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

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.





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aarti

Aarti Cooks: Yorron's Soul-Singer Soup

I envy those of you buried under a foot of snow; I doubt you feel like you're in an enviable position but, there's something unnatural about the weather here: 80 degrees in January. Even in Dubai, it wasn't that hot at the beginning of the year.

Out of solidarity with you or stubborn rebellion against the LA weather gods (not sure which!), I can't help piling my grocery basket up with root veggies: butternut squash, sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots. Perhaps it's the colour. I was going through my closet the other day and I realised that most of my clothes are either yellow, orange, red or black. Not so much of the blue or green. What can I say? I'm a fire sign.

Speaking of sweet potatoes, Bren reminded me of this clip:



Aaaaghghghgghghghgh! You're welcome!

Anyway, I decided to make an old cooking school staple, butternut squash and sweet potato soup. But, I wanted to add something else to the soup recipe, put a little trademark aarti in there. While at Elat Market, I spied a jar of amba, a tangy pickled mango sauce that my friend Yorron had introduced me to when we were shopping for Burning Man. He is such an inspiration to me because that man was not afraid to try anything. I still remember how he made spinach with mangos and prickly pears!



According to Wiki, amba comes from the Iraqi Jews, who brought it to Israel, but the name sounds suspiciously like "aam", which is how we say mango in Hindi. In fact, we grew up on unbelievably good mango pickle that my grandmother makes from unripe green (aka "raw") mangos. So I don't know whether the Iraqis got it from the Indians (do mangos grow in Iraq?!), or vice versa, or whether the Indian Jews took it with them to Israel as well... who knows?


Whatever the case, this Israeli version is delicious: tangy, spicy in that way that tingles the roof of your mouth but doesn't make you run for a glass of water, slightly sweet... it's apparently drizzled over falafel and sabikh sandwiches, sometimes made fresh on the premises. This jar didn't have any chunks of mango in it though, which disappointed me. I'll have to try another brand.

It's hardly a surpise that I like amba; it it made from mangoes, turmeric and fenugreek. And you already know about my obsession with fenugreek. I decided to be brave and add it to the butternut squash, and it's a tasty, if not a slightly assertive combination. Be sure to add the pecans. They temper the sour stream of flavour that the amba adds.

Bren thought that this would make a good first course soup, rather than a main course. He said this as he ate three helpings of it.



Ha!

I love this soup. I place myself in your shoes, shoveling pounds of snow, shaking your head at how your nose hairs have frozen together. Even in the empty abyss of a grey day, you can take some visual, nasal and oral comfort in a pot of bright, mustard-yellow coloured soup. Add some toasted pecans for a hint of Thanksgiving and fireplaces, and voila, your nose hairs are emancipated, your insides melted and your spirit in a state of song... which is appropriate because Yorron means "he who sings of joy" in Hebrew.

I found amba at the Jewish/Middle Eastern market. If you can't find it there, you can order it off Kalustyans.

This one's for you, Yorron!


Yorron's Soul-Singer Soup: Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Pickled Mango Soup with Pecans

You'll need this stuff:



1 onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in half
2lbs butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 medium or 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups vegetable stock
5 cups water
2 bay leaves
6-7 tablespoons amba
Handful pecans, toasted in a pan over a low flame

1) Heat some olive oil in a big soup pot over a medium flame. Add onions, season with some salt and saute for a minute or so.

2) Add the carrots and garlic. Saute for another couple of minutes, and add the squash, sweet potato, stock, water and bay leaves. Season with some salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down until the soup is simmering, throw a lid on it and cook for 45 minutes.

3) Check the veggies after 45 minutes. If they're nice and soft, they're ready to go. If a knife doesn't go through 'em like butter, then let them boil for another 10 minutes. That way, your soup will be nice and smooth.

4) Remove soup from heat. DON'T FORGET (as I often do!) to pull the bay leaves out! Hold down the lid with a dish towel, and blend the soup in batches until smooth, either with your trusty counter-top blender, or if you're fancy, your immersion blender. If you have the latter, lock it up buddy, or else I'm stealing it from you.

