Blog – Page 3 – Salt… as needed

October 25, 2017October 31, 2019

A match made in heaven

After a hectic festivity laden week of gluttony and gastronomy (in that order) my brain feels the need to go easy on my body. Must eat healthy I say to myself, of course still thinking of food as always. There has been a lot of talk lately of the health benefits of the simple “KHICHDI” the quintessential comfort food , with every region in India having it’s own version of it. Ayurveda (a system of medicine with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent) describes khichdi as the perfect food which resets the body with it’s ability to balance all the forces – air, heat and water- that exist in the human body.

I have a hankering for something sour, spicy , hot and meaty, all in a one pot dish. So I decide to combine my southern roots together with the “Khichda”, a Bohri Muslim version of the khichdi. Their version uses Barley and Rice and most important chicken or goat meat. Yummm! What a perfect way to end 5 days of eating vegetarian foods (Diwali) by gorging on some hot non-vegetarian comfort food . In the south the very popular Bisi Bele Huli Anna that literally means Hot Dal (legume) Sour Rice, is one form of khichdi, though not the simple kind that Ayurveda talks about, delicious nonetheless. I started with wanting to have a simple and “sattvic” meal, but let us save that for another day. Today I will serve my concoction with a nice piquant Pico de Gallo, bringing some Latin influence onto the table. Try it at your next party and I guarantee some very satisfied guests.

Friends, I present to you my version of a ‘ Perfect Sunday afternoon meal’ with family and friends, on a cool Fall Day, with suggested accompaniments.

BISI BELE CHICKEN KHICHDA served with a PICO DE GALLO

1 cup any short grained rice

1/2 cup pearl barley

1/2 cup pigeon peas (tur dal)

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs

6 pods garlic

6 jalapenos

1 tsp grated ginger

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

3 tbsps lemon juice

4 tbsps oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 dry red chillies

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp urad dal (split black lentils)

pinch of asafoetida

few curry leaves

1 onion cubed

1 potato cubed

2 tbsps tamarind paste

1 tbsp garam masala (all spice)

SALT AS NEEDED

PICO DE GALLO – Chop onions, tomatoes, cilantro and a jalapeno and mix in lemon juice and Salt as Needed

Wash and soak the rice, barley and dal for 2 hours.

Grind or pound the garlic, ginger, cilantro and jalapenos along with the lemon juice and marinate the chicken in this paste with 1 tbsp oil for 2 hours in a non-stick pan. Add Salt as Needed.

Cube the onions and potatoes.

Cook the rice mixture in a pressure cooker with turmeric and Salt as Needed for about 2-3 whistles.

Place the pan with the chicken on the stove on a high flame and brown the chicken well on both sides. Cook for a few minutes more till the meat is nice and crisp on the outside and soft but cooked on the inside. Shred with a fork.

In a shallow bottom pan take 3 tbsp oil , keep flame at medium. When the oil is hot add the mustard and when it starts to sputter lower the flame and add cumin seeds, red chillis, curry leaves, turmeric, urad dal and asafoetida.

Now add the onions and saute for a couple minutes. Next the potatoes and cook till they are soft. Mix the tamarind paste in a couple tbsps of water and add to the mix along with garam masala and Salt as Needed. When it comes to a boil add the rice mixture and mix well. Cook covered on a low flame for 10 minutes. Taste to make sure all tastes are nicely balanced (secret of a good cook).

Serving Suggestion:

In a shallow platter place the rice in the center and cover with the shredded chicken and all the drippings from the pan. Distribute the pico de gallo all along the side of the platter. Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the khichda and serve hot.

HAPPY COOKING FROM KAVITA ATUL!

Wine Suggestions :

This dish has strong spicy flavors with the dal and barley giving it a hearty robust texture and taste. I would serve it with a chilled Rosé. The rosés of Provence go very well with tangy bouillabaisse type stews which are hearty and tangy which make them a perfect match for our Khichda too.

Another wine I like with this dish is an Australian Semillon which is a sweet , dry white with not too much acidity, that balances the robust flavors in this dish.

Side Bar:

If you want to make this a vegetarian dish you could use Paneer(cottage cheese) or baby corn instead of chicken.

October 17, 2017April 1, 2020

Curry ‘n’ Flava with Kavita Atul

So this was supposed to be the name for my blog initially but was rudely struck down by my L&M (Lord and Master) and the PKs (Prodigal kids). The general opinion (to put it mildly) was it sounds like ‘Korean Flavor’, go figure. But what do I, having stayed home for 20+ years know about the world and the way it turns, so I gave in and spent another 6 months looking for a new name – Salt as Needed. Miracle of miracles they approved, Bless my heart ! And the journey starts…….

In India when something is referred to as Curry or Kadhi it really means some kind of a gravy or ‘liquidy” dish made with either lentils, legumes,yogurt, veggies or a protein. Every region in India has their own version of a curry. Western India uses a lot of dry coconut,turmeric, cumin, coriander , jaggery or sugar with tamarind and kokum (Garcinia Indica) used to add acidity to the curry . In the North they use red chili powder, coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves along with tomatoes or yogurt to form their curries. . The South uses fresh coconut, black pepper,dry red chillies, coriander and cumin seeds with tamarind in their lentils and veggies. It is very interesting, in the East they use a lot of coconut milk but very few spices like mustard seeds, fennel seeds and black cumin with jalapeno peppers used for heat in their curries, relying more on the natural flavors of the veggies and protein and keeping it delicate. Growing up in India, the famous “Sindhi Kadhi”, laden with veggies in an aromatic lentil based tamarind and tomato broth, was a Sunday staple at my house (promise to share that recipe soon).

