Guyanese Kitchri

Kitchri/Kitchree Recipe

(This recipe is Copyrighted and owned by Nanda Sahadeo. Anyone reposting it on their site without permission from Nanda Sahadeo is committing an infringement.)

Kitchri comes from the Sanskrit work khiccaa--a dish made of lentils and rice. There are variations to its pronunciation too: Kitchdi/kitchari. It is one of the most ancient dishes of India. Our Ancestors was fond of cooking this as it was easy to prepare, hearty and inexpensive too.It is a still a very popular dish in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar...the places where most of our Ancestors are from.

At Hindu weddings in Guyana, the groom is given Kitchri when he sits down to eat after the ceremony is over.

In India, different dal/pulse/lentils are used. In Guyana, as only yellow split peas were available to the Indian Immigrants, this was adopted.Today only this dal is used in the preparation of Kitchri for Guyanese. 

You can try out the different dals if you are adventurous. However, if it is one of those dals that cook quickly, add the dal afterwards and not before the rice. Have used parboiled long grain rice in this recipe.

You can use any rice of your choice, just be careful with the cooking time. If it is one of those fast cooking rice like Basmati and you are using yellow split peas, you will need to wait until the dal is almost cooked as in this recipe. If you are using Indian dals like mung or masoor dal, you can add both dal and rice at the same time.

Ghee/clarified butter is an absolute necessity in this dish. Phal ka ghee that is available in Guyanese and Trinidadian groceries...is not Ghee...it is vegetable shortening. Ghee is that which is made from Cow's milk/butter. Phal literally mean fruit and ghee cannot be made from fruits so please be aware of this. 

In Ayurveda, eating Kirchri is one way of giving our body a rest and allowing it to self cleanse. For this purpose, one can omit the onions and garlic. If you are just making Kitchri to eat regularly, you can add fresh whole pepper when you add the haldi at the beginning.

This is an ideal dish to make when you are bush-cooking, cooking outdoors/picnicking. It goes well with a side of pakoras/pholourie/baigani. Fresh mango chatney also goes very nicely with this. And of course with a fresh garden salad.

Ingredients:

2 cups long grain parboiled rice
3/4 cup split peas/dal
1 cup grated coconut
1 cup onions chopped coarsely
1 teaspoon ground jeera/cumin
1 teaspoon ground haldi/tumeric
5 flakes garlic...2 chopped coarsely, 3 sliced 
1 tablespoon ghee
1 tablespoon whole  jeera/cumin 
5-6 cups water

Method:

1. Add the grated coconut to the water, stir it around with your hands, then squeeze the coconut out. 
2. Strain this coconut milk into a deep saucepot and put it to boil on a high flame.

3. Wash the dal and drain the water off.
4. Add the dal to the coconut milk when it starts to boil then turn down the heat to a low flame.
5. Stir completely to prevent the dal from sticking to the bottom of the pot...it can clump up and burn quickly.
6. Add the ground haldi, cover and allow to boil.

7. When the dal is half cooked....

8.Add the rice, stir to incorporate completely.
8. Add salt to taste.
9.Add the coarsely chopped onions and garlic, cover and allow to cook again.

10. When both rice and dal are almost cooked, add the ground jeera.

11. Heat the ghee in a shallow pan and when it is hot, add the whole jeera.

12. When it starts to crackle, add the sliced garlic.
13. Allow to fry until golden brown.
14. Now add this ghee/garlic/jeera mixture to the pot of rice and dal.

15. Your Kitchri is ready to eat. Enjoy...

Soft Mithai/Kurma

Laktho is a traditional sweet/mithai from Bihar that came with our Ancestors.
I mentioned before with my Mithai/Lakthoe recipe that Mithai literally means Sweet. All Indian sweetmeats are called Mithai. The recipe here is for the soft version of Mithai/Lakhto. Long ago, Muslims generally used to make this and they added eggs to their recipe. These days, Hindus too make these for their Maticore minus the eggs. It is very easy and faster to prepare which may be another reason why Hindus make them now when they have to make large quantities as is done for the Maticore ceremony.

For those using eggs, you can use it instead of whole milk but I have no idea how it will come out--just experiment and see what happens.

Ingredients:

4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 oz butter, softened/room temperature
1 cup grated coconut
3 Tablespoons condensed milk
1/2 cup whole milk (approximately)
10 elachis/cardamon ground
Oil for frying

For Syrup:
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup water


Method:

1.Mix flour and baking powder together.
2. Add the softened butter and incorporate with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse meal.
3.Add the coconut and elachi and incorporate completely.
4. Add the condensed milk and mix thoroughly.
5. Now add the milk a little at a time until it becomes a soft but firm dough.

