Part 1Typical foods consumed:
Each region of India has its own cooking style and favourite dish.
The north: known for tandoori chicken
The south: known for hot and spicy foods
The east: known for chilli curries
The west: known for using coconut and seafood
Indian food is typically spicy, with rice being very prominent. Typical spices are cardomom, cloves and peppers, chillies and turmeric.
Overview of culture:
India has one of the oldest civilizations, (starting about 4,500 years ago), and their culture and traditions are very developed. India is known as the ‘birthplace of hinduism and buddhism’, and as such 85% of the population are hindu, while less than 13% are buddhist. Many hindus are vegetarians, so rice and spicy meals are popular. Non-vegetarians favor lamb and chicken over other meat, which are served heavily spiced. Most of their food is eaten with fingers or bread. India has very recognizable architecture, films and music, with their film industry being known as bollywood. Clothing is very colourful and identifiable as they follow the rules of their religions. They have several celebrations, namely diwali, a five-day festival known as the festival of lights.
At home we have a lot of Italian and Greek food and don’t really make or eat Indian. We sometimes have curries every now and then or some foods from different countries but it’s very rare. I personally love Indian food all the spices and smells are amazing.
Each region of India has its own cooking style and favourite dish.
The north: known for tandoori chicken
The south: known for hot and spicy foods
The east: known for chilli curries
The west: known for using coconut and seafood
Indian food is typically spicy, with rice being very prominent. Typical spices are cardomom, cloves and peppers, chillies and turmeric.
Overview of culture:
India has one of the oldest civilizations, (starting about 4,500 years ago), and their culture and traditions are very developed. India is known as the ‘birthplace of hinduism and buddhism’, and as such 85% of the population are hindu, while less than 13% are buddhist. Many hindus are vegetarians, so rice and spicy meals are popular. Non-vegetarians favor lamb and chicken over other meat, which are served heavily spiced. Most of their food is eaten with fingers or bread. India has very recognizable architecture, films and music, with their film industry being known as bollywood. Clothing is very colourful and identifiable as they follow the rules of their religions. They have several celebrations, namely diwali, a five-day festival known as the festival of lights.
At home we have a lot of Italian and Greek food and don’t really make or eat Indian. We sometimes have curries every now and then or some foods from different countries but it’s very rare. I personally love Indian food all the spices and smells are amazing.
part 2 recipe 1 http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/gulab-jamun-dumplings-rosewater-syrupIngredients
To make sugar syrup, place the caster sugar, 500ml water and rosewater in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high, add the cardamom and saffron, then bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from the heat and set aside.
Combine the milk powder, baking powder and plain flour in a bowl. Add the ghee and mix well. Add the milk and knead to form a pastry-like dough. Using your hands, divide the dough into 25 pieces and roll into small balls.
Fill a saucepan one-third full of vegetable oil. Heat oil to 150°C and, working in batches, fry the balls for 3 minutes or until golden-brown and floating to the surface. The balls will double in size during the cooking process. Remove from the oil, immediately place in a bowl with the sugar syrup and soak for 45 minutes or until glossy. Serve garnished with rose petals.
Evaluation: Rosewater syrup is the traditional syrup for this dish, and garnishing the gulab jamun with rose petals is a good presentation idea. However rose petals arent easy to get if you lack a rosebush, and the 45 minute soaking time is not ideal for a recipe to be prepared in class.
recipe 2 http://www.foodista.com/recipe/VRNB2SZM/orange-infused-gulab-jamun
Ingredients1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
4 drops rose water
1 tablespoon orange zest
7 tablespoons powdered milk
3 teaspoons self-raising flour
1 teaspoon semolina (Sooji)
3 teaspoons melted butter
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon orange rind
pinch of saffron
milk to mix
1 liter oil for deep frying
Preparation1
Put the sugar and water in a heavy base or nonstick pan and heatto dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat and boil for 10 minutes to make a simple syrup. Mix in the rose water and orange zest and set aside.
2
Combine powdered milk, flour, semolina, melted butter, groundcardamom, and saffron in a bowl. Mix well with a little milk to make a soft dough.
3
Using a teaspoon, make and roll balls until all of the dough is used.
4
Heat the oil to 375° F and gently deep-fry the balls until goldenbrown.
5
Remove with slotted spoon and put into the syrup.
6
Bring the syrup to a boil, then remove from the heat.
7
Transfer two to three balls to a small shallow dish, serve warm.
