Monday, August 23, 2010
Mango Salsa
There are a few people, however, who travel for years together, moving from one place to another. With no fixed address and with no fixed travel route, they seem to live the life of a nomad. Meet one such nomad - Rita Golden Gelman.
A woman who has travelled the world over the past 15 odd years moving from one country to another with no possessions other than those that she can carry in her backpack. A woman for who the end of a 23 year old marriage marked the beginning of an entirely new way of life.
Yes, this is about the book the book club read this month - Tales of a Female Nomad by Rita Golden Gelman, a collection of essays detailing her travel experiences from around the world.
From staying in a Zapotec village, to studying orangutans deep in the jungles in Borneo, to finding spiritual enlightenment in Bali, to trekking in Irian Jaya, to seeking her roots in Israel, to simply living in New Zealand, her travel experiences are phenomenal and often, not something that many of us would be able to or willing to imitate.
She goes from feeling vulnerable at having to travel and eat alone to being supremely confident in the seeking company of fellow travellers on the road. She never lets an opportunity to savour newer experiences slip by her; often times, she employs absolute ingenuity in creating opportunities for herself.
However, the sense of wonder and awe that one normally has when visiting new places (and especially those that are often not accessible to many travellers) is not there in the book. That is because this is not really a travelogue. So, don't read it if what you are looking for is a travelogue in the classic sense. She doesn't really describe or wax eloquent about the places she has been to.
Travels of a Female Nomad is more about how Gelman made her way into people's homes and then their hearts, her interactions with people and her response to the diverse cultures she encountered.
But more than anything else, it is a testament to the fact that it is never to late to live the life that you truly want to lead. As you flip the pages, you start to share her conviction that most of the times, if you only open your heart and mind to people, place your trust in them and simply go with the flow, life's experiences can be very enjoyable.
For that and that alone, this is a book that is a must read.
For some reason, from the time I started reading about her trip to Mexico, I was hoping there'd be some mango salsa somewhere in the book. There was none, but toward the end of the book, there was this salad that she made in Thailand.
So this is what I made: A mango salsa with a hint of Thai flavours.
Just cut some mangoes into cubes and slice some shallots and red chillies as well. Toss them in a dressing made with a few tbsps of pineapple juice, lime juice, sugar and salt. Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and thinly shredded basil leaves and kaffir limes. Chill for about 30 mins, taste to check the balance of flavours and chill again for 30 mins before serving.
Serve this alongside some grilled chicken; I loved having it with some curd rice.
Edited to add: I recently re-made this salsa with 1.5 cups mango cubes + zest of 1 lemon + juice of 1/2 a lime + a tsp of sugar +2 small shallots, sliced + 1/2 tsp of freshly cracked pepper + salt to taste + 1.5 tbsps of chopped coriander leaves.
This is my entry to Yameen's Health Nut Challenge 7 : Tropical Fruits.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Fruit Chaat
The woman walked into the huge waiting area, her movements tentative and uncertain, her eyes searching for that one familiar face in the multitude of strange ones in front of her, all the time wondering whether he would still be waiting. After all, she had been late - very late - in reaching. Suddenly she spotted him and her eyes lit up with joy.
"Just where have you been all this while? I've been waiting for so long," he said to her petulantly.
"Uff my dear.... we are meeting after such a long time. No 'hi' or 'hello'. Won't you even give me a hug?"
"I should have known better, I should've known that you would come later than you promised.....I've known you for so many years, but your habit of never coming on time hasn't changed. From the time we met, I've been the one waiting for you. You remember, don't you, how I used to wait for you outside your college, while you would take your own sweet time coming out?"
"Oh, why are you digging up the past?"
"That is because you've never understood how painful it is to keep waiting for someone."
"Oh please, don't imply that you used to suffer whilst you waited for me. I still remember you perched on your bike, puffing away to glory and chatting with the cigarette shop wallah and the chai wallah and the chaat wallah"
"Thanks to that waiting, I started smoking which ultimately led me......"
