Fair Trade is a global movement to alleviate poverty in the developing world, while ensuring consumers quality products that improve lives and protect the environment. Everyday purchases that bear the Fair Trade Certified™ logo come from farmers and workers in the developing world who are justly compensated, allowing them to build sustainable businesses that positively influence their communities.

October is Fair Trade month! And the wonderful people at Fair Trade USA are giving away a box full of fair trade goodies to one lucky Veggie Belly reader! One randmonly picked winner will receive a box full of fair trade items including Stash guayusa tea, Larabars, TCHO chocolate, Kopali chocolate bananas, Near East quinoa, Cisse Trading Hot Cocoa, Just Love coffee, and MORE!

How to enter the giveaway

‘Like’ Veggie Belly on Facebook
or
Follow me on Twitter

Then come back here and leave a comment saying you’ve done so. If you are already following me on facebook or twitter, just leave a comment and you are entered!

You have till Monday, Oct 29^th to enter. One random winner will be picked!

Update: The winner is Jenny, comment #2!

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When I received a review copy of my friend Michael Natkin’s new cook book Herbivoracious: A Flavor Revolution with 150 Vibrant and Original Vegetarian Recipes, I was so thrilled and so hungry. Thrilled because Michael is my favorite vegetarian blogger and his site is full of creative vegetarian recipes. Hungry because Michael’s book is one of the best vegetarian cookbooks around, and all the recipes look delicious. Whether you are a vegetarian or an omnivore, you are going to love this book. And it has plenty of vegan and gluten-free recipes as well.

Michael and I, with Michael holding the very first copy of his cookbook! Exciting!

Michael has been a vegetarian since he was 18. When his mother fell sick, he started cooking her macrobiotic meals at home. Since then, Michael has been a devoted vegetarian. And his passion for food is so evident in his uber successful blog, Herbivoracious (same name as the cookbook!).

The blog is an encyclopedia of information, filled with recipes and tips. How does polenta with pan roasted porcini, tomato confit and chevre sound to you?! My personal favorite Herbivoracious blog recipe is the chickpea, spinach and tomato soup – simple yet packed with flavor.

When I received Herbivoracious, the cookbook, I had great trouble deciding what recipe I should make for this post. The chickpea and olive tagine with ras el hanout ( a North African spice mix) sounded yummy. As did the blackbean soup with orange jalapeno salsa, 10 minute chickpea salad with feta and basil, grilled tofu and pepper tacos, red curry delicata squash, and..well..pretty much all the recipes in the book!

I finally decided to make the triple smoky mac and cheese. Because its cheesy, spicy and comforting – exactly what I needed on a cold, wet Portland evening. It’s the best mac and cheese I’ve had. It was easy to make, and tasted like it came from a high end restaurant. Meat lovers are sure to love this vegetarian mac and cheese. It has so many great smoky flavors going on, my husband thought it had bacon in it! Michael says you can either use smoked cheddar or smoked mozzarella in this recipe. The smoked cheese, plus smoked paprika and chipotle peppers make this mac and cheese wonderfully smoky.

Enjoy Michael’s recipe, and then make sure you enter the giveaway. The book will be out in May and the publisher, Harvard Common Press will send out a copy to one lucky winner as soon as Herbivoracious is published! You can also get your own copy on Amazon through this link Herbivoracious: A Flavor Revolution with 150 Vibrant and Original Vegetarian Recipes

Triple Smoky Mac and Cheese Recipe

A recipe from Herbivoracious Cookbook. Reproduced with permission.
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 pound elbow macaroni (Sala’s note: I used penne because thats what I had on hand)
6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
Half an onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced, or
1⁄4 cup Frontera brand chipotle salsa
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
8 ounces smoked cheddar, grated, or substitute regular cheddar if you can’t find smoked cheddar
8 ounces mozzarella (substitute smoked mozzarella if you’re using regular cheddar), grated
Kosher salt
1⁄2 cups Homemade Bread Crumbs made with 2 cloves minced garlic added. Recipe in the book.

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the macaroni according to package directions, draining when it is just becoming aldente. This will bake more in the oven, so don’t overcook it. Drain, transfer it to a bowl, and toss with 2 tablespoons of the butter.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. (Sala’s note: I baked the mac and cheese in a cast iron skillet instead of a baking dish)

3. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk pretty constantly for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Add the onion, smoked paprika, rosemary, chipotle, oregano, and nutmeg. Bring to a gentle simmer and keep cooking, whisking occasionally, until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.

4. Reduce the heat to low. Whisk in the grated cheeses, a handful at a time, stirring each addition of cheese until melted. It is important to do this gradually, to avoid graininess.

5. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning to your preference. It will probably need just a little salt, depending on the cheeses. Add more chipotle if you’d like it hotter. Remember that the sauce should be pretty intense, because it needs to flavor a full pound of pasta.

6. Stir the macaroni into the sauce. Pour the macaroni into the baking dish. Scatter the bread crumbs evenly over the top.

7. Bake until you can see bubbling around the sides and the bread crumbs are nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Let the dish rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

A Chance to Win Michael’s Herbivoracious Cookbook!

Be One of the First to Receive a Copy!

The awesome people at Harvard Common Press are giving away a copy of Herbivoracious to one lucky Veggie Belly reader!

