Culinary Chronicles
By Yasmin Rahul Bakshi
A doting father went inside the locomotive to see off his precious daughter while I relaxed in the parked car. Much against my wishes, the Cub wanted to do her first solo train journey, for which “Vande Bharat” was chosen – for the snacks it served during the journey, especially the “kachauri”. A train with automatic doors and distributed power system that accelerated to the speed of 100 kilometres an hour within 52 seconds of starting. Food was foremost and then came modern innovations.
Tiger might appear calm, composed and gentle but within lives a daredevil. Courageous and strong!
Capturing the moments in his lens for cherished memories and ensuring her comfort with the co-passengers. Not realising the advanced technologies of the train and ignoring the announcements for closing of doors before the departure.
The doors shut and the train gradually picked up speed. He ran towards the exit door which would not open – sealed!
The railway personnel on duty asked Tiger to rush to the conductor room that was four bogies away at the end of the train.
He leaped, hopped, ran in the southward direction while the train was accelerating northwards. Making his relative speed to the train increase.
The conductor smiled at his behest rejecting his plea to stop the rail vehicle. Only directing him to jump off the exit passage or to get down at the next station. Each split second was crucial and the decision had to be prompt.
He bobbed out and ran for a while with the train for the sake of the principle of inertia. Not for his life but for the waiting wife!
A lionhearted episode of precisely 17 seconds.
Ingredients:
(For the dough)
- All purpose flour – 1 cup
- Semolina – 1 Tbsp
- Salt – ½ tsp
- Ghee – 2 Tbsp
- Water – 7 to 8 Tbsp
(For the filling)
- Boiled potatoes – ½ cup
- Onions – 1 cup (finely chopped)
- Ginger – ½ inch (finely chopped)
- Coriander leaves – 1 Tbsp (finely chopped)
- Gram flour – 1 Tbsp
- Oil – 2 Tbsp
- Coriander seeds – ¼ tsp
- Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
- Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
- Asafoetida – ⅛ tsp
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Red chili powder – ½ tsp
- Dry mango powder – ½ tsp
- Sugar – 1 tsp
- Salt – according to taste
(For deep frying)
- Oil – 2 cups
Method:
- Mix the all-purpose flour, salt and semolina.
- Add ghee and mix well with your fingers.
- Gradually add the water to knead a tight yet smooth dough.
- Cover and keep aside for half an hour.
- On the other hand, coarsely mash the potatoes.
- Heat a pan and dry roast the cumin seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds. Cool and coarsely grind them.
- Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and add the chopped ginger and onions and saute for a minute.
- Add the ground cumin, fennel and coriander along with salt, turmeric powder, dry mango powder and red chili powder.
- Mix well and add besan. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add the sugar and mix well.
- Add the coarsely mashed potatoes.
- Saute for 2 minutes. Cool and keep the filling aside.
- Re-knead the dough and divide into 6 equal size balls.
- Roll each dough ball into approximately 3 inch circles.
- Place about 2 Tbsp of filling over each dough circle and encase it inside by pulling and pinching the edges at the centre.
- Flatten each dough filled ball with your hand.
- Heat the oil for deep frying.
- Deep fry the kachauris (2 to 3) at a time in hot oil on medium heat until they turn golden brown.
- Serve hot.
(Yasmin Rahul Bakshi is an accomplished senior consultant Chef and a food historian. A widely travelled Army wife from the Mussoorie hills with exposure to international cuisines & preserving recipes with the medium of food photography and digital content creation in the form of stories.)
