Aartilla the Fun

The Big Move

2009-10-19T19:46:00.001-07:00

Hey guys!

I'm making The Big Move... from a little personal blog to a big... um... personal blog. From now on, I'll be posting my videos and my silly little thoughts here. Check it out, and have a little patience with me as I work out some of the kinks. Oh, and if you like the logo, give my youngest sister, Crish, props. Perhaps she can design yours!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 27: "I Ain't Chicken" Chicken!

2009-10-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

What an odd day it's been. I started writing this post about how this recipe celebrated my choice to live bold, about how the phrase had entered my consciousness a couple of years ago, and how it had led, through baby steps like taking improv classes, designing my first original recipe, going to Burning Man for the first time... to finally shooting this little engine-that-could of a show, and finding my purpose in life.

It was, I realise, going to be a bit of a celebration of myself.

But I'm realising that for all the trumpets I have been playing for myself, for all the parades I've thrown myself in my head for being so bold, for all the ways I am grateful for the changes He's worked in me, I have stumbled big time. I have let people down. I have ignored the plight of others because I've been so obsessed with my own. I may have been bold, but only in the pursuit of what made ME happy. When it came to other people, I was chicken.

Hmmm.

Sorry guys! Usually, these little show intros are upbeat and funny, but I'm feeling a bit introspective today.

Oooof! Well, let's disband this pity party and focus on the recipe, shall we? WOW!

This is a simplified version of the "I Ain't Chicken" Chicken recipe that I wrote two years ago. It's a milestone of a recipe, because it was the first original recipe I'd ever written.

This version uses just chicken breasts, on the bone, and it's flavoured with cardamom, orange and fresh ginger. It's a fresh, innovative combination I think -- reminiscent of Middle Eastern tea time flavours I think. I love this technique because everyone gets a juicy, flavourful chicken breast and it's done in just 40 minutes! So much quicker than roasting an entire chicken.

Take a look:

"I Ain't Chicken" Chicken
Roasted Crispy-Skin Chicken Breasts with Cardamom-Orange-Ginger Butter

2 big russet potatoes (optional)
2 chicken breasts, on the bone, skin intact, preferably kosher
1 tbsp butter, softened but not melted
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
Zest of one large orange
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
Handful minced fresh parsley
Salt & pepper

1) Turn oven to 500 degrees fahrenheit/260 degrees celsius, gas mark 10. Grab a broiler tray, and line the bottom with aluminium foil. If you like, slice some potatoes about 1/2" thick, and throw them in there, tossed with a little olive oil and salt. Place slotted tray over the top.

2) Pat chicken dry with some paper towels. Poke a small opening in that clear membrane between the skin and the flesh of the chicken breast. Glide your index finger through the opening, loosening the skin from the flesh, without removing it completely. You're creating a big pocket in which the butter will sit! Repeat with the other chicken breast. Set aside.

3) Wash your hands thoroughly.

4) In a small bowl, combine butter, ground cardamom, orange zest, ginger, parsley, salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp of kosher salt if you're using a kosher chicken. Use more if it's a regular chicken). Stir together with a spoon until well mixed.

5) Place a spoonful of the butter mixture through the opening you made in the skin of the chicken breast. Once it's in there, smooth out the butter by gliding your finger over the skin, until it's evenly distributed. Repeat with the other breast.

6) Place chicken breasts on broiler tray. If you wish, drizzle skin with a little oil, for extra crispy skin. Throw the whole shebang into the oven, and roast for about 40 minutes, turning once halfway through the cooking time. Relax, sip a glass of wine, bask in the crackling sounds of butter and comforting smell of roasted chicken on a rainy day!

7) Check the breasts about 30 minutes in, just in case. A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast, but not touching the bone, should register about 160 degrees F when it's cooked. Pull them out at this point, tent with foil and allow to rest about 5 minutes.

7) Using a fork and sharp paring knife, slice breast off the bone, and serve alongside some sauteed spinach and a dollop of Indian shredded mango pickle. Yum!

-x-
aarti

Veggie Chili for a Blanket-y Day

2009-10-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I wonder whether LA's bright, sunny weather is wasted on me. I mean, I love waking up to sunshine every day, but nothing makes my heart sing like a grey day.

The past few days have seemed too good to be true: a thick, grey, woolly blanket has landed over LA, accompanied by a gentle breeze that tickles the leaves of the giant sycamore tree outside my window. The blanket deadens the sounds of freeway traffic, intensifies the lushness of any greenery my eye falls upon, forces me to slow down and enjoy the simplicity of blankets and tea. I'm so scared these days will go away; LA weather is so fickle!

The blanket's arrival coincided with that small span you may or may not relate to: those days/weeks between a dwindling bank account, and the next check. Rather than freak out, I've chosen to take this on as a challenge: what can I make for the least amount of money, that will last a few meals, and keep us sated?

VEGGIE CHILI!

Veggie chili is wonderful because it's packed full of nutrition, but between all those veggies and all that liquid, you fill up FAST. Plus, the longer it sits in your fridge (within reason), the better it tastes. And, since you're cooking vegetables, it doesn't have to cook for hours, as its carnivorous cousin does. If you're scared of cooking, this is a great place to start, because it's hard to mess up!

So, before I give you the recipe, here are a few thoughts/tips -- then you can make your own version. The process of making chili usually goes something like this:

1) Sautee your aromatics in a nice big pot.
In this category, you'll find: onions, ginger, garlic, carrots, celery, fennel, bell peppers (green, red etc), jalapeno or serrano peppers. Always start with an onion though. You should also throw your harder root veggies in at this point: parsnips, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, turnips, butternut squash etc. Sautee for about 10 minutes in olive oil over medium heat, until the onions soften and turn translucent.
Fill it chock-a-block with vegetables: the more you throw in different textures and flavours, the less you're going to notice that it's meatless! Plus, the better it'll be for you! Save more delicate veggies like cauliflower, spinach and peas until closer to the end, so that they don't turn mushy.

2) Cheat with chorizo!
Listen people. I'm married to a proud carnivore. We needed something that mimicked that meaty texture, and soy chorizo is awesome for that. I used soy chorizo because the thought of eating salivary glands (which you'll find in the regular kind) doesn't always sit that well with me. Ok, I admit my hypocrisy: I'll eat processed hot dogs with nary a thought about what's in those.
Hmmmm.
What was I saying?
Oh yeah, the cool thing about (Mexican) chorizo is that it's already been spiced with paprika and garlic, so it does a lot of the work for you! Plus, it gives you that meaty mouth-feel, fooling your canines and incisors into thinking you're eating meat. And, it's packed with protein! Boom! I found it next to the regular chorizo in the refrigerated section at the supermarket, next to the Mexican cheeses, and the cream cheese.

3) Spice it up!
I added chili powder (duh), cumin, ground allspice, and ground ginger, but play around with paprika, smoked paprika, ground coriander, turmeric, worcestershire sauce, nutmeg... You could also add a chopped up chipotle pepper at this point too. Yum, yum. Oh and don't forget the salt (although if you're using chorizo, you may not need that much, since it's usually pretty salty on its own). Also if you like a little sweetness, you can add some honey, brown sugar, molasses, agave or heck, even plain ol' white sugar will do.

4) Keep it saucy!
I use whole canned tomatoes, and crush them (rawr!) right over the pot; that way you get nice big chunks of tomato. I also dump in all that lovely tomato juice. Some people like to add tomato sauce too, I'm guessing to thicken it up, but I haven't found I needed it.
In addition to the tomatoes, you'll need to add more liquid: water, stock or...
A CAN OF BEER! This is my favourite, because its bitterness cuts through all the tomato sweetness. Plus my friend left a six-pack of Simpler Times in the fridge ($2.99 for a sixer at Trader Joes!), and I need to finish it before I get a beer belly.
If you don't like that idea, just use more water or stock. Just eyeball it -- add enough to semi-cover all the veggies. You can always add more if it gets too dry, or boil it off if it's too watery.
I might try making a green chili next time with smoked tomatillos. Doesn't that sound good?!

5) Simmer for 30 minutes.
Bring the entire concoction to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer (gentle but steady bubbles on the surface of the chili). Since you're only cooking veggies, you'll need just 30 minutes to cook all the veggies through and develop the flavours.
If you're thinking about adding a grain like white rice to the chili, then about 15 minutes into this simmer time, add a cup of water, bring it back up to a boil, then add 1/2 cup of white rice. Take it back down to a simmer and let it cook for 15 minutes.

6) Bean there, done that
I love beans, but I don't add a ton because I'm a big fan of the, ahem, consequences. But they're a great source of protein and fiber, so the more you add, the more filling your chili. Plus they're so cheap!
And you don't just have to use kidney beans: black beans, white kidneys, black eye peas, frozen limas, frozen peas, corn, chickpeas and cooked lentils are all great options!
Add them after your 30 minutes have elapsed, rinsing the canned ones under water to get rid of that goopy stuff, and let them warm through about 5-10 minutes. And you're done!

Phew! I know that was a lot, but I suppose what I'm trying to tell you is, you don't need a recipe to make chili! As long as you have a onion, some veggies, chili powder, ground cumin and a can of tomatoes, your chili is just 45 minutes away.

Here's the one I made last night, while we watched not 1, not 2, but 3 movies in a row (I love you, streaming Netflix) but experiment with your own versions!

Veggie Chili for a Blanket-y Day

1 yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 large parsnip, peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper/capsicum, membranes removed and diced
1 red bell pepper, cleaned and diced
1 jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 package soy chorizo, casing removed
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground allspice
28 oz can whole tomatoes
1 can beer
1 15oz can red kidney beans
Lime, cheese and scallions to garnish

1) Sautee onions, carrots, parsnips, bell peppers, jalapeno and garlic about 10 minutes until softened.

2) Add chorizo and sautee a couple of minutes until it smells really good in your kitchen.

3) Add chili, cumin and allspice powders. Sautee about 30 seconds to get the flavour out of 'em.

4) Add juice from tomato can, then crush each whole tomato with your hands over the pot, leaving them as chunky as you like.

5) Add beer, and much water as you need to almost cover the veggies. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 30 minutes.

6) Drain kidney beans, rinse. Add to chili, and cook another 5-10 minutes until beans are warmed through.

7) Serve, squeezing a wedge of lime over the top, garnishing with scallions and cheese if you wish.

-x-
aarti

Take the Cake!

2009-10-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

(Isn't this photo gorgeous? Joo took it.)

My friends Elizabeth, Joo (Emmy and Peabody Award-winner! Woohoo!) and Mandi were here this past weekend, for our annual girls trip. We had tons of fun chin-wagging, making fun of Mandi, scaring me half to death on roller-coasters meant for toddlers, making fun of Mandi...

If you've read this blog long enough, you'll know that we meet up every year, that these three ladies are women I knew in college, but with whom I grew much closer after I graduated and Bren left, because I realised that I had turned into one of those awful girls who had abandoned her friends in favour of her boyfriend. Ugh!

Needless to say, these girls are precious to me.

This trip, we marked Mandi's milestone 30th birthday. She's the baby of our little gang; the rest of us celebrated en masse last year. On their last night here, they came over to my house and, we all made dinner: Sheesh! kebabs and cucumber salad (oops, did I not post that recipe?! eeks!), mac 'n' cheese and to top it off, possibly the tallest chocolate cake I've ever seen, save a traumatic experience at Claim Jumpers.

You can kinda see it here. I think it's something to be quite proud of, no? It's only TWO LAYERS!

I have kept this recipe top secret for a while, mostly because I was trying to build a small baking business to supplement our income, but since that hasn't really taken off, I may as well share the "wealth". I adapted a recipe I found on Epicurious, by subbing in 1/2 cup of brown sugar which I think gives it a bit of rich, dark sweetness. Finding a good chocolate cake recipe is sort of like finding the holy grail these days; every tom, dick and harry has a recipe available online, but beware! Not every recipe is equal! This recipe contains a few ingredients that make it very, very special:

Coffee: it heightens the chocolate flavour, but no worries if you don't like the flavour of coffee (you weirdo). You won't taste it at all. And yes, you can use decaf. I do.
Cocoa AND real semisweet chocolate: recipes that only call for cocoa hardly ever come out chocolate-y enough for me. Use good quality chocolate if you can, and don't use chips; they are apparently coated in this weird waxy stuff that's yucky.
Buttermilk: I've found that the key to a gorgeously moist cake is either yogurt or buttermilk. I don't know why, but trust me brotha-man, it works!
Vegetable oil: The most bothersome part of baking, to me, is the creaming process. OH MAN! It makes me shudder thinking of the long minutes that pass by as my arm turns asleep whilst beating butter and sugar into submission. And, even when I was blessed with that kitchen superhero, the KitchenAid mixer, I could never get the sugar completely incorporated into the butter, even if I use fine baker's sugar. BORING! Vegetable oil eliminates this entire process.

So without further ado, here's the recipe. Remember to subtract 1/2 cup of white sugar and add 1/2 cup of the brown stuff. Also, don't overbeat your cake at the end -- mix until it's just combined and no more, or else you end up with a tough cake. And yeah, you'll need a pound of chocolate for the ganache. Yeah, it's worth it. This is, hands-down, the BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE EVER!

There! I said it! (And quite appropriately, was first published in the recently-defunct Gourmet Magazine. RIP Gourmet. I loved you well.)

-x-
aarti

Facial Massage

2009-10-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit nuts around here recently. Thankfully, the laptop is back, and so is the internet, and I was so lucky to have my besties from college come visit me this past weekend (pics coming!). Whee! This morning, I found myself watching almost every one of these makeup videos from a woman called Oxford Jasmine. She has one up on facial massage, which she won't allow me to embed for some reason, but here's the link. I think I'll be giving myself one of these every week, using some coconut oil!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 26: Beatnik Spinach!

2009-09-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

It’s getting to the end of the month, which means I’m looking for cheap recipes! Thank goodness for my stash of Indian vegetarian recipes; I already have the spices, and the lentils in my cupboard, so all I had to do was buy a bag of spinach, and hey presto: dinner’s ready!

Spinach with moong dal (a small yellow lentil, which you can find at Indian groceries, and online) offers you all the nutrition of leafy green vegetables, alongside a light dose of lentil protein, and the healing properties of both turmeric and garlic.

Cool, huh? Real cool. Beatnik cool, even. Yup, stay with me... there's a connection. Check it:

Spinach with Yellow Moong Dal (lentils)

1 handful (about ¼ cup) yellow moong dal, washed and soaked for 30 minutes
2 tbsp vegetable, canola or peanut oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 medium clove garlic, crushed and peeled
1 medium red onion, sliced thinly lengthwise (about 1½ cups)
1 green Serrano chile, sliced and seeded if you don’t want it spicy (optional)
1 tbsp ginger, peeled and minced
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp paprika
¼ hing (asfoetida poweder, available at the Indian store)
1 medium roma tomato
1 bag baby spinach

Serve with: brown basmati rice and plain yogurt

1) Heat oil in big skillet over medium heat until shimmering.

2) Add cumin seeds and garlic. Wait until the seeds have finished spluttering, and then add onion, Serrano chile and ginger. Saute until onion has softened.

3) Add spice powders, and sauté for 30 seconds.

4) Add tomatoes; cook until they go mushy.

5) Add lentils, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cover and cook about 5 minutes until the lentils are almost cooked.

6) Add spinach, covering to allow the leaves to wilt. Toss, and cook another 5 minutes so that the flavours go through the spinach. Add a little water if the dish gets too dry. It should have a sauce-y consistency. Serve!

-x-
aarti

Tech Support

2009-09-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

Oh man. It just keeps coming. First my laptop died. I mean, DIED. And I lost everything on the hard drive. And no, before you ask, I didn't back it all up. Don't even think about saying "I told you so". I've been saying it to myself (and Bren, poor thing) for weeks!

Thankfully, it's back up now, and I didn't have to pay for anything (thankyou AppleCare!). But now I have to restore everything, installing all the programs I normally use, and devising a bullet-proof backup system. And, just when I was about to get that going...

My modem died.

No internet.

Until Friday. Thankfully, I don't have to buy a new modem... funny how one customer "service" rep will tell you one thing, and another one will tell you the opposite. Don't take no for an answer folks! It gets here Friday, so for the moment, I'm at an office somewhere, typing as fast as I can before we have to leave.

Keep your fingers crossed that we won't need any more "tech support" in the next few days! Goodness!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 25: Sheesh! Kebabs

2009-09-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Dubai, Dad would sometimes surprise us with a feast of Lebanese food on Fridays (our day off).

I'd wait impatiently whilst he drove to the little place 10 minutes down the road from us, prepping the ONE soda that my parents allowed me per week (chilling the glass in the fridge, slicing a piece of lemon to top the whole thing off. Yup. I went through that kind of trouble over a diet Coke. At that age, I thought everyone did it. Telling, huh?)

Once the food had arrived, we'd pile our plates high with generous dollops of smooth hummus, pleasantly bumpy babaghanoush, fresh peppery greens, crunchy radishes, warm bread and of course, the piece de resistance, KEBABS!

Chicken, beef, lamb -- why are kebabs so much fun to eat?! Perhaps it's that inviting char, the pre-portioned pieces of meat, the promise of a crispy exterior and a tender interior. Perhaps though, it's something deeper: a pull only explained by our ancestry as cavemen? Man, woman, fire, meat? Heehee!

As if they weren't delicious enough, I fondly remember that one piece of pita bread that had been lying under the kebabs, soaking up all those exquisite juices; we'd fight over that piece of bread! Ooof!

My favourite kebab is the Lula kebab, or the Koobideh kebab, as the Persians put it. The Indians have their own version of this one too, called seekh kebab. Great minds must think alike: All of them consist of ground beef or lamb (or mutton), mixed together with some onions and spices, shaped into long logs, skewered and then cooked over a grill or in a tandoor oven. I find them so much more satisfying than other kebabs: tender, flavourful, and easy to digest.

But they are harder to make than you think. I literally made this recipe 3 or 4 times, hoping to get it to the right consistency. Finally, one late Wednesday night, when Bren was away at a rehearsal, I cracked it! And I had no one to shout to about it! Thank goodness I get to share it with you!

The secret lies in two parts: first, use a little baking soda to help the meat hold together (I can't tell you how disappointing it is when your skewer falls apart before you very eyes) and secondly, knead the heck out of it!

I know that second secret may strike some of you as blasphemy. I don't know how often I've been told not to overwork ground meat, whether it's for burgers or meatloaf, or else you run the risk of eating a tough, dry hockey puck. In this case though, if you don't knead it well, the meat doesn't turn sticky, and your kebabs turn out tough and oddly-textured.

So this is probably the only time you'll hear me say this: BLASPHEME AWAY! You'll thank me, I promise you!

I made them using lamb, because I love the way lamb stands up to the combination of shallot, ginger, garlic and mint. But you can use beef if you don't like lamb.

Oh, and I hope you'll allow me to gild the lily a little, by adding some pomegranate molasses to this recipe -- I made a glaze using lemon juice and pomegranate molasses that turns the ordinary lamb kebab into something extraordinary: sweet, tangy, sour, umami. Pardon me while I faint.

If you have trouble finding pomegranate molasses (Middle Eastern shops have it), you can make your own by boiling down some pomegranate juice (the pure stuff, not the kind mixed with blueberries or mangoes or whatever) with some sugar. Presto!

I hope you'll give these a go. They're a cheap way to work some meat into your menu (the whole thing, including a bottle of molasses probably cost me about $15 and it'll feed 4 quite comfortably), and your friends and family will think you're extraordinarily fancy, even though they are super easy and quick to pull together. Plus you can make the kebabs up to a day in advance, and grill them right before serving! Sheesh! Splendid!

Sheesh! Kebabs

Ground Lamb kebabs with Pomegranate glaze

2 medium shallots

2 cloves garlic

3 quarter-sized slices ginger

Handful of cilantro

4 sprigs mint

Zest of one lemon, and separately, its juice

3/4 tsp kosher salt

Lots of freshly ground pepper

1/4 tsp garam masala (optional)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1lb ground lamb

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses + 2 tbsp extra for glaze

Special equipment: Food processor if you have it, 8 bamboo skewers, stovetop griddle or big nonstick pan or outside grill

1) Bring lamb to room temperature. If you're going to cook your kebabs on the grill, soak 'em in water for at least 30 minutes, so they don't burn.

2) Grab your food processor. You can chop all this by hand too; just make sure to chop it all up very finely.

3) Throw shallots, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, cilantro, mint and salt into processor. Grind until very finely chopped.

4) Throw lamb into big bowl. Add the shallot mixture, pomegranate molasses, baking soda, garam masala and pepper to the meat. Using your hands, knead 2 to 5 minutes until meat lightens in colour, taking on the appearance of knitted fabric. It will also be very sticky. Perfect!

5) Divide the meat in half, then half again, and then half again, until you have 8 mounds.

6) Have a platter ready for your completed kebabs. Drizzle a little oil on the platter so the kebabs don't stick.

7) Have your bamboo skewers standing by. Take one ball of meat, and roll it into a short stump. Thread the skewer through it, then begin shaping the kebab with quick strokes, pulling the meat down. It should be a little over 1/4" thick. Roll the kebab between your hands to seal the meat. Repeat.

8) Heat griddle over medium heat, drizzling oil over it, so that when it starts to smoke, you'll know it's ready. Meanwhile, mix the juice of half the lemon with extra 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses in a small bowl.

9) When it's hot, place the skewers on the grill. Cook about 2 minutes, then turn a quarter of the way. Brush with lemon-molasses glaze, and cook another 2 minutes. Continue in this way until you've cooked the meat 8-10 minutes.

10) Serve, alongside cucumber-pomegranate raita (recipe tomorrow!).

-x-
aarti

A "healthy" appetite

2009-09-16T10:10:00.001-07:00

I heard Frank Bruni on my favourite public radio station, KPCC, yesterday. He's promoting his new book, "Born Round" which details his lifelong battle with his weight, and how that was impacted by his long years as the famed New York Times restaurant critic.

My favourite part was when he described how, as a baby, he would howl when he hadn't been given what he had determined was enough food. In fact, he cried so hard and long, that he would end up throwing up, thereby needing even more food! None of his brothers had that issue. For some reason, only he was blessed/cursed with that kind of appetite.