To enter the contest, just leave a comment and tell me why you’d like to be the one to win this book.

Contest ends Wednesday, April 4th 2012. US & Canada shipping only.

One randomly picked lucky winner will receive a copy of this book when it is published in May!

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED! The randomly picked winner is comment #7, Cat!

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Its official, I am a Portlander now! I completed my cross country trip and arrived in Portland, OR 2 weeks ago. Phew! This is the final post of my road trip series, and was written during the last leg of my journey. This is a bandwidth intensive post because there are lots of pictures. If you have trouble loading the pictures, please email and let me know veggiebelly AT gmail.com

If you havent already, read part1 and part2 of my vegetarian road trip across America.

Notes from the Road

Total miles traveled – 3,791
States covered so far - Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Oregon
Cities visited - Cleveland OH, Chicago IL, Madison WI, Wisconsin Dells WI, La Crosse WI, Sioux Falls SD, Rapid City SD, Sheridan WY, Cody WY, Jackson WY, Boise ID, Portland OR
Mood – tired, eager to get to Portland, but feeling rather triumphant that I will be completing a cross country trip soon
Most Memorable Moment – watching the Old Faithful geyser erupt at night into a star studded sky
Most shocking thing I saw – a highway billboard that said “Help manage our wildlife populations. Wear fur.” Wyoming.
“I am not in DC anymore” moments – 1.seeing atleast 15 taxidermist shops 2.seeing a drive through liquor store 3.facing no traffic at all at any time of the day 4.staying in a house with a real wood burning fireplace
Best meal so far – Homemade idlis that my dear friend Sandhya bought when she visited me in Yellowstone. They were the softest idlis I’ve ever had! Such a treat to picnic with them by Lake Yellowstone. The fries at the Boise Fry company were insanely good. Not a meal technically, but it was so superb!
Craving – curd rice, a veggie bowl from Chipotle

A Magical Weekend at Yellowstone National Park

The Old Faithful Geyser erupts every 90 minutes or so.

Geyser basins at Yellowstone.

The Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone

The Old Faithful Inn, built in 1903 using wood from Yellowstone National Park was the most unique, cozy hotel I’ve ever stayed in. Their historic dining room, gigantic stone fire place and rustic log cabin type rooms were all so warm and charming. I spent the evenings sitting on one of their cozy sofas overlooking the lobby, sipping herbal tea, and listening to the cello playing in a distance. It was like being transported back in time.

The mesh box like thing with the long iron handle above is an old pop corn maker. Back in the day, they put popping corn in it and put it in the fire place at the Old Faithful Inn.

Above: The historic restaurant at Old Faithful Inn.

My good friend Sandhya, author of the blog Vegetarian Nirvana, joined me for a few days on this leg of the trip. It was wonderful to share my Yellowstone experience with her. Like me, she is also vegetarian, and came well prepared for her trip.

Finding vegetarian food at Yellowstone wasn’t difficult, but our choice was limited. We had the packaged Indian food Sandhya brought along from Trader Joes for a few meals. Dinners were usually at the grand, historic restaurant at the Old Faithful Inn where we were staying.

Above left is a hottle filled with hot water for tea. To the right – dinner at Old Faithful. A roasted vegetable stack of zucchini, red peppers, portobello mushroom and a disc of crispy polenta.

Every moment at Yellowstone was magical – from the stunning rainbow that greeted me just as I entered the park, to Sandhya’s delicious homemade idlis we snacked on sitting at a picnic table by lake Yellowstone. The idlis were sauteed with lots of mustard seeeds, green chillies and asafoetida. Just how I like it. I was in idli heaven, floating on a fluffy idli cloud.

Wyoming - They Have Real Cowboys!

 It was just like in the movies (or like on Pioneer Woman)! I drove by cowboys on horses, rounding up sheep. And the cowboys were wearing chaps, and cowboy hats and all other stuff cowboys wear. They even tip their cowboy hats and say “howdy!”. I was unmistakably in the wild west!

Beer bread mix in a bottle and Chocolate covered huckleberry fudge cupcakes.

Lunch at Bridge Creek back country kitchen & wine bar in Red Lodge, Montana – soba noodles with plum coconut ginger sauce. They werent real soba noodles, but still very tasty.

I want!

Lotus Cafe, Jackson WY

The wonderful Lotus Cafe in Jackson, WY. We stumbled upon this while walking around town. And we knew instantly that the word “lotus” promises healthy, vegetarian food.  The food was excellent; great atmosphere too.

They have a very interesting list of teas, smoothies, and organic cocktails. I had the navigator tea, whch is meant to “open the heart and release..gently cleanse on many levels. Linden leaf, roasted dandelion root, jasmine flower, St Johns wort, hawthorne berry, elder flower, lotus petal”.

Next we had a thai green curry with brown rice. And a blackbean and veggie burrito, mole sauce and blue corn chips.

If you are ever in Jackson, WY, the Lotus Cafe is a must visit for vegetarians and vegan. You will love it.

The Boise Fry Company - When You Are in Idaho, You Have to Eat a Potato!

I have to thank my car’s GPS for pointing me towards the Boise Fry Company. Their fries were phenomenal and what better place to eat deep fried potatoes than Idaho! I love their fry bar concept. You pick what kind of potato you want, what kind of cut, and few minutes later you get a bowl full of amazing fries. You then have a choice of about 25 kinds of salts and sauces for your fries. It was so much fun and so cheap!