5) Return the blended soup to the pot. Stir in amba. Taste and season accordingly. Serve with a few pecans on top.






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aarti

Aarti Cooks: Lions' Den Methi

HIIII-YAH!

I'm back! Happy New Year everybody. We just got back from our very relaxing holiday in Orlando and Andrews, NC last week, and it's taken about a week to get fully back into the system of things: the gym, the emailing and yes, the blog. Bren, overachieving blighter that he is, still managed to vlog everyday that we were away. I am using the fact that I forgot my camera cord as my excuse for not being as ambitious. I'll post some pictures later this week though.

BTW, if you haven't watched Bren's vlog in a while, I would encourage you to watch this one, mostly because of the muppet-type opening. It's hilarious!

We are ringing in the New Year by following the Daniel Fast, a 21-day abstension from all meat, alcohol, sugar/sweetners, dairy, eggs, refined white flour and leavened bread... in an effort to draw closer to the Lord. OH! And no caffiene! That's been the hardest one to give up! Man! We drank so much coffee whilst we were away that, on the first day back in LA, I dusted off my coffee machine, made Bren walk 4 blocks to the convenience store so that I could get some half and half, and brewed a pot to accompany our pizza and Battlestar viewing. Ah, bliss.

Anyway, this fast is inspired by the prophet Daniel. Do you know the story of Daniel? It's kind of complex: an Israelite, taken in by the Babylonian king against his will, becomes the only member of the court who can correctly interpret the King's dreams. All the while, Daniel remains true to his God, without bending to the Babylonians' god, even withstanding trials of fire and lion.

A lot of our daily parlance comes from the book of Daniel: "writing on the wall", "the lion's den", "the fiery furnaces"... and of course, the awesome-st named folks in the Bible, Meshach (ME-shack), Shadrach (SHAD-rack) and Abednego (a-BED-nee-go). Say those name 10 times fast, I dare ya!

Here's Chagall's rendition of Daniel in the lion's den:


Cool, huh?

Anyway, Daniel was young, handsome and intelligent, sadly for him, exactly fitting the qualifications of new additions to the King's court. Not wanting to bend to King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel decided:

"In those days, I, Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled."
- Daniel 10:2,3

So clearly, this isn't a fast in the strict sense, rather a "partial" fast. And there's nothing special about the foods you're eating; they don't hold any special powers. Rather, it's the intention behind it, the attitude with which you give things up.

I have no self-control, so I didn't think I could do it, especially since I'm so obsessed with food. However, every time a craving rears it head, say, for a sweet, sweet cup o' joe, I remember Who I'm giving it up for. The craving disappears. Literally. Fo'. Real.

Personally, I felt like God was hiding His face from me a good deal over the past few weeks, and while I don't want to assert any undue power to the fast (and away from God), He sure is close today. It's... really amazing! If you follow Christ, and you don't know what that feels like (having Him close to you), then give it a try. Heck, if you DON'T follow Christ, and you don't know what it feels like to have God's presence fall on you, give it a try. Can't hurt, right? How 'bout it? The creator of the universe? And you? Hanging out together? Huh? Huh?!

We went to the neighborhood Middle Eastern/Jewish market the other day, to stock up on cheap veggies (Elat Market, for those of you here in LA. It's on Pico, just east of Robertson), and I gasped with delight when I saw bunches of a straggly looking weed:


It's fresh fenugreek (we called it methi)! You might have heard of fenugreek if you make any Indian food from scratch: the seeds and dried leaves are used quite often, especially in North Indian food, if I'm not mistaken (Mum?!). Their distinctive aroma is often the base of that "curry" smell that seeps the worn-out carpet of every Indian restaurant you've frequented. It's also used to give a maple-like flavor to syrup. Weird, huh?

They're wicked good for you too. The leaves ease digestion, reduce blood sugar levels (great for diabetics), boost milk production in nursing mums, and clearing your sinuses. Apparently, they're from the same family as the peanut and the chickpea, so if you're allergic to either of those, you might want to skip this one.

