Krupa's Kitchen

Brussels Sprouts with Tomato sauce

2012-01-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

Before I left for Bombay, I went out for dinner with friends to Mercadito--a Mexican place in Manhattan. My friend J said that she loved and adored their cauliflower appetizer, so we dutifully ordered a plate of those. When they came, however, they were not quite the breathtakingly amazing dish we had all imagined. We were almost done with dinner and were contemplating ordering dessert when the server said she "really really" recommends that we try the Brussels sprouts appetizer. Brussels sprouts for dessert? could we get more lame??! But seriously when the plate came we took one bite and within 30 seconds we had polished off the entire dish. They were crispy and enrobed in a creamy tomato sauce--soooo good. I could easily have ordered another plate for dessert. :)

When I came back from Bombay i was desperate to re-create them in my kitchen. And I think I almost managed it. Here's the recipe:

Brussels Sprouts with Tomato Sauce

10-12 Brussels Sprouts, sliced into half

1/2 a large onion (I used a red one--but white onion would be better I suspect), chopped

2 fat cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1/2 can diced tomatoes OR 2 fresh tomatoes diced

2 tbsps goat cheese

2 tbsps olive oil

salt and pepper

1. In a large saucepan heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium heat.

2. Lay the Brussels sprouts flat side down on the pan and sprinkle some salt and pepper over them.

3. Cover and cook for about 3-5 minutes. When they brown, flip them and cook them on the other side.

4. In the mean time, heat the oil, add the onions, garlic and a bay leaf.

5. When the onions are translucent add the canned tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes.

6. Add in the cheese and cook for another 3 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

7. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth, adding a little water if the sauce is too thick.

8. Add salt and pepper to taste (you want the sauce to be slightly sweet though, so don't add too much salt).

9. Drape over the sprouts and serve. Yum!!

Iced Mint Tea

2011-07-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

It has been so hot the past couple of days that I have been longing for iced tea. (That said I cannot wake up in the morning without my cup of elaichi chai--I have taken to smashing in cloves with elaichi and the result is a warm mellow depth that makes the tea uber delicious.) In Ithaca I used to make a giant pot of iced tea by brewing black tea and adding lemonade concentrate. This summer I decided to experiment with green tea--it's healthier for you and somehow seems a lot less acidic and tea-like. The drink verges on lemonade...what could be better?

Margaret and Terry were over for dinner a few days ago and they gifted me a giant bunch of fresh mint. Terry tucked it into a vase and assured me that as long as I refreshed the water regularly, the mint would thrive and even start growing roots. (Whoa!) With so much mint around, I had to find a way to use it in the tea.

Here's what I did.

Mint Iced Tea:

3 cups water

1 bunch mint

4 tea bags of green tea

1/4 cup-1/2 sugar OR Honey

1 lemon

Boil water with mint. Once it has boiled for about 8 minutes switch off the heat. Steep tea bags for 10 minutes. Mix in sugar and lemon juice. Taste and add more cold water to adjust to taste.

Pour into a pitcher and refrigerate (I love this pitcher that Namu gifted me--it's so functional and yet so elegant). Adorn with a sprig of mint and pour over two cubes of ice when serving.

Paneer Bhurji

2011-07-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning feeling cool. It must have been weeks at least since the last time I woke up not drenched in sweat from the broiling heat. So I decided today to actually cook breakfast. I could muster up enough energy to switch on my laptop and surf for recipes, but after a few minutes of pointless searching. I decided to shower so that I could wake up fully and only then decide the fate of breakfast. As it often happens, showering leads to inspiration. I decided to make Paneer Bhurji. Paneer Bhurji is the vegetarian version of Egg Bhurji, which is basically a desi egg scramble. (In desiland, egg is considered non-veg, so paneer is used in lieu of eggs in vegetarian households). Here's what I did:

Paneer Bhurji:

About 300 gms paneer crumbled

1/2 a white onion (red will do too)

3-4 spring onions

2-3 tbsps fresh chopped coriander

1 tomato

2 green chillies

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsps olive oil

1. Heat oil in a pan and simmer cumin seeds until browned.

2. Add in onions, green chillies, spring onions. cook until onions have begun to brown lightly.

3. Add in tomatoes and cook until they become soft and squishy.

4. Add in the turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala and cook for a few more minutes.

5. Add in crumbled paneer, salt and pepper and cook to incorporate everything.

6. Just before serving add coriander and mix once.

7. Serve hot with rotis, toast or (in my case) warmed tortillas.

Oh my god! This is the best protein-ous breakfast in the world. So healthy and so tasty. A nice departure from my usual tofu scramble. :)

Cold food on a hot day!

2011-07-10T08:18:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a particularly hot day. I woke up sweating in the morning and immediately reached for the fans that are sitting in my basement. I had bought a new summer dress from Victoria's Secret and it arrived just in time for the summer day. Here's what I wore yesterday:

On such a hot day, it's impossible to even consider eating hot (temperature wise) food. So Harshit and I decided to make salads and hummus for lunch. As it happens, I had come across a host of quick and easy salad recipes on the NYT website. So I decided to give them a go. These are the ones I ended up picking:

Carrot Salad

A classic Moroccan thing: Thinly slice carrots, or grate or shred them (the food processor makes quick work of this). Toss with toasted cumin seeds, olive oil, lemon juice and cilantro. Raisins are good in here, too. There is no better use of raw carrots.

-->This salad was great--very crunch and flavourful with the cumin accenting the sweetness of the carrots. I'll definitely be making it again.

Beet Raita (made Moroccan style?)

Peel beets and grate them in a food processor. Mix equal parts plain yogurt and tahini, and toss with the beets along with lemon juice and za’atar (a mixture of toasted sesame seeds, dried green herbs and ground sumac; you can make it yourself using dried thyme).

-->I think this was my favourite--cooling yogurt on a hot day--what could be better? And the zaatar added an unusual depth of flavour to this raita.

Pickled Cucumbers

Thinly slice some cucumbers (if they’re fat and old, peel and seed them first), red onions, radishes and fresh chili pepper. Soak for a few minutes in equal amounts vinegar and water, with some salt and sugar. When they taste lightly pickled, drain and serve, alone or over rice.

-->I liked this one a lot, but I do think it would taste better as a side dish to dal and rice than as a stand-alone salad. I think I may make a bunch and use it as a tangy fresh vegetable pickle every time I make dal and rice.

Watermelon Salad

Cube watermelon; combine with roughly chopped mint, crumbled feta, sliced red onion and chopped Kalamata olives. Dress lightly with olive oil and lemon juice. Despite saltiness of feta and olives, this may need salt.

-->Okay, this one was the weirdest--I am not one of those people who likes mixing sweet and savoury, so that perhaps explains why I didn't particular enjoy the saltiness of the feta or the crip tang of red onions with watermelon. Try it if you feel adventurous!

A week of ice-cream

2011-07-10T08:01:00.001-07:00

The whole of last week I ate ice-cream almost every day. My excuse: the weather.

The week started out with a Popsicle at the Farmer's Market won Saturday--for 2$ a pop, that's quite expensive for an ice lolly, but let me tell you, these are completely worth it! I got banana chocolate chip one time, strawberry another and peach ginger a third time--all good, though I must admit that banana chocolate chip was my favourite--very creamy with a slight sour tang from over-ripe bananas studded with good quality chocolate chips. Soo good!

Next on my list was Go Berry--a frozen yogurt place which has now opened in Amherst (previously it was only in NoHo). I always try their different flavour, but usually end up getting the original. I adore their original yogurt--nothing beats its tart creaminess. This week I have been getting it with different toppings--I tried mango one day and one day I just had it with plain honey. Golden, rich and very sensual--I think honey is by far my favourite topping on Go Berry ice-cream.

On Wednesday, Zeeshu and I went to Flayvors, an ice-cream shop on Cook's Farm (yes, they make the ice-cream from the very cows who moo at you as you drive up). I have been here twice before--once with Sujani and another time by myself. I promised myself that I would try a new ice-cream flavour every time I went there. The first time I got chocolate almond chip ice-cream, the second Java Crunch (coffee ice-cream with oreos) and the third orange pineapple. Their ice-cream is good, but with each bite I kept thinking--but this is no Go Berry.

Reader! I must confess--as I age my taste buds become more and more sweet averse--I no longer enjoy the rich sweetness of regular ice-cream--it's tart edges to sweetness all the way for me.

Summer Risotto

2011-06-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

After a long and exhausting day spent working and working out I decided to treat myself to a sumptuous meal of risotto. I usually shy away from white rice, but a risotto with arborio rice just wouldn't work. I know there are versions with brown rice and farro and millet but I was craving the rich creaminess of the real thing.

So on my way back from Esselon Cafe I decided to make a stop at Whole Foods and pick up some of the ingredients. I bought the vegetable stock and cheese from there but decided to buy the vegetables from Maple farms--cheaper and fresher. As I imagined, Maple Farms was bursting with summer goodness--I bought asparagus, carrots, green peppers and a bottle of cooking wine.

Here's what I did when I got home.

Summer Risotto

Ingredients:

7-8 stalks asparagus chopped

1 leek finely diced

1/2 white onion sliced thin

3 cloves garlic minced

1 fat carrot minced

1/2 bell pepper cut into thin strips

5-7 mushrooms finely sliced

1-2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tbsp butter+1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup cooking wine

4 cups simmering vegetable stock

1 cup arborio rice

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a deep-bottomed pot.

2. Saute the onions, leeks and garlic until cooked but not browned.

3. Add the rice and stir gently until evenly coated with butter/oil

4. Add the wine and let the rice absorb it.

5. Add veg stock 1/2 cup at a time and the vegetables in order of which takes the longest to cook (first the carrots, then the asparagus, then the peppers and mushrooms).

6. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and the oregano and stir to incorporate

7. When the rice is almost done throw in the parsley and the Parmesan.

8. Add salt and pepper to taste

Serve hot!

Hello Breakfast

2011-05-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

Breakfast has nudged its way to the forefront of my favourite meals of the day. This place in the past was occupied by tea time with its endless variations of snacks--sweet, savoury, spicy and teas--early grey, masala chai, lemongrass chai, elaichi chai and so on. But breakfast is tea time +++. You can drink endless cups of chai and some ridiculously delicious sweet items which you can pretend are healthy.
Today's entry is about one such sweet item--whole wheat-oatmeal-nuts muffins. Did you just make a face? I know they sound super healthy, but they are sooo good. Here's the recipe I adapted from Heidi's website. I used to be a timid baker--baking only to specified amounts and quantities--no more than half a cup of flour, just a pinch of salt. But now I am more intrepid--I experiment and the results are often better than the original recipe. Before I get started with the recipe--a note about these muffins. They are very hearty and bready, so I like them straight out of the oven (or microwaved for 30 secs the next day), sliced in four and drizzled with maple syrup. The maple syrup soaks into the bready muffins and they taste just like gulab jamun when you eat them like this. I swear it's like eating gulab jamuns for breakfast with chai. :)
Gulab Jamun-like Muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cups mixed nuts/dried fruit
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg (I use egg replacer)
1 mashed overripe banana
1 cup yoghurt
1 tbsp butter
2-3tbsps honey/maple syrup (I like these under sweet--but you can add more sweetener if you prefer)

1. Melt the butter. Mix in the honey, yoghurt, egg, banana and whisk until smooth.
2. Add in the dry ingredients. Combine until smooth.
3. Add in the mixed nuts and stir until combined.
4. scoop into a well-greased muffin tin and bake for 12-15 mins at 425F.

Enjoy with maple syrup and chopped fruits. Such a decadent way to start the morning. :)

Dahi ke Kebab

2011-03-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, you heard right--yoghurt kebabs. I too had never heard of them despite being a great fan of all things grilled in a tandoor. My friend Harshit mentioned that he loved eating them at Zaraang ( a restaurant in Calcutta) where they would serve these uber-soft, creamy, charcoal crunchy kebabs with spicy mint chutney. So of course I had to try them. I surfed the web in vain for recipes which suggested creaminess and deliciousness. Most of the recipes I found were suspiciously like aloo tikkis. Then finally I came upon this youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K_l3d46xPY

It looked easy enough so I gave it a try.

Dahi ke Kebab (Recipe in translation)
300 gms strained yoghurt (Greek yoghurt will do)
2 tbsps besan (chickpea flour)
1 green chili finely chopped
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp ground and roasted cumin powder
1 tsp oil
salt to taste
melted butter for cooking
1. Preheat the broiler on Hi
2. Mix together the yoghurt, besan, chili, salt, cardamom and cumin powder.
3. Fry it in a non-stick pan with 1 tsp of hot oil.
4. Cook until it starts to thicken and leave the sides of the pan
5. Let cool to room temperature
6. Shape into flat discs and arrange them on a tray. Drizzle with butter.
7. Broil them for about 5-7 minutes on each side.
8. Serve with chutney.
As an experiment, we pan-fried about half of these kebabs and roasted the other half in the broiler (slathered with melted butter). The broiler ones turned out to be the real thing--creamy, silky smooth and still crunchy. We also made a grassy mint-coriander chutney to go with it, a thick, creamy yoghurt dressing to offset the spiciness of the kebabs, sliced some raw red onions and drizzled the lot with chaat masala. What a wonderful combination! Mmmmmm. I will definitely make them again some time soon.

Sushi!!

2011-03-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day--the snow started melting and it was warmish (well at least warm for Western MA) so Harshit and I decided to go on a bike ride together. We borrowed Regan's bike and trundled away into the woods. Before we knew it we were at the bridge which took us to the desi store, so we decided we would make a stop there.
Our original plan was to pick up some pickles and papad and head home, but we ended up picking up a bunch of other stuff--rice paper sheets, needle thin vermicelli and sushi rice, nori seaweed paper and sushi rice seasoning--so of course we had to have sushi this evening. On our bike ride back home we picked up a ripe avocado from Maple Farms and we set to work. Here's what we did.
How to make Vegetarian Sushi:
1. Boil one cup of sushi rice in a little over a cup of water. Once the rice is almost cooked (20 minutes) and there is just a bit of water left cover it with a lid and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. In the mean time, finely chop a cucumber, carrot, avocado and 3 spring onions lengthwise.
3. Spread the cooked rice on a platter and mix in about 3 tbsps rice vinegar and a tsp or so of rice seasoning. Let cool to room temperature.
4. Spread rice thinly on a sheet of nori leaving a 2 inch rim at the top most edge empty.
5. Arrange the vegetables and then tightly roll the sushi lengthwise. Continue the process with the remaining rice and veggies.
6. Refrigerate until you want to eat.
7. Slice thinly and enjoy with wasabi, pickled ginger and dipping soy sauce (soy sauce+ rice vinegar+cider vinegar+1 tsp sugar+1/2 tsp salt).
Yummm! I'm looking forward to enjoying this with a film this evening. What a wonderful way to spend Spring Break!

What to do with cabbage

2011-02-15T18:22:00.000-08:00

This is my first entry in a while--the reason--been too busy with semester and grading and other miscellaneous stuff. But I wanted to preserve today's serendipitously delicious cabbage recipe with you folks, hence the return to my beloved blog. So here's what happened: I had no (by no, I mean very few that combine well together) groceries at home so I combed the net for exciting recipe ideas for what I did have at home. You see this situation hasn't come up much in the past few months because my friend Zeeshan regularly takes me grocery shopping, but I had left town a few days ago, and he isn't in town at present hence the desperate search for a yummy recipe with strange ingredients on the net. After 20 minutes of searching I gave up and decided to just create my own recipe. It has been frrreezing cold today, and I was in the mood for a stew. I also had a bunch of harissa I had made from this recipe( http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-encore4-2008sep04,0,2391523.story?page=2), and I was keen to use it. Here's what I did.
Tunisian Vegetable Stew (my version)
1/2 a chopped white onion (that's all I had in a little plastic ziploc bag)
1 clove garlic chopped
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1/2 green bell pepper (more if you have some)
1/2 a fat juicy carrot, chopped into squares
3 loaded tsps harissa
1/2 a bottle of Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Marinara Sauce ( 1 can diced tomatoes would work just as well)
1 cup+ vegetable stock (eyeball this)
1/2 cabbage shredded into fine slivers
2 tbsps olive oil
1/2 can chickpeas

1. Heat the olive oil. Saute the onions and garlic until soft.
2. Add in the harissa paste and fry until fragrant (about 2-3 mins)
3. Add in the chopped vegetables and cook for a few (maybe 5?) minutes until the vegetables start to get tender (but not too tender--you don't want them to go to mush)
4. Add in the pasta sauce/tomatoes, chickpeas and vegetable stock.
5. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for about 10 mins until all the vegetables are tender.

Serve with whole wheat couscous and crumbled feta cheese (if you have any). yum!

Two Breakfasts

2010-10-31T06:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after yoga I went over to Manuela's house for breakfast. Chapico, her friend, had already laid out a spread for us--Tamarind juice (also made at home) with home-made brown sugar, Granola with yoghurt and home-made apple sauce, Machica (an Ecuadorean tea) and thick slices of bread with Manuela's grandfather's honey (straight from his farm in France). As you can see, this was quite the breakfast! I loved the apple sauce, which Chapico had made by simmering peeled apples in an inch of water with cinnamon from the Amazon and cloves. It was delicately flavoured with spices so that you could actually taste the apples (unlike store bought jars of the same :(, which tend to be overpoweringly sweet).
How to eat this: 2 tbsps of Yoruk whole milk yogurt (which tastes like fresh cream) in a quarter bowl of save-the-forest granola, a spoon of thick brown maple syrup and a healthy ladling of apple sauce. Mix together in a bowl and enjoy! We ended breakfast with Chapico and Manuela massaging Aloe Vera (from Manuela's plant) into my arms and on my face. I left with a full belly and sticky arms. A perfect way to start the day...
This morning my alarm woke me up at 7:30am. I had forgotten to turn it off the night before, so there I was--lying in bed wide awake at 7:30am on a Sunday morning! I decided to make the most of my early rising and headed to the kitchen to replicate Chapico's wonderful apple sauce. I had also been contemplating making Janki's Jaisinh mama's Baked Omelette with Tofu instead of eggs. So with these ambition plans I set to work. Here's the recipe to the Omelette:

http://traderjanki.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/jaisinh-mamas-famous-baked-omelette/

Note on how I made the "egg" part of the egg. Riffing on my experience with Tofu scramble I pressed a block of Nayasoya soft tofu for about 20 minutes to get the water out. Then I whirred it in a blender with 2 tbsps of olive oil, 4 tbsps (+ more to taste) of soy sauce, a tsp of Tahini, a pinch of turmeric (for colour), 1/4 cup of day-old cooked rice and a lot of salt and pepper.

I followed the rest of the recipe as Janki describes it above with one exception: I added Habanero cheese instead of goat cheese because I love extra spice. The resulting "omelet" when it emerged from the oven was oh-so-creamy! I had to stay myself from eating the whole dish all at once. It is 10:27am now, and I'm just about done with breakfast....If only every day could be a Sunday. :)

Mexican Tofu Scramble

2010-09-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

My first week of classes at Amherst just got over. The week has been both exhilarating and exhausting as I whirled from one class to the other, one social event to the other and one stack of books to another. Last night I promised myself that when I woke up in the morning I would do absolutely nothing for at least a good part of the morning. I awoke with a delicious feeling of the day stretching before me and a hearty slice of the morning to myself. True to my resolution the first thing I did when I woke up was rush to the gym and exercise--something I had sorely missed doing through the week. I came home famished and I wanted to eat something wholesome, delicious and filling. So I whipped up this Mexican Tofu Scramble.
The Mexican tofu scramble is a riff on my original scramble recipe. I changed the original recipe because I had ingredients in the fridge that needed to be used up: some leftover salsa, a cob of corn, a few spoons of chipotle chillies in adobo sauce, half a can of black beans, a bit of pepper jack cheese. The result was a spicy, tomato-ey cross between Mexican style taco filling ( made the desi way with cheese and cumin seeds) and tofu scramble. I can imagine it would taste great with a side of guacomole (I didn't have any avocado, but I would have made some if I did) and whole wheat tortillas. I ate it with slices of crispy grainy rye bread and a steaming pot of elaichi chai. Mmmm, what a lovely way to start the day...

Mike's visit to Amherst

2010-09-02T08:40:00.001-07:00

My dear friend Mike came to visit me from Ithaca on his way to the west coast. This was a trip we had planned a long time ago and we were both eagerly anticipating it. Mike is my oldest friend in the US--I have known him for six years now, and we have a whole bunch of things that we love to do together. (The pic below is taken in Ithaca at one of my many parties :)).
This trip we didn't get to do them all, but we did manage to squeeze in a few of them--bike rides, philosophical discussions under the trees and of course a lots of good eats. :)
I remember when we were in Ithaca, Mike would occasionally stay the night on a particularly cold and snowy evening when he didn't feel like trudging through the snow in freezing weather. The next morning we would have long leisurely four hour breakfasts where we would eat and talk and then eat some more. In keeping with this tradition, early yesterday morning I made vegan "omelets" --thin savoury Indian style crepes made by mixing gram flour (besan) with a bit of water, salt and cumin seeds.
One then spreads it thin on a pan with a daub of oil and topping it with onions, tomatoes and cilantro.
The trick is to cook the crepe until it is crispy and the vegetables are tender and juicy. They taste best with lots of ketchup and spicy, grassy coriander chutney.
We relished these with steaming cups of mint chai and of course lots of excellent conversation. For dessert (yes, even our breakfasts have desserts) we ate a bowl of icy, sweet, juicy thinly sliced disks of watermelon. So perfect for the intense heat.
By the time we had showered and finished the last dregs of our tea it was deep into the afternoon, so we decided to cool off by going for a bike ride in the wood lined bike path behind my house. Mike told me how much the bike path reminded him of the Czech Republic and how great it was that people there took time off to do fun things like ride bikes in good weather. On the bike ride we came across Sofia's--a cute Polish cafe tucked in the woods.
Kristina at Sofia's was very happy to see us and overjoyed to know that Mike had Polish ancestry. I have never eaten Polish food before so I left the ordering to Mike. He ordered 3 kinds of Pierogies for us--a lovely noodle pocket stuffed with different fillings--we got cabbage, potato and cheese (both of them topped with sweet fried onions) and sweet cheese.
Absolutely delicious. We ended our tunch (tea+lunch) by digging into a gigantic bowl of cookie dough--something else I had yet never tried. I always imagined cookie dough ice-cream would taste like unbaked cookies (given its name), but it was actually scrumptious--light, creamy with bites of gooey chocolate chips.
After this indulgence we couldn't stomach the thought of any more rich food. So for a tea time snack I made us each giant bowls of salad with all the bounty of the summer-- greens, radishes, baby tomatoes, crisp cool cucumbers, a bit of peppery goat cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper. The salad was refreshing, tasty and most importantly healthy.
I wanted to show Mike downtown so we walked to the Amherst Commons, got a cup of coffee and then wandered to the AC quad where we sat and watched the sun go down and argued about the institution of monogamy. After an animated discussion and a long walk through the woods, we were hungry again, so we got dinner at Fresh Side--one of my favourite places to take my vegetarian friends. We needed to cool off from our long walk, so we got Citron coolers--a lemony, orangey drink stirred with a hint of honey and speared with fresh mint. After two sips we were both feeling refreshed and ready to attack dinner. For appetizers we got BiBim and Fresh Basil tea rolls--both of them spectacular. My favourite though was the chunky, brown peanut sauce they serve on the side.
We also shared coconut curry noodle soup which was fragrant, creamy and subtly spiced. For the main course we got a bowl of 8 Treasure rice--beancurd and tofu with chunks of carrots, green beans and onions in a light flavourful teriyaki sauce. Another hit. By the end of this neither of us could stomach the thought of eating another bite, so we went for a long moonlit walk to UMass and debated whether genes or environment determined sex specific behaviours--another one of those discussions that we never tire of.
By the time we got home it was super late, and we were really tired, so we wound down our day with mugs of lemon ginger herbal tea and chunks of dark chocolate. What a lovely way to end a perfect day...

Bart's Ice-Cream

2010-08-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

Today was the perfect summer day--sunny, cool, green with bits of sunlight sparkling in the trees. I was in the mood to spend a good part of my day outdoors and so this morning I biked four miles to Esselon Cafe (more on that later) almost at the edge of Northampton and after a fruitful study session biked back. Then I decided that I hadn't had enough of the beautiful tree-lined bike path so I went running along it for about 2.5 miles in my brand new running shoes (thank you, Manuela!). The shoes made running a dream and I gulped in great green helpings of oxygen and breathed in some more of summer. By the time I was on my last quarter mile I was exhausted and only visions of ice-cream sustained me through to the finish.
Me and ice-cream? Ever since I have discovered Bart's ice-cream at the Amherst Commons I have been hooked. Bart's is a cute family-owned local ice-cream parlour which has the most adorable ice-cream cone shaped door handle and bright candy pink interiors. I have fallen in love with the place, and I decided that today was the day I would treat myself to one of their wonderful confections--you know, a pre-beginning-of-semester treat to get things going on the right note.
Well, I didn't exactly get myself an ice-cream exactly because their ice-cream has eggs and is too many calories, but I did get their frozen yogurt. I know you will think I am crazy--I go to an ice-cream parlour and buy frozen yogurt! But this was some seriously yummy frozen yogurt. I got coffee yogurt with chunks of chocolate chips. I love that their yogurt tastes a lot like ice-cream but has half the calories. It is creamy, not-too- rich and most important for me--not too sweet. An edge of tang always sets things right :) I really recommend you treat yourself to Bart's ice-cream while the summer lasts...It is the best way to start the new school year... :)

Eating with my eyes

2010-08-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

That's the reason I bought this cookbook "Street foods of India" by Sephi Bergerson. One usually buys a cookbook for its recipes, but occasionally a cookbook will come along that you want to devour with your eyes.Page after page of this cookbook has luscious, glossy photographs of street food culture in India. From steaming idlis in thick golden sambhar to shocking pink candy floss glistening in the summer heat. The author of this book is a photo journalist--hence the magnificent spread of photographs. I wouldn't have bought this book if it didn't also have recipes (perhaps I would have :)) although the recipes are the last thing you notice about it.
After spending yesterday afternoon gazing longingly at forgotten treats like roadside pakoras in spicy garlicky chutney and aloo chaat with crunchy slivers of raw ginger, I decided to make Dahi Bhallas. Dahi Bhallas are a savoury snack popular at tea time or for a special occasion. They consist of lentils that have been soaked and then fried in hot oil.