We had a regular cut purple potato fries, curly cut laura potato fries and po’balls which are like tater tots. We doused each one in different combinations of salts and sauces. I loved their smoked hickory salt and their rosemary garlic salt. I still think about these fries!

Commonly Asked Questions About My Road Trip Across America

I already did an FAQ about this trip in my previous post. I’ve received more emails with questions, so here is another installment.

How did you take pictures of yourself when you were alone?
I put my camera on a tripod and triggered it using a remote control. Or I hand my camera to other people to take a picture of me.

What kind of music did you listen to on your drive?
I knew I’d need a lot of music for this trip, so I made playlists on itunes before leaving. I mostly listened to Indian music. I am a huge fan of A.R.Rahman and had his Hindi and Tamil songs playing a lot. When I didn’t feel like listening to music, I switched to Bill Bryson’s audio book, “Notes from a small island”. I also tuned in to local radio stations once in a while for information on weather and traffic.

How do you stay healthy on long trips?
I try to drink lots of water to stay hydrated; it also helps digestion. I like to eat as much fresh fruits, salads and vegetables as I can. I have a tendency to catch colds easily, so I take a high dose of vitamin C, like Airborne, every other day when im traveling. I find that the vitamin C really helps me.

Any tips for girls traveling alone?
-          Use common sense and instinct. If something doesn’t feel right to you, don’t do it.
-          Wear a wedding ring, even if you aren’t married.
-          Talk about a husband, even if you don’t have one.
-          Walk with confidence even if you are lost.  
-          Split your money in 2-3 places – like an inner pocket, your purse and your suitcase. That way if one gets lost, you still have money in other places.
-          Lock your car.
-          Always keep an eye on your belongings. If you have to put your backpack or handbag down, between yours legs is the best place.
-          Trust people. Most the people you will meet in your travels and good human beings. Interact with them for a richer experience.

For more FAQs see my previous post.

Road Trip Giveaway

I’m Sharing the Goodies I Picked Up Along the Way!

One randomly picked lucky winner will receive the following things I picked up in various states on my trip:

1.Woodenknife fry bread mix. Marketed by the Lakota tribe, this mix makes it easy to make your own Native Indian fry bread or Indian tacos. I had the fry bread made from this very mix in South Dakota, and it was delicous. Read more about my fry bread experience here.
2. The Cheese Factory Restaurant Cookbook. The best vegetarian cookbook I’ve seen! I ate at the Cheese Factory Restaurant, and the food was superb. The recipes in this book are easy and so full of flavor that you will love it!! Recipes include rattle snake tofu, their famous mushroom stroganoff, split pea and smoked seitan soup, Mexican “ouchies”, kasha and brown rice pilaf, dal, Greek eggplant salad and much much more.
I’ve eaten their food, so trust me when I say this is the best vegetarian and vegan cookbook you will lay your hands on!
3.Wild Huckleberry Pancake Mix
4.Yellowstone Pink and Yellow Spoon Rest 
5.Kick Butt Hickory Spice Rub – great on tofu! 
6.Wild Plum Jelly 
7.Wild Black Rice – Minnesota style super long grain black rice
8.Wall Drug cook book – put together by the people at the Wall Drug store. Not a vegetarian cookbook, but there are tons of fun recipes like cheese puffs, quick coffee cake, whole wheat zucchini bread, brownie shortcake, vegetable burritos, noodle garden salad etc 
 9. Corn Meal Wasna – buttery corn meal candy with sugar, raisins, cranberries and chocke cherries.
10. Chokecherry Tea

How to enter the giveaway

‘Like’ Veggie Belly on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
Subscribe to my RSS feed

Do one or more of the above. Then come back here, post a comment and let me know that you have.

If you are already following me through facebook, twitter or RSS feed, just leave a comment telling me so and you are entered in the giveaway!

Giveaway ends Wednesday, October 26th 2011, 9pm PST.  One random winner will be picked. I will ship anywhere in the world.

This giveaway has ended, winner is comment #19, Betty!

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This is the easiest method to smoke something. I learned this method from Sanjeev Kapoor’s new book, How to Cook Indian (scroll to the bottom of this post for a chance to win a signed copy of the book!).

I was intrigued by Sanjeev Kapoor’s koyla (charcoal) chicken recipe in the book. He makes a chicken curry and then smokes it by placing a bowl with a smoking hot piece of charcoal in the curry. The smoke gets into the curry, making it all smoky and wonderful. I’ve adapted Sanjeev Kapoor’s smoked chicken curry by using eggplant and creating a great vegetarian smoked eggplant curry recipe.

How to smoke the eggplant curry

Heat charcoal till its red. Then put it in a small bowl, and place it over the curry.

Pour a little oil over the hot coal. The coal will now give out smoke, that will flavor the curry.

Cover the skillet to trap the smoke. Let it sit for a few minutes so that the smoke infuses the eggplant curry.

When choosing charcoal, make sure you buy all natural charcoal. Don’t buy anything that has chemicals or petroleum added to it or is ‘self igniting’.

