I feel like typing “Happy Ganesh Utsav“, but I’m 99.9% certain that’s incorrect, inapposite and just plain inane. Surely I will suffer a beat-down for my cheekiness; I implore you to bear in mind (while you are paddling me) that I’m just a simple Christian girl from Coconut land/God’s own country who has no idea what this snack even IS. 😉
It’s well-established that I’m reading whenever I’m on the metro and half the time I’m doing that, I’m actually scanning the articles for sepia-tinted stories which I can bring you here. 🙂 Normally, I find brown down ’round the front page; yesterday, I was slightly surprised to see that my “local” paper’s Food section was where the mutiny was at. Et voila, an article by Priya Phadke to coincide with a certain deity’s partay. I’ve seen hundreds of recipes in WaPo, but this is the first desi one that I’ve noticed.
Priya is the assistant art director for The Post’s Sunday Source, a.k.a. the section I love most and thus save for Georgetown, Dean and Deluca and cappuccino-soaked Sunday afternoons. Here’s what our dear artiste had to say about what you guys are going to be making (and then sending to North Dakota, please. Thanks!):
In the three years since I moved to the United States from Mumbai, as Bombay is now called, I get most homesick during festive seasons. My maternal grandmother nani would make comfort food, and her karanjees are what I miss most.
Karenjees are dough stuffed with soft, shredded coconut that is flavored with cardamom, saffron, sugar and Gulkand, a rose petal jam that lends a distinctive flavor and fragrance and sets my nani’s karanjees apart from all others.
I’m thinking about karanjees because today is the start of Ganesh Chaturthi, or Ganesh Utsav, the festival celebrating the birthday of Lord Ganesh, the son of Shiva and Parvati. To Hindus, Lord Ganesh is one of the most beloved gods, and he is invoked at the commencement of any auspicious function.
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Karanjees
Makes 10 to 12
1 cup Sooji-Farina (Indian semolina)*
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus 3 cups or more for frying
1 cup low-fat milk or water
1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened frozen coconut*
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom seeds
Saffron (optional)
2 tablespoons Gulkand*
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon rice flour
In a large bowl, mix the Sooji-Farina and the whole wheat flour. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil and 3/4 cup of the milk or water, adding the remaining 1/4 cup, a tablespoon at a time, if necessary. Knead the dough until it is slightly firm but pliable. Shape the dough and leave it in the bowl, covered, for an hour.
Meanwhile, in a large pan on low heat, add the frozen coconut and the sugar. When the mixture turns sticky, about 25 minutes, add the cardamom, a pinch of saffron, if using, and the Gulkand and stir. Add the raisins and cook until the mixture turns a light brown color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.
Divide the dough into 9 pieces and shape each one into a small ball. Using a rolling pin on a work surface sprinkled with flour, roll the balls flat to a width of about 4 inches. Just off the center of each flattened piece, spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons of the karanjee filling (there will be some left over). Fold each piece in half over the filling, leaving no air pockets, and press down on the edges until sealed. Using a straight or serrated pizza cutter, slice along the edge for a finished look. Use trimmings from the 9 pieces to form 1 to 3 more balls, and fill them the same way as the others.
In a large pot over high heat, add the 3 cups of oil. When the oil is hot, gently add two karanjees and fry, turning if necessary, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the karanjees and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining karanjees. Serve cool.
*NOTE: Sooji-Farina, also called rava; unsweetened frozen coconut; and Gulkand, a rose petal jam, are available in Indian specialty stores.
Per serving: 336 calories, 4 g protein, 48 g carbohydrates, 15 g fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 5 g saturated fat, 16 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber
oh… man… memories of things past. I guess these are my madeleines. thanks anna.
Sepia Potluck Meetup! I bet there are some badass culinary geniuses lurking these pages…
Karanjees for Ganesh Utsav…… Yeah, brings back great memories, Though from the part of Maharashtra where I come from, the more traditional sweet on this day is the utterly mouthwatering “Ukadiche Modak” (Kind of like a steamed rice dumpling/wonton with the same sweet coconut filling).