Their flavor is bold, bitter, fiesty, even! Both Indians and Persians adore them. Mum plants fenugreek seeds in pots on her balcony so that they can have fresh leaves in their chapati dough (yum!). Growing up, we'd have fresh methi with potatoes. I decided to make it with sweet potato, hoping that the sweetness of the potato would balance out the bitterness of the methi. I LOVE how it turned out.

The only annoying part is that fenugreek is very muddy, so make sure you wash it at least twice, and remove any foreign stems that might be in there. Also, you'll have to trim the roots off, which I find much easier with a pair of scissors. You can find methi at most Indian stores, and as I just discovered, Middle Eastern stores. Alternatively, you could make this with spinach or kale.

Served with some brown rice, it's a really satisfying dinner. Given that I made this on the first day of our fast, I'm calling it "Lions' Den Methi".


Lions's Den Methi: Fresh Fenugreek Leaves with Sweet Potatoes and Mustard Oil

You'll need this stuff:


3 tablespoons mustard oil (or regular canola if you don't have mustard)
2 medium shallots, sliced 1/4" thin
1 medium sweet potato (about 10 oz), peeled, and cut into 1/2" cubes
2-3 bunches fresh fenugreek, washed very well (like, 2 or 3 times, they're so muddy!), woody roots trimmed off
1/4 tsp (rounded) turmeric powder
Salt and Pepper

1) Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and potatoes. Saute and allow to pick up some color.

2) Meanwhile, chop the methi finely. You can throw it in a food processor if you like.

3) Once the sweet potato/shallot mixture has caramelized a bit, remove from the pan and set aside.

4) Turn heat up to medium high. Return pan to heat and add remaining 2 tbsp of oil. When it's shimmering, add the methi. Stir often, and saute about 10 minutes until the methi has turned dark green.

5) Add the potato mixture and turmeric to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Add water and turn heat to medium-low. Cook, covered for 10-15 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft. Taste for seasonings and serve!


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aarti

Aarti Cooks: Tiger vs. Dragon Soup

I have so much to say about this recipe that I don't even know where to start!

First off, this one is for all the people who have told me that they are intimidated by the recipes I post. This one is wicked easy. Really. You cannot screw this up. And it's really cheap to make. Nothing fancy here. I'm talking to you, Genie.

Secondly, the name of this soup comes from a little-known fact: Did you know that Indians loooove Chinese food? When I was in India number of years ago, I noticed that the restaurants in Bombay fell into two categories: Indian, or Chinese. We might be competitors on the world market (Dragon vs. Tiger!) but in the kitchen, we're BFFs. In fact, when I was scouring the internet to see how other people make it, I found recipes on a number of Indian websites. Methinks this might be an Indian kitchen classic.

Anyway, Dad would get us take-away from a restaurant called the Golden Dragon, and we would always order the sweetcorn and chicken soup. I don't even remember what else he would get. All I can remember is that sweet sweet soup.

Then the restaurant burned down. We were left to fend for ourselves.

Enter stage right: Mum! (Cue trumpets!) She came up with a recipe, which became the backbone for this one.

I make this recipe at least once every winter, as soon as one of us gets the sniffles. Grandma's chicken soup might be good, but *this* one tastes way better. In addition to chicken soup's inherent healing properties, the hefty amounts of fresh ginger not only open up your nasal passages and soothe your throat, it also soothes your tummy. Add corn, with its soft, enveloping flavor and, combined with soup's inherent warm-you-to-the-core properties, CTHD soup leaves you feeling hugged, inside and out.

This is my favorite soup in the world, hands down. I hope you try it.

But first... a few notes:

1) Food snobs look away! This recipe calls for... duh, duh, duuuuuhhhhh: chicken bouillon cubes. Yup. I've tried not to use them, tried using real chicken stock, tried the liquid chicken concentrate that comes in packets... nothing works as well as these little babies. Sad but true. Must be all the sodium. You can bypass 'em if you like, but I re-introduced these babies to the soup last night, and it was the best batch I've made in a long time.