"Typically you - always thinking of the negative side of things. Thanks to the waiting, you learnt to make awesome chaats - the only food you ever managed to make for me," she teased. "But I must admit, I really have been craving your chaats . Everytime I missed you, I 'd make some. But none of the chaats I made tasted as good as yours. Least of all the fruit chaat. God alone knows what you put into it.....you never shared your culinary secrets with me," she complained.
"And I must repeat, there were no secrets. I just added a little extra bit of love. Plus, I always chose the fruits with care. The freshest possible, the best money could buy. After all, nothing but the best for you," he smiled.
"But my dear," he continued, "if you missed me so much, why didn't you come here sooner?"
"As if you don't know.....so many things happened after you went. Our twin grandchildren.... Varsha needed my help in raising them. I couldn't have just left her alone and come up here to be with you!"
"Yes, you are right. You couldn't have come any sooner," he concurred.
"Anyway, now we are together,"she said happily, linking her arm into his, "so stop complaining. But tell me something, you came here 2 years before me, so didn't they decide where to send you? I didn't expect to see you here at the reception. I was under the impression that I'd have to look for you."
"Sweetheart, how could I not have waited for you? How could I have wandered off anywhere," he said tenderly, "and left you searching for me? Be it here at the gates of Heaven - I hope they do send us to Heaven, not hell - or when we were on earth, when we were alive or after dying, you will always find me waiting for you. After all, people die but old habits...old habits die hard!"
A story about tardiness (and waiting) that is being sent to an event way past its deadline? Just what do you call that - cheeky or mere coincidence?
Much like the man in the story, the husband makes whips up a fantastic fruit chaat.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Kairi chi Dal/ Split Chickpeas with Raw Mangoes
Yes, she would have to eat it, else the tabloid journalist accompanying them would have a field day declaring how the heroine of the movie acted snooty and refused to touch a morsel. And moreover, she would hurt the feelings of the lady who had made it if she didn't eat.
Yet, she couldn’t get herself to eat even a single spoonful – she dreaded the torrent of emotions it would unleash - and so she toyed with her food, absently pushing it this way and that on her plate, as she took in her surroundings. It was a simple house that had homeliness written on every wall.
There was a time when she had known a house like this intimately, she thought.
Coming here to this house hadn’t quite been part of the plan, but then her co-star Aamir could be extremely eccentric sometimes.
They had been touring the country as part of publicity for their soon to be released movie; the promotional blitzkrieg had taken them to theatres and multiplexes, malls and restaurants in an attempt to connect with the audiences. But barging in unannounced into somebody’s house? That was something that happened on the spur of the moment.
They were waiting at a traffic light when Aamir saw this chawl at the corner of the street. “Let’s go visit some house in that chawl,” he said. “It would fit in wonderfully with the theme of the movie.”
The sycophants accompanying them had lauded the idea and that is how she found herself in this house; the paint peeling off its walls, a noisy fan spinning furiously, its attempt at offering some respite from the relentless summer heat almost futile.
There was a time when she had lived in a house just like this one, she recalled.
Their visit had created quite a stir, people from the neighbouring houses were thronging to see them and the ladies of the house had bent over backwards bringing out tea, coffee and snacks for them.
Her publicist gave her a subtle nudge. “You’ve not touched your plate and everyone is watching.”
Reluctantly, she ate a spoonful. It had the perfect balance of spicy, sour and sweet, with just the right crunch. A burst of freshness from the cilantro and grated coconut. Exactly the way she liked kairi chi dal.
Exactly the way her aayi used to make it, she remembered. Exactly the way it tasted the last time she had eaten it.
She could barely swallow that small spoonful. The lump in her throat made swallowing difficult.
“Did you like it? I helped my mother make it,” said a voice. Looking up, she saw a young girl, her long hair neatly braided into 2 pleats. She was apparently shy for she was clinging to her mother’s sari, her face virtually covered by the pallu.