Watch Sanjeev Kapoor making his smoked koyla chicken curry. His method of smoking and my adapted recipe will work well for zucchini curry, mushroom curry, or use paneer or mock meat in this recipe.

Smoked Eggplant Curry Recipe

vegetarianized from Sanjeev Kapoor’s Koyla Chicken recipe from his book, How to Cook Indian

Serves 2

3 medium tomatoes
6 whole cashewnuts
1 tablespoon butter, ghee or vegetable oil
½ lb American or Indian eggplant
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon or to taste, chili powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice, you may need more or less depending on how tart the tomatoes are.

For smoking the curry
1 lump of charcoal, about the size of a large lemon
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Boil a medium pot of water, and drop the tomatoes in whole. When the tomato skins start to blister, drain them and let them cool a bit. Then peel the tomato skins and discard. Core the tomato. Place the skinned, cored tomatoes in a blender along with the cashew nuts and puree. Set this aside.

Cut the eggplant into 1 inch cubes. I peeled the skin first, but that’s optional.

 Heat butter, ghee or oil in a medium skillet. Add the eggplants, and let them brown a little on medium-high heat, about 4 minutes. Then add ginger and garlic. Stir on medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the garam masala and chili powder and cook another 30 seconds.

Pour in the tomato puree and salt. Boil for 7 minutes or till the eggplant is cooked and the sauce has thickened a little. If the sauce gets too thick, sprinkle some water over it.

Turn off heat. Taste the curry and add lemon juice, if using.

Now comes the fun part – smoke the curry!

Hold a piece of charcoal, using tongs, over an open flame. You can do this on an open gas flame, or an outdoor grill. Heat it till it becomes red hot. (Be careful, the hot coal may give out sparks, turn on your ventilator or exhaust). Now you need to work quickly. Place the red hot coal in a small bowl.

Immediately place the bowl inside the skillet with the eggplant curry. Pour the oil over the coal, so that it smokes. Quickly place a lid over the skillet. Let the smoke from the charcoal infuse into the covered curry for about 6 minutes. The longer the charcoal bowl sits in the skillet, the smokier your curry will get.

Remove the bowl from the skillet, and discard the charcoal. Serve the smoked eggplant curry with rice, roti or naan.

**************************************************

This giveaway has ended, the winner is comment #65, Shil!

Win a signed copy of Sanjeev Kapoor’s new book,

How to Cook Indian!

This book has more than 500 classic Indian recipes for the modern kitchen.

To enter the giveaway:

Leave a comment below and tell me whats an Indian dish you havent tried at home yet, but would love to try and make.

Giveaway ends Friday June 3rd 9pm EST. One random winner will be picked.

I will ship anywhere in the world!

I met Sanjeev Kapoor at a book signing, and had an extra copy signed just for this giveaway. The signature says “Veggie Belly Reader, Happy Cooking! Sanjeev Kapoor ”

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Watching snippets of the royal wedding on TV, and seeing Prince Williams groom’s cake – a chocolate biscuit cake – reminded me of the chocolate biscuit cakes of my childhood. Because my mother grew up in the UK before moving to India, we had a lot of British treats in our home in India. Chocolate biscuit cake was one of them. This recipe is simple to make, and requires no baking (which is why it’s also called a fridge cake).

As kids in India, we used to make this recipe with Indian Marie biscuits. We’d dip them whole into chocolate sauce, and stack them up – towers of chocolate biscuit goodness!

If you can find British digestive biscuits, they are the BEST for this recipe. I was thrilled beyond belief to find British McVities digestive biscuits in the International aisle of my local grocery store! I believe you can also find them at world market.

A digestive biscuit is a coarse wheat cookie, flaky, no too sweet and oh-so-delish. I wonder why it is “digestive”; must be because it has a bit more fiber than a regular cookie.

Substitutes for British digestive biscuits

- American graham crackers
– British rich tea biscuits (my second favorite for this recipe)
- Indian Britannia digestive biscuits
- Indian Marie biscuits

If you are using butter cookies or graham crackers, remember that they are sweeter, you might need less. Also taste and adjust the sugar as you go if you are using any of the substitutes.

You can glaze this cake with a chocolate ganache, but I skipped that step because the cake is quite rich as it is.

More yummy chocolate biscuit cake recipes..

Official Buckingham Palace chocolate biscuit cake recipe by Darren McGrady, former personal chef to the royal family
Chocolate biscuit cake recipe on Oprah.com
Chocolate biscuit cake recipe on Daily spud
Royal wedding groom cake recipe by Brown eyed baker
No bake English chocolate biscuit cake recipe on Joy of baking

Royal Chocolate Biscuit Cake Recipe

serves about 8

7 oz. McVities digestive biscuits (about 12 biscuits). See above for substitutions.
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (milk chocolate)*
2 oz. dark chocolate (60% cocoa)*
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons sugar or honey

*You can vary the milk chocolate: dark chocolate ratio if you like. Just make sure the total amount of chocolate (milk&dark) is 8 oz.

Break each biscuit into about 10 pieces. Place the broken biscuits in a bowl.

Melt all the other ingredients together in a double boiler –pour about 1 cup water into a saucepan or pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and keep the water on a gentle simmer. Select a bowl that will fit over the saucepan, without touching the water (the steam from the water will melt the chocolate in the bowl).

