COVID CUISINE Part 3: Swordfish Moilee

I made this on July 20th. Another dish I threw together as I hadn't been going too crazy doing my "Big Cooks" during the pandemic.

I bought some swordfish from Trader Joe's and I was impressed with the quality. So I threw together a very simple dish, a moilee, which is a fish curry made with coconut milk.

Recipe will follow soon... stay tuned.

Multi-Taskers: Cheese Substitutions + Saag Paneer Recipe

More on "culinary zeitgeist."  

Much in my previous substitution post, it looks like substitutions come in threes:

India: Paneer
Italy: Ricotta Salata
Cyprus: Haloumi

(Possible addition to this discussion US: Cheese curds  I say possible because I do not know if cheese curds actually melt. I will experiment the next time I encounter cheese curds while shopping.)

I fully embrace what I call "multi-taskers" in the kitchen. They make life easier.  I've been cutting back on how many food stores I go to on my errand day, just to make my life easier, save time and effort. My local Korean grocer supplies everything I could possibly need--except paneer. 

The last time I went shopping, I was looking for paneer, none to be found. Same thing with Haloumi (which was out of stock at the Armenian market last time I went there). However, what H-mart DID have was Ricotta Salata. A hard pressed, dry, salty version of ricotta.

Remembering what I know of the paneer making process, I know it's got some similarities--though it's a smidge tangy and definitely saltier. I solicited the opinion of Niv over at Panfusine for her thoughts on cheese substitutions, as my discussion with her was regarding making saag paneer quiches with the leftovers. 

I had enough information from the chat to know the ricotta salata would work. Rather than saving it for the quiches, I used it for the saag paneer, and I will say that it did not melt, and I held off on adding any additional salt, as the cheese was salty enough!

Now to backtrack a bit...

While in India in January, Maharajah's cousin provided me with her recipe/formula for saag paneer which was so RIDICULOUSLY simple, I thought to myself, how could it possibly be tasty. Her version has something like 5 ingredients, thereabouts, and I felt as if she were playing a prank on me.

Her ingredients were:

Onion
Tomato
Chile pepper
Spinach
Paneer

That's it. Oh, and a little oil to cook the onion a bit. And no fancy techniques or spices. Not even turmeric. Grinds the onion with the chile and cooks that a bit in oil, then throws the washed spinach and diced tomato on top. Cover, and cook until spinach starts to wilt. Then puree that, put back in pan and toss in cubed paneer. DONE. Too simple. 

Anyway, here's my recipe for what I made this morning, however, mine is a bit more stripped down because I outright FORGOT about the onion. Oh, and no chile pepper in this, since Maharajah is preferring less heat these days (and I also forgot to mince it up). Kizmet!

Ingredients:

1 T Neutral oil
1 tsp Jeera 
2 tsp garlic paste
1 Big bag fresh spinach (pureed with enough water to make it loose, but not watery)
20 Grinds black pepper
1 package Ricotta Salata (roughly 6-8 oz?)
Half and Half
Butter

How-To:

I fried up the jeera until it was starting to turn golden brown and fragrant in the oil. I then added the garlic paste, and cooked about a minute until it started to turn golden. I then added the spinach puree, and lowered heat to a simmer, while I diced up the ricotta salata. I stirred the cheese cubes into the gently bubbling spinach sauce, and then added, like I said, about 20 grinds of black pepper. I let it cook maybe if that, 5 minutes more, and added a pat of butter (like the French chefs do to finish a sauce), and about 1-2 T of half and half to round out the saag mixture.  

Thinking it needed something "more," I took my ginger root out of the freezer, and shaved a bit of it into the sauce with a microplaner (thank you, Chef Roger, you ENABLER, YOU!). I also like a particular consistency to my sauces/gravies/curries, and there is a magical thickening agent I use, which I'll keep to myself, but use your judgment and add your thickener of choice (or none, YMMV!)

The lack of excessive spices accomplishes a couple of things:

1. Keeps the recipe SIMPLE.
2. Keeps the vibrant green of the spinach in tact. (Sorry, no photo this time!)
3. Keeps the recipe from tasting like EVERYTHING ELSE.  

Sometimes, I think, when you intensely season EVERYTHING, then EVERYTHING you cook tends to get lost--but if you have one intensely seasoned thing, and another item seasoned more subtle, there's a nice interplay, where both items you serve can shine in their own right.  

I made this up first thing this morning before leaving for work, as the Maharjah is working from home--so let's see what he thinks of it! 

ETA: 
Final analysis: Delicious but the ricotta salata adds an obvious tangy aspect to the saag, which in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but if you are expecting ultra smooth, luxurious on the tongue saag paneer, you might be surprised by the tang, so in hindsight, perhaps the haloumi would have worked better.

Not Sour (Yet!) on Sourdough: Sourdough Paratha

Sorry! (Not sorry! No time!) No photos!

Not much commentary here, to be honest.

I have yet to convince myself that I am good at Indian breads, though I did make some nice naans from Sarah Owens' Sourdough book, and I did manage to follow Tracy's paratha recipe, both with good results. And after making Tracy's parathas, I decided the next thing I would do would be to convert that recipe into a sourdough recipe due to health concerns for the Maharajah, as well as a curiosity to see if improves texture and taste--which is already quite good with Tracy's recipe.

What follows is what I threw together last night (and cooked off this morning before work--since his majesty is working from home and I wanted to provide sustenance). I used Tracy's recipe as a guide.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C KAF Sprouted Wheat Flour (if you have whole wheat or atta, use that)
1 T white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 C Sourdough starter (this time, mine was freshly fed)
Drizzle olive oil
2-3 T warm water
Room temp butter
Oil spray

How-To:

Mix everything together, and add just enough water to make the dough come together. Let it autolyze/rest about a half hour before handling further.

On a floured surface, knead the dough a bit to build up the gluten. When dough is somewhat stiff, cut into four pieces. Roll them into balls. Flatten with palms of hand and roll out thin. 

"Shmear" (yes, shmear) the surface with butter and a very light dusting of flour. I didn't get fancy with rolling it up. Tracy employs a "pac man" type cut and then rolls it up. I'm lazy. I just rolled it up what I would call "flauta style," (only I rolled a bit tighter than an actual flauta),  pinched one end, then rolled that into a pinwheel, tucking the other end under, pressing down slightly to secure. Repeat process with remaining three balls. 

I set these in a covered dish in the fridge to rest until I am ready to cook them off.

As my nonstick pan was warming up, I rolled out the first paratha. Thin, but not too thin. Thin and as big as you can, but not so thin it rips when you pick it up is the overall guideline I'll give. Sorry, no photos. No time this morning before work! I was going to cook these off before making a batch of saag paneer (recipe to follow in another blog post).