She used to be like that little girl, shy and reticent and extremely attached to her mother. Her mother was the centre of her universe and vice versa, till that fateful day 6 years ago when her actions and decisions had changed it all:
“Aayi, there is something I need to talk to you about,” she began, tentatively.
“What is it Gauri? And grate the kairi quickly. If you want to take the kairi chi dal in your lunch box, you’d better work those hands,” her mother admonished, as she added the coarsely ground chana dal to the hot oil.
“Aayi, I don’t know how to tell you this, but some days back I had sent my pictures for the Miss India contest,” she said, “I got a letter today confirming my selection in the final 24 contestants. I have to go to Mumbai next week,” she concluded.
She knew her mother would be upset at this revelation and prepared herself for an angry outburst. But her mother turned up the flame of the gas and proceeded to vigorously stir the dal. When she finally reduced the flame and covered the vessel with a tight fitting lid, she turned to her and said, “ Turn off the gas after 5 minutes and stir in the grated raw mango. Top it off with the coriander and grated coconut. I am getting late for work, pack your own lunch box today.”
“But aayi, what about…”
Her mother had silenced her mid sentence. “There will be no further discussion on that matter. I want you to finish your medical studies. Two years and you will be a doctor! And,” she continued, “Should you pursue this stupid beauty pageant thing, I will cut all ties with you,” she said as she picked up her handbag and left for work.
Tears streaming down her eyes, Gauri packed her lunch box and gathered her books. She was torn between her dream and her mother’s ambition. She glanced at the watch. Her friend would come to pick her up in 10 minutes; the bus to Mumbai left in 25 minutes. She took a deep breath and made her decision. She threw in some clothes into a suitcase, wrote a brief note to her mother, used her lunchbox as a paper weight and walked out of her home.
She didn’t make it beyond the first round of the pageant but managed to catch the attention of a film producer. The rest, as they say, was history. Instead of Dr. Gauri, she had become megastar Gauri.
Another voice jolted her back to the present. “Yes, she is my little helper in the house,” laughed the girl’s mother. “She loves your movies and can mimic all your dance moves!" The mother’s eyes lit up with pride as she spoke about her daughter.
Seeing her, Gauri felt a pang. Yes, she had always missed her mother all these years, but today, her pain at being estranged from her mother was suddenly overwhelming her.
Would her mother be proud of her achievement, the heights she had reached, she wondered. What would she say to her when they met? And most importantly, how was her mother?
She could not bear it any longer, this separation from her mother. She just had to meet her mother and reconcile with her. Yes, she would go right away to her home, to her mother. She calculated the distance to her home town; from here, it would take her around 6 hours to reach by road. This meant that by the time she reached, it would be very late in the night.
But then, it was never too late to go back home, was it?
Sandeepa is hosting the 2nd edition of our food fiction event, 'Of Chalks and Chopsticks' and this is my entry for the event.
Have you sent in your entries to Sandeepa yet?
Kairi chi dal is a very popular evening snack in Maharashtra in the summer months and is something I absolutely love.
The final taste of this dal depends a lot on individual taste buds. I load mine with a lot of raw mango - I love mine tangy, my husband, on the other hand doesn't like it so sour.
You are looking for a balance between sweet, sour and spicy that tickles your taste buds, so use the quantities, especially of the raw mango, given here more as a guideline.
Once you've found the right balance of the three tastes, believe me, you are going to go into absolute raptures of delight.
Ingredients:
Chana dal: 1/4 cup, soaked overnight
Raw mango, grated: 1 (use lime juice as a substitute if you can't find raw mangoes)
Ginger: 1" piece
Green chillies: 3-4
Oil: 2 tbsps
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Asafoetida: 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Salt, to taste
Sugar: 1 1/2 tsp
for garnishing (essential):
Chopped coriander leaves: 3 tsps
Grated cocout: 2 tbsps
Method:
Soak the chana dal for at least 5 hours, preferably overight.
Drain the water and let the dal 'drip dry' for about 30 mins.