2) Chicken. I use two chicken breasts on the bone. It keeps your chicken moist, and the bones make the broth taste even better. At the store, it'll say "chicken split breast with ribs". That's the kind you want. Alternatively, you can use plain chicken breasts. They'll cook much quicker though, so check 'em after 10-15 minutes. If you prefer dark meat, I used to use chicken thighs (with the bone) but they are a pain in the butt to shred once cooked. You can also cut a whole skinned chicken; you won't need all that meat, but you'll have some lovely poached chicken that you can use the rest of the week in salads and quesadillas.

Tiger vs. Dragon Soup: Sweetcorn, Chicken & Ginger soup

You'll need this stuff:



10 cups water
1 leek, green parts too if you have 'em, sliced in half and thoroughly washed
1 carrot, peeled and chopped in two
1" hunk of fresh ginger left whole, plus additional 3" hunk, minced
2 dried bay leaves (optional)
2 chicken breasts on the bone
3 14oz cans creamed corn
1-2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp sesame oil
4 spring onions, chopped finely, white and green parts (reserve some green for final garnish)
4 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp water
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
Soy sauce to taste

1) Pour 10 cups of water into a big stock pot and bring to a boil over high heat. While it's coming to temp, throw in the leek, carrot, 1" hunk of ginger and bay leaves. Lightly season.






2) Skin the chicken breasts, remove excess fat, and once the water comes to a boil, throw the chicken breasts into the pot. Allow the whole lot to come back to a boil, then turn it down and simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes, until chicken is cooked and tender.

3) Extract the breasts and allow to cool. Strain the stock, and discard the leeks, carrots, ginger and bay leaves.



4) Return the stock to medium heat. Add creamed corn, crumbled stock cubes (I use two), 3" hunk of minced ginger, spring onions and sesame oil. Allow to simmer, while you remove the chicken from the bone and shred finely using a fork. If this is too much work for you, you can just slice it really thinly.

5) Bring the soup to a boil. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the corn starch with the cold water, until dissolved. Add to the soup whilst stirring. Allow to boil until it's thickened. If it doesn't thicken, add another cornstarch slurry, this time using only 1tbsp cornstarch and 1 tbsp water.



6) In another small bowl, beat the egg whites with a little water. Stir the soup in circles as you add the egg whites in a steady stream; it should form pretty white wisps on the surface of the soup. It didn't work for me this time for some reason, so I don't have a photo of it. Meh!

7) Add the chicken and rice wine vinegar. Heat gently through. Taste for seasoning.

8) Serve, with a splash of soy sauce and some of the reserved green portion of the spring onions in the middle. Flu be gone! Karate chop!



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aarti

Aarti Cooks: Fathers Office-Inspired Stuffed Peppers!

Y'all know how much the McSequeira household worships the burger and beer Shangri-La that is Fathers Office. We have our friends Andrew and Meta to thank for our obsession. A few years ago, they told us about the burger (a glorious creation topped with a bacon-onion compote, light blue cheese and arugula), and shortly thereafter, we were hooked.


Indeed, after FO opened their second branch a stone's throw from our house, I wondered whether the theory of (cue eerie whispery voice) "The Secret" could be true! Did Bren love and desire that burger so much that it manifested in his very own Father's Office 2 minutes from our abode?!

We haven't seen Andrew and Meta in way too long, so we had our reunion at you-know-where this week. It was great to see them and gobble that burger together.


Inspired by them and the burger, I made these stuffed peppers last night, built on an autumnal base of caramelized onions, apples and (oh yes please!) bacon. I added blue cheese to the mix, forgetting that I'm not a big blue cheese fan, so leave that out if you're like me. Next time, I might try Gorgonzola for a more delicate tang. Or maybe goat cheese. Hmmm.

Again, with economy in mind, this dish stretches out that pound of ground beef. Plus, since it's stuffed inside a pepper, it's easier to digest; my friend told me that we are meant to eat animal protein with some vegetable fiber so that it digests more easily (so steak and potatoes is actually a BAD idea. Steak and broccoli on the other hand is perfect).

