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Ondhwa

DSC_0444 DSC_0460 Yes, that’s right, I’ve finally gone and done an Indian food post! It’s been a long time coming. You say it “and-voh”. Not sure why it’s spelt like that though. Ask my Mum. Speaking of Mumma B, she is responsible for this recipe. Nobody makes Indian food like she does. I’m telling you. Nobody. She suggested I post this recipe a while back, but obviously me being me, I decided to do it on my own terms. So what even is this yellowy thing?

DSC_0443 DSC_0457My Grandad calls it “Indian Savoury Cake”. I guess that’s a pretty accurate description. It’s a savoury cake made from lentil and rice flour, flavoured with classic Indian spices. It’s gluten free y’all! It’s not even hard to make. The hardest thing to find will be the flour. But, I am told if you pop into any large Tesco or Asda which has a sizeable “world foods” section, you should be able to find. If not look out for Indian grocery stores. The spices are not weird ones you’ll only use once either, so don’t feel like you’ll be splashing out on ingredients that will end up being lost at the back of the cupboard forever. In fact, I strongly suggest you buy the spices from the “world foods” section or an Indian food shop as you will get more for your money. The picture below shows the flour you are looking for. You can actually buy it online from here, and it’s pretty cheap!

DSC_0417 andvho 1 andvho 2One of the main reasons I’ve not posted any Indian recipes before, is because I leave all the Indian cooking to my Mum. Like I said before, she is the expert. Don’t get me wrong, I know the basics and whilst I was at uni I did attempt to make a few dishes, but I would always be left disappointed. Nothing would turn out as good as when my Mum made it even though I used the recipes she wrote down for me. I am hoping at some point to do a series of blog posts featuring my Mum actually. That way we can all learn a thing or two!

Speaking of Mums, don’t forget it’s Mother’s Day next Sunday. Why not cook/bake her something special eh?

Anyway, let me tell you a little more about this savoury cake. It’s a traditional Gujarati dish. Gujarat is in North West India, and that’s where my family are from. You won’t find any “chicken tikka masala” or “korma” round those parts. When I do the series of Indian food posts I will tell you a little more about the culture and cooking.

DSC_0440 DSC_0448Tempering
I would say a crucial aspect to Indian cooking is step one, tempering the spices. In simple terms you are shallow frying the spices in oil to release the flavours. You basically heat the oil and add your spices. When they start to pop and dance, you know they are ready. My Grandad was in the kitchen whilst I was preparing the dish and he was keeping a distant eye on what I was doing. I nearly ended up burning the spices but he intervened and said when you hear them going “tuk tuk”, you add the rest of the ingredients or remove from heat. Sound advice from a wise old man and an accurate way to describe the sound that is made. In fact, I went to see an Indian jazz musician who wrote a piece of music based on the sounds made during the tempering of spices.

Recipe

Like I said before, this is Mumma B’s recipe so I guess you could say it’s a KB.eats original.

Note: The sesame seeds that go on top are not essential but add a great bit of texture to the cakes. I used about ½tsp on each cake. Unfortunately I didn’t weigh them out before and just sprinkled straight out of the packet. Why not experiment with other seeds? I considered using sunflower but my Dad’s response was “that would be interesting…”. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it in his opinion!

Serves: 16
Prep time: 20 mins + overnight fermenting
Cooking time: 28 mins
Skill level: Like a 2 or 3 if 1 is easy

Equipments
Large mixing bowl
Small food processor
Grater
Small saucepan
12 hole muffin tray (well greased, this is important otherwise you will get stuck bottoms)

Ingredients
400g Ondhwa flour
200g natural yoghurt
300ml warm water
30g ginger 
250g grated courgette 
8g green chilli 
2tsp salt
2tsp bicarbonate of soda 
2tbsp lemon juice
8tbsp vegetable oil
1tsp cumin seeds 
1tsp brown mustard seeds 
1tsp Asafoetida powder
½tsp tumeric powder 

Optional:
Sesame seeds 

Method

  1. In large mixing bowl, mix together ondhwa flour, yoghurt and warm water. Leave to ferment in warm place overnight.
  2. The next day, pre-heat oven to 190c/ 180c (fan)/ gas 5.
  3. Blitz together ginger and green chilli to form a paste. Set aside.
  4. Add the grated courgette to the fermented flour along with chilli and ginger paste, salt, bicarbonate of soda and lemon juice. Mix well.
  5. Heat oil in small saucepan of a low/medium heat. Add cumin seeds, brown mustard seeds and asafoetida powder. Reduce heat. Fry spices until they brown and start to “pop”. Remove oil from heat.
  6. Pour oil & spices into flour mix and mix well.
  7. Fill well greased muffin tray holes until about ¾ full and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. 
  8. Bake for about 28mins until a brown crust has formed.
  9. Remove cakes from muffin tray and leave to cool. Or eat them warm. I suggest you eat them warm.

IT’S SPICE TO TRY NEW THINGS

DSC_0442 DSC_0464In keeping with the Indian theme, here is a tune from my favourite Indian rap trio, Das Racist.

 

 

KBx

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