Things that make me happy

That last post was the epitome of laziness. A lazy post about being lazy!! I owe you better. Soo...

There are a few things in my kitchen that make my life just that little bit happier. I thought you might want to see them. Ready?

1) Soy milk creamer
This is one of the few soy products I have tried that (I hear the angels singing!) doesn't taste like soy! What joy! I can now enjoy my morning cuppa without having to submit my body to breaking down milky lactose, which it cannot do, resulting in a distended tummy and um... ummmmm... ok fine I'll say it, "air pollution". It's also lower in fat than half and half so I can have my Halle-Berry coloured coffee with a guilt-free (fat-free!) conscience.



2) Toasted Sliced Almonds
I love these! They're great for mindless snacking when I'm stressed about something and just need to fill my gob... they're also good for healthier options (!) like salads, oatmeal and veggie sautes. I keep mine in the freezer; it seems to ward off that stale taste, and if you haven't tasted very very cold nuts before, I think you might be in for a treat. (For those of giggling at that last statement... well, I was going to say get your mind out of the gutter, but my mind went there too so... I'll shut it. :)



3) Liquid concentrate broth
A friend shared these with me a couple of years ago and I have bought them ever since. If you ever just need a cup of broth for something, the box comes with a number of individual packets, each making a cup of broth when added to hot water. I much prefer their flavor to bouillon which is too salty for me. I have 'em in beef, chicken and vegetable. So good. Trader Joes makes them too.


4) Organic Turmeric Powder
I'm almost ashamed to admit that, even though I grew up in a staunchly "Jai Hindh" (Viva India!) household, complete with the mandatory worship of Indian cuisine, it wasn't until two Christmas-es ago that I realised what the spice-box staple, Turmeric Powder, actually smelled or tasted like.

That's because the majority of turmeric sold here isn't pure turmeric... there's usually some kind of filler in it. Mum and Dad discovered this organic brand in Bangalore, and I loved it so much that I had to buy a jar and bring it home. Now I worry about what to do when I finish it. I'm sure I can find some here, right? Right?!



What are some of your favorite things in your kitchen?

-x-
aarti

Feeling Laaaaaaazy

I have worked out ONCE this week. ONCE. And last week, I worked out three times. I want to go back to working out 4 times a week, but I just cannot bring myself to the gym at the moment, or to yoga. Anyone else suffering from the workout blahs?

-x-
aarti

I asked for it...

Well, after all my moaning about wanting rain and low temperatures, God answered with an almighty, "OH YEAH?!!!".

Cue one gorgeous rainy (but oh so cold in this drafty apartment) day after another, replete with moments when the rain came down so hard that I got a little scared. But it was all worth it; the mountaintops were covered in snow here this week, a gorgeous sight with palm trees in the foreground. I neglected to snap a photo, but here's one from the LA Times on Monday.


The other day, we also experienced the most curious thing: full-on rain, full-on sun! Some of you may have seen this before, but I have never witnessed a moment when BOTH aspects were exerting themselves at full force. Bren and I just stood watching for a while, no words passing between us. Then he quickly leaped into the living room to grab the camera and take some shots; I told him they wouldn't come out. Shows what I know! Click on them so you can see them full-size, especially the last one which captures individual rain drops falling off our roof. Awesome.




And as if that wasn't gorgeous enough, He then spoiled us with a great big stairway-to-heaven looking rainbow. WTF! (aka what the "fiddlesticks" :) Oh, and all this on my friend Elena's birthday! Lucky chestnut!


-x-
aarti

Aarti Cooks: Giddy-Up Steak with Yee-haw Compote and Parsnip Chips!

Image from The Poster Place

Who doesn't love them a cowboy? Gallopin' across the prairie to the next saloon, his piercing blue eyes peering out from under his dusty 10-gallon, worn-out leather boots stompin' one foot, then the other with a determined gait, lassoin' ladies left and right, wrastlin' a fiesty calf to the ground using his bare hands, scars tellin' stories of gunfights and fisticuffs... all this with only his trusty horse and his coffee can as company.

(Swoon!)

And so, today's recipe is brought to you by the Paul Newman cowboy seared in my mind... and that low-life, Valentine's Day: Coffee-rubbed Flank Steak with Onion-Date compote and Roasted Parsnip Chips.

Speaking of which, one of my favorite cowboy phrases is "hitch in your giddyup". Isn't it cute?