Today, after years of trying every diet out there, and making up a few himself, he's come to realise that he needs to eat a 3500 calories a day. That sounded like a helluva lot to me; I don't count my calories at all, but I think I'm supposed to be eating somewhere in the neighbourhood of 1500 a day. (You can figure out how much the USDA thinks you should consume, here).

BUT, and this is the amazing part, rather than limit his calorie intake to the conventional levels, he just makes sure to exercise enough every day to maintain his weight below 200 lbs.

What a generous way to look at yourself. So much of weight loss theory is about punishing yourself, no pain, no gain... I restrict indulging my sweet tooth to once a month. Growing up, I often compared my plate to my sister's, whose more delicate appetite made me feel like a whopping great big oaf. My close friend and work mate in New York had a small appetite too; I would match my lunches to hers, and while I lost so much weight that I was the thinnest I've ever been, let me tell ya... I was hungry! I still do it now. And come to think of it, I wonder if I subconsciously pick skinny friends with small appetites to keep myself in check? Hmmmmm. That's not entirely true, but there is something there. Thank goodness I picked a husband who can and will eat an entire rack of baby back ribs, twice over, and want dessert. Soul mates indeed!

Bruni talked about exercising self-control of course, about how he still has to grit his teeth every now and then to keep himself from eating more than he needs to, but I was struck by the compassion in his voice when he talked about how he had come to accept that he was born with a big appetite. That's just the way it is. Perhaps I could learn a thing or two from him.

-x-
aarti

Seeing Red

2009-09-08T17:10:00.001-07:00

I'm inspired!

I've never felt like I had a beautiful figure. Not one person on TV or in the movies has ever made me feel like my particular configuration of boobs, hips and thighs was beautiful. Not Marilyn Monroe (my boobs are bigger), not Salma Hayek (her waist is smaller), not even the heroines of Bollywood who have, sadly, now embraced the tiny waist 'n' hip silhouette so common amongst their Hollywood counterparts.

Apparently, when it comes to women, bigger is NOT better. God forbid you do like bigger women; you apparently have a fetish.

Ah, but finally, someone whose buxom beauty has helped me embrace my funny ol' figure!

She's Christina Hendricks, the actress who plays the sexy, confident (if a titch bitchy, really) Joanie on AMC's Mad Men. The critically-acclaimed show follows the life of New York ad men during the late 50s, and Christina plays the head secretary at the ad agency. Every time she's on screen, my eyes sparkle.

She saunters into each scene, her ample hips patiently swaying from side to side, slowing down the anxious, obedient patter of other secretaries. She's always dressed in bright, mono-toned shifts, that fit her voluptuous ins and outs so exactly that she must have been sewn into her clothes; the bright colours offset her curves against the drab, pillared background of the ad agency walls. That naturally-narrow waist, the generous bosom, the exaggerated derriere... there's no mistaking this creature for anything other than a WOMAN -- capitals intended! Here's a woman who's curvy 'cos she likes to eat, not because she's squeezing herself into a ridiculous corset.

I find myself reading every article about her, about how she has struggled to love her figure, how designers still don't send her clothes because she isn't a size 4, about how she tucks into a plate of rabbit ragu and sips a second glass of wine during her interview. Oh, and she's marrying a half-Pakistani actor. Ah, this girl and I could be friends!

I found myself examining my own figure in the mirror. Our silhouettes aren't too different, although I'm working on the cinched-in waist part. Our boobs are too big for Victoria's Secret (I guess the secret is she doesn't make bras for ladies over a D cup), our bums too full for the Gap (insert joke here).

Perhaps, just perhaps, there is something beautiful about my figure too... for the first time, I'm able to see what works about it.

Apparently, the curvy figure is back, because even Kate Moss has put on a few pounds. From the looks of it though, she's going to have to tuck in a few more plates of rabbit ragut before she qualifies as curvy, though. At least in my book.

In an effort to further embrace my inner old-school WOMAN, I bought my first tube of red lipstick. My first. Isn't that crazy? I love it. I find myself wearing it for the smallest errands, even to just pick things up around the house. It just feels... fancy.

If you're my skin tone, my fellow Indians, you know how hard it is to find a red that suits you. I found this one at the Body Shop; it's called "Brilliant Red". It looks a little harsh in photos but in real life, it's awesome.

Here's to your inner WOMAN!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 24: White Gazpacho

2009-09-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

The mercury is coming down a tad now, thankfully. But a few days ago, it was so hot that I realised that I didn't want to cook. That hardly ever happens! Thank goodness I had this recipe tucked away: a thick, chilled soup made with cucumbers, green grapes, yogurt, almonds and mint. Just listing the ingredients brought my temperature down a degree or two. Right? I've never been a fan of the regular kind of gazpacho, but this one really makes me sing. It's stunning.

You will have to cook just a little tiny bit, but it's totally worth it. I am quite impressed with my shortcut technique to soften garlic enough to mimic the way it gets when you roast it for 45 minutes. This way takes only 5 minutes, and is a close cousin. Try it!

If the idea of feta-topped crostini makes you run for the hills, then just omit it, and sup this chiller on its own. You could also poach some shrimp for some extra protein if you like. This is a cheap, quick, easy recipe that is filling enough for a light lunch with the family, and easy-breezy (cover girl!) elegant enough for a dinner with friends.

Sadly, its elegance was lost on a couple of celebrity tasters in my kitchen this week: yup, you guessed it. Heidi and Spencer Pratt stopped by, although I don't know how or why. Watch and see what they thought of my precious white gazpacho!

I'm putting up two versions today, in case your computer struggles with the higher-quality version.

This is the high-quality one:

Aarti Paarti Ep. 24: White Gazpacho (w/ Cukes, Grapes, Almonds, Mint) from aarti on Vimeo.

And this is the regular-quality version:

White Gazpacho with Cucumbers, Grapes, Almonds, Mint

1/4 olive oil
4 cloves garlic, in their skins
Slices of baguette, as many as you like
Feta cheese, enough to top the crostini
Smoked paprika (optional; you can substitute regular paprika)
3 cups cucumber, chopped (use long, English ones or Persian ones. If you use the regular bumpy kind, peel it, and scoop out the seeds because they are quite bitter)
2 cups green seedless grapes
1/2 cup skinned almonds
2/3 cup yogurt
2 sprigs of mint
1/8 tsp ground coriander
Pinch ground cumin
4 tsp sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Alternatively, you could throw the bread in the toaster oven.

2) Heat olive oil in small skillet over medium heat. When it's shimmering, add the garlic and toss, sometimes tilting the pan so that the garlic "deep-fries" in the oil for a few second. Cook until the skins look translucent, even lightly browned. Remove garlic from the pan, and allow the oil to cool.

3) Brush one side of the bread slices with the same oil you just used to cook the garlic. Place on baking sheet, oiled side up, and bake for about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Top with feta cheese. Bake another 5 minutes until cheese softens. Set aside.

4) Blend together cucumbers, grapes, yogurt, almonds, mint, spices, sherry vinegar and a couple tablespoons of the garlic oil you just made. Season with salt and pepper. Chill until it's time to serve, with crostini on the side!

-x-
aarti

Holiday Photos

2009-08-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

I'm about to settle into editing Aarti Paarti, but thought I'd put up a few pics from our holiday up the coast. Bren's brother Will, and his lovely lady Rachel, invited us on their trip to Yosemite, San Francisco and Big Sur. Can you believe we did all of this in 4 days? Driving?! It was crazy. But so much fun!

So, consider this part 1. On the drive up to Yosemite, we were enticed by the promise of delicious jerky at this truck stop looking place. It seemed like it was from another time altogether.

The jerky wasn't that great, but there were a few other surprises, such as the old west-lookin' building that housed the restroom:

And the chickens! So random! I have no idea why these chickens were here.

They weren't very happy, although I've rarely met a chicken who is. I'm totally in love with this photo -- click on it to see it full-size. I love how the face of the chicken on the left is so in focus, even though its body is a blur of motion.

Whilst Rachel is definitely the photographer of the family, Will manages to take some pretty cool shots too. Ah, Will, how do I love thee? I cannot count the ways!

Y'all know how much I love cast iron skillets. This state of this one brought a tear to my eye. I just wanted to grab it and take it to a good home (namely, mine). But I suppose there's something pretty about it, no?

I can't remember what this was about, but I'm sure it was Bren's fault.

-x-
aarti

Station Fire

2009-08-29T13:38:00.001-07:00

UPDATE: National Weather Service says that plume is 20,000 feet high!

After living in Los Angeles for a number of years, and covering a handful of wildfires, I'm kinda used to them. But I still gasped when I climbed out on our deck and took in an eyeful of this:

That's the "Station Fire", burning about 30 miles northeast of us. 30 miles away and not only can we see it, but that plume of smoke is ENORMOUS. I was reading that some of that brush hasn't burned in 60 years!

Throwing up a prayer for those firefighters who are battling not only a vicious 5,000 acre fire, but triple-digit temps and low humidity. So thankful for my quiet, safe, air-conditioned living room right now!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 23: Bacon Wrapped Dates aka Happy Pig Dates

2009-08-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

One Thanksgiving, I brought bacon-wrapped dates. When I got there, the poor, over-worked mum asked that I please not put the dates in the oven until dessert. At first, I was at a loss. These were the perfect appetizer, they were how I was going to win over a family I had never met before! But then I realised that these little puppies are good enough to eat as an appetizer, mains or dessert. And so, there they sat, alongside 3 different kinds of pie. At first, folks were a little reluctant to try something so odd. But one brave woman did, and as soon as her boyfriend (or brother, I can't remember! Ugh!) saw the ecstasy on her face, he quickly grabbed one. And so on, and so forth. Cue a whole host of people hovering around the plate of dates until they were all gone.

So if these sound a little odd to you, sally forth dear reader. I'm pretty sure you won't turn back, and you'll soon be fantasizing about how these would go with your eggs, your salad and your ice-cream.

These are a wonderful appetizer for your next gathering, ESPECIALLY if you don't feel comfortable in the kitchen. All you have to do is roll a date in a strip of bacon, secure it with a toothpick and throw 'em in the oven for 10 minutes. That's it!

Oh, and why's it called Happy Pig Dates? Watch the episode and you'll see.

Aarti Paarti Ep. 23: Bacon Wrapped Dates (aka Happy Pig Dates) from aarti on Vimeo.

Thanks as always, to my wonderful husband Brendan for helping make my weirdo ideas look good. Also, thanks to J. Anthony McCarthy for reading the book. He's a wonderful actor! Put him in your next project! And while you're at it, put my husband in it too!

Bacon-Wrapped Dates

Bacon, each rasher cut in two
Dates, pitted

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit
2) Roll a piece of bacon around a date. Secure with toothpick. Place on foil-lined baking sheet.
3) Bake dates in the oven for 5 minutes. Turn each one over. Bake another 5 minutes or until deep caramel brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then devour!

UPDATE: My friend Ryan reminded me that I only use Medjool dates for this recipe. They're my favourite, and the mushiest/sweetest ones I've encountered. Plus, they're the most common so chances are, if your supermarket stocks dates, they're Medjool. Thanks Ryan Caldwell!

-x-
aarti

Birthday Message

2009-08-25T12:54:00.001-07:00

I'll shut up about my birthday eventually, but in all honesty, I'd like to hear this particular birthday message every day. And I figured that you all might like hearing it too.

Every year, the awesome folks at my awesome church sends me a card with these verses. I'm holding onto it this year, and putting in on my mirror, because for some reason, I still can't accept that God, whoever He is, loves lil' ol' me... and what that means exactly. THIS is how much He loves me:

"You may not know me, but I know everything about you... (Psalm 139:1)

I know when you sit down and when you rise up... (Psalm 139:2)

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered... (Matthew 10:29-31)

For you were made in my image... (Genesis 1:27)

In me you live and move and have your being... (Acts 17:28)

For you are my offspring... (Acts 17:28)

I knew you even before you were conceived... (Jeremiah 1:4-5)

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book... (Ps. 139:15-16)

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you... (1 John 3:1)

Simply because you are my child and I am your father... (1 John 3:1)

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore... (Ps. 139:17-18)

And I rejoice over you with singing... (Zephaniah 3:17)

For you are my treasured possession... (Exodus 19:5)"

And then, just when you don't think your heart could soften any more, the church prints this after that love song:

"Love,

your Dad, Almighty God."

Isn't that just the coolest? HE SINGS OVER ME!!!!!

I wish THIS had been the first I'd ever been taught about God, as opposed to the wrathful side (which is true, but not His only personality). Perhaps then I would not struggle so much today, with the seemingly inconceivable truth that He loves me. Hmmmm.

-x-
aarti

Unnecessary, but very welcomed, kindness.

2009-08-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

They don't have to do this. And that's why I love Silk for printing this on their soy creamer:

-x-
aarti

Bren's Birthday Feet

2009-08-22T14:18:00.001-07:00

I know you've been besides yourself waiting to see how Bren's first pedicure went. Here ya go:

-x-
aarti

Birthday Feet

2009-08-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

Last year, on my birthday, I painted my toes blue. I take it as a bit of metaphor that this year, I chose to paint my nails a bright, cheery yellow!

Yes friends, I turned 31. I am for real-zies in my 30s now. There's no frontin' about being in my "late" 20s anymore. And I'm (mostly) ok with that. My 20s were all over the place. I've spent the past 5 years wandering through the proverbial wilderness, wondering about my purpose and my career after the news one seemed to vanish without me really caring too much about it... looking back, I can see that my pillar of cloud and fire (Fire! He's so bad-ass!) was guiding me the whole way. Even though I couldn't see it. Ever, really. Finally, this year, I feel like the promised land is in sight. And that's worth getting yellow nail polish over! Woohoo!

My husby Brendan organized a lovely day for me, sneakily emailing my friends in secret, asking them to stop by and wish me a happy birthday, since I wasn't really up to organizing a big party or anything. I woke up to a chocolate croissant and a latte from my favourite place, Conservatory (LA folks, you must check this spot out! Washington and Motor, kinda, opposite Sony!), delivered by my man. Then Karen came over, bearing gorgeous lilies that I'm still staring at... she had dedicated the entire day to me! Isn't that sweet? Then, one after another, I was graced with surprise stop-bys -- and only after hours of these "surprises" did I realise that it wasn't a surprise at all! Haaahahahaa! I am so oblivious! It was such a great day -- just as one person left, another stopped by. I am starting to understand the term "grace", at least the way it's used biblically -- that there's no way I did anything for these friends to deserve this level of love and friendship, yet I still get to have them. It's pretty humbling.

I've been a bit obsessed as of late with this Australian blog called Definatalie. Not only is this woman a talented artist, she's also an inspiration in the love-thyself department; I love her style, the way she's not afraid to talk about how being big is being beautiful. I crave her wardrobe and her photographs. Sigh! Take a look at her art "reel". Those of you who know me will understand why I love her art so: beautiful henna-like designs, and nouveau-retro Rubenesque ladies. It's beautiful, dainty yet dangerously... "meaty".

I think I need to sweet-talk her into designing my tattoo. Seriously. Can't you just imagine a sacred heart surrounded by all those flowery paisleys? What WHAT?!

Anyway, she challenged her readers to come up with a list of things that we love about ourselves. Funng that even as I was writing that, I wanted to say "like" because I'm not sure I'm comfortable with "love" yet. So (deep breath), here's what I (eeeeeeeek) love about myself:

1) That I've been so bold: improv classes, Burning Man, cooking show, speaking openly about God stuff.
2) That cool people like me and call me their friend and tell me they love me.
3) My smile.
4) My eyebrows; they're thinning as I get older, so I'm trying to eat more fish and flax seed but I am so happy to have thick ones that frame my face!
5) My feet: I have my mum's feet. Mum says that Dad first fell in love with her feet, so my love for my feet is... multi-layered.
6) That I type really fast. Seriously. You should be in the room when I'm typing. Everyone says, "woah!".
7) I really love and am proud of my cooking show doods. I even love my recipes.
8) My hair. Curls. Rule. They don't rule when you're 12 and you don't know why your stick-straight hair is suddenly frizzy. But once you figure them out, they rule.
9) The colour of my skin. Especially after a day at the beach.
10) That I managed to hook a man like Brendan.

Brendan, who by the way, had his first pedicure on my birthday. And got his nails painted... gold. Pic will be up tomorrow!

-x-
aarti

"Speidi" Spirituality

2009-08-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

I'm slowly getting back into civilization -- I promise a post on my little holiday jaunt up the California coast is coming, complete with hundreds of pictures! In the meantime, perhaps a little chuckle will distract you.

Are you familiar with Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt? The well-heeled, matching blonde couple of The Hills and "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here" fame? I can never work out whether they're really as superficial as they appear, or if it's an act. Or if it's both -- and if it is, where does reality stop and acting begin?! And while I suspect the whole born-again Christian thing is part of the act, part of me hopes that it isn't and that we get to see a real transformation happen in these two, possibly the (staged?) epitome of most everything wrong with us these days.

Check out my husby Brendan and my bestie Karen imagining what really deep thoughts Heidi and Spencer share in their private moments, in a segment Bren's called: "Speidi Sense". Oh and just a reminder that this entire episode was IMPROVISED!

(Forgive some of the fuzzy shots -- that was me, and the auto focus was on, which I didn't know.)

Want more? Voila!

Episode 1: "Jaguar"
Episode 2: "Discipleship Branding"
Episode 3: "Life is so Hard"

And there are more coming! Watch this space!

-x-
aarti

Which One's Better?

2009-08-14T12:05:00.001-07:00

I'm watching Monsoon Wedding right now.

I think it's way better than Slumdog.

What do you think?

-x-
aarti

Lisa Hannigan

2009-08-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

I already loved Lisa Hannigan -- she's the woman who sang with Damien Rice on his angst-ridden, heart-wrenching ballads that were ubiquitous a few years ago when "Closer" came out. She was always my favourite part about those songs because her voice is so gorgeous: husky, strong, feminine. I didn't think I could love her any more than I already did, but then I heard her solo stuff and THEN this morning, I watched her videos! Be still my beating heart! Not only does this woman have an amazing voice and spirit-lifting songwriting skills, she's also a captivating crafster!

Check out the video for Lille, in which she flips through some of the most amazing pop-up books you've ever seen (that I believe she made)... then watch the video for I Don't Know where, with a flick of a skilled wrist, she makes beautiful, intricate papercuts while singing a cute, old-fashioned romantic song. For some reason, she won't let us embed the videos, but take a minute to watch 'em and let yourself be waltzed into a romantic, fairy-tale land where everything is pretty and precious and made of paper.

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 22: Best Grilled Cheese with Tomato Chutney

2009-08-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

I've never met anyone who didn't smile at the thought of a grilled cheese sandwich. Just one bite and you're back to being in that magical place where sandwiches cut into triangles tasted better, where Mum could kiss all your boo-boos away, where boys had cooties...

Ahem.

The only thing that makes a grilled cheese sandwich better? Dipping it in a bowl of creamy tomato soup! In this summer heat though, the very notion of hot soup sets my anti-perspirant working double-time.

And so, I present you the tomato chutney: whole grape tomatoes cooked in a little vinegar, onions, garlic, ginger, cilantro and brown sugar, finished with a mustard seed-infused oil. Drop a dollop in your grilled cheese, and prepare yourself for explosions of savory tomato flavour every time you bite into a whole tomato. It's great when you're in the mood for something a little different.

Not in the mood for grilled cheese? This chutney is a great one to have on hand for these grill-happy days. Make a batch, and keep it in the fridge for your cookout days: smush some of this chutney on grilled chicken, pork, veggies or even a burger!

Oh, and don't miss a funny little trick to make grilled cheese sandwiches taste even better, that I learned at Burning Man from my friend Graham. It's an odd one, but try it once and see if you like it... it'll make it crispy but not greasy!

Best Grilled Cheese with Tomato Chutney

2 cups grape tomatoes
a little more than 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup red onion, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp brown sugar
Handful cilantro, minced
2 tbsp vegetable/canola oil
1 tsp urad dal (optional)
1 tsp black mustard seeds
Pinch of red chili flakes
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
White bread
Cheese of your choice, freshly grated (I used cheddar)
Mayonnaise

1) Throw tomatoes, vinegar and onions in a pot over high heat. Season with salt, boil for 5 minutes.
2) Add garlic, ginger, cilantro and brown sugar plus a splash of water if it's too dry. Stir and boil for another 5 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, in a small skillet, warm oil until shimmering. Add urad dal and red chili flakes. When dal has turned a little darker, add mustard seeds, and stand back! They'll splutter! Once they're done spluttering, pour into the tomato mixture (which should be done boiling).
4) Turn the heat down, simmer 20 minutes until the tomato mixture takes on a jam consistency. Try to keep some of the tomatoes whole.
5) Allow chutney to cool. Then make grilled cheese.
6) Heat nonstick or cast iron skillet over moderately low heat. Make sandwich with cheese and tomato chutney. Slather some mayonnaise on the outside of one side of the sandwich. Place it mayo-side down in the skillet. Slather mayo on the other side. Wait a couple of minutes, until it's browned, then flip and brown the other side.
7) Cut into triangles and serve!

-x-
aarti

Look up, dammit!

2009-08-03T13:07:00.000-07:00

Ah the ups and downs... I know we're meant to love the downs as much as the ups, but seriously, I don't think I've ever met anyone who does. Can I get a witness?!

One of the hardest things about going through a valley is that it obstructs your vision; maybe you can see the peak off in the distance, but the sun might be in your eyes, or the shadows might drape over it so it's partially hidden, you can't see what it looks like up there, or what lies beyond it... you certainly can't see how to get there.

When you cry, you literally can't see.

Pain forces you inside yourself. That can be helpful in some situations (especially if you're trying to escape something that you simply must face), but if it's not one of those situations... it just exacerbates our ingrained self-centeredness. "Whyyyyyyy meeeeeeeee?" we wail. Incessantly.

