ABCD's of Cooking - AMERICAN-BORN CONFUSED DESI RECIPES

Turkey

September 17, 2009 Chitra Agrawal

I just got back from a trip to Turkey and wanted to share some photos of the markets and foods I had there. This picture above is of an apple cut into a spiral. It was pretty crazy to watch. This guy used this wierd machine to skin and spiral the apple in just a few seconds – definitely worthy of an infomercial!

During this trip, I spent some time in Istanbul and then drove around the countryside with my friend Marissa. We visited a small hill town called Selçuk and made our way to the Ephesus ruins, which were incredible.

The Spice Bazaar
If you go to Istanbul, you have to visit the Spice Bazaar. The vendors can be a bit overwhelming, but there is so much to see here from dried fruits and nuts, to teas, spices, cheeses, etc.

nuts and dried fruits

dried vegetables (included eggplants and okra which I had never seen before)

spices

Turkish delight (not my fav)

Kasari cheese is popular in Turkey. Its made from sheep’s milk and has a sharp, nice flavor. Kind of reminded me of provolone.

so many olives

Kadıköy
We took a ferry over to the Asian side of Istanbul to visit Kadıköy. I really liked this part of the city. There were so many small markets, clothing shops, cafes and bookstores.

vegetable market in Kadıköy

I had my favorite meal in Turkey in Kadıköy at Çiya (pictures below), where they serve regional cooking that is not typically found in Turkish restaurants. In this restaurant, they have a ton of sides (all vegetarian) and you just load up your plate with them and then everyday they are cooking a number of dishes and you just point to a few and they are brought to your table. I especially loved this place because, like me, they love to put yogurt on everything!

all the sides I pigged out on at Çiya

rice and spinach with yogurt

red lentil dumplings with yogurt

Selçuk
While driving to the Ephesus ruins, we visited Selçuk, a little picturesque town on the very top of a big hill. We stopped at an outdoor restaurant on the road and this nice lady below made me an otlu peynirli (kind of like a Turkish quesadilla). It is made with a dough that is rolled out very thin with different ingredients inside. Mine had cheese and spinach. It is folded up and then put on a hot skillet in a chimney. So good!

otlu peynirli was folded and then put on skillet in chimney on left

spinach and cheese otlu peynirli

Share on Tumblr

Posted in Food Writing & Photography | Tagged travel | 3 Comments

Rooftop Farms

September 3, 2009 Chitra Agrawal

Last weekend, I rode my bike for what felt like a very long time (when you ride at granny speed) to Rooftop Farms in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The farm was started by two very sweet people, Annie Novak and Ben Flanner. On Sunday, they had a farm market where you could buy some of the vegetables grown on the roof. I decided to go check it out and also volunteer on the farm. I wanted to share this picture from that day because it was such an amazing site.

I ended up buying some eggplant, tomato, kale, basil and Ben threw in some sage for me.

I have shared a recipe that I made using the eggplant from the farm in the post below.

Share on Tumblr

Posted in Food Writing & Photography | Tagged brooklyn, farm, volunteer | 1 Comment

Eggplant and Green Pepper Gojju

September 3, 2009 Chitra Agrawal

Gojju is another dish that is typically only found in South Indian home cooking. I grew up on it, but never realized the rest of the world was so deprived until I moved away from home and couldn’t find it anywhere. It sounds funny and doesn’t look too great I know, but it has a really nice blend of so many flavors: dried red chili peppers, tamarind, coconut, curry leaf, roasted dal, etc. See? Doesn’t that sound good?! Also you definitely feel some accomplishment from grinding down all the ingredients to make your own spice paste. You’ll see what I mean:)

Before making this dish, I called on my mother and aunt to send me their versions as I had so many scribbled pieces of paper with the recipe – and of course all with different measurements and methods. I ended up taking from both of their versions. I think I did something right because the taste was reminiscent of my growing up.

I used eggplant and green pepper (part of my green pepper was orange;), but you can make many gojju variations: green onion, okra, bitter gourd, tomato and even pineapple! Also you can make this dish to suit your preference as far as how soupy you want it. For eggplant, I like it to be wet but not that soupy (because I like it with roti) so it is up to you if you prefer adding more water or not to this recipe.

Eggplant and Green Pepper Gojju

Ingredients
For cooking vegetable
2 tablespoons oil
pinch of hing or asafetida
1 teaspoon black mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 dried red chili pepper
3-4 fresh curry leaves
1 1/2 cups Japanese eggplant, cut into 1 1/2 inch long and 1/2 inch thick wedges
1 cup green pepper, rough chop
1 cup onion, rough chop

For grinding
3-4 dried red chili peppers
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 tablespoons roasted chana dal
1/3 teaspoon turmeric
few sprigs cilantro
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut (can use thawed out frozen)
1/2 cup or more water

1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
2 teaspoons teaspoon jaggery or sugar
salt to taste

Method
Put oil in pan under medium-high heat. When hot, put hing and mustard seeds in. When mustard seeds start to pop, put in fenugreek and let it turn golden brown. Turn the heat to low-medium and put in the red chili and curry leaves and coat with oil. Cook for a few seconds and throw in the onion. After the onion has softened a little, put in the green pepper, eggplant and salt to taste. I add a bit of water too so that the vegetables stay moist. Cover.

