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Indian Edible Sweet Souvenirs

Over the years, I have tried to never accustom anyone in my family to expect a gift whenever I travel. It may sound kinda harsh, but with the amount of travel I do, if I accustom people to expect a gift from me, it would be a burden to my schedule and my budget. I do try to bring things to share with people so they can enjoy a little bit of my travels too… Say for example, it’s kind of awkward to travel in India for 3 weeks and arrive at my sister’s home empty-handed.

As soon as we arrived in India, we were gifted a backpack filled with Indian goodies: a sari for the girls and a dhoti for the guys, a towel that looks like a very nice kitchen towel and these… Gajjak Til Papad. The best way I can describe it is this is the Indian version of a sesame seed brittle. Super duper thin sheet of sugar with sesame seeds, pistachios and flavored with cardamom. We ate one box along the trip… this was our in-room snack, we brought one box for my sister and I have an extra one with me in Puerto Rico. It’s in the fridge for the sugar to be hard and crispy like we ate them in India and not softy and chewy.

For years, my mom and I have enjoyed 2 of India’s most popular desserts – galub jamun and rasgulla. We lovingly call them “the Indian balls”. Galub Jamun is a ball made of wheat flour and Rasgulla is a ball made from an Indian cheese similar to paneer called chhena. Both are served warm in syrup and they’re delicious!!!! For years, we’ve seen these desserts packed for travel in cans and this was the first time we brought some home. You can find them in any sweet shop and especially at gift shops at the airports.

In Allahabad we were treated to Dry Petha… which is a dry, sugared pumpkin. I am guessing it’s some sort of zucchini or squash because it’s white in color. I have not been able to identify the “pumpkin” this sweet is made of. They’re a nice ending to a meal… sweet and light and perfect to bring a few to your room for a snack!! 😉 You can also find these packed in boxes ready to travel home with you.

And in Delhi we were taken to a sweet shop called Bikanervala… here we bought our to-go cans of rasgullas and galub jamun. But we also discovered something else that was completely new to me – Mawas. I am not even sure if this is their correct name. I believe it’s a halva made from dried fruits or nuts. Or as we would say in the west, like a turrón or dry nougat. We just saw the little packages in the store, asked to try one and ended up buying 3 kinds – Mango, Badam which is Almond and Pista which is pistachio. Now I know 3 more words in hindi, yay!!!!

Over the last few weeks, these sweets have been a terrific way to remember thru our taste buds some of the wonderful experiences we had in India. I can’t wait to make some Indian sweets of my own!!!!

Do you bring back edible souvenirs from your travels?? Tell me all about them…

Tags: almond, badam, desserts, food, galub jamun, india, mango, mewa, petha, pista, pistachio, pumpkin, rasgulla, squash, sweets, travel, vegetarian

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Categories desserts, MY EDITORIAL, Travel, treats

Warming up and cooling off on the streets of India…

19 Apr

After visiting India the last time in April, we swore never again to visit when the weather has started to warm up. This time around we visited India from end of February to mid-March and it was super fun weather-wise because we had a whole range of temperatures in the different cities we visited.

In Allahabad, just like in a desert, it was chilly in the mornings and evenings and warm during the day… chilly enough to wear fleece!!! But in the south of India, the weather was warm and tropical, just like being in Puerto Rico. We even got to take paddle boarding lessons from some new Hawaiian friends , Tim and Kenny, in our hotel pool!!!

With all these weather changes, sometimes we had to warm up ourselves from the inside out… and sometimes we had to cool ourselves down the best way we know how…

To warm up… what better way than chai masala!!! I’ve already shared mu love for chai masala. Ever since I tasted it for the first time in Varanasi, I’ve been a true fan. I was fascinated with how in every stop, every city, and every back alley we visited someone was making chai masala for people to buy. And according to Tim and Kenny, who became somewhat of connoisseurs in chai masala tasting, the best chai’s come from the streets!!!! And in my experience… also the best chai masala’s are served in clay cups – the ones you use once and break after drinking your serving… I wish I had more pictures of all the times we had chai on this trip.

To cool off… we drank lots of coconut water right from the coconut itself!! Just like we do in Puerto Rico!! Some coconuts were sweeter than others, but it is way better to drink coconut water than any other packaged juice. It’s like nature’s Gatorade. We drank these coconuts while in Rameshwaram, almost at the tipy-tip of India, right in front of Sri Lanka. The perfect treat after visiting temples…

Down in Pondicherry, the heat felt like the middle of summer in the Caribbean!!! Sweat was rolling down our backs… if you know what I mean. The best way to cool off the “Indian way” is enjoying a cool, delicious kulfi. I had the chance to taste kulfi once while in Varanasi, but I did not know the name then. Kulfi is a milk-based frozen dessert usually flavored with saffron, cardamom and pistachios. They sell them in ice cream stands and it’s the perfect treat when you need something cold and creamy. My friend Fabiola was fascinated with kulfi… I think we have another convert here!!!!

I searched the internet and I found a few kulfi recipes… here is one I will be trying to make real soon. Hope you like it too!!!

Photo courtesy of http://globetrotterdiaries.com

What’s your favorite way to warm-up or cool-down? Any other ideas?

Tags: Allahabad, beverage, chai masala, coconut, coconut water, cold, food, fresh, heat, india, Kumbha Mela, Pondicherry, sweet, travel, vegetarian, weather

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Categories desserts, MY EDITORIAL, Travel

Carob Mousse

16 Feb

My friend Jeanette Quiñones, from the blog Sazón Boricua, was so inspired by a guest post I wrote for her blog on Valentine’s Day on carob that she sent me this recipe right away. I have not made it myself yet, but sounds and looks delicious.

It’s caffeine-free, dairy-free and gluten-free!!!!

