5 minute read
Bhindi Bhaji
About Suchitra
I’m an engineer from India with experience in the education sector. In 2009, my husband, who is an IT Consultant, got transferred to Belfast on a short six-month contract. Shortly, we joined him as a family.
We found this place very welcoming and the people very friendly. My husband’s contract kept on extending and I started volunteering in a school and later started working there. The kids are well settled and flourishing in their schools. So, we decided to settle down here in Belfast. As a trained Bharatanatyam dancer (Indian classical dance), I teach Bharatanatyam and Bollywood dancing to children and adults. I am a trustee with Mudra Academy of Performing Arts UK and through this I organise various fundraisers for Action Cancer as well as for other social causes.
I am also part of Sudarshanam NI Hindu Samajam, an organisation aiming to impart knowledge about Indian culture, particularly Kerala, to the younger generation of the Indian diaspora. I am passionate about making people aware of the rich and diverse Indian culture through performances and workshops, and to further the Indo–Northern Irish bond. I believe in contributing positively to Northern Irish society as it is my new home.
>> Cooking Playlist
I mainly listen to Bollywood music, Malayalam and Tamil film music, ghazals and some Carnatic classical music. Singer Lata Mangeshka is a legend in the Indian subcontinent. Salil Choudhary is my dad’s favourite music director, so his songs would always be played at home. ‘O Sajana Barkha Bahaar AAyi’ is my all-time favourite. I just love ‘Kabira’— the lyrics, the singing, the visuals. It’s an emotion, a feeling. The ghazal ‘Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya‘ is for the romantic in me! ‘Ambalappuzhe Unnikkannanodu’ is a Malayalam movie song (Malayalam is my mother tongue). It’s very soothing, very traditional, and it’s a romantic song with devotional undertones. ‘Kannamoochi Yenada’ is my favourite song from AR Rahman’s vast collection of masterpieces. The singer KS Chitra is another legend, especially in South India. The picturisation of the song is beautiful as well.
‘O Sajana Barkha Bahaar Aayi’ by Lata Mangeshkar (from the movie Parakh) ‘Kabira’ by Tochi Raina & Rekha Bhardwaj (from the movie Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani) ‘Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya’ by Aamir Khan & Sonali Bendre (from the movie Sarfarosh) ‘Ambalappuzhe Unnikkannanodu’ by K. S. Chithra & G. Sreekumar ‘Kannamoochi Yenada’ by Chitra
Laghmon
CENTRAL ASIA | SARA H. Laghmon is an amazing introduction to Silk Route food. You’ll find all sorts of variations of laghmon from Japan to Central Asia (lagman, ramyon) and all of them are incredibly delicious!
Cooking time: 2 hours Preparation time: 2 hours Serves: 6
Ingredients for the noodles
670g flour 1 egg 100ml water 1 tsp salt
Ingredients for the magical sauce
200g steak meat, cut into strips pinches (to taste) of salt, black pepper, star of anise, sugar, combined 4–5 medium sized tomatoes
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4 garlic cloves • 4 celery stems • paprika • chilli powder • 1 tsp tomato paste • 2 large carrots, sliced into strips 2 onions, sliced
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1 tbsp soy sauce • 1 bell pepper, sliced into strips • dill or any herbs of your choice • 200g white cabbage (or any other available cabbage), sliced into strips
Method
1. 2.
3. Flatten the dough to about about 2cm thick, covering it with oil to avoid sticking. Then cut into 2cm long strips. Roll each strip out into strings of dough, then place the strip onto a large oiled flat plate in a spiral. Repeat with all strips which were left to rest.
Noodles preparation: Add your noodles into salted boiling water, small portions at a time, and boil them for 2 minutes or until they float to the surface. Remove and put the noodles in cold water for 50–60 seconds, then place your noodles into bowls. Add the glorious sauce onto noodles, top it up with chopped herbs and enjoy it!
Mix wet ingredients. Add flour and knead into dough. If the water isn’t enough you can add more as you knead, but make sure the dough is quite stiff. After kneading for 20 minutes, cover and leave it to rest.
Method
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. 7. 8. Cut the tomatoes into halves, soak them in spice mix, and fry them facing down until beautifully caramelised. Pick them up gently and leave to rest.
Add oil to your hot pot, heat the pot further to 180°C, add the strips of meat, and fry.
Add cloves of garlic and diced celery, and fry for 2–3 minutes, then add green beans.
Add paprika and chilli to taste as well as tomato paste.
Add cabbage to the pot, give a good stir and keep frying.
Add carrots, keep frying.
Add thick cut onions and fry everything together.
Add the bell pepper. 9. Add any stock available so that it covers the meat and veggies. 10. Let it boil for a minute or two. 11. Turn the heat off and add fried tomatoes to the sauce.
Chak-chak
(Silk Route Sweets)
Preparation time: 1 hour Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves: 6-12
Ingredients
2 eggs 300g flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 pinch salt 300g honey (or syrup) 300g walnuts, chopped 100g raisins
Method
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Knead flour, eggs, baking powder, and salt into dough. Leave to rest for 30 minutes. Roll dough out thinly. Cut dough into 1cm strips. Deep fry in butter or neutral tasting oil. Leave to cool. Add very hot honey (or syrup), mix with walnuts and raisins.
8.
Pour the mix into a tray and press it in. 9. Leave to rest in the fridge. 10. Take it out of the tray and slice into bitesize pieces.
About Sara
I especially love coastal villages and peninsulas in the island of Ireland. The breathtaking nature, picturesque loughs, stunning cathedrals, areas of outstanding natural beauty where thick forests are so luscious green, beautiful heather fields, high mountains all contribute to my increasing love for Ulster.
Image above: Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel Image on the right: Masada, Israel
>> Cooking playlist
The following are songs you can listen to while making the dish or eating it. The lyrics will give you insight into my culture and the music will transfer you to a place you could imagine from fairytales.
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‘Yakumin Ki Medonad’ (Bukharian Jewish version of the traditional Passover song ‘Echad Mi Yodea’) • ‘Нигина Амонкулова ва Дамирбек Олимов’– Мавриги • ‘Shoxrux Jamol Lola’ (Full Version Rubob Mix) • ‘Oseh Shalom’