Once pan was warmed up sufficiently (medium heat), I spritzed some oil spray and placed the paratha in. I let it cook, IDK! roughly a minute or two, and then I flipped it. I then took a clean dish towel and started to press down lightly on the edge all around the circumference of the paratha, and then press down in the middle. Flip again. repeat the dish towel routine. A rough estimate of time was about 2 minutes each side, and I flipped it about three times to ensure the paratha was cooked through.

I then did Tracy's bit after removing the paratha from the pan, where I take the edges and kind of, what I would say "rumple" the paratha to kind of open up the flakey layers.

I will know by lunchtime the results of this experiment!  

ETA:
Final analysis: Definite winner. Maharajah said the bread was, and I quote, "Nom nom." I didn't get any more specific data on it (i.e. if it were flakier, chewier, etc), before he dove right in and started devouring his lunch.  

ETA:
I did get more conclusive feedback. Maharajah said they were a bit more flakey than the previous batch I made (which was Tracy's recipe--not a sourdough recipe). So there is an added textural benefit to the sourdough!

On Tap For This Weekend: Lazy Belebath

The husband is a bit depressed or stressed this week, so I think some comfort food is in order for him. 

Thanks to Subbus Kitchen, I now have a very good visual of what dishes go with other dishes--love this visual of dish combinations, it really helps me out a lot, given I wasn't raised cooking (or eating!) South Indian food, and it's helpful to know which dishes complement others.  

My mother-in-law gave me a set of Cook & See cookbooks by S. Meenakshi Ammal years ago, and I cannot say I got much use out of them, as I don't believe there's something so necessary in the book: Menu suggestions. It's just straight recipes, no pictures, and the measurements are in metric--so prior to me getting a digital scale, this was a small obstacle for me as I never mastered metric conversions in school and today, I rely on either my digital scale for cooking--or a metric converter at work.

So my mind drifts to visiting with relatives this past October, and in the discussion I mentioned how I make bise belebath with leftover sambar. Maharajah's uncle quipped:

"That's not bise belebath--that's LAZY belebath!" 

Now, mind you, this uncle has always been so serious, and I don't get much opportunity to socialize with him (if I'm lucky, maybe 1-2 visits every two years or so), but this particular visit he really let his hair down. In India I've seen him only wearing dothis, and yet there he was (in Austin, not India!), wearing jeans and a "Super Dad" tee shirt, joking about "lazy belebath!" What a pleasure, and of course his joke just struck me EVEN MORE hilarious, as it was so unexpected. It's nice when I finally meet the "real" person, after being married into this family for many years now.

So! Rather than go to the trouble of typing out my recipe or formula, I'm just going to share this particular recipe from Cooking With Meena, as it PERFECTION, and is QUITE nearly identical to the method I use. Perhaps I'll share the link, and then herein on my blog, I'll merely identify whatever additions/"tweaks" of mine. 

Like the uncle said, "Lazy belebath," well, today I'm feeling very lazy (or is it tired/exhausted?).

ADDITIONS/TWEAKS:

I dry roast the masala, omitting 2 chiles (as my sambar is usually firey enough--perhaps even too firey for the Maharajah!).

I then dry roast the coconut, with: 1 tsp white Poppy Seeds, 1T almond meal and 1T ground cashew meal (from Trader Joes), and set this aside. 

Optional: I have 1/2 a bag of frozen pearl onions (also from Trader Joes!) on hand, which might be put to good use!

I use an electric pressure cooker--yes, even for this dish! It goes so quick, plus I can fry the tadka directly in the cooker, add the sambar and rice, and fresh roasted/ground powder for the sambar sadam, and pressure cook it all together for five minutes.

I then decide to "finish" the dish in the manner the French do, by putting the butter (or in this case, the fresh made ghee) in towards the end.  

As I said before, since he seems a bit "blue," I will probably make a small batch of pineapple rasam and thayir sadam to accompany, with possibly vendakai fry, too.

Luckily for me (and yes, this is going to sound crazy), I stowed a quart of sambar in the freezer here at work (don't look at me crazy--I always have storage issues in my freezer at home, and one day I had the brilliant idea to stow stuff at work. I figured if anyone complained, that would be the end of this storage solution. And so far no one has complained, and here we are).

It's 10:43 a.m. on Friday, and I've removed the sambar from the freezer (and it'll sit on my desk all day, thawing out), so I'm "halfway there" to the bise belebath.  

I just hope it cheers him up!

More Cray-cray Fruit-tay-tay (or in this case, VEG-ay-tay)

Sundays typically are my BIG COOK day, where I do a big batch of 1-2 items, portion out half for fridge, half for freezer, then set up some things to marinate, or be otherwise prepped for quick preparations during the week.

This Sunday, after I did a batch of chicken based bone broth for my lunch bag, I also made about three quarts of a special sambar.

This batch of sambar is special because it involves drumstick and jackfruit seeds. The left item in the photo is of pearl onions and drumsticks thawing, middle is parboiled, peeled jackfruit seeds, and the third item is shelled fresh tamarinds awaiting a soak in boiling water. 

This sambar is also special because I am using up some of my mother-in-law's custom blended and ground sambar powder. She gave it to me a while ago, and I keep it in a huge zip lock bag inside an air tight container and keep it in my freezer. While it is not fresh ground, it's about as well kept as possible.  When I return to India in 2015, I look forward to not only procuring MORE of this, but also learning her super secret proportions of it.

And sadly, neither pics of the end product (sambar) nor a recipe shall be forthcoming. Some things I choose to keep to myself. But by all means, ogle the strange veggies! :)

Desi Chicken & Rice

What's in a name? "Desi" to the uninitiated, is a colloquial term Indians have for other Indians. I believe it loosely translates to "countrymen." Thereabouts.

"Chicken and rice." Yes. Not biryani. Not pulao (though I guess this COULD be construed, very loosely, as a quick and dirty pulao), though that's subjective.

Yesterday was the south Indian holiday Pongal. It's the harvest holiday. Traditionally you serve, you guessed it, PONGAL. I was tight on time and didn't have time to make accompaniments to go with the pongal. And really, it's just the two of us, and he's a low key man, and not very demanding. Iffin' when he says "please make this or that" for a holiday, I'll oblige. And he seemed a bit ambivalent about me making pongal (it's truly one of the easiest dishes to make in the south Indian pantheon* of rice dishes), so I held off.

"Kinda."

He was running late for dinner and insisted I go home, as he'd take a cab home. I came home and set about making dinner. I knew I needed to use up some chicken I cooked off a few days ago (which he hadn't eaten because his stomach has been "off" again). Waste not, want not is my motto.

So I had this leftover chicken (2-3 pcs which were marinated in a tamarind curry and baked off; and 2 pieces which were tandoori spiced and baked off), and I had a partially full container of Swanson's Mexcian Tortilla infused chicken broth, and a new bag of jasmine rice (we use this instead of ponni rice for dishes like pongal).