Grind alongwith the green chillies and ginger to a coarse powder.
Heat oil in a wok and pop in the mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add in the asafoetida and the turmeric powder followed by the coarsely ground dal. Sprinkle the salt. Stir briskly for 2-3 minutes, then reduce the flame to the lowest possible - and cook covered for a further 2 minutes. When you uncover the lid, steam should rise up from the dal. Stir once more and turn off the gas.
Stir in the sugar and the grated raw mango - don't add in all the mango in one go - taste as you add some in - stop adding the raw mango once you reach your desired level of sweet, spicy and sour.
Garnish with grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.
This is also my entry to MLLA - 23 that Susan herself is hosting this month.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Sweet Potato and Chickpeas Chaat
My fascination with sweet potatoes started a couple of years ago when I had them at a barbeque. Just a blob of butter, a dash of pepper and a sprinkle of salt on the perfectly roasted tuber. It was deliciously sweet and had that 'melt in the mouth' texture and between a few mouthfuls, I was hooked to the sweet potato.
Soon, as if to make up for all the years I scorned them, I was using sweet potatoes wherever I could. Combining them with potatoes. OR replacing potatoes with sweet potatoes.
Aloo chaat is something I make very often. It serves as the perfect snack in the evenings, especially on week ends when we like to nibble on something that is not too high in calories but is very satiating.
Replacing sweet potatoes in the chaat works perfectly: their naturally sweet taste is in fact nicely balanced with the tanginess of the chaat ; adding in chickpeas gives an added protein boost.
Sweet potatoes: 2
Chickpeas: 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsps
Chopped green chillies
Onion: 1, cut into cubes
Dry spice powders: Chaat masala: 3.5 tsps, Roasted cumin seed powder: 1.5 tsps
Black salt: to taste
Sugar: 1 tsp
Juice of half a lemon
Oil: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Method:
Soak the chickpeas in water for 6-8 hrs. Then, cook them till they are soft and cooked; about 3 whistles in the pressure cooker should be enough to cook them. Once cooked, drain the water and let them cool.
Cut the sweet potato into cubes and steam them till cooked but still firm.
In a bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, the chick peas and the onion, sprinkle the dry spice powders, salt and sugar and toss well so that the spice powders coat the sweet potato cubes and the chickpeas. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the chopped green chillies and the coriander leaves and mix again.
Heat the oil , add the cumin seeds and when the splutter, pour over the chaat.
Serve topped with a dollop of sweetened yogurt.
Sending this to Lisa's No Croutons Required and MLLA - 21 hosted this time at Mirch Masala, event started by Susan.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Not quite a rabbit....
And yes, I do like my carrots made this way.
Or when added to certain other veggies like cauliflower or cabbage or peas.
Looks like I do like carrots! However, unlike rabbits, I like my carrots cooked. Which apparently is a good thing. For, I found out just a few weeks back that it is better to cook carrots than to eat them raw!
Here's another way I love to have carrots:
Ingredients:
Carrots - 4 medium sized
Yogurt: 3/4 cup
Salt
Sugar: 1 tsp
grind the following to a smooth paste, adding a little water, if needed:
Grated coconut: 3 tbsps
curry leaves: 8-10 nos
coriander leaves: 3-4 stalks
green chillies: 2 nos
mustard seeds: 1.5 tsp
for the tempering:
oil: 1 tbsp
mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
dried red chillies: 2 nos
curry leaves: 5-6
peppercorn: 6 nos
Method:
Peel the carrots and boil them until soft and cooked. I normally pressure cook the carrots - 2 whistles are enough to cook them.
When cool, cut them into a few pieces and grind to get a smooth puree. Use a little water if necessary.
Mix together the pureed carrots, the coconut - mustard paste and the yogurt. Season with salt and sugar.
Heat the oil, add the mustard seeds to the hot oil. When they crackle, add the red chillies, curry leaves and the peppercorn; let these sizzle in the oil for half a minute and then pour over the carrot-yoghurt mix. Stir and chill for half an hour before serving.