Or maybe that's just me. :)

I dragged my butt through a bit of a downer in the past couple of weeks, as you may have guessed. Things were uber-tight money-wise, and I was flummoxed about the whole thing. How could this be happening to us? Didn't Jesus promise that we only needed to ask, and that we would receive? Doesn't God constantly promise to provide for us, when we surrender to being His children? Weren't we good, obedient servants? Weren't we having conversations about God with those around us? Weren't we surrendering ourselves to Him as He asks us to? So... what's all this about? How come other people who don't do any of this stuff get the nice house, and enough money and and and...?

I spent a lot of time in prayer, begging Him for just a little bit of His presence, for a little answer, for a just a little sense that I wasn't talking to myself. My brain waved her naggy little finger at me, reminding me of some Scripture about how God hears all our prayers, and because He hears them, He answers them... but my heart cried out: "but, but... well then, why won't He say anything to me?"

God's (apparent) silence is one of the hardest things for me to cope with. He's told me to do some pretty difficult things in the past but, whenever I did them, I never felt like I was walking through the fire on my own. This time, the fire was drawing toward me, so close that I could feel my eyebrows singeing, but I couldn't feel God's cool breath on my shoulder. I was petrified.

Bren kept telling me that God loved me, and that He hadn't abandoned me. Huh, I thought. Easy for YOU to say. He keeps talking to YOU. Lucky &$@%#&)(!

No, Bren said. He's blessing you all over the place, but you're so busy whining to Him, talking at Him on your own terms, that you can't see it.

Oh, really?

Then he pointed out how just that week, I had finally had tea with two cool ladies at church who I'd been eyeing for years at our church gathering. I had envied their connection on both a spiritual and a "normal" real world level. "Wow!" I had whispered to myself. "I wish I could have that."

Cut to Tuesday of that week: having tea with the two of them, cutting through the bullhonky small talk, and getting to the stuff that you can only get to that quickly with people who understand your spiritual underpinnings; I mean, I would normally never share the intricacies of my pain with people I had just met!

Organically, we talked about our struggles and our pain, shedding a tear, wiping it away with a piece of pumpkin bread (heehee!), and ending in the most precious gift: we grabbed each other's hands, bowed our heads, and started praying for each other. Every now and then, one of them would stroke the knuckles of my hand with her thumb, and I would choke up. I choke up even now at the memory. Sometimes it's the smallest things that get you through. I'll never forget that little thumb stroke.

"Oh, alright," I said. "But Bren, that's not what I was asking for!" As I said that, a little voice said, yes, but perhaps that's what I needed.

Then, that week, I got a precious email from a friend who has been examining her relationship with God in small part because (gasp!) of things I write on here. I cried. This was so much more rewarding than a paycheck. Then, wait for it, the next week, ANOTHER friend wrote me a similar email (she has no relation to the other friend) saying the same thing, how reading what I go through makes her wonder how she can get a piece of that peace. How humbling! How rewarding! How my heart still sings over it!

(And yes, of COURSE I wrote them back!)

And yet, STILL, every morning, I'd wake up thinking, "Yes, well, those things are irrelevant to the problem at hand. We need that check!"

I'd wake up and walk to the mailbox wondering why that check hadn't arrived yet.

Now, during these weeks, what I think was a phoebe, or maybe a mockingbird, had taken up residence outside our windows, singing the most drop-dead gorgeous song I've ever heard a bird sing.

A chirp here, and I would drop my spoon into my cereal bowl and look outside and listen.

A trill there, and I would tear myself away from Facebook (WHAT?!) to catch to his song.

He sang so loud, so proudly, never ceasing. His song would lift my spirits a tad, and I wondered, did He send me that little phoebe? To remind me that He hasn't left me? It comforted me for about a second before I told myself that I was mad and I needed to get back to work.

Then, then... oh, this is the longest build-up ever, but it's so worth it. What happened the next morning made me cry in my driveway! I wish I'd had my camera with me!

It was early. I had resolved NOT to check the mailbox on the way out to the gym. I walked around to the driver's side of the Jeep, and just as I was about to get in the car, I heard that sweet bird sing again. I looked up, and there he was, singing at me from the arm of the telephone arm. He was jumping up and down, almost frantically, up and down, spreading his wings as he did so, his little legs akimbo, singing at the top of his little lungs. I was so sure that he was looking directly at me. The sun was shining from behind the telephone pole, shooting solar flares at my eyes, and that's when I gasped... then cried. Because all these 6 years I've lived here, I had never noticed this:

It's a cross, people. A huge fiddlestickin' cross. Sure, maybe a Greek orthodox version. But there's no mistaking it. And it's right over our house. And, it stands facing our bedroom (to the left of the cross, right side of the house). The little bird was sitting on that arm closest to the camera, jumping nearly 3 feet into the air, and then falling back down. That cross has been there the whole time: every night I went to sleep, and every morning I woke up over the past 6 years. And I'd never even noticed. I'd never looked up.

I stood there in my driveway, in my ugly workout clothes, doing the ugly cry, gasping for air in between, licking the delicious, salty tears as they ran into the corners of my mouth.

You might scoff, might think it's a coincidence, might think I'm reading too much into things... but in that moment, and even now, I know with the same certainty that I know that I'm alive, that little message was meant for me. That was my Father reaching down and gently tugging at my shoulder, saying, Hey! I haven't forgotten you. In fact, I've been watching over you for so long, and you hadn't even noticed. Don't worry. I've got your back.

A few days later, we got the check. And then, we got another one. And then, yet another (unexpected but highly appreciated!) one.

(We also had wonderful friends who took care of us in the meantime, who bought us burgers and offered to write us checks and hugged us. We love you guys. You know who you are, and that meant a LOT.)

I think God wanted to really shake my attachment to money, and instead show me the kinds of things He's really interested in, the things He values -- relationship with fellow Christians (aka my new favourite, "Jesus freaks". I can just imagine the tshirts: I'm a freak for Jesus! I freak out for Jesus! hahahahaahaha), relationship with friends who are wondering, relationship with Him. Money is important, yes, but not to the point where it eclipses the real value of those person-to-person or person-to-Creator bonds. Getting those paychecks was not nearly as satisfying as cool-christian-chica tea time or getting those awesome emails or seeing that bird jumping up and down to get my attention.

I'm not saying that God will always answer your prayers exactly the way you want Him to. And I'm not saying that the next time I'm in a valley I won't be whining to Him about what we need (as if He doesn't know already!). What I *think* I'm trying to say is that the next time you're in pain, look up. Look outside of your valley. I'm pretty sure He'll be blessing you in ways you didn't think you wanted, but they might just be what you need.

-x-
aarti

p.s. and just in case you think I'm getting too serious, here's some phun with photobooth for ya:

New Good Bite videos!

2009-07-31T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I made a simplified version of my Tiger vs. Dragon soup for Good Bite earlier this month and the video (called sweet corn and chicken soup) is up! Thanks Good Bite guys for making me look so good!!

I must say that there's a recipe for one pot bittersweet brownies by Jeanne Kelly (author of the gorgeously-titled Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes) on there that is making my mouth water. I'll have to try it.

-x-
aarti

Emails that make me smile

2009-07-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

I just got this fantastic email from my friend Vivian -- she's a brand new mum (hi Tempest!) and she's experimenting over the stove between feedings and diaper changes. She tried my babaghanouj recipe after watching the very first episode of Aarti Paarti (wow, has our production value gotten better!!!) and she shot me this email after she made it. I can't stop smiling!

"I made your babganouj from the first episode. I've made it before using other recipes and I have to say from now on I will always use *your* recipe. Why? It's simple, easy, cheap and most of all cooking the eggplant directly on the burner gives it a smokey flavor that makes it absolutely super-yummy. In the episode you suggest that "you might want to try" cooking it that way, but other ways are okay too. NO!!! This is now the ONLY way to cook eggplant,at least for babaganouj! We both loved it - I put in extra lemon, which is so great with the smokey flavor! It got eaten up too fast. Next time I go to the store I'm getting ingredients to make it again!

My eggplant just disintegrated on the burner, that's how I knew it was ready, making it kinda hard to peel. Maybe I cooked it too long (was less than 15 min - mine was probably smaller or flame hotter).

Anyway, thanks!

Vivian"

Isn't that great?

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 21: Peanut Noodles for Miss Piggy!

2009-07-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

When I was little, Dad called me Miss Piggy. I think there was something about her, um, "pleasantly plump" build, and her playful pride that reminded Dad of lil' ol' me. Somewhere around the age of 11, I lost that pride, and became painfully self-conscious, lacking a vat of self-esteem (a battle I still struggle through today I'm afraid). The pleasantly plump thing stuck around... the pride went out the window. Ugh! Ah, for a pubescant switch-a-roo!

Anyway, I digress. I have always had a soft spot for Miss Piggy. There's something about the way her snout moves, her fierce semi-obsessive love for Kermie, her ability to drop-kick anyone that gets in her way...

But, believe it or not, I had never seen the Muppet Movie. The one created in the year of my birth! And so we just HAD to get a bunch of friends together to go watch an outdoor screening of the Muppet Movie at Hollywood Forever, a famous LA cemetary where luminaries of old glam Hollywood (Cecil B. Demille, Jayne Mansfield, Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks...) have been laid to rest. No, honestly, it's not creepy! The event is managed by Cinespia, and they show movies all summer long. So. cool.

I decided to make a big batch of peanut noodles to bring to the picnic -- a great option because it feeds a ton of people for just a few dollars. It's also great at any temperature, particularly when they're cold, which is great for a hot, summery day. And, with a bunch of raw veggies, and a crisp salty-sweet cucumber salad, you don't have to feel guilty about scarfing down noodles covered in peanut butter. I must say that I worked on this peanut sauce recipe over and over, until I managed to get one that packs a wallop; most recipes I've tried yield a sallow, wimpy sauce that gets even wimpier once you pour it over the noodles. This one is bold, fierce and unapologetic -- kinda like a certain porky heroine I love dearly.

Thanks to Bren for shooting everything so lovingly, and to every one of my friends who made it out. A special thankyou to those who tried to get in, but were turned away at the door, because the cemetary was filled to capacity. Sorry guys!

Peanut Noodles for Miss Piggy
With "pickled" cucumber salad and pan-fried sesame chicken

For cucumber salad:
1 large cucumber, sliced thin on a mandoline or by hand
Sugar
Salt
Rice vinegar

For the chicken
2 chicken breasts (pounded thin)
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sriracha hot sauce
1 tbsp honey

For the peanut sauce:
1 cup chunky peanut butter (not the natural kind)
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
6 tbsp ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sriracha
1 tbsp brown sugar or honey
1 tsp sesame oil (plus more drizzling)
Handful cilantro
1 cup hot strong black tea
2 red bell peppers, sliced thinly
1 bunch thin asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
Juice from 1 lime
1lb thin spaghetti

1) The night before: Mix chicken marinade ingredients. Toss chicken in the marinade and let it sit overnight in the fridge.

2) The next day, set a big pot of water to boil. For cucumber salad: Sprinkle a little sugar and salt over the cucumbers. Drizzle with a little rice vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning as you like. Let it sit in the fridge while you prep the rest of it.

3) Warm a cast iron skillet over medium heat, swirling a tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil in the pan. When it's shimmering, add the chicken breasts, and don't move them. Let them cook about 5 minutes, then flip and turn the heat down. Cook until thermometer registers 160 degrees. (If this takes too long, throw a lid on the pan for a couple of minutes. They should cook faster this way).

3) Drop spaghetti into boiling water, and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Meanwhile, throw peanut butter, sesame seeds (reserve 1 tbsp for garnish), ginger, garlic, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, sriracha, brown sugar/honey, sesame oil, cliantro and tea into a big food processor. Whiz 'em up until the sauce is smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings.

4) Toss veggies with a little sauce in a separate bowl. Drain cooked pasta, and then drizzle with a little sesame oil. Toss with a pair of tongs. This will help keep the pasta from sticking.

5) Slice chicken thinly. In a big bowl, toss pasta, veggies, reserved sesame seeds, freshly squeezed lime juice and sauce together. Serve with chicken and cucumber salad on the side, alongside with a full serving of the Muppet Movie!

-x-
aarti

Mutter, whine, sneak peek

2009-07-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

I'm kinda up to my eyeballs in stuff to do -- it's all good stuff, all related to what I want to be doing with my life, but of course, all at once. When this kind of thing happens, rather than thank my stars for having so many wonderful opportunities, I resort to the trademark "mutter and whine" routine.

First I'll whine about how much there is to do, and how overwhelmed I am, and how I don't think I can handle it.

Then, when I don't find a sympathetic audience in Bren, I'll turn to the most sympathetic audience I know: me! Cue the crazy-guy muttering wheel: "I don't know how in the world I'm going to finish everything in time..." or "I'll NEVER finish everything in time"... or, worst of all, "Ugh, this blows".

HOW AWFUL!

As gently as he can, Bren's been reminding me to take joy in the fact that my plate is full with so many blessed opportunities, that when I feel overwhelmed, that moment is a great opportunity to take a deep breath, get really quiet, whisper a prayer of strength, surrender and peace to my Father, and then dive back into it with gusto and focus. The other morning, my reading included this little gem from Psalm 61:

"From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

I'll be doing that today -- I'm shopping and prepping for another Good Bite shoot (wheeee!) tomorrow, cleaning up the kitchen so that I look like a put-together cook (ha!), doing my nails (um, for the afore-mentioned fakery reason)... oh and, oh yeah, EDITING the season-3 opener of Aarti Paarti!

Phew.

So rather than invite another back spasm, I'm going to try letting go, looking up and cracking a smile today. I'll let you know if it helps!

In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at what to expect from the show... thanks Kat for the photo and the excellent company!

-x-
aarti

Foodie Fanatics?

2009-07-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

I love food just as much as the next one, but I don't think I'd ever get foodstuffs tattoo'd on my body. Not even ice-cream, and you all know how ridiculously obsessed I am with it. I have always loved the idea of getting a big chef's knife on one forearm, and a whisk on the other... but I know I must have stolen that idea from somebody.

However, after looking at this page of collected food-related tattoos, I might be changing my mind. Never before had a I considered that a Kitchenaid mixer could look so... bad-ass!

-x-
aarti

Quick Shot

2009-07-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm feeling better... not totally un-knotted but better. I'm following Bren's lead and trying to release attachment through joyful praise. Oof!

So, because I'm guessing you're just as in love with the gift of food as I am, here's a list of food things I'm singing His praises for! Holy muffin, these are good!

1) Thai iced tea.
I'm always annoyed that the Thai restaurants always plunk such a small glass down on the table when I order it -- especially when they charge nearly $3 for it. Thanks to Bren's mum, who gave us a packet of the loose tea a few Christmases ago... we polished it off last week when summer finally arrived (woohoo!), and I procured another bag from the Thai market. When I bought it, the Thai security guard pointed to what looked like a giant sock with a handle on it -- I should have bought that too. It is indeed, a tea sock. You spoon the tea into it, then dunk it into a vessel of hot water -- once it's steeped, just pull the sock out! Bren said I could use one of his. Hmmm. Thankyou God for Thai tea.

2) Iced coffee essence.
I know. Sense a trend here?!
I made the Splendid Table coffee essence last week. With 11 cups of concentrated coffee chilling in the fridge, I thought we'd be bathing in iced coffee for weeks! Alas, it was gone in just a few days. I blame Bren. Thankyou God for iced coffee (and a working fridge to chill it in!)

3) Cinnamon-raisin Ezekiel Bread
I don't know why I never grabbed this loaf before. I get heartburn if I eat too much wheat in one day, but sometimes the easiest snack to grab is a slice of bread. I love this stuff because it toasts up wonderfully, it's full of protein and with those sweet little bursts of raisin, it totally satisfies my salty-sweet cravings. And heck, it's God's recipe! Thankyou God for being a good baker!

4) Lemon cucumbers
Lemon cucumbers are this year's fad vegetable, or at least it seems that way. A lot of people are growing the happy yellow orbs in their vegetable gardens. I love how crunchy they are, with just a hint of cucumber flavour. Thankyou God for yummy cucumbers!

5) Cheater's Indian BBQ chicken
Now that it's summer, I really don't feel much like cooking. I've made a cheater's version of Indian BBQ chicken a couple of nights now -- it comes together quickly, and alongside a salad, makes a quick, healthy dinner. I mix some store-bought BBQ sauce with a few tablespoons of lime or mango pickle, pour it over a packet of cleaned chicken thighs, bake for 20-30 minutes at 400, then put the pieces under the broiler for about 5 minutes, basted with a little more BBQ sauce. Yum! Thankyou Lord for barbeque sauce!

Huh. I feel better. Your turn! What foodstuffs are you thankful for?

-x-
aarti

Ugh.

2009-07-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

Ever have those days where there's a knot in the pit of your stomach and you're not sure why?

Today's one of those days.

Ah well.

-x-
aarti

Non-snooze-worthy Squash!

2009-07-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

I went to the farmers market yesterday, but alas, I only get there about 10 minutes before they shut down. Anyone else think it's weird that a weekday farmers market shuts down at 7pm? Aren't people just getting out of work at that hour?

Anyway. I digress.

Now, don't get me wrong -- I love summer produce: tomatoes of every colour and goofy shape, peaches and nectarines, green beans and cucumbers. It's all quite lovely. But there is one incredibly bountiful product of summer that I just can't get excited about: squash.

zzzzzzzz.

Huh-wha? Sorry, the very thought of squash kinda puts me to sleep. It's just so bland, so sponge-y, so... ubiquitous. I'm not a fan of ratatouille, and they're alright on the grill, and my smoky squash recipe is pretty good because it loads the squash up with tons of spices but.. on it's own? zzzz- oh you get my drift.

But yesterday, having gotten to the market so late, that was all that was available. So I grabbed 4 or 5 small crookneck squash, and a bunch of basil and decided to make the best of it. I had grabbed a ham steak earlier that day (what a cheap source of protein! $6 for a thick steak at Trader Joes that would easily feed 3!).

Suddenly a vision of squash, artichokes and basil, in a buttery-mustardy sauce came to me. Something decidedly simple, French -- basically, something SO not me!

At home, I bent my knees and picked up my cast iron skillet (seriously, why does my back hurt so much?!), and let it warm up over a medium flame. After dousing it with some good olive oil, I chucked some sliced garlic in there for 30 seconds until it started to smell oh-so good. Meanwhile, I sliced my squash on a diagonal, and drained my can of artichoke hearts. After sauteeing the squash until slightly browned but still tender-crisp, I added the artichoke hearts, tossed them around, then moved them to the outside of the pan. A little butter in the middle, a teaspoon or so of turmeric and grainy mustard, wait for the turmeric to bloom, toss together, finish with a flourish of fresh basil and... taa-daa!

So easy and actually, fantastically interesting! Snooze no more summer squash -- I think I'll make this all summer. It'll go really well with all manner of grilled meats. I'm especially surprised I liked this combo because I'm not that big a fan of mustard.

I know the measurements aren't specific, but you can figure it out. It's really very easy and fool-proof. Even my darling husby, he of the hating-veggies variety, he who turns his nose up at artichokes and mustard (unless it's French's yellow -- blech!) loved it. Yippee-kazooo!

-x-

aarti

Playing Dress Up!

2009-07-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my talented friend Kat asked Bren and myself to be part of her photoshoot, "Carnivale". Kat was inspired after reading Water for Elephants, a fantastic book set against the backdrop of a depression-era circus.

She cast me as a dancer, and she cast Bren as, what else, the bearded lady. Bren actually made a quite handsome bearded lady. He managed to capture that fine line between masculinity and femininity perfectly... and what does it say about me that I found him strangely attractive in a long gown and fake boobies?!

To be honest, I had a hard time embracing the sex appeal aspect of the dancer, becuase I don't ever think of myself that way. After a little while though, I started to realise that there's nothing a girl enjoys more than feeling pretty and glamourous -- in fact, doesn't every girl spend some childhood playtime hours imagining she's a gorgeous model at a photoshoot? After a few clicks, and a few whispered words of direction from Kat, I found myself relaxing, and really enjoying the red lipstick and ostrich feathers!

Kat's boyfriend Zach shot some footage that day, and Kat just cut it together -- see if you can spot all the characters!

Carnivale from Kat P on Vimeo.

Oh, and if you want to see the final photos, check 'em out on Kat's website!

Thanks Kat! I loved playing dress up!

-x-
aarti

Cake Wisdom

2009-07-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, I was whining about how sometimes everything seems futile and pointless, and that I'd rather be done here, and moved onto being in heaven, thankyou very much. I know, I'm so overly dramatic. But I'm sick and I'm PMS'ing. Makes sense now, doesn't it?

B: "Well, no, because we're exactly where we're meant to be right now, ba."

A: "Yeah?"

B: "Yeah. Every moment has a purpose to nourish us. Sometimes it's fun and cake. Sometimes, it's nutritious but not very yummy."

[Pause]

A: "Thanks for putting that in terms I'd understand, ba."

B: "Sure."

Isn't he a smartie?

-x-
aarti

Have You Ever Been Fronted?

2009-07-10T15:52:00.000-07:00

Last night, Bren's improv group, Suddenly Dapper, performed their monthly show at the Falcon. It's hard to describe, but it's a vaudevillian type thing, with improv, music, spoken word and dancing. It was great!

My friend Karen and I performed a ukulele duet, entitled "Have you ever been fronted", about two girls who are best friends -- drinking tea, painting our nails, just generally being cute. I don't have the entire thing on video but you can catch a snippet in this little video put together by my friend Smitty!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 20: Guacamole!

2009-07-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

There are few things that say party more than guacamole. It comes together in minutes, and alongside a handful of tortilla chips and a cold beer, summer is complete.

But oh, how often have you had BAD guacamole? Or even worse, the store-bought kind that's so runny that it looks like bile? Blech!

Make your own! You can't say you don't know how now. Plus, it's handy when you're about to say a naughty word and the kiddies are around. Holy guacamole!

