Abondanza!

Abundance!  That's what we have in our garden this fall.  I trimmed the basil and parsley and there was a ton!  Several big radishes, two big butternut squashes and the swiss chard and okra are going strong and, HOORAY, my serrano peppers are smokin' hot.  So naturally I had to think of ways to use it.  I tried to make a basil chutney, but I'm not sure how I like it.  Made it with walnuts, lemon juice, serrano, and ginger.  Not the greatest, but maybe I'll pour it into some vegetable soup tomorrow.  The parsley on the other hand, that was good.  Now, I am into macrobiotic cooking and I have this favorite recipe for a tofu parsley sauce to serve over linguini that I am just addicted to.  So I took my inspiration from that and put threw some parsley, umeboshi paste (that's the macro B part), some salt and water to blend and blended gently until the parsley was just chopped fine (like a cilantro chutney).  Then I heated a good bit of olive oil and tempered some mustard seeds.  Stirred that into the parsley.  Interesting.  The parsley and umeboshi (which is salty and pungent) blend with the mellow olive oil and rich mustard seeds.  Nice with a plain papadam.  Should be good with a roti.

veggie utthapam

quick oat idli

radish and chard utthapam

macro parsley chutney

I also have been making some things from a lovely blog called Veg Inspirations (link at left).  Usha, the blogger, creates healthy innovative dishes that are just yummy.  I tried her quick oat idli.  Oh, boy.  In addition to being quick to make, with no fermentation required, they are toasty and filling, rich in healthy fiber, and just so cool.  I want to make her quinoa flaxseed utthapam this week.  I have been making utthapam this week as I fermented a nice urad dosa batter and have been using carrots, radishes, chard, and bell pepper (all except the carrots from my garden).  I love utthapam.  It's basically a thick dosa with vegetables cooked in.  So good.  Kind of like an Egg Fu Young without the egg.  I've got lots more to blog about but I need to wrap  this one up.  So, catch you on the next post.

Akbar Turns Biker Bar

Akbar, who was 13 when he took the Mughal throne in Deli, was a patron of the arts including paintings (especially murals) and literature. My friend Jeff and I took an adventure to a place bearing Akbar's name at lunch time today. This was a scene in the making for a Larry David Curb Your Enthusiasm episode. The wait staff more resembled a collection of biker bar rejects than one you would expect in a restaurant in a more tony area of town. When ordering a chicken dish I asked the waitress if the chicken was chicken breast and she asked me what I asking about her breasts. When we tried to explore what types of breads they offered, since they were not listed on the menu, she inquired why we were asking about her breasts? Maybe an LA thing? Or maybe they hired wait staff with the worst possible hearing in the world? Odd to say the least. The food was not particularly memorable although Jeff ordered a lamb vindaloo that looked OK.

I have been experimenting with an Indian omelette that is moving in the right direction: two eggs, a pinch of garam masala, a pinch of cumin, a pinch of red pepper, a pinch of cardamon, a russet potato mashed in, and some pecorino romano to top. We've included a picture below and one thing I must do before this adventure is out is improve my photography skills. A close second is learning to speak Indian biker bar lingo because apparently I missed the conversation or joke at lunch.

Red Lentil Recollections

I love lentils.  There, I said it.  I have always loved lentils.  My mother made the best lentil soup.  But all my life (well, until I was 26), I thought lentils came in only one color - brown; and that lentil soup was strictly vegetarian.  What a shock when I was having dinner at a friend's house and they served lentil soup ... with little hot dogs in it!  I was apoplectic.  It couldn't be...no, not my lentils, being defiled in that way.  A more pleasant discovery, however, was that lentils came in a new and exciting color: RED.  My first grown up cookbook was Vegetarian Pleasures, by Jeanne Lemlin.  I still can turn to the exact page for my favorite recipes in that book without looking them up in the index, that is how much I used that book.  VP introduced me to red lentils.  At that time, red lentils were not so easy to come by; definitely not to be found in the supermarket.  Fortunately, I had access to wonderful varieties of foods in Philadelphia and South Jersey.  I think I found the red lentils either at the Reading Terminal Market or at Healthworks, a little health food store in Collingswood, N.J.  I tried them in a great recipe for dal and I was hooked.  They tasted a bit more peppery than the brown supermarket lentils, cooked quickly (a plus for a working gal), and, well, they were red.  Pink, really, but exotic and alluring.   Much later, I discovered mung beans, but even then, I thought of them as things to be sprouted, not cooked.  With this project, I have been exposed to such a variety of lentils such as I never imagined.  The Indian grocers are lined with row upon row of lentils, split, skinned, whole, ground into flour.  I have so far been using split mung, toovar (or toor), and urad.  There are others that I have yet to try.  I still love brown lentils (as you may have read in earlier posts, I use them in dosas).  I also love all of the other lentils and their cousins, the split peas, and chick peas, and azuki, and ...

Here is my mom's recipe for lentil soup, with a couple of optional additions.