I normally make this raita as an accompaniment to parathas or with any dry stir fried veggie like aloo gobhi or jeera aloo.
So, what is it called?
I call it "carrot raita with yogurt". It is a Tamil preparation that my MIL makes very often; somehow, I don't know what it is called! What I do know is that the sweetness of the carrots, paired with the tanginess of yogurt and the piquancy of the mustard seeds give this raita a lovely and almost indescribable medley of flavours. Hope you like it too!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Beetroot Salad
Of course, it is good for you - which is my mum would regularly force it down out throats in various soups. The moment I stepped out of the house, I turned my back firmly on beetroot.
Until few years ago that is. My cook made this salad insisting it was the best salad I could've ever had. Very grudgingly, I had to admit that it was nice. Better than nice, infact. So nice, that there are days when I actually crave this salad. Yes, notwithstanding the colour, I actually enjoy beetroot (salad).
All you need to do is this:
Friday, June 26, 2009
Mediterranean Salad
There are days when I don't feel like stepping into the kitchen - all thanks to the terribly hot summer we've been experiencing here - and yet feel like having delicious dinners...at home.
This Mediterranean salad is perfect for such days - served with wholemeal bread and a cold soup or some grilled chicken, it is makes for a very tasty and colourful dinner without too much of effort! What's more, this is one healthy and balanced meal - combining veggies, dairy and nuts.
Mediterranean Salad
Ingredients:
Potatoes - 2 medium sized
Sweet potato - 1
Bell pepper - 2 (I used a mix of red, yellow and green)
Shallots - 10
Garlic - 8 cloves
Tomato - 1 large
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Dried basil - 1 1/2 tsp
Chilli flakes - 1/2 tsp
Feta cheese
black olives - a handful
walnuts - a handful
for the dressing:
white wine vinegar - 2 tbsp
honey - 1 tsp
mustard - 1 tsp
olive oil - 1 1/2 tsp
dried basil - 1 tsp
salt, pepper, chilli flakes
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 200 deg C
Parboil the potatoes and the sweet potatoes in salted water. Cut into cubes.
Cut the bell peppers into cubes. De-seed the tomatoes and cut into cubes. Peel the shallots, but don't cut them. Crush the garlic - just enough to loosen the skin.
Toss all the veggies together (including the potatoes, onion and the garlic) in the olive oil, chilli flakes, some dried basil leaves and salt. Cook in the pre-heated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
Whisk together the mustard, olive oil, honey and the vinegar, season with dried basil, salt and pepper as per your taste and pour over the roasted veggies.
Top with the feta cheese, olives and walnuts and toss gently.
(So, you don't see these in my picture? Hmm...that's because I forgot - yes, forgot - to add them in my hurry to take the pictures. Realised when we ate the first spoonful - by which time, I didn't want to take pictures again).
Enjoy!!
Off to Priya's for AFAM : Bell Peppers, event started by Maheshwari.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Baingan ka Raita (Eggplant Salad)
But with this baingan ka raita, it is an entirely different story. Love and sharing be damned, we are very likely to fight over who'll have the last spoon! Try it, the most ardent of eggplant haters will take second and third helpings of this one.
Baingan ka raita
Ingredients
Eggplant - 2 (preferably the long thin ones)Yoghurt - 250 gms
Rock salt
Sugar
Oil for deep frying, plus some more for tempering
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 cloves, thinly sliced
Curry leaves - 7
Hing/Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Method:
Cut the eggplant into thin round slices - think wafers. Deep fry till crisp and set aside.
Add salt and sugar to the yoghurt - this has to be on the sweeter side and whisk it together. Just before serving, place the fried eggplant on top of the yoghurt.
Heat oil reserved for the tempering - I use about one and half tbsp. Add the garlic to the oil and cook till the garlic is nicely browned. Next add the mustard seeds, followed by the curry leaves, red chillies and finally, the asafoetida. Pour the tempering on top of the fried eggplant. Squeeze lemon juice on top, mix and serve.
