Title: Balti Vegetable Information
Categories: Misc Info Asian Vegetable
Yield: 1 Info sheet

Vegetables and Legumes in Balti Cooking ======================================= Baltistanis are definitely not vegetarians and they would never serve a meal without meat, poultry or fish. there is no reason, however, why you can't serve vegetable only Balti dishes. You can still mix and match, in true Balti style, to create your own interesting combinations such as aubergine and carrot with mushroom, or dhal with brocolli. In this chapter, i have looked at vegetables individually, vegetable by vegetable, and given single portion recipes which serve one person. If you want to make more portions, simply double or quadruple all quantities as required. Lentils require rather more time consuming preparation and cooking, but as they are used a lot in Balti combinations, I've provided ten portion recipes, with the idea that you use what's needed and freeze the rest to use later.

Vegetable-only Balti Dishes =========================== The idea is to select your vegetables and prepare and cook them as instructed in the AtoZ of Vegetables, and then combine them with the Balti Spice Base. (The recipe for these follow - IMH) You can combine any vegetables with any variation of the spice base - the choice is yours. For _each person_ you will need 6oz (175g) raw vegetables (weighed after peeling etc) and 1 portion of Balti Spice Base.

Cooking Vegetables for Balti ============================ There are three generalised methods for cooking vegetables for Balti ~ by boiling, by steaming, or by microwaving.

Method 1. Boiling ================= 1 Boil 1/4 pt water in a saucepan. 2 Dice the vegetables into bite-sized pieces 3 Boil for 3-4 minutes or until as you like it. Some vegetables, such as potatoes, turnips and parsnips may take longer. 4 Strain and use as required.

Method 2. Steaming ================== You can use Chinese bamboo tiered steamers held above a saucepan containing boiling water, a double saucepan, or, cheapest of all, a strainer simply placed above the pan. 1 Boil 1/2 pt (300ml) of water in a saucepan or double-boiler base. 2 Dice the vegetables into bite-sized pieces. 3 Put the vegetables into the steamer tray, upper half of the double boiler or the strainer. Place over the boiling water, put the lid on and steam until just tender - or cooked to your liking.

Method 3. Microwaving ===================== This is one of the best uses of a microwave. In no time at all, the vegetable is piping hot, yet minimal flavour is lost due to minimal water being involved in the cooking process. 1 Dice the vegetables into bite-sized pieces. 2 Place 2 fl oz (50 ml) cold water and the vegetables into a suitably sized, wide lidded non-metallic bowl. 3 Run the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Test and continue until the vegetables are as you want them. A little water may be needed if it dries out.

Legumes ======= Lentils, dried beans and peas are legumes, and their seeds ~ also called pulses - have been dried since mankind first began civilised farming. In the dried form they lasted for years, and traditionally provided protein over hard winters and non growing periods. Balti people have long since relied on legumes, and they are an important ingredient in Balti dishes. As with vegetables, they can be used in a mix-and-match combination method. We give recipes for more than one portion, because it is impractical to cook legumes in tiny batches. In fact it is far easier to cook a whole 500g (18oz) packet in one go, and store the spare in the freezer. 500g yields enough for around ten to twelve portions, so use large yoghurt pots to freeze the excess in.

Cooking Legumes =============== 1 Spread the legumes out on a table and examine them carefully. Small stones, even large pieces of grit, are not uncommon, because the villagers still dry legumes on the ground.

2 For the same reason a good cold water rinse/wask is essential.

3 Soak the legumes. Timings vary from species to species. the reason is to leach out starch (and toxins in some cases) and to soften the legumes in order to shorten their cooking time.

4 Cooking can be in water in a saucepan or in the microwave. As they take in water, the legumes will expand to 1 1/2 to 2 times their dry size. Use a saucepan large enough to allow for this. Cooking times too, vary from species to species, so follow the instructions on the packet.

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