Gulamani - Flavors of India & Africa: More than 100 Tasty family recipes

Copyright 2014 Khatoon Gulamani ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author. All possible care has been taken in the preparation of this cookbook. However, the recipes in this book are provided for general illustration purpose only.

Individual needs vary and these recipes may not be suitable for everyone. This book is not intended to provide specific dietary recommendations or be a substitute for medical advice from qualified health care professionals. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be held liable or responsible to any person or entity with respect to any loss or incidental or consequential damages caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained herein. ISBN 978- 1499 1327 00 Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2014907487 IN LOVING MEMORY OF Fatmakhanu Merali Rawji & Khatijabai Abdulsultan Gulamani My culinary mentors who inspired me
both in the kitchen and in life. Acknowledgement My deep appreciation to the following who have helped in the creation of this book. My husband Gulamhussein for his unflinching support and encouragement over the years.

Family and friends in USA, Canada, England and East Africa who have been very supportive and have been enthusiastically awaiting the completion of this cookbook. New York Senior Center where I took classes in creative writing in 2001 that firmly planted the idea in my mind about writing this cookbook. In addition, the following professionals have been of tremendous help in the actual preparation of the book: Chantelle Leighton (USA) - Graphic Design Sultana Parvin (Bangladesh)- Editing Balaji Selvam (India) - Layout Introduction I grew up in Tanzania, East Africa where my father had immigrated to from his birthplace in Raval, a small village in the State of Gujarat, India. He met my mother and settled in Dar es salaam and I was one of the nine surviving siblings. I was born in 1932 at a time when Tanzania was under the British rule and I witnessed its many struggles as it gained independence in 1961. Tanzania is well known for its world-class game parks, Mount Kilimanjaro, the Tanzanite stone as well as the Spice Island of Zanzibar.

The country has some of the friendliest and hospitable people on the planet. It is a great place to visit for its sheer breathtaking natural beauty. And if you visit Tanzania, try out the indigenously prepared ugali & maharage, mandazi, mkate mimina, mbaazi, vipopo - all included in this book. As part of a large family in the 1940s, cooking was not an optional activity in the family. I was one of the older daughters and had the responsibility of helping my father in the store after school and my mother in the kitchen where I acquired my initial cooking skills. Both my parents worked very hard to raise their kids and to educate them.

They also instilled in me the passion for cooking and serving since my childhood. I helped my mother in the kitchen benefiting from her extensive repertoire of recipes and observing her make those exceptional Goor Paak. We did not have an electric cooker, so all the family cooking was done on log fires and charcoal stoves. We had a spacious backyard where most of the cooking activities took place. I remember burning myself while frying some sweet snacks on log fire. The snacks fell from the slotted spoon back into the large wok, splashing hot oil everywhere.

I had some serious burns from this incident which took a long time to heal. This did not deter me from continuing to help my mom in the kitchen and also made me aware of my own passion for cooking. Most of the cooking in the family was of Indian style with some indigenous dishes as well. And there was an inevitable fusion in the process that happened over the years. After my marriage in 1954, I was fortunate that my mother-in-law was also a great cook (her Goor Thepla were unbeatable) and I picked some great recipes from her. We immigrated to the USA in 1999 and I have continued to enjoy cooking here and of course benefited from the vast talent and resources available through cookbooks and TV cooking shows.

I have adapted some recipes like Murbo to the North American taste. The motivation for writing this family style cookbook which has been my life-long ambition has been two-fold. First, I often get requests for recipes of the dishes I cook from friends and family. Something in a book form, I thought, would be generally helpful to those looking for family style East African & Indian fusion recipes. Secondly, I hope the book will be especially helpful to our younger generation by providing easy to follow recipes so they can also enjoy traditional cooking in today's fast paced world. So let's begin this culinary journey.

I hope you enjoy and love the food. Don't be afraid to experiment with the recipes and add your own twist to them. Remember, careful with that hot oil please!

CONTENTS Daal Bhajia
(Black-Eye Lentil Fritters) Moong Wada
(Moong Bean Fritters) Aaloo Wada
(Spicy Potato Balls) Kofta Curry
(Meat Balls in Curry Sauce) Chana Bateta (Chickpea and
Potato Curry) Goor Paak
(Whole Wheat Squares) Badaam Paak
(Almond Semolina Fudge) Lapsi
(Cracked Wheat Sweet Meal) Sweet Sevaiya
(Wheat Vermicelli) Agar Agar
(Milky Dessert Made from Strands of Agar Agar) Vipopo
(Rice Balls in Sweet Coconut Sauce) Rice Vermicelli
(Cooked in Sweet Coconut Sauce) Fruit Custard
(Fresh Fruit and Canned Fruit with Custard) Kulfi
(Saffron Ice Cream) Singoli
(Coconut Turnovers) Sakar Para
(Sweet Crackers) Goor Thepla
(Jaggery Whole Wheat Cookies) Naankhatai
(Butter Cookies) Mandazi
(African Sweet Bread) Instant Buns
(Home Made Donuts) Bow Tie Poori
(Sugary Snack) Khokho Tende
(Sugar Coated Fried Cookies) Banana Fritters
(Very Ripe Sweet Bananas Fried in Batter) Goor- Mani Ladoos
(Rotis Mixed with Jaggery Syrup) APPETIZERS &
SAVORY SNACKS"People who love to eat are always the best people." - Julia Child 1912-2004 American chef, author & television personality VEGETABLE SAMOSAS (PASTRIES FILLED WITH SPICY MIXED VEGETABLES) Yield 24 Samosas Ingredients: 1 large onion, chopped 1 cup shredded cabbage 1 cup chopped bell pepper 1 cup potato, peeled, and chopped finely 1 cup green onions, chopped 1 green chili chopped, or to taste 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 1 cup green beans, finely chopped 1 cup carrots, peeled and finely chopped 1 cup corn 1 cup green peas 1 tbs black mustard seeds 1 tbs ginger paste 1 tbs garlic paste 1 tsp mint paste 1 tsp chili paste, or to taste 1 tsp cumin seeds, ground 1 tsp corriander seeds, ground 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fennel seeds ground 1/2 tsp cardamom seeds, ground 2 tbs lemon juice 2 tbs tomato ketchup 2 tbs dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) 1/3 cup oil to cook the vegetables 2 cups water (or more if needed) 1 tsp sugar 24 samosa wrappers (available in Asian markets). 2 to 3 cups oil for deep frying 1 tbs All Purpose Flour 2 tbs water to paste the samosas Directions: Heat the oil in a deep saucepan on medium. Add the mustard seeds and chopped onion and bell pepper. Stir for 1 minute.Next page