One note -- I used Freekeh instead of the traditional rice stuffing.

Freekeh is a Middle Eastern grain as far as I can figure, probably from Syria? It's wheat that's picked early, hence the green tinge, and then dried out over coals, so the grains have an inherent smoky flavour that is just delicious. I found it at a specialty store here. If you can't find it, or if you don't WANT to find it, you can substitute with 1 - 2 cups of cooked rice, remembering that 1/2 cup of uncooked rice doubles in size once cooked.

This recipe is a tribute to Andrew and Meta, and of course to Father's Office. So without further ado:

Fathers Office-Inspired Stuffed Peppers with freekeh, caramelized onions, apples, bacon and a hint of brandy.

You'll need this stuff:



4-6 large bell peppers, big enough to stuff
1 cup freekeh, or 1 cup cooked rice
Olive oil
2 medium onions, medium dice
2 large apples, medium dice, skins on
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 rashers bacon, small dice
1 pound ground beef
Slurp of brandy or whiskey
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
1/4 cup blue cheese (optional)
1 egg, lightly beaten

1) Bring a big pot water to boil, seasoning the water with salt once it's boiling. Meanwhile wash the freekeh and soak in a bowl of hot water for 30 minutes.

2) Slice the tops of the bell peppers; I sliced about 1/2 inch off. Remove the ribs and seeds, saving the tops for a salad the next day. Rinse the bell peppers.

3) Dunk the bell peppers in the boiling water and blanch for 3 minutes. Then, set them out to dry on some paper towel, cut side up. Bring the water up to the boil again, and add the drained freekeh, bringing the water down to a rolling simmer. Cook the freekeh for 30 minutes. (Alternatively, you can cook the rice in this water. It should only take 10 minutes, as opposed to the usual 15 minutes since there's so much water). Once the freekeh or the rice is cooked, drain and keep the grains aside.

4) While your grains are cooking, set a large skillet over medium-high heat and swirl a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in there. Once it's shimmering, add the onions and the apples. Season generously with salt and pepper. Saute until they start to brown around the edges (5-8 minutes).

5) Turn the heat down on the onion mixture. Cook for another 10 minutes or so, allowing the onions and apples to caramelize, turning a deep brown. Sprinkle the garlic on top now and gently toss. Move the onion mixture to the perimeter of the pan, and add the bacon to the empty space in the middle. Allow the fat to render and when the bacon has stiffened a little (don't let it burn!), stir into the rest of the onion mixture. Allow to cook another 5 minutes.

6) Turn your oven on, preheating to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Then turn the heat up a little to medium-high and add the ground beef. Stir, breaking up the chunks and cooking until browned and no longer pink on the inside.

7) Add a splash of brandy or whiskey to pick up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan; if you'd prefer not to use alcohol, you can use a little stock or even a little water.

8) Add the cooked grains, the ketchup and the worcestshire sauce. Toss and season according to your tastebuds; if you're going to add cheese, remember that most cheese has salt into it, so go easy salt-lovers. Off heat, add the cheese and the egg.

9) Place the bell pepper shells in a baking dish. Fill to the brim with the meat mixture, patting it down. You can top with some cheese if you like, but I like it bare. If you have leftover meat mixture, you can make a little freeform meatloaf on a foil-lined cookie sheet.

10) Roast for 25-30 minutes until the bell peppers have taken on a little color and the meat is browned on top. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, and then serve immediately! A simple salad with a slightly sweet dressing goes really well with this. And so does a nice beer.


What do you think?

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Aarti Cooks: Hot Dogs/Sausages a la Rose

In these recessionary times, (or as my friend Mikael likes to call it, GD2, ie. Great Depression 2), it's nice to have some cheap meals in your arsenal. This recipe is one of my cheapest, and funnily enough, one of the most delicious. And yes, of course, there's a story.