Add all ingredients except the broken up biscuits, to the bowl over the simmering water. Whisk frequently, till everything is melted and you get a smooth sauce. Be careful not to get any water into the chocolate sauce.

Remove the bowl from the saucepan, and let the chocolate sauce cool for about 15 minutes. Gently fold in the broken up biscuits.

Line a loaf pan or cake tin with a large piece of glad wrap/cling film so that there is an over hang on all sides. Pour the cake mixture over the glad wrap and gently press down using a spatula, and flatten out the top. If your cake mixture is still warm, let it cool completely before proceeding.

Then fold the overhanging glad wrap over the cake. Using your palms, gently press down to compact everything. Refrigerate for 3 hours or till the cake is set.

Remove the glad wrap, cut into slices or cubes and serve.

Store chocolate biscuit cake in the fridge.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Stonyfield Oikos Super Fruits Giveaway!

You can win all of these goodies!

-        2 free coupons for Oikos Organic Super Fruits Greek Yogurt*
-        Weleda All Natural Pomegranate Firming Day Cream 
-       Weleda Pomegranate Firming Serum
-        2 free coupons for Crofters Organic Fruit Spreads
-        Organic Pomegranate lip balm, made by Eco Lips
-        2 samples of Numi Organic Berry Black Tea (featuring   organic raspberry and raspberry leaf)
-        Simply Be Well Organic Pomegranate Moisturizing Body Bar
-        RW Knudsen Family 32oz.  Organic Just     Pomegranate juice and coupons

To enter

- Leave a comment below and tell me what was the best dessert youve ever had.
- For a bonus entry, mention this post & link to it in  your own blog. Then come back here and tell me you did so.

Contest ends Friday, May 6th 2001 9pm EST. US residents only. One random winner be picked. Check this post for winner announcement.

*Oikos sent me coupons to try the yogurt, and it is lovely

This giveaway has ended, the winner is comment #36, Usha!

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Perfecting my dosa recipe and method hasn’t been easy. It took a lot of experimentation, but finally I have the best dosa batter recipe and method for you. Read on to learn hot to make the perfect dosa-idli batter recipe, a dosa grinder giveaway, and your questions about dosa and idli batter answered by the experts!

Dosa, Idli Dos and Don’ts

Do use a hot griddle for dosas
Do use your hands to mix the ground batter
Do use whole urad dal (urad gota)
Do use a wet grinder or other similar heavy duty grinder/blender for the batter
Do place the batter in 80-90 degrees F for fermentation
Do experiment with various types of rice and urad dal to find what suits you best
Don’t pour dosas using cold batter
Don’t make dosas on an unseasoned pan (see recipe below for the onion trick)
Don’t use poor quality rice and dal
Don’t use an air tight lid when batter is fermenting

Your Dosa and Idli Batter Questions Answered by the Experts

Ive talked to several people about the art and science that is dosa-idli making.  For this post, we have two of the most knowledgeable people on this topic to answer your idli, dosa questions.

Chef KN Vinod, is an award winning restaurateur who runs three of Washington DC’s favorite Indian restaurants Indique, Indique Heights and Bombay Bistro. At his restaurants, Chef Vinod regularly hosts celebrities and politicians including (KR Narayan and Hillary Clinton!). Chef Vinod blogs at http://chefvinod.typepad.com/. You can also find him on twitter and facebook. For today’s Q&A, Chef Vinod has elicited the help of his friend, and food scientist Dr. Danny Chawan.

Ms. Andal Balu is the owner of Atlanta based Inno Concepts, a company which sells kitchen appliance for Indian cooking.  Mrs Balu is a successful business woman, gourmand, and America’s expert on dosa/idli making. Inno Concepts is the generous sponsor of today’s grinder giveaway.

My idli and dosa batter doesn’t fermentation properly. I let the batter sit in the oven with the light on overnight and it is completely unchanged even 10 hours later. Ive tried everything. Help!

 Andal Balu: Use the soaking water to grind the rice and dal for proper fermentation. You have to mix the batter with your hand. If you mix it with ladle, it may not ferment right (body heat from your hands helps kickstart fermentation). Also cover the batter with a lid that fits loosely - do not use an airtight lid.

 Chef Vinod: Fermentation is always a problem in colder places. Our modern living with air filters etc. also inhibits the capture of wild yeast from the air. Sometimes indoor air, particularly in winter with all the doors and windows shut will be low in air borne yeast cells. When all else fails, I would recommend using some yeast. Use half teaspoon in half cup water and a teaspoon of sugar to kick start yeast growth. Add to a gallon of batter.

 Sala’s note: If you’ve tried everything, you might want to change your brand of rice and dal and see if that does the trick. Poor quality ingredients = poor quality fermentation.

In cold climates, place batter in an oven with the light on for warmth. Leave a note so no one turns off the oven!

What proportion of rice and ural dal do you personally use?

Andal Balu: I use the same proportion for idlis and dosas. 5 cups parboiled (idli) rice, and 1 cup whole urad dal (gotta). I make idlis with this batter the first day, dosa on the second, and uthappams on the third day.  

Chef Vinod: At the restaurant we use 4 cups long grain rice, 1 cup parboiled (idli) rice, 1 cup urad dal, and a little methi seeds

Sala’s note: Everyones recipe will be different because quality of rice and dal used, quantity of batter made, and temperature all affect the ratio. Use these proportions as a guideline and then experiment.

