour, or besan as it is called. You can grind your own from dried chickpeas if you can’t buy it at your local supermarket.
People enjoy eating these while sitting on their verandahs or balconies, and watching the rain in the monsoon season.


Pakora
Ingredients
250 gr chickpea flour (besan)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
100 gr spinach, washed thoroughly, dried and finely shredded
6 green chillies, very finely chopped
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala (see our recipe)
1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried mint
1 handful fresh coriander leaves, finely shredded
1 tbsp dried pomegranate seeds, soaked in water for 5 mins before using
¾ cup water
salt and pepper
oil for deep frying


Method
Put the chickpea flour along with the vegetables, spices and herbs into a large mixing bowl. Slowly add the water and knead until everything is evenly mixed. If you feel you need a little more water add some, but not too much.
Heat the oil in a frying pan or deep-fryer and when it starts to bubble, take a tbsp of the mixture and drop it into the pan. Continue doing this until you have a layer of Pakora and fry until they are lightly browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and drain on absorbent paper while cooking the next batch. Keep warm (in a preheated oven) until they are all cooked.
Serve with our mint and yoghurt sauce and the traditional cup of tea.

SAGE HISTORY AND USES, SAGE AND GARLIC SAUCE RECIPE

SAGE
Sage is native to the Mediterranean region, and seems not to be used in cooking on the subcontinent. Its official name, salvia, comes from the Latin, salvare, meaning, to save, as it was believed that sage was a cure-all.
The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that it conferred wisdom, and enhanced their mental abilities. For them it symbolized wisdom, skill, longevity, good health and increased psychic powers. In the Middle Ages it was used as a treatment for assisting those who had become forgetful, and infusions of it were given to cure fevers and intestinal problems. It was also thought that it could cure eye problems, liver diseases, epilepsy and infections of all types. Europeans used it to protect themselves from witchcraft in the 14th century. There is an English proverb 'He that would live for aye, Must eat sage in May’. This echoes an Arabic saying, ’How can a man die when he has sage in his garden?’
John Gerard wrote ‘Sage is singularly good for the head and brain; it quickeneth the senses and memory…’He went on to detail other benefits. Dioscorides used the leaves and stems to clean wounds and staunch their blood flow. Culpeper used sage tea to help ease sore throats and coughs. He also suggested its juice could be used with vinegar to ward off the plague and used sage along with other summer herbs to make cooling drinks in summer.
If you are attractive to biting insects, you should rub the crushed leaves over exposed parts of your body to deter bugs.
Scientists have found that sage boosts oestrogen production so can help women who need such a boost.
Try boiling sage with potatoes, or use it with other cooked potatoes .You can use sage instead of basil in our basil and tomato sauce recipe. Try the one below:


SAGE AND GARLIC SAUCE
Ingredients
14 sage leaves, each one torn but still leaving the leaf intact
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds (optional)
olive oil for frying


Method
Heat the oil over a low heat and add all the ingredients. Cook for 5 mins, remove from the heat and pour over your favourite pasta. Then add freshly ground black pepper and salt if you wish.
This has Taste and is a Treat-especially as it’s so quick to rustle up.

