Indian Food Rocks

Hallowe'en with a Bite, a Sequel

2009-10-31T21:27:00.000-06:00

Last Hallowe'en, a goth cheerleader showed up on my doorstep. I had no choice but to take her in. She's been with me ever since, learning quietly how to be a tween and she seemed to have assimilated back into the human clan rather well.

But, as the moon burgeoned, I began to notice some changes. Some rather frightening changes. They say unconditional love and acceptance heals all; so that is precisely what I did. To no avail.

Soon, it was Hallowe'en and we screamed in terror when we saw what had become of our quiet child from another world.

As the time for the neighborhood party drew near, she grabbed my husband's hand and...

I tried to put the camera down but I was transfixed by this creature that was willing me to continue taking pictures instead of helping my husband keep his fingers intact.

It was a horrific sight. But at least there was finger food at the neighborhood party.

Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Happy Hallowe'en!

Is that Anne Frank?

2009-10-30T00:31:00.000-06:00

It is!

And you guessed right. I have nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. I am exhausted and overworked, cruising on less than 3-4 hours of sleep for the past couple of weeks. But it's all good because it's great to be busy in this economy, right? At least that's what I keep telling myself. Maybe I will have a proper post coming up soon. For now, I am going to crawl into my bed and pass out.

Snow, snow and more snow

2009-10-29T00:33:00.001-06:00

Rain turned into snow at about 7:30pm last night.

By 1 a.m, we knew this was not going to be one of those storms that just miss us resulting in barely an inch or two, even a dusting. Nope.

My dogwood was already bending over under the weight of the wet snow. Since neither of us was in the mood to bundle up and step out to shake the trees, we threw several things at the tree: a basketball, a sled, a stick, anything that was within reach in the garage.

We heard several branches come down during the night; one was so close that I thought it had come through the roof. A rough night and an overly snoozed alarm saw us scrambling at 8 a.m. to get Medha to school until I saw the high-schooler next door shoveling his driveway. I wondered if it was a Snow Day but dismissed the thought rather grudgingly, since our school district hardly ever closes for snow. Then I realized that the high school has a late start on Wednesdays. We returned to scrambling: brush your teeth, have hot lunch, money, give her money, wake up, the driveway needs to be shoveled, I need socks. There was about 8-9 inches of snow on the ground then.

Something sent me to my computer and I checked the web site for our school district - it was indeed a Snow Day. But the phone hadn't rung, not once and not on any landline, VoIP or cell phone. None of my Inboxes were overflowing with email message saying Snow Day. I'm not sure where the communications broke down or if this is the new way of doing things - where we have to be proactive, which is fine by me. We whooped in delight, each of us looking longingly at our warm beds but our joy was shortlived when we remembered that we had trees to take of.

One of my dogwood had lost 3 branches and my aspen had lost its tallest branch. 2 more branches snapped and fell later during the day as the snow was relentless. It was a good thing that the snow changed from wet and heavy to light and fluffy.

By 5 p.m. we had a total accumulation of 18 inches but very little wind and no white-out conditions like those of the blizzard of Dec 2006. Just relentless snow.

We now have 20 inches on the ground and more coming through the night. Tomorrow is also a Snow Day, making the kids a little anxious about their Hallowe'en parades in school on Friday. We expect to warm up to the 50s on Saturday and we're hoping that will mean clean sidewalks for trick-or-treating. But there is still tonight to go through and tomorrow.

I am exhausted from the thrill of the snow, beating of trees with large sticks, biting my nails as my husband climbed up to the roof and a lot of pain at all the fallen branches. But, we still have the Internet and power. Fingers crossed that this night does not bring more surprises.

Pinhole It

2009-10-27T23:42:00.002-06:00

A little over a year ago, Medha chose to work on an independent research project as part of her Advanced Learning Plan. Her topic of choice was the camera. She made a pinhole camera following these instructions. She loaded it with a 24 exposure 200 ASA roll that had expired. Expired film is 'in' with film camera hobbyists as it leads to all kinds of strange effects and unwitting textures on the photographs.

Pinhole Camera

And she got some rather freaky results. Take a look:

Pinhole Sunset

Pinhole Chess Set

Pinhole Kitchen

Pretty darned cool, huh? I was so blown away with the results that I vowed to participate in the next World Pinhole Photography Day, celebrated on the last Sunday of April each year. But life took over and I didn't make the matchbox pinhole camera that I had wanted to. But there's always next year and if I miss that, I can do it just because simply at all, right? If you are interested in doing it with me, let me know in the comments and I'll ping you as the time nears. It's a great learning project for kids, many of whom haven't seen a film camera. Imagine that!

In other news:
- the deadline for IFR: Memories is this coming Saturday, on Oct 31st. So rev up that nostalgia and send me a well-written entry with a recipe. No rambling and please try to adhere to the rules mentioned here.
- we have a snow storm brewing. The last time I checked - about an hour ago - we already had an accumulation of about 3 inches on cold surfaces. We're all whooping in delight even though this isn't our first snow of the season. The kids are praying for a snow day so that they can sled to their heart's content but that seems unlikely even though the white stuff been coming down at a pretty good rate!
- I'm on the home stretch for NaBloWriMo, only four more posts and then perhaps NaBloSiMo would be a good idea.