Should I grind the rice and dal separately or together?

Andal Balu: Separately. Grinding dal separately will make it fluffy, resulting in excellent fermentation. It will also volumize the batter when fermenting which is important for fluffy, soft idlis.

What consistency and texture should my ground dosa and idli batter be?

Andal Balu: Grind dal till it is very soft and foamy. Also grind the rice till smooth. Add enough water to the batter so that it is thick, but when you scoop it in your hands, the batter falls through your fingers. This is what I do for both idli and dosa.

Does is matter if I use tap water or filter water for soaking and grinding? 

Chef Vinod: If your tap water is highly chlorinated, it could inhibit fermentation. In this case, use filtered water.

Why do we use fenugreek or methi seeds in dosa-idli batter making?

Chef Vinod: Methi seeds contain compounds high in beta-glucans.  They help hold carbon dioxide, which makes idlis fluffy and soft. Methi seeds also give viscosity to the batter.

If I rinse the dal, will it take away the necessary properties to ferment?  

Chef Vinod: Washing is done to remove any dust, and impurities from the dal and rice. Althought some old time cooks soak the dal and rice without rinsing and wash just before grinding.

How much salt should I add to my dosa and idli batter?

Andal Balu: About 1/2 teaspoon for one cup of dry ingredients (rice + dal) plus more according to taste. Adding enough salt is important for proper fermentation.

How can I get good textured idlis at high altitude? What are the adjustments for altitude?

Andal Balu: The rice needs to be ground finer so it can cook faster at higher altitudes. If the rice is coarse, it will take longer to cook and will feel gritty in the mouth. Make sure a warm temperature is maintained when batter is fermenting.

Chef Vinod: I turned to Dr. Chawan for this. He says changing the proportion of dal and rice for higher altitudes isnt necessary. Fermentation is done by yeast, and yeast grows in high altitudes as well, and produces carbon dioxide which is the key component of making fluffy, soft idlis. Pay attention to the fermentation temperature; make sure your batter is in a warm place. A little glucose or corn syrup will also make your batter rise better.

My dosas always turn out dry and brittle, what am I doing wrong?

Andal Balu: Check the consistency of the batter – is it too thick? Check the temperature of the batter – make sure it is at room temperature, and not straight out of the fridge. Make sure that the pan is hot enough when you pour the batter. Check it by splashing couple of droplets of water on the pan and it should sizzle.

Chef Vinod: Two scientific reasons. 1. Not enough dal in your batter. Protein in dal is responsible for the softness. Try increasing your dal proportion. 2. Amylopectin in rice. According to Dr. Chawan, there are two kinds of starches present in rice and grains – Amylopectin and Amylose. If the rice is low in Amylopectin and high in Amylose it can cause the dosa to be dry and brittle. Sala’s note: Try experimenting with different brands of rice.

Ok, but there is no way I can determine the chemical composition of a bag of rice at the store. Is there a quick fix for dry and brittle dosas?

Chef Vinod:  As a quick fix, if you have some tapioca flour handy, Dr. Chawan recommends trying to incorporate some into the batter as it is very high in Amylopectin. I have not personally  tried it.

My idlis are pale yellow. How do I get white idlis?

Andal Balu: If the ground batter does not ferment properly, the idlis will be yellowish (see the question and answer on fermentation). Also make sure the consistency of the batter is right – once the urad and rice batters are mixed, take the batter in your hand, it must fall freely back into the vessel.

Chef Vinod: If your batch of urad dal has been contaminated with immature urad beans or partially germinated beans, this will produce some enzymes which will cause idlis to become yellowish or pinkish. Sala’s note: Try a different brand of dal.

I would love some tips on how to make paper thin, crispy dosas

Andal Balu: Grind the rice fine. Don’t use extremely thick batter. Use an iron skillet for best results. Bring refigerated batter to room temperature before making dosas. You can take it out of the fridge ahead of time. Or you can heat some water in the microwave and add to the thick batter to make it thin and to bring it to the room temperature. Between dosas, grease the tawa or skillet lightly with oil and then pour the batter. Add extra oil after the batter is poured on the skillet.

Sala’s note: I add chana dal (soak 3 tablespoons of channa dal with every cup of urad) for super crispy, golden, restaurant style dosas.

How do you get the nice golden color you seen in restaurant dosas?

Chef Vinod: Add a little besan (gram flour) in very less quantities that you cannot make out that besan has been added. OR, add a little sooji (cream of wheat) to make the dosa really golden and crisp. This again is done in very less quantities that you cannot make out.

Andal Balu: You will get nice golden brown dosas if you bring the batter to room temperature. If you use the cold batter, the dosas will stay white.

Sala’s note: I add channa dal (soak 3 tablespoon for every cup of urad dal) for golden colored dosas.

Why are my idlis hard and rubbery? How do I make soft and fluffy idlis?

Andal Balu: Keep four thing in mind for soft, fluffy idlis.
1. proper fermentation (see earlier questions)
2.proper rice:dal proportion
3.don’t overcook idlis, this will make them hard. Steam idlis for about 12 minutes if using a conventional idli steamer, and 15 minutes for an electric one.
4.never pressure cook idlis

What is the proper way to eat a dosa, what are the accompaniments, what do you dip it with? Is there a dosa etiquette?

