No this is not angling for someone to buy me some of these items. However, I frequently get complaints from friends who like to cook. They go something like this:
"Hey Dino, my birthday's coming up!"
"That's great, (friend)! I hope you have a good time when your family and friends come over."
Fast forward to a few weeks later.
"Hey Dino. The birthday was a lot of fun, but now I have a whole bunch of garbage I have to get rid of somehow."
"Huh? Didn't you ask people not to bring gifts?"
"Yes, but my (well-meaning relative/friend) knows I love to cook, so they got me _________."
Here are some examples of the _________ that said friend of mine (or I) would find utterly useless:
- Electronic gadgets of all shapes and stripes that take up counter space, unless you know that the person specifically wanted that specific thing that you bought. This means that those electric ______ cookers are likely to be garbage. If it's an electric "sandwich cooker", an electric "pancake cooker", electric "cupcake maker" (no I'm serious; this is actually a thing), electric "doughnut maker", or other such thing which is basically two surfaces that get hot, it's likely going to end up in the closet, gathering dust. There are rare (very rare) exceptions to this rule, which I will go over.
- Knife sets. These are not only a waste of perfectly good steel on something that will promptly go dull in five minutes flat, but also a waste of money. A good cook will use maybe two knives at the most. One will be the chef's knife, which gets used all the time. One will be a serrated knife, which gets pulled out to cut bread. Aside from that, the paring knives, the vegetable knives, and all the other random knives that come in a set rarely get used. In my years of cooking, I've reached for a paring knife all of once, and that was to cut open a box. Avoid them like the plague.
- Cookware sets, UNLESS you know that the person specifically wants it. Anyone who likes cooking will have specific needs for their cookware. For me, I like relatively heavy bottomed pots, because most of my cooking involves things that can stick to the bottom. I don't make a lot of pasta or noodles, where the thinner stock pots with much larger sizes are good, because they boil the water much faster than my heavy pots. I've got my pressure cooker for heavy duty jobs, and I tend to use small pots for the rest of it. The total amount of pots and pans I use on a regular basis is 4: 1 cast iron skillet, 1 pressure cooker, 1 wok, 1 saucepan. Aside from that, I like having access to (but don't require) a stock pot as well. Even then, I can use my pressure cooker as a stock pot. If you get me cookware, I likely won't have space for it, and won't be able to use it.
- While I'm here, let me just discourage any kind of gadget that's meant to solve a problem that doesn't really exist. Those little mini choppers? They're useless, because anything that needs to be chopped in that quantity can be handled with a knife. An electric can opener is a bacterial disaster waiting to happen. Those pressing chopper things are equally garbage. The blades bend, and the thing becomes useless after the first time.
So what DO you get your cooking friend (aside from that Cusinart food processor, Kitchenaid stand mixer, or Vita-Mix blender)? Hopefully the following list will help guide you in shopping for a friend who enjoys cooking. This is NOT a comprehensive list. Let me know if you see something you would like that would fit this theme.
Silicon Baking Mats Anyone who cooks, even people who don't bake, loves the silicon baking mats, because they are durable, useful, and very easy to clean. You line your baking sheet with it, and your vegetables, cookies, or whatever else you want will lift right off of it without adding extra fat to the mats! They last for years, but do get discoloured and ugly, so people who know about them love them, and those who don't grow to love them.
Wooden Spoon but only this kind. Avoid the flimsy ones. They break, and get thrown away. You want this heavy duty kind, because wooden spoons are a pleasure to use when cooking. Unlike metal, which gets hot, wood can rest in the pot, and be OK.
Silicon Heat-Resistant Spatulas I reach for these almost every day, if not every day. They're inexpensive, and the shape of the head is such that it will reach all the way to the bottom of your dish that you're trying to scrape out. I've managed to get the last bits of peanut butter out of the jar with this spatula. My spice mixes never sit in the pan when I use this. It gets out every bit of oil, spice, and everything else. It's heat-resistant, so I can use it with my nonstick cookware to stir, or to flip pancakes and the like. I will always be happy to get these, because I love them so.
Amco Swing-Away Can Opener The absolute best can opener I have ever used. It opens cans, and can be put in the dishwasher with no trouble. Really, this is all you need. Even if someone has a can opener like this one, it will be loved to have a backup.
The Last Peeler You'll Buy Not really. They do go blunt after about four years or so, but for the price, they're well worth it. Something about using a brand new OXO peeler is just a pleasure. It makes you want to go out and peel things just because you can. It glides right through the skin, and you're left with perfectly peeled fruit or vegetables. Every other peeler I've used has been shoddily made, and dulls rather quickly. This is the only one I like.
Scissors Always handy to have around, even outside of the kitchen, and this particular brand is very sharp and long-lasting.
Side Towels These are useful, and can be endlessly customisable. You can get as nice or as inexpensive as you want, and they're something that really helps out around the kitchen.
Tongs But this particular set. So many are hard on the hands, and a pain to use. These are a dream.
Microplane This is one of those tools that every cook likes to have at least one of, because they're so useful for so many things. Nothing grates nutmeg quite so nicely. Ginger goes through very finely, and with no fibrous strings. Garlic comes out in delicate threads that disappear within a dressing. Chocolate comes out as these fine thin shavings that float atop your desserts. When you zest a citrus fruit, run the microplane over the fruit, and not the other way around. It'll go much more quickly. They also go dull after about a year or so of use, so having a fresh sharp one is always handy.
Winco Whisks Best I've ever used, and ever so handy to have around in all different sizes.
Slightly more expensive gifts
Anti Fatigue Mats Nobody whom I've known who owns a set of these goes a day without using them. They make your back feel so much nicer when standing on them versus on the bare floor.
Waffle Iron/Griddle This is the one exception to the "don't buy a thing with two hot surfaces that meet to make a random thing" rule. Why? Because it's really small, can double as a panini press, a griddle upon which to make pancakes, and the plates reverse to make waffles. EVEN THEN, I would still strongly suggest you ask the person if they'd like something like it, because chances are that they already have a favourite pan that they'd use for those same purposes.
Peugeot Pepper Mill Literally the best pepper mill I've ever used. The grind size is very easy to set, and the filling mechanism is a magnet that locks onto the top of it. Nothing has done such a good job as this one, and I've tried them all.
27 June 2014
21 February 2014
Found some photos
I found a bunch of family photos from way back when, and was about to take some to school with me to scan and upload, so I can share with you all. That's not going to happen.
The photos all suck.
Horrible lighting, no lighting, no subject, off centre, random parts cut off, and in general, random. They're supposed to give memories of the event itself, but I can't remember any of it.
On the one hand, I feel like I'm spoilt by the incredibly good cameras we carry on our phones. You can align everything quickly, and get a shot in no time. On the other hand, I feel like spending all that time taking photos was an utter waste. It really didn't help retain any of those memories. The stories, however, did.
Maybe it's time to stop obsessing over documenting every moment of every day, and just enjoy the days as they come?
The photos all suck.
Horrible lighting, no lighting, no subject, off centre, random parts cut off, and in general, random. They're supposed to give memories of the event itself, but I can't remember any of it.
On the one hand, I feel like I'm spoilt by the incredibly good cameras we carry on our phones. You can align everything quickly, and get a shot in no time. On the other hand, I feel like spending all that time taking photos was an utter waste. It really didn't help retain any of those memories. The stories, however, did.
Maybe it's time to stop obsessing over documenting every moment of every day, and just enjoy the days as they come?
02 February 2014
30 January 2014
Study break snack
I was a bit hungry after studying since 6:30 this morning. Made a snack with a bit of tofu, green beans, curry leaves, and standard spices of mustard seed, cumin seed, and turmeric. Really good. Back to work for me!
29 January 2014
Cooking on weekends
26 January 2014
Sooji for Upma in the Oven
Unroasted
Closeup of the grain
After 10 minutes, closeup. Notice the slightly darker colour of the individual grains.
Notice how the whole looks the same as the original. You have to look closely to see the subtle colour change.
Stir to redistribute the darker browned bits around the edges with the paler bits on the insides.
Notice the clumping? This is normal. It will go away with more roasting.
Stir, stir, stir. Then, put back in oven for 5 more minutes.
Tada! Roasted.
For sooji, put the stuff onto a cookie sheet in as thin a layer as possible. For a 4 lb bag, you should need about four home sized cookie trays (or two trays twice). Shake the pans gently to get the sooji in an even layer.