My Fave Building in the World

2009-10-26T23:55:00.002-06:00

Four years ago, I asked to be driven 100 miles north of our home in Chicagoland to see my favorite building in this entire world, as a birthday gift. It did not disappoint. It was even more magnificent than its pictures suggest.

Milwaukee Art Museum

Burke Brise Soleil

There is more to this pic than a wider angle of the previous pic.

Yes, it moves.

It's the Quadracci Pavilion, part of the Milwaukee Art Museum, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. It is a building that flaps its wings. Literally so.

Unprecedented in American architecture, the Burke Brise Soleil is a moveable, wing-like sunscreen that rests on top of the Museum’s vaulted, glass-enclosed Windhover Hall. The "wings" open Tuesday–Sunday at 10 a.m. with the Museum, close/reopen at noon, and close again with the Museum at 5 p.m.; except on Thursdays when the Museum closes at 8 p.m.

Opening wing span

It's quite an experience to watch the building move. I saw the Burke Brise Soleil open at 10 a.m., flap at noon and close for the day at 5 p.m. It was a dream come true.

Poised like a bird about to take flight, on the shores of Lake Michigan. And a copycat.

Like a symmetric symphony...

...from the inside as well as the outside

The Windhover Hall

An architectural marvel

A few more pictures from my collection can be seen here.

The Museum itself is like any other small museum. We just missed a traveling Renoir show and the permanents exhibits are fine museum pieces. It's just that the building enthralled much more than anything that was inside at the time.

Say what?

2009-10-25T20:42:00.002-06:00

Mango lassi sounded like a great proposition so I bought a can of Kesar Mango Pulp the other day.

What do I know about the mango? You get fat when you eat too many. They are high in sugars and they are a great source of Vitamin C. It only followed that the nutrition label beckoned to me and look what I found: no fat, no sugar, no Vitamin C.

~~But look at the last line. It says Fat 9. But! But! What happened to no fat?~~ ^**

A closer look at the ingredients showed that it has been sweetened with Sugar Syrup. I guess there is no sugar in that either, just like there are no sugars in mango.

Who writes these nutrition labels? Who checks them for accuracy? Is it something that is just slapped on a food product so that it makes it past the FDA?

The Twilight Zone Hangover

2009-10-24T23:47:00.000-06:00

The Theater Company of Lafayette (TCL) is a local volunteer-run nonprofit theater company that puts up high quality plays. I particularly love their Twilight Zone series. I had no idea what The Twilight Zone was about until we went along for a TCL production with our 'hood a couple of years ago. I really enjoyed the costumes, accents and themes from the late 50s and 60s. Unfortunately, TCL did not have any Twilight Zone shows last year but they did this year! It was an event that could not be passed on so about 30 of us trooped into the Mary Miller Theater in Lafayette earlier this evening, after soup and apperitifs. It was a wonderful evening of drama, mystery with a lot of community in the mix.

After returning home, I had to look up some of the old shows and look what I found: a glimpse of The Matrix except that it was a Twilight Zone show from 1985!

A Diwali feast

2009-10-24T01:12:00.001-06:00

We had a small Diwali celebration today. No, it doesn't end for me. And certainly not until I have celebrated with some of my dear friends. That makes it even more special. I made everything I has made last week all over again - chakli, chavde, shankarpali, and orange burfi - and also made pohe and khaman dhokla. I wish I had had the time to make the khaman from scratch but unfortunately, my schedule is so tough this month that I caved in and did the unforgiveable - gasp! - I used a ready mix. I recommend Chitale's mix. (No, they haven't paid me to say so nor given me free products. I just like it.)

Kitt brought chivda:

One of the nicest things about food blogging is when a recipe from my blog makes it way back into my home through someone else's kitchen. The next time I have a craving for chivda, I'm going to be looking in Kitt's direction. She is now Queen of Chivda! A friend of mine, who makes a killer chivda herself, loved Kitt's chivda and couldn't stop eating it!

Teri brought made pomegranate mimosas for all of us. Nichole brought spicy Punjabi aloo and Kitt's Mom brought soan papdi.

I know this post is over an hour late but I am hoping the NaBloWriMo Gods will forgive me. You see, as soon as one set of friends left, another set arrived and some of them are still here! I could also blab on and bore you but why don't you do yourself a favor and head on over to Jen's and take a look at the fabulous pictures she took today? Including the one where I look like I am scolding the pohe into behaving...

Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya

2009-10-22T17:56:00.004-06:00

Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya
Glanirva Bhavathi Bharatha
Abhyuthanam Adharmaysya
Tadatmanam Srijami Aham
~ Bhagavad Gita

(Whenever there is decay
of righteousness O! Bharatha
And a rise of unrighteousness
then I manifest Myself!)