So this is what I MacGuyvered together (MacGuyvered, of course, IN the Nesco).

It started out looking, very-much, like pongal:

I put the Nesco on the browning setting and put some neutral oil in, and sizzled up some cumin seed and a bit of split moong dal. A few dashes of asafatoeida/hing, and then four measures of the Swanson's broth, followed by 2 measures of jasmine rice.

I then added perhaps 1/4 package of frozen peas and carrots, then layered the cooked chicken pieces on top. I closed up the Nesco, and set it to 9 minutes on high pressure. And I left it with the lid on, and let it depressurize on its own, and hoped for the best. I left the lid on and left it on the warmer setting until he got home roughly 40 minutes later.

When he arrived home, I quickly plated up some chicken and rice, and added some of those French's TYPE fried onions (I use Trader Joes' brand, but you know the fried onions I'm talking about), and a dusting of a ready made, store-bought "podi" (as we call it in our household), aka Simply Asia Sweet Ginger Garlic Seasoning.

My first impulse always is to gild the lily with more more more. Perhaps some cashews or cilantro, or a fistful of sultanas or something. But this dish? I kept it simple. It wasn't supposed to be a super special dish. But something substantial and gut filling.

And turns out? It was utterly delicious. (Or so he says!)

Waiting to hear back from the husband to see if he deems last night's dindin to be "Kozhi pongal" or if that's just too blasphemous for words:)

Also noteworthy: Despite the broth being chicken based, I *do* want to MacGuyver a small batch of rasam with what little bit I have left. I think the flavor profile will lend itself very well to it.

To date: I've tried both, the Thai Ginger and the Mexican Tortilla infused broths by Swanson. If I can find the hot and sour variety, I'll be very happy. So far, I've been very happy with this particular pantry item. Packs a whole lotta flavor in a shelf stable package.  

*Note: IMHO, or for my purposes I define the Pantheon of South Indian rice based dishes as INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
"Baths" (sambar rice, yogurt rice, tamarind rice, lemon rice, etc)
Biryani (note: I am not including pulao, as it's not typically a South Indian dish)
Kichidee/kicheree
Pongal (note: technically, Pongal is a type of kichidee/kicheree)
Payasam (note: not all payasam are rice based)

Birthday Kulfi Surprise, Part One

As my husband is lactose intolerant, he's pretty limited regarding ice creams or desserts, etc. In a way my first marriage prepared me for this. First husband was Jewish, and though we did not keep kosher, I am quite adept at hacking desserts and such, and make them pareve. So it's with this in mind, I've been daydreaming about what to make to celebrate his birthday. Something sweet, something special. But what?

Ice cream is a biggie for him, and he used to eat a gelatto nearly every single day until the abdominal pain became so pronounced he had to give it up. Indians have a long tradition of ice cream. It's a rare treat. Something special. Same thing goes for Coca Cola, too. You have guests, you bring out ice cream cones or Coca Cola, and it made get togethers special.

Well, I'm not hacking Coca Cola today. I'm hacking Indian ice cream known as Kulfi.  I've been thinking a lot about avocados, and while there are some good kulfi recipes out there using avocados, I wasn't sure if I wanted to make a huge batch, as I wasn't sure if I was going to make it just to make it, or if I was going to make it to use it in a spumoni or an ice cream cake.

So at midnight last night, when most normal human beings are tucked in bed, I was up mashing avocados and boiling milk, and beating the hell out of it all. Partially freezing and whipping it, chopping candied ginger and pistachios.

Here is my recipe for a lactose-free (not non-dairy--though you can sub out the Lactaid milk with Almond milk--I would have done so but the husband claims he's got an almond allergy, which I'm not convinced is real (yes, seriously, I think it's something else he's been ingesting with the almonds, and not the almonds themselves).

Step 1 Ingredients:
1 C Milk, Lactaid, or Almond Milk
1 T. Rice flour
1/2 tsp fresh ground Cardamom powder
1/2 C Sugar or Splenda

Step 1 Instructions:
 In a nonstick pot, dissolve rice flour in milk and bring to a boil. Stir frequently and keep an eye on it so it doesn't boil away or scorch. Add in sweetener and cardamom and turn off heat.

Step 2 Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados, mashed with a squirt of lemon juice
1 tsp almond extract
1 T. Amaretto (this will change the freezing point for the kulfi)
1 T. Confectioners Sugar
1 pinch salt

Step 2 Instructions:
Mash avocados, add in step 2 ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until well blended. Add somewhat cooled cooked milk mixture and blend well. Put mixing bowl in freezer for about 40 minutes.

Step 3 Ingredients:
1/4 chopped, roasted, unsalted pistachios
2 T. Minced up candied ginger

Step 3 Instructions:
Take bowl out of freezer, mix with electric mixer again, then fold in pistachios and candied ginger, then pour into mold or container for the freezer. Add garnish and freeze overnight

Garnish:
2 crushed Bischoff biscuits or a few ginger snaps crushed

I'm not sure how lazy I will be. So I'm not sure if this is IT, or if I'll make some coconut kulfi, then do a layered "spumoni" type ice cream cake for the husband to surprise him. I have the components for coconut kulfi at home, so it's not out of the question. I just hope he likes it. Which, knowing him, it's truly a 50/50 shot if he'll like this or not. Oftentimes he's impossible to please. And times like this, knowing how much time, effort, consideration, conceptualizing and then engineering something like this, a bit of my soul gets chipped away each time I make something and he'll either reply, "It's kinda good" (which allegedly to him is high praise) or he outright finds something so revolting he can't eat it. While I have been accused in the past (by someone with pedestrian tastes, who I suspect eats a diet of sawdust and wallpaper paste) that I am an asshole about food or a food snob, whereas I counter I demand my food, at a minimum TASTE GOOD, my husband considers himself a foodie or a gourmand, but in reality, out of the both of us, he's an asshole about food.

Let's see how this all pans out.
Let's see if this ends up in the trash heap or not come his birthday.

If it does in fact end up in the trash heap, a photo will be snapped for posterity, and I'll never attempt kulfi for him again.

End note: Good-to-meh. Good in theory. Not so good in texture. Won't make this again for him. Too much effort for too little praise.

Gobi Channa Masala Mash

I don't make any designs on this recipe being an "authentic such-and-such" from the "this-and-that" region of India.

This came about as a workable alternative to serving mashed potatoes to my husband, who has taken the habit of reducing his carb intake later in the day.

Ingredients:
1 head fresh cauliflower (stem and leaves removed; and pressure cooked in the Nesco for 3 minutes, manually releasing the pressure)


1 can Garbanzos, drained and rinsed
3 inches fresh ginger (don't bother peeling it, just wash the skin real good)
1/2 Cup (or more, depending) Almond Milk
1 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of salt and pepper 

Masala Tadka:
1 green chili minced
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp nigella
1 tsp oil or ghee
2 T. Garlic-shallot paste
Optional: If you like asafatoeida, add a few pinches to the sizzling tadka.