Bake at 200ºC (around 390ºF) for 10 minutes. Stir well to redistribute the browner edge bits with the paler inside bits. Bake an additional 5 minutes.
Done.
25 January 2014
Lunch
15 January 2014
More pongal rambling
Thai Pongal, which is the Tamil harvest festival, is (and I suspect always has been) my favourite holiday. Over the years, I've tasted many types of pongal. I'll say it right now: sweet pongal sucks. I hate it. There's something about having a giant bite of rice, and getting a shock to the system with this overwhelming sugar bomb that just turned me off of the stuff. Mind you, I don't care for sweets as a general rule, but chakkarai pongal (literally, sugar pongal) is horrible stuff. Absolute boatloads of sugar (usually jaggery, aka unrefined brown sugar), cardamom, cashews, raisins, and just a bit more sugar for good measure. Ugh.
That said, savoury pongal is a symphony of lovely things. You get the cumin seeds, the beans, the rice, the curry leaves, plenty of ground black pepper, and (in my house anyway) LOADS of freshly grated ginger. Amma's pongal will always be the best one, no matter how many times I've made it myself. It's not that the recipe is wildly different. Nor is it that the technique is all that different. I didn't learn how to make pongal on the Internet. I learned it by watching my mother. It's just something about your amma's pongal that you'll always love.
Even though I love hers, my own pongal is pretty amazing too. I'm a fair bit less shy with the fat, and I add a generous dose of sesame seeds, and roasted cashews. I love a bowl of piping hot pongal with a good helping of cold coconut chatni. I've had pongal made with moong daal, tuvar daal, split peas (yellow, of course), and even once with black eyed peas. They've all been delicious.
Much like the American thanksgiving, you get together with family and friends, eat plenty of food, and give thanks to the sun, the Earth, and each other for all the good things in life. It's a happy time, where you celebrate all that life has to offer. Frankly, I can think of few things as joyous as a bowl of pongal.
It's also a time to get rid of the old and bring in the new. This doesn't just apply to worn out clothes or other physical things. It also means that you take the time to really reflect on ideas and thoughts that are holding you back, and renew good things in life. You apologise for your transgressions against others, and forgive them for their transgressions against you. It's the time of year when you celebrate your joy in just being alive, and the simple pleasures.
I sent out an email yesterday to reconcile with a very important person. Fortunately, that person felt the same way. We decided to try again, and put the past behind us. I'm not a superstitious (or, to be honest, a religious) person. However, I think that putting myself in the mindset of the Pongal celebration helped to facilitate my new beginnings.
In case you missed the celebration yesterday, don't despair! Today is the second day of Pongal. You've got two more days after today. Go! Make pongal! Throw away your old, destructive thoughts, and bring in fresh ones that help you realise how wonderful it is to be on this planet. Share food with your loved ones. Share good stories, good times, and good wishes with everyone you meet. Celebrate!
That said, savoury pongal is a symphony of lovely things. You get the cumin seeds, the beans, the rice, the curry leaves, plenty of ground black pepper, and (in my house anyway) LOADS of freshly grated ginger. Amma's pongal will always be the best one, no matter how many times I've made it myself. It's not that the recipe is wildly different. Nor is it that the technique is all that different. I didn't learn how to make pongal on the Internet. I learned it by watching my mother. It's just something about your amma's pongal that you'll always love.
Even though I love hers, my own pongal is pretty amazing too. I'm a fair bit less shy with the fat, and I add a generous dose of sesame seeds, and roasted cashews. I love a bowl of piping hot pongal with a good helping of cold coconut chatni. I've had pongal made with moong daal, tuvar daal, split peas (yellow, of course), and even once with black eyed peas. They've all been delicious.
Much like the American thanksgiving, you get together with family and friends, eat plenty of food, and give thanks to the sun, the Earth, and each other for all the good things in life. It's a happy time, where you celebrate all that life has to offer. Frankly, I can think of few things as joyous as a bowl of pongal.
It's also a time to get rid of the old and bring in the new. This doesn't just apply to worn out clothes or other physical things. It also means that you take the time to really reflect on ideas and thoughts that are holding you back, and renew good things in life. You apologise for your transgressions against others, and forgive them for their transgressions against you. It's the time of year when you celebrate your joy in just being alive, and the simple pleasures.
I sent out an email yesterday to reconcile with a very important person. Fortunately, that person felt the same way. We decided to try again, and put the past behind us. I'm not a superstitious (or, to be honest, a religious) person. However, I think that putting myself in the mindset of the Pongal celebration helped to facilitate my new beginnings.
In case you missed the celebration yesterday, don't despair! Today is the second day of Pongal. You've got two more days after today. Go! Make pongal! Throw away your old, destructive thoughts, and bring in fresh ones that help you realise how wonderful it is to be on this planet. Share food with your loved ones. Share good stories, good times, and good wishes with everyone you meet. Celebrate!
14 January 2014
Pongal
This time, I didn't have any fresh ginger on hand, so I skipped it. I can buy some later when I hit up the market. I do have, however, boatloads of freshly ground black pepper, and curry leaves from the garden. In they both went!
I had some leftover avocado (I know that it's rare for that to happen, but it did), so I made a quick salad of chopped onion, tomato, avocado, and cucumber. I tossed it with lemon juice and ate it on the side. I've been having this insane craving for raw vegetables, so I'm happily complying with what my body is asking for.
Happy Pongal!
04 December 2013
Customer Disservice
Before I'll work with any company, I want to know that when I'm with them, I'll be taken care of. Even if my initial investment of money will be fairly small, I want to feel like they've got the infrastructure to support me when things go wrong. So far, Net10 has been struck off that list.
I tried to contact them with a question regarding some wording on their contract. Who reads the contract? This guy here. Why? Because I want to know what it is I'm getting myself into.
I used their web email form to let them have time to find someone who's competent, or can handle my situation, and get back to me. However, after trying to send the web form (as a non-existing customer, so it shouldn't require anything more than my name, my email, and my issue), and having the form error out every time, I clicked on the "live chat" option. Which had a 3 minute wait. Sigh.
I read this part of the porting contract, which said this:
That worried me. I don't like it when there are these sneaky clauses in contracts where they can jack up my rates for innocuous things like moving around a lot. If you're getting paid, shut up and take my money, and give me service.
So the agent starts copying and pasting giant chunks of the contract, that I've already read, stating that service is not guaranteed in all areas, bla bla bla. I explained that I'm not worried about coverage, because the map shows great coverage in all the places I'll be heading. More contract copy paste about how I can be denied service for any reason, and that roaming is not supported on Net10.
So I said, "Let me try again. Clearly I can't get frustrated with you if I'm not being clear enough."
I went slowly. "I'm living in New York. My phone number has a NYC area code. I can keep the billing address I'm in, because my friend(s) are happy to let me get my post at their place. That way, the billing zip code will match the phone's area code that I'm going to be porting from another company. What will extended travel do to my phone service? Will I be charged roaming?"
"Sam" replied, "We don't support roaming."
And then more copy paste about how service is not guaranteed in any area.
At that point, I knew that the people running this company are incompetent fools, because they let morons be the first line of defence to customers coming to their website for a live chat session. If this is how they are when I'm NOT giving them my money yet, and they want for me to do so, I shudder to think what'll happen if I am dumb enough to go through with getting their service. No thanks. The search continues.
I tried to contact them with a question regarding some wording on their contract. Who reads the contract? This guy here. Why? Because I want to know what it is I'm getting myself into.
I am currently with Sprint, and am looking to go with a monthly plan carrier. I've been satisfied with Sprint's customer service, because they have handled all my issues in a timely fashion. I would like to keep my phone number, because it's the one that almost 100 people have, and I really don't have the time to reach out to every single one to have them update their contact list.
I read on your terms of service that if the calling zip code doesn't match the area code for the phone, you would be considered roaming. I'm currently living in New York, NY but will be moving around very frequently for the upcoming year. I'll be in Florida for about four months, in Virginia for a couple of weeks, Phoenix AZ for a couple of months, and possibly California for a couple of weeks in the middle.
Because I'll not have a stable address (but will certainly have income and money with which to pay for my service), I'm not sure what will happen to me if I go through the time, expense, and headache of buying the SIM card kit, porting my phone number, and taking chances on an unknown service provider's customer service and phone coverage (I rarely talk on the phone, and usually text or use Internet) to be slapped with roaming charges would be upsetting, to say the least.