You'll need:
1 small shallot, minced
Juice of 1-2 limes
3 avocados, 2 mashed and 1 chopped up
1 garlic clove, minced
Handful of cilantro, chopped
Dash of cumin
Dash of garam masala or curry powder
1 tomato, seeded and diced (optional; I didn't have any and it was still good!)
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

-x-
aarti

Answered Prayers

2009-07-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

A little while ago, I posted a request: for a donation of an old working computer to us, Studio Baba, because our older laptop (from 2000!) appeared to have kicked the proverbial bucket.

I've literally been praying for another computer for months. Literally. It's been so frustrating trying to get two person's worth of stuff done, on one laptop.

A couple of weeks ago -- prayers answered!

Our friends Matt and Joanna called us, and said they had replaced their computer, and when they were wondering what to do with the other one, they remembered us. Aren't they amazing? This is exactly the kind of computer Bren and I were talking about wanting THE DAY BEFORE THEY CALLED. Seriously.

Now finally, Bren and I can work simultaneously -- editing, writing, researching, bringing you more giggles, cooking and food for thought!

I have no words except that God is good. And so are Matt and Joanna. THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU GUYS!

-x-
aarti

Chocolate-Candied Bacon Ice Cream

2009-07-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

The story of my friend Mandi perhaps best conveys the power of bacon. A number of years ago, Mandi decided to eschew meat completely, and adopt a vegetarian lifestyle. If I remember correctly, she didn't like the idea of eating anything with a face.

Except for bacon. Sweet sweet bacon still occupied a place in her heart that no amount of celery could replace.

I remember cooking for her and my other girls, Joo and Elizabeth one day, and I made a salad topped with slices of bacon. I was about to make some separately for her, and she said, "Oh no, no. I STILL eat bacon."

Hahahahaha!

Happily, Mandi is back to meat now, and I like to think that the piggy goodness talked her back into it.

In recent years, it seems that turning bacon into dessert has become a national pastime. Here in LA, the wine bar, Lou, serves candied bacon. Scoops, an experimental ice-cream parlour (whose brown bread ice-cream sells out like that, and whose strawberry-black pepper ice cream inspired one of my lassi concoctions), made a legendary maple-bacon ice cream. Vosges makes a (slightly disappointing) bacon chocolate bar. Apparently Animal's is better, and you can watch 'em make it here.

And heck, it's not just the States that's into it. This whole obsession may have started in England, where Heston Blumenthal, the "culinary alchemist" behind Fat Duck, voted one of the world's best restaurants, makes an eggs and bacon ice-cream.

Bren and I decided that this 4th of July was our cheat day (the first in about 2 months). This was a day to eat whatever we wanted, and of course, ice-cream was on the menu. So, I decided to attempt to make candied bacon ice-cream. Bren, a firm believer in there's-no-such-thing-as-overdoing-things, said, "what, no chocolate?".

Note to you and myself, dear hearts: always throw your canister or bowl or whatever your ice cream maker uses, into the freezer the night before. Heck, just leave it in the there for the summer, just in case you're struck by the spontaneous need for fresh, homemade ice cream.

Why? Because there are few things more disappointing than waiting two months to make ice-cream, choosing In-dependence Day as the chosen day, and then realising that you are hopelessly dependant on physics... hence, no ice-cream for me.

Sigh. I did make it the next day though.

I adapted a recipe by David Lebovitz, my Good Bite buddy (woohoo!), who adapted a Michael Ruhlman recipe. In the end, I like it well enough, but it wasn't the oral explosion I expected it to be; perhaps I should have used better bacon?

I'd much rather eat the candied bacon by itself, and for this I thank Mr. Lebovitz. I doubt my life will ever be the same. In fact, if you don't make the ice-cream, just make the candied bacon. And make a lot of it, because this is the kind of stuff you'll want to nibble on alongside a glass of wine, especially when you're nursing a broken heart. Well, it's good for celebrating a victory too, now I think about it. This stuff is world-peace worthy.

The ice-cream base itself has no bacon flavouring in it (and I'm not sure how you'd do that other than steeping the warm custard with some bacon? Thoughts?) so it's basically great ice-cream with bacon bits. Actually, that's given me an idea. Next time, I'll just make a batch of regular ice-cream and serve the candied bacon bits on the side, to be sprinkled (liberally!) on top. Freezing the bacon in the ice-cream transformed the gorgeously-sticky and tender bacon into hard and chewy bits.

Let me just make this clear though. I ate this ice-cream. With vim and vigour. It's still WICKED good and worthy of a trial, especially with better bacon than I had on hand. In fact, I woke up this morning wondering whether I should have a bowl for breakfast (given that I seem to have gained a sore throat overnight. Ugh!). It's good people. Just not what I had expected.

In case you'd like to try it, here's what I did.

Chocolate-Bacon Ice Cream
Adapted from David Lebovitz and Michael Ruhlman recipes
Candied bacon:
6 strips thickly-sliced bacon
Light brown sugar

Ice-cream:
8 oz good dark chocolate (I used Callebaut), chopped up
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 3/4 cup half-and-half
5 large egg yolks
2 tsp whiskey
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1) Candy the bacon:

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
Lay strips on a cooling rack over a foil-lined half sheet pan (big cookie sheet), and sprinkle with brown sugar. Sprinkle pretty liberally, because some of it will melt off. (David says about 1 1/2-2 tsp per strip, but I ended up using more!)
Bake for 10 minutes. Check to make sure that brown sugar has melted and caramelized.
Remove bacon from the rack. Toss the rack aside. Return bacon to the sheet pan, dragging the un-caramelized side through all the sugary goodness that's accumulated on the foil.
Bake again, with the un-caramelized side up, about 5-8 minutes, until dark mahogany colour. Don't let it burn!
Remove from the pan, put 'em back on the cooling rack, and let them sit until cool.
WARNING: you will want to eat all of 'em. Step. Away. From. The bacon.
Chop into little pieces -- I cut them into varying sizes so that when you eat the ice-cream, you'll never know what you're going to get: a subtle bit of smokiness, or a big smack-you-in-the-face salty-sweetness!

2) Make the ice-cream. Make sure your canister is frozen solid and ready to go.

3) Melt the chocolate; throw the chocolate in a bowl, and place it over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally, and let it sit until the chocolate is good and melted. Turn the heat off, but leave the bowl over the water.

4) Set up an ice-bath: throw some ice-cubes into a large bowl and pour in some cold water. Then put a smaller (but not too small) bowl in the water. Pour 1/2 of the half-and-half into the bowl, and set a mesh strainer in the bowl too.

5) In another bowl (yes you'll need another one!!), stir together your egg yolks.

6) In a heavy, medium saucepan, melt the butter, then add the brown sugar and the rest of the half-and-half. Stir until the ingredients come together.

7) Gradually add some of the brown sugar mixture to the egg yolks, whisking as you pour. Pour it back into the saucepan and whisk together.

8) Add the melted chocolate and a pinch of salt. Turn on the heat to moderately low, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pot, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula, or registers 180F on a thermometer.

9) Pour the custard through the strainer into the cool half-and-half. Stir until cool. Add the whiskey and the vanilla. Refrigerate for a couple of hours, until thoroughly chilled. Then prepare ice-cream according to your machine's instructions.

10) Once it's churned, spoon into your container, and sprinkle bacon bits between the layers, finishing with a flourish on top. (Alternatively, don't add the bacon now. Set it aside in an air-tight container, and serve alongside the ice-cream as a topping). Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and freeze for a couple of hours, until it's to your desired consistency. If you wanted to gild the lily even further, I think it might be nice with a drizzle of warm maple syrup on top too!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 19: Lassi!

2009-07-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

You guys have had lassi right? At the Indian restaurants around me, they offer mango lassi and the plain sweet kind, but the prices astound me! I don't think people realise how easy they are to make at home, and since it only costs about a dollar to make, why not? Don't let those restaurants bilk you! Stand up for your lassi rights!!!

Plus, it's a great opportunity to experiment with different flavours.

This fresh yogurt "smoothie" is also a wonderful way to sneak some fresh fruit into your diet, and my favorite meal or snack alternative when it's hot outside. Plus, thanks to all that digestive bacteria in the yogurt, it will make quick work of a heavy meal.

I made three different kinds: strawberry-basil-black pepper, mango-chile-lime and my absolute favorite forever and ever, rosewater-cardamon-pistachio. Most excellent. Check it.

And yes, BTW, it's pronounced LU-see... not like Lassie, the famous hero dog. :)

The recipe is mostly up to you, but here's a guideline for the basic lassi. It tastes pretty darned good just like this:

1/2 cup yogurt
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
pinch of salt

For the strawberry version, I added:

1 cup strawberries
2 big basil leaves, torn
1/4 tsp black pepper (or so)

Mango version:

2 mangos, peeled and diced
1 tsp chile powder
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
Pinch of cayenne

And the princess of the party, the Rosewater version (although it's very good with just rosewater if that's all you have):

1/2 tsp rosewater
Small handful, shelled pistachios
Seeds of 1 cardamon pod

One note: I didn't make the mango one watery enough. They're not meant to very thick, so add more water so they suck up through a straw easily. These are meant to sit lightly in your tum-tum, not like a sack of rocks!

Improvise! Tell me what combinations you came up with!!

-x-
aarti

Time for Iced Coffee!

2009-07-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

When I lived in New York, this was the time of year when a massive iced coffee from Dunkin' Donuts became part of my wardrobe.

Sob.

Alas, here I waste away in LA, where this warm, breezy, sunshine-y weather just BEGS for a DD V-IC with H&H and 2 S's (Dunkin Donuts Vanilla Iced Coffee with half and half and 2 splendas). But there are no DDs to be found here.

Yeah, I know I can make my own. But when it isn't handed to me grumpily by an Indian lady who is a bit heavy-handed with the cream, it's just not the same.

However, I'm wicked excited to try making some after listening to my favorite food-related radio show, The Splendid Table. The velvet-toned Lynne Rossetto Kasper talked about her fail-safe technique for making coffee essence, a magical elixir that can be transformed into iced coffee, hot coffee or even a cafe au lait!

It couldn't be much easier:

Take a pound of coffee (ground, I assume), and cover it with 11 cups of water.
Let it sit overnight or 11 hours, then in the morning, strain.
Throw it in the fridge, where it'll keep for two weeks. Bob's your uncle.

UPDATE: Official recipe is up here.

The cold, slow-motion brew apparently makes for a cuppa joe with only traces of acidity, which is great because I hate getting heartburn. The only thing I'm wondering is whether I'll be able to finish 11 cups in two weeks. Oh well. I suppose for YOUR SAKES, dear readers, I shall suffer the luxury of having as much iced coffee as I please.

Hahahahaha!

I'll let you know how it turns out.

-x-
aarti

Another Good Bite episode

2009-06-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

-x-
aarti

Back that Thing Up

2009-06-30T19:55:00.001-07:00

Ok, this is just weird.

For the second time, my back has ceased up the day before my Good Bite shoot.

Isn't that bizarre?

The first time it happened, a month or so ago, I got really freaked out. It was the day before the shoot, and I had a day of shopping and prep ahead of me. (Warning: slightly graphic, decidedly un-feminine detail approaching in 3... 2... 1...) I got up off the toilet after peeing (agh! There it was!!) and my back froze in excruciating pain. There I was, semi-crouched over the pot, knickers around my ankles, tears starting to collect on the rims of my eyes... now I understood why they use the term "ceasing". You have to stop. You can't do anything. It's as if your back has gone on strike. Painfully.

"WHAT?" I thought. "This has never happened to me in my entire life! Why TODAY?!"

The pain subsided enough for me to straighten up, but I was still spooked, and of course like the big girl that I am, I ran crying to my husby. I know. What a liberated female I am. Go ahead, roll your eyes. I can see you from here!

Anyway, being the wise and brilliant husband that he is, Bren quickly pointed out that it was probably a product of too much stressing over the shoot, and that I needed to stop fretting over finding the perfect dish towels and pot holders, and instead trust that God had it taken care of, that my personality was going to be more than enough for viewers to connect to -- not my pot holders. (I did get the pot holders though. They were gorgeous!).

After he prayed over my back, I proceeded with my day, and actually, despite being on my feet all day and still in pain, I was so very cheerful all day, smiling at strangers and all the rest of it.

Hit pause for a second. To steal a phrase from the guest pastor, Don Williams, at our Sunday gathering this week: "Now, catch this!" (I love that hippy surfer drawl!)

The fact that I was cheerful and still able to function is a miracle. A MIRACLE, people! That's because I am such a wuss that even the slightest bit of pain ruins my mood for the entire day, sort of in that "woe is me" kinda way. And poor you if you happen to cross my path. Hahahahahha! Holla if ya hear me!

And now again, the day before another Good Bite shoot (yippee!), my back has ceased up again.

Not nearly as badly, but enough to remind me to calm down. I had just been on my hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor Cinderella-style, whilst simultaneously salvaging a cast iron pan we found out on the Playa at Burning Man, when UGH! There it was.

And yet again, I am taking it as a reminder that I am fretting about the details too much, because I am lacking faith... lacking faith in my abilities, lacking faith in the fact that God has already taken care of tomorrow, lacking faith all over the place! And that's manifesting in my doing all kinds of unnecessary chores. I will often do a ton of stuff when I'm afraid, especially cleaning. The metaphor is so obvious, I feel trite: take something messy/dirty/chaotic and make it neat/clean/ordered... and it all operates out of fear.

Funnily enough, this morning, I let the Bible fall open because I have lost my place in the reading guide I was doing, and this little verse jumped out at me:

"Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."
Mark 5:36

I guess I hadn't absorbed that message enough. And so, my back has ceased up. But this time, I am taking the cue; I'm sitting down, sipping a little wine, and trusting that His hand is over the next day. And thus, I have a massive smile on the face of my heart.

-x-
aarti

The Case of the Smelly Towel

2009-06-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

Scene: Me getting out of the shower. Bren brings me a towel from the other room. I take a sniff, make a face and immediately yelp at Bren.

A: Baba! Gross!

B: What?

A: Is this the same towel that you wrapped around your sweaty, stinky, post-Krav Maga body the other day, when you sat in front of the computer for an hour, and then still used it again and put it back in the rotation?!

B: What?

A: Smell it! It's disgusting baba!

B: (sniffing towel and walking out the bathroom. Mumbles to himself) Smells like wet dog...

A: (looks at herself in the mirror, making a face that says "exactly")

B: (enters bathroom again with a massive white towel) Here. This is the best one. Just for you.

A: BABA!

B: WHAT?

A: Did you get this towel out of the hamper?

B: What? Yeah...

A: What the... is this the same towel that we used on our camping trip last weekend? The one I used after swimming in the river?

B: What? When did I become the towel historian?

Why is "towel historian" SO FUNNY?

-x-
aarti

Long live the King?

2009-06-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

Like you, I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that Mr. Jackson (if you're nasty?) is dead. I know, I know, he may or may not have done some awful things in his life, but since I'll never know the truth, I'm just going to withhold judgment. That's between him and the Maker now.

Anyway, back to the more important matter at hand: me! Clicheed as it may sound, his music really was the soundtrack to my childhood, heck my life until he seemed to drop off the music-making planet.

But it wasn't the MJ you're thinking of. When I was little, living in Dubai, cassette tapes were REALLY cheap, due to the fact that they were pirated. An album would set you back about 7 dirhams, about a buck-fifty. SADLY, on the day I went to Thompson Music to buy my copy of "Bad," they were sold out, and only had, wait for it... wait for it... the Chipmunks version.

Hence, my memories of Beat it and Billie Jean are in an ever higher register than Mr. Jackson could ever have hoped to achieve. Still great though. I managed to find a version here. Take a listen. And may he rest in peace.

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 18: Camping Food!

2009-06-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

This little Indian girl hasn't camped all that often in her life.

Hence my slight trepidation when invited to accompany our friends, the band Helios Jive, to the Elysium Festival just outside San Diego this past weekend. My husby, Bren, is one of their dancers. You probably recognize a few of the members from the Fava Bean Pillows episode of Aarti Paarti.

The plan was to camp out overnight, perform, and then enjoy the gorgeous scenery on the Indian reservation where the festival was held.

And of course, bringing a camera, we shot Aarti Paarti there! I made something easy-peasy, 'cos (a) even simple things taste better when you're surrounded by God's playground and (b) who wants to make something complicated when there's inner-tubing to be done? Or walking on stilts?! Yeah, STILTS!

I'm so glad that I went. It was gorgeous -- rejuventating to the soul, even. We ended up swimming in the creek for about an hour after shooting the show, sliding down the flat rocks, pushed by the strong yet gentle current that said "I'll play with you, but don't mess around. I can MESS YOU UP!". That creek was so playful, it had a personality of its own!

Tacos for the Great Outdoors

Soy Chorizo Tacos with Black Beans, Avocado, Cilantro and Lime

3 spring onions, chopped
1 tube soy chorizo, casing removed
1 15oz can black beans, drained
1 lime
Handful cilantro, chopped or torn into little pieces
Coupla radishes, sliced thin
1 avocado, chopped into little pieces
Corn tortillas

1) Heat some oil in a big wok or skillet, until shimmering. Add spring onions. Saute a few minutes until softened.

2) Add chorizo, toss and cook until warmed through and even a little bit crispy. Add black beans. Toss and cook until warmed through. Turn heat off. Squeeze lime over mixture, add cilantro.

3) Warm tortillas over open flame or in a small skillet. Spoon a little mixture into the middle of the tortilla, sprinkle with avocado and a couple pieces of radish. Eat and enjoy!

-x-
aarti

GoodBite!

2009-06-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

A little while ago, I mentioned that I was involved in a super-secret project.

It's secret no more!

It's called GoodBite -- a cool channel for those of us who love food, but aren't fussy about it. If your weekly blog roll includes the likes of Smitten Kitchen, Simply Recipes, Gluten-free Girl or Steamy Kitchen (just to name a few), you'll be able to see these people in the flesh, talking together about their favorite recipes and tips. AND, as if that wasn't cool enough, you can see me making some of their recipes! Yup! It's true! Plus, I get to make one of my own in the "Lazy Dinner" episode -- I made Hot Dogs a la Rose.

There are a lot of great recipes and videos on here: watermelon and feta skewers, chickpea-spinach stirfry (an awesome quick, easy and nutritious idea from Gluten-Free Girl), chicken paillard with avocado salsa... yum!

So check it out and spread the word! Thanks to my friends at Deca TV for recruiting me and being so easy to work with... and bringing my dreams of TV-cookdom to life! Woohoo!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 17: Giddy-up Steak, the Movie

2009-06-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

The Giddy-up Steak was big hit on this blog earlier this year. I still remember the ecstatic comments I got from Mandi and Ross about it -- they made my day!

So, having garnered some new friends through the cooking show (welcome!), I thought I'd make it on tee-vee.

Grilling season is upon us, the 4th of July is close at hand, and heck, I think I was feeling a little anemic. Plus, I had two Prime flank steaks sitting in the freezer, courtesy of my friend Larry, a longtime meat-business man, who having tried the recipe, loved it enough to award me with said steaks after church. Ain't he grand?!!

This might be one of my favorite episodes so far -- mostly because I get to play a bad-ass and face off with my friend Karen. Plus Dole gets from free product-placement.

I mentioned the Parsnip Chips at the end of the show -- if you've never tried parsnips, I highly encourage you to do so. I had no idea they were so sweet! Recipes for the steak, compote and 'snip chips are here.

Let me know what you think!

-x-
aarti

He Loves Me...

2009-06-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

From just a minute ago.

Me: "You love me!"

Bren: "Don't start rumours."

Me: "BRENDAN MCNAMARA LOVES ME!"

Bren: [laughs]

Pause.

Me: "Why?"

Bren: "Why what?"

Me: "WHY do you love me? Say something nice about me."

Bren: "Because... you're lovable."

Me: "WHAT? That sucks. Say something else."

Bren: "Because [sticking finger up] you're silly, [sticking two fingers up] you're pretty aaaaaaand..."

Me: [waiting with bated breath]

Bren: "You're... helpful."

I don't know why that is so funny, but I laughed so hard. One of those is not like the others. :)

-x-
aarti

Who do you love?

2009-06-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

I'm reading John Piper's Pleasures of God... but not without being a cliche and literally judging the book by its cover. I looked its generic nature scene and decided, eh, that book is not going to to be for me.

But then Bren read it, and couldn't stop talking about how it good it is, and was walking around all joyful and annoying.

Ha!

So, now I'm reading it. And by reading, I mean, I read the introduction yesterday.

But what I've read so far is wonderful, a gentle reminder that God loves being God, and delights in doing good things for us. Phew!

I love the quote that inspired the whole book, so I'm sharing it with you!

"The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." - Henry Sougal

Ponder that for a bit, while I edit the next episode of Aarti Paarti.

-x-
aarti

"Fresh and Fancy-Free" Mint Chutney!

2009-06-12T21:14:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's the recipe for mint chutney, a fetching bright green condiment that just yells out, "Eat me! I'm fresh and fancy-free!"

It does. Really! Make it and see! And no wonder. This is the chutney that accompanies those special afternoon snacks: the samosas, the pakoras, anything deep-fried basically! And when you're in the mood to eat some of those piping hot babies, you have no choice but to feel happy. Fancy-free even.

I grew up eating a version that included fresh coconut -- we ladled spoonfuls over hot, fluffy sannas, a steamed rice-flour cake that's popular in the south of India. MAN, those are good! One of these days, I'm going to have to try to make them.

Hmmm... (cue wheels in my head spinning and Bren wondering why I'm having to buy MORE kitchen equipment in a kitchen the size of an elf's closet).

Here in the States, I'll often find a small plastic thimble of mint chutney alongside a warm samosa, leaching grease into the paper bag from the local Indian shoppe. You probably do too, right? That version doesn't have any coconut in it though. And I like it just as much. I suggested that this mint chutney would go well with the Sweet (Potato) Cakes I made on the last episode of Aarti Paarti. I think it would go equally well with pot stickers, grilled chicken... oh and especially well with some citrus-y grilled beef. Oooh that sounds gooooood! Kinda like an Indian chimichurri sauce, right?

Actually, it occured to me that this isn't necessarily a chutney... it's more of a pesto. But closer to the chimichurri than the pesto. WHY is this called a chutney I wonder? Hmmmm.