Garnish:
1/4 C minced red onion
fistful cilantro leaves or minced up stems from nearly 1 bunch
Optional: 1 T. plain yogurt

Method:

Grind all the first ingredients up to the salt and pepper. Then in a large skillet start toasting the tadka until the jeera gets golden and aromatic, add in the garlic-shallot paste and cook until golden. Stir in the channa-gobi puree. Cook down stirring regularly to keep it from burning (I cooked it on medium-high heat). Keep stirring. Bubbling. 5 minutes? 7 tops? Add yogurt. Stir and cook 1 additional minute. Taste. Adjust salt and pepper. Add in cilantro and red onion. Give one stir. Put lid on and take off the heat. 

You're good to go. This was served w/broiled lamb chops, though there's so much left over, I can see it being smeared on chappatis w/some diced tandoori chicken on it, as a masala roll up type sandwich. Or just eaten with chappatis as a simple meal. 

Servings Rendered: Makes roughly 2 pints of mash.

Easy Channa Masala (cooked in a Nesco brand Pressure Cooker)

Ingredients in the order and method they are used:

3 Large handfuls of dry garbanzo beans 
Water to cover... substantial amount of water
(Soak overnight; though to be honest, I was sick yesterday, so the chickpeas sat for two days, with me changing the water yesterday.)

Set the Nesco on the browning setting. Once a few drops water is able to skittle across the heated cooker, add:

2 T. Neutral oil (I use grapeseed, though canola or peanut would work well
1 tsp Panch Puran
1 tsp Cumin seed

Once the cumin seed starts to turn tan and fragrant, add in:

1 whole red onion, minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
1 chili, minced
1 rounded T. of garlic/ginger paste

Once the onion starts to turn translucent and nearly golden, add in:

1 T. Garam masala powder
1 tsp. Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Bay leaf powder (or one whole bay leaf)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp of Amchur/Amchoor (dried mango powder) Or substitute 1 T. lemon juice
2 tomatoes diced

Stir, cook for about 3 minutes. Then toss in the soaked, drained garbanzos, and about 1 cup of water.

Add a pinch of salt and a big fat pinch of ground black pepper.

Turn cooker off browning setting. Give a good stir. Put the lid on the cooker, and set it to seal. Pressure cook on high for about 6 minutes. Let depressure-ize on its own.

When you open the cooker, if things look more like soup than a thick chili-type stew, set the cooker on the browning setting and keep an eye on it. Stir frequently, letting the cooking fluids reduce until at proper texture.

If you want to hasten the thickening, add about 1 T. ladoo besan/chick pea flour to it, giving it a good stir. Check taste. Adjust salt, pepper, and lemon juice (or amchur) to your preference.

Once it's to the viscosity/thickness you desire, turn off cooker, and add to it 1/2 of a red onion minced, and a handful of chopped cilantro.

I served mine with a north Indian styled paratha, which I seasoned w/kalonji.

Makes approx. 2 generous, 3 not-so-generous sized servings.

Easy Muttar Keema (Peas & Lamb)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground lamb
1 packaged fresh shelled peas or about 1.5 C frozen
1 12 oz can Hunt's tomato sauce, plus one can's measurement of water
1 whole onion, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
2 T garlic ginger paste
1 tsp Cumin seed whole
1 tsp Garam masala, ground
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp Coriander ground
1/2 tsp black pepper ground
1/2 tsp Smoked chipotle 
1 big pinch dried methi leaves
1/8th tsp ground Bay leaf (or 1 small whole one)
3 T plain yogurt
1-1/2 tsp salt

1. Render out ground lamb in a dry nonstick skillet. Remove lamb and drain off all but a teaspoon or two of the fat.

2. Into the hot fat, put the cumin seed and minced jalapeno. Cook a minute or two until seeds start to turn golden. Toss in the onion. Cook that for about 2-3 minutes. Add in the ginger garlic paste. Keep stirring until everything starts to look golden and smells fragrant. 

3. Toss in all the spices and cook a minute or two, then put the lamb back into the mix. Add the tomato sauce and water. Bring up to a boil. Sprinkle the methi leaves into the boiling curry. Add the peas. Cover, but vent so steam can escape. Stir well and put on medium heat for about 20 minutes. (I took a shower while this cooked).

4. Give a good stir. Is it still watery or is it starting to look thick like a good stew or chili? This is not soupy or with a loose gravy. This will ultimately cook down to its essential parts, lamb and peas. The gravy such as it is, will be just enough to make everything cohesive, but not enough to look like a soup or a stew. The end product will be eaten with naan or roti.

5. Turn off heat and add in the yogurt. Give a good stir to incorporate.  Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves if you have it.

My Streamlined Pulicutchal Recipe

Tamarind Measurement: Enough shelled, fresh tamarind where it is roughly the size of a lemon if you mush it all together in your hand (before soaking)
Roughly 2 cups boiled water

Shell tamarind and remove stringy membrane. Soak in boiling hot water and leave it alone until it cools.

In a dry pan, dry roast then set aside to cool:
1 T. Urad
2 tsp. Split channa dhal
1 T. Coriander seed
½ tsp Fenugreek seed
Dry red chiles (to taste--if you like hotter, add more; if you like less heat, just add 1-2)

In a separate pan, dry roast 1 T. sesame seed. Do this separately as the sesame seeds might burn before everything else is done being toasted.

Once tamarind and water have cooled sufficiently, start removing the seeds and the membrane around the seeds, keeping the fruit pulp in the water.

Put the tamarind pulp and water in blender and add the toasted dhals and seeds you dry roasted in the blender, and grind well. Set aside.

Tadka :
2 T. Gingelly oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
3 sprigs (approx 12 leaves) curry leaf
1 fresh green chile, minced fine

Fry up mustard seeds until they start to splutter and sizzle. Add remainder of tadka ingredients. Fry up until the curry leaves start to get fried and brittle (but not burnt). Add 1/8 tsp (or a few dashes) of Hing (asafatoeida).

Pour blended tamarind pulp mixture into pan. Bring to a boil. Stir well. Add:

½ tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsp Grated Jaggery
Salt - To Taste

Boil well. Stir well. Ensure it does not scorch. Contents need to cook down until thick. Not like a paste, but not like a thin syrup either.

In separate pan, put 1-2 tsp gingelly or peanut oil and fry up (a minimum of) 3 T. peanuts. (I love, love, love peanuts in tamarind rice!)

Taste. Adjust salt if it needs more salt. If it needs more fire, add a pinch or two of red chile pepper. If not tangy enough, adjust with a bit of fresh lemon juice (to taste). Toss in peanuts. Stir well. Let cool before put into clean glass container.

Can keep well in refrigerator for a while.