PARSLEY HISTORY AND USES WITH TRADITIONAL PARSLEY SAUCE RECIPE

PARSLEY
Parsley has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years, although it was first used in medicine and not food. Its name comes from the Greek, ‘petros selinon’ meaning, "rock celery”. There are many different types of this herb, but we refer to the curly leaved variety and flat leaved or Italian parsley.
The ancient Greeks believed that parsley had sprung from the blood of one of their fallen heroes, Archemorus, and it was sacred to Persephone, goddess of the underworld. It was never used in food or placed on their tables as it symbolized oblivion and the dead. However it was used to crown victorious athletes at the Isthmian games.
In contrast, the Romans used parsley to cure the ‘morning after the banquet feeling’, and Pliny the Elder wrote that no salad or sauce should be prepared without it. We often use it to take the smell of garlic from our breath. In medieval times it was placed on tables and worn around the necks of those at a feast, because it was thought to absorb food odours.
The parsley root has been used in infusions to break up kidney stones, and we use its juice to take the pain away after being stung by an insect. It offers quick relief.
Scientists have found that it contains a substance which can inhibit the growth of cancerous cells, and some believe that in the future it may prove to be an aid to preventing cancer.
It is a rich source of vitamin C and can be used in salads, such as this one; chopped Florentine fennel, orange slices, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds and parsley. It’s tasty, try it.
Parsley has been used in hair lotions to rid the scalp of dandruff and promote hair growth and to produce yellow and green dyes.
Curly parsley has been used as a garnish, only to be discarded, but if you find a piece of this herb on your plate eat it and give your taste buds a treat.
You might have seen these terms in recipes and this is what they mean: persillade-chopped parsley and chopped garlic; gremolata, the same but with grated lemon zest too.
Try our parsley sauce recipe below. It’s great with fish.


PARSLEY SAUCE
Ingredients
½ pint milk
20 gr plain flour
40 gr butter
6 tbsps finely chopped curly leaved parsley
salt and pepper to taste


Method
Heat the butter in a pan over a low heat. Remove from the heat and add the flour, stirring to a smooth paste. Add the milk slowly, stirring all the time. When the sauce boils, add the chopped parsley and simmer for 5 mins.
It’s ready to serve with fish.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

BASIL, BASIL SEEDS ( TUKH MALANGA) WITH SIMPLE BASIL SAUCE RECIPE

BASIL
Basil has been cultivated for more than 5,000 years in India and Asia where it originated. It is a herb over which there has been some dispute over the centuries. Even the origin of its name is in dispute. Some believe it comes from the Greek Basleias meaning king, while others say it is derived from the Latin, Basilescus, meaning basilisk (the fire breathing monster made famous by Harry Potter in the Chamber of Secrets).Whatever the origin, it was believed by the Romans that it would keep them safe from attacks by the basilisk, and it has been used to scent the bath water of both Greek and English royalty.
In Italy and Mexico it symbolized love and in Romania, men would give it to the woman they loved, and they were then officially engaged. In Persia and Malaysia bush basil was planted on graves.
It’s still used in France and Greece to keep away flies and mosquitoes, and you can see it growing in pots outside many of the houses on Greek islands. This is bush basil. Sweet basil is more commonly used, especially in Italian cuisine.
Dioscorides didn’t advocate using it internally, but Pliny the Elder championed it as did Arab physicians. Culpeper thought that it was good for drawing poison from the bites of ‘venomous beasts’ and for wasp and hornet stings. However a French physician, Hilarius said that a friend of his sniffed basil so much that scorpions bred in his brain.
It is now said that basil lowers blood pressure, can cure nausea and vomiting, and stop stomach cramps. Make a tea with boiling water and a sprig of fresh basil and let it steep in a cup for 5 mins. Strain, then add honey to soothe a cough, or 1 tsp fresh orange juice instead of honey to calm your nerves or perhaps to stop nausea.
In the subcontinent today, the black seeds from basil are used in drinks to cool the body down when the temperature soars. These seeds are called tukh malanga (pronounced took mal-anger) and they really do work as long as you can get over the fact that they look like frog spawn when soaked in water. We use them with fresh lemon squash for a cooling drink.



Tomato and Basil Sauce for Pasta
Ingredients
½ kilo tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely sliced
12 fresh basil leaves, chopped finely
½ cup water, or red wine and a little water
salt and pepper to taste
(Omit onions and garlic and wine for a plain, classic sauce)


Method
Fry onions and garlic until the onion is soft, then add all the other ingredients. Stir well and continue stirring intermittently for 10- 15 mins.
(You can liquidize tomatoes, basil, seasonings and red wine and water, and just heat this liquid for 5 – 10 mins for a really quick meal.)
Serve with cooked pasta, and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil.

This has Taste and is a Treat.