MJ's Lentil Soup

1 cup of brown lentils, rinsed and picked over.
4-5 cups of water
one medium brown onion, chopped
2-3 celery ribs, chopped
1T salt or to taste
a good grind or two of black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fennel bulb (optional)
1T dried dill weed (optional)
1T crushed fennel seed (optional)
(1 or 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped) optional
three or four leaves of swiss chard, chopped (optional)
lemon wedges and pecorino romano or parmesean cheese to serve

Put the lentils, water, onion, celery, salt and pepper in a stock pot (along with whatever mix of optional items you like) and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to low and slowly simmer for about an hour or more until the lentils are falling apart.  If you like an even creamier texture, puree one or two cups of the soup and then stir it back into the pot.
You can serve it plain, but my mom served it mixed with cooked vermicelli cut up into one inch pieces, or with rice.  Squeeze the lemon into the soup and sprinkle the cheese on top.  Still my number one meal.


Red Lentil Dal
from Vegetarian Pleasures

1 1/4 cups red lentils
3 cups water
1/2 t salt
2 T Ghee or oil
1/4 t black mustard seeds
1/4 t turmeric
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t ground cumin
1/4 t ground coriander
1/2 t minced gingerroot

Rinse and pick over the lentil and cook in the water for about 25 minutes until soft and smooth.  Heat the ghee or oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds.  cook until the seeds start to pop and then add the remaining spices and ginger and cook two more minutes.  Add to the cooked dal and stir in.
My note: This makes a fairly thick mixture.  You can cook the dal with one extra cup of water for a thinner consistency.

This is my Go To dal for a quick and easy treat.  Nice to add cooked vegetables (such as squash, carrots, radishes, greens, etc., to it as well for a well-rounded meal.

Well Shut My Mouth and Call Me Paniyaram

 Here are the results of our corn-sesame paniyaram/idli batter.  The batter did not quite ferment as I had hoped.  I think it was a bit dry and so just didn't have the oomph to rise.  Also, maybe needed more heat and time.  Anyway, I cheated a bit this morning and added a half teaspoon of baking powder to make sure they wouldn't turn out like hockey pucks.  They actually turned out pretty good.  A nice breakfast. Michael likes HushPuppies and Corn Bread.  So these were the Indian version of that.  The paniyaram do have a fritter-like feel to them.  They are not deep fried, but are cooked in just a bit of butter to give them a nice browning on the outside and to keep them from sticking.  I am still trying to figure how to turn them over.  You can see the one next to the handle did not quite make it all the way back into its little cup.  I am using a spoon and chopsticks and fingers to try to get them flipped.  I'll get it eventually.  As for the idli, they were a bit dense (really did need to get a better fermentation going) but still tasty.  We put in corn kernels and hot pepper flakes (a bit of a deviation from the recipe) and they had a nice Southern feel with Indian overtones. Michael ate them with maple syrup.  I ate mine with, get this, a sweet adzuki bean paste chutney.  I'll post about that another time.  Here is the recipe as we made it.

Corn-Sesame Idli/Paniyaram
adapted from Lord Krishna's Cuisine
1/4 cup semolina
1/4 cup Cream of Rice or Idli Rava
1/3 cup corn meal
2/3 cup urad flour
1 cup yoghurt or buttermilk
1 and 1/2 t salt
water to make a smooth batter like cake batter
1-2T sesame oil
1t cumin seeds
1t mustard seeds
1t or more if you like it spicy crushed red pepper flakes
3T sesame seeds
1T sugar
1/2 - 3/4 cup of corn kernels (fresh or thawed if frozen)
1/4 cup of minced red bell pepper
(1/2 t baking powder if you are feeling insecure or your batter didn't rise as it should)

Toast the semolina in a pan until it starts to darken a few shades.  Let cool and mix with the remaining grains in a large bowl.  Add the yoghurt or buttermilk, salt, and enough water to make a smooth batter, like half-whipped cream or cake batter.  Cover and set in a warm place to ferment.  This can take as little as 12 hours or up to 36.  To speed things along, heat you oven to 180F and the turn it off.  Place the bowl in the oven and let it ferment in there.
When it has fermented, it well have almost doubled in bulk and will have cracks on the top and hopefully some bubbles.  Heat the oil in a pan and fry the cumin and mustard seeds until the mustard seeds start to pop.  Add in the crushed pepper and fry for 15 seconds and then add in the sesame seeds and sugar.  Cook until the seeds start to darken.  Let cool a few minutes and stir gently into the batter.  Stir in the corn kernels and/or the minced bell peppers.
Meanwhile heat up your paniyaram pan and when hot, place small dabs of butter or ghee in each cup.  Use a pastry brush to spread the butter around the cup and onto the rim to prevent sticking (I am using a cast iron pan, but they do sell non-stick).  Place a generous Tablespoon of batter in each cup and turn the heat to moderate/low.  Needs to be on the low side so the inside cooks while the outside gets lightly browned.  When the tops are dry, carefully turn them over.  Cook for a few more minutes til browned.
For idli, use the same batter, but put them in your idli stand and steam for 15 minutes.