3.Cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

4. Cut dough into two balls.

5. Roll out one of the balls on a lightly floured board/counter to about 1/3 inch thickness.

6. Cut into 1 inch strips with a sharp knife.

7. Now cut each strip into diamond shaped pieces

8.Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot but not smoking, add the pieces one at a time. Be very careful as these are very easy to fall apart.
9.Deep fry on medium flame until golden brown on one side then gently turn each piece over and allow to fry again until golden brown.

9. Remove and drain on paper towels.
10.Do the same with the rest of the dough until all is fried.

Now make the syrup:

11. Put the water and sugar into a saucepan and put to boil on a high flame.
12.Stir often as it boils, with a wooden spoon.
13.As it starts to thicken--like honey, dip a spoonful and watch how it flows off of it. Drop some into a glass of water and if it retains it soft ball shape--it is ready.
14. Remove from the heat. You need to be quick now.
15. Now add the syrup a little at a time to the mithai pieces and stir carefully to coat each piece.
16. It will look sticky and you need to turn it over and over for it to dry...just be very gentle and these are very delicate pieces of mithai.

17. When it is dried, the pieces will no longer clump together.
18. Your Mithai is ready to serve/eat. Enjoy.

Gopie's Eddoes and Baigan Curry...

Eddoes and Baigan Curry

(This recipe is Copyrighted and owned by Nanda Sahadeo. Anyone reposting it on their site without permission from Nanda Sahadeo is committing an infringement.)

Eddoe is Taro Root. It is versatile and once upon a time when Irish Potatoes were banned from Guyana, it was used to substitute the latter in many of our dishes. Unlike Potatoes, Eddoes have a distinct flavor and are heavier in texture when boiled. Eddoes can sometimes be problematic as some does not boil/cook properly no matter how long you cook/boil them. At home in Guyana,when we get "boiling" eddoes from a particular seller, you will go back and buy from that person always. "Boiling" eddoes mean that they will cook through and not remain raw. Eddoes also can scratch your hands when you peel it. In Guyana, we get one variety of Eddoes, however, I have noticed several varieties in New York City.

I first saw this style of cooking Eddoes and Baigan curry, while we were helping to cook for The Mahadeo's 25th Wedding Anniversary in Barbados, 2005. Then later again at the puja of Amrita Singh from our Mandir in Triumph Village, on the East Coast of Demerara in Guyana. Her husband, Gopie Singh, made it and we loved it.The gravy is nice and thick--it goes really well with hot Sada or Paratha rotis.

Eddoes and Baigan curry is often cooked when Hindus have religious ceremonies and weddings--it is one of the 7 kinds of dishes that we serve.


Ingredients:

2 lbs eggplant/baigan chopped into cubes
2 lbs eddoes cubed
2 cups chopped onions
5 flakes garlic minced
4 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons ground jeera/cumin
6 cups hot water
4 teaspoons oil
Salt to taste
Minced hot pepper to taste or it can be omitted and eaten with pepper sauce.

Method:

1.Heat the oil in a heavy bottom, deep pot or a karahi on medium hot flame.

2.Add chopped onions and saute until transparent.

3. Add garlic and saute for a minute.

4. Add chopped baigan and stirred until properly coated.

5. Add 2 teaspoons salt. Stir to ensure it is properly incorporated.

6.Add the curry powder, stir until it coats the vegetable and allow to fry for 2 minutes.

7. Add the garam masala, stir until it all of the vegetables are coated.

8.Add the chopped tomatoes, stir completely then cover the pot.

9. When the masala starts to stick to the bottom, add 4 cups of hot water.

10. Allow to cook until the vegetables are soft and mushy.

11. We need the baigan to be as mushy as possible. So using whatever is available-- a dal ghotni,

Dal Ghotni

immersion blender or potato masher, mash/blend until the gravy is extremely thick.

12. Now add the chopped eddoes to the pot and stir until completely incorporated.

13. Add the remaining 2 cups of boiling water. If using fresh hot peppers, add them at this stage.

14.As soon as the gravy starts to bubble, lower the heat to a low flame and cover the pot again.
15. Allow to cook until the eddoes are completely boiled through. Test by cutting one of the pieces with your spoon--if it runs through smoothly--it is cooked.

16. If it is not completely cooked through, add about 1/2 cup of boiling water and allow to cook again.
17. Keep testing every 10 minutes and as soon as the eddoes are cooked through, add the ground jeera.
18. Taste and add salt to suit your taste then allow to simmer for 2 minutes more.