I don't know why, but whenever I think of a Valentine's Day dinner, I always imagine steak, wine and chocolate. Do you? Bren and I used to ignore this holiday at the beginning of our relationship; we were all "F the Man!" and boycotting Hallmark's sick attempt at making single people feel more lonely than ever.

Over the past few years, we've tried to do a little something, whether it's writing something to the other person or talking to each other without the TV on (!). Doods, it's the little things, ok?!

I hate going to a restaurant and paying extra for a meal just because it's Valentine-inspired. I would rather cook something at home. And this year, with all of our collective wallets looking a little thinner, I thought I would share this great way to make your honey, or yourself, a special meal, a tasty slab of red meat and still have money left over for a bottle of wine.

In fact, Bren and I had this last night, and calculated that the entire meal, with leftovers, cost us less than $20.

Take THAT, Ruth's Chris (and change your name for Goodness' sake, it's too hard to say).

N.B.: I would make the onion-date compote a day ahead if you can, because it does take almost an hour. Don't be put off by that though; it is absolutely, totally worth it, and it makes a ton, so you can use it the next day on a cheese sandwich or on a homemade pizza or on ice cream. Yeah, I said it.

Also, I kinda made up the onion-date compote as I went along last night, so forgive me for the photo below, which shows a lime I didn't use, and is missing a few things. I thought I might use the lime at the end. But I didn't. So there.

Seriously, if you make nothing else, make the compote. It will become a staple in your cooking repertoire and people will think you're oh-so-fancy for making a COMPOTE!


Giddy-Up Steak with Yee-haw Compote and Parsnip Chips!
(Coffee-rubbed Flank Steak, Onion-date Compote, Roasted Parsnip Chips)


You'll need this stuff (minus the lime, plus some dates and balsamic vinegar... oops):



1 flank steak, about 1.5 lbs or so
1 lb parsnips (about 3 big 'uns)

RUB:
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground espresso/coffee
1.5 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt


COMPOTE:
2 tbsp olive oil
4 large onions, sliced very thin
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
5 dates, pitted and minced


METHOD:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit/190 degrees celsius/gas mark 5.

2) Clean your flank steak, removing any extraneous fat and silver skin, slipping your knife under, like so... (sorry it's so dark!)





3) Mix rub ingredients together in a bowl, then massage the rub into the meat. I mean it, try to get it in there! You might have a bit of the rub left over, depending on the size of your flank steak. You can save that for the future, as long as your meat-tainted hands haven't touched the remaining rub. Set aside.

4) Start with the onion compote. Heat oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium flame until shimmering.


5) Add onions and stir occasionally until pale golden brown (10-15 minutes). Meanwhile, peel your parsnips and cut them in half crosswise, then again lengthwise (or quarter them if you have big puppies like I did), until you have spears of about the same size.

6) Once onions are a pale brown, turn heat to low. Spread onions out across the bottom of the skillet in a tin layer. Stir very rarely, allowing onions to caramelize and turn a deeper brown, about 25 minutes.

7) While onions are caramelizing, throw the parsnip chips onto a foil-lined baking sheet, toss with some olive oil, salt and pepper and throw them in the oven for 30 minutes, rotating your pan at the halfway mark to ensure even cooking.

8) Add water, vinegar and dates to onions. Stir and cook, covered, 15 minutes. Your parsnips should be done by now, so pull 'em out and keep 'em warm.



9) Meanwhile get your stove-top grill nice and hot. If you don't have one of these sweet things, you can use a big nonstick skillet. Fold a paper towel in four, pour a little veggie oil onto it, and wipe down your griddle (or pour a bit of oil into your skillet).

10) Once it's nice and hot (oil shimmering or lightly smoking), throw your rubbed-down meat on. It should take between 12 and 15 minutes to cook, depending on the size of your steak. Use a meat thermometer and pull off the steak when it reads about 135 for medium, 125 for medium rare; let it rest on a board, tented with foil for 5 minutes. Unless you really like dry steak, don't cook it above these temps!

9) Slice the steak thinly across the grain; if you don't, your precious steak will be incredibly chewy and deeply unsatisfying. I found a video that might help you.







10) Serve, alongside compote and chips... and love the one you're with! Even if you're by yourself!



-x-
aarti

Help a sistah out...

Hey guys, would you do me a favor and rate my video on YouTube? There are a row of stars under the video, and all you have to do is select how many stars you would give my video... that will help me get some more interest... Also would you forward the YouTube link to anyone you know who might like it? Grassroots campaign here!