Here is a quick recipe for it….you can use the microwave!!! (I love it…cause if you cant nuke it , I cant cook it) Ukadiche Modak
Ingredients
For the Outer Covering
Rice Flour—1 cup Water —1 cup Oil/Ghee —1 table spoon Salt —pinch
Mix all the ingredients very well and microwave it for 2 min on high power. Remove and mix in the food processor with the soft blade this it forms a ball.
For The Filling
Fresh Coconut—2 cups Jaggery —1 cup Cinnamon for flovouring/Keshar optional
Method:
And of course, As we Greet each other on this day : Ganpati Bappa Morya!!
Ohh Anna Thank You, and the same to you 🙂 I would have thought that one of ya fella blogger mates would have bloged it. Now is it really ‘Utsav’? I have never heard it put that way. The link that you have is correct for Chaturthi
Never heard of it, but my mouth is watering! Sounds YUMMY. Thanks.
angie… it is a lovely little treat… the coconut is rich with flavor… one bite – the teeth sink in the coconut and the juices release into the mouth – the texture is more delicate than the samosa except the ridges – distinctive aroma to the shell – absorbs the flavors and smells of the filling – the filling clumps and it’s much fun to reach it after nibbling from the corners into towards the middle… but more than that, anna’s little musings took me back a ways … was born lucky … no dearth of love and food – karenjus and everything from pongal to sandesh … the memory of each treat more than taste … remembrance of good people and good times … passed.
simple christian girl from ‘god’s own country’: how christian is it to imply that other countries are not god’s own? doesn’t one of the commandments expressly forbid stealing (specially from a country that badly needs such ego-assuaging empty slogans to make up for its not so glorious and short history as the u.s.,)? i do not quite understand why people from coconutland take such pride in describing their land in terms dictated by an advertising hack. my own reaction every time i come across this phrase closely matches what bharat dabholkar would probably say about this mudra tagline : utterly butterly ridiculous!
1) the entire post is filled with “humor”, note the category, please.
2) “G.O.C” may be “advertising” but it’s also a creative way to say “paradise”, which is exactly what lush, photogenic kerala resembles. who cares which hack came up with it, it’s catchy and people like it. i’m all about brand management, baby.
3) it’s not even worth addressing how your commandment argument reeks or how “christian” a slogan for kerala might sound, because (wait for it, maisnon)
KERALA IS NOT JUST CHRISTIAN.
4) see: number one, please.
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i’ll tell you all a little backstage secret: there are many occasions when one of us mutineers will turn to another, utterly, butterly perplexed and say, “don’t they GET that it’s all in fun? sarcastic? humorous? ____?”
kuffir, it’s your reaction sir, that is utterly, butterly ridiculous. 🙂
Anna, next time please speak for yourself. I make voodoo dolls of commenters and stick needles in them.
uh, yeah. suuuuure, abhi. my bad. 😉
considering how fast your reaction was i get it you think my comment was not humorous. your reaction in part, on the other hand, was. your posture of disdain is ill-assumed : your reply(?) is premised on the wrong conclusion that i object to the ‘christianness’ of the slogan. i would have objected to it even if it had been a hindu or a rastafarian slogan because 1)it is stolen 2)it implicitly disparages other lands and 3)it’s a thoroughly inadequate description of the said land and people( whom i admit, i much admire). creaive? mammooty is creative, suresh gopi aping him is not. btw, what’s a maisnon? would i find it in the same dictionary as mean tempered ?
new kid.
Kuffir,
I thought your first post was in the sarcasm/humor genre.
But,you spoilt the fun for me with the second one.
Maisnon is another commentator here. and a mallu i think?
Anna –> Thank You for the wishes.
Kuffir,
Quick question for you —> Are u very insecure that your country or state (wherever you are from)is not considered ‘GOC’. I think you have never been to Kerala. Dont sit some where in front of computer and judge why Kerala is called ‘GOC’. Why are you so dumb and dont understand in the first place that it was created as a marketing slogan by the Tourism industry in Kerala to attract more tourists.