Essentially, I'm nervous, and want to be reassured that everything will be OK. My friend does live in my current address, and will let me continue to receive the post here for as long as I need, if that's any consideration?
Thanks
Dino
I used their web email form to let them have time to find someone who's competent, or can handle my situation, and get back to me. However, after trying to send the web form (as a non-existing customer, so it shouldn't require anything more than my name, my email, and my issue), and having the form error out every time, I clicked on the "live chat" option. Which had a 3 minute wait. Sigh.
I read this part of the porting contract, which said this:
If the ZIP Code associated to the phone number is not the ZIP Code for your local calling area your NET10 phone will be roaming in your local calling area.
That worried me. I don't like it when there are these sneaky clauses in contracts where they can jack up my rates for innocuous things like moving around a lot. If you're getting paid, shut up and take my money, and give me service.
So the agent starts copying and pasting giant chunks of the contract, that I've already read, stating that service is not guaranteed in all areas, bla bla bla. I explained that I'm not worried about coverage, because the map shows great coverage in all the places I'll be heading. More contract copy paste about how I can be denied service for any reason, and that roaming is not supported on Net10.
So I said, "Let me try again. Clearly I can't get frustrated with you if I'm not being clear enough."
I went slowly. "I'm living in New York. My phone number has a NYC area code. I can keep the billing address I'm in, because my friend(s) are happy to let me get my post at their place. That way, the billing zip code will match the phone's area code that I'm going to be porting from another company. What will extended travel do to my phone service? Will I be charged roaming?"
"Sam" replied, "We don't support roaming."
And then more copy paste about how service is not guaranteed in any area.
At that point, I knew that the people running this company are incompetent fools, because they let morons be the first line of defence to customers coming to their website for a live chat session. If this is how they are when I'm NOT giving them my money yet, and they want for me to do so, I shudder to think what'll happen if I am dumb enough to go through with getting their service. No thanks. The search continues.
13 November 2013
To whichever deity I've pissed off
25 July 2013
Everything looks so enticing.
A friend of mine was on the phone with a mutual acquaintance. He was talking about the times he comes over to my place to have a meal. "Every time I've gone there, everything is so pretty, and different. It looks so enticing." I think that's the nicest thing someone's said to me.
I don't really spend too much thought or effort on presentation, such as garnishing a plate, or making the dish that I serve the food in look attractive. I tend to finish cooking the dish, and serve it in whatever is most convenient for me. Sometimes, it'll be served in the dish it's cooked in. Other times, it'll be the tupperware that I want to put the food away in. I don't actually have specific serving dishes, because I don't have the space for all that stuff in my home.
That said, I do like to make the food itself look uniform. I tend to chop my vegetables on the smaller side, so that if there are multiple vegetables in a particular dish, each spoonful will have a bit of everything on it. I also tend to make smaller quantities, but larger varieties. I find that having more choices of things to eat makes it more fun for the person eating. You can try a little nibble of this or that, and more or less find what works for your tastes. Some dishes will be spicier than others, some will be lighter, some will be raw. All of them work fine with each other, or separately.
What I'm getting at is that you too can make your food interesting by trying some of those techniques out. Cut food uniformly, into about 1 1/2 - 2 cm cubes. Try to have a large variety, but don't try to make such a huge quantity that you're spending hours preparing one dish. Make things work together. That way, regardless of what someone prefers, they'll still have an excellent meal.
I don't really spend too much thought or effort on presentation, such as garnishing a plate, or making the dish that I serve the food in look attractive. I tend to finish cooking the dish, and serve it in whatever is most convenient for me. Sometimes, it'll be served in the dish it's cooked in. Other times, it'll be the tupperware that I want to put the food away in. I don't actually have specific serving dishes, because I don't have the space for all that stuff in my home.
That said, I do like to make the food itself look uniform. I tend to chop my vegetables on the smaller side, so that if there are multiple vegetables in a particular dish, each spoonful will have a bit of everything on it. I also tend to make smaller quantities, but larger varieties. I find that having more choices of things to eat makes it more fun for the person eating. You can try a little nibble of this or that, and more or less find what works for your tastes. Some dishes will be spicier than others, some will be lighter, some will be raw. All of them work fine with each other, or separately.
What I'm getting at is that you too can make your food interesting by trying some of those techniques out. Cut food uniformly, into about 1 1/2 - 2 cm cubes. Try to have a large variety, but don't try to make such a huge quantity that you're spending hours preparing one dish. Make things work together. That way, regardless of what someone prefers, they'll still have an excellent meal.
20 July 2013
Dosa
Made from idli rice, cornmeal, and urad daal. Chatni is green because of the mass of curry leaves. 
30 June 2013
4th of July, Salads, Mayo, Dressings
Videos from my cooking demo in Madison, WI.
Soy Milk Mayo
1/3 cup Soy Milk
3/4 tsp cider or distilled vinegar
2/3 cup canola oil
Salt, to taste
Seasonings, to taste
In the blending container, add the soy milk and vinegar, and mix with an immersion blender. Add the canola oil, and make a plunging motion with it to get all the ingredients emulsified.
Fat Free Chickpea Dressing
1 16-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 ½ TB sweet white miso (chickpea miso is fine too)
4 TB nutritional yeast
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder (I prefer granulated onion powder, but use whatever you like)
2 tsp cheap yellow mustard
¼ cup lemon juice OR 2 TB cider vinegar
Salt, to taste
3 cups water, reserved
In the jar of a blender, combine the chickpeas, miso, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, mustard, and salt. Add about 1 ½ cups of the reserved water, and blend on high. Continue adding water as needed, until the chickpeas are all ground to a puree.
If you'd like to email me (either in a text email, or to send a voice recording that you want me to play on the next episode), send an email to altveg at me dot com.
Soy Milk Mayo
1/3 cup Soy Milk
3/4 tsp cider or distilled vinegar
2/3 cup canola oil
Salt, to taste
Seasonings, to taste
In the blending container, add the soy milk and vinegar, and mix with an immersion blender. Add the canola oil, and make a plunging motion with it to get all the ingredients emulsified.
Fat Free Chickpea Dressing
1 16-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 ½ TB sweet white miso (chickpea miso is fine too)
4 TB nutritional yeast
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder (I prefer granulated onion powder, but use whatever you like)
2 tsp cheap yellow mustard
¼ cup lemon juice OR 2 TB cider vinegar
Salt, to taste
3 cups water, reserved
In the jar of a blender, combine the chickpeas, miso, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, mustard, and salt. Add about 1 ½ cups of the reserved water, and blend on high. Continue adding water as needed, until the chickpeas are all ground to a puree.
If you'd like to email me (either in a text email, or to send a voice recording that you want me to play on the next episode), send an email to altveg at me dot com.
04 May 2013
26 April 2013
Flash Gaajar Halva
The traditional version of this recipe involves large quantities of dairy, huge tubs of sugar, and ages of time spent in boiling, reducing, and stirring, along with plenty of anxiety about not burning the whole mess. This version takes about ten minutes or so. My friends Anjali and Rehmah were at my house, eating lunch. Someone mentioned sweets of some sort, and Rehmah instantly got a craving for some kind of sweet. I didn't have much else in the house, so I knocked this version out very quickly, both to calm Rehmah's cravings, and to make sure that Anjali got to taste some too (as she was about to head out for a hot date that night).
The name was not my idea. It was Rehmah's.
For the record, you had a Pakistani lady (Rehmah) and a Punjabi lady (Anjali) who loved how the dish turned out. That's how I knew it was a keeper.
1 pound carrots, grated
1 TB neutral flavoured oil (peanut, canola, corn)
2 cardamom pods, crushed
3 TB granulated sugar
1 1/2 TB cornstarch
2 cups coconut milk
In a pot, combine the carrots, oil, and cardamom. Sautee the carrots over high heat, until they are softened. While the carrots cook, whisk together the cornstarch and the coconut milk.
Once the carrots are softened, add the sugar, and stir it through. The sugar will melt rather quickly, and get caramelised. The carrots will turn a slightly darker colour too. This is what you want to happen, so don't worry when it happens.
Once the sugar is caramelised and lightly browned, add the coconut milk and cornstarch mixture. Bring the liquid to a full rushing boil, and continue to boil for one minute with constant stirring. Turn off the heat, and allow to cool down to room temperature before serving.
08 April 2013
I can see the sun!
