In the fall of 2008 I travelled from Delhi to Turin, Italy to participate in Terra Madre, Slow Food’s conference that happens every few years and brings together food artisans, activists and many others concerned about safeguarding and promoting all aspects of food cultures from around the world. There I met some of the Slow Food Canada contingent, one of them being Lulu Cohen-Farnell of Real Food for Real Kids (check them out as they are doing great work with school lunches in Toronto). She told me about an article that she had recently read about a group of monks in India feeding schoolchildren in different states throughout India. Upon my return I found the article online and read that the foundation was called Akshaya Patra and it originated and was associated with the ISKCON temple in Bangalore. I was unable to visit any of their cooking centres until a few years later on a trip to the city of Puri, in the eastern state of Orissa. Here is an article, with a photo slideshow, I wrote about their school lunch program for the online website Zester Daily.
This past Sunday, during my weekly visit to the Landsdowne Farmer’s Market I spotted some bright yellow zucchini flowers and some perfect finger length okra from Acorn Creek Farms. Seeing these vegetables reminded me of my first trip, a year and a half ago, to Orissa, along the east coast of India. My friend, Jason, had introduced me to Debjeet from Living Farms– an organisation working to provide food sovereignty for the small and marginal farmers in India. Luckily, I connected with Debjeet in Bhubaneswar and he took me to a restaurant which specialized in Oriya food. We had a flavourful lunch of mustard coated fish and prawn curry (harvested from the brackish waters of nearby Chilka Lake) some fried okra spiced with panch phutana (cumin, mustard, fennel, fenugreek and kalonji) and a battered then fried pumpkin flower. I was pleasantly surprised to be served the pumpkin flower as I am aware of the seasonality of such a form of the vegetable. I am accustomed to preparing zucchini flowers in a French or Italian style but this was the first time I had seen it used in an Indian kitchen.
I’m not sure if you have the same problem but often I end up with little amounts of vegetables left in my fridge. This inevitably happens the day that I am to receive my CSA box and I need to find a way to use up the remnants from the previous week’s delivery. Tidying up to make room for the freshly harvested vegetables I found the forgotten okra and zucchini flowers (still in good shape as I had stored them in the butter compartment in the door). Instead of making a mixed vegetable pasta, soup or dal I decided to make a quick tea time snack using the neglected and leftover vegetables.
The recipe may appear lengthy but it is very easy. Consider it an Indian version of tempura, most often called bhaji or bhaja. Essentially, it is similar to a pakora but this time relatively thin slices of the vegetables are dipped into a chickpea and rice flour batter (crepe like consistency) and then fried until golden brown. It is best to make your accompanying chutney before you prepare the fritters.
½ cup chickpea flour (you can use just chickpea flour but I find the rice flour adds a nice crispness to the fried batter)
½ cup rice flour
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp cayenne powder
¾ tsp salt
1 cup water
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl stir together chickpea flour, rice flour, baking soda, turmeric and cayenne powders, and salt. Gradually pour water into the mixing bowl and whisk briefly to remove any lumps and the mixture is smooth. The batter should be the consistency of cream. If you feel it needs to be a bit looser start by adding one or two tablespoons of water until you achieve your desired consistency. (If the batter sits a bit (ie 20 minutes or so) you will most likely need to do this.
Fill a karhai, wok, or heavy bottomed saucepan (one with high sides, such as a pot you would use for boiling pasta) one third full with vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350F (180C). If you do not have a deep fry thermometer heat oil and test with a small cube of bread. If the bread cube lightly browns in 10 seconds the oil is ready to use.
Vegetables:
Zucchini flowers: Leave the steam in if possible as it is easier to dip into batter. Lightly brush off any dirt particles. Also look inside as bees love to gather nectar from the inside of the flowers.
Swiss Chard, Spinach or Beet Greens: Wash well in water and gently dry with kitchen towel. Leave a length of stem/rib as it is easier to dip into batter and then oil.
Eggplants: Slice ⅓ inch thick
Potatoes: Slice ¼ inch thick
Pumpkins:Peel and slice ¼ inch thick
Sweet Potato: Peel and slice ¼ inch thick
Pumpkin or squash: Peel and slice ¼ inch thick
Zucchini or Patty Pan:Peel and Slice ⅓ inch thick
Dip about 7-10 pieces of a single vegetable into the batter and carefully slide each individual piece into the hot oil. The vegetables should not be too crowded in the oil. Cook for about 3 minutes per side. Using a slotted spoon carefully turn over the vegetable pieces. Sometimes you can use the spoon to push the pieces under the oil, if need be.
When both sides are golden brown, use a slotted spoon or mesh strainer to remove the fried vegetable and drain on paper towels.
Repeat with the rest of the vegetables, cooking each vegetable separately. Serve hot with [url:1]green chutney[/url] or [url:1]tamarind chutney.[/url]
Notes
Cook the zucchini flowers or swiss chard last as they cook more quickly (in about a minute). Also, it is important to coat the zucchini flowers or swiss chard leaves with enough batter for them to be crispy rather than oily.
3.2.2708
NOTE: This was originally posted on my blog India On My Plate on August 12, 2011