Anyway, I added a little extra flavour to this version: a black mustard seed-infused oil, just to round out all the herby and citrusy high notes of mint, cilantro, green chili and lime juice. It makes a lovely accompaniment to the ready-made samosas I got from Trader Joes, and it comes together in literally seconds. Enjoy!

"Fresh and Fancy-Free" Mint Chutney
Mint-cilantro-lime saucey-thing with mustard-seed infused oil

You'll need this stuff:

1 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup cilantro leaves and soft stems
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime (more, if you like it limey!)
Enough water to make a sauce, about 1/4 cup
Salt and pepper

Tadka:
1 tbsp vegetable oil/olive oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds

1) In a food processor, whiz together mint, cilantro, ginger, lime juice and water until it all comes together as a sauce. There'll probably still be little bits of leaf in there, but I like how those taste, so no worries. Pour chutney into a bowl.

2) In a small pan, over medium heat, warm oil until it shimmers. Add mustard seeds -- they should sizzle. Immediately cover with lid, until they stop spluttering. Make sure they don't burn! If they do, start over. No big deal. I do it all the time! Immediately add the seeds and oil to the chutney. It will sizzle so stand back. Once you've poured all the oil in, you can even spoon a little chutney into the pan (cue sizzling again!) so that you pick up all that lovely oil. Serve! Get fresh!

-x-
aarti

Cupcake Envy

2009-06-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

Laura asked me to make some chocolatey-choco-chocolate cupcakes for her husband Frank's birthday today. Happy birthday Frank! And thankyou Laura for the order!

I think they turned out pretty well, don't you?

I think these were my most perfect batch yet: each cupcake came out pretty much the same size, and rose beautifully. I've had issues with some of them falling flat, while others came out mysteriously slanted. I've now realised that is due to my trusty cupcake tin getting dinged on the move from NY to LA. Damn you UPS!

I've actually never made a chocolate buttercream frosting before, and while I ended up using a simple butter-powdered sugar-melted chocolate recipe from trusty ol' Cooks Illustrated (thanks Kuv! Yup, I'm still using your login!! hahahahahaaaa!), my next adventure in chocolate frosting is probably going to involve some sour cream. Having poured over Chowhound message boards looking for the perfect recipe, and finding posting after posting about the depth of flavour sour cream adds, I'm intrigued. I can't imagine what that tang would do to the old tastebud, especially since it's already freaking out over the insanely-good chocolate I use (Mum & Dad & Crish -- don't worry, I'm totally making these for you when you come).

The LA Times wrote last week about how the cupcake craze is still in full effect here in LA.

Dammit.

Why? Well, because that means the pure joy of turning out cupcakes, that sweet slightly kitschy product of what I imagine as a gingham-apron'ed mum back in the 50s... has become somewhat of a sweat-inducing business. I look at mine, I feel happy, even a swell of pride. Then I see a photo of Sprinkles' smooth beauties -- we drove past the shop on Saturday and there was STILL a line of folks down the block, each of them just waiting to spend THREE DOLLARS for a cupcake. But, even though they look astonishingly like boobs, I can't help but like the look of them better than the look of mine. And then, and then... gasp... today, I brought a batch to the yoga studio where I was running the desk, and a woman looked at them and said, "oh look how homemade those look."

From Cashmere Papers

I shake my frosting-splattered fist at you Sprinkles!

But, as my friend Karen likes to remind me, I need to stop comparing. Just end it. Right. Now.

(Deep breath)

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 16: Sweet (Potato) Cakes

2009-06-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

Don't be fooled by the sweet potato's demure exterior.

Beneath that dull brown skin lies a passionately orange flesh, chock-a-block with vitamin C, and sweet to boot! But, lest you be seduced by their sweetness, beware: these tubers are quick to anger, with a mouth like a sailor.

Don't believe me? Check it...

There are so many good things about this recipe. I can think of 4 right off the top of my head!

1) Deeeee-licious!
Warm, crispy, fluffy, sweet and savory, with very little fat, so they'll leave your waistline in peace. Phew.

2) Soooo flexible!
Serve them with a salad, and it's a quick lunch or dinner.
Want a fancy-pants breakfast? How about a sweet potato eggs benedict? With my easy-peasy poached egg technique, your days of boring ol' oatmeal are over.
Need an appetizer to accompany your cocktails as you and your friends watch So You Think You Can Dance (What? You're not doing that too?)... make 'em smaller, and serve alongside some mint chutney. It'll make Cat Deeley easier to deal with. Anyone else find her slightly annoying?!
(Oh and I'll put the chutney recipe up tomorrow. Stay tuned.)

3) Cheeeeeap
This recipe made about 8 big, fat patties. For about $5. 'Nuff said.

4) Quick and easy
Microwave your sweet potato, and this whole meal can come together in about 15 minutes. And what's easier than whizzing stuff together in a food processor, making little patties and frying 'em?

Sweet (Potato) Cakes
Sweet potato-tofu patties spiked with fresh ginger, green chile & curry leaves

You'll need:
1lb sweet potatoes, cooked (boiled, roasted, nuked) and peeled
1 block extra firm tofu
1 tbsp ginger, chopped
1 serrano chili, ribs and seeds removed if you don't like things spicy, chopped
5 curry leaves (you can find these at the Indian shoppe)
2 tbsp flax seed meal (optional)
1/2 cup either all purpose flour OR chickpea flour (toasted)
1 tsp kosher salt
Olive oil

1) Mash sweet potato in a large bowl. Allow to chill in the fridge while you make the tofu mixture.

2) In a food processor, whiz together ginger, green chili, curry leaves and tofu.

3) Spoon tofu mixture into bowl, add flax seed meal, flour and salt. Fold together with a spatula.

4) Heat nonstick skillet over medium-high heat about 5 minutes, until nice and warm. Drizzle some olive oil into the pan.

5) While the pan is heating up, start shaping the patties. You can make them as big or small as you want. Just make sure they hold together (if they're still too sticky, add more flour), and they're evenly shaped.

6) Lay patties into the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes on one side, until brown. Flip and cook for another 5 minutes on the other side. Remove and serve!

-x-
aarti

A little clue...

2009-06-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

A few "friends" making an appearance on Aarti Paarti tomorrow!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Cooks: The Perfect Eggs!

2009-06-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

Once you begin to ponder the egg, it's hard to stop wondering at this happy little creation.

So pleasing to the eye: the sensual round, generous bottom, the delicate taper to a cute, nubby nose. A tiny rugby ball, it reminds me of a woman's belly in those last days before birth, so swollen, so ready to explode a new life into the world! The purity of the white ones, the warmth of the brown ones, the quaint speckles here and there reminding you that every egg, like every snowflake, like every baby in the womb, is unique.

Say it... "egg". Notice how your tongue curls in such a way as to mimic the way an egg would nestle tenderly against your palm, against the side of a carefully constructed nest, against the warm feathery belly of its mother or father. Fragile enough to smash, but strong enough to withstand a gentle squeeze that relieves even my worst anxiety.

And don't get me started on its mystery. Had we not interrupted its intended purpose, how does that egg birth a chick? What's it like for that little baby bird inside its sanctuary? Is it quiet? Is it loud? Is it dark? Is it constantly changing? I can't say it better than this chick (pun, sadly, intended):

Probably one of the most private things in the world is an egg until it is broken.

-M.F.K. Fisher

Cute, huh?

And isn't the egg flexible? Once you can get over the macabre notion that we've ended a life in order to sustain our own (hang on... yup, I'm over it), the egg functions as breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's the glue that holds pastries and pasta together, the agent responsible for fluffy pancakes, muffins and cupcakes, the custard that batters french toast and deep-fried Twinkies.

Yeah, I said it. Deep-fried Twinkies.

Attention: tangent approaching. Here it comes: Isn't it funny how fried is only one letter away from friend? Think about it.

:)

Ok, back to the egg. A cheap, easy source of protein, you can eat eggs hard-boiled, soft-boiled (yum!), coddled, scrambled, over-easy, sunny-side up, poached, baked, as an omelet, a frittata... it goes on and on.

And yet, how easy it is to screw it up! I'm not sure what's worse: an over-cooked or an undercooked-egg.

By far, the most daunting option for me is the poached egg. I learned how to make them in cooking school, and it involved large pots of water, a chopstick to swirl the water at just the right pace, and a perfectly executed drop. Being a less-than-delicate cook, I messed these up a lot, and decided then and there never to make 'em again.

But, a couple of weeks ago, I HAD to make one (for a super-secret project that I'll describe as soon as I'm allowed to!), and as luck would have it, I stumbled upon a great technique that I knew I had to share with you! Eggs benedict, here you come!

It also reminded me that I had figured out a way to make the perfect sunny-side up eggs too. No more will your yolks be splattered across your pan as you flip 'em over (unless you like them that way)! No! Now you too can have picture perfect yellow circles greeting your noggin every morning!

And so, let us begin with the poaching technique since that's the one I'm most excited about.

Ok, first, grab a small skillet, fill it with water, bung a lid on it and bring the water to a boil.

Meanwhile, break you egg into a small bowl. I like this little rice bowl.

Then, when the water is boiling, add a tablespoon of white wine vinegar -- this coagulates the egg white quickly.

It doesn't add much flavour, but if you think it does, you can always dunk the cooked egg into a bowl of clean water before you eat it. Also add a sprinkle of salt. This not only flavours your egg, but brings the water temperature up a bit so that egg cooks even quicker.

Now listen up all your perfectionist Polly's. This extra step is a pain, but I like it because the egg turns out neater. I forgot to take a photo, but it's pretty simple. Ladle some of that boiling vinegary-water into your little bowl that has the egg in it. Swirl it a little and wait 20 seconds.

Then gently pour it back into the skillet. Turn the heat off, put the lid on, and let it sit for about 4 minutes for a runny yolk.

I like to drain it on a piece of bread, but you don't have to.
I also cut off the tissue-y excess, so that it would look nice in the photo, but ordinarily, I wouldn't bother. Don't want to waste any of that yumminess!
You can throw that piece of watery bread into the toaster now if you like.

Sprinkle with pepper and serve! Ain't she a beaut?!

Ok, now onto the fried, I mean, friend version, sunny-side up.

Grab your nonstick skillet again.
Warm it over low heat for about 3 minutes so its good and warm.
Break your eggs into a little bowl.
Once the pan is warm, add a pad of butter.
It should sizzle sassily as soon as it hits the pan.
Move the butter around the pan too, so it's evenly distributed. If it turns into brown butter, that's ok too. Oh, it's more than ok, who am I kidding?

Once the butter has melted, pour your eggs in.
If your stove sits on a slanting floor as mine does, your yolks will fall to the bottom of the pan like a pair of old boobs.
Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. And garam masala, if you're Brendan.

Ok, now this is a weird step, for those in search of PERFECT eggs. If you don't care that much, then you can skip it.
Grab a piece of paper towel and line the inside of the lid to your skillet, taping down the ends on the outside of the lid.
I know, it's weird, but the paper towel absorbs all the moisture that's going to accumulate in your pan, which would otherwise fall back onto your eggs resulting in... soggy eggs.
No. Thankyou.

Now, take your altered skillet lid and throw it on top of your eggs, as soon as you've poured them into your pan. Set your timer for 3 minutes (for medium eggs).

Serve, decorating with a slice of tomato to indicate your mood that day, and make your husband take absurd photos with said eggs.

Enjoy your new-found egg-cellency. (Sorry, I had to do it).

-x-
aarti

Adding appendages

2009-06-03T17:55:00.000-07:00

So, after moaning about being uninspired, Kuv suggested I answer this question:

"I have a question for your next blog post... if you had to choose between having an extra toe or an extra finger, which would you choose??"

Hmmmmm.

I didn't think I could answer it. But then the answer dawned on me: an extra finger, all the better to play the uke with!

Ha!

What about you guys?

And Kuv, I have a question for you. Which would you choose: a wallet that you could hold onto for a year, which produces as much money as you need in that moment, OR the life-long ability to fly?

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 15: Smoky Squash

2009-06-02T00:22:00.000-07:00

Zzzzzzzzz.

Far be it from me to criticize one of God's creations, but good Lord! The zucchini is boring! Don't you agree? So bland in flavour, so blah in texture... and yet, so cheap, so ubiquitous, and honestly, really quite pretty.

Squash has hit the farmers market in my neck of the woods, and I was completely taken by all the pretty kinds you can find: the cheery, squat patty pans, the Mexican gray, the ones that look like lemons...

Perhaps one of squash's best qualities is that it cooks up so quickly. Give yourself about 15 minutes, and this dish will be done, and you'll only have to dirty one dish: your wok. You'll end up with a smoky, juicy dish that would sing alongside a roast or grilled meat, but is equally satisfying on its own.

Check it out!

Are you there? It's me, Aarti

2009-06-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

I'll be honest, peeps.

I've been a bit conflicted about this blog.

There. I said it. While I had previously taken heaps of joy in writing, the past month or so has been, well, how do I say it... difficult. I have a hard time thinking of things to write about. I find the Blogger photo-upload system insufferable. Everyone else's blog seems oh so much more interesting, especially my sister's, which I can't stop reading!!

I'm not sure what's behind it. Perhaps the shiny new-ness of the cooking show is occupying my creativity? I'm not sure.

Also, in the spirit of honesty, I think I'm discouraged. I've had no idea if anyone is actually reading this thing (apart from the loyal commenters, Laura and Patty Jean!). I know I shouldn't be writing FOR comments, that I should just be writing for myself, but unless you write one of these things, you can't know how important, how encouraging the comment section is. And since I haven't been getting any, I've been... sigh... discouraged.

Ah honesty. I thought purging my conscience would help. But. I don't know. I need to write something more interesting.

sigh.

Maybe tomorrow.

-x-
aarti

Missed the boat?

2009-05-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

I may be finding my feet in the kitchen, but I worry that I have been cursed with a black thumb. Y'all remember my intense, slightly psychotic excitement about the 6 tomato plants I had growing on the patio last summer. They're all dead. Well except for one wonderfully stubborn fellow, who despite no watering or attention, squeezed out this petite beauty for us this week!

I don't know why they died -- I'm guessing the containers were too small, that the sun was just too aggressive on our patio, that they just didn't like me...

But is it too late to try again? This article has me inspired... our courtyard is all concrete but maybe we could build a raised bed? And damn the zeitgest -- the community garden has a waiting list! HELP!

-x-
aarti

"Terrible" Short Rib "Tacos"

2009-05-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

Drum roll please! The Short Ribs Recipe is finally here!

But, a double-dose of quotation marks, you ask? Stick around homies, I'll explain.

As a rule, Bren hates beer. All through college, while others drank that awful watered-down version of the already watered-down Bud, he stuck to coffee and Arizona Iced Teas (especially the Pina Colada one, which back in the day had the little packet of coconut flakes... remember those? GENIUS!). In fact he wasn't into alcohol at all.

These days, he still picks the sweet, lady-like drinks. Inevitably, the bartender will mix our drinks up, plonking the Makers & soda down in front of him, and gently laying the the gingerbread-baileys-cream-coconut-something or other concoction with an umbrella, in front of me.

We then dutifully switch them around.

One day, (at where else, Father's Office!) Bren discovered "Terrible" by Unibroue. It was love at first... gulp. If Guiness is a meal, then Terrible is a day of manly desserts... all the mythic colour and gravitas of the legendary Irish brew, except with the bonus of prune, cherry, espresso, even chocolate notes. But this is no prissy beer. It comes in a manly bottle! All dark, with just the word "Terrible" emblazoned on it, in silver. And, at FO, it comes in an ice bucket! Ha!

If you happen upon it, give it a try. Oh and, if you have a Trader Joe's around you, keep an eye out for the Trader Joe's Ale, which is often shelved right next to the Chimay; it's made by Unibroue and is a wonderful, more affordable way to dip your toe into the Unibroue universe. Just be prepared to say goodbye to that toe!

So that's the "Terrible" part. Now for the meat.

The other day, I found boneless short ribs on sale at the supermarket. They looked marvelous -- bright red and lean, and I loved the price -- nearly $2 off! I grabbed a pack with glee, not even knowing what I was going to do with them. I realise now that this is something I had always dreamed of being able to do -- grabbing some meat or produce that looked good, with no plan of how I was going to cook it, and yet able to turn it into something that night. Isn't it nice when you realise how much you've grown?!

Anyway, on the drive back to the homestead, I remembered my glory days in New York... this is where the "taco" part comes in.

Living with two Korean women (Joo!) meant that we frequently feasted on all manner of Korean treats: bulgogi (so many fun little flavours in one bowl!), kimchi jigae (oh so spicy), and my all-time favorite, kalbi: thin strips of beef marinated overnight in a secret brew, unique to each family it seems. Everyone has their own secret weapon to tenderize this chewy cut of meat: pineapple juice, pureed pear, even Pepsi!

"Marinate 'em in Terrible!" Bren said.

I balked. "But isn't that a waste of good beer?"

"No! It'll taste awesome!"

Here's the thing. Marinades don't penetrate much deeper than a 1/4" into a chunk of meat. Marinating for long periods of time doesn't help either -- that marinade ain't goin' any deeper than a 1/4" so all you're doing is turning the outside of your precious meat into mush. Ah, but what if your pieces of meat are about 1/4" thick and in need of some tenderization? Well then an overnight sweet-ish beer-bath will do quite nicely, thank you!

I loved how this turned out: reminiscent of kalbi but with a little Aarti kick! Classic Indian flavours (ginger, garlic, fenugreek, garam masala etc.) give way to an unexpected beer twang. I made some simple white rice, laid a steaming spoonful into a fresh red oak lettuce leaf, and topped it with a piece of deliciously caramelized beef that I cooked outside on the grill. A little drizzle of either extra marinade (don't use the stuff that came in contact with the beef though. That's unsanitary. Make a little extra beforehand.) or some mango chutney and you're good to go. With grilling season upon us (yippee!), this is excellent party food!

If you don't have Terrible, or can't stand the idea of "wasting" it in a marinade when it would taste perfect flowing down your gullet, I understand! I'm sure a Guiness would work just as well. Also, I didn't pound the pieces of beef thin enough, so make sure you take the time to do it; my pieces weren't as delicate as the ones I'd had at Korean joints, and so they weren't quite as tender as I'd hoped. Alternatively, if you can't be bothered to go through all that pounding trouble (which I might forgo myself!), you can find 'em all ready to go at Korean or Asian supermarkets usually.

"Terrible" Short Rib "Tacos"
"Terrible"-marinated Boneless Beef Short Ribs

You'll need:
2lbs boneless beef short ribs, at least 1" thick
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp ginger, minced
3/4 cup Terrible (or Guinness)
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp fenugreek seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 tsp sweet paprika

For serving:
1 head of red oak or butter lettuce, washed and leaves separated but intact
2 cups steamed white rice
Mango chutney

1) Combine everything except beef ribs in food process, process until smooth. Taste for seasoning.

2) Prep meat. Trim excess fat and silve skin from meat, then slice each piece of rib meat into 4 pieces, cutting at an angle. Lay these pieces between two large pieces of plastic wrap, and pound away with a meat mallet or a heavy pan until they're all about 1/4" thick. I followed the instructions from Cooks Illustrated:

3) Pour some marinade into a non-reactive (glass or plastic) dish. Lay beef in the marinade in an even layer, and then pour the rest of the marinade over it. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

4) The next day, you can either cook it on the grill or under the broiler. I like the grill better. If you are using the broiler, place the meat on one of those broiler rack pans, and cook under the broiler for about 8 minutes until cooked to your liking.

5) If you're going to cook it on the grill, light your coals, and once they're covered in a layer of ash, push them to one side of your grill. Lay your grill grate over the top, and once you've cleaned it, using a pair of tongs and a paper towel, rub with some vegetable oil. Then place the meat on the grate on the side over the hot coals. Turn a few times, and cook about 7 minutes until well-browned on both sides. Move to the cooler side and continue with second batch if you have one. Remove all the meat to a platter and serve: wrap each piece of meat in a lettuce "taco" with a spoonful of rice and a drizzle of mango chutney.

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 14: Mo-Beet-o Salad!

2009-05-25T23:48:00.000-07:00

Summer is officially here, and that means it's mojito time! But not the way you think.

Sweet minty-lime cocktail from Havana... meet your root-vegetable soul mate, the humble beetroot. Dress her up in a little lime juice, mint and a hint of fresh ginger, along with some colourful blood orange, and she's ready to kick up her heels with the best Havana has to offer.

And perhaps we can sing you two into romantic bliss? With a little help from my friends, and Gnarls Barkley?

This is, yet again, a simple and cheap recipe, putting me out a mere $7 or so (excluding the cost of olive oil, which I already had). If you'd like to stretch it further, I had it for lunch over a bed of arugula and mache, with a few dollops of a creamy goat cheese. Perfecto!

Mo-Beet-o Salad!
Roasted beets and Blood Orange in mint-lime-fresh ginger dressing

You'll need:
1 bunch yellow or chiogga (candy-striped) beets
Juice of 1 lime
2 sprigs mint
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
Extra virgin olive oil
1 big blood orange or navel orange
Goat cheese (optional)

1) Wash and scrub beets. Dry, cut off stalks. Wrap in an aluminium foil package, roast for 45 minutes for 45 minutes, until a knife goes through them easily. Set aside to cool, and peel.

2) In a bowl, combine lime juice, grated ginger, and mint leaves (cut into ribbons). Set aside as you slice beets into wedges.

3) Whisk enough olive oil into the lime juice mixture to make a dressing to the consistency you prefer. Season with salt and pepper.

4) Cut top and bottom off blood orange. Cut off peel. Slice between white segment walls, and drop segments into bowl. Squeeze orange juice out of remaining pith and membranes over the bowl as well. Toss gently and serve! (You may also like to serve with some creamy goat cheese, over a bed of arugula!)

-x-
aarti

Sooo...

2009-05-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

Anyone got a spare, new-ish laptop they wanna give us?!

Bren and I have dubbed ourselves "Studio Baba", after the pet-name we call each other. Studio Baba puts out a LOT of content: Bren's daily video blog and cinematic tshirts, my daily blog (ahem, I know, I've fallen behind!), his 7 shows a week through Hothouse Films, the News Show, my cooking show... not to mention the myriad other projects we both have brewing on the back burner. Phew!