Hear it on YouTube

Leftover Matters: Chicken-n-Cheese Sandwich

2009-10-21T20:30:00.005-06:00

Long day at work? Day 2 of rotisserie chicken? Don't know what to do for dinner? Make toasted chicken-n-cheese sandwiches.

Chop some onion really fine

Slice some Thai chillies

Pull off and chop cooked chicken meat, mix in chopped onions, green chillies and grated cheese. Add some salt, if you feel the need.

Butter an even number of slices of bread

Pile high with chicken and cheese mixture on the side that is not buttered.

Bring out that neglected sandwich maker

Toast with buttered sides on the outside of the 'wich.

Enjoy with ketchup or chutney.

Food Buying Habits

2009-10-20T18:32:00.002-06:00

It wasn't till we moved to Colorado that I started thinking more seriously about the food we eat: where it is grown, how it is grown, and where I buy it. My preferences evolved slowly: local over organic, organic over standard supermarket produce, and imported over local depending on the product. I am all over the place when it comes to choices. And, after following some food bloggers on the Eat on $30 challenge, I am deeply grateful that I am able to make these choices.

It took me a while to start frequenting Farmers Markets. My first visit to the Boulder Farmers Market was very disappointing. It was on one of the hottest days of that year where I watched expensive produce wilt in the heat. It didn't help that I didn't have a cute puppy in tow - dogs are great conversation starters and ice-breakers at Farmers Markets and street fairs. I saw hitherto strangers becoming friends over talk of food, pets, music and art. Me? I felt out of place and couldn't understand the excitement or fawning over the limited produce. After all, I had bought fresh seasonal produce off the streets and in bazaars in Bombay and in Nairobi, before that.

It was only a couple of years later when Louisville Farmers Market opened that I started enjoying the concept. I had also, by then, discovered how hard it is to grow anything in my backyard. Sticking saplings in the soil and expecting them to grow no longer worked. Soil pH, sun radiance and weather in general, coupled with a short growing season, play such a huge role that a veggie bed is a monumental task for a lazy person like me. My respect for farmers in my area grew by leaps and bounds. To me, Farmers Markets soon became more about supporting local farmers and strengthening community. It is not about eating local or organic or reducing the carbon footprint of the food we eat. That in turn raised some questions in my mind: how concerned should I be about the carbon footprint of our food? If the food or product is locally grown or made, does it mean it is more energy-efficient?

How could I explain why I bought New Zealand lamb even though I live in a state known for its lamb?

I was heartened when I chanced upon James E. McWilliams' article Food That Travels Well in the NY Times. He writes:

lamb raised on New Zealand’s clover-choked pastures and shipped 11,000 miles by boat to Britain produced 1,520 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per ton while British lamb produced 6,280 pounds of carbon dioxide per ton, in part because poorer British pastures force farmers to use feed. In other words, it is four times more energy-efficient for Londoners to buy lamb imported from the other side of the world than to buy it from a producer in their backyard.

I wondered if a similar comparison were made with Colorado lamb, which would be more energy-efficient. I have no clue. But price and accessibility put New Zealand lamb in my shopping cart as Colorado lamb is more expensive and harder to find. The truth is that I felt a little less guilty about it, too.

The article makes for some excellent reading, drawing attention to the fact that eating local is not always the most environmentally sound solution if more emissions are generated at other stages of the product life cycle than during transport. (quote from the same article). He puts forth solutions that will take long-term planning towards achieving sustainable produce for all parts of the nation.

Williams' Op-Ed article unleashed equally thought-provoking letters.

I am sending this article to The Write Taste, if Sra will let me.

What are your food buying habits and what do you pay more attention to: local, organic, price, assumed carbon footprint?

White Beauties of the Rockies

2009-10-19T22:34:00.002-06:00

I wish I could with words paint a canvas
alas but my mind is dry
like the parched bed of a thirsty river
my thoughts slip effortlessly through its sandy cracks
in their stead, I bring you these alpine beauties

Alpine sandwort

Where: Above timberline, on a windy alpine ridge

Altitude: Approximately 11,000ft

Trail: Flattop Mountain Trail, Rocky Mountain National Park

Botanical name: Eremogone fendleri (I think)

When: August 2009

Pearly Everlasting

Where: Montane

Altitude: Approximately 10,000ft

Trail: Haiyaha Lake Trail, Rocky Mountain National Park

Botanical name: Anaphalis margaritacea

When: September 2009

For Flower Fest: White As Snow

The body as a canvas

2009-10-18T21:01:00.000-06:00

About Painted People (NY Times)

If you want to see a slideshow instead.

Shankarpali, the savory kind

2009-10-17T23:43:00.003-06:00

One more time: Happy Diwali!

Just in case you're wondering when this will end, Diwali is a five day festival. Sometimes the days get bunched up together or are spread out over more than 5 days. That's what you get for following a lunar calendar.

Today was the biggest day of Diwali. The real celebration as well as Laxmi Pujan, but we opted out and had a quiet family celebration instead: abhyang snan late in the evening, followed by aarti, followed by chicken biryani and shrikhand. The former made by me, the latter made by Amul.

