A dish a day

Kerala meets Korea - Mustard & Chile flavored Kimchi

2017-05-14T12:28:00.005-04:00

I'm not sure how a food related 'Jiminy Cricket' conscience would look like in real life but imagination tells me it would be brandishing a wooden ladle for sure and would probably speak to me in my mother's voice. Admonishing me for not keeping up on my writing for my blog posts (I realize that is my weak link) I seem to be quite happy creating recipes and Instagramming them daily.

A sudden shuffling of photographs & backing up (for fear of the new worm virus crossing the net) suddenly put me into a shocked gasp mode.. (I have about 1/2 a terabytes of just photographs, of creative ideas that never made it past the hard drive, leave alone minor editing to tweak the images), ideas that were forgotten half way and never revisited again, only to flood my brain with taste and olfactory memories - which are superbly forceful when they come gushing back - and I realized that I'm in need of serious organization in terms of my laptop. It will be a work in progress, slow and frustrating at times , but just as the kitchen counter needs a good clean up after the dish is made, so too must the data!

This recipe is more than 4 years in the bottle. I first tried this years ago but excessively salted the Napa cabbage to the point of being inedible. I wanted to make it just like I'd seen the pickle being manufactured (yes, manufacturing line, rather than an individual creation on the kitchen counter). Years went by, along with 1/2 a dozen Napa cabbages that sat in the refrigerator in vain, hoping to be pickled and invariably in the end, regretfully tossed out after wilting beyond scope, some lucky heads eventually met their end in a stir fry. Once when I had a surge of resolve, I ran out of arbol chiles (unheard of in my Indian kitchen).

It was almost the same this time around as well, except that I fortunately had toasted arbol chiles waiting (for another recipe that has yet to see the light of a blog post) on the counter, and no more excuses, other than a sterilized glass jar. Once the jar was accounted for, making this 'Non-recipe' is a delicious snap'.

This Kerala Kimchi is extremely forgiving in terms of the quantity of ingredients used, EXCEPT for the salt. Once you overdose on that, starting again is the easiest way out.

Kadugu Kimchi

You need:

1 largish head of Napa Cabbage
8-10 arbol chilies toasted lightly
1/4 cup mustard seeds
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon Asafetida
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/3 - 1/2 cup sea salt, as per taste
A large air tight glass jar , sterilized

As tempting as it is to make a mix of the spices and salt to slather between the leafy layers of the cabbage.. DON'T. Firstly its hard to stuff one head of crisp cabbage intact into a jar without making a mess and getting chili mix on your hands and invariably your eyes. Instead, separate the leaves and cut out the thick central vein and dice those into small pieces and keep aside. Cut the leaves into broad strips and toss them in a large mixing bowl.

Combine the toasted chiles, mustard seeds, asafetida & turmeric in a coffee grinder and powder it coarsely. Combine with salt. Err on the side of caution with the salt, you can add more quickly enough before the pickle remotely gets a chance to go bad.

Toss the cabbage strips with the spice blend, cover the bowl with a lid and toss well to coat evenly.

Uisng a clean pair of tongs, stuff the leaves in a clean glass jar and close the lid. Within the hour, the leaves will begin to ooze their liquid and the volume within the jar will literally halve. At this point, sample the liquid to adjust for the salt and add the pieces of the vein. Sample after a couple of hours and make a final adjustment to the level of salt & spice.

Allow to rest for a couple of days (this facilitates the fermentation process that gives the cabbage its characteristic kimchi 'tang' ).
I like pairing this with a simple yogurt rice, but would love to get feedback on what you paired it with!

Bon Appetit!

Oct 6 - Paal Payasam (Navratri day 6)

2016-10-06T21:58:00.002-04:00

I like to alternate the sundals with something sweet for prasaad. two days of savory , followed by one day of a sweet dessert. Today it was a quick Pal payasam. I was playing around with possible shortcuts (aded some forbidden rice flour, which didn't do much for the color, but a mug of warm payasam is always perfect for a nippy fall evening!

Oct 5 - Fresh Corn Sundal (Navratri Day 5)

2016-10-05T21:56:00.002-04:00

I had somehow neglected to soak beans or legumes for today's Sundal in time to make the neivedyam. So after running my 'soccer mom' chores for the day in between the two kids' Taekwondo clases, I dashed off to my local farm to pick up some corn before they closed. Shucked them off the cob and stir fried in a classic Sundal style. Interesting point to remember, corn cooks the fastest of all the possible legumes, maybe because its a grain!

Oct 4 - Black eyed Peas sundal with Omani Lime (Navratri Day 4)

2016-10-04T22:45:00.001-04:00

Sundal need not always be seasoned with coconut, although I invariably see it added in almost every variant of sundal that is prepared for spiritual purposes. (which means that onions & garlic are never ever used). This version with black eyed peas had me using a sprinkle of Omani Dried lime that added a smoky tang which complimented the legumes perfectly!