AND, we do this all on one Macbook Pro. Just the one. We have another computer but it is so slow that opening Facebook on it is an exercise in finding the patience of Job. And so things are starting to fall through the cracks. Namely, this blog. I haven't written in days! I feel awful about it!

So yeah... if you know anyone, send 'em my way, won't you?

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Show Ep. 13: Wannabe Nobu Black Cod!

2009-05-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

I promise that short ribs recipe is coming. I can see you drooling from here. Have some self-respect. Use a napkin. Come on!

Heehee just kidding.

In the meantime, here's some more fodder for drooling: what do Nobu, Sponge Bob and sake have in common?

They're all in my show this week!!

Have you ever had Nobu's black cod? He marinates it in miso, mirin, sake and sugar, then cooks it over high heat so that it caramelizes on top. The slight greasiness of black cod, paired with the salty-sweetness of the marinade results in, no joke, a party in your mouth.

But Nobu, bless his heart, who has opened new spots with Bobby (de Niro. You're not on a first-name basis with him? Oh.) everywhere from Dubai to Moscow, charges a pretty penny for this dish.

What bliss to realise that, despite living on unemployment checks, that party-in-the-mouth could be mine again! There IS a way to make it at home, for far fewer pretty pennies, and with the added bonus of tamarind which bumps up the tangy quotient. It was so good that even my friend Ross, who just happened to stop by, and who really doesn't like fish as a rule, found himself eating more and more of it.

Oh, and for those of you who are vegetarians, this marinade works pretty well on tofu too!

Wannabe Nobu Black Cod!
Black Cod marinated in tamarind, white miso, sake and honey

4 black cod filets (or any fleshy white fish like tilapia or perhaps even mahi mahi; OR a block of extra-firm tofu)
1/2 cup white miso paste
1/4 cup honey
1.5 tbsp tamarind concentrate
4 tbsp mirin
4 tbsp sake

1) 1-3 days prior to cooking: if you're using tofu, put it on a paper-towel lined plate, place another piece of folded over paper towel on top. then, place a plate and two heavy cans on top of the whole thing. Let it sit for 30 minutes, so that all excess water is squeezed out of the thing.

2) In a bowl, whisk together miso paste, honey, tamarind concentrate, mirin and sake. Place fish in a ziploc bag, pour marinade over the fish. Seal, squeezing all the air out and gently rub marinade into the fish. Let it sit, on a plate in the fridge overnight or up to 3 days. I normally hate the overnight marinade recipes, because it's such a pain in the bum, but in this one, it's really, truly worth it.

3) When you're ready to cook 'em: preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit/200 degrees celsius.

4) Heat nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, with a little oil in it. When hot (but not smoking!), add fish. Allow to cook 2 minutes. WARNING: it will smell a little funky! But don't worry. The smell will go away, and then it will smell delicious. It just needs to get its stink on for a second.

5) Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the filets browned side-up on the baking sheet. Throw into the oven for 10 minutes, until fish is cooked through. Serve with some steamed green veggies, like chinese broccoli or bok choy.

-x-
aarti

Best Laid Plans...

2009-05-14T23:54:00.000-07:00

Guys... I had BIG plans today to post a gorgeous boneless short ribs recipe I conjured up this week. But then I got a last-minute cake order (yeah!) and the plans went out the window. So stay tuned; I will post it tomorrow. Until then, here's a photo to whet your appetite:

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 12: Massaged Kale Salad with Mango & Pepitas!

2009-05-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that I have a thing for greens: Kale Frittata, Crazy Bastard Greens, Lion's Den Methi (Fresh Fenugreek Leaves), the Ugly Duckling Salad...

Perhaps it's because eating greens just makes you feel better about yourself and life in general. Heck, we know what spinach did for Popeye: not only did a can of the slimy stuff make his muscles blow up, they helped him get/keep his girl! Just imagine what greens could do for you!!

This might be my favorite way to prepare kale because it is a total surprise, flavour-wise. That hearty, masculine kale that we all know and love, pulls up its skirts and reveals its decidedly feminine side; it tastes positively SWEET! Isn't that wild? I love it!

And since I love bullet points too, here's some other reasons I love this salad:

It's cheap (I made enough to last a couple of days for about $7)
It's a snap to make, especially because there's no cooking involved
Since there's no cooking involved, that means no turning on the stove, handy for the hot days ahead of us
It lasts for days in the fridge and only gets better as it soaks up more dressing
It goes with practically anything
It's great to bring to cookouts because it can sit out, and not wilt.

Oh, and did I mention that's it GORGEOUS?! Dark, lush green, bright yellow and orange, the bright green of the cilantro... it's certainly impressive.

Plus, you get to say that you massaged your kale. And no that's not a double entendre.

Although, if you go through all the atmosphere-setting steps I went through before I massaged my bowl of kale, people *might* think you're a weirdo. Don't know what I mean? Watch! Giggle! Get hungry and make it!! Repeat!

(Oh and make sure to click "HQ" if your computer can handle watching it in higher quality; it looks and sounds so much better).

-x-
aarti

Facial tips

2009-05-11T22:19:00.000-07:00

My skin decided to start freaking out a few years ago. So long gorgeous, flawless skin that I took for granted: hello crater-ville.

It was awful. I was so embarrassed. But the other day, a friend at church pointed out that my skin looked good, and I realised, Hey! Yeah it is! I mean, it's still not perfect but it's much better than it used to be.

So I thought I'd share what I've been doing.

1) I broke down and bought into the ProActiv hype. But it had NOTHING to do with Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Simpson urging me to get it on TV. Maybe Kelly Clarkson. Man, why is she so cool? (And yet I have not bought one of her albums? Anyone with me? That one song was great...). ProActiv broke the cycle of constant breakouts and smoothed my skin out. BUT it didn't help the cystic acne that I had developed which is the worst.

2) Ah, but the cysts seemed to dissipate after I cut out... DAIRY. Yup. Lactose intolerance (for me) goes beyond just my intestinal tract. I ended up cutting out a good deal of dairy anyway, as part of our dessert fast (dessert once every two months only), but I stay away from cheese and milk as much as possible. It seems to have made a big difference. Thank goodness for almond milk and soy creamer for my coffee. Also, I suspect that cutting out a lot of processed sugar has helped. For the most part, I use honey as a sweetner. But, oh no, what about those scars?

3) Every week, I mix together a couple of tablespoons of yogurt with the juice of half a lemon. I spread a little all over my face, let it sit for 15 minutes and then wash it off. This does a couple of things: lightens the scars, and I suspect tightens and moisturizes my face. I'm not gonna lie girls... it smells FUNKY! But you'll get used to it, and you'll see effects almost immediately. It's fantastic! At first, I used it every other day. Now I use it about twice a week.

4) I can't believe I'm doing this, but I now wear sunscreen almost every day. I hate it. I used to pride myself on being one of the sacred dark people, who can withstand almost any amount of sun without getting burnt -- that's still true, but the sun does not help erase scars, as I once thought. Plus, the sun is glaring just a little heavier with the thinning ozone layer right? Might as well take all the protection I can get.

5) This is a weird superficial one but... I prayed for good skin. In fact, I have been praying every other day for it. Now listen, I know this is a surface-y kind of thing to ask for. But, as long as I keep it in perspective (ie, praying for all kinds of other loftier Miss-America type of things like world peace etc etc first), these kinds of requests are alright I think... the Lord knows that they're the icing on my (dairy-free) cake. I figure that when He's sick of me asking for help, He'll tell me. And so far, I think He's alright with it. Thank Goodness He's such a patient Father!

Anyway, thought I'd post this in case it happens to help any of you.

I wish I had some before and after photos. I'll keep an eye out and post 'em if I find some.

-x-
aarti

Boys Play Games

2009-05-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

For his birthday last month, Bren treated himself to a day of videogames, and a burger at Father's Office. Our friend Zandy came over too, so that they could play together. About 20 minutes into their "endeavours", I snapped this classic photo of what happens to boys when they play video games.

Such... focus?

-x-
aarti

Aarti Cooks: Baby's First Chicken Curry ("Murg Tamatar")

2009-05-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

Curries scare the be-geezus out of me.

The curry is the backbone of Indian cooking. Ladle a spoonful into your mouth and a Bollywood musical number verily opens up before your eyes, rickshaw gas fumes flood your nostrils and the soliciting calls of street-hucksters ("hey madam! take, for 20 rupees only!") ripple through your memory's ears.

But curries are wicked hard to make. Which is why I turn into a little girl in front of the shopping-mall Santa when I think about them: "Mummy! I'm scaaaaaaaaaaaaaaared!".

Like the countless myths about India itself -- no, it isn't this magical, spiritual shangri-la where everyone does yoga, finds their third eye and lives happily ever after with each other; no, visiting an ashram doesn't mean you've experienced India; no the birthplace of Hinduism and Buddhism isn't a peaceful place where people aren't corrupt or violent or obsessively caught up in expressing superiority over others (caste system); no we aren't all born with the kama sutra ingrained in our DNA; and NO, we don't ride around on elephants all day (seriously, my acupuncturist asked me that last one) -- there are a lot of myths about curries too!

First off, there is no such thing as curry flavour or curry powder, at least not in India. "Curry powder" is a shortcut melange of spices produced mostly for/by the Western market, which I'm not saying is bad; heck I used it in my curried popcorn!

It's a quick fix, it usually tastes alright but all I'm saying is... it's not authentic. Flip through any Indian cookbook and you'll find 6-kazillion different variations of spices, all under the label "curry". In fact, "curry" just means "sauce". Curry leaves, which you'll find frequently used in South Indian cooking, do not make curry powder. There are, however, a number of spice-mixes or masalas (eg. bafaat powder, stew powder, chaat masala, chole masala) that Indian mums use frequently.

Oh which brings up another point. Masala is an Indian spice mixture, wet or dry. Marsala (with an "r") is a sweet wine. Note the difference. Tattoo it in your memory banks. Don't do it again.

Now onto the biggest secret about making a curry, one that I just figured out a few years ago.

You can have every ingredient on hand, every spice, every piece of garlic minced to the right size... but if your technique is off, your curry is a goner. It's one of those "it's all in the wrist" kind of things, a kind of intuition that (annoyingly) only comes from being under the watchful eye of a skilled mentor, and years of practice.

Mum's wrist knows all there is to know. Having cooked for one family or another from a young age, her wrist is all, "go ahead! Blindfold me! I can STILL do it!". It's not just a matter of memorizing recipes or knowing which spices sing together in both delectable harmony and yummy dissonance... it's knowing how to saute the onions just so, how to "fry" the masala until that mystical mature state, how to bloom the spices enough that they lose their bitterness but too much so they taste burned.

Basically, it's the kind of thing that no cookbook can teach you.

It's the kind of thing I should have learned from my mum. But as much as I like to rewrite history, I didn't spend a lot of time in the kitchen with mum in my formative years.

Instead, I was watching "Dallas". Truly. I love Dallas. JR EWING! GENIUS!

You're not going to be great at it, at first. But you will get better. Being a pompous butt, I thought I had the upper-hand, that somehow being born in India, having uttered my first affluvia-covered scream in Bombay, having eaten curries practically every day of my life until I was 18 -- oh, I thought that the curry would just fall together effortlessly under my hands. Oh no. So wrong.

Happily, I think I'm getting the hang of it. There's something distinctly old-school about it -- you have to be patient, attentive, alert... No, you can't check Facebook in between. You can't change your kid's diaper. You can't crack open a beer -- well ok, I take that last one back. There's always time to crack open a beer! And you'll need it! Ha!

So here's some of the techniques I've figured out. Feel free to comment with more!

ONION FRYING
This was the first thing Mum allowed me to do in the kitchen. I hated it. I thought she had given me the most mindless and boring task but I realise now that she actually entrusted the very basis of the curry to me! Well-fried onions are the foundation of most every curry.

Take your time with this part, and don't let them burn. You're looking for your onions to turn a deep dusty pink, then golden-brown (but not crispy), and smell sweet. You can make this happen by tamping them down in the center of your pot, allowing them to cook for 30 seconds or so until they get a nice crust, then re-stir and repeat. Don't undercook them -- not only will your curry taste weak and thin, the onions themselves won't dissolve, so you'll end up chewing little pieces of onion. Which isn't that great. Use red onions -- we grew up with the smaller, squat versions of the ones we get here in the States; I find them slightly sweeter and more assertively onion-y than the white or yellow ones. If that's all you have, no big deal.

BLOOMING SPICE POWDERS
You won't find this step in this recipe, but you'll find it in others. Spice powders need to bloom in oil, releasing their flavours and cooking out their "raw" flavour. I also find that blooming the spices gets rid of that silty-powdery texture too. But maybe that's in my head. :) Blooming is just a fancy term which means that you will stiry-fry the spices (added to your sauteed onions, or just to the oil itself) for about 30 seconds, until you can really smell their bouquet. Don't fry them too long, or else they'll burn and your curry's done for. You'll often find that a recipe will often tell you to add tomatoes after you've cooked the spices -- that cools the whole thing down so the spices don't burn. If you're worried about burning them, you can do what my mum advised: add the tomatoes first, let them get a little mushy, and then add your spices. They're less likely to burn that way.

FRYING THE MASALA
This is the trickiest step, yet another point where your curry can either soar, or sink!

Some curry recipes will require you make a wet masala; throw some onions, green chilies, tamarind, tomatoes or what have you, in a blender or food processor, and hold that button until it's smooth. Or you can kick it old-school, like my aunt still does in Mangalore and use a masala stone:

It's a great workout! But no fun!

It'll be a bit watery in the blender, but once it hits the warm pan (medium heat), the water will evaporate, the masala will tighten up, deepen in colour, and it'll start to smell like an Indian kitchen in your house! You'll want to keep cooking and tossing it until you see tiny droplets of oil forming on the surface of the masala. It'll move around the pan more fluidly too, and when you do move it around, you'll see a thin trail of oil, kind of like that silvery stuff snails leave on the ground. That's the best way I can describe it. Mum -- have any suggestions on this step? I'm still learning this one.

After this point, you're home free.

This week, I decided to tackle the ol' curry. I'd made a few before, and each one is getting a little bit closer to my mum's style -- so I'm encouraged. This one is what I'm calling Baby's First Curry! It's relatively easy, as long as you have a good blender or mini food processor. Let me know if you try it.

Baby's First Chicken Curry Tomato-Poppy Seed Chicken Curry

1.5lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (breasts will dry out)
1 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 bay leaves
5 cloves garlic
4 chiles de arbol
1/2" ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp honey
14.5 oz can whole tomatoes
1 tbsp white poppy seeds (you can find 'em at the Indian shoppe), blended in 1/4 cup milk
(OR, bypass the poppy seeds & milk, use 2 tbsp yogurt)

1) Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large deep pot over medium heat. Add onions and bay leaves. Saute until pinkish-golden brown.

2) Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, whiz together garlic, chiles, ginger, turmeric and paprika with a little water until as smooth as possible.

3) Once onions are cooked, add the masala from the blender. Cook, stirring often until deepened in colour, and oil droplets appear on the surface of the masala.

4) Add honey and chicken, coating the meat with the masala. Cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes until masala sticks to the chicken.

5) Pull tomatoes out of the can and squish into the pot, crushing them with your hands. You should have about 4 or 5 tomatoes in that can. Add a splash of tomato juice too. Stir, bring to a simmer, semi-cover and cook about 20 minutes until chicken is tender and gravy has thickened. Turn heat down, add either poppy seed-milk mixture or yogurt and stir gently. Taste for seasonings. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and serve over rice.

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Ep. 11: Fava Bean Pillows with Brown Butter & Crispy Mint

2009-05-05T19:45:00.001-07:00

I am so refreshed and excited about Season 2 of the cooking show, guys! Woohoo!

This might be my favorite episode so far, both because the recipe is smack-your-knee delicious... but also because my wicked talented friend, Paul Newman, agreed to come play with me. His songs are deceptively simple and have a way of nuzzling their way into your heart and your memory banks. And his costuming is impeccable. I LOVE this man.

This is a fresh, sophisticated to serve fava beans, those almost neon-green beauties you'll find at the farmers market these days. If you can't find them where you are, use some edamame or peas. Cook 'em with some green garlic, ginger, garam masala and shrimp... whizz 'em up in your food processor, stuff 'em into wonton wrappers, steam and douse in browned butter and crispy mint... and a fancy-looking meal is yours in minutes, and for only a few dollars. (I got my favas for $0.99/lb at Elat Market!).

Take a look!

Aarti Paarti Ep. 11: Fava Bean Pillows with Brown Butter & Crispy Mint! from aarti on Vimeo.

Minty Fresh Fava Bean Pillows with Browned Butter and Crispy Mint!

You'll need:

1 pound fava beans (weighed while in pods), or about 1/5 cups of shelled favas
1 bulb green garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 pound cooked shrimp
2 tbsp yogurt
1/4 tsp sriracha sauce
1/4 tsp garam masala
zest of 1 lemon, plus the lemon
2 sprigs plus extra for stuffing, fresh mint
1 pkg square wonton wrappers
Small bowl of water
Butter
salt and pepper

1) In a big pot, boil lots and lots of water. Set up your steamer basket if you have one. Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp olive oil in skillet. Add garlic, ginger and fava beans. Saute gently about 5 minutes.

2) Throw shrimp in your food processor. Pulse quickly until coarsely chopped. Remove from processor bowl.

3) Add fava bean mixture to the empty processor bowl. Add yogurt, sriracha, garam masala, lemon zest, mint, salt and pepper. Process until smooth.

4) Grab two dumpling wrappers. Spoon 1 tsp filling on one wrapper. Place a mint leaf over the filling. Dip your pastry brush or your finger into your bowl of water and run it along the edges of both wrappers. Place empty wrapper over filling, squeeze edges together, squeezing the air out as you go.

5) Either steam or boil the raviolis for about 5 minutes. If you're boiling them, turn the heat down so your water is at a gentle boil.

6) While the little pillows are either boiling or steaming, make the brown butter: heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add a spoonful of butter, and stand back as it splutters. Keep a careful eye on it -- it will start to turn brown, and your kitchen will smell gorgeously nutty and sweet. As soon as that happens, throw a few mint leaves in and turn the heat off. Immediately pull your pillows out of the steamer/boiling water into your serving dish. Spoon a little brown butter over them, sprinkle with salt, pepper and squeeze a little lemon juice over the top. Serve immediately!

-x-
aarti

Robia LaMorte

2009-05-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, our church held its seasonal women's brunch. I went, not knowing much about who was coming to speak, mostly drawn to the opportunity to help out in the kitchen. But oh, was I in for a treat!

Robia LaMorte was the guest speaker. I had never heard of her before but you might recognize her as "Pearl" of Prince's Diamond and Pearl. If you're a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you may remember her as the love interest of Giles, the professor. She became a follower of Christ about three months into shooting Buffy, and her story is refreshing, reverently un-religious, and spoken in a language all of us can understand. At the same time she is full of reverence for God, and she has been given some unbelievable wisdom about Him... that He wants to set us free!

Want some freedom? I do.

She has totally re-invigorated me. I can't say enough good stuff about her. Check out her stuff! She's fabulous!

-x-
aarti

I just can't get enough of these

2009-05-03T21:49:00.001-07:00

One Love.

-x-
aarti

Haiku to my best friend

2009-04-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

sweet ceramic knife
i weep as you lie in two
snapped by metal knife

(sob)

-x-
aarti

Cheater Cheater Pasta!

2009-04-29T14:27:00.001-07:00

The other night, I had to throw something together quickly before Bren got home from improv class. Cue this delicious pasta which I'm calling "Cheater Cheater Pasta" because it involves using a jar of (gasp!) Classico pasta sauce. The one with caramelized onions and garlic if you must know.

I don't make a lot of pasta, but these days, with less to spend on food, I make it about once a fortnight. And I've been buying Classico sauce not because I like the sauce that much (I mean, jarred sauce isn't that great no matter what you get for under $10 right?), but because I love the mason jars! I'm collecting them so that I can put all my lentils and beans and whatever else in 'em.

I had a big bunch of swiss chard, a packet of Trader Joes Chicken-Mango sausage, some green garlic, the afore-mentioned pasta sauce and half a bag of whole wheat rotini. It all made me think of this awesome pasta dish my sister made for me when I visited her the other month. I was so surprised by how much I liked it that I couldn't stop talking about it.

Hmmmmm.

So I quickly sauteed the green garlic in some olive oil until it had softened, gently browned the sausage which I sliced into thin rounds, then threw in the stalks of the swiss chard which I chopped into fine little chunks. I didn't let them cook too long, because I love their crunch and bright magenta colour, so I quickly dumped the leaves which I'd rolled up and sliced into thin ribbons. A sprinkling of salt, pepper and fresh nutmeg, throw the lid on for a few minutes to allow the leaves to wilt, a jar of sauce, and a slow simmer while I cooked the pasta, a quick grate of parmesan and a last-minute handful of pine nuts and... taa-daa! DINNER! The sauce took on a little sweetness, probably from the mango sausage and the chard makes you feel like you're eating something that's good for you.

Try it! It's EASY!

-x-
aarti

Facebook Fast

2009-04-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

I am not looking at facebook again today. I looked at it once this morning, and that's it.

I don't have anything against Facebook. In fact that's the problem: I love it. Too much. In the mornings, when I'm catching up on emails and blogs and news headlines, I'll find that 40 whole minutes has drifted by, while I read everyone's quiz results, clicked through their photos and ready every blessed status update. And then, I'll check it at least 3 or 4 times again over the course of the day. In fact, any time I have something unpleasant to do (write a cover letter, look for a job etc), I'll find that I'll check Facebook first without thinking, as a sort of carrot BEFORE I've done the task at hand.

This is not productive!

In fact, at Bren's dad production company, Facebook has been blocked, because it was hurting productivity. On the first day of the new F'book-Free internet, Bren's uncle told us the site had logged somewhere in the region of 1000 hits... within the first three hours of the day! And there's no more than 15 people in that office!

Why oh why Facebook must you entice me so?!