IMHO, the perfect dessert!!!

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Enjoy this delicious vegetarian version of the traditional Chocolate Mousse, but now made with carob powder instead. It’s so easy to make that this dessert very well become part of your usual dessert repertoire. If you wish to not use carob, you can certainly substitute with fruits such as coconut, lemon, orange or strawberries.

You could also even make a savory version with carrots, avocado, tofu, cottage cheese or cream cheese. Remember, the recipes are yours to adapt to your taste and lifestyle.

I invite you to make this mousse and taste it for yourself… It’s easy to make and the result is absolutely delicious!!

CAROB MOUSSE

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

⅓ cup unsweetened carob powder

¼ cup cornstarch

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup sugar

⅛ tsp salt

In a medium saucepan, disolve the cornstarch, sugar, carob, vanilla and salt in the almond milk, mixing well to avoid getting lumps.
Cook over medium heat until it boils and thickens, stirring constantly to make sure it does not stick to the bottom.
Pour into ramekins, cover with plastic film and let cool for about two hours before serving.

Jeanette is the CEO and founder of Sazón Boricua. She started her blog from Puerto Rico on 2008 to share recipes, advice and tips for the home. She collaborates with Que Rica Vida,has been selected as a Top Bloguera by LATISM 2012 and is also the founder of Red Bloguera de Puerto Rico. You can follow Jeanette on Facebook, on Twitter @sazon_boricua or via her blog Sazon Boricua. Contact her via email mensajes@sazonboricua.com.

Tags: almond milk, caffeine-free, carob, carob powder, chocolate substitute, dairy-free, food, gluten-free, vegetarian

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Categories desserts

Carob – The Vegetarian Alternative to Chocolate

14 Feb

Chocolate has become the star of any Valentine’s celebration… it’s become a symbol of sweetness and love all around the world. But what would happen if one day you were not able to express your undying love for someone thru chocolate???

I am self-proclaimed chocoholic. And when I had to give up chocolate I thought my world would end… it was a long time ago and had nothing to do with being vegetarian. I had to steer away from chocolate because of its caffeine content. Many people consider chocolate a vegetarian food… which in essence it is. It comes from a nut. However, just like coffee, chocolate contains high levels of caffeine, a stimulant that affects your nervous system and irritates greatly the digestive system.

But then… Carob entered my life. Because a world without something chocolatey… would be like a day without sun. Wouldn’t it?? I will be honest with you, if it doesn’t taste similar or better than the real thing, I won’t eat it. There are good products out there:

Carob Bars

I get these bars every time we travel to NYC. You can get them in many health food stores. Their taste resembles bittersweet dark chocolate because of their slightly bitter aftertaste. They’re the perfect substitute to your favorite bar candy… my mom buys them by the dozen every time we find them.

Carob Chips

I use these carob chips from Chatfield’s in my regular chocolate chip cookie recipe and I can’t tell the difference. I also use them the same way you would use chocolate chips in recipes like my Brown Rice Krispies Treats.

Carob Powder

Carob, is also available in both bar and powder form, makes a very delicious caffeine-free alternative to hot chocolate. And because carob is a bit bitter it resembles the bitter bar chocolate used to make hot chocolate from scratch. I have also used it on cake and brownie recipes and it’s amazing.

Check out these recipes using carob in various forms:

Caffeine-Free Hot Carob

Brown Rice Krispies Treats

Cherry and Carob Cookies

Carob Granola

My point being… not need to deprive yourself totally of chocolate-like desserts when there’s carob around… even if you still dream of a piece of Hershey’s Kisses in your lips. I know the feeling…

Tags: carob, chocolate alternative, food, sweet, Valentine's, vegetarian

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Categories desserts, MY EDITORIAL

Apricot Walnut Palmiers

4 Jan

This is my take on a baklava-inspired puff pastry sweet appetizer… I wanted to do something completely nutty in the filling, but taking advantage of the unsulfured dried fruits available when I travel to the US, I decided to look for a recipe using dried fruit.

I started out with Giada’s Apricot Walnut Phyllo cups, but to make it easy on me, I would do palmiers out of puff pastry. I usually do not use orange zest in my cooking because I find it too bitter for my taste, but the crowd seemed to like it a lot. It brought out the apricot taste even more.

APRICOT WALNUT PALMIERS

1 1/2 cups dried apricots, unsulfured preferably, chopped a bit

1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon orange zest, from 1 large orange, plus more for garnish, optional,

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

In the bowl of a food processor mix together the dried apricots, walnuts, honey, orange juice and zest. Pulse a few times so it creates a choppy mixture.
Open the puffed pastry (which comes folded in three). Place some flour onto a clean surface and flour the rolling pin too. Roll out the pastry so that it loses the creases where the folds were.
Spread the apricot walnut mixture in an even layer leaving a border on one edge.
Start rolling from the farthest edge from the border you left without filling. Roll the pastry onto itself until you create a log. If you prefer to make them in palmier form, roll them from two opposites sides until the 2 rolls meet somewhere in the middle.
Repeat with the second pastry. Place logs in the fridge covered with a moist paper towel for about 10-15 minutes or until you’re ready to bake them. This is important for the pastry to harden a bit again. It’ll be easier to cut if the pastry is cold than if it is at room temp.
Slice the logs into ½ inch pieces. Place onto a baking sheet. I put some organic sugar on top, but I did not love how those turned out, but I forgot to take a pic without it.
Bake in a 425F oven for about 10-12 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden delicious.

I suggest that if you have leftovers, heat them back a bit in a toaster oven… This will soften the apricots in the filling, which tend to harden when they’re colder.

Next time… I promise to make the nut only mixture I envisioned originally. But these ones were a nice twist on my original idea…