By the way they taste great straight from the hot oil. They are crispy, crunchy--an unusual version of your regular pakoras.
If you manage not to gobble them all up straight from the stove, soak them in warm water until soft.
Then one squeezes out the water and douses them with thick whisked yogurt and tops them with tamarind chutney, chilli powder and chopped fresh corainder. You can see why this recipe appealed to me. :)
So I soaked and ground the lentils yesterday and I was planning on frying them when I came back from the gym, but having expended 45 minutes burning 450 calories, I felt guilty about putting them right back on with this fried snack. No such pangs assailed me today, so I marched on with the recipe. I fried, soaked, squeezed and finally I sat down to eat. Cool, creamy yoghurt spiked with roasted cumin and topped with sweet tamarind chutney--a feast for all the tastebuds.

Cooking in a Recession

2010-08-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

As a grad student, the years of grad school seem like one endless recession. I was always saving and scrimping through grad school, so I could buy my once-a-year trip home to India, which on the average cost 1200$! That's a lot of money when you only make 20,000$. So I would avoid eating out and cook at home mostly and carry a lunch-box to school. Instead of going out with friends to a restaurant where we would all debate whether we should get appetizers and skip dessert or the other way around, I would call friends over for meals. That's when I learnt how to cook for a party on a budget. Here are a few "recession" style recipes which are perfect for parties because they are hearty, filling, tasty but still VERY cheap.
One of the most frequent items on my dinner time entertaining was a Vegetarian Chilli. I happily adapted this Whole Food's recipe for Vegetarian Chilli to make it wallet-friendly.
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=492
Instead of buying fancy chipotle chillies in adobo sauce, I just used whatever dried chillies I had at home. The best part of this dish is that it is amazingly filling--all those beans simmered together with vegetables have got to fill you up. I usually serve this with sliced bread (also very filling).
Save on expensive ingredients and spend a bit on a nice loaf of whole wheat bread, which you can slice and toast lightly in the oven. I usually served my bread with "basil chutney"--a recipe I invented because I didn't want to spend on pine nuts and parmesan cheese to make a basil pesto. Basil Chutney involves whirring together fresh basil with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. All the yumminess of a fresh green basil pesto without the cost.
For dessert I make this Six Minute Chocolate Cake (which also happens to be vegan) from the Moosewood cookbook, which was inspired by the recession of the 30's. Here's the recipe for those interested:

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Cake

1.5 cups unbleached white flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup cold water or brewed coffee

2 tsps pure vanilla extract

2 tbsps vinegar

Glaze

½ pound bittersweet chocolate

¾ hot water, milk, or half and half

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven 375 F

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar into an ungreased 8 inch square or 9-inch round baking pan. In a 2 cup measuring cup, measure and mix together the oil, water or coffee, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the baking pan and mix the batter with a fork or a small whisk. When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly. There will be pale swirls in the batter where the baking soda and the vinegar are reacting. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Set the cake aside to cool and if you choose to make the glaze reset the oven to 300 degrees.

For the glaze, melt the chocolate in a small ovenproof bowl or heavy skillet in the oven for about 15 minutes. Stir the hot liquid and the vanilla into the chocolate until smooth. Spoon the glaze over the cooled cake. Refrigerate the glazed cake for at least 30 minutes before serving.

I usually asked my friends to bring drinks, and they were more than happy to oblige because it meant that they didn't have to worry about cooking. So go ahead, send out those e-vites and get a party rolling even in these hard time.

An Ode to Bread

2010-08-15T06:04:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday morning I pack my book bag with an extra cloth bag and trundle up the slope to the Amherst Farmer's Market. I ignore the beautiful fresh flower nosegays nodding at me, the baskets of gleaming tomatoes and just-ripened creamy peaches and head straight to the bakery stall. And there lies my beauty--a plump, hearty loaf of multi-grain bread.
I pay 3.50$ for this bread and it feels like a steal because this bread is a gem and other people know it. Hence the run to the bread stall before they run out of my precious beauty. Once I had got hold of my bread I heaved a sigh of relief and strolled leisurely through the Farmer's Market. I picked up a glossy, deep purple eggplant, some juicy barely soft tomatoes, a sprig of fragrant fresh basil and some tiny, blushing pink peaches.

When I got home later that evening, I couldn't wait to devour a slice of my favourite bread. This is the kind of bread that is endlessly versatile. For dinner I made Bruschetta--Thick slices of multi-grain bread lightly toasted with a smear of olive oil and tiny potent bits of chopped garlic which sizzle to crispy perfection in the oven. For the topping I diced my juicy tomatoes, half of a red onion, a few sprigs of basil and tossed them together with olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. At this point I usually leave the tomatoes to sweat and allow the flavours to mingle while the bread toasts. The result was stupendous--crispy garlic nestled into the crannies of this hearty whole grain bread which readily absorbed the juices of the tomato and was oh-so-delicious!
The only problem (if you can call it that) with this bread is that it needs to be eaten within 2-3 days of purchase because it is made fresh without any preservatives--which is why I guess it tastes so great. One weekend I had forgotten all about my bread and by Monday morning it was rock solid and completely inedible. So this Sunday morning I sliced my bread thin and popped it into the toaster for a few minutes. I slathered it with local, golden honey and a daub of butter.
The salty, grainy bread complemented the sweet mellowness of the honey perfectly. I sipped my cardamom tea with this delight and thought about the next Farmer's Market and the new recipes I would try with my loaf of multi-grain bread...

A Night of Decadence

2010-08-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

I just biked back from watching Eat Pray Love--the new Julia Roberts-Javier Bardem film. The less said about the film better--but I had gone to watch food and Bardem--and let me say I wasn't disappointed by either. Javier was gorgeous--rugged, sexy and very charming. And the food--shot after shot of the film lovingly caressed Italian food--spaghettis, napolis and pizzas. Looking at thin-crust pizza bubbling with creamy mozzarella cheese made me yearn for pizza.
I usually make a desi-style pizza at home--just pita bread with a dab of pasta sauce and any veggies I have on at hand in the fridge, but today's film called for a more elaborate, decadent pizza. I biked to TJ's and got pizza dough, mozzarella and pizza sauce--no fancy toppings, nothing elaborate. Just plain and simple pizza. I rolled out the pizza dough, spread pizza sauce and grated cheese on top.

I slid it on to the oven stone that Pols had gifted me in Ithaca AGES ago, and which I still hadn't had a chance to use. 6-8 minutes in the oven at 425 F and it was done. When it came out of the oven I sprinkled fresh basil on top (from my basil plant on the window sill, which is still flourishing).
A simple sumptuous dinner. Crispy crusty pizza with the deep mellow taste of tomatoes and creamy cheese and the fresh, herby taste of basil. As I write this blog post, I am biting into a crispy slice and listening to romantic Spanish guitar in the cool, clear night. Sigh! If only Javier were here....:)

Khowsuey

2010-08-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

As you know I recently moved into my new kitchen. One wonderful aspect of this kitchen, as I've mentioned before, is that it has lots and lots of space. So I have managed to tuck in a neat three story wooden bookshelf (borrowed from Amrita) against a wall and stack all my cookbooks there. The great thing about having easy access to my cookbooks is that I'm more willing to experiment and give unusual recipes a shot. I glance into my fridge, take stock of my ingredients, flip through a recipe book or two and then head to the chopping board.
I have a stack of photocopied cookbooks from Bombay, which I had all but forgotten about because they are thin and easily miss-able if my cookbooks are not at all eye-level. A few summers ago, I photocopied selected recipes from Tarla Dalal's first cookbooks, which are now unavailable anywhere. My mum hoards these books because their recipes are among her best. According to me, as time has gone by Tarla ben has simplified her recipes to make them more accessible for the inexperienced/lazy cook. As a result her more recent recipes don't have quite the charm as her original ones.
I had a half cup of coconut milk in the fridge (left over from Saiba's thai curry) and I had a vague recollection of photocopying a Khowsuey recipe from one of Tarla ben's cookbooks. So I flipped through my collection and voila there it was. Khowsuey is supposed to be a Burmese dish, but I haven't seen it on any Burmese restaurant menu. I like to think of it as a cross between Thai curry and daal. It's one of those recipes that's infinitely adaptable and therefore every version is slightly different but tasty nevertheless.
I adapted Tarla ben's recipe for my kitchen and the ingredients at hand--the result was a lovely, delicately spiced creamy coconut curry which I enjoyed with chopped spring onions and crunchy peanuts. My mum offers a host of other toppings with her Khowsuey--fried crispy garlic, browned, oily, crunchy- sweet onions, garlic chutney, crushed potato chips. The delightful thing about Khowsuey is the amazing variety of textures in each bite--silky smooth curry, slippery noodles, crunchy peanuts, zingy chutney...each bite is its own experience. Here's the recipe for those intrigued by this unusual dish. :)
Khowsuey

Half pound thin, flat rice noodles or rice (I boiled plain brown rice)

For the curry:
2 cups mixed boiled vegetables (I used finely diced carrots, french beans, potatoes--you can experiment with your own combination--cauliflower, peas etc etc)
1 red onion, chopped
1 14oz. can coconut milk (less for a spicier curry)
3 tbsps chana dal
2 chopped tomatoes
2 tbsps oil

For the spice paste:
5 cloves garlic
6 dried red chillies (Kashmiri chillies would be good--I used South Indian red chillies)
2 tsps coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds

Toppings:
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
1/2 cup peanuts, roasted and crushed
1/2 cup potato chips
lime juice
garlic chutney
fried garlic (sliver garlic and gently shallow fry until golden brown)
fried onions

1. Boil the noodles/rice and keep aside.
2. Roast the chana dal until fragrant and lightly browned. Grind and keep to a side.
3. Grind the spice paste with a bit of water until smooth and homogeneous.
4. Heat oil. Saute the chopped onion until pink-about 4 few minutes.
5. Add the spice paste and fry for 2-4 minutes, adding a bit of water if it dries up.
6. Add the tomatoes and fry for about 5-7 minutes until well cooked. Add water if necessary.
7. Add the boiled vegetables, ground chana dal, coconut milk and salt to taste.
8. Simmer for 20 minutes on low heat.
9. Ladle curry into bowls filled with noodles.
10. Offer suggested garnishes on the side. Your guests can top their bowls with their chosen garnishes. Yum!
Enjoy :)

How to be a domestic goddess...

2010-07-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

That's the title of Nigella Lawson's delightful cookbook that I have been yearning after for many a day now. In it she demonstrates cakes, cookies, brownies, breads--everything that you would find in a bakery. They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach--in Nigella's case it is through his sweet tooth. The reason that today's post is titled after Nigella's cookbook is because although I came home at 7:30pm and was completely exhausted I whipped up an elaborate meal--one that only a domestic goddess would be capable of. :)
The first item on today's menu was vegetarian dhansaak. For those of you unfamiliar with this dish, it is a cross between a sambhar, a daal and a curry. Lentils are boiled together with a host of vegetables and then simmered with a zillion of freshly ground and fried spices--from cinnamon and coriander seeds to garlic and ginger. Your usual culprits and then some.
This dish is elaborate and I had been collecting ingredients for it for a few days now, since all the ingredients aren't available at the same store. For some reason I had been craving it particularly this afternoon, so even though I had just finished swimming 35 laps, I rode down and then up the hill to get the last of these ingredients (the missing can of pumpkin puree to be precise).
As I write this blog post I ladle myself one bowl more of dhansaak. It is thick, nutritious and wonderfully soothing after a long day's exertions. Dhansaak is traditionally eaten with a side salad of freshly chopped red onions and finely diced tomatoes, sour mango pickle, fried lentil papads and steaming basmati rice threaded with slivers of burnt onion. Unfortunately, my red onion turned out to be rotten and I hadn't stocked up on papads in NYC, so I was left with eating it with plain rice. A delicious meal nevertheless.

For those interested in trying the recipe, here it is:
Dhan-Saak

Serves: 8

For Dhan-Saak

1 teacup toor dal

1 tbsp moong dal

1 tbsp masoor dal

1 tbsp urad dal

1 potato

1 small eggplant

1 tomatoe

1 small bunch methi bhaji (I used 1.5 tbsps kasuri methi instead)

1 onion

1 tin pumpkin puree

6 tsps tamarind water/lime juice

4 tbsps ghee/oil

To be ground into paste:

3 green chillies

4 red chillies

4 cloves garlic

1 inch piece ginger

2 sticks cinnamon

3 green cardamoms

3 peppercorns (whole black pepper)

4 tsps coriander seeds

2 tsps cumin seeds

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

For Dhan-saak

Mix the dals and wash them
Cut the vegetables into big pieces
Mix the dal and vegetables (except onion and pumpkin puree) and pressure cook
Heat oil/ghee and fry the chopped onion. Add the paste and fry again for about 3 minutes.
Add the dal mixture, kasuri methi, pumpkin puree, salt and boil for 30 minutes
Add the tamarind water/lime juice and cook for a few more minutes.
Serve hot with rice.

On to the next dish of this evening: Heidi's adaptation of Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Loaf Cake. Here's her recipe:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/chocolate-loaf-cake-recipe.html
The cake was relatively simple to make and I chose it because the egg to other ingredient ratio was low, i.e. if I was to substitute egg replacer for the egg there was a high chance of success. As my dhansaak cooked the aromas of the baking cake wafted into my kitchen. Heidi swears that the cake is better the next day. It smells delicious right now, so I may not wait until tomorrow to find out how it tastes. I'll keep you posted on the results. :)

The Haymarket in NoHo

2010-07-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

I have been to the Haymarket several times since I arrived in Amherst, but yesterday was the first day that I remembered to bring my camera with me--hence the post. Haymarket is in Northampton or NoHo as it is affectionately called, and I often ride my bike there for a change of scene. The bike route is beautiful and if its a sunny cool day (like yesterday), the bike ride there is its own pleasure.
I adore The Haymarket--an upbeat cafe/restaurant which serves delicious vegetarian only food, fresh smoothies and mouth-watering decadent desserts. It's the kind of place one can easily spend the whole day working without having to leave to get a snack--they've got something for every study-time craving.
Northampton is about a 40 minute bike ride from Amherst, so by the time I get to The Haymarket I am usually starving. Yesterday was no different. Although I had eaten breakfast a few hours ago, I ordered myself another breakfast--Vegan Tofu Scramble and a cup of coffee. The scramble was delicious if a little oily, but what I like best about it is the fact that it comes with a side of roasted potatoes and olive oil smeared whole wheat toast, so it ends up being very filling and satisfying. I daubed the roasted potatoes with ketchup and spicy hot Mexican sauce. Yum!
Of course, after breakfast I needed something sweet to tide me over, so I got a pot of Earl Grey tea and a peanut butter oatmeal chocolate tart, which was vegan. The tart was creamy and delightful after I had let it sit out for a while--the chocolate oozed into the crispy peanut butter base and made for a very satisfying post meal dessert. Delicious!
I was very stuffed after this and I couldn't bear the thought of eating anything. Two hours rolled by and I began to feel peckish again. I ordered their Soup 'n Salad combination for lunch. They had a Sambhar Soup on their menu and I was curious to try it. What it was was a mildly spiced bowl of thick, brothy sambhar with an idli enfolded in it and a daub of green spicy coconut chutney. Not the most authentic South Indian food I have tasted but remarkably good for an all-American joint. I love their salad best, though. Fresh greens, tomatoes, olives, slivers of onions in a creamy lemon tahini dressing.
All in all a very satisfying end to the day's culinary adventures. :)

Super Power Smoothie

2010-07-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days where I had to be everywhere at once. I carried over a huge box of office supplies with Amy to my new office, moved an enormously huge file cabinet in my office, went for a swim and then lugged a huge back pack full of groceries up the slope to my house. All in all a ton of physical exertion without much food in me. The last meal I had eaten was at 12 noon and it was 6pm by the time I was done with all my errands for the day. I was starving and I wanted something substantial quick.
I opened the fridge door and gazed at the forlorn radishes and a pile of salad greens--I could technically whip up a salad but that wouldn't satisfy my craving for something filling and quick. I glanced over at the counter top and two golden bananas gleamed at me. And then I thought of my friend Amrita's super power smoothie recipe. She had whipped this up for breakfast one sunny Sunday morning in College Park before we had to make a long car trip. She promised us that this would keep us full for many a hour and she was absolutely right! Now I have made and drank many a smoothie but this smoothie was more substantial and healthier than the rest. Amrita's secret ingredient--cereal! Yes, you read right--CEREAL! Amrita invented this recipe because it was quicker to dash out of the house if one could drink one's breakfast instead of eat it. So this smoothie works as a blended breakfast or a quick pick me up. Here's her recipe:
Amrita's Super Power Smoothie
1 ripe banana
1 ice cube
1/4 cup granola (or any other cereal which doesn't have its own strong flavour)
1 peach
1 cup milk
1. Chop the peach and banana
2. Whir banana, milk, peach, granola and ice until well blended.
3. Drink immediately for a glorious power kick. :)
PS--The pic uploaded is from our trip to Huntsville, TX. We drank her power smoothie before we left for the three hour car ride to Huntsville, TX. As you can see from the photograph we are still beaming from the after effects of her power smoothie. :)

My new kitchen...

2010-07-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

Last night I moved into my new place. Ah...home at last! After more than a year of being in a state of transition, I am finally in a place that I can think of as home--for the next few years at least. Early yesterday Kim (the housing manager) said that I could move into my new place in a few hours if I so wished. I was originally supposed to move in on the 15th, but the thought of spending one more week in limbo was unbearable. So although I was completely unprepared to move I did my laundry, packed my kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom, cleaned the sublet, dumped everything in a cab, unloaded everything into my new apartment and had a bite for dinner.
When I came home from dinner the first thing I did was unload my stuff into the new kitchen. For the first time since my apartment on State Street in Ithaca (709) I had a kitchen with lots and lots of space. For the past two and a half years I had suffered small, ugly, tiny kitchens in which there was no space for me leave alone my pots and pans.
In my new kitchen however, I am spoilt for choice. I spent a good half and hour re-arranging my minimal kitchen items (I'm still waiting for my things to come in from San Antonio) to make more space and then realized that I didn't need to worry about space. Knowing me it won't be long before this kitchen is crammed with stuff--from zaatar spice to a bread maker--I'm sure given enough time (and money) I will soon acquire a range of things I don't need but would love to have in case I have a burning desire to bake my own bread or to eat pita chips flecked with zaatar. :)
This morning I awoke to the sound of chirping birds and to thoughts of elaichi chai in my new kitchen. Although only one ring on the electric stove (ugh!) was functional and I had three drops of milk and a lonesome mug, the pleasure of sipping hot, milky tea and gazing at the rain from the windows of my new luxurious kitchen was like none other.

Salang Pass

2010-07-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent the entire day at the Golden Gate Park. We spent a sizable chunk of the day at the Academy of Sciences where we enjoyed reading about the natural history of our planet. What we didn't enjoy was the not-so-appetizing lunch fare--split pea soup and boiled carrots and snap peas. This would have been palatable if it wasn't this expensive--12.50$ for nonsense! By the time 7pm rolled around we were starving (understandably). We contemplated eating a quick dinner in San Fran and then heading home, but we would be too tired and exhausted to actually dinner. So we decided to go home, shower and then head out for dinner. Bilal wanted to treat me for my graduation, so he decided on a delightful Afghani place in Fremont called Salang Pass.
Salang Pass is warm and cozy--maroon, forest green and golden curtains festoon the seating area. The seating is low floor cushions with warm wooden tables. We were glad to relax on these low beds while we waited for our dinner. For appetizers we ordered hummus, which came with a fresh vegetable salad and bread. The vegetable salad was lemony, fresh and had a hint of deep sweetness--perhaps a drizzle of golden honey?
For entrees we ordered the following:
Saba ordered Chicken Kebab. Here's what she had to say: "The chicken was juicy and tender and the masala they had used heightened the flavour of the chicken. I liberally sprinkled their mint chutney and chilli-n-sweet tomato chutney on the chicken kebabs and they were a delicious complement."
Bilal ordered the beef tikka kebab: "Afghanis are famous for their kebabs and their reputation is not unfounded. The kebab was as tender as butter and absolutely melted in your mouth. There is nothing better in the world than red meat that has been well-cooked. Delicious!"
I ordered the "Vegetarian Dish"--a mezze platter offering of three specialty items--daal (lentil soup), sabzi (spinach) and baingan (eggplant) accompanied by basmati rice. The daal was a mild yellow and completely homogeneous in its consistence. It had a light roasted garlic flavouring which was especially delightful because the garlic was nowhere to be seen. I imagine that they boil the garlic in the daal and then puree it to make it the consistency and colour of liquid butter. The sabzi was a deep green spinach that had been well-cooked. What I liked best about this dish was that you could taste the spinach AND the spices, which is not always the case with desi food where the spices usually overpower the flavour of the spinach. My favourite however, was the eggplant--slivers of eggplant swimming in golden olive oil, mashed with garlic and other spices and draped with a creamy, thick cool yogurt. Needless to say I spooned it up in seconds.
I decided to avoid eating the rice so I would have space for dessert and boy am I glad I did that. the Faludeh which we ordered for dessert was to DIE for! Usually Faludeh or Falooda as it is more commonly known in South Asia has a deep rose coloured syrup with a blob of saffron ice-cream and cold vermicelli. The Afghanis however avoid the rose coloured syrup and instead favour a creamy milk base. I must say that although I adore rose-syrup the creamy milk was superb! I think this allowed the flavours of the cardamom and saffron to really come into their own.
By the end of it we could barely get out of our chairs we were so full. A spectacular finish to a wonderful day.

Orange Day

2010-07-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

When I landed at Saba and Bilal's house, Saba offered me fresh orange juice. I was surprised--I had NEVER had fresh orange juice in the US primarily because oranges cost the earth and no one is willing to spend 3.99$ on 4 oranges, which will barely make a glass of juice. Like many other homes in California, an orange tree grows in their backyard, so fresh orange juice is a cinch. As Saba and I sat down to dinner Bilal used Citrus Mate to squeeze out two golden-orange glasses of orange juice. The next day we ventured into the backyard and Bilal climbed a ladder and soon we had harvested two plastic bags worth of oranges.

Saba washed the oranges with a hose in their backyard and we took them into the house. We were scratching our heads wondering what we would do with so many oranges--marmalade, orange soufflé--what?

Finally we decided that plain simple orange juice would be the best. Bilal used the Citrus Mate machine to squeeze out 3 glasses of orange juice. He used about 16 oranges--but we still hadn't made a dent in our stash. Saba sprinkled a dash of black pepper, which added a bit of spicy zing to the sour sweet refreshing juice.

We savoured the last dregs of our golden juice as the evening turned golden. What a lovely end to a beautiful day.

The Saga of Metallic Mouth

2010-06-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

I know this is a food blog, but today's post is on what NOT to eat!

The Saga of Metallic mouth Part I

It all began yesterday morning when I woke up and made myself a bowl of oatmeal and it tasted like metallic goo. I convinced myself that the milk I had bought the previous day had simply gone bad. I was on my way to California, so I really needed to have a good breakfast, so that I wouldn't be hungry on the bus journey from Amherst to Boston and then to Logan airport. On the bus I opened the lunch I had packed for myself--Heidi's recipe of one skillet quinoa (I used couscous) with tomatoes, kale, pine nuts and onions and ate some of it. It tasted of nothing, but I was very hungry, so I ate as much of it as I could and then stowed the box away. I forced myself to eat an apple even though every bite I took tasted like liquid nitrogen.

The Saga of Metallic Mouth Part II

On reaching Boston I decided to stop by my favourite desi food dhaba--Dosa Corner (outside Central station) for a quick lunch. Just about anything I put in my mouth all morning tasted terrible, but surprisingly the spicy masala cheese garlic dosa tasted fine, the sugarcane juice however tasted terrible. I roundly scolded the owner of dosa corner and said that his sugarcane juice tasted nothing like the one in Bombay--it was overly sweet and had a very very bitter after taste. He apologized profusely and claimed that it was the fault of the American sugarcane, which like everything American isn't half as good as its Indian counterpart.

The Saga of Metallic Mouth Part III

I was praying and hoping that whatever was causing this awful taste would just disappear. As a lover of food, a palate gone haywire is a very scary thing. By now I was seriously convinced that the medication I was taking for vertigo was causing this very unpleasant taste. Since the medicines had come all the way from India, and I hadn't spoken to the doctor myself, I was sure that the doctor must have made some mistake. I called up my mum and hounded her to call the doctor and ask him if the medicine had this side effect, and if so why hadn't he told me about it. i would rather collapse in my bathroom from vertigo, have the room spin around me, vomit profusely, than have to suffer a disabled palate. i promptly stopped eating his medication and hoped that the problem would disappear after a bit of sleep on my flight to CA.

The Saga of Metallic Mouth Part IV

By the time I got to Bilal and Saba's house I was starving. Note, that I had barely had a chance to finish lunch and had skipped breakfast. The day before Saba had asked me what I might like to eat and I had said that I would love to sample her Aloo Baingan. I sat down for dinner at 10pm PST (1am EST!) and I couldn't get enough of her aloo baingan which was richly spiced and fiery. I wiped the plate clean and thought that the problem had disappeared. No such luck: I helped myself to some yogurt to cleanse my palate and discovered the same-by-now-familiar bitter taste. Diagnosis: very spicy foods were the only ones I could stomach because they didn't leave behind a bitter after taste.

