JAGGERY JELLO JIGGLER AND FIELD BEANS MASALA WITH POORIS!

Hello everybody! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and ate a lot. Now, make some room for my delicious dishes too! Before that, I have some beautiful photos to share with you from the Carolina Coast where we were for a short break last week and then my contribution to 'Jihva' and Poori with Field beans masala!

A beautiful Sunrise:


Even more beautiful Sunset:


A sunny stroll on the beach:


Well, hope you enjoyed the photos as much as we did. Now on to my recipes:

A delicious American classic Jello Jiggler dessert with a Indian twist using Jaggery! This would be my entry to 'Jaggery for Jihva' being rounded up by Kay of 'Towards a better Tomorrow' who suggested that we should come up with some unusual dishes if we could.I thought 'Okay then, let me see who has thought of making this dessert before?!'I am hoping that I am the only one who came up with this Jaggery Jello Jiggler:D Btw, I love the name 'Jihva',I wish it had a equally beautiful logo as well so I could display it with pride ;)



A quick Info: Jaggery ,Bella,Vellam,or gur as we call it in India, is an unbleached and unrefined sweetener made from sugarcane .It is found in South America as Panela and in Mexico as piloncillo. (Photo: www.tulsidas.com)




Here is my Jaggery Jello Jiggler: Makes 2-4 servings


This is how you make this super simple but delicious Jello:
1/4 Cup packed Jaggery,crushed (or more Jaggery if you want it sweeter)
1 cup water (1 Gelatin envelope for 1 1/4 cup liquid, total proportion)
1 Envelope(1/4oz) of Knox or Jell-o Original unflavored unsweetened Gelatin,
1 tbsp heavy cream (1 more tbsp cream if you want it creamier)
1/2 tsp cardamom pd.

Spray a Jello mould with no-stick oil lightly, keep it aside.
1. Soak Jaggery in water for 5 mins and boil in the Microwave until melted for 3-4mins. Strain through a strainer lined with paper coffee filter to a bowl.
2. Add cardamom pd to the hot mix. Add gelatine to 1 tbsp heavy cream and stir until smooth.
3. Add immediately to the hot Jaggery water,stir gently to mix.
4. Pour into the mould and place it in the fridge.Do not touch it until set.
5. Finally, immerse the bottom of the mould in hot water.When edges are loose, invert onto a plate and serve. Your Indian Jello is ready to dig in :))

After that yummy dessert, a delicious Field Beans Masala:


Let me give you an authentic Karnataka dish; my home state back in South India along with some puffed wheat flour Pooris to scoop it up. These beans are called Field Beans in English and Avarekai or Avarekalu in Kannada ,which are grown in India and elsewhere mainly during summer.Lot of good memories are associated with this Field beans dish which is my Grandmother's recipe and she used to make it often with fresh beans along with Idlis and Dosas:)I make some Pooris with this dish which is one of the fried breads of India.

This is how dry Field Beans look as you get it in the Indian stores:


A Summer delight:
Usually every summer in India ,Indians get a surplus supply of fresh green beans which are delicious to eat and have unique taste unlike any other beans we usually get here like Navy,Kidney etc,.If you cannot get this particular beans, you could use the same masala with any beans available.Ofcourse, it tastes different from this field beans dish.




Another look of field beans masala.It looked so good , I decided to put up this photo as well!


In US, usually we get plenty of dried beans in Indian stores but hardly any fresh one's ,at least where I live. You do need to soak the dry beans overnight,drain and cook next day in a pressure cooker with water.These are also called Val, Surati Val or Val beans which are split beans.I prefer to use whole Val or field beans in this traditional dish, which is really called Avarekalu Palya in Kannada to be authentic!

A delicious plate of Field beans masala with puffed Pooris, served with onions and a slice of lemon:


To Make Beans Masala, you need:




You need to soak 1 cup dry Field beans overnight and the next day, ,drain the water, add 3 cups of fresh water and cook until soft.I use pressure cooker on low heat for 30 mins ,so they don't get mashed.





Dry roast each separately: 1 1/2 tbsp Coriander seeds,3/4 tbsp cumin seeds,1/2 tsp Fenugreek or methi seeds, 1 tsp peppercorns,2-3 dry red chillies,1 tbsp poppy seeds.Fry 2 big onions sliced in 1 tbsp oil until brown,1 small garlic, saute for few mins.





Take them out. Add all these to the blender along with 1/4 cup fresh or dry dessicated coconut,1 tbsp roasted chana dal or chutney dal,1/2 tsp turmeric,1 tsp paprika or chilli pd ,enough water , grind to a smooth paste.




Soak and squeeze out 3 tbsp tamarind juice.Heat 1 tbsp oil or butter, add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds,curry leaves (Optional),1 garlic minced,1/2 onion chopped,fry until soft. Add ground masala ,tamarind juice and 1 cup of water and simmer until the raw smell goes on medium heat for 10 mins.





When it's thicker and a little oil shows on top, add cilantro,salt,adjust the chilli pd if needed.Add in all the beans with water and simmer until thick.Tastes better next day. Add as much water as needed, don't make it too thin. Need to be able to scoop up the beans with poori Indian style!If it's too thin, microwave it on high for 5 mins.Don't burn the gravy.




Now, let's make some Indian whole wheat puffed bread, shall we?!

These are just like paratha dough but rolled out into smaller circles and deep fried.Pooris are not usually made everyday unlike chapatis and parathas because they are deep fried.They are usually reserved for weekends, special days or whenever we have guests.They are delicious to eat right out of the fryer (after draining on paper towel that is) since they get deflated quickly after few mins unless you add 2tbsp fine semolina which retains the puffed shape for a longer time than just wheat flour Pooris but get a little crispier . Did you get all that?:D
I talk too much, don't I? I will shut up now and make some Poories........

This is how you make Pooris: Makes about 16 pooris/4 servings



Mix and knead 2 cups of either wheat flour or Plain flour ,1/2 tsp salt ,1 tbsp fine semolina with enough milk or water until you get a firm pliable dough,cover and keep aside for 15 mins.Divide into golf ball sized or smaller portions to make round balls again.





Take a ball, roll out to a 4" and 1/8" thick circle. Cover until ready to fry.Don't use too much flour or let them dry too much before frying.Heat the oil to deep fry while you roll them out.You can use 4"-5" cookie cutter for a perfect Poori:)





When the oil is hot (375F),slide in one Poori into the oil,press it down gently under the oil for a few seconds with a wide spatula until it starts to puff,and then let it go.Splash some oil on it carefully if it helps the poori to puff up.





It will puff as you can see in the picture, if the dough not very soft,didn't roll them too thin or you didn't make any holes in it:) Be patient and practice. Try to make a perfect circle instead of maps like me.You can cut with cookie cutters too:D





After few minutes, flip gently and fry the other side until golden.Drain on the paper towels and serve them any gravy dish or dry fried veg or meat dishes.




Perfectly puffed up Poori!


That's all there is to it. Cook all these comfort food and enjoy the new tastes! :)

Here is another dish of Field beans sambhar (South Indian gravy) to eat with rice I cooked for us, using a fellow blogger's recipe. Lera's Bangalore style tasty Field beans curry(Avarekaii saaru). Thanks Lera :)

Well..enjoy good life and good food ,be happy and think positive!
See you all later in good health next week with my VERY special post ;)