Since we had no faraal left, I made shankarpali and chavde. I tried making chiroti but I can't bring myself to use ghee for frying and it didn't help that I was quite beat by that time. The more I think about it, the more I feel that Diwali cha faraal is really 1001 ways to deep-fry flour and make it taste good.

I have more cooking in store for me tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we celebrate with our friends at Boulder Balvihar where the kids will be doing skits based on Hindu mythology. Medha is playing Devaki, Lord Krishna's mother, and is rather amused that she will marry and then have eight kids. I finally heard her lines late this evening and I also heard Jai Ho playing in the background with Narada complaining about the loud music! Last year's play was hilarious. It sounds like this year's play will be fun, too!

The skits will be followed by Laxmi Pujan and then the Diwali feast. I am taking Punjabi chhole - Anita's recipe, with a few tweaks. And, I have more chavde to make. The shankarpalis will stay at home because there isn't much left to share.

Shankarpali comes in two flavors: savory and sweet. I am far more partial to the savory version so, naturally, that is what I made!

Shankarpali

1 cup maida or AP flour
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp hot oil
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Mix all the dry ingredients and add the hot oil.
When the oil is cool enough to handle, mix it into the flour.
Using only as much water as required, knead into a firm dough.
Break into 6 equal parts and roll out each part into a circle of about 7-8 inches.
Cut into diamonds or squares.
Fry in hot oil until crisp.
Store in an air-tight container and pray that they last more than a couple of days.

Share with friends over tea or coffee. They go well with beer and cocktails, too.

Train your Brain

2009-10-16T19:51:00.000-06:00

Diwali celebrations continue even though there isn't much going on today. Chaklis and orange burfi are long gone! I guess I had better rectify the situation soon. So while I am cooking, watch this video on Superbrain Yoga®.

If you grew up in India, it might seem more than a little familiar - it is the exercise of situps usually dispensed as punishment. If you didn't know why before, now you do! Here are some step by step instructions for the exercise. Apparently it awakens the kundalini shakti and energizes our brain through ear acupuncture and is considered to improve concentration. Researchers say that its benefits go beyond that and are using it to help those with learning disabilities. It's drug-free - it can't hurt!

Anyone willing to try this for a couple of months on a daily basis? I think I might!

Let's Try That Again!

2009-10-15T17:58:00.002-06:00

Happy Diwali!

Pahila diva aaj lage dari
Sukhache kiran yei ghari
Purna howot tumchya sarva ichha
Tumha sarvanna deepavali chya hardik shubhechya!

Today is Dhanatroyadashi, the first day of Diwali. Really! And, unlike yesterday, I got gold: quality time with two of my dearest friends, over lunch. It was also my birthday all over again because they showered me with gifts!

Wow! Still overwhelmed!

I went empty-handed but armed with an IOU that I wrote on the table in invisible ink. An IOU for an idli-dosa-chutney-sambar dinner. I know it will be fun!

Orange Burfi

My neighbor saved the burfi by giving me some OJ concentrate. I had halved the recipe which required just one orange, which gave me just the right quantity of OJ needed. Except, when it met 1/2 cup of salt instead of sugar, it wasn't the right quantity of anything anymore! We have nice neighbors like that. They've loaned me eggs, butter, nuts, shaken snow off my trees, even climbed into my crawl-on-all-fours attic when the defunct chimney filled up during a blizzard. One more thing to be grateful for? You bet!

I will be turning on all the lights in my house in a short while for a short while. I hope you have a wonderful celebration and those of you who are going to celebrate with fireworks, be safe.

Rice flour never tasted so good before

2009-10-14T19:02:00.004-06:00

Pahila diva aaj lage dari
Sukhache kiran yei ghari
Purna howot tumchya sarva ichha
Tumha sarvanna deepavali chya hardik shubhechya!

Today is Dhanatroyadashi, the first day of Diwali. The day on which families are supposed to buy gold. This morning, I dropped my gold off at school and then went with another kind of gold to the bank. At 8:40am, a really smartly dressed woman who walked into the bank with me told me they didn't open for another 20 minutes. Huh? And I thought my bank opened at 8am. I cursed my luck, tugged at my messy hair, rubbed my sleepy eyes and wandered off to Sam's Club to pick up meatballs, spaghetti and Bertolli's organic pasta sauce that I needed for the teachers lunch today. As soon as the bank opened, I was there. Maybe it's because dollars don't shine as bright as gold anymore but my check couldn't be cashed because it wasn't signed. I didn't notice it and obviously my client didn't either, an honest mistake! Is the universe trying to tell me something here, I wondered. I certainly hope it is not saying what I think it is!

I am a day ahead. That is what the universe was trying to tell me! Dhanatroydashi is tomorrow! Duh.

I made a batch of chaklis yesterday. It is high time this recipe made it to my blog from the back of Medha's lunch calendar where it was hastily scribbled during a long distance call almost four years ago. Pushpamaushi, my aunt, makes the best chaklis I have ever eaten. She always got them just right: crispy and crunchy, yet not the muruku kind of crunchy.