While the veggies are cooking put the dried red chili peppers, black mustard seeds, roasted chana dal and turmeric into the blender and grind. Meeting pods are essentially a little room within a room. They are primarily used for meetings, hence the name, but can be used for all kinds of purposes. These meeting pods come in all shapes and sizes to meet different needs. Pods can be open like the office itself or closed off for privacy and confidentiality. Closed pods are more beneficial because of their natural soundproofing. Open pods still have some basic level of soundproofing, so people can still hold private conversations. call pods Next add in coconut, cilantro and water and grind. If it is looking a bit dry, you can add some water to make it more paste-like.

When the vegetables are almost done cooking, mix in the grinded paste and bring to a boil. At this time you can add some water too if you want to have a more soupy texture. Add in the tamarind paste and the jaggery and mix well. Continue to boil for a few minutes and then simmer. Add salt to taste. Turn the heat off and it will thicken a bit.

I like to eat this with roti and recently have been rolling it into a whole wheat tortilla. You can also eat gojju with rice.

Share on Tumblr

Posted in Autumn, Curry, Dinner, Recipes Index, Sides, South Indian, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged coconut, curry leaves, eggplant, gojju, green pepper, karnataka recipe, mustard seeds, south indian cooking, tamarind, vegan, vegetarian | Comments Off

A Dose of Ayurveda with your Otsu Noodles

September 1, 2009 Chitra Agrawal

I couldn’t help it but I had to post another soba noodle salad recipe that I made for friends this weekend. Not making soba is like admitting that summer is almost over! This recipe originally came from 101 Cookbooks, but I make a slightly modified version that my friend Jo passed on to me. At first, these noodles have a really mild, cool flavor and then they kick you in the pants with the hotness from the cayenne. I love watching people eat this dish for the first time because their eyes light up when the spiciness hits them.

This dish is Japanese influenced, but I couldn’t help but notice how the six tastes that make a balanced Ayurvedic meal are all present: sweet, sour, astringent, bitter, salty, pungent. According to Ayurveda, each person is unique and needs more of certain tastes to maintain balance in their body. There are 3 doshas or types of energies that are present in variable amounts in each person. The three doshas are vata (comprised of air and ether elements), pitta (fire and water) and kapha (earth and water). The easiest example is someone who is mostly pitta, which is a very firey, aggressive type of personality. This type is best balanced out with colder foods and these tastes: sweet, astringent and bitter. Sounds new agey I know, but I have to admit I am quite intrigued by the concept!

This meal is one that is good for every dosha type, which explains why it is well liked by all that I introduced it to and why you should bring it to a party! For this recipe, I have matched up some of the ingredients in this recipe with their taste categories: sweet – soba, sour – lemon, astringent – tofu (surprise to me), bitter – cilantro, salty – tamari, pungent – cayenne.

Otsu Recipe, modified version from 101 Cookbooks

Ingredients:
Ginger-sesame dressing (makes about double needed for recipe, but nice to keep around)
zest of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic crushed
1 1/2 oz. cleaned ginger, thinly sliced
1 tablesppon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons pure sesame oil
~2 teaspoons tahini paste (just enough to make the dressing a bit thicker)

Soba noodle salad
8 oz. portion frozen soba noodles, thawed and softened in boiling water and rinse in cold running water (or equivalent dry soba noodles, cooked according to package instructions)
1/2 block firm tofu, cut into 1/2″ cubes
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 scallion, green and white part, cleaned and thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut in half lengthwise then cut across into thin half-moons.
sesame seeds
more cilantro for garnishing

Method:
Add tofu to a large non-stick skillet without any oil and toss over high heat until all water has evaporated. Add canola oil, reduce heat to medium-high and fry, tossing frequently until tofu is firm and bouncy. Drain over paper towels.

In a food processor (or with mortar and pestle), combine lemon zest, ginger, garlic, sugar, cayenne, and salt and process to a smooth puree. Add lemon juice, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Blend well. Slowly add canola oil and sesame oil until well combined. Add tahini and blend together.

In a large mixing bowl combine drained soba noodles, cilantro, scallions, cucumber and 2-3 oz dressing, toss well. Arrange salad in center of large plate and top with fried tofu. Garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro sprigs.

Share on Tumblr

Posted in Autumn, Dinner, Favorites, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Mains, Noodles, Recipes Index, Sides, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged 101 cookbooks, ayurveda, otsu noodles, soba, tahini, vegan, vegetarian | 2 Comments

Kosambri (Carrot Salad)

August 25, 2009 Chitra Agrawal

photo courtesy Clay Williams

Kosambri is a traditional South Indian salad that I love. Whenever I go to a South Indian restaurant I always scan the menu for it, but rarely does it ever appear. So if you want to try it you will most likely have to make the recipe or come to my house? I remember that this dish was made for special occasions and picnics, but when my mother figured out that I really liked it she would make it more often. She mixes all of the ingredients up with her hand and now so do I. I’m convinced it tastes better that way.