And so, I declare today a drive-by Facebook day. I have checked it once. And now I'm done until tomorrow morning, when I will rinse and repeat.

-x-
aarti

Holy Warrior

2009-04-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

Bren is such a conundrum: a fighter and a peace-maker. A warrior and a huggy-buggy. And this week, a Krav Maga specialist and a wedding officiant!

Bren went for his Level 3 belt test on Saturday, in Krav Maga (the martial art practiced by the Israeli special forces). This is a pretty bad-ass form of self-defense; you don't just defend against a blow... you defend, and then you go in for the kill, full-force. And you don't do it with gorgeous chi-inspired moves either. It's a whirlwind of ugly, masculine pows, crunches and whacks.

The tests are no joke either. I dropped Bren off at 2p on Saturday. He walked out of there at 1030pm. He had been fighting that entire time, with one 15-minute break. That's eight hours of full-out sparring, grappling, even headbutting! He smelled something awful, and his voice shook a little, but unlike previous years when he's walked into the house and collapsed on all fours, this time he was still surprisingly spry. He muscles started cramping once we got back to the house but his eyes were still strong and strangely exhilarated.

It is incredibly sexy. Heehee!

He has been sore for the past few days, limping and waddling his way around (not *as* sexy), but with a huge smile of pride and accomplishment. As usual, we took photos of his bruises. And as usual, the camera fails to convey how deep, wide and painful these bruises look in real life:

The day before the test, he married our friends Mike and Lira. They asked him to wear the kilt and it fit right in! I forgot my camera in my hurry, so here are some snaps I grabbed with my phone. Isn't he cute? (That's the groom on the right).

He was so nervous in the days leading up to this weekend, both about officiating the wedding, and about the belt test. After the wedding he said, "wow that was such a rush! Being up close to the action!".

Isn't he a geek?

We'll find out this week I think, whether or not he passed his belt test. I can't imagine that he didn't. Next up: Level 4, whose test lasts... TWO DAYS.

I thank my stars to be married to a guy with such opposite facets of his personality: both macho and sensitive-o. Just one or the other would be awful!

-x-
aarti

Best. Brendan. Yet.

2009-04-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

This is by far, my most favorite character that Bren has conjured up. He's a cross between Timothy Treadwell (of Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man") and Grizzly Adams... a man who has decided that his true calling is to be with "the animals" because of his disdain for human kind. Only, this guy isn't really all that smart. Take a look.

-x-
aarti

The "Bring me my order" God

2009-04-27T11:13:00.001-07:00

Feeling kinda pensive this morning, perhaps because the marine layer has returned (thank Goodness!) so it is grey outside. Lots of thoughts tumbling around the noggin.

Yesterday at church, Brad was preaching about faith (in Christ), love (for others) and hope (in God) as being the bastions of a liberated spirituality. But that wasn't the part of the sermon that hit me. It was when he talked about how living our lives in line with God's will doesn't mean that He furnishes us with a map... rather that He gives us a compass to help us choose which direction God would want us to go in. Therefore, God doesn't really care as much about us attaining successful careers, as He is about us attaining successful (honorable, loving, selfless) characters.

Hmph. No likey.

I would much rather have the map thank you very much Father.

It's not like that's the first time I've heard that. But I suppose that I had moulded it in my mind to mean that if I kept trying to do good work, in terms of being a good ambassador of Christ's love to all those around me, then somehow the dreams I have about my career would come true too. That sounds like I thought it was a barter process -- I didn't. But I certainly didn't consider that God may not care one bit about my career dreams... that I'm kind of on my own in that respect. Could that be true?

And then this morning, my assigned Bible reading was Psalm 49, and this verse struck me:

¹⁶ Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,

When the glory of his house is increased;

¹⁷ For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;

His glory shall not descend after him.

¹⁸ Though while he lives he blesses himself

(For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),

¹⁹ He shall go to the generation of his fathers;

They shall never see light.

²⁰ A man who is in honor, yet does not understand,

Is like the beasts that perish.

It's not that I envy those who are prosperous. It's just that I assume that I'll be there one day -- that I'll have the ability to take care of those I love, to have and properly school my kids, to live a comfortable life in a house that isn't falling apart or surrounded by gangs and police choppers.

I mean, don't we all? Isn't that part of the programming of the society we live in? Isn't that part of the heartache of getting older, somehow not being in alignment with what this earthly kingdom says we should have attained by now? A husband, a house, a kid... on the outside, looking as if you've figured it all out, yet on the inside struggling with the same mess (if not worse) you've had since you were a kid.

I'm not sure. I know He gave me the talents I have, and that I should be putting them to good use, not wasting them. People often quote that verse about how He will give us the "desires of your heart". But I understand that to mean that He will put those desires in my heart... not that, like a genie or heck, like a waiter, He'll bring me my order.

And yet, Jesus, after uttering the famous Ask and you will receive, talked about how God would no more refuse our requests than a father would give his son a stone when asked for a piece of bread.

So, I suppose that He is somewhere between the two: the "bring me my order" God and the "take this stone because you're asking for the wrong thing" God. Perhaps He wants me to focus on His will and desire for my life (to be His servant first and foremost) so much that my desires for my life appear faded, and almost disappear, in comparison. Harder to put into practice though.

And so, I am repeating a verse that my friend Amy found today, that I am so very happy she shared. From 2 Chron, Verse 12:

“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.”

-x-
aarti

Playing for Change

2009-04-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

Found a great site called Playing for Change today, where sound recordists go around the world capturing different musicians playing the same song. What a wonderful result! They have a number of songs up, but this one is my favorite so far. Let it load completely before you hit play, so it doesn't stop and start.

-x-
aarti

Keeping the Faith... in me!

2009-04-23T10:20:00.001-07:00

I was excited about this time off from posting recipes, so that I could experiment. So far, the two things I've made have been a bust. Trying not to get discouraged. Ugh!

-x-
aarti

She's back!

2009-04-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Oh thank Goodness. The PMS has broken and I'm starting to feel like myself again. I know that phrase is over-used but I really did not feel like myself this time around. I was so pessimistic, so blue, so mentally/physically/emotionally tired all the time. Bren's excitement over seeing me smile again yesterday made me realise how rarely he'd seen a smile from me over the past few weeks. In fact, I probably looked a lot like this:

Well, maybe not.

Along with the smiles comes a rush of gratitude. I began the day grateful for my "bike gang", the accountability group consisting of Elena, Karen, Bren and myself that meets every week to plot our life, dreams and goals together. It began as four relative strangers talking about strategy and has morphed into a group where someone always gets a massage from three sets of hands when he or she is feeling sad or discouraged. I love my bike gang. Man, I wish I had a photo! Oh wait, I do! This is from the night when one of us needed some serious cheering up -- in the form of "Knocked Up" and face masks.

Later, I got very grateful for Zandy, my brother from another mother, who took us to his favorite ramen place downtown. I am not grateful for how full I still feel, but my tastebuds are doing cartwheels.

And now, I'm counting my blessings in the form of my farmers market booty: English peas (finally!), fresh fava beans, chiogga beets, green garlic, the most aromatic mint I've ever buried my nose in, knobbly sunchokes, fingerling potatoes that remind me of a mild-mannered giant's digits... I am so very lucky to live here in LA, and so very very lucky to be able to buy this stuff every now and then.

-x-
aarti

Phones and Uppityness

2009-04-21T18:23:00.001-07:00

Last week, Bren and I were on a speakerphone chat with our friend Andy, using my cellphone. Resorting to the cellphone was actually the punchline to an hour-long joke, in which we tried to talk to Andy via ichat, ichat-video and skype, all to no avail. I was trying to talk him into getting Oovoo, when, frustrated with "modern" technology, Andy just called my cellphone and I put him on speaker. Ah video-phone, when will your day come?

Anyway, Andy was saying something very important I'm sure when...

[plop]

I dropped my phone into the glass of water I had in my other hand. Andy's voice disappeared.

Cue a slurry of words I have been trying not to say, and a lot of Bren saying the most annoying thing someone can say in that situation: "why did you do that?"

Despite carefully wiping off every piece and drying it in the sunshine, the phone never came back to life. And so I went about replacing it, the irony heavy; I had recently insured Bren's phone because he tends to either break or lose his phone with alarming frequency. When the nice T-Mobile person asked if I wanted to insure *my* phone so that I could replace it for free, I puffed my chest and stuck my nose up in the air.

"Oh no," I said. "I take care of my phone."

Ha! Well now I have a new phone (free minus shipping, handling and taxes which isa travesty I tell you). It's nothing fancy, and it's pretty old. No iphone here. I realised that I don't need a phone with bluetooth capability, or the ability to play tons of songs, or the ability to fix me breakfast. It just needs to work, and withstand being knocked around a bit. Just like my husband. Heehee.

Oh but it does do this:

Oooooh!

I'm going through the first thing I always do with a new phone: listen to all the programmed ring tones. I realised today that I get a little giddy about it. Do you? What could these new ring tones sound like?

They are so disappointing! And, to make matter worse, this phone doesn't even offer your generic "ring ring" kinda tone, or at least not that I've found. It's so weird! What have we come to?

For now, my ring tone is something you might hear at the end of a Japanese video game, or at least, that's what Bren said. I've lost some of your numbers by the way, so email me your digits please!!!

-x-
aarti

Red means stop.

2009-04-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a break.

I realized with both sadness and fear this week, that writing recipes and shooting a video every week was starting to take its toll on me. Coming up with 2 new recipes every week might be easy for some folks, but for me, it was starting to become a struggle... I haven't felt very inspired, and as a result, I haven't been as proud of the recipes (except for the Lamb one. You have to try that one. That one ROCKS my bum off. Really).

Much much worse: I was starting to resent shooting the show -- the very thing that has been bringing me so much joy over the past months... the very thing that had made me realize what I wanted to do with my life.

This may have something to do with getting a little burnt out, but it could also have something to do with the fact that I have been PMS'ing for THREE WEEKS PEOPLE! Poor Bren has had to handle the brunt of my irritability, my fatigue and lethargy, my sudden collapses into tears, my enormous, enormous boobs...

Then, the other day, when I was talking to Bren's Uncle Brian, he asked me how many episodes I'd shot. I said "ten!". Then he said, "Great! That's a season!".

And then the chorus of angels started, as they say, singing.

I've shot a tv-length season?

Good Lord!

It's time for a break!!

And while the little monster in my heart is calling me a lazy so-and-so, I know that for my sanity, and for the sake of creating food I love, my brain needs a rest. And unlike the person I was a year ago, I have decided to give it to myself. I am looking forward to a little time to experiment in the kitchen.

In the meantime, I am going to tend to this little blog o' mine. I haven't been motivated to write in a while, and that's not right. So I'm going back to where it all began: writing on this site. Hearing from you. Making you laugh. Maybe that'll help me get the juices going again.

I'll leave you with photos of the first red velvet cake I've ever made (from scratch too! And no Crisco thankyou very much), commissioned by my friend Sheri for her friend, the comedienne B-Phlat. I didn't know how much I would LOVE making this cake. Red food dye sure is fun, especially when you use 1/2 a cup of it!!!!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Episode 10!

2009-04-15T00:49:00.000-07:00

This week's episode is up! I riffed on Muhammara, the Syrian dip made from roasted red peppers, walnuts and pomegranate molasses... turning it into an easy, no-cook pasta sauce. Take a look and forward it to anyone you know who likes to cook! Or who's scared of cooking! Or who likes the ukulele! Or who likes Johnny Cash! Huh? Confused? Watch and it'll make sense. Make sure to hit the "hq" in the bottom left-hand corner to watch it in high quality!

Muhammara Pasta

2 cups dry whole wheat rotini pasta
6 roasted red peppers
3/4 cup toasted walnuts
2 tsp pomegranate molasses
2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Juice of half a juicy lemon
4 garlic cloves, peeled
3 zucchini, sliced in half, then sliced into 1/2" half moons

1) Get a big pot o' water boiling. Make sure you salt it once it's at a roiling boil

2) Dump pasta in the water. Set your timer for about 2 minutes less than the instructions. In my case, about 8 minutes

3) In a food processor, grind red peppers, walnuts, spices, lemon juice, molasses, salt and pepper until mostly smooth. Taste and season.

4) Add zucchini and garlic cloves to the boiling pasta. Cook another 2 minutes until zucchini and pasta are cooked.

5) Drain. Add garlic cloves to the red pepper mixture and whiz up again until as smooth as you like it.

6) Toss pasta, zucchini and sauce. Sprinkle some chopped parsley over the top. Taste, season and serve!

-x-
aarti

Dead Air

2009-04-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

Bren and I cancelled our cable last week. It ended last night, which happened to coincide with the first day I was allowed to watch daytime TV again, having given it up for Lent. I did alright for the first half of Lent, but by the time Holy Week rolled around, I started to feel a little... tense. Kinda like an over-filled balloon, that you need to pop. TV seemed to be the only way to zone out and stop thinking. I'm still feeling a little bit like that, but I'm taking refuge in playing the ukelele and the piano. Back in the day, I used to practice the piano for at least an hour a day. Doesn't that seem like a lot?! The only daily hourly practice I have these days is... eating?

I'm hoping for a return to the "good old days"!

The bizarrest part of the whole endeavour is that we still have the satellite dish until we're sent the boxes to mail it back. So while we aren't getting cable or local channels anymore, the home shopping network channels are still being piped in. I spent more than a few seconds mesmerized by what was called "Jessica Simpson uses ProActiv", morbidly cherishing the death of my brain cells in that short span of time. But then I came to my senses, turned it off and... put on my ProActiv refining mask. Hahahahahaaa!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Cooks: Let My People Go Lamb!

2009-04-09T13:31:00.000-07:00

I am grateful for all the delicious food God has provided mankind, but I don't think I am ever more grateful than at this time of year, when we celebrate Easter with... LAMB!

Oh man. Lamb! LAMB! Just the thought of it makes my mouth water. I'm sure that for vegetarians and vegans, lamb must be one of the hardest meats to stomach, second only to veal. I won't deny it. When you see a cute little baa-lamb, as my friend Emma Glynn used to call them, with their adorable little faces and delicate springy limbs and pristine white fleeces… oh! How hard it is to imagine what’s next!

When I imagine preparing an Easter feast, I build the menu around lamb, don’t you? And it occurred to me that it’s not just because it’s delicious, or because it’s traditionally a spring delicacy. For me, it’s also because lamb is a powerful symbol of what Easter (and Passover) commemorates.

In the Old Testament, the lowly lamb won the Jewish people their freedom. God promised to deliver the children of Israel from slavery to the Egyptians. They were told to slaughter a lamb, and mark their doorways with its blood so that the Angel of death would “pass over” their homes. In the morning, the first-born boy of every Egyptian family was found dead, and God’s message to the Pharoah, “Let my people go!” was finally heeded.

In the New Testament, Jesus becomes that lamb, whose whiter-than-white fleece is the key that unlocks our slavery to the earthly bullsh*t we endure everyday (I mean, the earthly “fiddle-faddle”): money, ego, greed, hatred, pride, war, self-sufficiency, self-worship.

None of us have a white fleece. Mine is stained beyond stained. Can you imagine going to see someone of God’s stature with a stained coat? Heck no! But because Jesus died for us, because His blood is metaphorically over our doorways, it’s as if the angel of death passes over us all, and washes our collective fleeces clean. Now we can all go hang out in God’s court, learn from Him, live fulfilling lives that force us to look not within our selves for enlightenment, but to look up (love God) and look out (love your friends and enemies). Now, the God-shaped hole in our hearts, which we usually fill with stuff -- money, sex, accomplishments, acclaim etc -- has been filled.

Interestingly, Jesus went on to inspire some of the greatest freedom fighters in history: William Wilberforce, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Mandela…

Jesus’ death is brutal, I know. In all honesty, I struggle with having such a bloody act at the crux of my faith. But I am trying to come to peace with it. It’s kinda like looking at that perfect lamb I mentioned at the beginning, and then imagining its impending death. It hurts. It doesn't seem fair. Knowing that Christ rose again is the only thing that makes it better. And for some reason, this Easter, I have wept every time I hear the Passion (the story of Jesus’ last days). I can’t stand it!

So yeah, I can’t look at lamb the same way this year. But being the fat kid that I am, it doesn’t mean I didn’t relish making a small plate of it yesterday! Yum yum! Bren grew up with lamb and mint jelly, but my mum fed us lamb roasted in a sweet, tangy tomato marinade. Mum’s secret ingredient was ketchup, which makes total sense: it’s a masterful mix of molasses and vinegar (in addition to tomatoes), the basis of most barbecue sauces. This week, I tried to re-create the lamb of my childhood without the ketchup and, yippee-kazoo! I think I came darned close. It was so good, that this was what is left of it:

All gone! The marinade results in a tangy, sweet, gorgeously greasy and sticky lamb chop. This might be my favorite recipe so far. It’s on par with the Giddy-Up Steak people. Seriously. It’s that good. Try it.

I served it with some simple sides: a minty fresh fava bean mash, some garlicky fingerling potatoes. If you want to know how to make those, let me know!

Live on in freedom people! He is risen indeed!

"Let My People Go" Lamb Chops!
Tangy Sweet Roasted Lamb Chops in tomato, coriander, fennel and brown sugar

You'll need this stuff:

3/4 tsp coriander seeds
3/4 tsp fennel seeds
5 lamb loin chops
2 tbsp low-fat plain yogurt
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp ginger, grated on a microplane
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp Sriracha hot sauce (or as much hot sauce as you like. I like it mild, so you may want more)
1 tsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp vegetable/canola oil

1) Toast coriander and fennel seeds in small pan over a medium flame, shaking every 30 seconds, so they don't burn. Once they're giving off a lovely aroma, and have turned a darker tone, remove from the hot pan, and cool completely on a plate. Then throw them into your spice/coffee grinder or your mortar & pestle. Grind to a fine powder.

2) Mix spices with yogurt, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, Sriracha, brown sugar, salt, a healthy few grinds of freshly ground black pepper, apple cider vinegar and oil. Taste and season according to your palate.

3) Cover each chop with the marinade, rubbing into meat and fat. Cover and marinate a few hours or overnight.

4) The next day, preheat your oven to 475 degrees fahrenheit/240 degrees celsius. (I warmed mine to 500 degrees because it's a cold oven). Place your chops, with marinade in a baking dish. Don't let them touch and leave a little room between each chop. Drizzle a little oil over each one.

5) Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees fahrenheit/180 degrees fahrenheit. Bake for another 5-10 minutes until lamb is cooked to your liking. Sprinkle with a little fresh mint of you have it. Eat, enjoy and give thanks for sweet, sweet lamb!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti Episode 9: South Indian Coconut Quinoa

2009-04-07T19:30:00.001-07:00

Y'all know I love quinoa. Remember oh so long ago I made that sage-y version? This one is even more delicious, with the lovely mother grain cooked in coconut milk and tomatoes, flavoured with mustard, cumin and fenugreek seeds.

Oh, and Bren's dad let me borrow his ukulele this weekend, and I learned how to play a song already! You'll be able to hear it in the video.

Here's the recipe in case you need it:

You'll need:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 tbsp vegetable/canola oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 fenugreek seeds
6 dried or fresh curry leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 15oz can whole tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved
1/3 cup fresh coconut (you can get frozen shredded stuff at the Indian shops)
1 15oz can lite coconut milk
1/2 cup tomato juice (from the canned tomatoes)
Handful cashews
2 cups broccoli florets
salt and pepper

1) Warm oil in a saucepan until shimmering
2) Add cumin and mustard seeds. They should sizzle upon contact. Cook for 30 seconds or so, until they're done spluttering.
3) Add turmeric, fenugreek and curry leaves. Cook 30 seconds
4) Add chopped tomatoes and shredded coconut. Cook 5 minutes, until tomatoes break down a bit.
5) Add tomato juice and coconut milk. Season, and bring to a boil.
6) Add quinoa and cashews. Stir, then turn heat down to a simmer, cover and cook about 10 minutes until nearly almost cooked, but still soupy.
7) Add broccoli in one layer over the top of the quinoa. Add more water if it's too dry. Cover and cook 5 minutes until broccoli is tender. Serve!

-x-
aarti

Can't Get You Out of My Head

2009-04-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

Heard this the other day on the radio and it is totally my guilty pleasure at the moment; Bren turns his nose up at it. But I LOVE IT!!!! Lalalalalaaaaaa!

What do you think of it?

-x-
aarti

The Freezer

2009-04-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling much better today. Thanks guys! We had a wonderful weekend, surrounded by the loving arms of friends and family. Whoopee!

In order to keep costs down this week, I have been trying to think of cheap, simple yet tasty meals. In fact, you'll see two of the fruits of my labor this week, both on the cooking show, and on the Wednesday recipe. I'm actually enjoying it more than I thought I would, snaking my arms through the cans and boxes of food I've hoarded over the past few months, for inspiration. For once, it seems my inexplicable need to keep extra food in the house is paying off! I'm seeing the cans of chickpeas and tomatoes, boxes of quinoa and a packet of cinnamon-raisin bread mix in a new light, as little treasures.

Today, Bren opened the freezer and said, "Wow ba! We have tons of food!".

A little suspicious of his enthusiasm (!), I decided to investigate. And so we do! Here's what we have:

Some chicken breasts. Not one, but two Prime (oh man!) flank steaks that we got for free from our friend Larry at church, who tried the Yee-haw steak recipe and loved it so much, dear heart, that he felt moved to give us free meat from his workplace! Yee-haw indeed!

2 bags of shredded coconut...

Multiple baggies of minced ginger...

Lots and lots of bags of nuts: cashews, pinenuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds (whole and sliced) and peanuts. In the background, a box of Trader Joe's potato latkes. Have you had those by the way? They're fantastic.

What else?
Skinny dippers (low fat chocolate-covered ice-cream thingies): 4 vanilla, 1 chocolate
Someone needs to come over and eat these because we're never going to eat them given our scheduled dessert-consumption
6 ice-lollies: 2 orange, 4 grape
And these.
3 chicken taquitos
2 veggie burgers
1 box of chocolate-covered sunflower seeds
A few slices of pancetta
1/2 bag of strawberries
1/2 bag of mango
1 onion bagel
1 naan
1 big jar of yeast
1 round of homemade pizza dough

Phew! I gotta get eating!