Chakli

2 tbsp urad dal
1/8 tsp methi seeds
1/2 tsp cumin
pimch asafetida
2 cups rice flour
1 and 3/8 cups maida or all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ghee
1 tsp red chilli powder
3/4 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1-2 tsp salt or to taste
3/4 cup water or as needed
Oil to deep-fry

Lightly toast the urad dal, methi seeds, cumin and asafetida. Allow to cool and then grind into a powder.

From top left: Urad, methi, asafetida, cumin
Mix this powder with the two flours and the rest of the dry ingredients. Then rub the ghee into this mix to get a crumb-like texture. Similar to what you do when trying to make pastry.

Mound of crumbs
Knead the flour using only as much water as required until it stops falling apart. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

If your dough looks like this, it needs some more kneading.
Line a cutting board with wax paper.
Heat oil in a kadhai.
Remember this kitchen tool from my heirloom post? It's called a chakli maker or a kitchen press. We need to use the disc with the star-shaped cutout.

Star

Fill the cylinder to about three quarters of its depth with the dough. Fit the lid and turn the handle to press the dough out through the star shaped cutout onto the wax paper.
Shape the pressed dough into a spiral as it comes out. I prefer to make small chaklis as they are easier to handle and fry. Break off the end and press it lightly into the previous coil so that it doesn't come apart later.

Shaping the chaklis
Pick up the chakli with a turner and quickly slide it into the hot oil.

Swimming, swimming, let's go swimming

Chaklis will rise to the top initially and start sinking as they cook. Turn them over as they start to sink. And continue to fry on medium high heat until they are a reddish gold in color. If you don't fry them well, they will have a soft center and that will take away from the overall texture and flavor. But be careful that you don't fry them too much because rice flour does not taste very good when it begins to burn.
Remove from the oil when done, about 2-3 minutes in all for a batch of 4 chaklis, and drain on paper towels.
Allow to cool completely before eating and store in an air-tight container. Serve with tea or coffee or keep the container out on your kitchen counter and watch them disappear.

This recipe makes about 40-45 small chaklis.

Notes:

My aunt's recipe had a ratio of 2:1:1/2 for rice flour:maida:ghee. My dough seemed to be smooth enough but it started falling apart as I tried to make the coils. I kept adding an eighth cup of maida until it reached a consistency where it was possible to press the chaklis out smoothly. Once I had added 3/8 cups of maida, it seemed to be almost perfect. The more maida that is added, the crunchiness changes to a harder crunch than a khoosh-khooshith kind of melt in your mouth crunch. I am not sure if it is the altitude or the quality of the ingredients that makes a difference. Just remember that if the chakli can't be coiled around itself to make a spiral shape because it breaks easily, you need more maida in your dough.
Add more red chilli powder to make it more spicy.
If you don't have this kitchen tool, you can order it off the net or ask your local Indian grocery store if they carry it.
Medha likes to eat the uncooked dough. Does anyone see a pattern here?

By popular demand - ok, only Anita - I am extending the deadline for IFR: Memories to October 31. So if you haven't written yet, put on your thinking caps and write your best post ever. The goal is to have a well-written post and not a post you churned out because you had to. There are some beautifully written and eloquent posts that have been submitted. I am looking forward to yours!

Update: I am sending these chaklis to Meeta's Monthly Mingle, hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen. The theme is High Tea. Join us!

Chakli, a noun

2009-10-13T23:36:00.003-06:00

Chak·li (chŭk·lē)
n.
A crunchy, crispy, savory, deep-fried, spiral-shaped Indian snack made using flour and spices.

Recipe coming up tomorrow because someone who adds 1/2 cup of salt to orange juice to make sugar syrup is deemed to be exhausted. Hey, at least I started on my faraal for Diwali. How about you?

Potato love

2009-10-12T20:45:00.001-06:00

Who doesn't like potatoes? We are crazy about potatoes in this house. If I ask Medha what she wants for dinner, pat comes the answer: batatyachi bhaji. The oily kind. Ahem!

I don't make it often but when I do there is silence at the table because silly chatter only detracts and distracts from the enjoyment of these potatoes. Batatyachi bhaji, roti and yogurt are akin to bliss for us. In fact we were enjoying ourselves so much that I forgot to take pretty pictures after it was cooked. So what you got is all you will get.

Batatyachi bhaji

10 small to medium red potatoes
4-5 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
pinch asafetida
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2-1 tsp amchur or dry mango powder
salt to taste

Fill a pot with water. Peel and dice the potatoes into small equal sized chunks, about 1 cm cubes, and put these chunks into the pot to prevent blackening through oxidisation. If you are a quick chopper and dicer, feel free to skip this step.
Heat oil in a kadhai or large saucepan.
Add mustard seeds and when they pop, add asafetida, followed by cumin.
Drain the potatoes well.
Add turmeric powder and red chilli powder and add the drained potatoes quickly so that the spices don't burn.
Mix well so that the potatoes are coated with oil.
Cook on medium-high heat uncovered, stirring every so often until the potatoes are almost cooked.
Add cumin powder, coriander powder, amchur and salt. Mix well.
Allow the potatoes to cook. Let some of the potatoes become crisp as they cook. Serve hot with rotis and yogurt.

