On Silence

Just in case anyone was wondering why there are no new posts, I’m working on my PhD thesis, and it’s crunch time.

Thank you for your patience! I’ll be back.

Cabbage Sabzi

Use a large, wide pan like a wok or kadhai and keep the heat on high for best results. Do not cover the pan, or you will have too much water in the pan.

You need: 1/2 a head of cabbage; 1 tbsp oil; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper; 1/4 cup shredded coconut; salt to taste

How to:

1. Shred the cabbage.
2. Heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds and cayenne pepper. Stir quickly and add the cabbage.
3. Add the salt.
4. Stir the cabbage until it is just wilted.
5. Take off the heat.

This Curry Powder Business

I have to say this. I’ve said it before, and now I feel the need to say it again, in its own post.

Indian food (as cooked by Indians) doesn’t use “curry powder”. Curry powder is not an Indian spice. It’s probably something the Brits came up with to mimic the flavors of Indian food. But I’ve tried it, and it doesn’t. (So you can’t say I’m saying all this without even trying the darn thing). And no self-respecting Indian cook will use it either. Don’t believe me? Ask a chef. Suvir Saran was quite contemptuous of it on the Next Iron Chef.

So. If you want your food to taste ‘authentically’ Indian, or at least not taste like you’re trying to cook Indian food but you don’t really know what you’re doing, throw out the curry powder. Please. Here are two possible replacements, depending on what you’re trying to cook. For most North Indian dishes, garam masala is your basic masala. For South Indian dishes, you can use a variety of spices, but sambar masala (recipe forthcoming) or rasam podi are good bets. Unless you’re making kootu.

So yes, I’m snooty about this. So should you be. And if you use curry powder just because it’s easy to get, make your way to an India store and buy some garam masala. Or buy it online at http://www.ishopindian.com/.

And make that solemn promise – no more will you desecrate your Indian food by adding curry powder.

A Vegetarian Christmas Dinner

Merry Christmas to all of you!

It’s the 24th! What’s the plan for Christmas dinner? The OH has got plans for ham, but my plans are a little more elaborate. And yet, so simple!

Here’s what’s on the menu:

1. Cornbread dressing (because it’s so good and one shouldn’t have to eat it only on Thanksgiving)
2. Stuffed Acorn Squash

There’s only the two of us, so that’s quite enough for me. If you’re looking for other options, try some Celery Soup (you can also cook it on the stovetop), Delicata Rice,  Veggie-Feta Pot Pie, Baked Brie with Blueberry Chutney, or Paneer cutlets with Mango Chutney.

Happy Eating!

Rice Cooker Pulao

My mother keeps telling me to try this, so I experimented yesterday. Basically, you throw the vegetables in with the rice in the rice cooker and let it all cook together. It was pretty tasty, but one thing I did notice was that the vegetables were softer than I like. I started with frozen veggies, so that might have had something to do with it. All in all, though, time saver and very easy. I used frozen beans, cauliflower, and peas, and a fresh turnip and onion. I think I will try this with carrots and peas next time, and maybe potato and some other veggies. Maybe even dal.

You need: 1 cup rice of your choice; 2 cups mixed vegetables; 1 tbsp oil; 1 small onion; 1/2 tsp each cumin (jeera) and cayenne (lal mirch); 2 tsp garam masala; salt to taste

How to:

1. Chop the onion finely.
2. If you are using fresh vegetables, chop them into 1/4″ pieces. You can keep them together in a bowl.
3. Heat the oil. Add the cumin, cayenne, and garam masala when the oil is hot, and stir.
4. Add the onion. Stir.
5. When the onion is cooked, add the rest of the vegetables. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add the rice and stir well. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
7. Transfer to a rice cooker. Add enough water to cook the rice, plus 1 cup. Add salt and mix well.
8. Cover and set to “cook”.
9. Check to see if it is done. My pulao cooked before it switched to “warm”, and had started to catch on the bottom when I took it out.
10. Eat hot.

Cranberry Apple Sauce

You need: 1 bag fresh cranberries (about 2-3 cups); 1 sweet apple; 1 cup water; 1 cup sugar.

How to:

1. Peel and chop the apple into very small pieces.
2. Dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to a boil.
3. Add the cranberries and apple and stir.
4. Cover and cook on medium heat for about ten minutes, or until the sauce thickens. It will thicken more when cooled, so do factor that in.