The Saga of Metallic Mouth Part V

This morning I awoke and rushed to the pantry to test my taste buds with a piece of tea rusk. Ugh! The problem persisted. By now I was desperate. So of course I googled it and found that this awful awful taste had been caused by the ingestion of--you'll never guess--pine nuts!! Gross! Heidi's Quinoa Skillet and innumerable other dishes with pine nuts I had cooked for myself had created this havoc on my taste buds. I surfed several blogs for home remedies and here's what I came up with:

1. Take an Omega 3 or other oil rich tablet

2. Stir 1tsp of baking soda (soda bi-carb) in half a glass of water and gargle repeatedly. Also, if you can stand it, drink the water.

So far I have tried remedy 2 and it seems to have had a temporary effect. I could actually taste the cardamom in the cardamom tea I had brewed! Sigh! I am going to repeat this remedy several times a day and see what happens. I'll keep you posted...!

Ramooz-e-Ishq

2010-06-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

This post is occasioned by Abida's deep, soulful voice. As you know my laptop was on the blink and so for a whole two weeks I had nothing to play music on. I felt as though Windows Vista had robbed a part of my soul, and I longed to become whole again. Before my laptop arrived I was reading Marquez's latest novel "Memories of my Melancholy Whores" a lyrical poem to aging and passion. I was lost in the pages of this book when the FedEx guy knocked on my door and delivered my new laptop. Ah! Music would round out the melancholy of this still, cloudy summer's day.

My friend Taimoor had emailed me a link to an Abida song two weeks ago, and I still hadn't heard it. So of course the first thing I did when I connected to the net on my laptop was click on the link to Ramooz-e-Ishq by Abida. Here's the link for those who are interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0EoMozYWSs

Over the course of the evening I heard the song over and over again. I was completely mesmerized, my soul flooded with the beauty of her voice. I couldn't bear to tear myself away from the music, yet I had to eat something for dinner. I wanted to create something that had depth and tasted of melancholy.

The music drew me to create a slowly simmered deep tomato sauce with a splash of full-bodied balsamic vinegar, topped with winey purple olives and threaded with green fresh basil. I stewed whole wheat pasta in this sauce and sprinkled a dash of salt and pepper. I am relishing this with slabs of earthy, woodsy toasted multi-grain bread with a daub of olive oil. What a beautiful way to enjoy melancholy...

PS--I took a photograph of the dish I created, but I feel that posting it here will ruin the abstract beauty of Abida's voice.

Amherst College Dining

2010-06-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

College Dining Hall? Really? Am I seriously at the bottom of the exquisite food barrel? Well, not really, the food at the Amherst College dining hall is healthy, flavourful, delicious AND vegan/vegetarian friendly. For 3$ you can get a sumptuous meal complete with appetizer and dessert and drink all included. Amy introduced me to this place yesterday and I was so enamoured by it that I came back today.

Today I got brown rice, roasted veggies, tofu as my main course. The brown rice was well cooked--not all clumped together and sticky, the veggies were juicy and not overly spiced so the flavour of each vegetable really came through. The tofu cooked in soy sauce was also a delight--soft but tasty and well-cooked. For appetizers I loaded a bowl of organic salad--cherry tomatoes, spring mix, sunflower seeds, balsamic vinegar, broccoli--you name it they had it. Nutritious, fresh and tasty--you couldn't ask for more.

I usually never get dessert but the dessert here was fab--non-fat strawberry frozen yogurt--creamy, strawberry goodness AND a completely guilt free indulgence. I also got a bowl of fresh fruit just to keep it healthy. And last but not least as I sat down to write this blog post I also poured myself a cup of steaming organic coffee. So if you are in the area and on a budget, Amherst dining is definitely worth a visit :).

The Book Mill

2010-06-11T16:26:00.001-07:00

Books+food+gorges=paradise. The Book Mill in Montague promises all that and more. Tucked away in the middle of nowhere the Book Mill is paradise for book, nature and food lovers. And if you happen to be all three like me there is no better place you can go. My friend Manuela had recommended this place for quiet study and I was curious to try it. Like me she too loves biking, so she had recommended that I bike there (rather than take the bus). It is about 15 miles away from Amherst, so at first I was hesitant. I quickly changed my mind when I read raving reviews about it on Yelp and when I explored their website:

http://www.montaguebookmill.com/

A few days ago, I checked the weather forecast for the week and decided that Friday would be the perfect day to set out on this expedition. Sure enough Friday morning rolled by and it was a cool sunny day--superb for biking. I started my journey at 8:20am and reached the Book Mill at exactly 10:22am--two hours because I got lost several times on the way (despite copious directions from Google and Manuela's bike route map). Not that I minded getting lost because the bike routes (on and off my way there) were absolutely breathtaking; here's what I passed on the way there: a waterfall, a placid lake, a duck filled pond, green rolling hills, a sheep pen (yes with massive grey sheep--curly horns et al), an organic asparagus stand, a sign advertising 10$ for 3 quarts of strawberries (I didn't have cash on me so couldn't stop here though it sounded like an awesome deal) and a horse farm.

By the time I reached the Book Mill I was famished. So I ordered their most decadent sounding toasted sandwich ever--crispy multi grain bread stuffed with apricot jam, melting oozy brie and crisp green apples. The apples were caramelized a delicate brown and were tissue thin--the perfect offset to the mild creamy cheese and the sweet and tart golden apricot jam. The sandwich came with a feisty side salad of bitter, spicy green and sweet carrots and beet with a maple balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Believe me I gobbled that down before you could say Jack Robinson. The salad, the view of the gorge (the Book Mill sits atop a beautiful waterfall), the sandwich, and a cup of coffee--I was good for another two hours.

Around 1:30pm I desperately wanted to conjure an appetite so I could try some of their lunch treasures. So I wandered into the book store part of the Book Mill and landed on a jewel--Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat with Persian miniature illustrations. I made myself cozy on one of their old comfy armchairs and lost myself in this dazzling rare book. Time flew by and before I knew it I was hungry again. I decided on their peanut salad bowl. I got the large because I wasn't sure what their portions are like. Needless to say I have leftovers. Not that I mind that--the salad was creamy, peanutty and slurpy. It was threaded with shredded carrots and crunchy broccoli---not enough for me though--I would have enjoyed more veggies less noodles, but a lovely meal nevertheless (with a tiny chilled bottle of Knudsen's Morning Blend juice).

Two cups of coffee and an Early Grey Tea later I was ready to call it a day. I had a tab going at the cafe (they could see I was an day-er from the moment I walked in), so I paid my tab, walked over to the book store and purchased my jewel. It was heavy, but I couldn't not buy it (one of the great advantages of having a real job is that you can splurge on beautiful books without feeling a shred of guilt). I squeezed it into my back pack and trundled the 15 miles home pleased as peach. The sun was setting when I finally biked into my driveway, and every inch of my body ached with the 30 mile bike ride, but I was glowing from just having visited paradise. :)

PS--I took lots and lots of pics, but I can't upload them here because my laptop has crashed and Safe Mode won't let me upload pics. I promise to upload them as soon as I get my new laptop, though.

Desserts at the Mushaira

2010-06-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

In my last post on graduation night dinner I mentioned that we skipped dinner at Thai Cuisine because we wanted to have dessert at home. The night before Saba had made Strawberry Rasmalai (recipe below) with my mum's instructions, so I was expecting that we would go home and polish off that creamy dessert. One car load or rather taxi load of people trooped home while the other car load went off on a mysterious mission. As soon as I got home I changed out of the graduation night dinner clothes and into more comfy wear and brought the Strawberry Rasmalai out to thaw. No sooner had I stepped out of the kitchen then the other car swung into the driveway.

My friend Bilal had co-opted Mukti and Khalid into a trip to Wegmans to get a cake and some flowers for my graduation. My sleepy mum and aunt had also gone for the ride and apparently in the hour that they took at Wegmans they had both fallen asleep. :) They had searched and hunted for an eggless cake but none was to be found at Wegmans so Bilal finally decided on the prettiest cake he could find. I didn't try the cake because it had eggs in it, and I don't eat eggs, but if it tasted half as good as it looked then it was definitely a smashing success. Since I didn't taste the cake I can't describe it here, but I hope people who did try the cake will leave comments about how it tasted. I did eat the strawberry rasmalai though, and that was delicious. Here's the recipe:

Strawberry Rasmalai

1 pint vanilla ice-cream

2 pints fresh strawberries chopped into thin slices

2 pounds ricotta cheese

1/2 cup+2 tbsps sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400F

2. In a square 8X8 baking pan, mix together the ricotta cheese and 1/2 cup sugar.

3. Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 400F for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

4. Once the ricotta cheese has cooled cut into squares.

5. In a bowl mix together the chopped strawberries and 2 tbsps sugar

6. In another 8X8 baking pan spread a one inch thick layer of vanilla ice-cream.

7. Layer with squares of ricotta cheese.

8. Top with the fresh strawberries.

9. Repeat with ice-cream layer and so on. Your final layer should be ice-cream stopped with strawberries for decoration.

10. Cover with aluminum foil and put the baking tray in the freezer for at least an hour to set.

11. Cut into squares and serve. Yum!

Graduation Dinner

2010-06-01T17:35:00.001-07:00

This last weekend all my friends gathered in Ithaca for my Ph.D graduation ceremony. Three weeks before graduation I had arranged for a house, airfare, transportation, gown, but I hadn't decided on a place for graduation night dinner. I deliberated, discussed, analyzed and finally settled on Thai Cuisine. Reputed as the best Thai food in New York State including New York City I was keen to try it. As a poor student in Ithaca I had only ventured there once before and I hadn't had a chance to taste all the veggie options available. In our group of 12 people we were six vegetarians so we had a chance to order a wide variety of vegetarian dishes.

For appetizers we got spring rolls which were golden crispy and stuffed with finely shredded carrots and juicy cabbage. We also got the coconut batter roasted vegetables with a sweet peanut dipping sauce--simply delicious. Our main course included Panang curry which was brimming with tender zucchini and crunchy broccoli--both tasty and nutritious. We also got the yellow curry, but I wasn't too impressed with it or with the Pad Thai which was overly sweet and doused in tomato ketchup? I prefer my Pad Thai sour and tangy. We decided to skip dessert because we were planning to go home and have some, instead with the Mushaira night. I'm glad we did because dinner was so filling that I was bursting at the seams. From the smiles in the photograph, I imagine that everyone else was too...:)

Top of the Hub

2010-05-18T05:19:00.000-07:00

My mum is visiting me in Boston these days, and I wanted to take her for some quintessentially Boston experiences. So on Sunday we decided to go to Prudential and for the Duck Tour from there.It was a cool chilly day and the Duck Tour was at 12:30pm, so by the time we made it back from the Duck Tour we were famished. We marched straight to the Top of The Hub--the rooftop restaurant atop the Prudential which commands a view of all of Boston. Mum was taken aback by the breathtaking view AND the delicious food. My friend Vibs had recommended the veggie Black bean Burger, so we ordered that along with a flat bread Margherita, a Spinach and Walnut Salad and crispy toasted garlic bread. Unlike most veg burger patties which are imitation meat and therefore taste of nothing, this burger was juicy succulent and oh-so-beany. I am not a huge fan of black beans but this burger was exceptional--creamy black beans flavoured lightly with cumin and just a hint of jalapenos. The garlic bread was perfection--crispy bread rubbed with spicy green garlic which was tempered by warm fruity olive oil. I liked the Margherita--a thin crust topped with oodles of cheese and tomato wedges--tasty but nothing special. The spinach and walnut salad was perfection--fresh green spinach studded with caramelized walnuts and soft pods of creamy goat cheese and dressed with a deep, winey balsamic vinaigrette dressing. We spent a good two hours savouring our lunch and the wonderful view. If you are ever in Boston, a visit to the Prudential is a must--for the Duck Tour, the view from the Top of the Hub and the amazing black bean burger! :)

Meals with Harvard Business School

2010-05-08T07:55:00.000-07:00

My friend Vibha can best be summed up in three words: bundle of energy. :) In Jaya's words (Vibs's close friend at HBS) this is Vibs at the traffic signal (read this as an allegory for Vibs's approach to life):

Green: Go

Red: Contemplate [i.e. perhaps I will stop]

Yellow: What's that?

I have known Vibs since we were three years old, and she has always been whirring with ideas, energy and enthusiasm--especially for good food--so I was definitely in excellent company for a culinary tour of Boston. I was visiting her at Harvard Business School this past Thursday and Friday and I ate at more places in those two days than I have on any previous visit to Boston (and I have been to Boston several times)!

We started Thursday with an early brunch at Sofra's. This Mediterranean place has the most exquisite Mezze platter ever--we got the beet tzatziki which was a gorgeous hot pink, rich, creamy and oh-so-healthy. This was perfectly balanced by the earthy, nutty muhammara with its warm afterglow of spices. We scooped these dips with a fluffy onion seed flecked pita bread--delicious! The highlight of this meal though was the House Made Cay (chai spelt the Turkish way, I imagine)--I was skeptical at first because I have had dismal experiences with chai in the US, which tends to be overly spiced and sweet nothing like real chai, but this Cay was spectacular! Steaming milk lightly flavoured with cardamom, cinnamon and a strong sweet essence of rose (yes!). The chai went perfectly with the dense, nutty chocolate walnut baklava that we had for dessert. That and the entertaining conversation which ranged from trips to Costa Rica and Latvia to how Venture Capital can save the world made Sofra's a very memorable brunch. :) We spent a good hour at the gym after our decadent brunch working off that meal.

Our next food stop was Nine Tastes--a little Thai restaurant tucked under Harvard Square (it's below ground). Vibs expertly ordered the watercress and tofu soup--light, fragrant and uber healthy, this was the best after gym appetizer one could imagine. Vibs also recommends the red curry tofu at Nine Tastes and she says that one should go for lunch and order their lunch boxes which look very cute and are definitely photo worthy. I will eat again at Nine Tastes and keep you posted on her recommendations (which I imagine are spot on). She also recommends the Mochi ice-cream at the Bubble Tea place across the street from Nine Tastes--sounds like it would be the perfect dessert to a spicy Thai meal.

First Dinner at Amherst...

2010-05-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of updates on the food scene in Boston, but I'll leave that be for now. Tonight's post (and it's going to be a quick one because I am exhausted!) is on the simple but delicious dinner I cooked for myself my first night at Amherst. Vibs drove me down from Boston this morning, and after an uber delicious lunch (more on that later I promise) we drove down to Target and TJ's (yes, Amherst has a Trader Joes!) to pick up essentials. So in addition to lugging home laundry detergent, fabric softener and kitchen towels I also bought a bunch of fresh groceries from TJ's--apples, strawberries, mushrooms etc etc.

After I had set up my kitchen and made my bed, I decided to tackle dinner. I was really really tired from the hectic trip, the travelling and all the house setting up, so I decided on a simple dinner: mushroom soup with pasta (because I didn't have an immersion blender I thought the best way to make the soup substantial would be to add a few strands of uncooked angel-hair pasta to the bubbling broth), multigrain toast with a spot of creamy goat cheese brie, a simple salad of tomatoes, spring mix, balsamic vinegar (serendipitously left behind in the apartment), chopped pickled cucumbers (also a gift from the previous tenant) and a half glass of apple juice. I wanted to end my meal with a piece of dark Lindt chocolate (a gift from Vibs) and a bowl of sliced strawberries, but I am too tired to even contemplate eating, so I've settled for a cup of hot chamomile tea. The tea is having its effect now, so I guess this is goodnight...:)

Cherry Berry Chocolate Boozy Mukti Mousse

2010-05-05T07:56:00.000-07:00

I have been on a chocolate spree ever since I came to Philly. On our first night here Mukti had a bar of Belgian chocolate lying around and Sanju and I made quick work of it. The day after we gravitated towards a wonderfully rich dark chocolate cake for Mukti's birthday party. Once Sanju and Gagan left I could no longer buy chocolate on their behalf and then surreptitiously break of a piece or lick the bottom of the icing bowl and so satisfy my craving. I had to pick up the gauntlet. It was now or no chocolate for the rest of my trip.

So on Sunday night I made a bold proposal to Mukti: how about we make Heidi's Cherry Chocolate Brownies soaked in port wine? Mukti was eager to make them so we soaked the cherries in port wine and waited...Monday came and went, the cherries were still soaking and I was getting impatient. On Tuesday I couldn't stand it any longer--I simply had to eat chocolate! So I raided Mukti's larder in the hope of finding egg replacer (all the other ingredients had been acquired from TJ's the day before), but alas! none was to be found. I glumly gave Mukti the news and we both scratched our heads thinking of other ways of using boozy cherries. Finally I had it--a rich dark chocolate mousse with boozy cherries and an almond butter cookie crust topped with fresh raspberries. I set to work using my experience with chocolate pies as a guide. Here's what I came up with:

Cherry Berry Chocolate Boozy Mukti Mousse (Mukti christened the recipe after her first bite--you can tell the port wine really had its effect ;))

1 cup dried bing cherries

1 cup port wine

14 oz. dark chocolate (I used 72% Belgian--TJ brand)

8 oz. mascarpone cheese

2 tbsps honey

8-10 almond butter cookies (ginger cookies would work well too)

2 tbsps melted butter

1 cup fresh raspberries (strawberries would work too)

1. In a small bowl marinate the dried cherries for 10-12 hours or overnight. (I did it for 24 hours but 12 hours is fine if you JUST can't wait!)

2. In a food processor crush the cookies until they are finely powdered.

3. Add the cookies to the melted butter and press at the bottom of a glass bowl. Refrigerate until firm (about 20 minutes).

4. Put a large pot of water to boil. Once it comes to a rolling boil immerse a small pot with the dark chocolate and stir until the dark chocolate has melted. (It will help if you can chop the dark chocolate into pieces before you immerse it in the double boiler).

3. In a food processor whip together the melted chocolate and the mascarpone cheese until smooth. Taste and add honey if you would like it sweeter (When desserts chill they become less sweet--so keep that in mind; I did add honey to my mix but if you use a milk chocolate instead of a dark chocolate you may not need to add honey)

4. Pour into an empty bowl. Gently fold in the marinated cherries along with any remaining port wine.

5. Pour on to prepared crust. Top with raspberries and chill for at least two hours.

6. Slice into wedges and serve.

How was it? Well considering that Mukti and Rahul both ate a sizable amount for BREAKFAST I think it turned out pretty well. Rich dark chocolate and boozy cherries with every velvety bite--you really can't go wrong! And yes, this mousse was rich enough and chocolatey enough to satisfy my craving for dark chocolate. I leave Philly with a full belly and enough chocolate memories to last me a lifetime (well not a life time but at least for the next two days :)).

PS-I'll upload the pic of the chocolate mousse to this site as soon as Mukti emails it to me.

Rice 'n' Spice

2010-05-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we all trooped down to the tiny desi dhaba tucked behind sacks of rice at the Rice 'n' Spice desi grocery store in Philly. We were all famished after our visit to the Gurudwara and were looking forward to a sumptuous meal. The dhaba provided that and much more--crowds of desis, plastic tables and chairs, a flat screen TV playing bad quality B grade Hindi flicks from the 70's and of course exceptional food at an affordable price. Rahul and Mukti had recommended this dhaba to us when we visited Philly in December, and we had loved it then because the atmosphere was relaxed and the food wonderful. This time too was no exception. (Gagan hadn't visited the dhaba previously, so we had to bring her here).

We got two pitchers of lassi--sweet lassi and mango lassi. The sweet lassi was creamy, frothy and not-too sweet and the mango lassi was golden perfection. After downing two glasses of lassi I didn't have much room for the food which is a shame because I didn't have a chance to sample all the delicious fare. Here's what I thought of the food I did try: the punjabi curry was a sunhiney yellow and was pleasantly sour. The crunch of the pakodas in the curry offset the tang of the curry. We souped the curry with pieces of paratha--paneer and gobi, both of them buttery crisp and delicious.

My favourite though was the shahi paneer--the orange-red gravy was delicately spiced with cardamom, garlic and onions and of course had a delicate layer of creamy goodness which smoothed the spices into subtlety. We ended our meal with cups of intensely sweet, milky chai--a perfect counterpoint to all the spices we had ingested at lunch. Here are everyone's comments from lunch:

Rahul: everything was wonderful (said with a big happy sated grin)

Sanjay: the raita could have been more tart (I like my food sour)

Gagan: I love the lassi (I'm Punjabi after all)

Mukti: I love that the food here is not as oily as most other Indian restaurants (this means that I can stuff myself and not feel guilty :)).

We came home with boxes of leftovers--baingan bhartha and daal makhani---mmmm I can't wait to eat dinner :).

Rangoon

2010-05-02T08:36:00.001-07:00

Sanju, Gagan and I decided that we would come to Philly to celebrate Mukti's birthday. We all arrived in Philly late Friday night from our respective homes--Ithaca and San Antonio, tired but glad to be together again after a long hiatus. After a good night's sleep however, we were all ready to start the celebrations. So Saturday morning arrived and we decided to start the day with a birthday lunch. After much debate between Thai food and Burmese food we decided on Burmese food because Sanjay and Gagan had never eaten Burmese food before and Mukti and Rahul really liked Rangoon and said the food was delicious.

I have eaten the Indian version of Burmese food--Khaw Suey in Bombay, and I was expecting something along those lines when we went for lunch. Tucked away in Chinatown, Rangoon is like a jewel of vegetarian possibilities in an otherwise predominantly non-vegetarian neighbourhood. The interiors are warm, cozy and inviting--lots of rosy wood and ambient lighting. And the food is just on the other side of the familiar--not exactly like Indian food, nor like Thai food but an exciting mix of the two. For appetizers we ordered the thousand layer bread with vatana dip and Burmese samosas. The samosas were crispy and flaky on the outside much like Spring Rolls but the inside was a melt-in-your-mouth mildly (mild for me) spiced potato filling. The thousand layer bread was a crispy, buttery paratha-like roll which we dipped into the cumin flecked flavourful vatana dip--very delicious! Next time I might try their other spicier dips!

My favourite main course dish was Sanjay's basil noodles, which were soft, slippery and oh-so-garlicky. The garlicky flavour was a result of the delicious pieces of burnt garlic, which were liberally sprinkled into the dish. The dish was of course festooned with fresh basil (hence the name) and that made all the difference! As I slurped down this noodle wonder I thought of the noodles at the spicy basil noodles at Asian Noodle House in Ithaca. Yummy!
Sanju, Mukti and I also ordered Burmese tea--this perhaps was the only discordant note in an otherwise wonderful meal. It tasted like the tea papa (my father) would order at hill stations like Mahableshwar--weak, flavourless and doused with condensed milk. I suppose I was disappointed because I was expecting something along the lines of Thai Iced tea, which has a robust distinctive flavour of its own and this tea was nothing like it (Sanju sitting next to me as I write this insists that I make a note that HE enjoyed the tea).
For dessert Sanju and I ordered sweet rice with coconut syrup and tart mangoes--this was lovely, but nothing compared to the glorious Farluda (their spelling of falooda) which Gagan ordered. The Farluda was exactly like the Royal falooda at Badshah's (Crawford Market) in Bombay. A ruby rose syrup glistening at the bottom of a slender glass topped with blue, green and red vermicelli and blobs of creamy vanilla ice-cream. It also had pieces of something that resembled cottage cheese, but had no flavour of its own bobbing happily with the ice-cream. Of course the distinctive aspect of any falooda are the tiny tapioca balls floating in creamy goodness. We enjoyed the Farluda so much, that we ordered a second Farluda even though we were stuffed to the brim after all that food and dessert. All in all Rangoon was a wonderful way to celebrate Mukti's birthday!

Protein Fest

2010-04-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

The outdoor pool at Trinity recently re-opened and on Friday I decided to try it out. When I went at 11:30am it was still cool outside and the sun hadn't warmed up the water enough. Although the water was chilly I decided that I had to do my 15 laps for the day. However, I think my body was using a lot of energy staying warm in the water, so I barely made 10 laps, and I was exhausted. When I got home I was starving! I needed to eat something and fast. My eyes gravitated to the mung beans I had sprouted for Pad Thai and I quickly whipped up a mung bean raita--my nani's recipe actually.

The protein fixation continued through yesterday--after yesterday's swim I came home and attacked every protein-ous item in sight--tofu, yoghurt, more mung beans. And last night I ate some more protein for dinner--refried beans and boom boom cheese sauce at Chuy's with Habiba and Inayah. Even though I didn't go swimming today my body has been craving protein since this morning, so I whipped up a Black Bean Soup for lunch today. It was easy, tasty and delicious not to mention that it's very low-fat! Here's the recipe:

Black Bean Soup

1 can black beans

1 red onion chopped

1 green bell pepper chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp cumin powder

2 tbsps chopped chipotle chillies in adobo sauce (this is on the spicy side, so you can reduce/add more chillies according to taste)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried oregano

1 cube vegetable stock (I use Rapunzel's Vegan Organic Veg Cubes)

3 gloves garlic chopped

2 tbsps olive oil

Garnish

Dollop of yoghurt

handful of chopped cilantro

1. In a large spot heat olive oil. Add cumin seeds and wait until they are fragrant and darkish brown. Add onions, jalepeno, green bell pepper and garlic. Cook until the onions have browned and softened.