Good for use as a pickle w/curd rice, and great way to make puliyogare in an instant.

My Version of Kerala Karela Lemon Pickle

When I was in Kumarakom, Kerala in January, I enjoyed many food delights at the resort, ranging but not limited to their egg podimas in the morning, and their assortment of fish dishes at lunch or dinner. But one thing that really tickled me was the array of pickles they offered daily.

One pickle in particular caught my fascination, and it was a combination of karela (bitter gourd) with lemon. Now thanks to Manisha at Indian Food Rocks, I've pretty much mastered the concept of sun pickling; however, I've never actually cooked pickle. I wonder if the karela pickle would lend itself well to sun pickling, tho I cannot see why it wouldn't work, given the acid or bitter content.

So I've been on a quest. Yes, first was the kadampuli/gamboge quest which so far has turned up some puli so I can try a fish curry soon. Now, I'm on a quest for the perfect pickle which has two of my fave things in it, bitter gourd and lemon.

I asked my mother-in-law for some ideas regarding the karela pickle. She gave me a quick fry type pickle. I am not sure what the shelf life in the fridge is with this. I always have to think of how quickly something might be used before I make an item, as depending, I could be the only person eating it for a while.

So I took amma's lead, and MacGuyver'd a good facsimile of the karela pickle I enjoyed in Kerala:

Oh Dear, Doing instant pickle is easy. You can make multi veg. pickles too. Make small pieces of pavakkai and fry this in heated oil after mustard and add some turmeric powder, salt and chilly powder, perungaya powder and after it cools adds some lemon juice. Stir well. After a day or two, keep in the fridge. You can do any vegetables [carrot, cabbage, beans etc] like this. It needs more oil than normal. Take care. Lovingly, Amma.

Ingredients:

1 decent sized Karela/pavakkai/bitter gourd firm, bright green, no blemishes
1 small lemon plump with a good thick, healthy looking rind
1 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp fenugreek seed
Chile pepper, cut into very fine strips (to taste)
Big pinch salt
Small pinch turmeric
Perungaya/hing/asafatoeida powder (to taste)
Chile powder (to taste)
Optional: ground black pepper (to taste)
Optional: a few tablespoons of grated carrot (just for color/interest)
Oil

Procedure:

1. Thoroughly wash the bitter gourd and lemon well. I scrub with a Scotch Brite pad and dish soap and rinse thoroughly. Cut the nub ends off the lemon and the gourd and discard. Cut the gourd lengthwise into two pieces, then scoop out seeds with a spoon (and discard seeds). Slice into thin (1/8th inch thick) half moons and put in big glass (or other non-reactive) bowl. Slice lemon in half, and half again, and cut into thin slices (discarding pits). Put into bowl with the gourd slices.

*Note: the seeds/arils of the gourd must be removed, as they can be toxic to eat.

2. Put salt and turmeric in bowl and toss to coat well. Let sit for about 20 minutes.

3. Heat about 1 T. oil (gingelly or peanut would be good) and fry mustard and fenugreek seeds until they start to splutter and sizzle and add fine strips of chile pepper. Add a dash or two of hing, and then add the lemon and gourd slices. Fry well for about 3-5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of boiling water to the bowl that had the lemon and gourd. Swish this around to be sure to get all the lemon juice and gourd juice that might remain, and add this to the skillet it cooks to keep contents from sticking to pan and to get all tasty bits off the pan and into the pickle.

4. Taste back of spoon. Is it salty enough? Spicy? If not, add a pinch more salt, and add a bit of red chile powder to taste. At this point I add a bit of black pepper, because I adore it. Finish cooking until the bitter gourd is fork tender but not mushy. Take off heat. Let cool.

5. Put contents in a clean glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Add a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice to this, give a good stir, and let sit in fridge overnight for optimal taste.

Makes approximately 8 oz/half pint of pickle, which I hope will last more than a week or two in the fridge.

Being I'm neither Tamilian, nor a traditionalist, I plan on eating this pickle to accompany shrimp cocktail with my lunch.

As an aside, I've decided to give container gardening a whirl for this spring/summer, and have planted a few seeds of bitter gourd as well as ridge gourd. In keeping with the theme of this post, the smaller of the two seedlings pictured is bitter gourd. One seedling so far, and seems there's another one about to burst thru the soil any moment now. I brought these containers to work and placed them in a great window w/plenty of direct sunlight and hope they will really take off and grow and get robust enough for me to plant in a larger container on my balcony. I've forgotten what the germination time is for both, but the ridge gourd sprouted earlier than the bitter gourd.

Tangy Kerala Styled Fish Curry

While in Kerala in January of this year, I fell in love with all manner of Keralite food, especially the magic they work with seafood.

I've been on a quest to locate and obtain the crucial kadampuli, aka Gamboge, aka Cambodge, which is a fruit used as a souring agent. In the meantime, I MacGuyver'd this batch of fish curry, substituting regular tamarind/puli in lieu of the kadampuli (aka kodukkai puli in Tamil).

Ingredients/Prep Order:

Roughly 3 thumb sized knobs (heheh, I said "knobs") of tamarind, peeled
2 cups boiling water

(Soak tamarinds for 30 minutes in water. Set aside.)

Optional: Use comparable amount of Tamicon brand tamarind paste, roughly 2-3 tsp in 2 cups boiling water.

Paste made of:
6 cloves of garlic
1.5 inches of fresh young ginger
1 large shallot pureed w/enough oil to grind in a Cuisinart or mixie.

Tempering Tadka:
1 T. Coconut oil
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds

1 Jalapeno (or 1/2 green bell pepper, if you're afraid of heat; More jalapeno can be used, according to preference), cut into strips
3 Sprigs curry leaf (roughly 10-12 medium sized leaves)
1-2 dashes Asafatoeida (aka Hing, aka Perungaya), powdered form

1 T. Coriander powder

1-1.5 lbs Snapper (I used Blue Snapper) filet, cut into 3-4 oz chunks

1/2 tsp. Turmeric powder


1. Deal with the tamarind or kadampuli first. After soaking for 1/2 hour, once the water is cool enough to plunge your hand into without fear of scalding yourself, manipulate and squeeze the fruits until the seeds pop out. Rub all flesh off seeds. Squeeze the fruit, removing the membrane and fiber, leaving behind the pulp in the water. Set aside.

2. Grind your paste.

3. Temper your tadka. First melt coconut oil over medium heat and add fenugreek seeds. Cook until they start to splutter but do not burn. Add jalapeno and curry leaves. Cook until the leaves start to splutter and sizzle. Add Asafatoeida powder & add the paste. Cook roughly 2-3 minutes until paste starts to turn a bit opaque-to-translucent BUT NOT BROWN! Add coriander powder. Keep stirring. Cook for a minute more.