These potatoes are a flavorful substitute for mashed potatoes and even hash browns. They pair well with roasts, too.

Notes:

This is a fair amount of potatoes for a family of three. We usually eat it over two meals. Medha loves to eat these potatoes as soon as she comes home from school.
You could use less oil but it won't taste the same.
This really needs to be fiery to be good and traditionally, this dish is a gorgeous red in color from abundant use of red chilli powder. I used to call it the lal batatyachi bhaji.
If you don't have amchur, you could squeeze lemon juice once the potatoes are well done.

Taking the Steps Can be Fun

2009-10-11T18:00:00.001-06:00

Hat tip to my friend Ted!

I apologize about the annoying Neilsen pop-up survey. I have opted out of floating ads with BlogHerAds but apparently they have the right to override that. Please bear with me and my blog till they get all the data they need!

First snow of the season

2009-10-10T19:15:00.002-06:00

The first snow of the season is always something to get excited about! The mercury has been hovering around 20F for the most part of the day but the cold temperatures haven't quelled our enthusiasm or joy at the changing seasons.

First came the rain, followed by freezing rain and then overnight, it changed into snow. We got about 3 inches or so by this morning.

My echinacea is all done for this year. It did surprisingly well despite wildly fluctuating weather. But not everything is dull and dry. The young maple in the front yard is struggling to put on a show.

And, a tiny splotch in the backyard actually has some color!

Two ski resorts have already opened, making Colorado the first to open the ski season this fall. It's exciting even though I don't ski - the rest of my family does. If I feel up to it, I might try to stand up on Nordic skis again this year. We'll see!

It's been a really nice weekend so far!

Friday chit-chat

2009-10-09T21:06:00.001-06:00

Ouch! Sorry to see you go but I understand. But still, ouch! To those of you who are still around, thank you for reading this blog by email, or in your reader. And to those of you who have taken the time to comment, I appreciate every single word. I really do. This past week has been incredibly long and hard.

Writing on a daily basis is not easy. Writing an eloquent post is even more difficult. I appreciate all your thoughts and comments, especially on this post, which I had to publish before proof-reading and editing. My internet connection went down at exactly midnight, eight minutes after I hit publish. I cringed and wondered if I should try editing using my phone but Android browsers suck worse than Internet Explorer. I never thought I would ever find a worse browser but I did. Two of them. But in this case, I am willing to cut the developers a whole lot of slack: they aren't backed by a whole empire of badly written software that my small business pays a lot of money to purchase. These browsers are open source, free to use and the Android OS is still very new.

But let's move on to other things, shall we? There are several things I want to talk about.

If child nutrition is important to you, then you want to keep reading instead of skimming over this paragraph. Quaker Oats is sponsoring a challenge called Awaken Your Senses, where food bloggers have been invited to share their best food memories. A springy host then tries to recreate the memory by converting it into a quick topping for their instant oatmeal. The food bloggers choose a charity which will receive $500 at the very least and if you vote for your favorite ~~blogger~~ topping, her charity will receive $10,000.

This is your favorite food blogger, OK?

Rockstar Jen, with the pink sunglasses, is in this current round and she has chosen the Farm to School Network as her charity. Jen says:

There are children in this country whose best meal of the day is their school lunch. The National Farm to School Network works to make that meal healthy and fresh by connecting school lunch programs with local farmers. Exposing young people to fresh produce and educating them on where food comes from helps to promote long-term healthy eating habits. Our nation’s family and local farms benefit too. It’s about community, education, health, sharing… it’s about our future.

So go to Quaker Talk, then click on the button that says Vote (you may want to do that quickly cos otherwise the guy in the purple sweater will start talking). Next, click on Cherries Jubilee, watch cool Jen and listen to her lovely memory. While you are watching click on the green thumbs up icon to vote for her. Simple! (And thank you!)

Next in food news, a bunch of bloggers are getting together to raise awareness about hunger by developing nutritious meal plans that cost at the most $30 per person for a week. Why? Because the national average (for the US) for those receiving food assistance is between $21 and $24 a week. The Eat on $30 Project starts on Sunday and if you want to join in, let Tami of Run with Tweezers know as soon as possible.

I would have loved to participate in this challenge because I have been there. We didn't need food assistance but we had to clamp down hard on our expenses. Anyone remember the dotcom bust? We went from $150 a week to less than $150 a month when times were tough and this included milk. I started cooking more, we ate better and our health improved. It also introduced Medha to a variety of vegetables and got her hooked onto dal.

Unfortunately, my schedule is on fire from this weekend till the end of October. To prepare for that, I stocked up on essentials for the next couple of weeks but buying in bulk and in advance is not an option for those on a tight budget or with a poor cash flow. Any pricing of meals made from these supplies would only be skewed. I also think it would be wasteful to purchase more perishables for a week, when I already have enough. Add to it the fact that it takes a lot of effort from me to serve a different dishes for every meal. When I cook, it's enough for at least 3 meals, some of which we eat right away, some of which is stored in the refrigerator for lunch on a weekday and the rest is frozen.