When I moved to the USA, I saw a lot of curry powder or Madras curry powder on grocery shelves that smelt and tasted nothing like what we used in Indian cooking. They were the English version of the curry powder, a leftover from their days of colonizing India- which like their Raj(rule)- they did a terrible job of.

So let me share with you my version of a Shrimp Curry that is like me, a lot of East and a little of the West :

Curried Shrimp garnished with crushed pappadums served with mini pita pockets

1 lb medium sized shrimp ( shelled and deveined) drained and dried on a paper towel

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic crushed

7-8 Curry Leaves* torn in half (see note)

1/2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tbsp curry powder ( recipe given below)

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp lemon juice

1-2 pappadums** crushed

6 Mini pocket Pitas

SALT AS NEEDED

Curry Powder or Garam Masala ( for Milder curries)

8 tsp Green Cardamoms seeds only

6 tsp Cumin Seeds

6 Tsp Peppercorns

1 tsp Cinnamon powder

1 tbsp Cloves

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

Dry roast all the ingredients (except the cinnamon powder)for the curry powder in a pan and grind or finely crush in a mortar and pestle. Store in an airtight bottle a cool place.

Heat oil in a flat bottomed pan, add the chopped onions and saute till translucent . Now add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Put in the red chilli powder, curry leaves, tomato paste, salt and cook on low flame stirring all the time for 5 minutes. Add a couple tbsp of water if required. Now increase the flame to medium and add the shrimp in a single layer cooking it for 2 minutes on each side. Take off the stove add lemon juice and sprinkle curry powder all over and lightly toss. The shrimp should be thickly coated with the tomato gravy and have no extra moisture.

Serving Suggestion:

Take a shallow platter or low bowl, pour the shrimps in the center and arrange pita triangles or baby pitas all around. Garnish the shrimp curry with crushed pappadums, giving the dish a variety of textures and tastes all in one bite. You could serve it with a side of sliced red onions too. Serve hot as an appetizer or entree.

HAPPY COOKING FROM KAVITA ATUL!!

Wine Pairing :

I paired this dish with the Pavao, Vinho Verde, a white from Portugal with crisp flavors and just the right acidity and and just enough sweetness to complement shellfish.

Side bar :

*You can find curry leaves, which have a strong citrusy/lemon grassy aroma, in Indian grocery stores but if unable to do so substitute with Basil or Parsley as both are mild herbs that would not overpower the sweetness of the shrimps.
Curry Leaves
**Pappadums are available in Indian grocery stores in various flavors- cumin, pepper, plain etc. choose any that look good to you. They are easy to cook in the microwave. Place them one at a time on a paper towel and cook them for 30 seconds on each side (cooking time may vary with different microwaves). They will crisp up and the way to check preparedness is by making sure there are no doughy parts left. Once again if you are not able to find them, crush plain potato chips and use instead.
Crisp pappadums
Pitas need to be toasted before serving too.
Mini Pita pockets

Saute Onions,Garlic Curry Leaves and Chilli Powder

Add Tomato paste

October 4, 2017November 21, 2019

A Suitable Food

My first blog ever! Excited … scared. Deal with it, human.

I watched a great film, A Suitable Girl at the recently concluded Chicago South Asian film festival (csaff.org) which traces the lives of 3 girls in India. Coming from varied socioeconomic backgrounds, all well educated and independent and the only thing in common- either desperately or reluctantly looking to get married within the arranged marriage framework. Beautifully nuanced, the makers set out to lay the facts as they are, without taking sides. What shocked me was that things are pretty much the same as they were eons ago for girls on the ‘marriage market’. Don’t want to give out too much about the movie so will stop here.

That got me thinking about the this past week when married women from India partially fasted for eight days on specially ordained foods during the festival of Navratri ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navaratri) presumably for the long lives of their husbands. One of those foods is the under rated Sweet Potato. Why not take this versatile root vegetable that coincidentally is also found on the Thanksgiving table and give it my own special twist. So from the kitchens of India to my lab (aka kitchen) I go, to perfect a recipe and bring to the tables here. I am going to try and keep the ingredients simple, healthy and easily available at the local grocery stores. Below is the fruit of my labor.

SWEET POTATOES WITH A PECAN AND COCONUT CRUMBLE

2 Sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1/4 ” roundels)

4-5 twigs of thyme

3 cinnamon sticks

4 tbsp Ghee/clarified butter (no Substitution please)*

CRUMBLE

Large handful of pecans crushed in a mortar and pestle

4 tbsp fresh or dry desiccated or grated coconut*

4 tbsp brown sugar

5 tbsp crushed oats

2 tbsp cold butter diced

2 tbsp flour (optional) *

Salt as Needed

Season the SP with a little salt and keep aside. In a flat bottomed pan put in the ghee, thyme and cinnamon sticks. On a low flame stir for a few minutes so that all the flavors are nicely infused into the ghee. Now in batches cook the SP on both sides till crisp(careful not to burn them). Transfer directly on to a pie dish(no greasing needed).

To prepare the crumble put all the ingredients along with the drippings from the pan (toss the thyme and cinnamon) into a bowl and mix well with a fork. The mixture will have a soft gooey texture which is fine.

Now spread it over the SP and bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve as a side dish or a healthy dessert.

HAPPY COOKING FROM KAVITA ATUL!

SIDEBARS:

Ghee is available in most grocery stores now but if you not want to purchase a whole bottle heat 3 tbsp of butter, on a low flame stir till it turns a golden brown and gives off a nutty, rich aroma. Now you can add the thyme etc and carry on.
If you cannot find fresh or fresh frozen use dry coconut but soak it in a couple tbsp cold milk for a few mins and then use as directed.
I used whole grain Teff flour, you could use white flour too.