4. Add puli pulp & water. Bring to a rolling boil. Add roughly 1-2 tsp of salt and if preferred, a few pinches of black pepper. Cook roughly 3-5 minutes at a good boil. Add turmeric powder. Stir well.

5. Add fish to boiling pot. Once pot comes back up to boil after fish has been added, reduce heat to simmer. Shake pot DO NOT STIR FISH--IT WILL BREAK UP! Put cover on pot. Cook over low heat for about 7 minutes. Turn heat off, keep lid on until ready to serve.

Tho to be honest, this is best if left in the pot overnight IN THE FRIDGE, and served the next day.

I served it w/steamed plain, south Indian Rosamatta rice, and a helping of aviyal, all garnished with some fresh cilantro.

Servings: Roughly 4-5

Food-speriment: Meshugeneh Masala Vadas & Dahi Vada

For those that might not know what meshugeneh means...
"Crazy, mixed up."
It perfectly describes this item!

All the players in this morning's "food-speriment":
Prepared vada dough, w/leftover upma waiting to be mixed in;
Tamarind sauce, dahi, and boondi for the dahi vada presentation.

Meshugeneh Masala "Vadas" to be eaten w/
Maggi Hot & Sweet.

"Vadas" in their post-frying plunge into dahi...

The dahi presentation (minus the boondi--
I plated this up to snap a photo now; however
the husband won't eat until later, and I didn't
want the boondi to get mushy).

As it all appears on my counter, awaiting for his lunch later.

Now it's time for me to shower up and head out
to get some pork shoulder & some shrimp.
Pork shoulder for pernil (I *NEED* to make this today--
will serve it tomorrow, but it takes about 6 hrs to cook
better to do that today than a weeknight), and
some shrimp for tonight's dinner:
Shrimp & chorizo stuffed blue snapper.

Chia Challenge: Day 2

I've been a bit remiss. Didn't manage to post a pic or recipe of what I made for the second day's dish containing chia seeds. I managed to make a basic mixed vegetable upma, using quinoa (and a bit of split moong for the grain), and some cauliflower florets, shred carrot, edamame, capsicum, and a little leftover zucchini for the veg.

Between the quinoa, moong, edamame and peanuts I added, I feel fairly certain it can stand alone as a perfect meal on its own. Plenty of fiber, low-glycemic type carbs, high protein, and full of flavor. I added the chia seeds at the last minute so they still had some crunch.

I doubt I'm going to reinvent the wheel by taking the time to peck out my recipe, as the internet is chock-a-block with others who post similar material. However, if you're interested in a great upma recipe, you cannot go wrong by checking out Indian Cuisine's recipe (which, for the life of me, I cannot figure out how to imbed the link. What the hell?):http://thecuisine.blogspot.com/2012/01/mixed-vegetable-broken-wheat-upma.html


The husband, of course, scoffs a bit when I make things like upma or kichadi, as traditionally they are food which is served to either folks who are sick, or the elderly. That, notwithstanding, upma can be a delicious, nutritious and quick item to be made for dinner itself or served as a side dish.

In my microwavable rice cooker (Progressive brand, seriously, well worth the $8 I spent for it), I put the quinoa, moong, cauliflower florets and turmeric, with enough salted water and nuked it for 12 minutes.

While the quinoa cooked, I prepped what I needed. I get a lot of my groceries from Trader Joes, and as of late, I've gotten a lot of veggies in ready to go form. My carrots were already shredded and I got a pack of onion/shallot/garlic already chopped. This just left me to dice up the capsicum and the zucchini, and take a handful of peas out of the freezer. And the only other thing I did in my recipe is "finish" the dish with a tablespoon of coconut oil, much in the way the French finish a dish with a pat of butter.

From beginning to end, it took me less than one half hour to get dinner on the table. I served the upma with some watermelon (gah, won't buy watermelon again until warmer months, no good can come from melons in the winter!) and a handful of Trader Joes curly chip things which are made of potato and lentil, and remind me, taste-wise, of papads.

I'm now wondering if the leftover upma could be incorporated into a vada batter or even make very flavorful koftas in a subdued gravy. That's me, always thinking of ways to use up leftovers. Not sure if it's a carry over from my Scottish lineage, as the Scots are known for their thrift. But why waste money? I'll just transform this stuff into something else, equally delicious.

Stay tuned.

An American Does Aviyal

Sapteengla (Chop-teen-gla)? Have you eaten?

Little did I realize until my trip to India, which spanned the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, did I realize that one of the dishes I make regularly, aviyal, is actually a Keralite dish.

This has everything in it that I love about Kerala (well, minus the seafood they are so very famous for); but flavor wise, it's all in there: curry leaf, coconut, and chile.

Tho my mode might be different than a traditional recipe, it was one of the first dishes I fed my mother-in-law, who promptly informed me she had nothing more to teach me in the kitchen.

This is a dish that is traditionally served with addai, which is pancake of sorts made from a mixture of several different pulses/legumes which is ground, and unlike dosas, addai batter does not need to be fermented, and can be used immediately. (Tho to be honest, I think the batter sets up better if you let it sit a bit.)

Now for the ingredients I used for today's aviyal:

First, the "sauce".

Into a blender I put:

1 Cup plain yogurt
1/4 tsp cumin seeds (not toasted)
The stems of 1 bunch of cilantro
1 big pinch of salt
1/4 Cup dessicated, shredded coconut (unsweetened)

I grind this until everything is incorporated and the "sauce" (or whatever this is called!) is a vibrant green. Set aside until ready.

Then the veggies:

1 russet potato, peeled and diced
1 dozen tindal (they look like little cucumbers), sliced into 1/4 inch thick disks
1 handful of shredded carrot (I had a bag on hand I've been using in salads)
1 handful green peas (I use frozen)
1/2 Zucchini, cubed.

First, I boil the potatoes in salted water with about 1/2 tsp of turmeric. Once the potatoes are fork tender, I add everything else and let simmer until tender. In the meantime, get the "tadka" or savory garnish-y thing started. Drain veggies, but reserve the cooking fluid, you might need it!

Tadka:

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and temper:

12 Curry leaves (dry or fresh)
1 green (I used red, but these recipes always call for green), chile (I cut mine into fine rings)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (see what I did there? unroasted gets ground in the sauce; more gets tempered in the oil--I love the taste)
A pinch (or a few shakes, if you like it) Asafatoeida (or Hing as it's known in Hindi; or Perungaya in Tamil)

Let seeds and leaves and chile splutter and fry in the oil until fragrant.

At this point, add the boiled veggies to the tadka and stir to cook about two minutes or so. Don't brown, but keep stirring, trying not to mash up the veggies too much. Cook for another minute or two. If things look too dry or starts to stick to the skillet, add a tablespoon or two of the cooking fluid, stirring the veggies well.

The end result is not a curry where veggies are swimming in gravy, but more a fragrant veggie "mush" (not mashed, but you can still make out the individual veggies). So if your veggies look a bit soupy or more wet than not, cook a minute or two more until excess water cooks off.