Oct 3 - Ksheera with Cashews & Banana (Navratri - day 4)

2016-10-03T20:01:00.001-04:00

Its not exactly a photogenic dish (of course using the right sized grits and a truckload of ghee helps), but I just happen to like using whatIi have around at home and love cooking this comfort food with milk in lieu of water. Plus I soemtimes forget to soak the saffron in warm milk, and so don't always get that golden color that is so desirable. I also happened to have a stock of bananas that needed to be used up before they turned mushy.

Oct 2 - Masoor dal sundal with toasted pecans (Navratri Day 2)

2016-10-02T21:41:00.001-04:00

Sundal made with split mung dal is a standard sundal variant and i was in no mood to repeat that. The next choice obviously was to work with split masoor. Since split masoor tends to be much more fragile that its mung cousin (just try cooking them side by side, the masoor mushes up almost double as fast, and on top of that loses its gorgeous orange color.
It is possible to retain that gorgeous peachy pink salmon color that raw masoor is blessed with, its about how to process it well enough to retain the color. and this sundal certainly lived up to all my hopes and aspirations, and was delicious to boot.

Oct 1 - Adzuki bean sundal (Navratri Day 1)

2016-10-01T22:01:00.001-04:00

Adzuki beans are used generally to make the sweet variety of sundal as offerings for Navratri, they tend to mush up when cooked in the pressure cooker. I preseoaked the beans and decided to boil it in water and they cooked up just enough to keep their shape.
The procedure for making sundal is standard, heat a tablespoon of oil, temper with mustard, urad dal & curry leaves, add in finely chopped green chilies followed by the cooked beans. Add salt and allow the residual water to evaporate. Finish with adding grated coconut and a drizzle of lime juice. My substitutions here were fish pepper instead of green chilies and slivers of green mango for the tart factor.

Paneer & Padron pepper curry

2016-09-30T22:09:00.001-04:00

There's a very simple 'dry' curry that often is seen on dining tables in North India. Its basically cubes of paneer stirfried with diced 'simla mirch' (the hindi term for bell pepper/capsicum) with plenty of sliced onions added. the spicing could be as simple as a tempering of bloomed cumin or as complex as you want with garam masala, tomato paste, garlic, beaten gold & silver foil,... you get the idea! Here's the link to the recipe:

Sept 29 - Potatoes and sweet peppers

2016-09-29T22:19:00.002-04:00

Russet potatoes cut into sticks and sauteed with sweet peppers and finished with a spice blend of toasted coriander, cumin and a touch of cinnamon.

Sept 28 - Salted dried blueberries (blueberry 'Vethal)

2016-09-28T21:35:00.001-04:00

If I have to pick one ingredient to highlight as a 'discovery' it has to be blueberries, unripe blueberries, this was a batch that I soaked in brine for three days and then dried them out in the oven overnight. It makes for a fantastic ingredient in making traditional South Indian 'Vethal kuzhambu'

Sept 27 - Peach and Ginger Sorbet

2016-09-27T23:16:00.002-04:00

Back after a month long break, and great to push myself back into mode. This was a spur of the moment recipe that i made to use up a surfeit of farm fresh peaches before I left for my vacation. Almost requires no recipe. about 5-6 Blanched peaches peeled and pitted, 1/2 a cup og ginger syrup, a cup of chopped crystallized ginger and the juice of 1 lime. Blend into a puree and pour into an ice cream maker. twenty minutes later, you have a fantastic dessert.

Aug 25 - Heritage Orca Beans Rajma

2016-08-25T22:00:00.000-04:00

Bobs red mill had these interesting Dalmation dog like beans on sale at my local store, black and white, they were labeled as Heritage Orca Beans, yep w.r.t a reference to the markings on a killer whale. Never to miss an opportunity to try a new ingredient, I used them in the best way I knew how. - Rajma. the beans were softer than the regular red kidney beans , but has a soft creamy quality that was perfect. The color was rather dark though, so it was hard to highlight the spectacular design on these legumes once the dish is cooked.

Aug 24 - Roasted Spaghetti squash cheesecake

2016-08-24T22:00:00.000-04:00

Never expected this dish to work out so well as it did, that I never bothered to write down the recipe. This was a spaghetti squash cheesecake I had baked last thanksgiving, tangy squares of the rich dessert topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a bit of candied cranberries,

Aug 23 - Zhoug

2016-08-23T16:00:00.002-04:00

This was an accompaniment to a batch of falafels I had fried up and with this my admiration for Yotam Ottolenghi's recipes went up a couple more notches. Here's the link to the recipe

Aug 22 - Roasted corn and black bean tacos

2016-08-22T20:30:00.000-04:00

Taco shells can be a very versatile ingredient to keep at home if it weren't for the fact that they can be fragile. I bought the shells on a whim and filled it up with a roasted corn and black bean salad I cobbled up with sunflower micro greens, a slice of avocados. Its a great way of getting kids to eat cool & healthy in the same meal!

