Are We Don Gorske?

Don Gorske of recent fame from the Morgan S. film Super Size Me reportedly ate at least one McDonald's Big Mac for the past 36 years, surpassing 23,000 in total (and apparently only missing 8 days during that streak). So what makes me think of Gorske. Today I was in a Starbucks coffee shop buying an iced Chai and it occurred to me that many of their patrons stop there every day for a cup of coffee/tea and perhaps some pastry. Is it an escape from the drudgery of their work-day, some type of routine, a guilty pleasure, or OCD of the Gorske type with perhaps less of a potential adverse health impact (by all reports Gorske is 6'2", 185 lbs, and in good health - so he's apparently beating the odds with his habit or addiction depending on your view). Given the chance I think I could easily drink a cup of decaf Chai (preferably iced) every day for 36 years; but I don't think anyone would want to write a story about it - even if I did keep the receipt for every cup like Gorske did for his Big Macs.

Then there is the concept of our project itself - making and eating at least one Indian meal a day for a year. There's a point behind this project of course. Something broadening and mind opening (we hope) about it with the upside of also providing us with a meaningful activity to do together and culturally enrich our lives. It is hard to say the same thing about the Big Macs and probably equally hard regarding the coffee and tea thing. When I came home tonight Lisa had a pot of Chai ready for consumption. A mixture of black peppercorns, fennel seeds, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamon, and decaf English Breakfast tea. It was easy enough to drink 2 small cups of it, which I did. I am no more a Don Gorske than the next Starbucks regular but something inside me has me wondering whether we should really care about the Big Mac guy and whether our blog will inspire others to try something new in the culinary field for a sustained period of time to break out of a rut, bring them closer together with someone, or expand their interests?

Chai Tea? Isn't that Redundant?

It is hard to believe we have gone this long without writing about Chai. I believe Chai translates to "tea." But, most commercial versions of it in the US call it "Chai Tea?" Huh, does that make sense? I reminds me of when people refer to tortellini as tortellinis - adding the "s" to an Italian name for a type of pasta that is already in the plural form. On Sunday the kids and I went for a city hike to the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on North Robertson. I'm not much of a fan for the great outdoors; I like the scenery and exercise but the lack of an available/reliable/clean loo is often a deal killer for us.

Back to the Chai. We tried a decaf iced version of the CB&TL Chai that had a very delicate cinnamon undertone. Solly was particularly fond of it. Later in the day we played around with our own versions in the kitchen. There are hundreds of different recipes easily found on the web. The one we made had a cardamon seed base with cinnamon and a little black pepper to which we added some fresh clover honey. The first batch didn't come out well and we used it to water the garden. The second batch was a bit better and we'll experiment with it some more over the next few weeks. One limitation to our test - we didn't add any dairy or soy substitute to it which is probably a good thing since it meant there was no cover up for Chai. Our recipe is as follows:

Spices: 8 black peppercorns, 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 cardamon seeds
Other: 1 1/2 cups of waters, 2 table spoons of clover honey, and 2 tea bags of strong black tea

We've attached a link below with some nice recipes to try out. Michael

http://www.chai-tea.org/recipes.html

Electric Karma on 3rd Street

Electric Karma. Modern Indian music, think Monsoon Wedding, with low sofas, and a pleasant and eclectic decor. We went with a tofu saag which Sol said was not only fantastic; but, that he had to stop eating because his stomach was going to explode. We sampled their breads as well. The garlic naan was to die for; the best we have seen in a long time. The kids started with a couple of samosas that were juicy and spiced just right. This is a place that does not go through the charade of trying to be high-end foo-foo cuisine. The dishes are appropriately proportioned, the staff friendly and informed, and the place down-to-earth and welcoming. It is a good place for a dinner get together, a party with old friends, or a family gathering. We are going to try and replicate the saag on Sunday. Michael

Cool Coconut Rice with Pistacios

Today was a day to experiment in the kitchen. We made a coconut rice with cinnamon, cardamon seeds, black pepper, and dry roasted pistachios. Saffron was added for some extra kick. We adapted this from the G. Ramsay book and some different traditional rice dishes profiled in the Krishna book. It came out OK. There is clearly a trick to cooking with basmati rice and I haven't gotten it down to perfection yet. I did a basic scrambled egg over the rice and shredded some pecorino ramano over the dish - kind of an Indian staple meats breakfast meets old school Italian meal. This is real comfort food and would go nicely as a breakfast with a copy of the New York Times Sunday paper and a good cup of tea.

On Saturday we are going to explore a place on the West Side called Electric Karma. The seating and decor look quite nice; and, our expectations are high it will be pretty authentic based upon some reviews we've read of it. Michael

Trader Joes' & Indian Food

Lisa is in Philly and South Jersey this week. Her father Jerry has passed at the age of 94. Solly suggested we take today to explore Trader Joes' and the type of Indian take and carry meal we could make. We tried putting together a tikki-tofu-rice meal from pre-packaged items. But it lacked a bite and had a mushy texture. The hit was something likely cooked up in the company's Pasadena lab; a masala tandori naan. We could not find a recipe for it anywhere on-line or in the classic cookbooks. A bit doughy but with plenty of spice. Cooks well at 450 degrees for 5 minutes - a few drops of water on top before re-heating will do wonders for it and the texture. Solly says it pairs best with cheddar cheese and pears.