It's been an atrocious winter thus far, and I'm so glad to see the sun out again. It gave me such a boost this morning. And then, to be able to open up the windows wide, and let the fresh air in was even nicer. I didn't have to wear that heavy winter coat I've been running around in for the past six months.
Until I moved up to the North, I never understood why people got into such a funk around the end of the year. I loved it. It meant cooler weather, lots of vacation time at school, and plenty of friends around (when you live in Florida, people come to your state for vacation, not the other way around). Then my first winter hit, which I thought was bad. It was all over by late February, and I thought I'd never see sunlight again. The winter didn't even start in earnest until late November, and it ended in February. I thought I understood what winter really meant.
And then we got hit with that snowpocalypse in 2009 AND 2010. Yipes! And then this year hit, with the hurricane, snowstorms, and relentless cold. And I do mean relentless. I would spend weeks without seeing the sun, because it'd be all overcast and gloomy out. The weather would plummet to below freezing temperatures, the wind would blow, and it just seemed to go on and on. March rolled around, and I thought I'd have a moment of respite. No such luck. It kept being cold and gloomy.
On Friday, I headed out to Virginia to see Amma, my brother, his wife, the nephews and niece (Amma brought my sister's son along with her on this trip, so he was there too), and their friends who also popped in for a visit. It was sunny and beautiful the entire weekend, even though none of us could be fussed to leave the house. Instead, we rested, cooked, and talked. It was nice. I came back to New York, after sitting in traffic for two hours (seriously, Baltimore, where did you all need to be that everyone was on the road!?) really late at night, so it was already a bit nippy out. But this morning, I woke up, and the sun was streaming in through all the windows. It was glorious.
Until I moved up to the North, I never understood why people got into such a funk around the end of the year. I loved it. It meant cooler weather, lots of vacation time at school, and plenty of friends around (when you live in Florida, people come to your state for vacation, not the other way around). Then my first winter hit, which I thought was bad. It was all over by late February, and I thought I'd never see sunlight again. The winter didn't even start in earnest until late November, and it ended in February. I thought I understood what winter really meant.
And then we got hit with that snowpocalypse in 2009 AND 2010. Yipes! And then this year hit, with the hurricane, snowstorms, and relentless cold. And I do mean relentless. I would spend weeks without seeing the sun, because it'd be all overcast and gloomy out. The weather would plummet to below freezing temperatures, the wind would blow, and it just seemed to go on and on. March rolled around, and I thought I'd have a moment of respite. No such luck. It kept being cold and gloomy.
On Friday, I headed out to Virginia to see Amma, my brother, his wife, the nephews and niece (Amma brought my sister's son along with her on this trip, so he was there too), and their friends who also popped in for a visit. It was sunny and beautiful the entire weekend, even though none of us could be fussed to leave the house. Instead, we rested, cooked, and talked. It was nice. I came back to New York, after sitting in traffic for two hours (seriously, Baltimore, where did you all need to be that everyone was on the road!?) really late at night, so it was already a bit nippy out. But this morning, I woke up, and the sun was streaming in through all the windows. It was glorious.
31 March 2013
Yeast Belgian Waffles
2 cups all purpose flour
3 TB cornstarch
1 cup water, microwaved for 1 minute
3/4 cups soy OR almond OR coconut milk, microwaved for 1 minute
1/2 packet (2 tsp) yeast
3 TB sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp salt
SET ASIDE
1 TB vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
In a bowl, combine the water, almond milk, and sugar. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved. If the liquid is body heat, whisk in the yeast. If it's too hot, add the canola oil, and then add the yeast. Either way, get the yeast dissolved. Then, add the flour, cornstarch, canola oil, and salt. Let set covered with plastic wrap for 1 hour, in a warm place (or over a bowl of warm water, if you don't have a warm place). The dough will have doubled in size. If the dough is not doubled in size, let it hang out a bit longer, until it is.
Once the dough is doubled in volume, heat your waffle iron. When the iron is hot, spray it with cooking spray, or brush on some oil. Then, dissolve the baking powder in the vanilla extract. Beat the slurry through the dough. Then, ladle on however much waffle batter your waffle iron needs. Mine needs about 3/4 cup. This will rise a lot, so don't overfill.
Bake on medium heat, if your waffle iron lets you set the heat. Serve piping hot.
These are very easy to split in half, and slather generously with jam, peanut butter, melted chocolate, or whatever combination you can come up with. Eat it like a sandwich. This way, the crispy part on the outside remains crispy, while the pillowy fluffy part inside gets soaked in delicious sweetness.
18 March 2013
Quick Guest-Pleasing Pantry Staples
There's a few things that I like to keep on hand at all times, in case of unexpected visitors (or, in some cases, visitors that I forgot we're having). Today's podcast explores that.
14 March 2013
So they want me to speak.
IN MADISON!
I don't know what prompted it, but apparently, there are people out there that enjoy my food so much that they want me to appear in person to talk about it. In person! So they're flying me out to Madison, Wisconsin for their Mad City Vegan Fest (this is their third year doing the 'fest). They want me to do a cooking demo. I'll get to stay with a local person who doesn't mind having me hang out there (I prefer to stay in a home versus a hotel, because something about a hotel feels so sterile and distant), for which I offered to cook in return. Hopefully my food makes the space I take up worth their while (I'm guessing that it will).
I'm speechless (not for the demo, just in general). Seriously. Being the weird kid at school, who brought smelly food (it smelled amazing to me, because it was redolent with spices, garlic, onion, and ginger, instead of that horrible meat smell that everyone else had from their tuna sandwiches or lunch meat on white bread), and sat alone at lunch will never prepare you for being that guy whose house people want to come visit, because he cooks so well. Puppy said the other day that he had a friend ask him, "So what would it take to wrangle an invite to your house for dinner?" I was pleasantly shocked.
I'm looking forward to going to a new city in a state that I've never visited before. This will be my first time in Wisconsin, and I look forward to it. From what I can see from the emails I've gotten from fans in Wisconsin, as well as the emails from the organisers for Mad City Vegan Fest, the people are really friendly (I guess that's why they call it America's heartland, right Greg Proops?) and welcoming. If anyone's going to be in the area, I'd encourage you to check out the festival. It looks like lots of fun!
Most of all, I'm looking forward to getting the word out there that vegan food can be interesting without fake meats and the like. It relies on fresh produce, whole grains, seeds, nuts, spices, herbs, and lots of lovely colour and taste. Even if I don't get anyone on board completely, I do hope to encourage people to try something a little different.
Now. The most important question. What should I make?
I don't know what prompted it, but apparently, there are people out there that enjoy my food so much that they want me to appear in person to talk about it. In person! So they're flying me out to Madison, Wisconsin for their Mad City Vegan Fest (this is their third year doing the 'fest). They want me to do a cooking demo. I'll get to stay with a local person who doesn't mind having me hang out there (I prefer to stay in a home versus a hotel, because something about a hotel feels so sterile and distant), for which I offered to cook in return. Hopefully my food makes the space I take up worth their while (I'm guessing that it will).
I'm speechless (not for the demo, just in general). Seriously. Being the weird kid at school, who brought smelly food (it smelled amazing to me, because it was redolent with spices, garlic, onion, and ginger, instead of that horrible meat smell that everyone else had from their tuna sandwiches or lunch meat on white bread), and sat alone at lunch will never prepare you for being that guy whose house people want to come visit, because he cooks so well. Puppy said the other day that he had a friend ask him, "So what would it take to wrangle an invite to your house for dinner?" I was pleasantly shocked.
I'm looking forward to going to a new city in a state that I've never visited before. This will be my first time in Wisconsin, and I look forward to it. From what I can see from the emails I've gotten from fans in Wisconsin, as well as the emails from the organisers for Mad City Vegan Fest, the people are really friendly (I guess that's why they call it America's heartland, right Greg Proops?) and welcoming. If anyone's going to be in the area, I'd encourage you to check out the festival. It looks like lots of fun!
Most of all, I'm looking forward to getting the word out there that vegan food can be interesting without fake meats and the like. It relies on fresh produce, whole grains, seeds, nuts, spices, herbs, and lots of lovely colour and taste. Even if I don't get anyone on board completely, I do hope to encourage people to try something a little different.
Now. The most important question. What should I make?
04 February 2013
17 January 2013
Self Call-out
I knew that this was coming, so I shouldn't exactly be surprised. It's filthy outside, between the blistering cold and the overcast days. The sun hasn't properly shined in longer than I care to remember. As the wind blows harder, I turn more inwards. It's like clockwork. The cold weather hits with a vengeance, and I start going into full hermit mode.