2. Add oregano, cumin and chipotle chillies. Cook for a few minutes until the spices are fragrant.

3. Add the beans and 2 cups boiling water and a cube of veg stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes.

4. Remove from heat. Puree about half the soup and return it to the soup pot. Heat through adding salt to taste.

5. Serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro and a dollop of yoghurt.

Pad Thai

2010-04-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I like to start my day with a cup of cardamom tea and BBC Urdu online. Once I am done with my mandatory Urdu reading for the day, I eagerly and guiltily switch to reading an English newspaper--The NY Times. Although the NY Times is not good for my Urdu, it is proving to be wonderful for my kitchen. Last week I was flipping through the NY Times idly, savouring an article on the Pulitzer Prize with my morning tea, when a recipe for Pad Thai caught my eye. Of course I immediately clicked on it and sped through the recipe. It looked so appetizing that although I am winding down my kitchen these days I simply had to make one last shopping foray and procure ingredients for this lovely recipe! By the time I acquired the ingredients week had passed, but I was still craving the salty-sweet-spicy-sour flavours pad thai. So last night after an exhausting day of teaching I came home and set to work. Two nights ago in anticipation of making Pad Thai I had begun sprouting mung beans at home; although these are not the mung beans traditionally used in Pad Thai I wanted to use my stock of mung beans and they made a wonderfully tasty (and healthy!) addition. A recipe for me is simply a palette of colours--I experiment with flavours and ingredients to create my own paintings. Here's my rendition of the NY Times Pad Thai recipe:

Pad Thai

7 oz rice stick noodles

2 tbsps tamarind concentrate

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

4 tbsps rice vinegar

1 cup mung beans/bean sprouts

1.5 cups cabbage

1 tsp crushed red chilli flakes

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 tbsp green chilli chopped

1 tbsp (more to taste) Siracha Chilli sauce

8 oz pressed medium-hard tofu sliced into small squares *

2 tbsps vegetable oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup roasted peanuts* (optional garnish)

1/4 cup cilantro chopped (garnish)

1 diced lime (garnish)

1. Boil water in a large pot. Stick the rice noodles into the pot until they are soft (for about 3 minutes or so). Drain, rinse with cold water to prevent sticking. Set aside.

2. In a small saucepan heat together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, red chilli flakes, siracha sauce, honey and tamarind concentrate. When the liquid comes to a simmer turn off the gas.

3. In a large pot heat oil. When it shimmers add the garlic, green onions and green chilli. Stir fry for a few minutes until fragrant.

4. Add the cabbage and mung sprouts and cook until the cabbage begins to wilt.

5. Add the tofu and cover on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the tofu browns lightly. Add salt.

6. Add the rice noodles and the sauce concentrate and mix well so that the sauce is well mixed into the noodles and coats them entirely.

7. Serve hot garnished with roasted peanuts, lime wedges and fresh cilantro.

Notes: * To roast peanuts preheat the oven to 300F. Spread the peanuts on a foil covered baking sheet and bake them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, checking occasionally. You will know the peanuts are done when you get a fragrant sweet smell from them.

* To press tofu: Remove the tofu from water and place it on a plate. Put another plate atop the tofu and a saucepan full of water on the second plate. The tofu should be sandwiched between two plates (the top one with water) for about 15-20 minutes. You will see water escaping from the tofu. Drain the water and the tofu is now ready for use.

I ate this a few minutes ago for lunch and it was delicious cold! In fact, I prefer it cold because this allows all the flavours to emerge. The roasted peanuts add a delightful crunch while the grassy flavour of cilantro enhances the salty-sourness of the noodles. Yummy!

Chocolate Truffles

2010-04-15T16:33:00.001-07:00

My cousin Nikhil just heard that he has been admitted to all the schools of his choice. To congratulate him on his success I decided to make chocolate truffles and post them to him. I was contemplating pecan toffee and cherry brownies instead, but my aunt (his mum) convinced me that chocolate truffles would be what he would enjoy the most. So I decided to take the plunge and make chocolate truffles yet again. Having made this recipe a number of times by now I know that it takes at least two days (if not more) to prepare the truffles, so I needed to set aside a chunk of time when I could give my full attention to the truffles. However, this chunk of time never arrived (given that we are in the middle of the semester), so I decided to make a go for it by radically revising the recipe and thereby saving a substantial amount of time.

The recipe is by no means my own, but Nadia bhabhi asked me to post the recipe, so I will paste the link for it and elaborate on my time saving techniques.

Chocolate Truffles

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Truffles-233316

Now the recipe asks you to heat the CREAM and add it to cold CHOCOLATE to make a ganache (the chocolate center of a truffle). This takes forever because one has to wait patiently for the chocolate chunks to melt before you can stir them into a pastey ganache. I decided that I would reverse the process, i.e. heat the chocolate in a double boiler and then add cold cream to it. I was worried that this would yield hard creamy chocolate, but my fears were unfounded. The chocolate ganache was creamy and pliable--not hard at all. I followed the rest of the recipe as is and the truffles turned out delightful. I hope Nikhil enjoys them...:)

Masala Burgers--a discovery and a new recipe!

2010-04-13T05:25:00.000-07:00

It all happened because I was out of mustard. I scanned the racks of my kitchen shelves, moved around jars in the refrigerator, and saw rows of chutneys, pickles, jams and garlic paste, but the sad fact was that I had no mustard at home. What to do now? The Moosewood recipe for Chili Burgers required mustard sauce but I had none at home. I needed something that would impart both moisture and flavour--the two almost empty chutney bottles beckoned me. I would rinse them out with a bit of water and throw in the watery chutney in my burger patty mix. I could kill two birds with one stone--get rid of leftover chutney and add a zing to my burger patties. The serendipitous addition was delightful, and in the process I had discovered my own recipe for masala burgers.

The last time I ate masala burgers was in Philly when Sowm, Sanju and I made a special trip to Trader Joes to buy several packets of their burger patties for our decadent breakfasts of masala burgers on rye toast with hummus and cilantro pesto and of course steaming cups of tea. I had been longing for these burgers for a while now, but not having access to Trader Joes in San Antonio, I had given up hope of eating them...that is until I discovered my own recipe for them...:). Here it is:

Masala Burgers

1 can red kidney beans

3/4 cup rolled oats

1 small onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

1/4 cup grated carrot

2 tbsps coriander/mint chutney (you can add more or less to taste, but 1 tbsp is the minimum)

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp tomato ketchup OR 1/2 tbsp tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste (instead of pepper you could add chaat masala)

1. Lightly saute the onions and garlic until they are softened.

2. Add the grated carrots, chilli powder, cumin powder and saute for a few minutes.

3. In a separate bowl mash the kidney beans with a masher.

4. Add the chutney, ketchup/tomato paste, soy sauce to the beans and mix well.

5. Add the onion mixture and the rolled oats and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. With moistened palms shape into patties and lightly shallow fry in 1 inch of oil.

7. Serve hot with toasted bread, tomatoes, cheese, cucumbers.....

Now that I have deconstructed a burger recipe I am excited to try different kinds of burgers with a bean base+ rolled oats+ seasonings of choice. Perhaps a black bean version with chaat masala, chutney, whole cumin seeds, chopped green chillies and paneer? Yummmmm.....

Pongal

2010-04-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

Decadent breakfasts are my thing...I love the feeling of waking up early in the morning on weekends and knowing that the whole day stretches before me. I usually put on a pot of cardamom tea and get cooking--toasties, cheese toast, adai, tofu scramble. This weekend I was visiting my dear friend Amrita at College Station. Biki and Ananda were also visiting her, so we had a good number of mouths to feed and experiments to try. Because I live by myself I usually steer away from VERY elaborate breakfasts (even though I love them) just because it seems a waste to put all that time and labour for one person. But since there were four of us I decided a decadent, elaborate breakfast was in order.

On Friday night the four of us had eaten at Madras Pavilion (the Austin branch, which by the way is WAY better than the San Antonio branch) and shared a plate of their pongal, which was a pale creamy green and tasted utterly butterly delicious. So Amrita and I decided we would experiment with Pongal at home. We surfed the net and came up with three recipes each of which had a different take on Pongal. I decided that the only way to resolve this problem was to call Sowm--and we by and large followed her instructions. Here's the recipe:

Pongal

1 cup white basmati rice

1/4 cup moong dal

1 inch piece ginger grated (or chopped finely)

2 tbsps whole peppercorns

4 tbsps ghee

4-5 curry leaves

2 tsps cumin seeds

2-3 red chillies

2 tsps salt

1. Dry roast the rice and urad dal for about 10 minutes on a medium-high flame until fragrant.

2. Wash them until the water is clear. Add the grated ginger and 2 tbsps ghee and then boil everything in about 5 cups of water. Cover the pot and check on it from time to time (keep adding more water if necessary). The mixture should be very creamy and pastey.

3. In a small frying pan heat the ghee; add the cumin seeds and wait until they are fragrant; add the peppercorns, curry leaves and red chillies. Fry for a few seconds and then add the spices to the boiled rice mixture.

4. Stir in the remaining 2 tbsps of ghee and the salt. Taste. Add more salt if necessary.

5. Serve hot.

How was it? Creamy with spikes of pepper and punctuated with the grassy, clean flavour of curry leaves. I think the gang enjoyed it too because Biki and Anando finished most of it before Amrita came back from the lab. All in all I think it was a success!

PS--I'm waiting for Biki to send me the pic, so I can upload it to this site. :)

Il Sogno

2010-04-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

I was sitting down to grade papers yesterday evening when Habiba called and asked if I would like to have lunch at Il Sogno today. It had been a long time since we had eaten lunch together (almost a month) and the weather was gorgeous and today was my day off from teaching, so these were all good reasons to go for lunch. And I'm so glad we did because Il Sogno is a real treat. The last time I was here was with Mukti--and we both enjoyed it throughly. Since it was cool and sunny day Habiba and I decided to sit outside and enjoy the sun. We ordered the large anti-pasti platter, Mexican Coco-cola (which Habiba swears tastes better--and I agree) and a mushroom pizza.

Our Anti-pasti platter was delicious! We had the following items: roasted eggplant puree, white bean dip, goat cheese roundels, beetroot salad and crispy thin melba toast to dip into all these wonderful dishes. The roasted eggplant puree which was delicately smoked, and had a lovely smooth texture, but it was a tad too sour for me. The white bean dip had ribbons of garlic and parsley woven into a gentle creamy white bean-lemon juice olive oil puree; we also got the beetroot salad. I have been on a HUGE beetroot kick ever since I read my cousin Janki's blog recipe on beet tzatziki--so the beetroot here was a wonderful continuation of my kick. This beetroot salad was topped with pistachios which made for a great crunchy addition. The crispy melba toast was the perfect complement!

The mushroom pizza had a crisp, flaky crust and was topped with sweet caramelized onions and three kinds of mushroom--all of them yummy! Some were succulent, others had a deep and woodsy flavour, and still others were crispy burnt. Together they made a wonderful combination. We weren't sure if we were going to get dessert after all this lunch, but then we decided to in any case. We got the Affogato--vanilla ice-cream topped with espresso. This was good but nothing exceptional. I was dying for the Nutella tart but when I learnt that it was made from milk chocolate I wasn't so keen on it. Nevertheless, the affogato was a good choice. We ended our meal with cups of French-press coffee-smooth, velvety and the perfect finale to a lovely afternoon.

Beignets

2010-04-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a trip to the ACLA, which was at New Orleans (or NOLA as it is usually called). I had never visited New Orleans, so this trip was a fantastic opportunity to take in some of the sights. In the event I did not have the time to take in anything other than the interiors of hotels where the conference was being held, but I did have a chance to try a Beignets.

A Beignet is a French-inspired donut--a little square of fried dough doused in icing sugar--that's it. Beignets are not for the faint-hearted--they are a carb and calorie fest, but I decided I couldn't leave NOLA without at least trying one.

So I dragged Khalid all over the French Quarter looking for a cafe that sold Beignets and was not a complete tourist trap. In our adventures we stumbled upon Cafe Beignet--a lovely open air cafe with lively musicians on the square. Having just arrived earlier that afternoon I was desperately in need of caffeine, so we ordered coffees and one order of Beignets. The Beignets came in threes, and when I first spied them I gasped. They were supposed to be squares, but they looked more like giant misshapen donuts, and I wasn't sure I could eat more than a bite they looked forbiddingly decadent. However, my worries were all in vain because they were delicious--crunchy, not really sweet (which is a wonder for American desserts) dough bathed in icing sugar. They were the perfect complement to our coffees, and we enjoyed them so much that we decided we would treat our seminar participants to beignets the next day. :)

Roasted Vegetables...mmmmm

2010-03-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

I wasn't really in the mood to cook today, but I did want to eat something yummy and hearty but not too fattening. Almost exactly a year ago, one cold winter night Mukti and I had gone to Saiba's house for dinner. Saiba had served us a delicious vegetarian chili and a side of roasted vegetables. The roasted vegetables were delicious--slightly charred root vegetables (in season at that time in Ithaca) bubbling in warm olive oil festooned with shreds of basil and salt and pepper. I had thoroughly enjoyed them that evening and had thought to myself that I should definitely try roasting vegetables and eating them. But the semester had wound to its crazy finish and I had to leave Ithaca for San Antonio, and in the blazing San Antonio heat crisp hot vegetables would be torture. But we have been having a spell of cool days and cooler nights of late, so I decided to make Saiba's roasted vegetables. All I had at home were red peppers, zucchini, potatoes and of course onions. These vegetables don't exactly go with each other, but I decided to roast them together anyway. Here's the recipe:

Roasted Vegetables

1 white onion roughly chopped

1 zucchini chopped in roundels

1 potato (unpeeled) chopped into discs

1 red bell pepper chopped into thin strips

3 tbsps olive oil

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp salt (more/less to taste)

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/2 garlic pod

1. Preheat the oven to 400F

2. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil and layer all the vegetables on it.

3. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle on the salt, pepper and herbs. Gently mix to coat all the vegetables.

4. Drizzle a little olive oil onto the garlic pod and wrap it tightly in foil.

5. Pop the garlic pod and the tray of vegetables into the oven for 30 minutes (more if you like them charred) until the onions are soft and browned and the peppers have become crispy.

6. Gently slide all the vegetables into a big bowl. Squeeze the roasted garlic pods, mash them with a fork and toss them into the vegetables.

I ate this with a dollop of mint-parsley yogurt, which I whipped up while the vegetables roasted. Two days ago I had made yogurt cheese inspired my cousin Janki's recipe (http://traderjanki.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/strained-yogurt-or-yogurt-cheese/), so I just took it out, whipped 2 tbsps of chopped fresh parsley and 1 tbsp of chopped mint to about 1/3rd cup of yogurt cheese. I added a few drops of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. It was the perfect creamy-tart complement to the crispy, slightly sweet, mildly burnt roasted vegetables.

Guava Empanada

2010-03-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

My friends Julie and Sarah were visiting San Antonio yesterday, so I took them to all the tourist places--the riverwalk, the Iron Cactus (on the riverwalk)---and El Mercado or Market square. I have been to Market Square once before with Mukti, but it was on a cold and rainy day, so there were no stalls outside, no gaggles of tourists promenading the sidewalks and no outdoor cafe seating. Sarah was feeling tired and wanted a cup of coffee, so we decided to scout around for a coffee shop. Mi Tierra looks like a tapas bar from the outside--dark windows and brightly-coloured hanging lanterns give the impression that something exciting must be going on inside.

And there is something exciting going on inside--a full-fledged Mexican bakery. It is bustling with people and you have to pluck a number from a machine to get served. I saw sweet goodies I had never imagined existed. Some of them had labels, but others didn't and you had to guess what the enticing slabs of coconut with streaks of hot pink are called. I imagine that biting into one will be a glorious burst of sugary coconut, but the name remains a mystery to me. Sarah just wanted a cup of coffee, so we waited patiently for her number to be called, got her coffee and left soon after.

Of course three seconds after we had left I decided I had to get some coffee too. So Sarah and Julie waited patiently waited outside for me while I braved the crowds and plucked a number. I swear I was going to just get coffee, but a beguiling tray of fruit empanadas caught my eye--what is a fruit empanada? I have eaten savoury empanadas before (at the farmer's market in Rochester), but never a dessert empanada. The savoury empanadas are served warm, but the dessert empanadas are like cookies in different fruit flavours--pineapple, mango, coconut and guava! I couldn't not try one.

I absolutely adore guava--in Bombay it is the poor man's fruit. I remember wandering in the blazing Bombay heat with Anant on the pavement outside Xavier's hunting for fruit-walas selling guava. These men come with large platforms on wheels which are piled with row after row of glistening green guava. Anant would buy 5 guava for Rs. 10 for nights in the hostel when he was hungry and then buy another one for me, which the fruit waala would slice open, sprinkle with a spicy salty masala and offer me in a newspaper cone. Ahhh, there is no pleasure like the pleasure of eating sweet and spicy guava in the blazing heat of a Bombay afternoon.....

I have missed eating it all these years in the US, so I decided I would try the guava empanada. The guava empanada is a semi-circular disc of cookie-like dough (it's crispier than a cookie) dusted with powdered sugar and stuffed with a glistening maroon guava jelly. The crust is mildly sweet, but the guava jelly has a densely glorious guava sweetness brushed with shades of tartness. As we sat in the sun and sipped our coffee I offered some to Julie and Sarah (who had never eaten guava before) and they both savoured it's unusual textures--crisp crust and ooeey gooey guava filling. It was the perfect complement to our coffee, but a little too rich to finish--even though there were three of us. I still have half an empanada stuffed in my satchel. I plan to savour it slowly with this morning's cup of steaming cardamom tea. Mmmmmm...what a pleasant way to start the day.

Chane ki daal ka halva (Split yellow pea Halvah)

2010-03-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

I had good intentions of eating only soup and salad after my culinary binge on the east coast, but two watery un-inspired Moosewood soup recipes were enough to drive me back to dreams of rich, sumptuous dinners. This afternoon as I was working on my conference paper for the ACLA I opened my fridge door absently, hoping to be inspired by something within. However, it was something without that caught my eye--a green-blue post-it with Nishaat aunty's chane ki daal ka halvah recipe. I had been meaning to try this recipe for my friend Bilal's wedding (it's his mum's recipe), but time was too short and the rest of the semester a whirlwind, so I had forgotten all about it. There it was--in a mixture of English/Urdu/Hindi I had scribbled down an approximate recipe from Nishaat aunty's instructions on the phone. I read through it and decided that I would give it a go. So I soaked the chane ki daal and went back to work and within the hour I had promptly forgotten all about the recipe. When I came home from spinning the chane ki daal looked at me balefully. If I didn't cook them they would go to waste--I had to do something about them. So I rolled up my sleeves (or rather my nightie) and set to work. Be warned--this recipe is a LOT of work, but it is completely worth it!

Nishaat Aunty's Chane ki Daal ka halvah

Ingredients:

1/2 kg chane ki daal (soaked for two hours)

1/2 kg desi ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 sugar

6 green cardamoms --coarsely pounded

1 cup mixed nuts--almonds, pistachios, cashews chopped roughly (I didn't have any nuts, so I didn't add them in, but I can tell that they would make a wonderful addition)

1-1.5 cups milk

1/2 tsp saffron strands

2 tsps cardamom powder

a lot of patience

1. Boil the soaked chane ki daal in a tiny bit of water until it is cooked. It may be tempting at this point to add some more water, but refrain from doing so. You should cook this so that it dries out almost completely. (Make sure you have enough water, so that it doesn't burn). Nishaat aunty added zarde ka rang (the colour of saffron--available at Indian stores) to the boiling daal, but I didn't have any, so I added more saffron to the final product.

2. Grind the boiled chane ki daal to make a fine paste. You may have to add a tiny bit of water to get the right consistency but be sparing.

3. In a non-stick pot add 2 tbsps of ghee and the crushed cardamoms. Cook them on a very very low flame for a few minutes and then add the pasted chane ki daal. Continue cooking for at least an hour making sure to swirl the mixture from time to time and to gradually add the ghee two tablespoons at a time until the chane ki daal has turned a deep brown (the colour of milk chocolate) and has become fragrant. (I spent a lot of time sticking my nose into the chane ki daal to see whether it was fragrant or not). Do NOT rush this step. If you do the result will be very disappointing.

4. Add the sugar and let it dissolve completely.

5. Dissolve the saffron in the milk by warming the milk a little and stirring vigorously.

6. Add the saffron milk to the mixture. It will splutter for a bit but then calm down. Cook until the mixture begins to dry out again.

7. Add chopped nuts and the cardamom powder and stir until they are both well incorporated.

8. Once the mixture begins to leave the sides of the pan pour onto a well-greased (grease the plate with ghee) plate. Cool and cut into squares to serve.

Sigh! If only Bilal was here in San Antonio he would tell me whether the halvah tastes like his mum's halvah or like something completely different. My house is fragrant with the smell of chane ki daal ka halvah now--whiffs of cardamom and ghee greet me every time I enter the kitchen to check on the halvah, which is still cooling on the kitchen counter-top. But of course being a glutton I cannot resist tasting it--it tastes like heaven on a spoon--a robust sweetness which does not overwhelm the light hints of fragrant saffron or the dusky taste of cardamom. Of course it is all rounded by the unmistakable richness of ghee. The ghee has seeped entirely into the halvah to give it a rich buttery sheen, and I imagine that tomorrow it will be practically glowing. I may have to waddle to school tomorrow morning. :)

So many eatings...

2010-03-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

I just returned this afternoon from a wonderful trip to the North-East where I was visiting friends for Spring Break. After each meal I wanted to bolt to my laptop and scribble down my gluttonous adventure of the moment, but sadly/happily the delightful company of my friends and the sopoforic effect of the food meant that my blog remained sadly un-updated. I thought that instead of giving a blow by blow account of all my culinary adventures I would just showcase the highlights:

Destination 1: Ithaca

Sticky Rice

I am always going on and on about how no Thai food compares to the food at Sticky Rice and this last visit to Ithaca simply re-confirmed that knowledge. I am going to focus on the dessert. Corinna and I debated getting ice-cream, but we thought it might melt on the way back, so we got this lovely rice based dessert instead. I know all serious dessert eaters are now rolling their eyes--how can a rice-based dessert compare to chocolate or ice-cream. It can. Dessert: a sticky purple rice threaded with creamy, sweet coconut milk and spiked with sour-sweet mangoes. As Corinna and I sat down to eat this dessert we were both groaning because we had stuffed ourselves silly with appetizers and the main course, but one spoonful of this dessert is all it took to get us hooked. Within 3 minutes we had polished it all off. Yummy! I thoroughly recommend that you leave space for dessert when you order food at Sticky Rice.

Destination 2: NYC

There is soooooooooooooo much to write about my food experiences at NYC that I don't know where to start. I visited so many delicious places each better than the other that to focus on only one would be a grave injustice. Nevertheless, I will focus on Vatan, an all-vegetarian Gujarati thai place which deserves the #1 position on my hit list. Perhaps I was simply nostalgic for Bombay (not having gone home in two years) or maybe it was just the brisk New York Spring, but I was craving Gujarati food. At home I usually turned my nose up at my maharaj's (cook's) concoctions, preferring instead lighter fare. But here in NYC I dragged Pols and Khalid across different parts of Manhattan to eat the vegetarian thali. To describe each dish would be too much, but let me just focus on my favourite: amba nu ras (mango juice). They had used fresh alphonso mangoes-- I don't know how they managed to procure these in NYC, but they did---and that made all the difference. The mango puree that comes in a can never escapes the tin-ny can flavour of its container, so we know that fresh mangoes were used, and they were what gave the mango ras its distinctive sweet, rich, golden flavour. Although both Pols and I were stuffed we actually contemplated ordering a second round of aam ras--just because it was soooo good.

Destination 3: Boston

Sevan Bakery

My post on Boston goes not to a restaurant but to a grocery store + bakery. Sevan is just a stone's throw away from Namu's house, so when she suggested we stroll by there to check out their delicious freshly baked baklavas and olive and hummus collection of course I agreed. How could I say no? We picked up a whipped feta spread, spicy hummous and two kinds of baklava--fig and orange. Since all of these were outstanding I will briefly describe each one of them. The whipped feta spread was a bright orange colour and had a mild garlic flavour which rolled into a rich salty feta by the time it travelled down your tongue. We surmised that they saute onions, garlic and red peppers and then blend it with the feta to give it a vibrant orange colour. The spicy hummous was equally delicious--hints of spice layered beneath comforting chickpea. After one bite I was so inspired that I decided I would come home and make my own hummus (I have become very lazy off-late and have taken to buying store bought hummus, which of course cannot compare!). The fig and orange baklava were both unusual--they were a little too sweet for me, and we both felt that the fig baklava could have been more figgy but overall they were delicious. The fig baklava was ground with walnuts and I think they complemented the fig perfectly. The orange baklava was very orangey (I think they may have added some orange concentrate to the honey syrup) I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'm back home now and that is a good thing because I have put on at least five pounds in the last ten days of gluttony...soups and salads will follow this blog post, I swear :).

Bangkok 54

2010-03-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

This unassuming Thai place somewhere out near the airport has great Thai food! Last night Tahir, Habiba, Jeff and I ordered take-out from them. We decided to get an all vegetarian meal, since Jeff and I are both vegetarians. We got fresh summer rolls, which were stuffed with avocado, carrots and julienned basil. Accompanied by their sweet plum sauce these rolls were perfection because the rice layer was thin and that allowed us to taste the vegetables more fully. I like them even better than the summer rolls at Big Kahunas which have too much rice paper and this inevitably dulls the taste of the vegetables within. Their thai iced tea was good--not exceptional but perfectly decent.

For the main course we got the following items: imitation duck, eggplant tofu basil, panang curry, pad thai noodles--all of them vegetarian. Let me start by saying that the imitation duck was a pleasant surprise--I am usually very wary of faux meats because they end up tasting like finely diced bicycle tyres with seasoning. But the imitation duck was well cooked and tasted strongly of the deep ginger-garlic sauce that they had fried it in. The eggplant tofu basil was average--it had lots of fresh vegetables (which is great!), but little flavour of its own. I would not order this again. The panang curry was good--nothing like the panang curry at Sticky Rice (in Ithaca), which is still by far my favourite Panang curry in the world--but it was perfectly yummy! The pad thai was good too--a nice sweet-sour tamarind sauce accompanied by the crunch of peanuts and fresh mung bean sprouts.