Serve warm or hot with addai, or with other dishes such as a Travancore styled chicken curry or a Curry Meen.

So very glad to have eaten this very dish IN Kerala, and even gladder to know that my version is a reasonable facsimile thereof!

Mmm...Mulligatawny (Non-traditional; Non-Veg)

In many ways being married to my husband is very much like the dynamic between Ricky and Lucy Ricardo on "I Love Lucy." Language and culture collide and in many ways with humorous, and oftentimes in my household DELICIOUS, results.

It was only after concocting this soup that I did a bit of research on the word mulligatawny itself, to discover that it's a derivation/permutation of the Tamil words for pepper (molagai, sp?) and water (thannee, sp?). Of course the husband is incredulous when I inform him of my discovery, and then of course, scoffs at the bastardization of the words now.

However you pronounce it, this soup DELIVERS on flavor, and is a very fine attempt at duplicating and paying homage to my favorite soup I used to eat at a restaurant we rarely go to now (since I cook much better food than we can get there, why bother going out for it?).

Dals:
1/2 C Masoor dal (pink)
3/4 C Split moong or thoor (or I guess, split yellow peas)

Rinse one time in cool water, drain off. Fill container and cover with ample water. Let sit a minimum of one hour. When ready, get out pressure cooker. Put over medium heat. Drain off soaking liquid of lentils one final time. Toss lentils in pressure cooker, plus 2X the volume with water.


Add to that:

2 split chicken breasts, with or without skin, preferably bone-in
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper, ground
1 tsp Coriander powder
2 Bay leaves

Let this all come to a gentle boil while you pan fry/temper the savories/spices.

Tadka/Tempering Spices:

1 tsp black mustard seed
1 tsp cumin seed
1 serrano chile, rough mince
10 Curry leaves

Pan fry with a bit of neutral oil (I use grapeseed). Let the above splutter and fry in the oil, until you hear the seeds start to pop, then add in:

1 large onion, diced
3 large garlic cloves, sliced thin
1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and julienned into match sticks
Optional/Use if if you have on hand: 2-3 stalks of Fennel (aka Anise), minced

Pan fry until everything is fragrant and starting to turn somewhat golden. Take some of the cooking fluid from pressure cooker, and put in skillet, to deglaze the pan. Let it sizzle and bubble up, scrape the pan down, and transfer everything into the pressure cooker.

Into the pressure cooker, immediately before putting the lid on, add:

1/2 a large zucchini, diced (not too fine, it'll mush up in the pressure cooker)
1/2 Yellow bell pepper, diced
1 large tomato, cubed
1-2 large handfuls of shredded carrot (I happened to have a bag in the fridge for salads)

Give everything a good stir. Lower heat to simmer. Put lid on pressure cooker and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Take off heat and let the steam release out the valve naturally.

Once cool enough to remove whistle and open lid, retrieve chicken breasts out. Let sit until cool enough to handle. Then shred the chicken, removing the skin and the bones. Toss back in soup.

Give a good stir. Taste. Not salty enough? Add more. Add a fistful of fresh cilantro leaves, ripped.

Serve piping hot with a lemon wedge.

Depending on volume of water actually used, this makes close to 3 quarts of soup. It freezes very well. Just be sure to add a bit of fresh cilantro sprigs before serving.

The Bastard Love Child: The Union of Rabbit *96* and Biryani

Typically, when you see an Indian recipe for chicken or rabbit appended with a numeric, it typically means # = how many days the animal was alive. I guess the theory is, that either the animal is tastier or most tender the younger it is. IMHO, the older a chicken is, the tastier it is. Kind of like how a woman doesn't really get any character until she's aged a bit, and has gotten saucy.

SOAP BOX ALERT!!!
REALITY: The longer an animal is alive, the more $ the farmer has to spend on feed. As is the case with corporate farm lots (at least here in the US), they put growth hormones in the feed, to fatten up our animals for us, so the animals spend less time (and less money for the farmer) at the farm, which helps the farmer's bottom line; however, the resulting animal is usually an inferior, bland, and some might argue an unhealthy end product for the consumer. If at all possible, buy the freshest, locally grown, minimally processed rabbit, chicken or pheasant. It's healthier for you, it's better for the environment (less fossil fuels from farm-to-table), and bottom line: IT JUST TASTES BETTER.

My husband and I have been ISO an elusive recipe for Rabbit *96* for years. He only ate it once about 18 years ago (maybe more, maybe less?). And at the moment, he worries that when I do find that recipe, it won't or can't possibly live up to the deliciousness which he remembers vividly and fondly.

Not sure if the "96" part of the recipe (the rabbit curry part that is) is a true Rabbit *96*; however, I'm adapting a recipe I had for Chettinad style chicken.

Again, dear food purists: go elsewhere if you can't abide improvisations and variations on a theme. What I'm shooting for here is a delicious homage to the elusive Rabbit *96* and biryani.

There are two parts to this recipe: The rabbit + gravy, and the biryani. My approach biryani is so flawed, it might not be a "true biryani" (for an assortment of reasons to an assortment of folks, the most blaringly obvious is that I don't use a biryani powder per se), and again, to that, food purists can kiss my ass. The bottom line remains if what was crafted is fucking delicious... and in summation: IT IS.

For the record, the thing I DETEST about Indian cooking is the amount of time BABY SITTING your food, and the layering involved. Indian food, when done well, is very nuanced, and the downside to those nuances, is the amount of time and attention (not to mention the amount of pots and pans that get dirtied in the process).

Recipe calls for: One butchered rabbit, roughly the size of a small roaster chicken (however, I bet this would lend itself very well to medium sized game birds such as pheasant).

The night before, in a zip lock type bag large enough to accommodate the rabbit (chicken or pheasant), marinate overnight.

MARINADE:
2 T oil (I used grapeseed due to lack of flavor)
2 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
big fat pinch of ground black pepper
*Note: If I do this recipe again, I will use the juice of 1/2 a lemon in this.

In a large skillet, dry roast:

SPICE MIX:
2 tsp white poppy seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 inch cinnamon stick
3 green cardamom pods, whole
2 cloves
1/2 star anise

Grind then set aside to cool.

TADKA:
10-12 Curry leaves (fresh or dry, doesn't much matter)
1 long dry red chile pepper (more if you prefer)
1 tsp oil

Then, in skillet put 1 tsp oil and sizzle about 10-12 curry leaves and 1 long dry chile pepper (slivered) until leaves start to toast up and sizzle. Put this with the dry roasted spices in a grinder and grind down to a semi-coarse powder.