Evaluation: this recipe has a twist on the traditional flavours, adding orange zest to the syrup. It does follow tradition with rosewater and saffron, which is good as this sweet is normally sold at festivals which are very traditional. However putting the deep-fried balls straight into the syrup and boiling isnt the best way to give them the flavour, as by soaking them they have a lot more time to absorb the spices.
Recipe 3
this recipe experiments with rosewater and yoghurt it would be very sweet and not as good as if orange was used. adding the deep fried doughnut straight to the syrup for a long amount of time made them quite soggy and it could have done with maybe alittle bit more orange flavor
- 440 g(2 cups) caster sugar
- 1 tbsprosewater
- 2 tspground cardamom
- pinch of saffron threads
- 200 gmilk powder
- ¼ tspbaking powder
- 50 g plain flour
- 3 tspmelted ghee
- ⅓ cup(80 ml) milk
- vegetable oil, for frying
- rose petals, to garnish
To make sugar syrup, place the caster sugar, 500ml water and rosewater in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high, add the cardamom and saffron, then bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from the heat and set aside.
Combine the milk powder, baking powder and plain flour in a bowl. Add the ghee and mix well. Add the milk and knead to form a pastry-like dough. Using your hands, divide the dough into 25 pieces and roll into small balls.
Fill a saucepan one-third full of vegetable oil. Heat oil to 150°C and, working in batches, fry the balls for 3 minutes or until golden-brown and floating to the surface. The balls will double in size during the cooking process. Remove from the oil, immediately place in a bowl with the sugar syrup and soak for 45 minutes or until glossy. Serve garnished with rose petals.
Evaluation: Rosewater syrup is the traditional syrup for this dish, and garnishing the gulab jamun with rose petals is a good presentation idea. However rose petals arent easy to get if you lack a rosebush, and the 45 minute soaking time is not ideal for a recipe to be prepared in class.
recipe 2 http://www.foodista.com/recipe/VRNB2SZM/orange-infused-gulab-jamun
Ingredients1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
4 drops rose water
1 tablespoon orange zest
7 tablespoons powdered milk
3 teaspoons self-raising flour
1 teaspoon semolina (Sooji)
3 teaspoons melted butter
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon orange rind
pinch of saffron
milk to mix
1 liter oil for deep frying
Preparation1
Put the sugar and water in a heavy base or nonstick pan and heatto dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat and boil for 10 minutes to make a simple syrup. Mix in the rose water and orange zest and set aside.
2
Combine powdered milk, flour, semolina, melted butter, groundcardamom, and saffron in a bowl. Mix well with a little milk to make a soft dough.
3
Using a teaspoon, make and roll balls until all of the dough is used.
4
Heat the oil to 375° F and gently deep-fry the balls until goldenbrown.
5
Remove with slotted spoon and put into the syrup.
6
Bring the syrup to a boil, then remove from the heat.
7
Transfer two to three balls to a small shallow dish, serve warm.
Evaluation: this recipe has a twist on the traditional flavours, adding orange zest to the syrup. It does follow tradition with rosewater and saffron, which is good as this sweet is normally sold at festivals which are very traditional. However putting the deep-fried balls straight into the syrup and boiling isnt the best way to give them the flavour, as by soaking them they have a lot more time to absorb the spices.
Recipe 3
- 500ml (2 cups) water
- 430g (2 cups) caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon rosewater essence (see note)
- 120g (1 cup) full-cream milk powder
- 75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 25g butter, chopped
- 80ml (1/3 cup) water
- 500ml (2 cups) vegetable oil
- Greek-style natural yoghurt, to serve
- Combine water, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom seeds in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. Stir in rosewater. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Step 2
- Combine the milk powder, flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground cardamom in a bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour. Add enough of the water to make a soft sticky dough (add more water if necessary). Shape heaped teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls. Place on a large tray.
- Step 3
- Heat oil in a large wok or saucepan to 170ºC over high heat (or when a cube of bread turns golden in 20 seconds). Reduce heat to low. Cook one-third of the balls, turning occasionally, for 2 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a tray lined with paper towel. Repeat, in 2 more batches, with remaining balls, reheating the oil and reducing the heat to low between batches.
- Step 4
- Place, in a single layer, in a deep dish. Pour over syrup. Set aside for 30 minutes to soak. Serve with yoghurt.
this recipe experiments with rosewater and yoghurt it would be very sweet and not as good as if orange was used. adding the deep fried doughnut straight to the syrup for a long amount of time made them quite soggy and it could have done with maybe alittle bit more orange flavor
Created recipe:
Combine water, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom seeds in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. If sauce has not thickened, add a few teaspoons of icing sugar.Stir in orange essence. Set aside to cool slightly.