We decided to finish our meal with a trip to La Michocana--my new favourite ice-cream place. This time I decided to be adventurous and got the cantaloupe ice-cream, but it was too sweet for me, so Jeff very sweetly agreed to trade his Neapolitan ice-cream with mine. I fell in love with this ice-cream because it was the express train to nostalgia. Each bite reminded me of a specific time and place in my life. The strawberry ice-cream had tiny chunks of fresh strawberries and was made from fresh cream--it tasted exactly like my nani's (maternal grandma's) strawberry ice-cream. The vanilla ice-cream was a golden pale-cream and it tasted just like Jay's house's vanilla ice-cream (in Bombay). I remember spending my summer holidays lazing around her house and eating blocks of her home-made ice-cream which always had the sharpest vanilla taste because they used fresh vanilla to flavour it. The chocolate ice-cream tasted exactly like the chocolate pepsi-ojos (slim ice-cream cylinders) we used to get at Matheran (for those of you reading The Moor's Last Sigh --Matheran is where the Moor is conceived) from the place in the main market where they also serve gloriously oily and spicy Indian Chinese food. Does anyone remember what it's called? What a delightful way to finish a Thai meal!

Kohinoor Restaurant

2010-03-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

In addition to plump South Asian babies and crayon wars you also get the best desi food in San Antonio at Kohinoor. Tahir discovered this place last semester and we have been devotedly going to it ever since. Although they only have one vegetarian option available at any given moment (the palaak paneer) that one veg option is to die for! The paneer is oh-so-soft and then gravy is creamy, green and delectable. They even spike it with slivers of freshly chopped ginger which adds a pungent kick to the gravy!

The palak paneer must be eaten with the Kohinoor famous parathas! These parathas are the size of a 16 inch pizza (at a distance Mukti thought that they actually were pizzas) and are light and crispy but also buttery and melt-in-your-mouth good. Even if Kohinoor had no veg options I would go there just for the parathas!

Start your meal with an order of fresh sweet lassi--they serve the lassi in large beer-style mugs and boy is it good! It is made from fresh yogurt, so one can actually taste the tartness of the yogurt and the sweetness of the sugar! A wonderfully delectable combination. Don't get thrown off by the unassuming interiors--cheap plastic chairs and formica tables--on a Saturday night Kohinoor is buzzing. The desi population of San Antonio knows where the good food is and makes a beeline for it!

PS--The baby in the pic is someone's very cute baby that I picked up and asked to be photographed with. Of course the parent very proudly agreed--who wouldn't want a photograph with this bundle of cuteness? Isn't she absolutely adorable?

Turquoise Grill

2010-02-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

Last night was ladies night out--Habiba, Mukti and I decided to live it up by first taking in a film and then going for dinner. The film we chose was a biopic on Tolstoy's life--The Last Station--a beautiful romance edged with melancholy. The lush landscapes of the Tolstoy farm, the sumptuous dinners at the Tolstoy estate and the endless cups of black tea sweetened with raspberry jam made us long for a rich repast to round out our decadent film experience.

We decided to go to the Turquoise Grill for dinner--unassuming on the outside but warm and cozy on the inside. We decided to order the meze platter, the roasted eggplant with tomatoes and onions and the vegetable kebab. The meze platter was accompanied by plump loaves of pita bread studded with onion seeds (calonji) which offset the sweet-saltiness of the pita bread. We dipped the pita bread into the various dips on the meze platter and were pleasantly surprised by the flavours. The hummus was just on the other side of the familiar--a little more tart and tangy than the usual Mediterranean fare. The baba ghanoush was rich, smoky and had a wonderful depth of flavour. I think eggplant is their thing at Turquoise Grill because the eggplant in the eggplant dish was similarly succulent and smoky. But my favourite was the vegetable kebab--the onions, peppers and tomatoes had all been charred to perfection and were dripping their juices on the plate. After devouring the vegetables we proceeded to dip our pita bread into the juices which were lip smackingly delicious.

We finished off our meal with pieces of sweet buttery baklava (we could actually taste the butter between the layers of filo dough) and Turkish coffee, which came in these sweet tiny, porcelain coffee cups. The coffee itself was strong without being acidic--a robust complement to the sweetness of the baklava. Habiba tried to read my fortune from the Turkish coffee grinds, but there was too much coffee sludge for us to discern any visible patterns. Even though the coffee grinds did not yield a future, we had our own predictions for the future, i.e. we all predicted that we would revisit the Turquoise Grill very soon!

La Michocana

2010-02-27T07:31:00.001-08:00

As many of you know my friend Mukti is visiting me this weekend in San Antonio. Mukti and I share a lot in common--we were both graduate students at Cornell in the English department, we both love reading books, watching films and of course we both love EATING! So I decided that when Mukti visited we would have a culinary tour of San Antonio--in addition to the usual sightseeing and touristy stuff. Habiba had been telling me about this wonderful Mexican ice-cream parlour (Palateria) that she, Tahir and Inayah had accidentally discovered one lazy Sunday afternoon, and I was dying to try it. So I called Habiba and within the hour the three of us trooped down to La Michocana to sample their lovely ice creams. La Michocana is no more than a tiny shack at the intersection of Zarzamora and Cincinnati, and it is painted a bright yellow, so that passersby don't miss it.

The stacks of ice-cream bars in the freezer reminded me of old-fashioned movie theaters in Bombay where one could get unusual ice-cream bars like mango dolly (vanilla ice cream encased by golden mango ice-cream), raspberry duet (raspberry and vanilla ice-cream) and chocobar (pieces of smooth chocolate encasing vanilla ice-cream), and of course as children we waited anxiously for the interval at movies, and often ran out before the interval, just so that we could be first in line to grab an ice-cream bar before they ran out much to the consternation of our parents, who tried to steer us towards the more healthy snacks. No visit to the movies was ever complete without an ice-cream bar!

La Michocana has the most delicious and unusual ice-cream flavours ever--cherry, coffee, pistachio, butter pecan, pineapple, coconut, a vanilla ice-cream with fresh strawberries, another vanilla ice-cream with what looked like oreos embedded in it and of course the usual chocolate ice-cream. The board advertising the flavours claimed that they even had cheese flavoured ice-cream! The gentleman at the counter spoke no English, but through hand gestures and lots of pointing we finally managed to get the ice-cream bars of our choice. I got pistachio, Mukti got pineapple and Habiba got coconut. The pistachio ice cream was a bright green and I was a little wary of biting into food colouring, but my fears were allayed when I took the first bite. It was creamy, sweet and tasted of crushed pistachio--a lot like pista kulfi, actually. However, what differentiated it from pista kulfi was that it was studded with tiny pieces of crunchy pista which provided a nice contrast to the creaminess of the ice-cream. Mukti's pineapple ice-cream was delicious too! It wasn't overly sweet or artificially flavoured--rather it was quite like biting into freshly sliced, sweet, icy pineapple chunks.

Having had our fill of ice-cream we decided to try something healthier. La Michocana is also a Fruteria where they serve fresh fruit salad. When we were waiting in line for our ice-cream a woman was getting tubs of fruit salad to go. The fruit salad looked very appetizing--watermelon pineapple and cucumber (yes you read right, cucumber!) doused with what looked like red chilli powder (and which I nicknamed Mexican chaat masala) and finished with a squeeze of lime. From the first bit I was addicted--the salty Mexican chaat masala enhanced the sweetness of the fruit while the lime juice gave it a sour, refreshing zing! I devoured my fruit salad in less than two minutes! Once the weather gets warmer I see myself making lots of trips down to La Michocana to sample their other creamy delights--I recommend you do the same. :)

Filter Coffee

2010-02-16T06:24:00.000-08:00

This seems to be the month of coffee, which is ironic considering that I am not a coffee drinker! Last week I posted on Desi Latte and today I am writing about Filter Coffee. For those of you unfamiliar with filter coffee it is the authentic South Indian way of making coffee. This past weekend I was visiting my friend Jay in NYC and she offered me filter coffee. I was taken aback--filter coffee?! In NYC?

On hearing the words filter coffee I was transported back to Matunga (in Bombay) and to memories of eating steaming idli vada doused in quantities of spicy-tomato-ey sambhar, the meal ending with a tiny but potent serving of filter coffee. Filter coffee belongs to the streets of Matunga where every second Udipi joint brews large quantities of coffee in the wee hours of the morning and serves them to its breakfast customers. Wandering around the streets of Matunga one can see the waiters at Udipi cafe pouring the coffee from on high, so that it develops a wonderful creamy froth. It is then served in a tiny little steel cup and bowl, and one is meant to sip it slowly, allowing the layered textures of the strong brew to wash over one.

So of course when Jay offered to make me filter coffee I instantly agreed and then hovered around her as she prepared it. In the process she informed me that she had bought the coffee powder at Phillips Coffee House in Bombay (next to Bombay Store in Fort) and the coffee filter from Nal Bazaar next to Grant Road Station.

Here's how to make filter coffee:

Fresh coffee powder is put in a steel percolator and boiling water is added to the coffee. Then one waits patiently for 25-30 minutes for the boiling water to brew the coffee and let it percolate to the jar below. Once the black coffee mixture is ready you boil it with milk and sugar and voila--perfect filter coffee.

Jay's filter coffee was AMAZING!! Even better than the filter coffee I had at Saravana Bhavan later that day. It had a rich, deep filter coffee flavour and a wonderful mellowness from just the right amount of milk, and a very slight sweetness which allowed me to savour the rich textures of the filter coffee itself. As I sipped on the coffee I was enveloped by a delicious feeling of well-being...Filter coffee, NYC, and of course Jay, what could be better? :)

Desi Latte

2010-02-09T13:32:00.001-08:00

I was sitting down with a mug of hot tea to get some work done this afternoon, when my friend Taimoor messaged me online. What's the word in English for mixing something together--like an egg? I messaged back: the word is whisk. why? I was very surprised to get this question from Taimoor because he is rarely in the kitchen (except to eat :)), so I couldn't imagine why he would want to learn the English word for cooking terms. On further prodding he proceeded to tell me that he wanted to use the word for a home-made desi latte recipe. I am pasting the recipe below as he gave it to me:

Taimoor: you take coffee* and sugar, add two three drops of milk/water and then whisk it until it gets light brown

Taimoor: and then you take two spoons of that and put it in a cup and add hot milk over it and keep stirring. behtreen latte tayyar (a wonderful latte is ready)

Taimoor: and the ratio of coffee to sugar is usually 1:2 or hasb-e zaiqa (as per your taste)

desi latte

me: hahahahahhaa

I am not much of a coffee drinker, but I'd be very happy to try this unusual latte at home rather than spring 3.25$ for a fancy latte at the coffee shop next to my house. He declares that the prepared sludge of coffee+sugar+a few drops of milk tastes like coffee fudge. Yummm I'd be happy to try this recipe just for that if nothing else. Apparently they make enormous quantities of this sludge at home in Pakistan and keep it in the fridge, whisking in the hot milk as and when needed for a fresh desi latte!

PS--I'll post the pic of this wonderful desi latte once Taimoor emails it to me. :)

*Some clarifications: By coffee Taimoor means instant coffee (like Nescafe or Bru instant coffee)

Prime Cultures

2010-02-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

Today was the first warm sunny day in a week of miserably cold rain, so I decided that the day needed a celebration. Another reason to celebrate today is that Habiba finally came back to town this morning, and both Inayah and I are super thrilled. So the three of us decided to celebrate the sun and Habiba's return at Prime Cultures--the frozen yogurt place just down the street from Habiba's house.

Now I have had frozen yogurt that pretends that it's ice-cream and fails miserably at convincing anyone that it's the real stuff because it has this fake ice-creamy texture and ultra-sweetness, which ends up making it taste just like ice-cream gone bad. However, the yogurt at Prime Cultures has no such pretensions. It knows it is yogurt and it revels in its yogurt-ness. So it is tart, creamy and ice-cold without being ice-cream--it actually tastes a lot like frozen lassi. You can always get their flavoured yogurts (they offer green tea, lime and cranagranate), but Habiba said that their plain yogurt is the best and I agree!

The difference between Prime Cultures and other frozen yogurt places is that the former offers fresh fruit toppings, which are genuinely fresh (the gentleman serving us chopped the fruit before our eyes). Inayah got the small yogurt with chocolate chips, Habiba got the medium yogurt with graham crackers, toasted coconut and strawberries (a luscious combo), and I got the small frozen yogurt with almonds, honey and mango. The combination of the slightly tart yogurt with the sour-sweet mango was just perfect. The almonds gave it a nice crunch, while the honey added a mellow sweetness to the combination. Now that the weather has warmed up, I see myself visiting Prime Cultures very often. I recommend you do the same....:)

Green Cafe

2010-02-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

I love Tuesdays and Thursdays because I can wake up early in the morning and have the whole day before me to work, read, exercise, cook--to do with it what I will. Last night I decided that I would start this Thursday morning with a pilates session and then go and work at Green Cafe. My eyes flew open at 7:15am, so I had time to shower before I biked over to the Y for 8:15am pilates. I had only had a glass of milk that morning, so by the time I was done with pilates at 9am I was starving.

It was a cold and rainy morning and I couldn't wait to get back indoors As I biked to Green cafe (one of two all vegetarian cafes in San Antonio) visions of steaming hot coffee danced before my eyes. As soon as I entered the cafe, I was enveloped by warmth. The staff at Green are very pleasant and friendly, and they know me pretty well by now because I have visited Green on numerous occasions.

I love their high ceilings, warm wooden tables, ample benches and hippie wall art, but most of all I come again and again to Green because of their delicious tofu scramble, which they only serve at breakfast. This tofu scramble is unlike any I have eaten before. It is moist without being watery and flavourful without being overwhelming--it hits the perfect notes for the early morning. My tofu scramble today was studded with buttery mushrooms, flecks of bright green spinach and juicy red bell peppers. I also had a side of hash browns which were cooked to perfection--crispy and slightly charred with just the right amount of butter. The scramble also includes a side of hearty multi grain bread. For just 5.99$ I had a feast.

By the time I had finished my scramble I was pleasantly full and ready to get started with work. Lest I fall asleep after this carb fest, the friendly wait staff regularly refilled my coffee and offered me a chocolate studded pick-me-up. Of course, I am not one to refuse chocolate so I happily made my way through one of their super dense, moist, chocolate cookies, which they had warmed so that it was all ooey-gooey and melty. Mmmmmmm.....What a pleasant way to begin a work day. :)

Liberty Bar

2010-02-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Last night we trooped across to Liberty Bar for Abigail's campus visit because we heard that they are closing their doors very soon because their lease has expired. Apparently, the building is too unsafe for use anymore, so they are shifting location to a convent. Liberty Bar is renowned for its quaint interiors--sloping roof and sloping floors (yes!), so we simply had to take Abigail there!

We ordered eggplant puree with toasted garlic as an appetizer--I have ordered this before and loved it. This time too was no exception. The eggplant was charred and smoky and the bread was crispy without being burnt and buttery without being oily. The two complemented each other perfectly. Angie and I also ordered a hot ginger ale--now this ginger ale isn't hot temperature wise, but it has a spicy (yes, you read right) kick to it. Sipped in a glass full of ice it is simply perfection.

Betsy ordered crab cakes, which she said were quite good. Abigail, Angie and I all decided to order the Fettuccine with Zona Rosa sauce because it looked so appetizing. The sauce was supposed to be composed of roasted tomatoes, goat cheese and bell peppers simmered together. Somehow I was expecting chunks of vegetables in the sauce, but there were no vegetables--rather it was a smooth, creamy, homogeneous blend, speckled with green herbs. It looked something like an Alfredo, but had a slight tangy flavour which offset the bland pasta. I quite enjoyed my pasta except that I wish the meal was warmer (temperature wise).

For dessert Angie ordered the bread pudding with rum sauce and she said that she could actually inhale the strong rum flavour from a foot away. Abigail ordered the chocolate cake, which looked rich and decadent--not sure how it tasted. Betsy was happy with her order of bright green lime pie. I ordered the Abuelita chocolate ice-cream. As most of you know, I like my chocolate dark and rich--the ice-cream was a little too sweet for my taste, and it also had some spices mixed in. I usually love the addition of spices to desserts, but somehow the spice was off here. I think they may have overused the cinnamon in this batch of ice-cream. I remember once eating their luscious ruby pomegranate ice-cream and loving it because it was sweet and tangy at the same time! I should have perhaps ordered this, but then there's always a next time. :)

Fudge or Brownie?

2010-01-28T06:12:00.000-08:00

By the time I came home last night I was exhausted! I had been up and about since 4am that morning (my insomnia), had taught a full day of classes, had office hours, and then a job talk. All I wanted to do was to roll into bed. But it was only 7pm and I couldn't get to bed without dinner. So I decided to cook dinner. I was seriously contemplating just going to Big Kahunas across the street and picking up one of their fabulous tofu dinners, but then decided that cooking would actually help me de-stress. And of course once I started cooking I could feel the layers of stress peeling away from me. I got into the swing of things and made a juicy tomato salsa to go with my sweet potato and black bean burritos (these were delish! I'd be happy to post the recipe for these if anyone is interested).

I had cleared my counter top, washed the dishes and was waiting for the burritos to finish baking when I decided that I wanted dessert today. Of course I have the usual stash of expensive gourmet chocolate in my fridge and even a super special fudge I bought at Central Market. But I wanted something warm, oeey gooey and chocolate-y. If I was in Ithaca I would have just called Nocturnal Confections at this point, but left to my own devices in San Antonio I decided to make my own fudge brownies.

I flipped through the Moosewood cookbook and came across a brownie recipe that I had been always meaning to try. Now the recipe called for unsweetened chocolate but I only had Green and Black's 85% dark chocolate. I love dark chocolate but this dark chocolate was a little too dark for me, so the slab had been sitting at the bottom of my chocolate pile for quite a while now. I also had this packet of dark chocolate truffles from HEB which had a funky after taste, so I hadn't really made any head way into that bag. I also had a handful of milk chocolate chips lying around. I decided to throw all these things into the pot and the result was a super ooey gooey chocolate brownie. Here's the recipe:

Fudge Brownies

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate (read note above)

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs (I used egg replacer since I don't eat eggs and this actually worked to my advantage! Explanation below)

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup raw brown sugar because my chocolate wasn't entirely unsweet to begin with)

1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F

Butter a 8-9inch square baking pan

In a pot melt the butter with the dark chocolate. Switch off the gas once it has melted and whisk all the other ingredients into the pot.

Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes my brownies were still swishing around the baking pan, but I decided to remove them from the oven because baked items usually harden after they cool. When I removed the brownies from the oven the butter was floating on top in buttery bubbles and the brownies had the consistency of chocolate fudge. I was about to put them in the oven again when I decided that I would just have a small spoon and see what they tasted like. I'm glad I did because any more baking would have ruined these magical fudgey brownies. Because I had used egg replacer instead of eggs these brownies hadn't solidified into brownies at all. Rather they were rich, dense, chocolatey not quite brownies-not quite fudge. I spooned (yes, it wasn't possible to cut them) some into a plate and devoured the fudge in less than a minute. Yum!

Paneer ke Parathe

2010-01-26T06:29:00.001-08:00

On Sunday night I went over to Habiba's house to experiment with paneer ke parathe. I always associate paneer parathas with my nani's kitchen. She always had the most magnificent parathas ready for us whenever we visited her--they were soft, buttery and filled with the most delicately spiced paneer ever. Now nani guards her cooking secrets to her heart, but after a lot of coaxing and pleading I finally managed to get the recipe for these divine parathas out of her. I had never tried them before largely because making parathas is an enterprise and not worth doing for just me. So when Habiba said she wanted to make parathas I jumped at the idea. Today I would try nani's time-tested recipe. Here it is:

Nani's Paneer Parathas

For the filling

1 cup paneer

1 tsp diced minced green chilli (serrano or desi green chillies)

1 tsp salt

3 tbsps finely chopped coriander/cilantro

For the Parathas

3 cups chapati flour (available at the Indian grocery store)

3 tbsps oil

water

2 tsps salt

For cooking:

desi ghee/butter

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients for the filling and mix well. Knead together all the ingredients for the parathas adding as much water as is necessary to make a smooth dough (this is where all that muscle pump helps!) There should be no cracks in your dough. If your dough has cracks that means it is dry, so add more water to make it smooth. If it is too slippery and slick add more chapati flour to make it soft and dry but pliable.

Make small balls (around the size of a ping pong ball) of dough. Take a dough ball and carve out a center with your thumbs. You should have a hollow shaped basket. Spoon in about 1 tbsp of filling into each ball and seal it up. On a well-floured (use chapati flour) surface roll out the paratha until it is thin and round. The paneer filling will distribute itself along the length and breadth of the paratha.

In a frying pan add about a tbsp of ghee at medium heat. Gently slide in the paratha and daub ghee onto the side that is facing you. Gently turn over and cook until both sides are golden brown. Repeat the process for the remaining dough and paneer. Serve hot with raita, chutney and pickle. Yummy!

Note: To keep the parathas warm put them on an oven proof plate and slide them into a warm oven (200F) until you are done making all of them.

Madras Pavilion

2010-01-23T06:18:00.000-08:00

The paper dosa was the highlight of the evening--it all went downhill from there. Last night Tahir, Habiba, Jeff, Inayah and I went out for South Indian food. On the way to the restaurant we give Jeff the low-down on what to expect--rice based starchy goodness. When we arrived at Madras Pavilion we seriously thought it was closed because it looked dark and gloomy. However, a neon red sign outside flashed open so we decided to go in and give it a shot. The place wasn't as dark on the inside as it was from the outside, but we were the only people there.

We decided to order gobi manchurian and sweet lassi for appetizers and drinks. Both were good. For the main course we ordered two Madras Pavilion specials which came with Idli, vada, choice of dosa or uttapam, gulab jamun and coffee. The Idlis were undersalted and tasted like they had come out of the fridge because they had that slightly sour fermented taste of idlis that have been kept too long. The medu vadas were crisp and correctly salted, but they had one too many peppercorns in them. I think poor Habiba had to suffer biting into at least three whole peppercorns if not more. The paper dosa though was good. Not as good as Sarvana Bhavan in NYC but good nonetheless. The uttapam was alright--a little too thick and underflavoured for my palate, but otherwise fine. The gulab jamuns were a real disappointment. They had the look of gulab jamuns but the texture of rasgullas. It was as though someone got confused about whether they had to boil the balls or fry them! And the coffee--we were expecting filter. What we got was something that had the aftertaste of filter coffee but the predominant taste was of some kind of funky milk/milk powder they had used.

All in all this wasn't a great meal, so I wouldn't visit the place again. Our search for a good South Indian place in San Antonio continues....

A cure for insomnia

2010-01-20T18:28:00.000-08:00

Some of you may know that off late I have been plagued by something called middle of the night insomnia. This particular type of insomnia attacks one in the middle of the night and one could be fast asleep when suddenly one awakens for no apparent reason. Going back to sleep is then a nightmare. One cure the internet suggests for this is drinking a glass of warm milk before going to bed. Apparently milk has natural sedatives which relax the body and prevent one from awakening in the middle of the night. So, taking their advice I have been drinking a mug of warm milk almost every night. I was getting bored of my usual elaichi (cardamom) and saffron warm milk and chocolate is a no-no because it contains caffeine, so I decided to experiment a little. I wanted something rich and satisfying but not overloaded with spices. Something that would go with a tiny square of Lindt's hazelnut dark chocolate truffle (okay, I lied I do need a tiny chocolate fix just before I go to bed--but it is tiny I promise). So I made this concoction and I am calling it Mellow Milk because it has a hint of spices, but the overall feeling on sipping it is one of great serenity and mellowness--like sitting in a warm cozy blanket on a yellow sunny cold autumn day.

Mellow Milk

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

1/2 stick cinnamon

1 tbsp honey

In a small saucepan simmer the milk, nutmeg and cinnamon. When it comes to a boil remove from stove and pour into a mug. Swirl in a bit of honey and sip. I am sipping this right now and listening to my friend Vibs's serene night music collection. Ahhhh....Sweet dreams await. :)

Pistou

2010-01-20T17:58:00.000-08:00

No, Pistou is not the gujju pronunciation of pista, it's actually the French word for pesto. Now I know all of you are familiar with pesto--that rich sumptuous blend of basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic and basil. Everyone I know has their favourite pesto recipe that they swear by. However, today I have a recipe to share which works quite well. Earlier this evening I was making the Moosewood soup recipe called Vegetable Pistou. It involved simmering vegetables in vegetable broth and then ladling in some pistou. The Moosewood recipe calls for basil, but since I didn't have any, I added parsley instead. The result--delicious! Here's the recipe for my version of pistou:

Parsley Pistou

1.5 cups parsley

4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/3rd cup toasted hazelnuts (toast in an oven for 10 minutes at 325 F)

2 tbsps olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Whir together all the ingredients in a coffee grinder/chutney maker. What emerges is a delicious, thick, fragrant spread. If you want to use this on toast I suggest adding a tad more olive oil (maybe 1 tbsp more) and a teaspoon or so more of lemon juice. This version is so tasty you don't even miss the cheese. Yummy!

Big Kahuna's

2010-01-18T14:08:00.000-08:00

My friend Jeff and I discovered the most fantastic Vietnamese place, which is just by my house. One evening we were biking past my house to go to Green (a vegetarian restaurant) when we saw a sign for a Vietnamese restaurant. We were instantly drawn to the billboard which promised vegetarian and vegan platters and....Bubble Tea! We decided to give this place a shot and I'm really glad we did.