This salad has many variations, but most popularly it is made with grated carrot and soaked moong (yellow) lentils. Kosambri has such a unique, tangy flavor, which comes from the combination of coconut, lemon, chili and seeds fried in oil. You can also add soaked chana dal to it.

This salad is so good for vegetarians not only because of the veggies, but because of the protein in the dals. I learned that the beta carotene in carrots is healthful in reducing the risk of cancer, but this recipe is actually doubly good because the nutrition in carrots is best absorbed when it is consumed with some oil. I had no idea how good kosambri was for me, but now I am really happy that I ate so much of it growing up. Thanks Mom and Aunties!

Kosambri (Carrot Salad)
video recipe

Ingredients:
1/8 cup yellow moong dal- soaked from night before
1 tablespoon of chana dal- soaked from night before (optional)
3 large carrots – shredded
1/2 cucumber – peeled, seeded, chopped small
little plum tomato chopped
1 shallot – chopped small
handful fresh coconut
juice of half a lemon
cilantro chopped
salt to taste (I find that putting a good amount brings out the flavor well)
1-2 green chilis chopped (optional if you like it hotter)

Vaggarne (spiced oil mixture)
2 teaspoons oil
1 teaspoon mustard seed
pinch of hing (asafoetida)
3 fresh curry leaves (or dried curry leaves)
1 dried red chilis – broken in two

Method:
Wash dals until the water is clear and soak overnight. Drain dals next day and place in bowl with carrots, cucumber, tomato and shallot.

In a little pan, fry oil with mustard seed and hing. When the mustard seed starts to spurt, add fresh or dry curry leaves and dried red chili. Stir for few seconds until coated with oil.

Pour this oil mixture over ingredients in bowl and mix.

Add lemon, coconut, cilantro and salt and mix well. Taste and if you want more more spice, add some chopped green chili (I use the small green chilis you find in the Indian store).

Share on Tumblr

Posted in Appetizers, Autumn, Dinner, Favorites, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Recipes Index, Salads, Sides, South Indian, Spring, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter | Tagged carrot, chaunk, cilantro, coconut, karnataka recipe, lemon, lentil, south indian cooking, vaggarne, vegan, vegetarian | 6 Comments

Too Hot To Cook!

August 23, 2009 Chitra Agrawal

This past Saturday I had plans to cook all day, but it was just too hot. My friend Sahar was visiting from the Bay Area and we spent much of the day outside in my neighborhood in Fort Greene. It was inhumanely hot for the most part except for when we got drenched by a crazy rainstorm. We ended up grabbing some things from the grocery and running back to my place to hug my A/C. Sahar put together this spread for us to enjoy. It was so pretty, I had to take a picture of it.

Share on Tumblr

Posted in Appetizers, Easy, Snacks, Summer, Vegetarian | 1 Comment

Peanut Chili Soba Noodles

August 18, 2009 Chitra Agrawal

I make this recipe a lot, especially in summer. It is so nice to bring for a picnic and I have done this on many occassions. I have to admit though that it tastes a bit different every time, kind of because I just use what I have on hand. Its one of those recipes that you add the ingredients little by little and taste as you go along, but I have done my best to give the quantities I used. I think though that the fun of the recipe is kind of the experimentation part so use my quantities as a rough guide.

This time I made the peanut dressing with sriracha (Thai hot sauce), limes, tamari (kind of like soy sauce, but better!), sesame oil, ginger, garlic, red chili flakes. Other times, I have substituted the lime with some rice vinegar which is a nice variation. I had some avocado, a little cucumber and a carrot so I threw that in with a bunch of herbs and baked tofu – I like the Wild Wood brand. In the past, I have used steamed broccoli, asparagus, green onions, etc. I feel like many veggies go well in this recipe. I forgot to put peanuts on the dish I photographed, but definitely add that to your dish because it adds great texture. I remembered just as I was half way through and realized that I was missing my crunchy peanuts – don’t make my mistake!

Peanut Chili Soba Noodles

Ingredients:
Peanut sauce
(makes way more than you need, but good to put on the leftovers next day)
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 limes squeezed and zest of 1 lime
2 teaspoons chopped ginger
2 garlic cloves chopped and pressed
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon sriracha
1 tablespoon sesame oil
pinch of red chili flakes
1/2 cup warm water (may not use all, just stir in slowly until you get a consistency that is thick, but loose enough to pour)
salt to taste

8 oz. soba noodles
1 package Wild Wood baked tofu – cut into small cubes (you can also use regular tofu and fry it a bit)
1 small carrot – grated
1 persian or small variety cucumber, seeded and chopped into half moons
cilantro – 1/4 cup chopped
chives – 1/4 cup chopped
basil – 1/4 cup chopped
1 avocado – sliced thin
1/2 cup peanuts

Method:
Boil soba according to package directions.

In bowl mix up all peanut sauce ingredients. I first mix with a spoon and then whisk when the consistency gets looser with the water.

Combine soba and peanut sauce. I like to mix it with my hand because then the noodles don’t break. Then mix in the tofu, carrot, cucumber, cilantro, chives and basil.

For each bowl, garnish with few of the avocado strips and peanuts.

Share on Tumblr