Step 2 (Izzy to do)
Combine the milk powder, flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground cardamom in a bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour. Add enough of the water to make a soft sticky dough (add more water if necessary). Dust your hands with self-raising flour then shape heaped teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls. Place on a dairy chopping board.
Step 3 (complete together, swapping between cooking and cleaning up.)
Heat oil in a large wok or saucepan to 170ºC over high heat then reduce heat to low. Cook one-third of the balls, turning occasionally, for 2 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. When cooking, do not touch balls directly, instead move then around by moving oil Transfer to a tray lined with paper towel. Repeat, in 2 more batches, with remaining balls, reheating the oil and reducing the heat to low between batches.
Step 4 (complete together)
Place into deep bowls and pour over syrup. Set aside for 20-30 minutes to soak. place gulab jamun into bowl,, garnish with soaked cinnamon stick and pour some syrup over. Serve.
Food order:
Evaluation:
Theory: We researched several countries before choosing India, and so most work was done at home. As such, we spend class time researching indian recipes, and it was difficult to find one that could be cooked and served in less than 70 minutes. It was easy to research india’s food and culture though, as the information was clear and quick to locate.
Sensory properties: The taste of our sweets was good, with a flavour similar to the traditional recipe. The spices made it very indian, and they made it smell great. They looked golden-brown, not burnt but not undercooked. They were soft, and too big to eat whole (they were the traditional size, gulab jamun can be served smaller or bigger).
Safety and hygiene: we displayed good safety and hygiene skills, as seen by displaying caution with the oil and letting the oil cool before removing to be safe. Safety was very important as we deep-fried the sweets, so extra care had to be taken when frying them.
Organisation: We finished the prac with time to spare, by working to complete the recipe together quickly and effectively. We cleaned up while the gulab jamun soaked, so by the time they were done we had finished cleaning. We came to the lesson prepared, with the recipe pre-printed and all the ingredients (not provided by the school) ready. We were very organised with what steps of the recipe would be done by who, and so we completed the recipe to the best of our abilities easily.
Teamwork: We worked together to complete the prac efficiently by following our planned steps. We also worked well to complete the theory questions, by dividing our work equally and completing individually.
Suggested changes: There could have been more changes made between our created recipe and our researched ones, and we could have created a side dish (to complete in the soaking time).
- 500ml (2 cups) water-school
- 430g (2 cups) caster sugar-school
- 1 cinnamon stick-grace
- 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds-izzy
- 1/4 teaspoon orange essence -izzy
- 120g (1 cup) full-cream milk powder-grace
- 75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour-school
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda-school
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom-izzy
- 25g butter, chopped-school
- 80ml (1/3 cup) water-school
- 500ml (2 cups) vegetable oil- school
- Extra icing sugar, if needed - school
Combine water, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom seeds in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. If sauce has not thickened, add a few teaspoons of icing sugar.Stir in orange essence. Set aside to cool slightly.
Step 2 (Izzy to do)
Combine the milk powder, flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground cardamom in a bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour. Add enough of the water to make a soft sticky dough (add more water if necessary). Dust your hands with self-raising flour then shape heaped teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls. Place on a dairy chopping board.
Step 3 (complete together, swapping between cooking and cleaning up.)
Heat oil in a large wok or saucepan to 170ºC over high heat then reduce heat to low. Cook one-third of the balls, turning occasionally, for 2 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. When cooking, do not touch balls directly, instead move then around by moving oil Transfer to a tray lined with paper towel. Repeat, in 2 more batches, with remaining balls, reheating the oil and reducing the heat to low between batches.
Step 4 (complete together)
Place into deep bowls and pour over syrup. Set aside for 20-30 minutes to soak. place gulab jamun into bowl,, garnish with soaked cinnamon stick and pour some syrup over. Serve.
Food order:
- 500ml (2 cups) water-school
- 430g (2 cups) caster sugar-school
- 75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour-school
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda-school
- 25g butter, chopped-school
- 80ml (1/3 cup) water-school
- 500ml (2 cups) vegetable oil- school
- 1 cinnamon stick-grace
- 120g (1 cup) full-cream milk powder-grace
- 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds-izzy
- 1/4 teaspoon orange essence -izzy
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom-izzy
- Extra icing sugar- school
Evaluation:
Theory: We researched several countries before choosing India, and so most work was done at home. As such, we spend class time researching indian recipes, and it was difficult to find one that could be cooked and served in less than 70 minutes. It was easy to research india’s food and culture though, as the information was clear and quick to locate.