Jeff tried the vegetarian combo plate and I tried the ginger tofu. Both were exquisite. The ginger tofu was actually spiked with pieces of fresh ginger and the tofu was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The vegetarian combo plate had an array of fresh vegetables (my favourite was the red crispy bell pepper) tossed in a light sauce with densely flavoured wheat gluten. Both dishes came topped with noodles. Needless to say we devoured the delights in no time. They also have Pho, but unfortunately not a vegetarian version. :(

The next time I went by this place I tried their strawberry taro bubble tea (it used to be my favourite kind in Ithaca), but their tea was toooooo sweet for my palate. However, I did like their delicately flavoured Jasmine tea, which they served in the sweetest little pot and their vegan tres leches. Both are perfect for mid-day study sessions when you crave a little something warm and sweet to tide you over. So whether you go for a quick lunch or a leisurely afternoon tea, Big Kahuna's has something lovely for every occasion. I highly recommend it!

A wonderful evening

2010-01-18T13:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon my friend Habiba called me and asked if I would like to go over to her place and cook dinner. I was almost out of groceries myself, and I was bored of cooking ONE more meal for just me. So I readily agreed, and a few hours later, Habiba, baby Inayah and I tripped down to Central Market to get together ingredients for our feast. For those of you who have never been to Central Market--it is a true delight. It has row after row of fresh vegetables and herbs, and I picked up two bunches of fresh mint and two of fresh basil. The mint is for my favourtite phudiney ki chai and the basil was for the Lasagne we were making. After we had scoured all the ingredients we came home and started making the Lasagna. Now this Lasagna is a Moosewood recipe and like all Moosewood recipes the result is always pleasing and the recipe relatively easy to make.

As Inayah rolled on the kitchen floor and made play-dough ice-creams, Habiba chopped up carrots with her super chopper and I got the tomato sauce rolling. Within 30 minutes we had popped our lasagna into the oven. Since the recipe asked us to cook it for 50 minutes in the oven, we decided to use the spare time to toss together a simple green salad with celery, parsley, rich, oily black olives and crisp cucumber. We finished it off with a wonderful honey-lime salad dressing. Here's the recipe:

Honey Lime Salad dressing

2 tbsps honey

Juice of 1 lime + 2 tbsps lemon juice

1 garlic clove minced finely

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together all the ingredients until emulsified. Toss in yummy green salad.

Needless to say the salad was the perfect appetizer to our lasagna, which emerged from the oven as ooey-gooey cheese perfection. I had never tried fresh mozzarella cheese before, but Habiba added some to our lasagna and it was perfection. We also threw together an apple cobbler and Habiba warmed some cheese and garlic bread in the oven. By the time we sat down to dinner we had a feast before us. Mmmmmmmmm....I'm still thinking about it. :)

Toasties--A toast to Bombay

2009-07-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

You may be familiar with the phenomenon called "the sandwich" --two slices of bread with something savoury between them. However, if you aren't familiar with "the toastie" sandwich you are missing out. I remember stealing bites out of my friends's toastie sandwiches on the street in Bombay. We were always forbidden this toasted delight because our mothers were convinced we would get food poisoining from the sandwich wala's sweat, which invariably dripped into a sandwich or two. Although our mothers vainly struggled to reproduce those delights in our home kitchen, they never really tasted the same. There was something about the sandwich-wala's (sandwich man) toastie which made even beetroots and carrots taste delicious in the toastie sandwich. So by now you must have a sense of the toastie-- a toastie is a sandwich ++, it's an uber sandwich. Here's how a typical toastie is made.

Last night my friend Hamza was over and he was hungry. I only had odds and ends in my fridge to offer him, so I decided to combine them Bombay style in a toastie sandwich.

1. 2 slices brown bread (white will do)

2. Beans (see my recipe for Beans posted under Tax Time)

3. a few tiny squares of jalapeno cheese (any kind of cheese will do--this is just what I had at hand)

4. corinader chutney (store bought)

5. sandwich masala (this is indeed a unique Bombay specialty--sandwich masala tastes like chaat masala except that its saltier and grainier. If you don't have sandwich masala--chaat masala will do).

Method:

Slather chutney onto bread. Add in the filling. Place into a toastie maker (you can buy one at Target for under 10$) and wait until the red light goes off on the machine. Wedge out and serve with tomato sauce for a typically Bombay experience.

Remember a toastie is infinitely variable--you can put any combination of ingredients and it will still taste good. I'm thinking of pesto with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes and baby spinach in 9 grain bread or perhaps the classic tomato, onions, chutney and cheese with a dash of beetroots. Go ahead and experiment! I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Summer Delights

2009-06-18T05:50:00.000-07:00

It is summer in Ithaca--well, at least it is supposed to be summer in Ithaca. We have been greeted with chilly Fall weather days and the occasional peek or two of sunshine. So today's blog post is for the peek of sunshine days. Imagine it is 30 degrees celsius (something suitably high in F I am sure), and you are longing to get out of the heat and cool off.

Of course, Ithaca apartments have no A/C's installed in them, so we are always looking for innovative ways to cool off. :) In that case I recommend you try the following. Choose a deep red watermelon. To ensure that it is sweet try and smell what you can through the plastic wrap. If it has a sweet smell it will be sweet. Come home and slice the watermelon into chunks. Sprinkle with a little black salt and eat. The black salt will enhance the sweetness of the watermelon and give it a sharp, tangy edge. Enjoy :)

Mmmmm....Kulfi

2009-06-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

I love kulfi (frozen Indian ice-cream). The taste, the texture, the creaminess--they are hard to find in a regular western style ice-cream. Kulfi was especially popular in the Mughal courts and it is said that emperors ordered ice from the snow-capped mountains of Kashmir just so that they could savour this frozen delight. Well, I decided to replicate some of those delightful flavours in my own kitchen My masi was visiting me from Chicago and I wanted to make her something special that she couldn't simply buy from the Indian store (Well, she could technically buy kulfi from the Indian store, but those mass produced blobs of ice don't compare to the home-made creamy delight I had in mind). So I whipped out my nuts, whole milk, cardamom and saffron and started the process--it took me 2 hours, but the results were well worth it! Here's the recipe:

(For those planning to serve this kulfi at parties you can freeze it in a muffin tray and then scoop out individual portions for your guests--it looks very fancy, especially if you then also top it with slivered almonds :)).

Kesar Kulfi recipe

1 litre full fat milk (1/2 gallon—I think—those slim bottles, not the fat one)

1-3 tsp cardamom powder (the more you put the better it will taste)

½ tin condensed milk

4 tbsps sugar (more if required, but first taste)

¼ tsp kesar (saffron/zafran)

1 slice white bread

¼ almonds ground + 3-4 almonds sliced (for garnish)

¼ cup cashews ground

1. Boil milk and cardamom powder together and keep stirring, until reduced by a third.

2. You can add ½ can condensed milk and put sugar after this.

3. Mix the kesar in a little warm milk and then add it to the mixture.

4. Chop the edges of 1 slice of bread and mix it in a grinder.

5. Add the bread, nuts to the mixture.

6. Cool the mixture to room temperature and then put in ice trays (for easiest removal) or muffin moulds and freeze.

7. Remove from the freezer and put it in the fridge an hour before you plan to serve it.

8. Serve topped with sliced almonds.

**Variation: Instead of kesar, you can add any pureed fruit (example: strawberries, mangoes) to the mixture. But if using fruit, add the pureed fruit only after the mixture has come to room temperature.

Tax Night

2009-04-20T20:10:00.001-07:00

Mukti was coming over to do her taxes and I was really running low on groceries, so I decided to Quesidillas for her. I have decided that I like "desi-style" "Mexican" beans the best. I'm sure if any real Mexican person tasted my beans they would die of horror, so I won't call them Mexican. They are an Indian version of "Mexican" food, which doesn't even taste remotely "Mexican," but to my palate (and to the palate of my desi friends) these beans are delicious. So I whipped up a batch of these beans in just about 20 minutes--perfect for a weeknight dinner. Here's what I did.

Bean stuffing (great the next day over toast or inside a toastie sandwich):

1 can red kidney beans

1 chopped onion

2 garlic cloves chopped

3 cubes of cheese

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

2 tbsps oil

1/2-1 tsp red chilli powder

Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds. Stir until brown and fragrant. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent. Add the tomato paste and about 1/2 cup water and simmer the resultant gravy for about 5 minutes. Add the red chilli powder and saute for a minute. Add the beans, salt and cheese and stir until the cheese has melted. Then mash the beans (this is a crucial step) until they are barely distinguishable. Serve in a whole wheat tortilla wrap or over whole wheat multigrain toast. Enjoy! :)

Needless to say after this carb fest of beans and cheese I fell fast asleep and believe it or not its now April 20th and I still haven't done my taxes!! yipes!

Biryani extravaganza

2009-04-20T19:51:00.000-07:00

Today was a cold, rainy and bitter grey day. I wanted to snuggle in my blanket and stay warm, but I was having Saiba and Thea over for dinner, so I had to rustle up something. I have been on a biryani spree ever since Hamza taught me his Ithaca-famous Hamza's special Sindhi biryani. The crunch of chickpeas, the tanginess of tomatoes all simmered in a soupy, fragrant dahi-inflected gravy and then cooked between mounds of buttery pulao. Mmmm what could be better on a cold wintry Ithaca spring day? So I decided to make Hamza's biryani with a few modifications. I decided to up the spices (where he used 3/4 of a packet of Shan biryani mix I used 1.25 packets--throwing in the leftover from the last batch ;) ) and add paneer to the mix. The result? A tubful of the most delicious creamy basmati pulao punctuated with spicy intervals of eggplant, paneer and potatoes. Here's what I did:

Hamza's Sindi biryani

For the gravy:

1 onion chopped

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

1.5 tsps cumin seeds

4 tbsps oil (+more if you feel like it)

1 cup dahi whipped

1 tsp tomato paste (+ some more for extra tang)

1/2 chopped tomato

1 capsicum (bell pepper) chopped

1 slab paneer (about 10-12 thick pieces--I make my own paneer at home, but if you are buying paneer then just buy about 250 gms or so)

1.25 packets of Shan Sindhi biryani mix

1 large eggplant chopped

1 large potato peeled and chopped

1 tbsp salt (or to taste)

1 cup cooked chickpeas (about 1/2 a can)

For the rice:

2 cups basmati rice

1 tbsp cumin seeds

2 tbsps butter

For the gravy

Heat oil. Add cumin seeds and wait until they begin browning.

Add onions and fry together for a few minutes until onions become translucent. then add tomato paste, ginger paste and garlic paste and fry some more.

Add eggplants and potatoes and saute. Now add the Shan biryani mix and fry for about 30 seconds.

Then add the whipped dahi (yoghurt) and about 1 cup of water and stor to mix everything together.

Cover and let simmer on a medium heat for about 25 minutes or until the potato is softened. Occasionally check on the water level and add more water. There should always be enough water to boil the potatoes and to ensure that the veggies don't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once the potatoes are done add the chopped capsicum, chickpeas, tomatoes and the diced paneer. Gently stir to incorporate everything into the gravy and let simmer for another 10 minutes or so.

For the Rice

In the meantime fry the butter and cumin seeds until browned.

Add the rice and saute the rice in butter for about 30 seconds or so until the rice is coated with butter.

Add exactly 4 cups of water and a bit of salt and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until rice is almost done (like 90%). If the rice has begun to clump then spread it on a baking tray and let cool for a bit.

How to assemble:

In a large oveproof bowl (preferably pyrex glass so your guests can see the layers) spoon in about 2 ladlefuls of gravy. Then layer with rice. Repeat until you have a final layer of rice. Drizzle any left over gravy over the pulao for decoration :). Cover with aluminum foil and place in an oven at 250 F for about 20 minutes. Serve with raita. Yum!

Food in Frisco...

2009-01-04T18:27:00.000-08:00

I happened to spend 10 days in Frisco on work and had the opportunity to taste some of the city's many culinary delights. Since my friends and I were on a massive budget we focused primarily on cheap eats. One of our favourite places came to be the San Francisco Pakistani chain Pakwan. Pakwan is an unpretentious hole in the wall, which serves desi style food at very cheap prices. The ambience in Pakwan is nothing to boast about, but if you haven't ever been to India/Pakistan this joint will give you a good sense of what a dhaba (a cheap eating house) there is like--the propietor is furiously barking orders at employees, customers are jostling one another to grab tables and help themselves to the free onions and green chillies :).
The food at Pakwan was delicious and the price unbeatable! On our first visit there I got the Paneer Tikka Masala (spiced cottage cheese in a tomato gravy) with garlic naan. The paneer was soft, tender and melted in your mouth. The gravy was unusually flavoured with spices that I hadn't eaten before. Now as you know I love experimenting with cooking and foods, so I have come across many a paneer tikka in my culinary adventures, but this paneer tikka outbeat all the paneer tikkas I had previously eaten! The garlic naan was perfection too--crispy, buttery yet soft enough to enfold the paneer tikka. I finished the meal with a mango lassi, which was like a sip of heaven--creamy, milky and oh-so- delicious! I really miss mangoes in the US, so this mango lassi was absolutely perfect! On my second visit to Pakwan I got their vegetable biryani--it was amazing! For only 6.99$ I had enough food for two meals (if you have never had cold biryani before I really recommend that you don't reheat biryani the next time you have leftover biryani and try it cold for it is only when this biryani is cold that the flavours come into their own). So if you are visiting the Bay area and happen to be on a budget go ahead and stop by at Pakwan's--it's worth every penny!

When Fish Fall in Love

2008-11-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last night I saw the most sensuous film imaginable. When Fish Fall in Love was a delight for all the senses--lush visuals, outstanding music, a delicious storyline and above all the most decadent food imaginable. The film focused on a collective of women who run an Iranian restauant from their ancestral house. The meals they served up in this film made my mouth water, even though as a vegetarian I couldn't have eaten any of them :). Not for them the lean salads, soups and breads that are common to American culture, but instead rich gravies of meat and vegetables, opulent salads with fresh mint and creamy yoghurt, tomatoes stewed in rich, spicy sauces and served with grilled kebabs, saffron pilafs studded with pistachios and golden raisins and pots of golden-orange marmalade brimming with the goodness of real oranges. The kitchen in the film was another delight--rows of spices and jars of pickles lined up one against another in tall towers. The loveliest warm wooden mortar and pestle I have ever seen and these deep cast-iron pots in which generations have stewed dinner. The film made me very hungry and as I walked home in the cold Ithaca night I dreamt of making Dhansaak Rice--a Parsi specialty that you will never find in a restaurant in the US, but which is common fare in Bombay. I promise to post on that if I try it out--in the meantime watch When Fish Fall in Love for a sensuous feast of the senses.

Diwali Delights...

2008-11-05T10:33:00.000-08:00

Every year I celebrate Diwali in Ithaca so much so that my Diwali parties have almost become an Ithaca tradition. This year was no different--I was all set to celebrate Diwali with my friends, but unfortunately Diwali was on an inconvenient Tuesday, which meant that we would have to celebrate it on the weekend before/after Diwali. Well, as it turned out I celebrated it in different ways on both weekends. Here's the photo from the Diwali party I had last weekend (the weekend after Diwali)

The weekend before Diwali I went with a group of friends for a Junoon concert and then had the gang over for chai and mithai [sweets]. I was wondering what mithai I could make for my guests that would be easy to make and would go well with cardamom tea and then it hit me--I'd make badam ka halwa and besan ke laddoo two contrasting mithais which would complement each other. Badam ka Halwa [almond fudge?] is milky, decadently rich and loaded with raw almonds and sugar while besan ke laddoo [chickpea/gramflour rounds?] has a deep, earthy flavour. I took down my pots and pans and started melting butter and roasting the besan atta [chickpea flour] in it--as the earthy fragrance wafted into the kitchen memories of waking up to steaming sugary besan ke laddoos on Diwali in Bombay came flooding back, and I was determined to have this set of laddos taste just like the ones at home. So I tweaked the recipe a little and here's what I got: a mound of crumbly sweet besan laddos with a slight accent of cardamom that perfectly complemented the cardamom tea. Here's my recipe:

Besan ke laddu

6 tbsps butter/ghee

3/4 cup besan ka atta (chickpea flour)

1/2 cup sugar (the recipe calls for 3/4 cup sugar--but I thought 1/2 cup would suffice--I think adding more would take away from the earthiness of this dessert; also, I used white sugar but next time around I might try light brown sugar for a fuller more wholesome flavour)

1/2 tsp cardamom powder (the recipe calls for a quarter tsp, but I think you can never add too much cardamom powder :) )

1. Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat

2. Fry the besan ka atta in the flour until it turns golden brown (careful--you don't want to burn it) and then add the cardamom powder and stir to incorporate.

3. Remove from gas and cool until it comes to room temperature.

4. When cooled add in sugar and mix well. Shape into balls and serve. If you want to get fancy you can add slivered almonds to prettify individual laddoos. Enjoy! :)

Dal dosas

2008-10-27T19:17:00.001-07:00

Today was just one more of those endless days in Olin when it seems like the day will never end and all you want to do is go home and bury yourself in a good novel (the kind one reads for pleasure not for work!). So I was particularly lucky to bump into my friend Saiba who persuaded me to shift location to Olin cafe and join her for an extended study session. Of course studying with a friend means that there will be endless 3 minute chat breaks and silly emails sent back and forth. Well, despite all that we did manage to pull through a productive study session. I picked up my books, packed my books, tucked my laptop in its case and was on the way out when I casually mentioned to Saiba that I was making dosas tonight. Saiba's face lit up, so of course I invited her to come over and share them with me. On the bus home I bumped into Sunayana, and she persuaded me to post the recipe for dal dosas on this blog, so here it is!
Adai (or Lentil dosa)
1 cup channa dal
1/3 cup toor dal
1/3 cup moong dal
1/3 cup urad dal (white)
2 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup coconut (I use the frozen Goya kind--but if you have fresh coconut then do use that)
3-4 green chillies
salt to taste
Soak all the dals together for about an hour.
Grind together with about 1 cup of water and all the spices+ coconut.
Heat a dosa pan (any flat-ish pan will do) and smear a daub of dosa batter in a circular motion. and edge it with vegetable oil (so that the sides don't stick).
Wait until it cooks on one side and then remove it from the heat. Serve hot with chutney and Sambhar.
And so--how did it taste? Like crispy dal with accents of coconut and spikes of chilli hotness. This is also very nutritious and for all you vegetarians out there--dal is a VERY important source of protein! So there are many reasons to try making this dosa at home--enjoy :)

Kashmiri Chai

2008-10-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I went over to my friend Hamza's house for tea and a movie. It was a cold wintery night and I had just biked from one end of Ithaca to another, so I was looking forward to settling down with a nice cup of hot tea. Hamza had a jar of unopened Kashmiri tea and since neither of us had ever tried making some, we thought we would give it a shot. For those of you unfamiliar with this tea, it's a pale green tea leaf that expands considerably once dunked in boiling water. The instructions at the back of the jar suggested that we boil the tea leaves in 3 cups of water and wait until the water diminishes to 1/3rd and then added in about 2 cups of boiling water. The jar assured us that the tea would now turn pink, but our tea stubbornly remained orange even after we added a generous cupful of milk and some crushed cardamom. Once we had added the milk we reboiled the contents of the pot and waited for the flavours to merge. It was worth the wait because the tea that emerged at the end of it was a deep golden orange suffused with the subtle flavour of cardamom and the oh-so-delicate flavour of kashmiri chai. Although the jar suggests that one could add salt to this tea, I think sugar or rather honey would work better. A good organic honey from the Farmer's market would add depth and a rich mellowness to the tea. We didn't have any almonds or pistachios at hand, but I can imagine adding toasted slivers of these to make the tea a truly gourmet experience. So the next time you are at the Indian store and are feeling adventurous pick up a jar of Kashmiri chai and give it a go!

Sunu's Bachelorette Party

2008-10-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I have been awfully remiss in posting on this blog. September slipped by and I ate nothing exciting because my plate was full with all kinds of unpalatable things--applications, job letters, deadlines and falling leaves. Well, there's no excuse now--applications have been sent in and fall is here to stay, so I decided to make the most of the chilly weather and cooked up an uber-heavy, rich kaali dal. This dish oozes cream and butter and I can't imagine eating it at any other time of the year except the winter when heavy food will be digested by brisk walks in strong winds. I was hosting a bachelorette party for my friend Sunayana (she's getting married in December), so I decided to cook up a batch of this daal for the occasion. Since it was a mixed crowd--desis and non-desis, I decided to go easy on the spice (it was still too spicy for some, so you can tone down the spice even more if you prefer). Here's the recipe:

Kaali Daal

1 cup sabut (whole) urad daal (BEWARE: this urad dal is black in colour; you don't want to accidentally pick up it' cousin the pearly white urad dal that sits right beside it on the shelf at Wegmans)

2 onions, finely chopped

2 inch piece ginger, grated

2 tsps red chilli powder

1/4 tsp cumin powder

3 tsps coriander powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

1.5 cans tomatoes OR 5-6 large tomatoes chopped

8 tbsps butter

1 cup cream

salt to taste

1. Soak the urad dal overnight.

2. The next day pressure cook it in 3-4 cups of water until it is fully cooked and mushy (I usually lose patience with waiting for it to become mushy, so I simply blend it with a hand-mixie after it's boiled).

3. In another pan, saute the cumin seeds in 1 tbsp of butter until lightly browned and then add in the onions, ginger and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent.

4. Add in the spices and saute briskly for about 1 minute--be careful not to scorch the spices. If you think the spices are getting scorched, add in a bit of water and stir.

5. Add in the tomatoes and cook until the butter/oil separates from the tomatoes (you will see a pale orange froth lining the tomatoes) or for approximately 8-10 minutes on a medium heat.

6. Add in the mushy daal and stir well. Now this is the MOST important part. Lower the heat on the gas until it is very low and let the daal cook for at least 45 minutes-1 hour for the spices to blend in. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes.

7. Add in the cream and butter and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Serve hot with rotis/pulao and a garnish of cilantro/coriander leaves if you want to get fancy.

ENJOY!

A note on kitchens...

2008-08-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

I always write about food, so today I decided to write about kitchens instead--the place where food is born. Ever since I moved house I have been sorely disappointed by my kitchen--my new kitchen is tiny and there is barely space for me, forget about my spices. So I decided to go vertical this time instead of horizontal. As you enter my kitchen you will find boxes stuffed with lentils, extra spices, rice stacked one on top of another and recipe books in one corner very far from my reach. Needless to say I need a ladder to fetch anything or someone really tall to fetch things for me. :)

Well, since I was cramped for space, I decided to streamline my spice organization. Rather than having several bags stuffed with spices, which I would inevitably have to open and poke my nose in to figure out which spice it was, I decided to purchase a host of jam jars and filled each jar with a spice which I then neatly labelled, so that I wouldn't have to taste, smell and cook before I discovered which spice I was using. Knowing my fetish for cooking foods from all around the world, you won't be surprised to know that I have 48 such jars adorning my kitchen with spices that range from dried majoram to kasuri methi and sandwich masala....You may not have as many spices, but I thoroughly recommend the jar-storage system to organize your spice collection. Happy labelling!

The Farmer's Market

2008-08-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

I love Ithaca in the summer--warm, long days followed by cool star studded nights. One of the best things about the summer in Ithaca is the farmer's market. My friend Paolomi and I decided to go for a leisurely lunch to the Farmer's Market one bright Saturday morning a few weeks ago. It was a perfect day--bright, sunny and hot (yes, I love the heat) and the farmer's market beckoned to us. The farmer's market is laced with stalls selling organic fruits, vegetables and flowers from local farms and it also has the benefit of having local resataurants offering sampler platters of their food. I usually reserve my appetite for Macro Mama's delicious marcobiotic platter with brown rice, kale, spinach, tofu and beetroot carrot sauce studded with gomasio. Well, Macro Mama's was sadly absent that Saturday because she had migrated to the Grassroot's festival happening a few miles away. So Pols and I decided to venture into the unknown and tried Laotian food. I got the Mee Ka Tang--broad, falt rice noodles simmered in a sweet garlic sauce and loaded with greens and fried tofu. mmmmm. This dish is wonderful as it is, but knowing my fetish for spicy food, I decided to smother it with a smoky, black chilli sauce, which tasted deceptively bland until it trailed to the back of my tongue, which was then on fire! I definitely recommend Mee ka Tang (with or without the chilli sauce) the next time you are at the Farmer's Market.

A divine daal...

2008-08-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me, you also know that I steer clear of cooking daal because although the results are always satisfying the process of making daal is rather un-interesting. Last night changed all that. I had gone to my friend Bilal's house and it was a cold, windy, rainy night, so Bilal decided to cook me something suitably warm and comforting--his mum's daal recipe. Now I have eaten many daals but few daals can compare with this one. The recipe is astoudingly easy, but the daal is a masterpiece of daal-ness, by which I mean that it has all the healthy wholesomeness of a good daal, but also subtlelty and depth of flavour. Imagine slivers of caramelized onions floating in a sea of oh-so-creamy lentils and surrounded by goblets of glistening olive oil. The rich deep flavour of lentils combined with the smoky sweetness of fried onions. The daal was so good that I licked the entire plate clean and I longed for a tad more, just so that I could let the flavours linger on my palate for a few more minutes. Sigh! Unfortunately, there were no leftovers, so I decided to make it again in my own kitchen for lunch today.
Here's the recipe as Bilal made it for me:
1 cup masoor dal (These are the reddish-orange lentils) soaked for 15-20 minutes
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 onion sliced thinly into half moons
LOTS of oil
salt to taste
Method:
Boil the daal with the spices on a medium-low flame.
In another pan fry the onions in lots of oil (I was appalled by the amount of oil Bilal expended on this daal, but the rich flavour was well worth it) until they are brown and caramelized.
Add the onions to the daal once it has cooked and is mushy. Enjoy over boiled basmati rice (you can always go for the healthier option and eat brown rice instead) and some mango pickle....mmmmmmmmmmmm. I'm going to head to my kitchen and have some now. Happy cooking! :)

Hail Britannia

2008-06-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, this isn't an entry about good old England, but rather about Britannia--a quaint little bawa (Parsi) joint nestled in the heart of old Bombay. Namu took me there and promised me that I would eat the best Parsi and Iranian food of my life. I was intrigued because Parsi/Iranian food tends to be heavily non-veg oriented. However, the food at Britannia was absolutely divine--even for a hardcore vegetarian for me. Namu expertly ordered the Veg Dhansaak and the Veg Berry Pulao for me. The old bawa uncle who took our order also took the liberty of ordering us two fresh lime sodas, "To beat the Bombay heat dikraa [child]" he told us propietorally. We graciously accepted and boy were we glad that we did (the food was a tad spicy, so the drinks came in handy).