Thankyou so much!

-x-
aarti

Taa-Daaa!

UPDATE: This is the better Vimeo version. Man, I love Vimeo.




I edited it!

-x-
aarti

Drumroll please...

Hey guys! Stay tuned for a VERY EXCITING new addition to my blog... check in a little later today (still trying to get it on here). You won't be sorry!

Eeek! I'm so excited!

-x-
aarti

How's Your News?

Have you heard of the new show, "How's Your News"? It's a feature news show hosted by a group of mentally and physically disabled people, that premieres on MTV this Sunday. At first, I thought this was a horrible idea, meant to make us laugh at people we shouldn't laugh at, but then I realised these guys were having so much fun, and actually catching a side of people that is a joy to see.

I love this clip, because it is a cooking segment and it features the unique and adorable Amy Sedaris.


How's Your News meets Amy Sedaris from How's Your News? on Vimeo.

-x-
aarti

The Challenge

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I thought this was particularly appropriate.

Bren talked about this in his vlog today (Chapter 101, which will post in a few minutes), about the challenge of truly loving everyone you meet. Everyone. From my adorable husband to my annoying landlord, from my friends to my foes, to a political figure I adore to one I think very little of, from the person who treated me with unspeakable kindness, to someone who treated me with unspeakable hatred. I am charged with loving them both. It is one of the central tenets of what Jesus told us to do, and I am so crappy at it!

So, following Bren's challenge this morning, I am going to try to live with this verse in my memory today. Let me know if you are doing it too!


1 Corinthians, Chapter 13 (The Message)

1 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 2If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 3-7If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

-x-
aarti

Clouds and Curry Leaves

It worked! Look at the clouds outside!


Aren't they gorgeous? I can already hear a very delicate pitter-patter on the windows. Since it was raining, I was finally motivated to do something I should have done MONTHS ago.

A while ago, when I wrote about the Lucia-Lucica Fried Rice, I mentioned curry leaves and how much I adore them. The Murraya koenigii's bold, green flavour is indispensible to South Indian cooking, our one big trump card over the North's delicious creamy curries. Put garlic, mustard seeds and curry leaves in some warm oil, stand back and wait for the explosion of delicious smells (and spluttering seeds) and pour the flavoured oil over cooked dal (lentils) or veggies. Shakabooli it's good!



Annoyingly, every time I need them, I have to run to the Indian store and ask them very quietly for a bag of cuddipatha (the Hindi name) since I'm not sure whether the ban has been lifted on them or not. Sometimes they don't have them, and my soul sinks. They're not expensive, but I feel bad about having a whole bag wasting away in my fridge. I've tried drying them but that mutes their flavour and turn an ugly black when cooked. Cue a frantic period of trying to use the fresh curry leaves in everything. Last night, I tried curry leaves with orange juice. Seriously.



When I was little, we had a curry leaf tree in our garden, in a nice shady spot. I remember it being huge, almost as tall as I was. Mum would send me out to grab a sprig whenever she needed it, and I remember Dad once telling me that I couldn't use a pair of scissors; I had to twist it off. I'm not sure what that was about; maybe he was just taking the piss. I'm hoping he'll clear that up in the comment section. Your move, Mr. Merlin.

ANYWAY, what a tediously long way to tell you that a few months ago, I found a company that sells curry leaf plants! I created a section called "I want..." on this blog, and put the link to that plant underneath it, in case anyone was feeling particularly generous. A few weeks later, this arrived in the mail, courtesy of my adorable husband.


Isn't she cute? I was in tears when Bren directed me to the newest inhabitant of my window sill. That Brendan knows just how to treat a little ol' weirdo food-cultist like me: random acts of ice cream and curry leaves.

I was supposed to re-pot the sweet thing months ago, but I got caught up in trying to figure out the perfect soil mixture for her. Today, with the clouds building up, I thought the rain might make her flourish, so I pulled out my favorite pot, the first one I ever painted, and transplanted my little murraya into her new spacious digs.


She is now bathing on the steps alongside the succies, and I'm hoping she'll plump up in the next few days. Her leaves are still young and tender, and lack the smack-your-face flavour of the more mature ones I get at the store. It'll be a while probably before I can cook with her, but I can't wait! Pray I won't kill her like I killed my tomatoes!



-x-
aarti