Dedication is Driving Around A Culver City Rave

On our quest for vegetarian Indian food last night we ventured to Culver City. We drove around for about 20 minutes trying to find the restaurant and in the process passed by scores of teens and early twenty-somethings that looked like they had emerged from a Rave. People standing all over and in the middle of busy streets, no shoes, talking on phones, trying to flag down cars... It had the making for our own version of the Tina Fey & Steve C film "Date Night." When we finally found the place judgment said it was probably best to go there for a lunch than hang out with Seus Hat wearing acid dripping crowd.

On we went to our local standby Kate Mantilini; where the only thing Indian on the menu was arguably a pale ale which Lisa ordered. My tasting notes are:

West Coast India Pale Ale. The key aromas are of fruit - a piney grapefruit, coupled with a malt undertone. These also come through in the taste which has a sweet crystal malt feel. The mouth-feel is astringent on the palate and thick - not quite like pancake syrup but heavy none the less.

While all this was going on we had a batter for corn idli fermenting on our kitchen counter for cooking today (which Lisa is doing as we speak). We're also going to try and make fritters out of them. The key ingredient included yogurt, semolina, corn meal, idli rava, and urad flour.

I'm sure these will make for a wonderful Sunday breakfast.

Pictures & Post to Follow :)

Michael

Tandoori Chicken, Neru, Nixon, Primavera, Salama

A gracious thank you to our friends who have forwarded on many pleasant tandoori chicken recipes over the past couple of months. After shabbat services tonight we enjoyed a quick Indian meal. The centerpiece of my dinner was a tandoori chicken; which after our experience last Sunday in Artesia and Lisa's work this week in the kitchen has me feeling a bit empty since I've learned this dish is a relatively new invention and not too traditional.

Like many well known Indian dishes in the states this one originated with Kundan Lal Gurjal who started Moti Mahal in Peshawer (G. Ramsey takes a trip there in his Great escape to the new location which I believe is in Daryaganji). Tandoori chicken is nothing but chicken cooked in bell-shaped earthen ware ovens generally used to cook bread (fired by wood or charcoal). This dish is reported to be a favourite of Neru's (the first prime minister of India) and I have read Nixon as well. So, that may be the only connection we have to Neru and Nixon. Many folks without a tandoori oven looking for a comparable cooking experience use a very large stock pot and heat it on a grill or fire pit. I have also read of folks using outdoor pizza ovens to make the chicken.

On Saturday Lisa and I will be going to vegetarian restaurant in Culver City which we hear is amazing. More to come then.

Cheers and Chicken.

Idli Idylls

As I mentioned in my last post, I purchased an idli stand during our trip to Artesia.  The photos are actual idlis (is that the right pluralization, I wonder?) made in my very own kitchen.  A vast improvement over the first ones I made in cupcake papers.  The right equipment makes all the difference.  The batter is easy to make.  I made the first batch using a plain urad dal and basmati rice batter.  Just put a bit of shredded carrot and some sliced cashews on top for interest.  Not bad. I made a second batch and added some mustard seeds and ajwain seeds, yoghurt, and a bit of black salt (I'll do a post on the black salt next week).  Much more interesting.  What I really need is some hing (asafetida) to round out the taste.   I had asafetida in my spice cabinet for years without doing much with it.  I threw it out last year because I thought I would never use it; guaranteeing that I would want to use it a year later.  Now, you would think that these beautiful idli would have been gobbled up at once.  Not so. My son, who ate the idli at Udupi Palace, contends that he actually likes the ones I made in the cupcake papers better.  No one else has tried them yet.  Except for me, of course.  For breakfast...with chutney.  They do seem to reheat pretty well, although fresh is best.  

Simple Idli and Variations

Adapted from Lord Krishna's Cuisine

1cup basmati rice

1/2 cup urad dal (without skins)

1/2 t salt

water to process

Rinse the rice and dal and soak overnight in water.  Drain and put into blender with the salt.  Blend with just enough water to make a grainy paste.  This takes patience and scraping down the blender often.  Texture should be like partially whipped cream.  Place mixture into a bowl and place in a warm place to ferment.  Let it ferment for 12-36 hours, depending on temperature, until it is doubled in bulk, crackly on top and has some bubbles.  Spoon into lightly oiled non-stick idli stand.  Heat about an inch and a half of water in a dutch oven large enough to hold the idli stand.  When the water is boiling, place the filled idli stand in the pot and cover with a dishcloth and then the lid.  Let steam for 20 minutes.

Variations

1. sprinkle with shredded veggies and sliced nuts on top and bottom before steaming.

2.  Dry roast your favorite spice seeds and add to batter.

3.  Add yoghurt and dry roasted seeds to batter.

4.  dot the top with a bit of chutney.