This recipe came about as a result of my Dad's extensive travels, work trips that happened practically every month and which took him everywhere from Djibouti to Malaysia. He loved and hated it. So did we. We hated that he had gone away, but we loved the tradition it created. Dad, being a curry-and-rice stalwart, hardly ever indulged in fast food. Hence, when the cat was away, the mice made a beeline for Hardy's and Shakey's Pizza (hey, it was Dubai; there weren't a lot of fast food options).

The mother mouse (Rose) also experimented with fusing fast food fixin's with Indian food fixin's. Only my mum would think about slicing tubes of processed "meat" into pretty rounds and cooking them up with onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala and... ketchup. Yes ladies and gents, the glorious tangy sweet ketchup, that underestimated occupant in your quiver of kitchen arrows.

This weird combo of common and exotic became our favorite thing that Mum made, and she wisely sent me off to college with this recipe in hand.

I remember the first time I made it for Bren. I can still picture him sitting in the shabby kitchen of our Ridge & Davis apartment, looking at it with a puzzled look on his face. It was even more puzzled once he ate it. He looked up at me, saw my forlorn face and said, "It's just... I don't... get it." So I understand the face you're making at the thought of this combination. But give it a try: it's Bren's favorite now too.

I have made this for him countless times over the past 12 long years and each time, we disagree over what to call 'em: I call them sausages, but Bren says they're hot dogs. I suppose we could settle on calling them "frankfurters", but really, does that sound appetizing? It sounds like "farts".

In any case, I hope you try this. It's wicked easy and it really is delicious. I normally serve it stuffed into some warmed pita bread halves, with a crisp, green salad. I adapted it a little bit for our taste, adding some smoked paprika (pimenton) to fancy it up a bit, and some shredded carrots that I had in the fridge, but you don't need either. I've named this recipe as my Mum would always refer to it:

Sausages a la Rose!

Serves 3
You'll need this stuff:



1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled, sliced thinly
1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 handful shredded carrots (optional)
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pimenton aka smoked paprika (optional)
1 large tomato, diced
1/8 cup ketchup
1 pkg hot dogs, sliced about 1/16" thick (I like Hebrew National; you can choose whether you like chicken, turkey or beef. Trader Joes also has some Niman Ranch ones that I used today, which are awesome)
Handful of cilantro, minced


1) Set a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, swirling 1 tbsp canola oil until shimmering. Prep your onions, garlic and ginger whilst the oil is heating up.







2) Add onions, garlic, ginger and carrots, seasoning with salt and pepper. Saute until softened and slightly brown around the edges. Make sure your tomato is all chopped up and ready to go for the next step.






3) Add turmeric, garam masala and paprika's, quickly stirring for about 20 seconds to keep the spices from burning. Add tomatoes and stir. Cook until the mixture turns mushy.






4) Add ketchup, and taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Cook 5 minutes.








5) Add hot dog rounds, stirring to cover with tomato mixture. Add 1/4 cup water if the mixture is too dry and cover. Simmer over medium-low heat 15 minutes.







6) Taste and season accordingly. Off heat, stir in cilantro. Serve!








Let me know if you try it!




-x-
aarti

New Series: Aarti Cooks!

There are a lot of great things about Wednesdays. You're halfway through the week. The horror of Monday morning is a distant memory, whilst the joy of Friday evening beckons like the smell of salt in the air as you get closer and closer to the beach.

(Tangent alert: Did you know that "Wednesday" comes from the Anglo-Saxon god, Woden? He was associated with Mercury, to whom the Romance language folks dedicated their Fourth Day too: "mercredi", "miercole" etc. In Hindi, Wednesday is Buddhavar, derived for the Vedic name for Mercury, Buddha. And no, I didn't know all this; I stole it from Wiki.)

There are some sobering things associated with Wednesdays too: Wednesday's child is full of woe. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. And sometimes Wednesday means you wasted time on Monday and Tuesday, so now you don't have enough time to finish everything before the weekend. (Woops, that was a bit of my life peeking through there!)