You may think whatever about Kerala (state with more number of people following religion other than Hinduism), but you know what, its the only state in India, where people think themselves as Malayalees rather than what religion they are based on. Its the only state in India where I havent heard of any major communal riots. It rightly deserves to be calles as ‘GOC’.
I just want to stop it here and Mr. Kuffir (oh! unbeliever) I hope you believe in something in your life. I dont know why you say that you wrote it for humor/sarcasm and then try to defend yourself by giving a lenghty explanation for your humor/sarcasm. i just dont get it buddy?
BTW, You dont even have the slightest appreciation for ANNA, being a Christian girl trying to wish the rest (hindus) on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Dhaavak –> Post #6 brings back old memmories. Man! you have great ability to get into details
fobish: thanks for your concern for my intelligence or lack of it. as for the tone of my earlier post i never implied that humour was its purpose. it was anna who reminded me that her post was an attempt at humour and i didn’t understand it as such (pl. reread my post and her reaction to it). as for the original marketing/advertising campaign that positioned kerala as goc (which is turning into loc here) all i can say is,son, there was a time when i could quote the headlines and themes of the whole series of ads (pl.go back to the reference to mudra in my post). am i insecure? there is a theory that the people who call themselves malayalees today originally came from my part of the country. only an untestable theory mind. no, i don’t feel insecure, i nurse a certain kind of feelings of kinship. swati tirunal ,i recall, used to compose some of his kritis in my language( does that make you feel insecure because it contitutes a treacherous endorsement of the musical strengths of my language?). my favorite professor in business school was a malayalee. he’s my neighbour and a good friend now and our relationship has endured many such fiery debates without ever making either one of us feel ‘insecure’. i could cite ‘n’ number of other relationships -friends, acquaintances, business associates to assure you that yes, i know the species malayalee and their homeland. hell, my first girlfriend in school was a malayalee. no major communal riots? please recall what happened on a particular beach in kozhikode one summer day in 2003. i do not wish to dwell on this issue.in this hamaam…. am i insecure that my land is not called goc? i sincerely believe no country/region should ever be called ‘goc’ or ‘land of the holy places’ or ‘land of the gods’ or ‘land of the pure’. it denotes hubris( apart from sounding offensive to outsiders) of the kind that brought down the otherwise noble king whose return malayalees celebrate every year even today. about being rude to anna, i apologize. not because she is a christian greeting hindus, but because her tone spelt genuine human warmth. except the (the zillionth, i have seen until now in print,i think)waving of the ‘goc’ tag made me lose it, i guess. your post brought back memories of my grandmothers- their special way of making what we call garjalu/kajjikayalu anna. thank you.
kuffir,
So while we are at it what would you say about Saare jahan se aacha? : )
Personally I find there is a stream of exceptionalism running through almost all South Asian communities. The notable ones in my opinion are (in no particular order) Punjabis, Bongs, Mallus and Tamilians. : )
Before people get all riled up about this let me cleary state that I do not have any friends or co-workers who are Punjus, Bongs, Mallus or Tamilians, not even a third cousin who is married to one of them.
Alright, lets get into the root of the problem.
GOC –> When they call kerala as GOC (for marketing purposes), they are in no way underestimating any other state or land in the world. First of all people who designed the slogan, never in their mind would have thought “Lets implicitly bring down all the states or land by saying that Kerala is the God’s own Country”. I could bet that they would have never thought in such a fashion.
Your argument is simillar to whats going on in the other thread “Dont Freak”, where people are alleging that when somebody wears a T-Shirt which says “Dont Freak! I am a sikh”, they are implicitly asking the hatemongers to go and attack the muslims. That is the worst form of assumption.
Me as a Tamil, born and brought up in India, there is a general tendency among south Indians that when somebody says something, how one could go and find the hidden meaning in what he/she is saying and try to disparage that person. Why dont people learn to look at things as they are, rather than looking for hidden meanings and extraploate the assumptions.
Looking for hidden meanings is not going to take us anywhere. Please grow up for the better.
SP, are you a Puneri, by any chance? Gosh, this post brings back a flood of memories…modak, karanjis, Ganesh mandals and the procession down Laxmi Road…Chaala, chaala, chaala, pudhe chaala…Arun Tarun Mandal, pudhe chaala…
??