I think this is by far the best meal I have eaten in Bombay without a doubt! The veg dhansaak came with it's own brown rice (not the healthy whole grain kind, but the caramelized unhealthy kind), which we sent back because there was NO way that I could eat two rice dishes at the same time! The veg dhansaak is the best I have ever tasted--it was spicy, thick and rich and it unburdened all its spices on our weathered palates with subtlety and grace. However, the berry pulao won the day for me. It came as a mound of saffron and white rice topped with fried cashewnuts, berries and golden slivers of fried onions. I couldn't identify the berries for the life of me (Namu speculates that they got them in from Iran specially), but whatever they were, they were perfect! They were slightly sour and tangy and added the necessary flair to the rich pulao. Wait! It isn't over yet. Buried beneath this layer of resplendent flavours was a curried vegetable. It was super spicy and had to be mixed well with the rice before it could be eaten, but boy was it amazing! Garam masala, cumin, chilli and I think yoghurt went into giving that vegetable dish it's own distinctive flavour. And if that wasn't enough the veg berry pulao was also surrounded by fried potato balls which we had to mash into the rice and veggie mix to offset the spiciness of the veggies and the richness of the rice. I generously doused the veg berry pulao with lots of lemon juice and raw onions and dug in. The meal was completely astounding! I ate and ate and ate and ate until I couldn't eat a morsel more!

After we had smacked our plates clean uncle came beaming over to us and asked if we would like the chocolate mousse. Namu and I looked at each other in horror and politley refused. Uncle looked disappointed but there was no way we could have eaten another grain of rice. The menu card at Britannia proudly states: "There is no love greater than the love of eating" and in the case of the food they serve at Britannia they are absolutely right!

Dreaming in Italian

2008-06-03T23:16:00.001-07:00

After a bout of disastrous experiences (ref: my blog entry on Trats), I had all but given up on eating good Italian food in Bombay. Urmila aunty and Ajit uncle wanted to take me out for dinner, and we were thinking of places to eat at and when they suggested Italian I was naturally sceptical. But I decided to give it a try after Ruchi assured me that Moshe's was by far the best Italian place in Bombay. I decided to take her word for it and was pleasantly surprised to find that she was right.
Moshe's is a tiny little restaurant with warm lighting and a cozy interior designed to make one feel at home immediately. The tables are packed together and it's impossible to get a table on weekends. The highlight of the meal for me was the cheese fondue with parsley and jalapenos. It came bubbling hot with an array of bread options--squares of soft crusty white bread or biscuity lavash. Both tasted delicious when enrobed by a layer of cheese. The cheese was perfection--not oily, not too dense--it had both the perfect texture and the perfect flavour. Now a traditional fondue has emmenthal and gruyere with a touch of white wine and garlic. This fondue tasted like it had emmenthal and gruyere but if that was the case it would have had to be extravagantly expensive, which it wasn't. I don't know what they put in there or where they source their cheeses from but whatever it is, it's definitely worth every penny and every calorie!
We then ordered a bruschetta (in the picture above), which was warm and cheesy and oh so delicious! I would have liked some more tomato on my bruschetta, but other than that it was divine. For the main course we ordered a variety of pasta dishes--my favourite was the penne in a creamy white sauce studded with paprika. The sauce was light yet rich--an impossibile perfection for white sauce which tends to be either watery and unappetizing or thick and unflavourful. All in all, it was a delightful culinary experience. I thoroughly recommend going to Moshe's for your next meal!

Eggless Chocolate Cake

2008-06-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

In the US one rarely hears of an "eggless" cake. Cakes are either made with eggs or they are made vegan. The eggless cake is a uniquely Indian phenomenon, I think. When we were in school I remember making TD's (Tarla Dalal's) Eggless chocolate cake for almost every school canteen. Someone hit upon the idea of making this chocolate cake with Thums Up (a soda like Coke) with the notion that the aeration in the fizzy drink would somehow make the cake light and airy. Over the years we tried every possible combination of aerated drink and cake batter--once even venturing to make a vanilla cake with Gold Spot (the orange equivalent of Fanta), which everyone seemed to like much to our dismay and surprise! Well, in the US, I usually make an eggless cake by following a traditional cake recipe and using egg replacer. However, since egg replacer isn't available in Bombay I decided to make a go at TD's traditional chocolate cake recipe, but that wasn't to be because Harsh (my brother) insisted that I make Renu mami's eggless cake recipe. So a phone call was made to Delhi and Renu mami was asked to give us her recipe on the phone. However, when I looked at her recipe I realized to my horror that she hadn't specified any proportions. I was stuck with two competing cake recipes--TD's and Renu mami's, so I decided to combine them and use some of my own baking experience, and of course the necessary touch of imagination to create the perfect eggless cake. Was I succesful? Well, I think that the fact that I have made this cake on four separate occasions in this week alone means that it was a success. I tinkered with both recipes until I hit upon the perfect eggless cake. The cake was moist and buttery with the dense richness of chocolate. Here's the recipe.
Krupa's Eggless Chocolate Cake
1 can condensed milk
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp soda bi-carb
1 cup self raising flour/all purpose flour/maida
3 tbsps cocoa
1 tbsp drinking chocolate (for a richer, denser cake, omit the drinking chocolate and put 4 tbsps of cocoa into the batter)
1 cup melted butter
2 tsps vanilla essence
1/2 cup water
Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C).
Beat the condensed milk, butter, water, vanilla essence in one direction until you see air bubbles in the batter.
Add the flour, soda bi carb, baking powder, cocoa, drinking chocolate (if using) to the batter and beat thoroughly.
Pour into a well greased 8X8 cake tin or into cupcake moulds.
Bake for 10 minutes in the oven at 400F (200C). Lower the heat to 350 F (180 C) and bake for another 7 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and pierce the centre with a toothpick. If it comes out clean you are done. If not, slide the cake back into the oven and cook for another 3 minutes.
Careful though, you don't want to overbake this cake. Overbaked eggless cakes tend to be dry and crumbly. Serve this cake with chocolate sauce and Gold Medal Ribbon icecream for an utterly decadent treat! Enjoy!

Cashew country...

2008-06-01T22:56:00.001-07:00

As most of you know, I was away in Goa over the weekend. Goa is known for its cashewnuts--you can find cashews (kaju) in just about everything--feni (alcoholic drink made from cashews), bebinca (cashew cake) and to my delight and surprise even a cashewnut chaat! I think this was the highlight of my trip to Goa--eating a slightly warm, salty, cashewnut chaat. For those of you familiar with chaat a cashewnut chaat will seem weird, but this one I promise you was delightful. The cashews were first boiled and then lightly roasted making them soft but not mushy. They were embedded in a morass of finely chopped onions and ginger, and the mixture seems to have been sauteed in soy sauce! Whoever heard of soy sauce in a chaat--well, this one definitely had some and let me tell you it was delicious! Namu said that the chaat was perfect chakna (Bombay slang for snacks served with alcohol). I can imagine that a cold Kingfisher beer would go well with this chaat.

In addition to the chaat, we also had a lovely cashewnut vegetable, which was served with peas in a dense garam masala gravy. The gravy had garam masala, onions, ginger, tomatoes and something else...I can't put my finger on it. I think it may have been some extra cinnamon or maybe it was pepper, which completely changed my expectations of a gravy. This secret ingredient made the gravy spicy yet subtle thus perfectly complementing the crunchy bland cashews and the soft sweet peas. I ate this with tandoori roti (on the chef's insistence). Now a tandoori roti is made with maida/all purpose flour and is thus thicker in both taste and texture. I would have preferred to eat this with a regular roti (made from whole wheat flour) because that would have allowed the flavours of the gravy to dominate. Anyway, all in all the meal was a success, though at the end of all those cashews I felt like a cashewnut myself! :)

Haji Ali Juice Centre

2008-05-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Although I have spent most of my life in Bombay I had never visited Haji Ali, the dargah that lies in the middle of the sea. I decided to remedy this with my friend Namu last Thursday. We decided we would make the trip at sunset when the sun streaks the sky in oranges and yellow and the cool salt kissed sea breeze soothes the angry waves. Namu loves taking photographs of street cultures, so the path to Haji Ali was a dream come true for her. Everything from little clay teacups to flowers were being sold on the way to the dargah. Of course, I was seduced by a vendor selling raw tamarind---I can't remember the last time I relished a piece of sour raw tamarind. My culinary journey started with making faces while sucking a salty-sour piece of raw tamarind and ended with Haji Ali Juice Centre. Any South Bombay-ite who stays awake beyond midnight knows Haji Ali Juice Centre (HAJJ) for its fresh fruit creams (though Bachelor's on Marine Drive has better fruit creams), its fresh fruit juices and its snacks.
After our intrepid foray to the mossy rocks at the edge of the sea where we slipped 1500 times and recovered ourselves without too much damage we were ready for some refreshments. Namu and I ordered their Maramari (literally "the fight")--an exciting combination of pineapple juice and orange juice without sugar or ice (we specified the latter). Fresh fruit juice is available everywhere in Bombay, but no one beats HAJJ's proportions of pineapple to orange juice in Maramari. The two blended seamlessly on the very first sip, but as the liquid moves across your mouth you can taste sweet orange and then an undercurrent of sharp, tangy pineapple at the base. Namu and I downed our Maramaris in two gulps.
Namu wasn't hungry, but I wasn't going to let the opportunity to try their delicious sandwiches go by. I ordered their Veg. Cheese Toast. At Rs. 40 this is quite a steal, considering the amount of cheese they expend on one sandwich. The sandwich was perfection--crispy, lightly toasted bread and bubbling melty cheese slathered over boiled potatoes and a spicy green chutney. The tomatoes were succulent without being soggy and there was a decent sprinkling of sandwich masala (a Bombay specialty as far as I know), which added the necessary tanginess. I would have wanted more onions in my sandwich, but I love the taste of onions. You might not be enamoured of the idea of smelling like onions for the rest of the day, so the onions were in good proportion for any normal person. :)
Their dry fruit fresh cream bowl looked very appetizing, next time I might try that for a decadent end to a splendid mid-evening snack. I thoroughly recommend a trip to the dargah finished by a quick snack at Haji Ali Juice Centre or maybe a late night moonlit walk to the dargah and then a lingering dessert of cold creamy goodness punctuated with fresh ripe strawberries from Mahableshwar.....mmmmm, I want some of that right now!

Prithvi Theatre Festival

2008-05-21T04:32:00.000-07:00

The Prithvi Theatre Festival has beeen going on for a while now but having just landed in Bombay a few days ago, I hadn't had a chance to see what was going on until Namu alerted me to Motley's "Ismat Apa ke naam"--a narration of three stories by Ismat Chugtai. The stories (Chui mui, Mughal Baccha and Gharwali) were performed by Nasserudin Shah's family--his daughter, his wife, and of course the great man himself. Although Prithvi is in the "burbs" (or suburbs as pakka South Bombay-ites call it) I would recommend making the trek there to see "Ismat apa ke naam" for Nasserudin--if there is any man who takes my breath away by his very presence it has to be Nasserudin. I almost fainted from the electricity in the room. Well, he isn't the only reason to visit Prithvi (though he is reason enough :)) the food is a good reason to make the trek there, as well.
We reached two hours before the play began because we wanted to be sure to get tickets. We had over an hour and a half to kill, so we decided to spend it in Prithvi's own little outdoor cafe, which is surrounded by trees and festooned with little lights that sparkle in the evenings. Namu ordered a cold coffee, which she said was delicious but utterly decadent. I ordered a Suleiman chai (not the one in the picture), which was this unusual tea that had no milk or sugar, but was like a hot version of iced tea. That doesn't do it justice though--it was more like iced tea++. It had the amber colour of iced tea, but none of it's saccharine sweetness. Instead it was spiked with mint, lemon and a hint of salt. Yes, you read right--salt! The salt added a wonderful complexity of flavour to an otherwise unassuming tea. I thoroughly recommend it the next time you are at Prithvi (you might want to add 2-3 teaspoons of sugar--I added none to mine).
For nostalgic reasons (I can't remember how many 11:20am breaks I spent at Kayani's the little bakery by Xavier's) I also ordered Khari biscuit--big mistake!! A khari biscuit is supposed to be light and buttery--this was buttery alright, but it tasted havayli/chipa/seela hua/stale!! It was like someone had punched out all the air from this khari biscuit--it was flat and unflavourful. However, the Suleiman chai balanced out the khari biscuit, so Namu and I decided to have dinner at the Prithvi Cafe as well.

I ordered a Paneer Tikka Roll and Namu ordered a Chicken Tikka Roll. My Paneer Tikka Roll came in this lovely triangular shaped plate with raw onions, tomatoes and cucumbers festooning one edge, but the roll itself was average. The paneer marination was tasty (nothing compared to Jaffer Bhai's of course), but there was too little gravy to offset the roomali roti. The roti all but smothered the paneer and Namu actually unwrapped her Chicken Tikka Roll, so that she could enjoy her chicken uninterrupted. We ended our meal with a cup each of kadak cutting chai (it's the one in the picture). Well, the cutting chai was like any other cutting chai I've had in Bombay. I had somehow forgotten that they douse cutting chai with sugar to mask the taste of overboiled, bitter tea leaves. The memory came flooding back to me after I had my first sip of the chai--it was overly sweet with an edge of bitterness--really not my cup of tea :). Go to Prithvi though, and enjoy the ambience of the cafe and the exciting possibility of catching a glimpse of Nasserudin Shah! :)

Jaffer Bhai's Delhi Darbar

2008-05-17T02:35:00.000-07:00

Jaffer Bhai's Delhi Darbar has saved me from thinking that restaurant food in Bombay sucks. If you read my post on my foray into Italian food in Bombay, you will know that I was sorely disappointed by what Trats had to offer. So when Namu asked me where I wanted to go for dinner with her on Friday night, I said any place that's NOT Italian. Living in Ithaca where good Indian food is hard to come by, I was craving something typically desi. Namu suggested Jaffer Bhai's Delhi Darbar (an offshoot of the original Delhi Darbar at Colaba), which she said had the best paneer tikka biryani she has ever had. Namu is a fabulous cook herself, so when she recommends a place I know it will be good, but the food at Jaffer Bhai's was beyond my expectations. I was expecting the usual Mughlai food with its daubs of butter and spice, but the food at Jaffer Bhai's was subtle yet spicy, filling yet not heavy. It swept me off my tongue...:)

I ordered a paneer tikka biryani and a raita and both were amazing. The paneer was soft and melted in your moth. Usually in biryanis the rice tends to get all clumpy and sticky, but the rice here was buttery moist and you could see each grain separately. The dish had rice on top and the paneer in a gravy at the bottom. The gravy was spicy yet subtle--not the spiciness of red chilli powder, but the more subtle spice of green chillies pasted into yoghurt with accents of cinnamon, clove and garlic. The gravy perfectly complemented the rice resulting in a dish that was sublime. The raita had the right consistency too. One may wonder whether consistency matters in a raita but it does. If the yoghurt is too thick then it has the potential to mask the flavour of the biryani, if it's too thin it will slide off the rice and puddle the plate. The raita needs to blend in the rice and gently drape it with the flavour of yoghurt and raw onions and Jaffer Bhai's raita successfully accomplished this task.

After eating a truly heavenly meal I was pleasantly surprised to note that bill was under Rs. 200. Excellent food at a reasonable price--what more can you ask for? I highly recommend Jaffer Bhai's Delhi Darbar to everyone--hardcore Bombay-ites will be spellbound by the flavour and the price, and those new to Bombay will sample one of its finest places to eat.

Italian disaster

2008-05-17T01:59:00.000-07:00

It's a long time since I wrote about my visit to a restaurant. I usually write about food I create in my own kitchen. The reason for this is that I rarely go out to eat in Ithaca and on the rare occasions that I do go out the food is usually unexceptional and not worth writing about. I was all set to explore the restaurant scene when I landed in Bombay, but I was sorely disappointed with my first foray. On Thursday night I went for dinner with Harsh (my brother) to Trattoria or Trats as it's lovingly known in Bombay. As a child, Trats used to be my favourite Italian place. Their crispy oven baked pizzas and their subtly flavoured Brandy Schnapps (no brandy in them--they are just the colour of brandy :)) stuffed with cream were my absolute favourites. However, my visit on Thursday night changed all that. Trats itself is no longer the cozy place that it used to be with its lovely round tables and endearing red and white checked table cloths. It has turned into a generic coffee shop now with marble topped tables and leather upholstered sofas. Well, all that would be fine if the food was good. Harsh ordered a Minestrone soup and I ordered an asparagus soup--both were unexceptional. The minestrone soup was too watery and lacked subtlety of flavour. The asparagus soup was meant to come with ricotta cheese, so I was expecting a robust, creamy soup replete with flavour. Instead what I had was a thin, pale green soup that looked like it had been made in a soup kitchen for the poor. Asparagus has a very subtle taste and it's hard to accentuate that in a soup because the stock usually overpowers the flavour of the asparagus. This soup was no different--not only did it not taste of asparagus, it tasted of nothing. We ordered Malfati for the main course--I was disappointed by that too. The spinach balls were cold from the inside (we know they just microwave the frozen balls and serve them to us) and they were dry and unflavourful. The tomato sauce was thick and viscous rather than light and creamy. The tomato sauce is supposed to complement the spinach balls, but in this case it completely overpowered the spinach. Rather than infusing the spinach balls with a subtle flavour of tomatoes, it lay like a thick coat on the balls, masking any dregs of flavour that the balls themselves might have had. All in all, I could have made each one of those dishes better at home. I must say though that all was not lost--the highlights of the meal for me were the foccacio bread, which was crispy and biscuity and the cappucino, which had a rich coffee flavour and a perfect foamy head. I could have stomached the food, but I couldn't stomach the bill!! It was outrageously expensive and I was appalled by how much people in Bombay are willing to pay for sub-standard food!! I've heard that Moshe's and Celini are better for Italian food--I'll visit them and report back.

Buttery Delight....

2008-05-17T01:40:00.000-07:00

I love Pav Bhaji. You could say that it's my all time favourite food. Pav bhaji is quintessentially Bombay--a mish mash of ingredients thrown together to create magic on the palate. The story is that one day a sandwich-walla was all out of ingredients to make a conventional sandwich so he decided to toss together whatever he had at hand--onions, potatoes, tomatoes and a bunch of masalas and serve that with his left over bread--voila! pav bhaji was born. Pav bhaji is available at any street corner in Bombay, and everyone has their favourite pav bhaji walla that they swear by. My brother loves Sardar's pav bhaji (at Tardeo) and while I enjoy it too, I think it's a little too tomato-ey and sour for my palate. In any case, my all time favourite pav bhaji is not available at a street corner. It's the pav bhaji that Urmila aunty makes. I have childhood memories of going to Urmila aunty's house for dinner on Saturday night and eating pav bhaji loaded with onions and butter and drinking cold Thums Up. Every time I come to Bombay from Ithaca, I ask her to make pav bhaji for me, and I am consistently spell bound by the flavour of her pav bhaji. Yesterday was no different. I went to her house for lunch and had pav bhaji--it was amazing! I realized that the pav bhaji I make lacks subtlety--the flavours of the pav bhaji masala dominate the palate subsuming the natural flavour of the potatoes and tomatoes. I am giving you my pav bhaji recipe, and I promise to update it once I know what she does differently. Enjoy!

Pav Bhaji
Ingredients:
2 onions (medium size)
6 cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons of oil
2 large potatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
4 tablespoon pav bhaji masala (Everest)
1 ½ to 2 cups of water
6 ounces frozen carrots and peas mix
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon + ½ teaspoon salt
For garnishing
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon butter
Lemon juice

Method:
Boil potatoes.
Chop onions thinly, Mince garlic.
Mash the potatoes.
Heat the oil. sauté the onions and garlic till soft.
Add the tomato puree and cook for a little time.
Then add pav bhaji masala and fry for 1-2 minutes till the spices are cooked.
Add the mashed potatoes and 1 ½ to 2 cups water. Stir well.
Then add the frozen peas and carrots. Let it simmer, stirring all the time to integrate the potatoes, water and vegetables. Add salt. Let it simmer.
Just before serving add butter and lemon juice. Stir well.

Hummus with a twist

2008-04-16T10:17:00.001-07:00

This week promises to be filled with food, food and more food--my best friend Mike's birthday is coming up, I am cooking for the ASHA dinner and two nights ago I made my friend Khalid's signature dish--tas'iyyah. I have had a craving for tas'iyyah ever since I tasted it at Khalid's house 3 weeks ago. I have eaten Hummus at many places in Ithaca, NYC and DC, but never anything that was remotely as good as this dish. Tas'iyyah is a Syrian hummus dish, which takes regular hummus and pita and makes it into a multi layered dish of creamy delight. Pita bread is soaked with chickpea infused water and made soft and permeable, then slathered with hummus and topped with softened chickpeas. What makes this dish truly special is the crunch of nuts that tops this dish--almonds/pine nuts lare ightly fried in fragrant EVVO (extra virgin olive oil for all of you non-foodies) and poured on the dish. Here's Khalid's recipe. (I suggest halving it to make enough for 3-4 people; keeping to the recipe more makes enough for a party:)).

Tas'iyyah
- After straining, boil two cans of chickpeas for 15 mins.
- While boiling, mix together in a large bowl: two cans of hummus, two large spoons of tahini, four large spoons of plain yoghurt, two teaspoons of garlic, a couple of dashes of salt, and a good spray of lemon juice. Mix until all ingredients are well blended.
- Line the bottom of a deep serving dish with pieces of pita bread (use wholewheat for the healthier version). After the chickpeas are done boiling, pour just enough of the hot water into the dish to moisten all the bread. Take care not to pour too much as that will make the dish too soggy.
- After straining the chickpeas, pour them in an even layer into the dish, and sprinkle them with salt.
- Add the hummus mixture in an even layer onto the chickpeas, and sprinkle onto it some red pepper flakes, preferably in an ornamental pattern.
- Fill a small frying pan with olive oil, and after heating on medium-high heat pour a handful of pine nuts or slivered almonds, depending on your preference, and fry until golden-brown.
- Pour the olive oil and pine nut/almond mixture onto the hummus in an even layer, and voila, you're done!!

This dish is a meal in itself. I served it with a crispy romaine lettuce salad, studded with tomatoes, green olives, peppers and cucumbers. I can imagine adding chunks of goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes and black olives to make a more sumptuous dish. You can also serve it as an appetizer with olives on the side.

Coffee Caress

2008-04-11T10:36:00.001-07:00

April is the cruelest month, not least because it breeds lilacs from the dead earth but because it is the month of deceptively sunny days followed by piercingly chilling ones, deadlines, exams, quizzes and general anxiety to finally achieve some of those goals that we had dreamed of in January. :) This, by the way, is an extended apology for my long hiatus. :) Now that we have that out of the way, let me tell you a little about today's recipe. My friend Khalid invited us over to his house for dinner last night and I volunteered to bring dessert. I thought I'd make my standard mint tofu-chocolate pie, but discovered to my horror that I didn't have piecrust, brown chocolate or mint. I did however, have white chocolate. Could I perhaps do a switcheroo? White chocolate instead of brown and something--maybe coffee, maybe almond extract instead of mint? I decided to take the plunge and took two spoons of the batter and tried them out each with almond extract and instant coffee. To tell you the truth, both were wonderful, but I decided that the coffee would be more of a sure-fire crowd pleaser and decided to go with it. Here's my recipe:

Coffee Caress
1 package Mori Nu silken Tofu (the vacuum packed kind)
1 bag (12 oz) white chocolate
1.5 tbsps instant coffee powder
2 tbsps honey

Blend together the honey, tofu and instant coffee powder. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler (one large sauce pan of boiling water, in which you hold a smaller saucepan with chocolate chips) and blend with the tofu mix. Pour into a lovely bowl and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Voila! You're done.
How did it taste? It was creamy, dense and very decadent. Gagan had brought some fruit salad and when we put the two together it was heaven! So go ahead, give it a try! As Sarah said last night--how bad can it be for you? It's got tofu in it, after all. :)

A Sunday in Ithaca

2008-03-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

It seems as though winter is almost over in Ithaca. I say seems because it's bright and sunny, but still freezing cold when one steps outside. Yesterday was the perfect Sunday morning--brilliantly sunny and cold. My heart warmed at the idea of hot coconut stew simmered with cinnamon and pepper with rawa idlis. Before I proceed any further, I must confess that I was inspired to cook this stew after tasting it at my friend Nandini's house last week. I was supposed to go over and fill in my federal tax forms, but then discovered that I couldn't do them online, so I went over anyway--for dinner, instead. :) In any case, Nandini is from Kerala--famous for its sunny skies, tranquil backwaters and abundance of coconut trees. Nandini had made the most delectable coconut stew ever--it was creamy and light at the same time. She served it with appam--light, fluffy rice pancakes lightly cooked. Since I didn't have access to yeast (an essential ingredient to make appams) I made rawa idlis, instead. I'm going to post the recipe for Keralan Stew here, since the internet already has an overabundance of recipes for rawa idlis. :)

Coconut Stew

1-2 onions, chopped

1 potato, chopped

1 cup chopped cauliflower

1 carrot chopped (you can substitute any veggies you have at hand)

1 can coconut milk (about 1.5 cups)

1 stick cinnamon, crushed

6-8 peppercorns, crushed

2 inch piece ginger

3-4 green chillies

5-6 curry leaves (more if you have easy access to them; I hoard mine in the freezer, since they are rarely available here)

3 tbsps oil

salt to taste

Saute the onions until browned. Add the potatoes and cook for a few minutes. Then add 1.5-2 cups of water and let the potatoes cook until they are almost done (about 10 minutes). Toss in the spices and the rest of the veggies. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add in the coconut milk and continue simmering. In another small pan fry the curry leaves until fragrant and then toss them in. Serve hot with idlis. I imagine you can also eat this plain as a soup....Yummy!