But anyway. The reason I love Wednesdays is... the Food Section. That hallowed newspaper section printed on Mercury Day by most newspapers across the country. Ah Wednesday: the promise of a chef's secret recipe uncovered, a new trend to criticize snootily, a review of a new restaurant whose owner is waiting with baited breath to read... There's something quaint and sunny about it, isn't there?

Well, from now on, you can add me to your Wednesday Food Section browsing. As a challenge to myself, I am going to publish an original Aarti recipe every Wednesday in a series I'm calling Aarti Cooks!

(I know, it's all I could come up with. I just couldn't put my name and "Hump Day" into a title. It's just so... un-ladylike. If you have a better one, I'm open to it.)

This is the recipe book I've been keeping since I was 11, full of recipes I had copied down because I liked. Now I'm adding ones I've made up.



So here's my first one -- it's a great recipe for autumn, both because of the flavours and because you can heat up the house by using your oven for 45 minutes. Your house will smell like Thankgiving.

The dish is also completely vegetarian! Vegan even! Whee!

A few notes about the ingredients:
- Quinoa is an ancient grain (linked to the Incas somehow), that has a slightly crunchy and nutty flavor. It is the only grain that is a complete protein -- all the amino acids are intact so it's great for vegetarians and vegans. It's not a substitute for meat - the protein strands may be complete, but a chicken breast has more protein as a whole. Anyway. Let me take my food geek hat off. You can find it at Trader Joes and at Whole Foods, or order it online. It comes in red or white -- they both taste the same.
Update: Thanks Mandi for pointing out the missing pronouncer here. Quinoa is pronounced KEEN-wah.

- Delicata (deh-lee-CAA-ta) squash looks like this:



I chose this squash because you don't have to peel it! Yippee! The peel is thin enough that once roasted, it's slightly crunchy. Good roughage as my Mum would say. Of course, you can substitute whatever squash you can find. If it has a thick peel though, you should peel it. I find Delicata squash in the farmers markets these days.

Garam Masala, an Indian spice concoction, is popping up in regular supermarkets these days! Otherwise, go without and add just a touch more cinnamon. (Alternatively, grind up some cinnamon and some cloves in your coffee grinder; you'll have my mum's garam masala mix. Mum, do you use equal portions of cinnamon and cloves? Omit the cinnamon called for in the recipe and just use this garam masala if you decide to make it.) By the way, it's pronounced GUH-rumm, not GAY-rumm as I've heard some people say it.

Asfoetida Powder is also knows as Hing in Hindi. You don't need to add this, as it does little for the flavour, but I added it because I remember Mum telling me something about it helping relieve beans' gassier qualities. Ahem.
UPDATE: Yet again, forgot to tell you how it's pronounced! Ummm. Let's try ASS-foh-TEE-dah. Yeah that'll work

Without further ado:

QUINOA PILAF WITH DELICATA SQUASH, SAGE & BLACK BEANS



For the squash:
3 lbs delicata squash, unpeeled, seeded and diced into 1/2" cubes
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 tsp chopped sage
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cinammon
1/2 tsp garam masala

For the quinoa:
1 cup quinoa
3 cups water
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp asfoetida powder/hing (optional)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp sherry vinegar (or more depending on how tangy you like it!)
Handful of parsley, chopped

1) preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit/190 degrees celsius
2) grab a big baking sheet and line with foil so you don't have much washing up to do. throw the squash on your baking sheet, and toss with the salt, pepper, sage, olive oil, cinnamon and garam masala.
3) roast for 45 minutes, or until tender, and slightly caramelized.
4) meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a saucepan. wash the quinoa, then add to the boiling water. (I don't salt the water; seems to keep the quinoa tender). Cook 13 minutes, or until white spiraly germ is prominent and the grains are tender. Store off heat with lid on.
4) warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. saute onions and garlic, along with spices until softened and slightly browned.
5) Add cooked quinoa, beans and squash. Stir lightly until combined. Sprinkle with sherry vinegar. Taste for seasoning. Garnish with parsley and serve.



I served it with some stir-fried Chinese broccoli (my new favorite! yum yum!).



Let me know what you think!

-x-
aarti