Sensory properties: The taste of our sweets was good, with a flavour similar to the traditional recipe. The spices made it very indian, and they made it smell great. They looked golden-brown, not burnt but not undercooked. They were soft, and too big to eat whole (they were the traditional size, gulab jamun can be served smaller or bigger).
Safety and hygiene: we displayed good safety and hygiene skills, as seen by displaying caution with the oil and letting the oil cool before removing to be safe. Safety was very important as we deep-fried the sweets, so extra care had to be taken when frying them.
Organisation: We finished the prac with time to spare, by working to complete the recipe together quickly and effectively. We cleaned up while the gulab jamun soaked, so by the time they were done we had finished cleaning. We came to the lesson prepared, with the recipe pre-printed and all the ingredients (not provided by the school) ready. We were very organised with what steps of the recipe would be done by who, and so we completed the recipe to the best of our abilities easily.
Teamwork: We worked together to complete the prac efficiently by following our planned steps. We also worked well to complete the theory questions, by dividing our work equally and completing individually.
Suggested changes: There could have been more changes made between our created recipe and our researched ones, and we could have created a side dish (to complete in the soaking time).
11:50
Hair, jewellery, apron, hands
12:00
Recipe+tray+measuring equipment
12:05
Collect ingredients from fridge? front bay
12:10
- 500ml (2 cups) water-school
- 430g (2 cups) caster sugar-school
- 1 cinnamon stick-grace
- 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds-izzy
- 1/4 teaspoon orange essence -izzy
- 120g (1 cup) full-cream milk powder-grace
- 75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour-school
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda-school
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom-izzy
- 25g butter, chopped-school
- 80ml (1/3 cup) water-school
- 500ml (2 cups) vegetable oil- school
- Extra icing sugar, if needed - school
Combine water, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom seeds in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. If sauce has not thickened, add a few teaspoons of icing sugar.Stir in orange essence. Set aside to cool slightly.
Step 2 (Izzy to do)
Combine the milk powder, flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground cardamom in a bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour. Add enough of the water to make a soft sticky dough (add more water if necessary). Dust your hands with self-raising flour then shape heaped teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls. Place on a dairy chopping board.
Step 3 (complete together, swapping between cooking and cleaning up.)
Heat oil in a large wok or saucepan to 170ºC over high heat then reduce heat to low. Cook one-third of the balls, turning occasionally, for 2 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. When cooking, do not touch balls directly, instead move then around by moving oil Transfer to a tray lined with paper towel. Repeat, in 2 more batches, with remaining balls, reheating the oil and reducing the heat to low between batches.
Step 4 (complete together)
Place into deep bowls and pour over syrup. Set aside for 20-30 minutes to soak. place gulab jamun into bowl,, garnish with soaked cinnamon stick and pour some syrup over. Serve.
Time plan:
12:45
Present
12:50
Clean up
11:50
Hair, jewellery, apron, hands
12:00
Recipe+tray+measuring equipment
12:05
Collect ingredients from fridge? front bay
12:10
- 500ml (2 cups) water-school
- 430g (2 cups) caster sugar-school
- 1 cinnamon stick-grace
- 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds-izzy
- 1/4 teaspoon orange essence -izzy
- 120g (1 cup) full-cream milk powder-grace
- 75g (1/2 cup) self-raising flour-school
- 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda-school
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom-izzy
- 25g butter, chopped-school
- 80ml (1/3 cup) water-school
- 500ml (2 cups) vegetable oil- school
- Extra icing sugar, if needed - school
Combine water, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom seeds in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. If sauce has not thickened, add a few teaspoons of icing sugar.Stir in orange essence. Set aside to cool slightly.
Step 2 (Izzy to do)
Combine the milk powder, flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground cardamom in a bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour. Add enough of the water to make a soft sticky dough (add more water if necessary). Dust your hands with self-raising flour then shape heaped teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls. Place on a dairy chopping board.
Step 3 (complete together, swapping between cooking and cleaning up.)
Heat oil in a large wok or saucepan to 170ºC over high heat then reduce heat to low. Cook one-third of the balls, turning occasionally, for 2 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. When cooking, do not touch balls directly, instead move then around by moving oil Transfer to a tray lined with paper towel. Repeat, in 2 more batches, with remaining balls, reheating the oil and reducing the heat to low between batches.
Step 4 (complete together)
Place into deep bowls and pour over syrup. Set aside for 20-30 minutes to soak. place gulab jamun into bowl,, garnish with soaked cinnamon stick and pour some syrup over. Serve.
12:45
Present
12:50
Clean up