Deviled Eggs

You need: 12 eggs; 4 tbsp mayonnaise; 2 tbsp horseradish; 2 tbsp mustard; to taste: salt, pepper, paprika

How to:

1. Hardboil the eggs. Place them in cold water. Once they are cooled, peel them. The easiest way to peel them, I have found, is to tap the wider end on a hard surface. There is often a little pocket of air there in a boiled egg, and the shell cracks easily without damaging the egg.
2. Cut them in half lengthwise, carefully. Place the yolks in a bowl, and line the whites in a pan or around a plate.
3. To the yolks add the rest of the ingredients except the paprika. Add them a bit at a time, to check flavor and consistency. The final mixture should be of a consistency that allows it to be piped, but not too runny.
4. Place the yolk mixture in a sandwich bag and seal the top. Cut a small piece off a corner, and use it like an icing bag, to pipe the yolk mixture into the whites. Shake the paprika on top when done.

For a different flavor, mix some dried dill into the eggs and skip the paprika. Or not.

Keep refrigerated until serving.

Veggie (Lentil) Loaf

You need: 1.5 cups yellow moong dal (lentils); 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped; 1 cup mixed bell peppers, finely chopped; 2 cups breadcrumbs; 2 tsp vinegar; 2 tsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp oil; to taste: salt, pepper, red chili flakes, basil, thyme, rosemary

How to:

1. Cook the lentils in just enough water so they are not runny when they are done (start with about about 3 cups of water and see if you need to add any more as it cooks).
2. Drain any remaining water. Do not throw it away – it is very healthy and can be used as a base for rasam or soup.
3. Sautee the onions and peppers.
4. In a bowl, mix the cooked dal with all the other ingredients except the bread. Mix well and refrigerate, preferably overnight, but at least a couple of hours. This will allow the dal to thicken further, and the flavors to set in.
5. Preheat oven to 350F. Mix in enough breadcrumbs in the dal to dry out the dal mixture without making it dense. It should still be moist. Like a sticky dough.
6. Place it in a loaf pan, or shape it into a loaf (if you can’t shape it, you need more breadcrumbs). Cover with foil. Bake in a hot oven at 350 F for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the foil and then bake for 10 minutes more.

Serve warm. Tastes delicious with Cranberry Apple Sauce.

Eggless Cornbread Dressing

This is adapted from my mother-in-law’s recipe. It’s simple, easy, and scrumptious.

You need: 4 cups crumbled cornbread (this version is eggless); 4 tbsps butter or margarine; 3 stalks celery; 1/2 a large onion; 1 cup vegetable broth; salt, pepper, and thyme to taste.

My vegetable stock had a habanero in it. If you are using non-spicy stock, you could add some heat to the cornbread with jalapenos or cayenne pepper.

How to:

1. Chop the onions and celery into very small pieces (easy in a food processor).
2. Sautee them in the butter, first onions then celery. Cook until well done.
3. Mix gently with the crumbled cornbread.Use a large fork or your hands.
4. Add enough broth to get the desired consistency. I prefer it to be slightly dry. Mix gently again.
5. Add salt and pepper, and serve warm.

Pumpkin Pie

We used canned pumpkin and followed the instructions on the can for the filling. This does contain egg, although I believe you can replace the egg with cornstarch. We added pumpkin pie spice instead of the mix of spices on the can.

Our crust recipe will make two pies. We do not make a top crust for the pie.

You need: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2/3 cup shortening (or butter, but shortening makes for better texture though it is unhealthier); 3/4 tsp salt; 1/3 cup cold water (as cold as you can get it).

How to:

1. Mix the salt and flour in a bowl.
2. Blend in the butter or shortening slowly, using a fork, until the mixture is crumbly (like breadcrumbs).
3. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and chill for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove from fridge. Add the water slowly, using a fork, maintaining a crumbly texture.
5. When you are ready to roll it out, squeeze it gently into a ball and roll it out on a floured surface. The trick is, when mixing the dough, not to blend it like you would cookie or cake dough, as this will affect the flavor. Be gentle with pie dough.
6. Roll out the dough and gently place it in a pie dish. Cut away any extra dough from the edges.
7. Fill with the pumpkin filling and bake at 425 F for fifteen minutes and then at 350 F for 40-50 minutes, on until a knife stuck in the center comes out clean.