Aug 21 - potatoes and poblano subzi

2016-08-21T21:00:00.000-04:00

One of the summer bounties I look forward to is the profusion of chili pepper varieties that flood the market and sometimes the simplest of dishes is transformed into a memorable meal just by tweaking the ingredients. This was a simple potato dish that included fire roasted poblano chile peppers in the mix. Potatoes, stewed with the poblanoes, fresh finger, a mix of crushed cumin and coriander. Finished with fresh cilantro and a spritz of lime.

Aug 20 - Langarwali Dal with roasted poblano peppers

2016-08-20T22:30:00.000-04:00

Glutinous textures are not my favorite (if this wasn't obvious - when have you seen a SINGLE dish involving Okra that I've posted?) , but Langarwali dal is an exception. This is a classic dal served at Gurudwaras (Sikh houses of worship) as part of a tradition of their communal kitchen where everyone who visits is fed a hearty meal of roti and dal.
This dal uses Urad & chana dal to get the inimitable flavor with minimal assistance from heavy spices. During the summer chili pepper season, I like adding fire roasted mashed poblano peppers to the mix for the 'heat'.

Aug 19 - Kadhi with onion blossoms & carrot top Pakoda

2016-08-19T19:45:00.000-04:00

This dish is not about the kadhi, I've made too many variants to count on my fingertips, with influences from Gujarat to Georgia. This version was made around the dumplings, onion blossoms and finrly chopped carrot top greens, mixed with besan / chickpea flour and spices. Deep fried to a glorious golden brown and then dunked in a straight forward yogurt kadhi tempered with just mustard, cumin and arbol chiles

Aug 18 - Conchiglie Chana Masala

2016-08-18T22:00:00.000-04:00

Another one of my 10 year olds suggestions to use up chana masala which, invariably is always made in industrial quantities at home. Piping hot chana masala ladled out onto freshly boiled Conchiglie (sea shell pasta ) and topped off with fresh home made crumbled Paneer. The kid paired it with water, I paired my plate with a chilled glass of Reisling.

Aug 17 - Lemongrass, galangal & Thai basil infused vodka

2016-08-17T15:34:00.000-04:00

Turns out I've already posted a cocktail based on this infusion 2 months ago, and conveniently forgotten to share the original chief ingredient, a Vodka infusion of lemongrass, Thai basil and fresh galangal. Again, made the first batch over two years ago around the same time as yesterdays vodka infusion.

Aug 16 - Kokum Infused Vodka

2016-08-16T15:29:00.000-04:00

I must have made this 2 years ago, a link on my Facebook page indicates it. This was a surprisingly delicious infusion. Dried leathery bits of kokum (a tart relative of the mangosteen, that is currently hyped as a weightloss supplement - Garcinia .. something). the pieces confer this gorgeous color onto the vodka and the tiny hint of salt makes it perfect for many a cocktail.

Aug 15 - Berbere rice

2016-08-15T22:00:00.000-04:00

When it comes to making flavored rice, I try not to let culinary boundary walls get in the way, and I must admit, rice is a great candidate for letting your imagination soar. Literally a blank canvas on which to brush on your choice of spice blends and vegetables.
This version had caramelized onions and peas sauteed with Ethiopian Berbere spice (deliberately omitted turmeric, to avoid making it appear like an Indian dish.
Paired with Ammini Ramachandran's recipe for a spiced Pineapple Salsa.

Aug 14 - Ammini 'kozhakattai' payasam

2016-08-14T23:02:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow (today if you're on Indian Standard Time) is Aug 15 - The Indian Independence day, No matter where you are settled in the world, Aug 15 always evokes a sense of pride, a loyalty to the land that shaped you into the human being that you've become.
Of course this calls for a special dish to celebrate, This was a rice dumpling kheer that I'd made some time back, the tiny morsels are known as Ammini Kozhakattai in Tamil, Usually rolled into Marble sized spheres between the palms, I decided to think outside the palms & into the piping bag, and the kozhakkatai will never be the same again Chez moi!
Here's the link to the recipe.

Wishing everyone a Happy Independence day.. JAI HIND!

Aug 13 -Whole wheat Bhature

2016-08-13T23:20:00.001-04:00

I often wonder why the classic Punjabi deep fried breads are often made using All purpose flour, I mean if its so traditional, at what point of time did they start using processed flour instead of the good old stone ground 'Chakki Atta' (traditionally milled whole wheat flour).

I love the robust chewiness of this yeasted flatbread served up with the classic Punjabi choley / chana masala. & that amazing texture can only come about with wholesome wheat flour. Next time you get a craving for this delicious bread, skip the APR and reach out for the real branny stuff!

Aug 12 - Falafel Salad

2016-08-12T23:41:00.002-04:00

As much as I love Falafels sandwiches, sooner or later, the commercial Pita bread turns out to be limiting factor, I detest the vinegary additives that they add to ensure shelf life.After one session, the next day it invariably ends up being a salad, crumbled falafel patties, on a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, Zhoug and Tahini.