So, no, I am not doing it. But if you like a challenge, go for it. I do have a few tips about where and how to buy produce, without the need to go dumpster diving:

At the Farmers Market. Wait till almost closing time and the larger farm stands will start their $10/bag sale. Anything you can fit into the bag is fair game. I come back each week with seasonal produce that would have easily cost me $40 or more had I purchased it from the grocery store.
At Ethnic Grocery Stores: look for Indian, Pakistani, and Asian stores in the vicinity. Ginger (and please note, it's not a root) sells for $6.99/lb at Whole Foods, $2.99/lb at grocery stores but can be bought for anywhere from $0.99/lb to $1.29/lb in ethnic grocery stores. Buy your spices at these stores, too. Smaller packs of spices are cheaper than the packed spices at grocery stores. Two to three bunches of cilantro can be bought for $1 instead of $0.79 a bunch. Beans, dals and red lentils - in their dried form - are also cheaper at ethnic stores.
Look for overlapping sales to get the lowest price, especially when it comes to meats. Sunflower Market in Boulder has overlapping sales on Wednesdays.
Grocery stores will put good meat on sale as the sell by date nears. There is nothing wrong with that meat and you can either cook with it right away or freeze it for another day.

Next up is the request for some advice and thoughts. I canceled milk delivery at the end of September and have started buying lactose-free milk because the writing is now deeply engraved on the wall. Calcium supplements aren't going to cut it and Medha won't eat enough yogurt in a day to get her daily requirement. She used to love to drink milk but started loathing it because of what it did to her. Lactose-free milk is working out so much better but it is sweet! The sugar content is only 12g per serving as opposed to 15g in regular milk but it tastes sweeter. Does the lactase enzyme do this? Or is it because the sugars are now more free to move about (sic) in the milk? She doesn't much care for soy milk - it's even sweeter. Is there lactose-free milk that tastes like regular milk?

In less than a week, I have already spent $9 for 1.5 gallons of milk ('natural' or organic lactose-free skim milk). And I will have to spend more to buy regular skim milk to make yogurt. Our monthly milk expenditure will now reach almost $50. I realize this may be a lot less than those with several children and/or cereal-eating adults in the house but I am aghast nevertheless. Is there something I am missing or that I could do differently to bring this down?

Which takes me back to the under $30 per person challenge. How does one include milk in this budget?! It's crazy. I know there are those of you who consider $30 a luxury and it is a luxury in so many countries in Asia and Africa, where people live in less than $1 a day. I wish I wasn't so completely desensitized...

Thoughts?

Not very German of me

2009-10-08T23:45:00.005-06:00

Oktoberfest comes around the hood the first week of every October. Spirits are always high in Colorado but more so now, what with the Rockies surprising everyone by doing well and making it a Rockotober, too. Never mind that each year, I have to ask what game the Rockies play, only to forget it as soon as someone mentions the Broncos. Maybe if I mention it here, I won't forget? Bear with me while I get this straightened out for myself:
Rockies play baseball.
Broncos play football.
At least now I have somewhere to go to get this info from one place. Blogs are beautiful things, I tell you! They serve many a great purpose.

Oktoberfest sneaks up on me each year and I never have the time to research German cuisine, step out of my comfort zone and cook a German dish. The event is hosted by the same family each year and the hostess always makes a mean sauerbraten. This year, I had several excuses. We had closed ourselves up in our home as Medha was sick with suspected swine flu, or the flu, or a flu-like virus. She was never tested so we don't know what she had. Two of her friends were tested and it was the swine. The virus is still sweeping through the schools but it is much milder than the regular flu at this time. I heard the vaccine finally came out this week. It is always stressful when she gets sick but, this time it was worse because the news of the death of an otherwise healthy Texas teen came at a time when her fever was showing signs of breaking but by nightfall would spike again. By the end of the week, she was rearing to go but I was totally beat. I begged for a quiet birthday and along with my wish, received a free bottle of Taj beer from my favorite local Indian restaurant. I had one more chilling in the fridge and so, like an Indian, I took two big bottles of Taj beer to Oktoberfest instead of trying to find good German beer at the liquor mart.

Since my theme was an Indian Oktoberfest, I figured I might as well do it full justice and decided to make tuna tikkis. You can call them fish cakes, if you like.