And it's not that I dislike being with people. I'm generally happy when I'm around people whose company I enjoy. It's why I love working where I do--I genuinely like the people I work with, and being there is a pleasure and not a pain. Same thing goes for visiting my friends, having friends come visit me, being close with my husband, spending time with him, and doing things people-related.
All those feelings are fleeing. I'm finding reasons to cut things short. To go home early. To get off from work at the very moment that I start feeling a little shaky. The worst is that I know there's more to be done, and I'd like to have a few minutes at the end of the day to review with my boss, but I feel so frayed at the edges that I just want to be out of there as fast as I can, so I can huddle under my covers and pretend that I never woke up. I can even feel the threads of my grip on things start to come unravelled, and I know that if I don't make a quick exit, I'm going to have some kind of emotional, sobbing meltdown.
I get home, I make dinner, I talk to my husband for a few minutes, and then I retreat from everything. Either I'll read or do something else that doesn't involve being with others.
To get past this, I'm really pushing myself to have people over. Last week, we had friends from the neighbourhood come to hang out on Thursday. Then on Saturday, my boss and his son came over to hang out for a bit. So far, this week has been more or less solitary, but Saturday I'm going to teach a cooking class to a very lovely lady. Then next weekend, starting Friday early in the morning, Puppy and I are going to Virginia to visit my brother and sister.
I'm hoping really hard that it ends up being sunny out there, because these overcast days have me in a pretty nasty funk that I'm really ready to be over already.
And it's not that I dislike being with people. I'm generally happy when I'm around people whose company I enjoy. It's why I love working where I do--I genuinely like the people I work with, and being there is a pleasure and not a pain. Same thing goes for visiting my friends, having friends come visit me, being close with my husband, spending time with him, and doing things people-related.
All those feelings are fleeing. I'm finding reasons to cut things short. To go home early. To get off from work at the very moment that I start feeling a little shaky. The worst is that I know there's more to be done, and I'd like to have a few minutes at the end of the day to review with my boss, but I feel so frayed at the edges that I just want to be out of there as fast as I can, so I can huddle under my covers and pretend that I never woke up. I can even feel the threads of my grip on things start to come unravelled, and I know that if I don't make a quick exit, I'm going to have some kind of emotional, sobbing meltdown.
I get home, I make dinner, I talk to my husband for a few minutes, and then I retreat from everything. Either I'll read or do something else that doesn't involve being with others.
To get past this, I'm really pushing myself to have people over. Last week, we had friends from the neighbourhood come to hang out on Thursday. Then on Saturday, my boss and his son came over to hang out for a bit. So far, this week has been more or less solitary, but Saturday I'm going to teach a cooking class to a very lovely lady. Then next weekend, starting Friday early in the morning, Puppy and I are going to Virginia to visit my brother and sister.
I'm hoping really hard that it ends up being sunny out there, because these overcast days have me in a pretty nasty funk that I'm really ready to be over already.
Greens Mixed Rice
Kalantha saadam (literally "mixed rice") is a delicious group of South Indian dishes, that include lemon rice, tomato rice, coconut rice, and tamarind rice. This one isn't quite so common, but I still found it to be delicious. If you're looking to develop your own type of kalantha saadam, here are some considerations:
1) The rice should be separate and fluffy. It's why I frequently call for basmati rice in these specific recipes.
2) The dish itself should end up dry. Even in the case of tomato rice, where you have a fair bit of wet ingredients (i.e., fresh tomato), you still want to cook the spice mix down until the liquid evaporates enough to make the rice stay fluffy, dry, and separate. Mushy or wet kalantha saadam is an embarrassment. If it ever happens to you, add a bunch of other vegetables, and call it something else.
3) Nuts are always appreciated. No exceptions (unless you have some kind of horrible allergy).
4) Curry leaves are nice to have, but aren't strictly required. If you can't find it, leave it out.
5) You're focusing on the /rice/ and anything else that is with it is a condiment. That is, the bulk of the dish should be rice. The spice blend is a seasoning.
6) These are all my own opinions. If you show this to another Indian, they'll likely nod along to a couple of points, and then scream and rage with fury at the rest. This is the beauty of the food of my country. It's varied in the extreme, while still being delicious. Everyone who cooks (and frequently, even those who eat) will have strong opinions on how it should be done. That is OK.
This is a picture of what it looks like. (Please click the small picture to see the bigger version.) Notice how the rice dominates the whole thing.This is good. This is but my own version; where you can substitute, I have made notes. In this version, I skipped the nuts, but I added a large handful of curry leaves, and a few heaping tablespoons of dried fenugreek leaves. You may also add dill, cilantro, parsley, basil, or any other fresh herbs you like.
4 cups cooked rice
1 bunch collard greens (you can also use kale, any fresh herbs of your liking, or spinach. if using spinach, don't microwave. I used collard greens, curry leaves, and fenugreek leaves)
1/3 cup water
1 onion
1 TB canola oil (peanut, or other vegetable oils are fine too)
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp urad daal
1/2 tsp cumin seed
3 tsp sesame seed (optional)
1/4 cup roasted nuts (optional)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric
Chop the greens (but not the herbs) roughly. In a large microwave safe container, add the water and the greens. Microwave for 6 minutes, until lightly wilted.
While the greens cook, chop the onion, and gather your spices. Heat up your wok over high heat. Add the oil, and let it get hot. Add the mustard seeds, and let them pop. Add the urad daal, cumin seeds, and sesame seeds. Let the cumin and sesame seeds pop. You might want to use your lid, because they will violently pop all over the place. Once the popping subsides, add your onions, and drop down the heat to medium (so the onions don't burn).
When the greens are wilted, chop as finely as you can with the chopping blade of your food processor. Don't add the water from the steaming unless you absolutely need it. Because they've wilted down, you should be able to fit the entire bunch of collard greens along with any herbs you like into a 7-cup food processor (which is the kind I have). This will make short work of the greens. Chop until finely processed.
Crank up the heat of the wok to as high as it'll go. Add the greens, some turmeric powder, red pepper flakes, and the roasted nuts. Toss to combine with the spices, and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, and toss the greens with the cooked rice.
Serve piping hot, with any vegetable side that you like.
1) The rice should be separate and fluffy. It's why I frequently call for basmati rice in these specific recipes.
2) The dish itself should end up dry. Even in the case of tomato rice, where you have a fair bit of wet ingredients (i.e., fresh tomato), you still want to cook the spice mix down until the liquid evaporates enough to make the rice stay fluffy, dry, and separate. Mushy or wet kalantha saadam is an embarrassment. If it ever happens to you, add a bunch of other vegetables, and call it something else.
3) Nuts are always appreciated. No exceptions (unless you have some kind of horrible allergy).
4) Curry leaves are nice to have, but aren't strictly required. If you can't find it, leave it out.
5) You're focusing on the /rice/ and anything else that is with it is a condiment. That is, the bulk of the dish should be rice. The spice blend is a seasoning.
6) These are all my own opinions. If you show this to another Indian, they'll likely nod along to a couple of points, and then scream and rage with fury at the rest. This is the beauty of the food of my country. It's varied in the extreme, while still being delicious. Everyone who cooks (and frequently, even those who eat) will have strong opinions on how it should be done. That is OK.
This is a picture of what it looks like. (Please click the small picture to see the bigger version.) Notice how the rice dominates the whole thing.This is good. This is but my own version; where you can substitute, I have made notes. In this version, I skipped the nuts, but I added a large handful of curry leaves, and a few heaping tablespoons of dried fenugreek leaves. You may also add dill, cilantro, parsley, basil, or any other fresh herbs you like.
4 cups cooked rice
1 bunch collard greens (you can also use kale, any fresh herbs of your liking, or spinach. if using spinach, don't microwave. I used collard greens, curry leaves, and fenugreek leaves)
1/3 cup water
1 onion
1 TB canola oil (peanut, or other vegetable oils are fine too)
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp urad daal
1/2 tsp cumin seed
3 tsp sesame seed (optional)
1/4 cup roasted nuts (optional)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp turmeric
Chop the greens (but not the herbs) roughly. In a large microwave safe container, add the water and the greens. Microwave for 6 minutes, until lightly wilted.