GET A GOOD SCALD:

In skillet, set temp on high and put about 3 T oil in skillet. *Note: Make sure the oil you are using has a high smoke point. Do NOT use olive oil! Put rabbit pieces in the skillet, and let it sit and get a good scald on one side, meanwhile you can cut up your onion, etc. After about 3-5 minutes check it once just to ensure you're getting a good sear, then turn. Cook on second side about 5 minutes. Remove from pan. At this point you might want to drain some of the grease/oil off the pan.

THE GRAVY/CURRY:
1 T dessicated, grated coconut
1 Large onion diced
1 pinch Asafatoeida
1 Large tomato, diced
1 T tomato paste
1 12 oz can chicken stock
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste

In the skillet cook diced up large onion about 2-3 minutes. Then add 1 T dessicated, powdered coconut. Keep stirring and until coconut gets toasty in color. If you use asafatoeida/hing normally, put a dash or two in this. Add the toasted ground spice mixture. Cook 1-2 minutes stirring well. To this, add 1 cubed up large tomato and about 1 T of tomato paste. Add 1 12 oz can of chicken stock.Add additional 1 tsp of garlic paste and 1 tsp of ginger paste. Bring to boil. Stir well, reduce heat to a simmer. Meanwhile set up your rice for the biryani part of the action.

Note: if I were to make this again, I would take 1-2 green chiles and cut them into thin disks and add them to the hot oil before adding the onions.

THE RICE/BIRYANI:
2 Cups basmati rice
4 Cups water
Big pinch salt
Big pinch saffron
2 Cardamom pods, smooshed a little but left whole
2 Cloves
1 Cinnamon stick
1 Bay leaf
Optional: 1.5 T butter

Into your rice cooker (I use a microwavable one, I refuse to use anything else. Perfect rice every time. Seriously!), put 2 cups of basmati rice. Wash your rice and drain it about three times until the water comes up clearer than the first rinse. Then add your 4 cups water and all the aromatics for the rice/biryani. Microwave about 13 minutes or cook in your rice cooker as you normally would. Meanwhile, get out items for the biryani itself.

SAVORIES FOR BIRYANI:
Small handful cashews or pistashios
1 handful craisins, raisins, dried cherries or currants
1/2 C cut scallions
1/2 C green peas
1/2 C cilantro leaves
Optional/Use 'em if you got 'em: Pearl onions if you have them
1 C uniformly cut veggies of your choice (I used some Trader Joes garlic potato slices)

IT'S A FRIED RICE, STUPID!:

In large skillet put 2 T oil and sizzle cashew pieces until they start to turn toasty. Put in pearl onions and cook about 2 minutes. Dump the cooked rice into the skillet, removing the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and cloves, as you find them. Stir well. Medium high heat. Turning over and over while cooking (essentially this is like a fried rice). Sprinkle with chile powder (if you want more heat), or if you're like me, use some smoked hot paprika, and sprinkle a bit of turmeric. Keep stirring. Add craisins. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Add peas, scallions, and cilantro. Give one final stir. Take off heat.

Note: Given that my husband is lactose intolerant, I cannot "finish" off with a pat of butter. Yes. This was one detail I was debating on sharing or not. My "secret" if you will. (It's also part of my secret to coq au vin: finishing off w/butter at the very end.) So what I did was use 1 T coconut oil. Though tasty, coconut does have a bit of a distinct taste. If I were to make this again, I would probably tinker around with finishing off with gingelly oil/sesame oil, as it's got a nuttier, buttery, more-subtle-than-coconut type of taste. If lactose is not an issue for you, finish off with a few pats of butter, OR when you're assembling everything for the oven, dot the top of the rice with a few pats of butter.

FINISHING IN OVEN/GOING ON AUTO-PILOT:

In a large enough baking casserole dish, spritz well with Pam. Put rabbit pieces in bottom, pour gravy over top. Sprinkle your 1 C veggies of choice over this. Then take the rice/biryani and layer that on top, pressing down firmly. Cover casserole with lid or tightly with tin foil.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

From start to finish, I believe this whole process took close to 3 hours. This does not include the time the meat marinates.

Serves approximately 6 people (with one piece of rabbit per person).

Serve with raita.

Pseudo-Ladoo: "Figgy Pudding" (type) Bites

Assortment of "ladoos" and "pedas" I crafted
during holiday season 2011.
Note: I put quotes around ladoos and pedas, because
some foodie-purists might believe my ladoos or pedas
aren't "true" ladoos or pedas.
Those folks can go eat a bag of dicks--
Complain all you want, but my balls are tasty,
and that just means more ladoos and pedas
for the rest of us!

Without a doubt one of the easiest, no cook type confections to make. I did make a chocolate/coconut/date ladoo, too, but I'm too lazy to type out that recipe just yet. And I have made a date/coconut ladoo which is more traditional (using Jaggery and a smidge of rosewater and cardamom, and firming it up with ground almond meal instead of crushed cookies).

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb figs, minced
1/2 C Craisins, minced
1/2 C Candied orange peel, minced
1 tsp Toasted white poppy seeds
1 heaping tsp Ginger spread (By the Ginger People) Or substitute 1/4 C minced candied ginger
2-3 Tablespoons of Rum or Whisky
1/2 C chopped pistachios, walnuts or pecans
1 Bag Trader Joes Gluten Free Ginger Snaps (seriously, they are delicious), pulverized*
1-2 cups of either pulverized graham crackers or Nilla wafer cookies (OR, an additional pulverized bag of Trader Joes Gluten Free Ginger Snaps--they truly ARE awesome)
1-2 Tablespoons honey

Note: Trader Joes GF gingersnaps are made with chickpea flour, which in Indian terms is aka "besan." Which, IMHO, brings these closer to a true ladoo, tho the inclusion of rum or whisky diverges from a traditional ladoo...But I digress...

PROCEDURE:

In a big bowl put figs, Craisins, orange peel, ginger spread, and honey.

Add in rum or whisky one tablespoon at a time to moisten.

Reserve last tablespoon just in case you need it later. Soak for 20 minutes then
moosh (YES, "moosh." I'm very technical.) it all down so everything gets blended.

In a big zip lock bag, crush ginger snaps. Mix entire bag of crushed ginger snaps
in w/the wet ingredients, adding poppy seeds and chopped nuts. Mix and knead well. Let sit (I was lazy and let it sit overnight, at room temp--I think it makes them better as a result, actually!)

When ready to form into balls, scoop out a little less than a tablespoon at a time.
Spritz hand with Pam. Squeeze and moosh it, then roll it into a firm ball. Roll ball
in pulverized graham crackers or Nilla wafers.

Nets 2 dozen, roughly, depending on the size of your balls. (Hehehe, I said "balls.")

Best results: Keep refrigerated if planning on making big batches to keep on hand thru holiday season.

Can be kept at room temp/ambient temps, but for a shorter period of time. Keep in air tight container.

Diwali Sweet: Fig & Nut Ladoo

No recipe.
Just a picture for you fuckers to drool over:)