Tuna Tikkis

3 cans of tuna
4.5 cups mashed potatoes
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp grated garlic
2 Thai chillies, pound into a coarse paste
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped fine
1-2 tbsp lime juice
1 cup farina or Malt-O-Meal or semolina
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
Oil to shallow fry

Drain the canned tuna and pull apart.
Add grated ginger, grated garlic, chilli paste, cilantro, lime juice and salt, and mix well.
Add mashed potatoes and mix well again. Taste for salt and add more, if required.
Roll into small balls, the size that would readily fit in an one eighth cup and then press down lightly to flatten into tikkis.
In a separate bowl, add chilli powder and salt to the farina. Roll the tikkis in this mixture until they are well-coated.
Place a large saucepan on medium-high heat and add 1-2 tbsp of oil in the middle. When the oil is hot, place a tikki in that oil, watch it sizzle and absorb some of the oil and immediately move it to the outer edge.
Repeat with remaining tikkis, adding more oil as needed to the center of the saucepan. Add as many tikkis as will fit in your saucepan without crowding.
Let the tikkis cook till the bottom gets crispy. Then flip each tikki over and repeat the process by bringing each to the center to "drink" more oil. Or you could drizzle oil along the edge of the saucepan. I prefer the former as the oil has a chance to heat and the tikkis absorb less oil this way.
Once the other side of the tikki has become crisp, drain on paper towels and serve hot with a condiment of your choice. This recipe makes about 40-45 small tuna tikkis.

I love to dip my tuna tikkis in organic tomato ketchup while my husband prefers stone ground mustard. Medha's preference is by far the strangest. She likes to eat the tikkis uncooked - before they are dipped in farina and fried. Go figure!

No-one at the party really cared that these weren't German and those who don't think tuna is very fishy, found them delicious. If you up the heat by adding more green chillies, they make for a perfect appetizer, especially when the beer is flowing.

Notes:

Do not shallow fry these in more oil. If you do, they will absorb the oil and disntegrate in the pan. It's worse if you use new potatoes. We fry fish and shrimp this way and it works really well for these tuna tikkis, too.
I used new potatoes of varying sizes to make the mashed potatoes. I used about 7 mostly medium potatoes.
I don't use any binder although some folks add an egg to the mixture or even cornflour.
Instead of tuna, you can use fresh or canned chicken or any veggies, for that matter.
Traditionally, the fish is steamed and the meat picked off the bones to make these.
These could be baked, too but I think they are better fried.
You could reduce the amount of mashed potatoes but with tuna, the fishy odor tends to get a little overpowering so I erred on the side of caution.
Use more Thai chillies to up the heat. I used only two so that more people would be open to trying these.

Today, I went for a walk

2009-10-07T23:52:00.001-06:00

I did something for myself today instead of rushing between stores, checking off items in my to-do list within that short 45 minute window, I went for a walk. After a week of self-imposed quarantine, it was both invigorating and liberating. And what a glorious day it was, perfect for a walk along the golf course and the Coal Creek stream.

Hawk eyes followed my every move

Bridge

This bridge is like an old friend, willing to transport me over to the other side where the grass sways to the brazen notes of the breeze and the insects take turns to scare me off their territory. A warm shade of gold awaits me and for once, I am not sad that the only sign of a previous abundance of wildflowers is dry seed heads. It is the cycle of life.

Gold is all that remains

I know this trail so well that I can tell you where the Mexican hats flowered two years ago and where they flowered this year. I can tell you about the gorgeous white wild poppy that had me mesmerized and where it grew. How the tall Canadian thistle heads did their best to dominate this Open Space with their bright pink color. Yes, I know this trail well.

Conversations, old and new, irrelevant and inconsequential, started tumbling out from the trivia stores of my brain. Brown, it's all so very brown here. Yes, we are not quite in the desert but this is a semi-arid zone. When it rains, we rejoice and we get the best snow in the country. That's not brown, it's a shimmering gold. Land of snakes. What will you do if a bullsnake or a rattler decided to put in an appearance, say, right now. I will step back and move away slowly and when it's safe, I will run for my life in the other direction.

It doesn't matter what anyone says, I love it here. I honestly love it here. I love the changing seasons. I love that I can be outdoors without fearing the cold because the sun comes out to warm me. I love the blue skies and I love the sun.

Riding into the sun

It's looking at me. The sun is looking at me, Mumma! I know. And I understand. Today more than ever before because right now I am looking into the corona of the sun - it's that bright. I am blinded but my camera is still able to function. And I knew what she meant nine years ago, too. Close your eyes and it won't look at you anymore. I wish I could but I have to keep looking because, you see, I am lost and even though I told your father that I just drove past the green church that is by the huge sports field, he doesn't know where I am nor can he tell me where I should go. What is the point? I don't have a map but he does, right in front of his eyes. Dammit, tell me which turn to take. Tell me where to go. And, watch the road for me because I can't see a thing and remember that I have our child with me. Just like right now.

Serene

Suddenly, I can see again and the tumultous thoughts dissipated as quickly as they had arisen. My old friend, the bridge, was waiting faithfully to take me back to my life.

I must learn to be like this bridge, to help her go where she wants to go. I hope I have the courage and wisdom to fold up and let her walk on. Right now, all I want to do is hold her close to me and tell her that she is safe. That we are both safe.

The light had changed

I walked over the bridge, jumping on every loose board, enjoying the noise and then I ran all the way back till I was out of breath but incredibly free.

There was only one thought that persisted: I am grateful for today.

Elk

2009-10-06T23:46:00.000-06:00

Elk

This was taken in June 2009 when he was still shedding and his antlers were not yet fully grown in preparation for the annual rut.