Ah yes, the voice of reason and moderation has spoken. : )
Btw, just because you are Tamilian that does not allow you to speak about (and for) all South Indians.
Tef,
Did you read my post properly, if you didnt, read it again, I hope u will understand it better when u read for the second time.
I said “general tendency” –> Did I ever said you are part of it. Again there is some kind of assumption is going on here. Understand it properly buddy.
From your comment, you think that you are not part of that tendency. If you really do think that you are not part of it, I am really glad to know that.
FOBish,
I’ve understood it the best I can. I think you are saying that the tendency exists, but that I am not part of the tendency. I get that. My problem is the fact you that you think the tendency exists in the first place! It’s a notion that I find a bit “quirky” to put it politely.
Secondly, you say you are a Tamilian but you speak about South Indians. You may want to limit your generalizations to just Tamilians. I am not sure even they would want you to generalize about them either.
peace : )
Well, that’s next week (15th Sep). Onaashamsakal, y’all.
Hey, what better example for the (relative) religious harmony prevalent in Kerala. There might be other festivals so totally enthusiastically celebrated by a whole state irrespective of caste and religion, but I’m yet to hear about them.
Anna, as “just a simple Christian girl from Coconut land” , you might have heard about “Kozhukkatta”, which, in Kerala, is a traditional dish prepared on Palm Sunday. Its remarkably similar to Karanjee – a shell of flour stuffed with sweet grated coconut. Just yum. It not an exclusive Christian dish, but I have to say no one makes it yummier (jaggery instead of sugar, etc) and than the Catholics of central Kerala.
People who get riled by the Mallu’s apparent disdain for lands other than their own, could probably add a qualifier that many dyed in the wool Mallus ( yours truly included ), tack on to the GOC tag line viz. Devil’s Own People.
Yup, that’s us 😉
Tef,
I should have used “among some south Indians”, instead of “among South Indians”, before generalizing. I agree its my mistake.
When people say that Americans (in general) are ignorant about other cultures, that doesnt mean that all Americans are ignorant about other cultures. I am just making a simmilar generalization on South Indians. I have moved with all kinds of people and I do feel that I could make a certain amount of judgement based on my experience. One thing you can’t deny is that such tendecies do not exist in South India, unless you have been very fortunate to have lived with people who dont have such tendencies.
FOBish,
Dude : )) You really are not going to give up on the generalization are you? I give up. You’ve lived there and are more qualified than me to make the judgement, although I would like to add, that I know enough to suspect your assumption is wrong. Oh well.
My parents always made it a point to avoid the term “South Indian” because they believed that itself was a generalization. I agree it is a prejudice of a kind. But it is a prejudice that I am partial too.
um, getting back to the real story FOOOOOD. the post has had other indian food recipies. THere was one on how chicken curry is made by indians of different regions. There was even a 30 or 40 minute highlighted recipe for almond chicken (what’s it called in hindi???hmm me forgets.. oh murgh kashmiri..umm was it good!)
Yeah.Let’s get back to food. Kuffir, that’s what they are called in Andhra right? Also, the stuffing is different, though I cannot tell you the exactly what.It’s been a while since I ate those.
Hi! I saw the recipe in the Washington Post for Karanjees–I’m having trouble locating a local source of Gulkand.
I’ve been to two Indian groceries—I live in Bethesda—can anyone help?
I once got a “Have a ‘Happy Good-Friday’ from a friend in India!”. 🙂
Palm Sunday? Mummy made “Conut Balls” (the words of my sister, when she toddled) weekly for us. Remind me to kiss her feet for THAT, too, the next time I see her. I love those, except when she makes them with brown rice flour. South Beach-appositeness be damned, they ruin the brown sugar, thenga-y goodness. I’m so glad you commented! When I first read the article, I wondered if the two foods were related…
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I think I got that once as well! The person issuing the “greeting” immediately looked horrified, to their credit. I told them the day my Lord and savior is crucified for my inadequacies is always a happy one for otherwise-lost, sinners-extraordinaire like me. 😉