While you can fry the eggplants in advance and mix the yoghurt with salt and sugar ahead of time, do ensure that you place the eggplants on the yoghurt and make the tempering just before serving - else the eggplants will go all soft and mushy - the crispy eggplants with the cold yoghurt is the essence of this raita.
And now lets talk about the deep frying bit - I've done all possible things with the eggplant for this one - roasted on a pan, grilled them, shallow fried them. All of these are fine and don't affect the taste too much. But if presentation is what you are seeking, especially when entertaining, then deep fried is the way to go.
This is a very versatile raita and goes very well with just about anything. I love to have this as a side when I make rajma or chhole or biryani.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Thai Green Mango Salad and Red - part 2
Thai green mango salad
Ingredients:
Thai green mango - 2, shredded
Shallots - 1, sliced
Green/red chilli - 2
Roasted peanuts, pounded coarsely - 2 tbsp
Coriander, finely chopped - 1 tbsp
for the dressing
honey - 1 tbsp
lime juice - 1 tsp
soy sauce - 1/4 tsp
thai fish sauce - 1.5 tsp (else, use vegetarian fish sauce)
Method:
Whisk the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
Mix the mangoes, onions, chillies and peanut powder and let chill in the fridge.
Toss these in the dressing just before serving. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve. Simple and delicious!!
I don't always get thai green mangoes, in which case I substitute those with sprouts and granny smith green apples - and it tastes just as good.
Red - part 2 (part 1 here)
"But I don't want to have the baby Raghav. Not now. And nothing you do or say is going to make me change my mind." Finally, very reluctantly, Raghav, anguished as he was at her decision, had given in. That night, for the first time since their marriage 4 years ago, Raghav and she had slept in separate bedrooms.
But sleep eluded her and as she tossed restlessly, the vision returned to haunt her again, after a long time. It was the same vision as always. Of a Chinese restaurant, food being served by waitresses dressed in red. An anxious young girl. And chopsticks clanging to the floor. Red floor. Blood stained floor. And someone screaming, calling out "mama."
Though she had had this vision for many years, in fact since her pre-teen years, she could feel a chill run down her spine. For long, she had thought that it had something to do with her future, but of late, she was increasingly convinced that it had everything to do with her past. She knew this was some old memory straining to come out. Like a caged bird restlessly trying to flutter out of its cage.
But what memory was it? Try as she did, she was never able to recall anything beyond what she saw - a Chinese restaurant, waitresses in red and the chopsticks falling on the red floor, followed by the crying child.
She tried to push the vision to the back of her mind - she had other things on her plate right now. Tomorrow, she thought, she would fix an appointment with the gynae and have everything sorted by the weekend.
However, she couldn't push back the vision or the feeling of dread that seemed to fill her entire being. Her heart hammered and she broke into a sweat. Why were the visions occurring with such an intensity now? And what was it about the Chinese restaurant and the chopsticks? And why couldn't she recollect anything? Or was she wrong - did it portend the future after all?
end of part 2
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Glazed Baby Carrots
This makes for a great looking and great tasting side-dish with meats, especially chicken roasts.
Ingredients:
100 gms baby carrots (or carrots sliced to 1.5 inch long pieces)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp honey or brown sugar
1.5 tbsp mustard, preferably, english mustard
Salt, to taste
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp mixed dried herbs, or chopped parsley*
Method:
Peel and steam the carrots till they are cooked but yet firm. Rinse under cold water.
Mix together brown sugar, mustard, chilli flakes, mixed herbs and salt into a paste, adding a tsp of water.
Heat a skillet - make sure it is really hot. Now, add the butter (and hear it sizzle), followed by the paste. Toss the steamed carrots into the skillet and cook for about 5 mins or until the sauce is bubbling and the carrots are well-coated.
This is my entry for JFI December - Carrots hosted by the cooker.
* I prefer parsley, but I didn't have any on hand this time so I used dried Italian seasoning.