Andal Balu: There is no dosa etiquette. Enjoy it however you want. Side dishes recommended – idli chilly powder, coconut chutney, tomato chutney, coriander or cilantro chutney, yogurt, Chinese garlic pickle, potato masala, sambar…possibilities are endless! 

Chef Vinod: Dosa is made and served differently from region to region in India – so I would  not  say that a particular way is right or wrong. Most places in south India serve dosas with sambar and coconut chutney.

Sala’s note: Serve yourself a dosa on your plate. Pour sambar into cups, if they are available. Serve chutney, dosa or idli podi (also called gun powder) and potato masala on the plate. Tear off a piece of dosa and dip it into any combination of the sambar, chutney, podi and or potato. Lick your fingers, and enjoy

The Perfect Dosa Recipe

Serves about 8

1 cup sona masuri rice (or similar medium grained rice)
1 cup idli rice (parboiled rice)
½ cup whole urad dal (skinned black gram)
½ teaspoon methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)
Salt 1 teaspoon

Special equipemt: a wet grinder. This is a heavy duty grinder that is perfect for dosa and idli batter. You could use a blender instead, but the results wont be the same.

Place the rice in a large bowl. Place the dal and fenugreek seeds in another large bowl. Wash the rice with room temperature water. Drain out the water, and fill the bowl with more water, so that the water is about 2 inches above the rice.

Do the same with the dal and fenugreek – wash, rinse, and fill with water. Let rice and dal soak for about 6 hours.

The dal should now be swollen, and the rice will be easy to break with your fingers.

Pour about 2 tablespoons of the dal soaking liquid into a wet grinder. Turn the grinder on. Then, using your hands, scoop the soaked dal, allowing excess water to drain back into the bowl. Add dal to the grinder, hand fulls at a time. Grind till the dal is fluffy and silky smooth – about 15 minutes (grinding time will vary depending on the grinder and quantity of dal). You should have fluffy clouds of ground dal – think liquid marshmallows.

Sprinkle a little soaking water into the grinder as and when needed, to move the batter along. Turn off grinder, and scoop the ground dal using your hands and put it into a large (4 quart) bowl.

Now grind the rice (no need to wash the grinder). Add 1 cup of the rice soaking liquid into the grinder and turn it on. Add the rice to the grinder. The rice should be ground to a smooth, but ever so slightly gritty batter – about 20 minutes (will vary depending on the grinder and rice). Sprinkle water in the grinder as and when needed.

Using your hands, scoop the rice batter into the bowl with the dal. Add salt, and stir gently using your hands. You should now have approximately 2 quarts of batter.

Cover the bowl loosely, either with a large tea towel, or a lid. The lid should not be air tight.

If you live in a warm climate leave the batter over night in a warm place (about 8 hours) to ferment. Ideal dosa idli batter fermentation temperature is around 90f or 32c.

If you live in a cold climate, turn on the pilot light of your oven. (do not turn on your oven!). Place the batter bowl on the lowest rack, farthest away from the light. The light will give the batter enough warmth to ferment. Leave the bowl in the oven for about 10 hours for dosa batter to ferment. Sometimes, the batter may take up to 18 hours to ferment in colder climates.

The fermented batter should be frothy, and almost doubled in volume. For this recipe, you should land up with at least 3 quarts of fermented batter.

If the fermented batter is too thick, add a little water. For dosas, the batter must be of pouring consistency, but not runny.

Heat a 9 inch nonstick skillet on high heat. Sprinkle a few drops of water on the skillet. The water should sizzle and evaporate away on the count of 4. This means the pan is hot enough to make dosas.

Cut a small wedge from an onion. Stick a fork into the onion (See photos above). Add a drop of vegetable oil to the hot pan, and spread the oil around, using the onion. (Just a drop of oil will do for a non-stick pan.)

Now pour a ladle (1/4 cup) of batter onto the hot pan. Using very little pressure, swirl the ladle in concentric circles, to spread out the batter (see photos).

When the batter is fully spread, spray or drizzle a few drops of vegetable oil all over the dosa.

Cook on medium-high heat till the bottom side of the dosa becomes lightly brown.

At this point, you can fold the dosa over in half, or roll it into rolls like ive done, and serve. (For extra crispy dosas, flip the dosa over, and lightly brown the other side).

Taste your first dosa, and adjust salt in the batter if needed.

Serve with sambar and tomato chutney.

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This giveaway had ended. We have a winner!

Please contact me to claim your prize! veggiebelly@gmail.com

Win an Ultra Pride Plus Wet Grinder!

1.25l capacity
Voltage 110V AC 60Hz
Sleek design, easy to clean
Kneader attatchment for dough
Perfect for grinding dosa, idli, vada batters
More features here

Ive had mine for 6 years and love it

** When you entered the giveaway if you checked the ‘send me a coupon’ option, iNNo Concepts Inc will send you a coupon for $10 off Ultra Pride Plus grinder plus a free gift worth $20 or $20 off all other larger sized Ultra grinders plus a free gift worth $20. You can use this coupon between April 9th and April 15th. US & Canada shipping only. No cash redemption.

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This giveaway is closed.  Random.org  has picked a random winner!