Last night after eating leftover stew, I went to my friend Bilal's house for dinner. I wasn't planning to eat anything, but the matar ke chawal he had made was so sumptious that I couldn't help myself. I took two LARGE helpings with yoghurt. The rice was flavourful and well cooked without being clumpy and the peas had a soft creamy texture I've never experienced before. Usually peas that are overcooked become soft and mushy, but these had a delicious centre of sweetness to them, which perfectly complemented the smokiness of the golden fried onions. I recommend trying this recipe with a dal or even by itself--it's so good!

1/2 cup basmati rice soaked for about 15 minutes

1 onion chopped

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 black cardamom crushed (badi elaichi)

1 cinnamon stick

2 cloves

1/2 cup peas

2 tbsps oil

salt to taste

Fry the onions until browned. Add the ginger- garlic paste, spices and the peas and cook for a few minutes. Drain the rice and add it to the pot. This is the important part, so pay close attention: add about 1.1 (Bilal's mathematically precise measurement :)) cups of water to the rice. Let it come to a boil and then lower the heat. Once most of the water has boiled away and the rice is almost done, cover the pot with a lid and cook for a few more minutes. The rice will be done in a few minutes. Eat it hot with a dollop of yoghurt for a no fuss but uber-delicious meal. Two gorgeous meals in a day--I feel privileged!

Soup from the margins

2008-03-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I was aching for something hot, nutritious and nourishing. The weather in Ithaca was a damp, cold dismal grey, and I longed for something a little out of the ordinary. My friend Mukti came over to study, and we got to talking about different soups and I decided that I would stir up a pot for us. I was on the downswing of my groceries, so I had to work with what I found in the fridge. The rather motley collection of items included leftover dal and some kale. Hmmm, dal and kale--could I perhaps create something from this? I decided to improvise and came up with a lentil soup studded with the green goodness of crunchy kale, simmered with tomatoes and flecks of cumin. It was delicious! A bit on the mild side, but nutritious and flavourful all the same. Here's the recipe, although I didn't follow it in quite the same order. I used the leftover dal and thinned it out with stock, but I'll give the recipe from scratch.

Soup from the margins

1/2 cup toor dal

2 leeks/onions, chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tbsps sambhar podi (you can get this at any Indian store)

1 can (14 oz) chopped tomatoes

1 bunch kale, chopped roughly

2-3 cups vegetable stock (depending on how liquidy you want the soup to be)

2 tbsps oil

squeeze of lemon juice

1 tsp salt (more to taste)

Pressure cook the dal until soft. In a separate pot heat the oil and cumin seeds and cook them for a few seconds until they are browned. Then add in the onions/leeks and fry until they are translucent. Add the sambhar podi and fry until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add the tomatoes and saute for about 7-8 minutes. Then add the dal and stock. Boil together for about 5-7 minutes. Just before serving add in the kale, lemon juice and salt. Cook for about 1 minute until the kale wilts, but is still bright green and crunchy to taste. Ladle into bowls with a dollop of mint yoghurt on top (if desired).

Be With Me...

2008-03-01T16:17:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, I had the most exquisite experience understanding Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poem, Tum Mere Paas Raho [Be With Me]. I understood some parts of the poem myself, but a lot of nuances came unravelled through my friend Taimoor's explanation and exegesis of it. When the poem finally revealed itself to me I was overwhelmed by its beauty. The poem stayed with me all week, and I wanted to transcreate it, so that I might understand it from within, really grasp its soul. This snowy weekend presented the perfect opportunity for transcreation. For those of you unfamiliar with the poem, I am pasting below both the Urdu original (in Roman script) and Taimoor's translation of it.

Paas Raho
mere qaatil, mere dildaar, mere paas raho

jis ghaRii raat chale

aasmaanoN kaa lahuu pii kar siyaah raat chale

marham-e-mushk liye nashtar-e-almaas chale

bain kartii hu’ii, haNstii hu’ii, gaatii nikle

dard ke kaasnii paazeb bajaatii niklejis ghaRii siinoN meN Duubte hu’e dil

aastiinoN meN nihaaN haathoN kii rah takne lagiiN
aas liye aur bachchoN ke bilakhne kii tarah qul-qul-e-maibahr-e-naasuudgii machle to manaaye na mane

jab ko’ii baat banaaye na banejab na ko’ii baat chale

jis ghaRii raat chalejis ghaRii maatamii, sun-saan, siyaah raat chalepaas rahomere qaatil, mere dildaar, mere paas raho !
Be with me
My love, my assassin - be with me
The moment night falls
Having drunk skies' blood - the black night falls
Bearing musk ointment and diamond fleam
Wailing, laughing, singing – the night falls
Jingling purple anklets of pain – the night falls.
The moment when hearts sunk in chests,
Long for hidden hands in sleeves
With hope.
And wine's gurgling like children's bawling
Sulks in frustration and can't be consoled, when
Everything is tried and everything fails, when
Absolutely nothing bails.
The moment night falls
The moment the mournful, dreary, black night falls
Be with me
My love, my assassin – be with me!

[The poem has also been sung and recited by various artists. I am pasting below links that you may enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvX6fXo9WKY
and http://youtube.com/watch?v=y38Q3lZhiPQ]

The central conceit of this poem (according to me) is that objects and incidents from the everyday, the almost mundane (mushk balm, anklets, the whining of children...) become sinister and dangerous; thus also is the relationship to the beloved: one who though loved dearly (love) is also so dangerous (the assasin), and that the lover/poet longs for this dialectical relationship even as he/she acknowledges the pain inherent in it.

I tried to embody this very dialectic in my culinary transcreation of the poem. I created a dense chocolate fudge with accents of cinnamon, cloves and pepper. Yes, you read right--pepper. I know that jalapenos, ancho chillies etc. are often grated into chocolate preparations (such as mole sauce), but I've never come across a recipe that explicitly calls for pepper in chocolate. I was contemplating going the chilli route, but I decided that the poem called for more subtlety than a chilli could provide. I decided instead, to go for the darkly subtle spice of freshly ground black pepper, which although disarmingly mild at first, attacks unsuspectingly at the very last instance the fudge lingers in your mouth. The dense sweetness of the chocolate rounded the slight edge of the cloves, and heightened the sweet sharpness of the cinnamon. What emerged was a confection of unusual subtleties--ordinary, mundane chocolate fudge had sinister undertones.

Well, what are you waiting for? Switch on Nayyara Noor's rendition of Paas Raho and get cooking. Here's the recipe:

Sinister Chocolate Fudge

1 can condensed milk
¼ cup sugar (you can omit this entirely for a darker fudge)
480 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla essence (I omitted this in my cinnamon-sinister rendition, but you could add vanilla extract with a half cup of walnuts for a more traditional fudge) 2 tbsps butter
2 tbsps chocolate powder
2 tbsps unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp whole cloves
1 inch long stick cinnamon
½ tsp whole black peppers
Mix the condensed milk, milk, sugar, and chocolate powder, cocoa and put the mixture to boil in a thick vessel. When the mixture starts boiling add butter. With a mortar and pestle, coarsely pulse together the cinnamon, cloves and pepper until you have a slightly grainy but fairly homogenous powder; add this to the fudge mixture. Go on stirring and cooking until it becomes very thick (it should have the consistency of cake batter). Drop a teaspoon of the mixture into cold water to check whether it forms into a ball. Remove from fire then add vanilla essence and walnuts (if making traditional fudge, rather than its sinister counterpart :)). Spread the mixture onto a well-greased tin and refrigerate for about 1-2 hours. When cooled completely shape it into balls.

Sowmya's Birthday

2008-02-24T11:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my dear friend Somya's birthday. I was very excited to bake her a cake because Sowmya does not like chocolate cakes. Why was I excited then? Well, I wanted a challenge, and creating a delicious eggless cake which isn't a chocolate cake is a bit of a challenge. After browsing through a couple of different websites and rifling through my cookbook collection I finally settled on my Bulgarian friend Tsveta's Apple Cake recipe.

Now, I have made this cake before, but it was a LONG time ago, so I had quite forgotten what it took to make this cake. Well, it was surprisingly easy to make and very quick to throw together (if you don't count the time it takes to bake). In Bombay, the standard eggless cake recipe uses condensed milk and Coca cola (or it's Bombay equivalent--Thums Up) to replace the eggs. I have no idea who came up with this bizarre list of substitutes, but the eggless cakes I baked in Bombay never tasted very good. They would usually be flat, dense affairs, rather than the light and airy goodness that melts in your mouth, which I associate with cake. My friend Tsveta uses sour cream in this recipe, and I think that's what gives the cake its unique moistness. I substitute eggs in this recipe with Ener-G's egg replacer, and it still turns out great. Even as the cake was baking, my kitchen was filled with the aroma of caramelized apples. The cake itself was moist and light; slivers of apple worked into the cake better gave it an unusual moistness, while the walnuts added a pleasing crunch to the softness of the cake. I can very well imagine this cake as a breakfast or tea time snack--it would go perfectly with a cup of rich hot cocoa or some Early Grey Tea, perhaps even a cappucino.

Here's the recipe:

Tsevta's Apple Cake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dairy sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla*
1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples, peeled
Directions:
Combine nuts, cinnamon and sugar in small bowl; set aside. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour, sour cream, eggs, baking powder, soda and vanilla; beat 3 minutes. Prepare the apples; set aside. Grease and lightly flour a fluted cake pan. Spread half of the batter in pan; sprinkle with half of the nut mixture, then chopped apples. Sprinkle remaining nut mixture over apples, then spread remaining batter over top.
*Variation: you can also add 2 tbsps cocoa powder to half the cake mix and spread that as the top layer.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 60 minutes or until cakes begins to pull away from sides of pan.

Note: Since my version of this cake is without eggs, i.e. I use egg replacer, instead, I bake the cake for only about 45 minutes. I have tried baking it for longer, but it usually dries out and becomes crumbly if I keep it in for the full 60 minutes. I can very well imagine making this into a vegan cake if one were to use Tofutti and soy butter along with egg replacer to replace the sour cream, butter and eggs.

What I eat when I am rich....

2008-02-22T08:24:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I decided to brave potential disaster and finally check my bank balance. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I had 1500$ in my Checking account!! How did so much money get there? Yes, I know Cornell pays me, but I can never keep track of how much and when...Anyway, since I was so flush, I decided to splurge on my next grocery trip to Wegmans.
Now these may not sound at all like luxury items to you, but for a grad student on a budget, they most definitely are. Among my "luxury" purchases on Sunday were the following items: mozarella cheese (the fresh kind, not the processed slabs), fresh basil (without a car and in snowy weather, this is a REAL luxury for me), sundried tomatoes (I LOVE sundried tomatoes, and I'd keep them in my fridge all the time if only they weren't 5.99$ for a tiny jar!), and freshly baked sourdough bread.
On Monday night, after an exhausting and cold day at school, I decided to treat myself to some of these luxuries. I was also insanely hungry, so I came up with a no-nonsense ten minute recipe. Here it is:
Roughly chop up hunks of sourdough bread (not too thick--you want them to bake well). Tear pieces of mozarella cheese and arrange it on the bread. Scoop out a few sundried tomatoes and wedge them between the chunks of cheese. Finely chop/tear fresh basil and sprinkle it on the bread. Season with salt and pepper (maybe drizzle a bit of the oil from the bottle of sundried tomatoes or some olive oil) and pop the bread into the oven for about 10 minutes at 350F. Voila!
I loved the taste of this. The saltiness of the cheese complemented the fresh sweetness of the basil perfectly, while the sundried tomatoes added flavour to what would otherwise be a very bland dish. You can make hundreds of variations of this: kalamata olives with smoked gouda and fresh tomatoes, green olives with brie and parsley--imagine away. :)

Breakfast foods?!

2008-02-15T11:11:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, my friend Mike asked me what he could cook for breakfast besides oatmeal. Coming from a country in which breakfast is its own separate meal, I was very eager to share breakfast recipes with him, and then decided that I should post them on my blog and share them with all of you, as well!
I usually make an Indian style breakfast over the weekend--upma (semolina studded with vegetables and spices), poha (rice with potatoes and turmeric) or idlis (steamed rice cakes), but I was converted to American style breakfasts after eating a tofu scramble at Junas (a neat coffee shop on the Commons in Ithaca) with sun dried tomato sauce and multi-grain bread. I decided to try this scramble at home, and came up with a recipe with the most bizarre ingredient list. In this recipe soy sauce meets turmeric and tofu!
Tofu Scramble
1 pkt firm tofu (the kind that floats in water)
2 small onions/1 large onion
3 tomatoes
½ big green capsicum i.e. bell pepper
½ cup frozen corn
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tbsp soy sauce
¼ tsp turmeric
2 tsps salt
½ tsp pepper
4 tbsps cheese
Remove tofu from water, place it on a plate and put another plate on top of it. Weigh it down to remove excess water by placing a pot of water atop the top plate. Do this for at least 15-20 minutes.
In the mean time, chop onions, tomatoes, capsicum.
Fry onions, then tomatoes, then capsicum stirring frequently.
Crush tofu by hand, i.e. scramble it and add it to the pan.
Keep stirring till tofu releases more water (about 5 mins)
Add oregano and basil and fry for another 2 minutes.
Add soy sauce, turmeric, cheese, corn, salt and pepper and stir till the soy sauce is absorbed and the tofu dries out.
Serve hot with rye toast (my favourite!)
Note: You can substitute any veggies you have for the ones above and change the seasonings as well. You could make an “Indian” scramble by putting chillies, cumin seeds, green chutney, coriander (cilantro) and chilli powder, or a “Chinese” scramble by putting mushrooms, scallions and bok choy etc etc.
This tofu scramble is moist without being soggy and the turmeric blends beautifully with the soy sauce to give a pleasingly salty flavour. I love this scramble with a Siracha Chilli Sauce (caution this sauce is SUPER hot!). Try it with any toasted multi grain bread and a glass of orange juice for a satisfying breakfast.

Mushaira Night

2008-01-31T15:22:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I celebrated my birthday belatedly. Since I'm a great fan of poetry (Urdu poetry, more specifically) I decided to hold a Mushaira or poetry gathering. A Mushaira usually involves the reading of one's original verses, but since most of my friends were reluctant to speak at all, much less their own verses, I decided that reading poetry would suffice. We had a competition of sorts, in which the best poetry performance would win a prize. I decided to combine my two passions by presenting Ghalib's shairs (couplets?) with food. I chose four shairs, divided them by mood and then translated the mood into food (hey, I rhyme:)). Here are the shairs with my very rough translation,which doesn't do any justice to the complexity and depth of the original:

Sadness:
ranj se ;xuugar hu))aa insaa;N to mi;T jaataa hai ranj
mushkile;N mujh par pa;Rii;N itnii kih aasaa;N ho ga))ii;N

When one is overwhemed by grief, than grief erases itself

So many troubles/problems fell on me, that they became easy

Jealousy
niind us kii hai dimaa;G us kaa hai raate;N us kii hai;N
terii zulfe;N jis ke baazuu par pareshaa;N ho ga))ii;N

Sleep is his, peace of mind is his, the night is his

On his arms a lock of your hair worried itself

Longing:
hazaaro;N ;xvaahishe;N aisii kih har ;xvaahish pah dam nikle
bahut nikle mire armaan lekin phir bhii kam nikle

A thousand desires such as these, that for each desire I die(this is a very approximate translation)

The second verse is untranslatable--sorry!

Love/Passion:
mu;habbat me;N nahii;N hai farq jiine aur marne kaa
usii ko dekh kar jiite hai;N jis kaafir pah dam nikle

In love there is no difference between life and death

I live by seeing the same one, that infidel (literal translation) on whom I die

For Sadness I decided to serve a heavy, salty cheese with dry plain crackers because tears are salty, and sadness always lingers, dully in my heart, long after I've forgotten it's existence.

For Jealousy I decided to make a Mint Chutney. I blended together mint leaves, chillies, salt and lemon juice, at first. The taste was sharp and pungent, but to me jealousy has a hint of sweetness--the sweetness of imagining the beloved with oneself, so I decided to add a pinch of sugar and a dollop of yoghurt. The result was a bright green sauce that was spicy with a burning aftertaste. I served it with fried savoury snacks that had no particular taste of their own, and could thus carry the burden of jealousy with ease.

For Longing I decided to make an Olive Tapenade. I love the flavour of Olives--the rich, deep complexities perfectly mirror the subtleties of longing. My Olive Tapenade dip combines the sweetness of tomatoes, with slightly astringent capers and a kick of mustard. After a bit of tinkering (I added a tad more mustard) I had the perfect dip--many nuanced flavours struggling to dominate my palate, the tongue longing to recognize and preserve a single flavour, but being ultimately vanquished by their abundance---just like the verse.

For Passion of course I made chocolate covered strawberries, but these weren't just any strawberries or any chocolate. I bought the most expensive organic strawberries that Wegmans had to offer and then dipped each strawberry into a decadent dark chocolate sauce infused with a hint of mint. I think mint added a shade of complexity, an unevenness that was essential to capture the full flavour of passion. I had at the end decadent, sensual delight.

Do other people have ideas for different verses and different food? Or maybe different interpretations of foods for my moods?? I would love to experiment some more....

Bengali Cuisine--Rasmalai

2008-01-27T10:34:00.002-08:00

Rasmalai
http://krupaskitchen.blogspot.com/
W=Wegmans
UD=Universal Deli (next to Sangam in Ctown)
TF=Tung Fong (in Ctown next to Fontanas)

For the rasgulla (Cheese Squares):-
In a bowl mix together until very smooth
16 ounces ricotta cheese (W)
½ cup sugar (W)
Mix together the ricotta and the sugar until smooth.
Pour into a baking pan (8 inch square), so that it is at least ½ - ¾ inches thick.
Cover with aluminum foil and place in a preheated oven of 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes depending on your oven.
Continue baking for 10-20 more minutes checking every 5 minutes until the mixture separates from the side of the pan and a knife put in comes out clean (just like you would check for a cake). I have a very slow oven, so it takes me about 45 minutes, it could be faster with a better oven.

(1:4 ratio of sugar to ricotta cheese)

For the Malai (sauce):
1 cup half and half (W)
¼ tsp cardamom powder (UD)
¼ tsp saffron (UD OR W)
¼ cup sugar (W)
slivered almonds to top (optional) (W)
(1:4 ratio of sugar to half and half)
Bring these to boil in a saucepan, stirring until the milk turns thick and deep golden.
Cut the baked ricotta into serving sized squares and place in a deep dish. Pour the half and half sauce over the squares and allow to soak. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and serve. Top with slivered almonds.

Bengali Cuisine--Aloo Chorchori

2008-01-27T10:34:00.001-08:00

Aloo Chorchori
http://krupaskitchen.blogspot.com/
W=Wegmans
UD=Universal Deli (next to Sangam in Ctown)
TF=Tung Fong (in Ctown next to Fontanas)

This is another Bengali favourite. It’s a wonderful way to cook potatoes and I love the textured blending of spices that this dish yields. The soft mushy texture of the potatoes is perfectly complemented by the subtle spice kick. Serve this dish with luchis--a Bengali style puri which is lighter and airier than a regular puri. You can also serve this with rice and a dal for a complete Bengali meal.

Ingredients
Potatoes, thinly sliced about 2 medium-large sized potatoes (W)
1 medium sized onion thinly sliced (W)
Oil 2 tbsps, 30ml (W)
*Turmeric (haldi powder)1tsp (W)
Salt to taste (W)
* Red chili (lal mirch) powder 2 tsps (W)
Water (I usually add a lot more water because water dries up really fast over here; add water till the potato is cooked)

*You can add more haldi and lal mirch as per your taste. The gorgeous orange colour of this dish comes from the blending of these two spices.

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a wok, add the onions and sauté till light pink in colour.

2. Add the potatoes and sauté for 3-4 minutes

3. Add the tumeric powder, salt, red chilli powder to coat the potatoes. Then add about 1 cup of water.

4. Cook over a medium flame till the potatoes are done and the liquid absorbed, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.

Bengali Cuisine--Bengali Dal

2008-01-27T10:30:00.001-08:00

Bengali Dal

W=Wegmans
UD=Universal Deli (next to Sangam in Ctown)
TF=Tung Fong (in Ctown next to Fontanas)

This is a deliciously sour dal I ate at a Bengali lunch. I simply loved the flavours and the heartiness of all the whole vegetables. This is my Bengali teacher Sreemati di’s recipe, which is perfect as is, my modifications are ultimately minor. Serve this dal with Aloo Chorchori and luchis for the perfect Bengali dinner. You can also drink this dal plain, like a soup.

Ingredients
⅓ cup moong dal (W)
⅓ masoor dal (W)
½ cup toor dal (W)
2 tbsps tamarind paste (W)
1-2 small eggplants (Japanese style) OR 1 big eggplant (large, purple, Indian style), chopped into thin rounds (W)
1 can tomatoes (W)
2 zucchinis, chopped into thin rounds (W)
1 tsp lemon juice (W)

For the tempering (i.e. tadka)
2 tsps mustard seeds (W)
2 dry red chillies (W)
½ tsp hing (optional) (W)
1 tsp turmeric powder (W)
2 tsps (more if you like spicy) red chilli powder also called Paprika (W)
5-7 curry leaves (optional) (TF)

Method:
1. Rinse the dal to remove the starch. Boil the 3 varieties of dal together in lots of water. You want consistency like a thickish soup, but not too thick. If your dal is still separate you have two options: you can either wait for it to cool and then blend it or you can boil it some more.

2. Add two big spoons of tamarind paste into the boiled dal and a squeeze of lemon juice (I got this idea from Sharvari Nadkarni)

3. Sauté the vegetables together and then add them to the dal.

4. For the tadka/tempering (in Bengali--phoron), in a separate pan heat oil and add mustard seeds, dry red chillies, hing, turmeric, red chilli powder and curry leaves. Fry lightly and then pour into the boiled and tamarinded dal.

North Indian Feast

2008-01-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I cooked dinner at my friend Rena's house. I love Rena's kitchen because the non-cooks can relax and chat with the cooks, while the food is cooking. It was a particularly bitter winter night, so rich, heavy North Indian food was what everyone was in the mood for. As many of you know, I'm starting a cooking class in Ithaca to help raise funds for Asha, a non-profit organization for underprivileged children in India. I decided to have a trial run at Rena's house, teaching a bunch of friends. I'm not sure how much everyone learnt, but I think we all enjoyed the food. :) I decided to cook three dishes yesterday: Palak Paneer (Spinach with cheese), Zafrani Pulao (Saffron Rice) and Rasmalai (Cheese squares in a sweet saffron sauce).

The Palak Paneer was a rich green colour and studded with creamy squares of paneer. I was worried that everyone might find the palak paneer a little too spicy (considering that it has 7 chillies in it!), but I think the milk balanced out the spiciness perfectly. I had never served this dish with Zafrani Pualo before, but I was suprised by how beautifully they complemented one another. The rice was buttery without being mushy and was very subtly spiced, so it could absorb the flavours of the gravy and still retain its pleasing mildness.

Palak Paneer
1 large onion
1 10oz packet spinach
1 litre full fat milk for paneer+3-4 tbsps vinegar (the directions for making paneer are in my previous post)
½ cup milk
4 tbsps oil
1 tsp salt

To be ground into a paste:
1 inch piece ginger
4-6 cloves garlic
5 red chillies
2 green chillies
¾ tsp kasuri methi (soak in ½ cup of warm water for 15 minutes before grinding into a paste)
2 tsps coriander seeds

Chop the onion and sauté with the paste until well cooked
Add the spinach and cook till wilted
Add the milk and bring to a simmering boil. Turn off gas and allow to cool
Chop the paneer.
Puree the Spinach mixture and add milk for a rich gravy.
Put in the paneer pieces, simmer for a few minutes and serve hot

Zafrani Pulao

1.5 cups boiling water
1 cup white basmati rice
2 TBS ghee/butter
1 onion, sliced into thin moons
1/2 tsp black cumin seeds (kala jeera, not kalonji!); I used regular cumin, since I didn’t have kala jeera.
1" stick cinnamon
2 black cardamoms, crushed
4 cloves
2 bay leaves
good pinch of saffron strands mixed in 4 tbsps of warm milk.
1/2 cup almonds, slivered
2 TBS sultanas (or golden raisins if you can't get sultanas)
hefty pinch of salt
Rinse your basmati well then soak for 30 minutes. Drain well.
Prep your onion and collect your spices.
Heat the ghee in your favorite rice-making saucepan over medium flame.
Toss in the onion and all the spices *except your soaking saffron*
Fry until the onion goes golden brown and delicious. Add almonds, sultanas and well-drained rice and fry until the rice gets "cloudy" or "milky" (5-8 minutes, stirring constantly.)
Pour your boiling water into the rice, watch out for steam!
Add the salt and your soaked saffron, stir to combine.
Slap a cover on it and turn the heat down to very low.
The rice will be done in about 7-8 minutes. Make sure you take occasional peeks into the pot to make sure that the rice is done and not overcooked.