19.Remove from heat.

Eddoe and baigan curry is especially delicious when eaten hot with rotis.

Laktho or Crunchy Mithai Recipe.

Laktho/ Mithai Recipe

(This recipe is Copyrighted and owned by Nanda Sahadeo. Anyone reposting it on their site without permission from Nanda Sahadeo is committing an infringement.)

Lakhto is a traditional Sweet or Mithai from Bihar that came with our Ancestors. It is called Kurma in Trinidad. This sweet is made when we have Maticore/Dye night ceremonies before Hindu weddings. This recipe is for the crunchy Laktho. There is another kind of Laktho --a softer kind that used to be made for Muslim weddings. Today, Hindus also make the softer variety. 

This is the crunchy Mithai's recipe. It is requires just a few ingredients which makes it ideal for weddings where you have to prepare everything in huge quantities. At most Hindu weddings, it a free for all and anyone can attend. Food is prepared in abundance. The Mithai that is made for the Maticore ceremony, is offered as Prasad to Mother Earth/Dharti Ma--when the Mothers of the Bride and Groom perform Puja to Her. Mithai is also made and sent to the Groom's home from the Bride's home and the Groom also brings some from his home to the Bride's. My Mom says that when she was a child in Essequibo, the ladies would take the Mithai dough and make some in the shape of humans and then send them to the other side(bride or groom).

Making Lakhto for the Maticore is the starting of the Wedding food preparation and it is such great fun for the kids especially. Can remember when our elder cousins got married and the ladies were making the Mithai. They had to constantly shoo us away as we could not eat the Mithai before it was offered as Prasad much later in the evening. The delicious smell of all the different preparations assaulting our delicate nostrils was such a test to our restraints.

Have not used any flavourings at all in this recipe but you are free to add any of your choice. Ground Cinamon, or Elaichi/Cardamon and Nutmeg can be added to the dry ingredients or to the syrup. In Trinidad, grated ginger is added to the syrup.

Latho is one of those things that once you start eating, it is contagious--you simply cannot stop.....


Ingredients:

For Dough:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 level teaspoon baking powder
1 cup water
Oil for deep-frying.

For Syrup:
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 teacup water


Method:

1. Add all the dry ingredients into a deep bowl. Mix well to fully incorporate all the ingredients.

2. Add the water a little at a time. We want a soft but firm dough---not sticky at all.

3. Knead with about 50 strokes then place in a bowl and cover with a tea towel.

4. Allow sit for 15 minutes.

5. Turn out onto a floured board and cut into 5 pieces.

6. Taking one of the dough balls, roll it out to about 1/8'' thickness---like when making paratha rotis.

7. Using a sharp knife, score lines through the dough horizontally.

8. You need a cutting board or chouki for the next step:

9. Thoroughly flour the board or else the dough pieces will get stuck on it.

10. Taking up one of the dough strips, place it on the cutting board and start cutting off into thin strips.

11. Make sure that all the pieces stay onto the board--this makes it easier to move them to the frying pan.

12. Heat oil in a deep-frying pan on medium heat.

13. As soon as the oil is hot, take the cutting board with the laktho strips and using your knife, push them off the board and into the oil. Be very careful so as not to burn yourself.

14. Using the same knife, poke it into the frying pan and shift the dough around to loosen the pieces. Using a knife is most effective as the dough pieces do not stick to it.

15. Stir as it cooks to ensure that its evenly cooked. Allow to fry until golden brown.

16. Remove the fried pieces and drain on paper towel.

17.Do the same process from No.6 until all the dough has been cut, fried and drained.

18. To make the Syrup: Place the sugar and water in a deep saucepan and put to boil on high flame.

19. Stir the liquid often as it boils with a wooden spoon.

20.  As it starts to thicken, dip a spoonful up and watch how it flows off the side of the spoon--it must be like thick honey consistency--soft ball stage. Drop some into a glass of water and it should retain its soft ball shape. Turn off the heat and remove from the stove.

21. You need to work fast now. Pour all the fried Mithai pieces into the pan with the syrup. Start stirring immediately. As you tumble up the pieces, the syrup will start to dry out and coat each laktho.

22. Continue tumbling the pieces until the sugar has crystalised and stuck onto the mithai.

23. Your crunchy Lakhto is ready to eat... Enjoy.

This is what it looks like when White Sugar is used instead of Brown Sugar in the syrup. My Brother says that the Brown Sugar Lakhto tastes much better than the White Sugar Lakhto!