While the greens cook, chop the onion, and gather your spices. Heat up your wok over high heat. Add the oil, and let it get hot. Add the mustard seeds, and let them pop. Add the urad daal, cumin seeds, and sesame seeds. Let the cumin and sesame seeds pop. You might want to use your lid, because they will violently pop all over the place. Once the popping subsides, add your onions, and drop down the heat to medium (so the onions don't burn).
When the greens are wilted, chop as finely as you can with the chopping blade of your food processor. Don't add the water from the steaming unless you absolutely need it. Because they've wilted down, you should be able to fit the entire bunch of collard greens along with any herbs you like into a 7-cup food processor (which is the kind I have). This will make short work of the greens. Chop until finely processed.
Crank up the heat of the wok to as high as it'll go. Add the greens, some turmeric powder, red pepper flakes, and the roasted nuts. Toss to combine with the spices, and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, and toss the greens with the cooked rice.
Serve piping hot, with any vegetable side that you like.
16 January 2013
Sprouts
I don't have cheesecloth. I don't have a large jar. I do have plenty of tupperware though. Not the cheapo kind that's "disposable" (and there's a misnomer if ever I heard one; you go to any thrift store or yard sale, and I guarantee that you'll find actual tupperware cheaper than that stuff they sell as disposable), but the actual kind with those lids that are flexible. This is important, so stay with me.
What I did was that I started with 1/2 cup of mung beans, and soaked them in 3 cups of water overnight (8 - 10 hours). The next morning, I drained off the liquid, and rinsed them well under running water. Then, I threw it into a square tupperware container, and only locked down two corners of the lid. I kept the other two open. This will work with pretty much any container you have. Just leave the lid propped open somewhat. I used a tupperware, but you can use a pot with a slightly ajar lid. For the next three days, you'll need to rinse your sprouts at least once a day. You'll want to keep your container in a warm place that won't see much light. I used the cupboard under my sink. I vaguely recall that when you do expose them to light, you'd get some pretty foul smells going.
Anyway. Once all that's done, you'll have beautiful long sprouts from your beans. The point is that regardless of whether or not you've got the things lying around that most people say you need to make sprouts. When I read those instructions online, I tend to mentally shut down, and say "Well, that's me then. No cheesecloth, so I don't have to bother."
But you should bother. In the winter, when the days are all short and horrible, and it gets dark by 5:00, you need things in your diet that are rich in nutrients. Take the mung bean sprouts. A cup of the stuff has like 30 calories, and has all kinds of vitamins and minerals in it. It's got fibre, it's got protein, and vitamin C. Seriously, you can't go wrong. That said, if you really can't be bothered to sprout your own beans, even though I've just told you how easy it is, just go buy them. Eat your sprouts either way.
Bean Sprout Salad
1 cup of bean sprouts, rinsed
1 lemon, juiced (or 3 TB lemon juice)
1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
Big pinch cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste
In a skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the mustard seeds, and allow them to pop. Add the cumin seeds and sesame seeds, and turn off the heat. They will pop in the residual heat. Add the bean sprouts, lemon juice, and cayenne. Toss to combine with the seasoning and juice.
This dish is done lightning fast, and tastes very good. Because the sprouts are so tender, they don't really need to be cooked. A gentle warming through does the job.
What I did was that I started with 1/2 cup of mung beans, and soaked them in 3 cups of water overnight (8 - 10 hours). The next morning, I drained off the liquid, and rinsed them well under running water. Then, I threw it into a square tupperware container, and only locked down two corners of the lid. I kept the other two open. This will work with pretty much any container you have. Just leave the lid propped open somewhat. I used a tupperware, but you can use a pot with a slightly ajar lid. For the next three days, you'll need to rinse your sprouts at least once a day. You'll want to keep your container in a warm place that won't see much light. I used the cupboard under my sink. I vaguely recall that when you do expose them to light, you'd get some pretty foul smells going.
Anyway. Once all that's done, you'll have beautiful long sprouts from your beans. The point is that regardless of whether or not you've got the things lying around that most people say you need to make sprouts. When I read those instructions online, I tend to mentally shut down, and say "Well, that's me then. No cheesecloth, so I don't have to bother."
But you should bother. In the winter, when the days are all short and horrible, and it gets dark by 5:00, you need things in your diet that are rich in nutrients. Take the mung bean sprouts. A cup of the stuff has like 30 calories, and has all kinds of vitamins and minerals in it. It's got fibre, it's got protein, and vitamin C. Seriously, you can't go wrong. That said, if you really can't be bothered to sprout your own beans, even though I've just told you how easy it is, just go buy them. Eat your sprouts either way.
Bean Sprout Salad
1 cup of bean sprouts, rinsed
1 lemon, juiced (or 3 TB lemon juice)
1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
Big pinch cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste
In a skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the mustard seeds, and allow them to pop. Add the cumin seeds and sesame seeds, and turn off the heat. They will pop in the residual heat. Add the bean sprouts, lemon juice, and cayenne. Toss to combine with the seasoning and juice.
This dish is done lightning fast, and tastes very good. Because the sprouts are so tender, they don't really need to be cooked. A gentle warming through does the job.
15 January 2013
Quick "Tomato Sauce"
Yes, I'm using scare quotes around tomato sauce. Why? Because I don't want to get (1) angry letters from chefs or (2) death threats from Italians who know what real tomato sauce is. Why am I posting it then? Because it's really really quick, and still serviceable. I noticed one day that I was looking for a cheap tomato sauce in a jar, because I was tired after work, and wanted to make a quick dinner. However, I read the ingredients, and they were water, tomato paste, spices, modified food starch, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated cottonseed, canola, or soybean oil, and salt. I have no objection to salt. I love it. I also like tomato paste. But what the heck is modified food starch? Why are they using partially hydrogenated oil? And why the heck does my savoury tomato sauce need high fructose corn syrup? I HATE sweet sauces for pasta.
So, I got to thinking that if I were to make my own version, I'd use real tomatoes (or tinned diced tomatoes) along with the tomato paste, some spices, a bit of oil, and corn starch to thicken it up if necessary. Fast forward to tonight, when I opened the pantry to see that there was no diced tomato to be found. Drat. Also, I'm out of olive oil, and I'm not about to buy any more in the near future. Double drat. Also, it was past 8:00. I didn't want to make a trip to the store, because I was hungry right then, and didn't want to put back on my shoes and coat, go all the way down the four flights of stairs, and walk across the street to the dollar store to grab some tinned diced tomato. So I improvised.
I will repeat myself: this is not authentic tomato sauce. It most closely resembles a flavourful version of the jarred stuff. It's also really quick. The gin was there because I have it around the house. I don't care for vodka, and generally, wine doesn't last but a day, because if I have a bottle of wine, I'm calling friends over to help drink it. Also, gin has all kinds of botanicals in it, giving the final sauce a really nice flavour. Trust me. Use the gin. All said and done, this barely took 10 minutes or so, including chopping time. It's a lot cheaper (for me) to buy a large can of tomato paste, and make this sauce at home than it would be to spend $3+ for a jar of the sugar filled one from the store. It was also really quick.
1 TB vegetable oil of your liking
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup gin (substitute water if you don't have gin)
1 cup water
2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup of water from the ingredient above this one
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
In a pot, heat up the oil and the onion. While the onion cooks, add the oregano, red pepper flakes, and thyme. When the onion cooks through and is softened, add the tomato paste, and stir well. Cook over high heat for about two minutes or so. You want the raw taste of the tomato to cook out, and the paste itself to lightly coat the bottom of the pot.
When you have some coating going on, throw in the gin. The tomato and gin will smell pretty great. Add about 3/4 of the water (using the last 1/4 cup or so to dissolve the cornstarch). Add the garlic powder, and stir well. Let the water come to a boil, and let it boil for about five minutes. Keep boiling, and add the cornstarch dissolved in water. Let the whole sauce come up to the boil for about a minute, until it thickens to your needs. Toss with 1 lb of pasta.
So, I got to thinking that if I were to make my own version, I'd use real tomatoes (or tinned diced tomatoes) along with the tomato paste, some spices, a bit of oil, and corn starch to thicken it up if necessary. Fast forward to tonight, when I opened the pantry to see that there was no diced tomato to be found. Drat. Also, I'm out of olive oil, and I'm not about to buy any more in the near future. Double drat. Also, it was past 8:00. I didn't want to make a trip to the store, because I was hungry right then, and didn't want to put back on my shoes and coat, go all the way down the four flights of stairs, and walk across the street to the dollar store to grab some tinned diced tomato. So I improvised.