-x-
aarti

Me right now.

2009-04-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

Friday night. Rose-scented candle (called "hope" quite fittingly!) burning. Bren editing this week's edition of The News, hosted by yours truly. Spoon's last record playing on the stereo. Looking up quinoa recipes for Aarti Paarti inspiration. Answering gorgeously encouraging text messages from Laura ("Do not fret. God is your friend and like all good friends... is looking out for you. Don't fret."). Thinking of turnip cake and salad for dinner. Proud of myself for cancelling cable today (gulp!). Contemplating Jamie Oliver's new baby, and his penchant for incredibly hippie names: Petal Blossom Rainbow Oliver.

Liking the name Rainbow. Liking Jamie Oliver.

Really loving this Spoon song right now.

Thinking back to a couple of hours ago when I was sitting in the sunshine in tears even though this morning I woke up in comforted, encouraged and even grateful for the valleys. Feeling better now that my rock of a husby (I'm stealing that from you Karen Keenan!) is home. Feeling very sorry for him having to duck out at the last second from his best friend's bachelor party this weekend in Vegas, which he had been looking forward to for the last few months, which he actually shed a tear over last night, all because of stupid money. Thinking very grateful thoughts for all the amazing people in my life who are encouraging me and praying for us, for my family (blood-related and not), for the people trying to hook me up with people who might have job contacts. Thanking someone in my heart for their cake order. Getting a lump in my throat over how grateful I am for Laura McLaughlin.

Thinking incredibly wonderful thoughts about the guy I talked to at UCLA today who put me in contact with the right person when it wasn't in his department. Smiling when I remember how he told me my resume was "dynamite" (whoopee!). Swelling with pride when I remember how my mentor read a cover letter of mine and didn't change a thing.

Trying to remember that things could always be much much much worse. Being grateful for not living in an IDP camp.

Grateful to God for his unabating faithfulness. Having faith that He will bless us with patience, joy, safety and provision. Amen.

-x-
aarti

Words of Comfort

2009-04-02T17:59:00.000-07:00

Today has been a trying day. But in retrospect, it's as if God was preparing me for it. I've been dog-tired and a little inexplicably fearful for the past two days. I didn't know why, I couldn't put my finger on a cause. But this morning, when I read my assigned Bible passages (1 Psalm, 1 chapter from Acts, 2 chapters from Exodus; don't worry, this used to be painfully hard for me to read. I can't believe how fast I read all this now, and how much I enjoy it! It's so bizarre! I don't even recognize myself!), I stumbled upon two verses that gave my heart comfort, especially later in the day when I really started to fear.

Psalm 42:11
"Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God."

Exodus 33:11
"So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend."

I'm still scared, and still not sure what to expect or what to do, but remembering that God thinks of me as His FRIEND blows my mind, and gives me a bit of comfort. Pray for me. Thanks.

-x-
aarti

Aarti Cooks: New Love, Old Love Fish

2009-04-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

Green garlic. The name alone is onamatopeic, isn't it? You have to say it slowly, savoring every syllable, the long "eeeee", the long "aaaaaah" ending in a playful "lick", a lazy, warm, gently spicy companion to the gorgeous days and delightful spring vegetables at the market. This is a garlic only spring could bring, with its delicate, lapping sunshine, the cool breezes and the youthful, almost naive promise that everything's going to be alright because winter is over.

I'm in love! Can you tell? Green garlic is what happens when you pluck garlic out of the ground before it forms a bulb. It looks very much like a scallion, except that the white bulb looks like it's been splattered with purple paint. You can find them at the farmers market. I also found it at the Persian/Jewish store, Elat Market.

So why do I love green garlic? Well, I love garlic. But this is a milder, sweeter, greener version of its older brother, which is often marked by that distinctive sharp spicyness. It doesn't make your hands stink for days. It probably can't stand up in a curry, but sauteed with some delicate fresh peas, it's bliss. And, unlike regular garlic, you can't use too much of it! I literally put about 1/2 cup of green garlic in a gratin last week, and once I tasted it, I realised I still could have used more.

I'll tell you what I have not been in love with in the past: fish!

Every Friday, like the good Catholic family that we were, we had fish. Dad would go to the outdoor fish market in Dubai, where fishmongers displayed every fish and shellfish imagineable, fish that just been plucked out of the Indian ocean or the Arabian Gulf. After you'd bought your fish, you could get it cleaned, de-veined, de-scaled, de-whatever you like, for just a few fils more.

From someone's Picasa page.

I dreaded Fridays. It was our day off, when you would normally look forward to eating your most favorite thing. Alas, we had fish, in a yellow curry my Nanny would make with green mangos. I hated the texture, the flavour, the way it looked and smelled...

But for some reason, as I got older, I started to love fish. I couldn't tell you when or why. Maybe it was sushi that did it. Whatever it was, I am now hooked. In fact, thinking back on Nanny's curry right now is making both my eyes and my mouth water. What is it about "maturing" tastebuds? I hate that phenomenon! I hate thinking about all those wasted years not enjoying fish! (Imagine me shaking my fists at the heavens here). Bren used to hate mushrooms. Now he loves them. What? WHY?! Isn't that so weird?

Anyway, today's recipe is a combination of an old love and a new love: whole fish and green garlic.

If you can't get your hands on a whole fish, or you don't want one, I think this would work with fillets too. This is a very flexible recipe, so you don't even have to use the same kind of fish I used, which was Branzino. Just make sure your fish is fresh: clear, glassy eyes (not opaque, smoky ones), red gills, and a lack of odour. If it smells fishy, then something is, um, fishy about it. So don't buy it. It should smell like the ocean. Go ahead and get a 2lb fish though, even if you're not going to eat it all for dinner. It's easier to flavour the fish when there's more flesh to play with.

Since we're on that topic, I wonder whether one of the reasons I didn't like fish was that, of all the animal proteins available, it is the only one you buy in its original form. You can see its face, its tail, its insides. Today, when I was massaging oil and salt into its skin, I found myself whispering to the fish under my breath: "thankyou sweet fishy for giving up your life for me."

I know, it's silly. The fish didn't give up its life, so much as it was taken from him. But there's something very intimate about rubbing salt and marinade into a fish's inner cavity, slicing into its body, rubbing salt into those new wounds... all while its glassy eye stares up at you.

It's enough to make this carnivorous zealot pause for a second. Would my passion for beef be any different if I had to buy a whole cow at the store, peer into its gorgeous dark eyes and then skin it, slice it and bbq it?

Probably not now I think about it. Beef trumps fish any day of the week, hahahahahaahaha!

Anyway, back to the recipe. If you don't have green garlic, go ahead and use a couple of cloves of its older brother, the regular kind. And hey, if you happen to have a bulb of fennel in the fridge, or a few potatoes lying around, throw those in the bottom of the roasting pan too. This is a flexible recipe. This was also a great opportunity to finally use the wonderful gift Sara and Alex got me! Thanks again you guys! I love this thing!

This recipe makes a ton of marinade. I've been using the rest of in a ton of ways; diluted with a little oil and vinegar, it makes a stellar dressing. You can also toss it on freshly steamed vegetables, or grilled meat.

So without further ado:

New Love, Old Love Fish
Roasted whole fish, with green garlic and tamarind, with roasted vegetables.

You'll need this stuff:

1 2lb whole fish, such as branzino, scaled and gutted
1/2 cup green garlic, white and tender green stems, chopped roughly
1 spring onion, white and green parts, chopped
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped roughly
1tsp tamarind concentrate
1/8 cup grapeseed or canola oil
1 large onion, peeled and sliced into 1/4" rounds
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2" rounds
Salt and pepper
Wedges of lime, to finish

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit/220 degrees celsius

2) Wash your fish and dry with paper towels. Make sure all the scales have been removed. Slice 5 3" into each flank (side) of the fish. Don't slice all the way down to the bone. Stop just before it. Rub oil and and a sprinkle of salt all over the fish.

2) Grab your food processor. Throw in green garlic, spring onion, cilantro, tamarind paste, oil, salt and pepper. Process until it's a smooth-ish paste. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

3) Rub the marinade into the slices you made in the fish's body. Rub a little over the skin too. You'll have a ton of marinade left. No worries. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

4) Meanwhile, throw onions and carrots in a roasting pan big enough for your fish. Toss with a little oil, salt, pepper and a dollop of the green garlic marinade. Throw into the oven for 30 minutes, until starting to brown around the edges.

5) Pull pan out of the oven. Turn it up to 450 degrees f/230 degrees c. Stir veggies, and shape into a narrow enough bed, in which to lay the fish, belly-side down. Prop the tail on the edge of the roasting pan, or make a small bowl out of aluminium foil and rest the tail on it. It should look as if the fish is about to swim through your kitchen! If you like the skin crispy, turn your oven up to 500 degrees f/240 degrees c, remove the veggies from the pan so that they don't burn and put the fish back in the oven for 10 minutes.

6) Roast it for another 30 minutes, until the flesh is flaky and cooked. Pull fillets off the bone and serve over a mound of veggies. Smear a little leftover marinade on the fish's skin, and finish with a squeeze of lime. Serve immediately!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Paarti 8: Indian Pizza

2009-04-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

I am so tired for some reason. Everything is so hard to do! In the meantime, watch this week's episode of my cooking show! This week: Indian Pizza. Grab a frozen naan, some Major Grey's mango chutney, tikka some paneer cheese, and you're good to go. Oh and Joo and Elizabeth make an appearance!

Aarti Paarti Episode 8: Indian Pizza! from aarti on Vimeo.

Indian Pizza!

You'll need:
1 small block paneer cheese, about 1 cup, chopped into small pieces
3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp tandoori paste or powder
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/4 cup mango chutney (major grey's)
4 frozen naans/1 prebaked pizza crust
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
Handful cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges to finish

-x-
aarti

Special Ingredients

2009-03-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

I remember how hard it was for me, being an Indian, to wrap my mind around "Western" cooking for lack of a better term... the idea that you can eat things just as they are, with no added flavouring. For example, something I love these days: asparagus, steamed, with a squeeze of lemon juice and a small pour of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Contrast that to Indian cookery, where everything is basted with at least the aggressive trio of garlic, fresh ginger and a green chile. I still remember when we were vacationing in Switzerland one year (oooh la la!), and Dad took us to this small tavern at the top of a hill for my birthday. Their menu was simple, and Dad seized on the pork chop. But the menu didn't say how it was cooked, and when Dad asked the waitress/co-owner, she looked a bit puzzled and said that it was cooked with nothing at all. He looked like someone had told him Santa died. If I know my Dad, and I do, he had expected some kind of mustardy-mushroomy preparation. As a concession, she offered to have her husband, the chef, cook it with some peppercorns which brought a slow smile to Dad's lips. Ultimately, I can't remember whether Dad liked it or not. Honestly, I think I was too drunk to remember (it was my 21st birthday!). All I remember was the puzzled and slightly devastated look on Dad's face when she said that they were going to essentially, just throw it in a frying pan. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that -- sometimes I think you can taste the quality of your meat better that way. But that's not the Indian way. Maybe because good meat is a given (since you usually know where it comes from, who killed it etc.)... maybe just because we're stubborn and addicted to our spice box.

I seem to have married a man just like Dad in that respect. If he had his way, Bren would eat all his meats covered in chocolate and ginger (crystallized).

That's affected my cooking of course. I'm trying to cook more simply, so I don't put you off. I want to be encouraging, not off-putting! And I don't want to hide behind lots of flavouring, so my food tastes muddy. Do you know what I mean? Ah, there's a lot of thought in this noggin of mine. Stay a while, won't you?!

Anyway, upon Brendan's suggestion, I came up with a cheat sheet of LA spots I frequent to get some of the more out-of-the-ordinary items I use. Check 'em out. It's cheap entertainment if nothing else. Ha!

Bhaarat Bazaar/Samosa House
I prefer this spot to the India Sweets and Spices on Venice. It used to be a small place on Washington Blvd (just west of Sawtelle), run by a short, round, white-haired old lady. Now the rest of the family has taken it over (I believe), and they've remodeled the place, expanded it, and decided to push the output of their small kitchen, a heat-lamp buffet line of both delicious standards like sag paneer and unusual items like a tasty jackfruit dish that I still haven't figured out. So yummy. Their dosas are really good -- Kuv and I got them one Thanksgiving, and they tasted like home. You can find ready-made chapatis/rotis in the fridge and the whole array of spices, pickles, chutneys, lentils and marinades on the racks. They also stock a lot of fresh produce, which isn't always in the greatest shape, but I get some typical Indian produce there like green chiles and something called thendlies or tindora there. I'm not sure what the equivalent is in English. I love this place.

Elat Market
Located on Pico, east of Robertson in West LA. A Persian-Jewish market with the cheapest yet delicious, probably non-organic, produce around. This place is great for plump, decadent dates, zatar, fresh fenugreek, fresh lavash bread, what my friend told me was the best tahini in Israel/Palestine...
Go in with armour though. You WILL get jostled around by the perfectly-primped Persian and Eastern European ladies, young and old, who will push past you in an effort to grab a bunch of parsley, but pretend that you injured THEM in the process. Count to 10, count to 10...
This place is also wonderful for fresh, whole fish. The eyes are still glassy and none of the fish I have ever bought from them smells fishy. It's a bit pricey -- I bought a small branzino this week, enough for the two of us, for $11. But they will scale it for you, and clean out the insides, and even fillet it if you want. They do sell Chilean Sea Bass there though, which breaks my heart (being overfished and all) so if you're looking for ethically-captured fish, you're in the wrong place. They also sell good-looking kosher beef, chicken and turkey.

99 Ranch Market
On Sepulveda in Van Nuys (near the CostCo), this Chinese market has tons of delicious finds like turnip cake, and hoisin sauce in a squeeze bottle. I know, it sounds silly, but I love sauces in a squeeze bottle. Their produce and fish win the prize -- lots of live fish, lobster, crabs and shellfish. Oh, and if you're looking for tongue, real ox tail and sundry body parts, you can find them here. They also stock bao the size of your face. They're a little dry from what I remember, but if you're trying to impress someone, they do the trick. Ha!

Vons
This place scares me a little bit. Why are two chicken breasts only $5? What happened to that chicken? Hmmm? No, this place is great for the canned and jarred items. Remember that massive jar of roasted red peppers I used in the Ezekiel's Wheel Salad episode? That was $7 from Vons. Yup. The pickled beets? Vons. Their fresh produce is pretty good too, based on freshness and value, now I think about it.

Surfas
I nearly forgot this place! Located at Washington & National, just east of Culver City, this restaurant supply spot/gourmet store has my mecca when I first moved here, without both a car and the ability to drive. I used to walk here every week, and stock up on affordable aluminium pans, strainers, a small tin of smoked paprika, a couple tins of Italian tuna, some real vanilla essence. It's not cheap, but if you're looking for good chocolate (they stock Valrhona and Callebaut), good olive oil or good anything else really, this is the place. They also stock Bren's 2nd favorite beer, Trois Pistoles.

Online resources
I have yet to try these out since I'm waiting to work through some of my spices at home, but I have heard great things about:
Kalustyans
The Spice Store
World Spice

I hope that's helpful!

-x-
aarti

Aarti Cooks: Unemployment Stew

2009-03-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

Unemployment checks have kept us afloat (with a little, ok a LOT of help from savings and odd jobs) for a long time. This week though, panic set in. The last unemployment check arrived. Now what?

I can't say that I've come up with answers beyond the typical, GET A JOB! And the Indian part of me is even ashamed to talk about this. Not having worked for so long goes contrary to our culture, to our very DNA, to the very direction my blood flows! We are a country of ridiculously hard workers (at least the people in my family are). My dad comes from a family of farmers, dragging their butts out of bed at the crack o' dawn so that they could then drag their feet through rice paddy after water-logged rice paddy to harvest rice, monkey-climb up tall coconut trees for a nariyal (coconut) or two, come in for a breakfast of curry and rice (ew, I can't imagine eating fish curry for breakfast!), and then out again to go to school or other chores.

Dad (on the left) being gangsta

Mum barely saw her dad while she was growing up because he had taken a better-paying job in Doha, far from the love of his life, my gran, and his other loves, the children. My gran died early, before he could make enough to come back permanently and live the life he always wanted with her. To this day, I believe he died of a broken heart more than anything else.

Me & Grandpa

And then... there's me. I got a job two weeks before graduation, at my dream company, CNN. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. How could I have gotten my dream job already? I worked HARD there, putting in 15-hour days. And yet, ever since I moved to LA, I have not kept a steady job. I've had lots of work, yes (thankyou Lord!), and actually, it's been much more rewarding than staying at the same job for 5 years. I've freelanced at CNN, covering the economy, immigration, wildfires and entertainment. I've produced documentaries about illegal street racing and the genocide in Darfur. I've quit news altogether and worked for one of the best chefs ever. And while it has been exciting, my poor sweet friends and husband must have gotten bored of me whining the same refrain every month or so: "What am I supposed to be doing with my life?". I've asked God the same question with tears running down my face. I made a vision board but I had no vision. It was mostly empty save for a photo of a house and a photo of a kid with the word "mother" next to it. I've never known what to do.

Anyway, that's a long preamble, huh? I'm just trying to say that I used to think that I'd wasted a lot of time not working. But somehow, I think God needed me to hibernate or something. Every time I applied for a job, it was as if the application disappeared into the ether; I never heard back. Once I applied for a job that I was 99.99% sure I was going to get -- everyone around me thought I was going to get it too. But I didn't. I was heartbroken, but I realise now that, had I gotten that job, I would have died inside. And there's no way I would be where I am today, which is on the precipice FINALLY of figuring out what to do with my life and with the talents God gave me: I want to cook on TV.

Oof! I said it! That was really scary!

Anyway, what does that have to do with unemployment? Well, Bren and I being out of work has been one of the biggest blessings ever. It freed his creative mind up, and motivated him to work as hard for himself as he had been working for a company he didn't believe in. He is incredibly productive, as you all know (take a look at his YouTube page -- this man puts at least two things up everyday!). Having him at home, with his constant example and encouragement, inspired me. And now I'm shooting my own cooking show... all on the money that Bren paid into unemployment all those unhappy months. I strongly believe that God has been working some fishes and loaves magic on that unemployment check too -- we've had to cut expenses, yes, but we've been blessedly comfortable.

And yet, despite all of that divine provision... I have been losing sleep this week trying to figure out what's next! I am trying to have faith, to remember Jesus' comforting words from Matthew (Chapter 6):

"You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?"

I go back and forth, between being buoyed and being worried. I know it'll all be alright, and as my sweet director on the Darfur film always says, "Hey, I'm not living in an IDP camp!". God has led us through some unebeliveable stuff in the past few months. This is nothing.

Anyway, all of this has been running through my mind this past week, when I came up with this stew. Chorizo and I are long-lost lovers (insert phallic joke here) but I was always a little uncomfortable with chorizo's traditional components, which mirror your worst sausage nightmares. Enter: vegetarian chorizo!! I first found it at Trader Joe's, and used it in my Lucia-Lucica Fried Rice. But I worried that you poor souls who don't have a TJ's near you would lose out. Then, I found it at the regular supermarket, in the refrigerated section next to the regular chorizo! Hallelujah! Not only is it MUCH LESS fatty than it's meatier cousin, it's free of gruesome body parts, and to top it all off, it's cheaper!

And that's the thing about this stew: bizarrely cheap, it tastes extravagantly rich. That's because it uses just a few cheap ingredients: vegetarian chorizo, dried beans, a fennel bulb, a small butternut squash and some veggie stock. Even on an unemployment check, you can eat like a king.

And so, I can say without even a smidgen of sarcasm on my face that the Lord has blessed us with unemployment! Whoopee! Not only has this time encouraged both of us to lean on His arm even heavier than we were before, it has pushed us both out of our coccoons, emerging as pretty, pretty butterflies (Bren is black, red and gold I suspect. I am red with sparkles!). In addition to doing whatever we can to live to punch some of God's light into this darkness, we are both doing what we want to be doing career-wise, until someone pays us to do it. God is good. And so is this stew.

Unemployment Stew Vegetarian Chorizo Stew with Fennel, Butternut Squash and Pinto Beans

You'll need:
1 cup dried pinto beans
1 pkg vegetarian chorizo, casing removed
1 big bulb, fennel, chopped small-ish
1/2 medium onion, chopped small-ish
2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine or pernod/ouzo
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup butternut squash, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 sprig mint leaves (optional)
1 lime, cut into wedges to serve

1) Wash and sort pinto beans, soak in water overnight.

2) The next day, in a big soup pot, over medium heat, saute the crumbled chorizo, until it darkens in colour a little, about 7 minutes. Some of the spices should stain the bottom of your pot. Don't worry if some sticks to the bottom. That'll flavour your soup, and we'll get that off later. Remove chorizo from pot.

3) Add about 1 tbsp olive oil, then add fennel, onion and ginger. Saute until softened, about 10 minutes.

4) Add tomatoes, cook until mushy.

5) Add wine, scraping up browned bits. Cook until it has almost fully evaporated.

6) Add stock and drained beans. Bring to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer. Cook, covered, and stirring occasionally for 35-40 minutes.

7) Add butternut squash, and cook, covered, for another 20 minutes, or until both the butternut squash and the beans are cooked through.

8) Add chorizo, and cook until warmed through. Add chopped mint. Serve with wedge of lime in each bowl. A dollop of yogurt is good too, especially if you find it spicy (although the vegetarian version of chorizo is usually milder).

-x-
aarti

Book Worm

2009-03-24T13:47:00.000-07:00

Over the past 3 weeks, Bren has read:

- Geek Love
- Water for Elephants
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (in one day)

Over the past three weeks, I have read:

- New Moon (the second installment in the Twilight series, decidedly lighter fare.)

He is SUCH a fast reader, it makes me grrrrrrrrrr.

But as my friend Karen said to me the other day, when I was moaning about it, "I think it's a really good idea to compare yourself to everyone around you."

I love Karen.

-x-
aarti