Jerry your spirit, humor, sense of family, and friendship will be missed. Michael

Dal-roti khaya?

Dal-roti khaya? I learned that this is an idiomatic expression to ask someone if they've eaten lunch yet? Literally translated this means "did you eat bread and lentil soup?" One of Michael's mates taught me that. I had corresponded with him and his wife to ask if they could clarify the difference between roti and chapati. Well, the response was delicious. I was treated to a culinary/cultural/linguistic lesson that took me through many regions of India!

First, I the big picture: there is very little difference between roti and chapati. The terms are often used interchangeably and moreoever in north & central India, people generally refer to Bread as Roti.

Then a bit of culture: For example, if some asks a friend "Dal-roti khaya?". He means "have you had lunch?", literal translation "did you eat bread and lentil soup?"; here the Roti could be any type - chapati, puri, naan or roti. hope you get the idea.

Now for some culinary detail: Technically, the three main differences are a) Chapati's are thinner & flufflier b) Chapati uses fine wheat flour ( usually thin or medium) c) rotis could be wheat or other flour.

Finally a course of linguistics: There are also regional variations. e.g in Gujarat, chapatis are called 'rotli' in local language; in Maharastra (where Mumbai is), chapati is called 'phulka-roti', in Southern India it is called 'chapathy', in Punjab (where most Sikhs are), roti generally means 'makke-di-roti' i.e. roti made of corn.

I'm full!

Just wanted to show you all how really easy it is to put together these meals. First, I always have some dosa batter in the fridge (it keeps for a couple of days) so I can make a fresh dosa whenever I feel like it. Second, always have leftovers: Michael made aloo paratha on Sunday and we had some potato-pea mixture left over. So, this morning, I quickly cooked up a dosa and then sauteed the left over potatoes with some fennel, fennugreek, and cumin seeds and used that to fill a couple of dosas. Check out the photos. YUM!

what? huh? where am I?

Whew! I spent the last couple days in a spice-induced trance, I think. So, on Friday afternoon, I decided to make some paneer. That's a fresh cheese and it's easy to make. Now, I have a bit of a history with cheese making: a very unfortunate history. When I was about 11 years old, I got it into my head that I wanted to make cheese. I persuaded my parents to get me a cheese making kit. I did all the steps (my parents memorialized this in photos, wish I could find them), and the cheese turned out - just dreadful. I wish I could have had a bit more encouragement to keep at it...I just didn't realize that cheese making is an art, and requires practice. In today's internet age, I could watch videos on how to make paneer at Manjula's Kitchen, and feel pretty confident that I could do it. I made an attempt a couple weeks ago that did not turn out very well. I discovered that I added too much lemon juice to the hot milk. So this time, I tried and added the juice a teaspoon at a time. Well, it turned out just great! You can see the soft curds in the muslin, the pressed paneer (after about an hour), the sauteed cubes and the final dish, zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers with panner and some chapati. Hooray! I did it, I made paneer. It was quite good, mild, firm, and creamy delicious. That is what led to the trance. The dish I made was from Lord Krishna's Cuisine. Heavy on the fresh ginger and hot red pepper. Out of this world. No, really, I think I ended up in another universe. OK not really, but I did feel transported to new culinary heights. I made the paneer with regular whole cow's milk, but I think I might try goat milk next time. I like a stronger taste and that might be good.
Here is the recipe for the dish I made - I added eggplant, because I had eggplant.

Panir Louki Tarkari
Lord Krishna's Cuisine

1/2 T ground coriander
1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 t ground fennel
1/4 t tumeric
3/4 t garam masala
1/4 cup fresh or dried grated coconut
1/2 cup water
4 T ghee or mixture of veg oil and butter
6 0z fresh panir, cubed (go to Manjulaskitchen.com on my links to see how she makes it)
1 whole dried red chili (I used crushed red pepper)
1 inch peeled ginger sliced thin
7-8 small zucchini or other summer squash, cubed
2 small red or yellow bell peppers, cut into thin strips
1 1/4 t salt
1 medium tomato, diced
3 T chopped fresh cilantro or parsely

Combine the coriander, cumin, fennel, turmeric, garam masala, coconut, and water in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat ghee or oil in a large saute pan or wok. Saute panir cubes, until nicely browned. Take out of pan and drain on paper towels.
Add a bit more oil to pan if it is dry and then add chili and ginger and stir fry for a minute. Add zucchini and bell peppers (and any other firm veggie, like eggplant) and saute until tender-crisp. Add salt, spice paste, tomato, and panir cubes and saute until the spices are cooked out and smell delicious. Add fresh herbs to serve.

See, now isn't that easy? This dish is transcendent. Eat it with chapati and a beer and have a lost weekend of your own.