I will repeat myself: this is not authentic tomato sauce. It most closely resembles a flavourful version of the jarred stuff. It's also really quick. The gin was there because I have it around the house. I don't care for vodka, and generally, wine doesn't last but a day, because if I have a bottle of wine, I'm calling friends over to help drink it. Also, gin has all kinds of botanicals in it, giving the final sauce a really nice flavour. Trust me. Use the gin. All said and done, this barely took 10 minutes or so, including chopping time. It's a lot cheaper (for me) to buy a large can of tomato paste, and make this sauce at home than it would be to spend $3+ for a jar of the sugar filled one from the store. It was also really quick.
1 TB vegetable oil of your liking
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup gin (substitute water if you don't have gin)
1 cup water
2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup of water from the ingredient above this one
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
In a pot, heat up the oil and the onion. While the onion cooks, add the oregano, red pepper flakes, and thyme. When the onion cooks through and is softened, add the tomato paste, and stir well. Cook over high heat for about two minutes or so. You want the raw taste of the tomato to cook out, and the paste itself to lightly coat the bottom of the pot.
When you have some coating going on, throw in the gin. The tomato and gin will smell pretty great. Add about 3/4 of the water (using the last 1/4 cup or so to dissolve the cornstarch). Add the garlic powder, and stir well. Let the water come to a boil, and let it boil for about five minutes. Keep boiling, and add the cornstarch dissolved in water. Let the whole sauce come up to the boil for about a minute, until it thickens to your needs. Toss with 1 lb of pasta.
13 January 2013
Mexican Chayote Latkes
1 cup chickpea flour
2 heaping TB rice flour
1/2 tsp cumin seed, crushed lightly (do not substitute cumin powder; if you don't have any, substitute your favourite chili powder blend)
1/3 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 chayote, grated
2 medium carrots, grated
1 small red onion, grated
Salt, to taste
UP TO 3/4 cup of water
vegetable oil, OR cooking spray
In a bowl, toss together the chickpea flour, rice flour, cumin seed, red pepper flakes, chayote, carrot, and onion. Coat all the vegetables with the flours. Then, a little at a time, add the water until you have a batter going. You're looking to have the flour combine with just enough water that it just comes together. You don't want too much water, or else you'll end up with ugly looking latkes like mine. You're going for pancake batter consistency.
In a large nonstick skillet, lay down a thin coat of oil. I use nonstick, because these don't stick hard, but they're heartbreaking to lose because they're so tasty. Heat the skillet over medium heat. Add, by 1/4 - 1/3 cupfuls, the batter to the skillet. Fry on one side, until you see the edges of the latke dry up. Then, using a plastic turner, flip each latke over to cook on the other side. Press down gently to get some of the liquid to leech out of the chayote, and prevent too much sticking from going on. If it looks sticky, pour a bit more oil around the edges.
Then, flip over once more to see how the bottom is coming along. If it's beautiful golden brown like mine are in the picture, remove from the heat, and serve.
12 January 2013
Quick Daikon Pickle
There are times when I want something to go with my beans and rice, but I don't quite feel up to making a whole vegetable dish. There are other times when some pickled daikon will hit the spot. These aren't really the sour type. Instead, they're more salty. I eat them like snacks all the time.
1/4 Daikon, peeled
Salt
Slice the daikon into 1/4 inch slices. Stack up three of the slices, and slice them into 1/4 inch sticks. Sprinkle generously with salt. Toss to combine, and let sit for five minutes. Rinse off, and eat immediately. They're so delicious!
The charm of this dish is that it happens so quickly, because of the small size of the daikon.
1/4 Daikon, peeled
Salt
Slice the daikon into 1/4 inch slices. Stack up three of the slices, and slice them into 1/4 inch sticks. Sprinkle generously with salt. Toss to combine, and let sit for five minutes. Rinse off, and eat immediately. They're so delicious!
The charm of this dish is that it happens so quickly, because of the small size of the daikon.
10 January 2013
Cabbage
There are nights when I crave cabbage. These are frequently those nights when I'm home late from work, and already have some beans cooked up in the fridge, and some rice. I'm usually happy with just daal and rice, but on those occasions that I want a bit of vegetable to go with it, Cabbage Curry does the job admirably well.
This is the version I make when I'm in a hurry, and want something done cheap. The same recipe works for those bags of pre-washed spinach, kale, or collard greens, but I use cabbage, because I can find it really cheap most of the time. Also, I find that cabbage doesn't shrink down like spinach, which is why I like to use it when I want something cheap.
½ head cabbage, shredded (or 1-lb bag of shredded cabbage & carrots)
2 TB canola, peanut, or vegetable oil
½ tsp black mustard seed
½ tsp cumin seed
1 tsp urad daal
2 pinches asafoetida (optional)
1/3 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil over high heat. Add the black mustard seeds, and allow them to pop. Add the cumin seed and urad daal. When the cumin seeds pop as well, add the asafoetida, and stir once. Add the sliced cabbage, and the turmeric. Vigorously stir the cabbage to combine it with the spices and the fat. When all the cabbage has turned a beautiful shade of yellow, let the cabbage sit for a minute or two. Stir again, and let it set for another minute. You’ll notice the cabbage begin to caramelise.
The trick is to not crowd the pan. Add the salt at the last minute, and taste for seasoning. You may want to add some red chile powder (cayenne pepper works great here). If you do, please turn off the heat before adding the heat of the chiles. Why? Because the smoke bomb of pain and burning that will happen if you try to add ground red chiles to a hot pan will burn your insides.
This is the version I make when I'm in a hurry, and want something done cheap. The same recipe works for those bags of pre-washed spinach, kale, or collard greens, but I use cabbage, because I can find it really cheap most of the time. Also, I find that cabbage doesn't shrink down like spinach, which is why I like to use it when I want something cheap.
½ head cabbage, shredded (or 1-lb bag of shredded cabbage & carrots)
2 TB canola, peanut, or vegetable oil
½ tsp black mustard seed
½ tsp cumin seed
1 tsp urad daal
2 pinches asafoetida (optional)
1/3 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil over high heat. Add the black mustard seeds, and allow them to pop. Add the cumin seed and urad daal. When the cumin seeds pop as well, add the asafoetida, and stir once. Add the sliced cabbage, and the turmeric. Vigorously stir the cabbage to combine it with the spices and the fat. When all the cabbage has turned a beautiful shade of yellow, let the cabbage sit for a minute or two. Stir again, and let it set for another minute. You’ll notice the cabbage begin to caramelise.
The trick is to not crowd the pan. Add the salt at the last minute, and taste for seasoning. You may want to add some red chile powder (cayenne pepper works great here). If you do, please turn off the heat before adding the heat of the chiles. Why? Because the smoke bomb of pain and burning that will happen if you try to add ground red chiles to a hot pan will burn your insides.
Pongal, the lazy way
So Thai Pongal is coming up. It's a Tamil harvest festival, where we celebrate the sun, the harvest, and delicious food. Traditionally, white rice and yellow lentils are cooked together with ginger, black pepper, mustard & cumin seed, asafoetida, and curry leaves. Nuts are added if you can afford them, and the whole thing is sort of the ultimate comfort dish. It's a bit mushy, and creamy. It's got this real stomach-filling, comforting feeling whenever I eat a bowl. Think of it like the South Indian answer to macaroni and cheese.
I don't quite have the patience, however, to fiddle around with white rice, and its propensity to stick to the bottom of any cooking pot I put on the stove. I also don't much care for the long cooking time. When I want pongal quickly, I cheat. I use cooked rice, and cooked mung daal (the split one).
4 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups mung beans, soaked for 1 hour
4 cups water
3 TB vegetable oil (preferably a mix of peanut and sesame oil)
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/8 tsp asafoetida
1/4 tsp turmeric (optional; I like a bright yellow pongal, but you may prefer yours more light coloured)
1/4 cup grated ginger (do NOT substitute dried or candied ginger)
2 stalks curry leaves (if you can't find them, substitute 3 leaves of sage for a wonderful flavour)
Salt, to taste
Generous grindings of black pepper
2 cups water, reserved
In a pot, add the vegetable oil, and let it heat over high heat. While the oil heats, drain off the mung beans. Add the mustard seeds, and allow them to pop. Add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. Wait 5 seconds. Sprinkle in the turmeric, and stir well. Add the ginger, curry leaves and a generous bit of salt. Add the drained mung beans, Add the 4 cups of water, and allow to come to the boil. Because the stove is so hot, the water should take about a minute flat to come to the boil.