Winner is comment #98 Shriya!

Please email me your mailing address! veggiebelly@gmail.com

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The wonderful ladies behind the amazing Afghan food blog, www.afghancooking.net, say this dish is “America’s favorite Afghan dish”. And Mousa Amiri of Bamiyan Restaurant says this is “one of the most requested” dishes at his restaurant. I can see why. This sweet and spicy pumpkin or butternut squash dish is simple to make, and the flavors are incredible.

This wonderful sweet and savory braised pumpkin or butternut squash recipe is spelled many ways – borani kadoo, borani kadu, brony kadoo, brony kadu, bouranee kadu, bouranee kado, or halwaiy kadu. Whatever you call it, this vegan, vegetarian recipe served with naan makes a great fall or winter time main dish.

Kadu or Kadoo means pumpkin. But because pumpkin is so seasonal, you can use butternut squash instead, which is what I did today.

And now for a giveaway I know you are going to love. You can win Mousa Amiri’s Classic Afghan Cookbook! See details below..

Win a Copy of Mousa Amiri’s Classic Afghan Cookbook!

Mousa Amiri of Bamiyan Afghan restaurant is giving away a copy of  his book  ’Classic Afghan Cookbook’ to one lucky Veggie Belly reader! The recipes in this book are easy, simple, and just yummy!

- To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment below (make sure you enter your email address so I can contact you if you win)

- Last day to enter is March 1st 2011

- A random winner will be picked and announced on March 2nd 2011

- The book will ship to anywhere in the world. Thankyou, Mousa!

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Afghan Sweet and Savory Braised Pumpkin (Bouranee Kadu or Borani Kadoo) Recipe

Peel and place the onion in a food processor and puree.

Heat oil in a medium heavy bottom pan or wok. Carefully add the onion puree and cook on medium-low heat untill it is golden, about 10 minutes. Then add ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander powder, and chili powder and stir for 1 minute or untill fragrant.

Now add tomato paste or puree, water, sugar and salt, bring to a boil, while stirring.

Add the chopped butternut squash or pumpkin pieces. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered till the squash is cooked, but still holding its shape, about 20 minutes. Add more water while cooking, if needed.

Garnish with mint and serve with garlic yogurt (vegans can use cashew cream instead) and naan.

Garlic Yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 clove galic minced
Salt

Whisk everything together.

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Update: this giveaway has ended.

The winner is…Nags, comment #17 !!

Nags, please email me your address! (veggiebellyATgmailDOTcom)

we waited 2 hours at a book signing to get this signed!

I get a lot of requests for kids recipes. Since we dont have kids, I rarely make childrens food, unless its to feed the kid in me. So Im giving away a signed copy of Paula Deen’s Cookbook for the Lunch-Box Set.

The book has lots of delicious recipes for lunches, pool parties, sleepovers, family picnics, bake sales etc (not all recipes are vegetarian). 

The book is spiral bound and full of pictures and illustrations so kids can follow along.

To win Paula Deen’s Cookbook for the Lunch-Box Set signed by Paula,

all you have to do to is one or more of the following:

- Leave a separate comment here saying whats your favorite dish or recipe to feed kids, or the kid in you
or
- ‘Like’ Veggie Belly on Facebook, then leave a separate comment here saying you did
or
- Follow Veggie Belly on Twitter, then leave a seperate comment here saying you did

Do all 3 and you will have 3 chances to win!
If you are already following Veggie Belly on Twitter and Facebook, just say so in your comment.

Deadline: 9pm EST Saturday, July 31st 2010
One random winner will be picked on Saturday, July  31st 2010

I will ship the book anywhere in the world!

Good luck y’all!

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 Marx Foods  is offering a great opportunity for Veggie Belly readers to win 2 lbs of FRESH morel mushrooms!

This years Morel season has been fantastic! And one of YOU can win a huge load of these amazing mushrooms. Morel season is very short, so dont miss this chance!

All you have to do to enter is one or more of the following:

- ‘Like’ Veggie Belly on Facebook, then leave a comment here saying you did

- Follow Veggie Bely on Twitter, then leave a comment here saying you did 

- Leave a comment here saying what you will make with the morel mushrooms if you won them!

 
Do all 3 and you will have 3 chances to win!
If you are already following Veggie Belly on Twitter and/or Facebook, just say so in your comment!
If you dont have a blog through which I can contact you if you are the winner, make sure to leave an email address!

Deadline: 9pm EST Saturday, June 26th 2010
US readers only
One random winner will be picked on Saturday, June 26th 2010

I’m a huge fan of morel mushrooms. Check out my recipes for

fiddlehead fern and morel mushroom pasta

or

crispy polenta with morel mushroom and broccoli

Also check out the sponsors of this giveaway, Marx Foods, on facebook or twitter

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I used random.org to pick a random winner.

comment #58 belongs to…

Congratulations Alana!

You will receive

-Williams-Sonoma Cherry Wood Bread Board with Dip Bowl (in the photo above)

-Dried fruits
-Crystallized Ginger
-Chavrie Coupons – Free Cheese, of course!
-Cooking.com Gift Certificate for $50.00
-Chavrie recipe cards (dips, quick tips and wine suggestions)

Please email me your address! veggiebelly AT gmail DOT com

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