Let the beans boil for a good 7 minutes. They should be mostly cooked by now. Stir around, to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. In another 5 - 8 minutes, the mung beans should be cooked through. Add the cooked brown rice. Stir well to combine.
Keep cooking over high heat. Once the pot comes to a boil, you'll notice the brown rice try to absorb all the liquid remaining. Pour in some of the reserved water, and let it come back to the boil. Let the brown rice and beans cook together for another 5 minutes. By now, you'll have likely used about 1 cup of the reserved liquid (or more, if your stove is very hot, or your brown rice was on the firm side).
Once everything is boiled together, check for salt. Add generous grinds of black pepper, and serve piping hot, with coconut chatni, kootu, sambhar, or green beans curry.
I don't quite have the patience, however, to fiddle around with white rice, and its propensity to stick to the bottom of any cooking pot I put on the stove. I also don't much care for the long cooking time. When I want pongal quickly, I cheat. I use cooked rice, and cooked mung daal (the split one).
4 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups mung beans, soaked for 1 hour
4 cups water
3 TB vegetable oil (preferably a mix of peanut and sesame oil)
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/8 tsp asafoetida
1/4 tsp turmeric (optional; I like a bright yellow pongal, but you may prefer yours more light coloured)
1/4 cup grated ginger (do NOT substitute dried or candied ginger)
2 stalks curry leaves (if you can't find them, substitute 3 leaves of sage for a wonderful flavour)
Salt, to taste
Generous grindings of black pepper
2 cups water, reserved
In a pot, add the vegetable oil, and let it heat over high heat. While the oil heats, drain off the mung beans. Add the mustard seeds, and allow them to pop. Add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. Wait 5 seconds. Sprinkle in the turmeric, and stir well. Add the ginger, curry leaves and a generous bit of salt. Add the drained mung beans, Add the 4 cups of water, and allow to come to the boil. Because the stove is so hot, the water should take about a minute flat to come to the boil.
Let the beans boil for a good 7 minutes. They should be mostly cooked by now. Stir around, to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. In another 5 - 8 minutes, the mung beans should be cooked through. Add the cooked brown rice. Stir well to combine.
Keep cooking over high heat. Once the pot comes to a boil, you'll notice the brown rice try to absorb all the liquid remaining. Pour in some of the reserved water, and let it come back to the boil. Let the brown rice and beans cook together for another 5 minutes. By now, you'll have likely used about 1 cup of the reserved liquid (or more, if your stove is very hot, or your brown rice was on the firm side).
Once everything is boiled together, check for salt. Add generous grinds of black pepper, and serve piping hot, with coconut chatni, kootu, sambhar, or green beans curry.
07 January 2013
Ten Minute Chili
There are times when you need a small quantity of a dish, quickly. This means that you're not trying to cook for 10 people at once. Instead, you've already got a meal set out, and need an extra dish, because a guest just let you know at the last minute that there will be an extra person coming. Rather than trying to stretch out what you already have, just make an extra dish, even if it is in small quantity, and the food will stretch further.
There are nights when you need something fast, because you got home from work really late. However, you still want it to have vegetables in, and be relatively healthy. The Minute Meals tag is meant for such dishes. This is the first of what I hope will become a series of recipes.
1 TB vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (the whole seeds are important)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, sliced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise, and cut into half-moons
2 cups cooked beans of your choice (I used canned black beans)
1 cup frozen corn (or canned is fine too, if you drain the liquid)
Pinch of salt to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
In a pot, add the oil, and heat it on high heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds. The seeds will toast and pop. Add the onions, garlic, paprika, and oregano (in that order). Stir well. Drop the heat to medium. While the onions and garlic cook down, chop the zucchini, open the can of beans, and measure out the corn (I usually just dump in a couple of handfuls, but some people like to measure). Add the tomato paste after the onions have had a chance to cook for a couple of minutes, and stir well. This will cause some sticking. This is OK. Essentially, you want to add the onions, chop the zucchini, add the tomato paste, stir, and then open up the cans/measure the corn.
Once the vegetables are chopped, the beans are opened, and the corn is at the ready, crank up the heat to as high as it'll go. Stir vigorously, until the onions are browned slightly, and the house smells awesome. You should hear the onions sizzle loudly by this point, and the bottom of the pot should start catching some of the spices and making it sticky. This is good.
Add the zucchini, and stir completely until the zucchini is lightly browned. Add the beans, the corn, and the cayenne pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, and taste for salt. Because you're using canned beans, which contain a fair bit of salt, you might not need to add any salt. If you do, feel free to adjust as necessary. For better flavour, you can use soy sauce instead of salt.
I don't typically encourage you to use canned beans, which is why I've included the measurements of beans rather than a particular can size. However, the charm of this recipe is that you can run to the local bodega, grab one or two ingredients, and have food done fairly quickly. If you have a well-stocked pantry, you probably won't even need to hit up the store. If you don't have zucchini, any quick-cooking vegetable will do. Kale would be great. Cauliflower would be lovely too. If you had any leftover cooked vegetables from a previous night, this is a great time to use it up.
The point of this recipe is that you'll have exactly enough food for two people, done very quickly. While the water comes to a boil (in the last step), you could warm up some corn or whole wheat tortillas in a skillet to serve alongside the chili. If you have a pot of brown rice on, that's even better. If you want something fresh on the side, just do a quick salad of a sliced cucumber tossed with a few slices of onions, and a squeeze of lemon juice. If you drain the beans, and add a minimum of water, you'll have a lovely burrito filling.
I'm going to try to post more of the things that I cook during the week, when I'm tired, and it's late. Hopefully, you'll also get inspiration to try something out, and post your results.
There are nights when you need something fast, because you got home from work really late. However, you still want it to have vegetables in, and be relatively healthy. The Minute Meals tag is meant for such dishes. This is the first of what I hope will become a series of recipes.
1 TB vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (the whole seeds are important)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, sliced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise, and cut into half-moons
2 cups cooked beans of your choice (I used canned black beans)
1 cup frozen corn (or canned is fine too, if you drain the liquid)
Pinch of salt to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
In a pot, add the oil, and heat it on high heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds. The seeds will toast and pop. Add the onions, garlic, paprika, and oregano (in that order). Stir well. Drop the heat to medium. While the onions and garlic cook down, chop the zucchini, open the can of beans, and measure out the corn (I usually just dump in a couple of handfuls, but some people like to measure). Add the tomato paste after the onions have had a chance to cook for a couple of minutes, and stir well. This will cause some sticking. This is OK. Essentially, you want to add the onions, chop the zucchini, add the tomato paste, stir, and then open up the cans/measure the corn.
Once the vegetables are chopped, the beans are opened, and the corn is at the ready, crank up the heat to as high as it'll go. Stir vigorously, until the onions are browned slightly, and the house smells awesome. You should hear the onions sizzle loudly by this point, and the bottom of the pot should start catching some of the spices and making it sticky. This is good.
Add the zucchini, and stir completely until the zucchini is lightly browned. Add the beans, the corn, and the cayenne pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, and taste for salt. Because you're using canned beans, which contain a fair bit of salt, you might not need to add any salt. If you do, feel free to adjust as necessary. For better flavour, you can use soy sauce instead of salt.
I don't typically encourage you to use canned beans, which is why I've included the measurements of beans rather than a particular can size. However, the charm of this recipe is that you can run to the local bodega, grab one or two ingredients, and have food done fairly quickly. If you have a well-stocked pantry, you probably won't even need to hit up the store. If you don't have zucchini, any quick-cooking vegetable will do. Kale would be great. Cauliflower would be lovely too. If you had any leftover cooked vegetables from a previous night, this is a great time to use it up.
The point of this recipe is that you'll have exactly enough food for two people, done very quickly. While the water comes to a boil (in the last step), you could warm up some corn or whole wheat tortillas in a skillet to serve alongside the chili. If you have a pot of brown rice on, that's even better. If you want something fresh on the side, just do a quick salad of a sliced cucumber tossed with a few slices of onions, and a squeeze of lemon juice. If you drain the beans, and add a minimum of water, you'll have a lovely burrito filling.
I'm going to try to post more of the things that I cook during the week, when I'm tired, and it's late. Hopefully, you'll also get inspiration to try something out, and post your results.
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