I must admit I have less "thyme" for food blogging these days...but I have been doing plenty of cooking!

This is partly due to my subscription to Thyme for Cooking, the excellent menu planning service offered by fellow food AND expat blogger Katie...

Here's to you, Katie -- and your great zucchini gratin above!

2 cups apple cider or apple juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix together sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg in saucepan. Pour
in juice (apple and lemon). Cook and stir constantly until thickened
and boils. Boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat and stir in
butter. Serve warm over pancakes.


Famous Recipes

(Dosa stuffed with two onion potatoes. I know its too much but I love that stuffing!)

Roll the drums, what you see above is my first ever masala dosa. Sure, its not the size of a small ox but its mine, all mine!

I feel so empowered now.

I can make my OWN dosa and my OWN dosa filling, I do not have to travel the dosa-challenged countryside of central Massachusetts looking for that one hidden Indian restaurant that serves dosa.

“How, Why?” you may ask.

For one, when I reviewed the “Modern Indian Cooking” cookbook by Hari Nayak and Vikas Khanna, I felt sorta goofy not cooking with even the most fundamental of spices.

My kitchen was just not prepared.

When I received another Indian cookbook called the “Complete Book of Indian Cooking: 350 Recipes from the Regions of India” by Suneeta Vaswani, I decided that the only way to honor the traditional recipes in this cookbook was to adhere closely to them. I suggest that you visit Suneeta Vaswani’s site to learn more about this extraordinary woman. She has dedicated a good part of her life to sharing the ancient and authentic cuisines of India with the world. She is based in Houston, Texas so I will have to read on from afar. I would love to be able to attend some of her cooking classes.

As I am not Indian, I have a very narrow experience-base with the vast cuisine that is Indian cooking. This cookbook is expansive in it’s coverage of the four corners of India (and its seemingly infinite varieties of ancient cuisines). One can easily jump into cooking creamy northern kormas to thinner southern dal soups to coconut-enriched dishes from the coastal regions. What I needed to do was to stick with what my palate knows now from experience with foods prepared by trained cooks.

I wanted to make something that I had experience eating so that I could tell if I even came close to achieving a modicum of success. Its for this reason that I chose dosa with spicy potato filling.

Preparing these recipes (or any in this cookbook for that matter) meant that I had to find a store that sells quality spices and other Indian ingredients in my relative vicinity and make a spice buy.

I found, almost by luck, a shop in Worcester, MA called Ed Hyders Mediterranean Marketplace (see a nifty video interview at the store) that as been around for 31 years and which has a fantastic selection of spices. It was my lucky day too because they were having a spice sale this month, I could be a bit more experimental.

I will be writing more about Ed Hyders in another post, stay tuned!

I bought nearly $100 worth of spices, half off. I didn’t buy much of each though so that I didn’t end up with much unused stale spices.

With the guidance of Vaswani’s book, I had the most fantastic success. I can not recommend this book highly enough, even for the neophyte. There is plenty of background on the various regional Indian food, the spices needed, and very clear instructions on how to prepare these delights.

Now, for my dosas!

Dosa

(South Indian Rice and Lentil Crepes, pg. 155 “Complete Book of Indian Cooking“, the copyright for this recipe is all theirs.)

This takes 3 days. Be sure to read entire recipe and budget the correct time needed.

I am going to paraphrase here. You can download a printable copy at this link.

Ingredients:

• 2 C (500 mLs) long grain rice (not basmati)
• 1 C (250 mLs) split white lentils (urad dal)
• 1 1/2 T (22 mLs) fenugreek seeds (methi)
• 1 1/2 tsp (7 mLs) salt to taste
• 3 to 4 T (45 to 60 mLs) oil

Directions:

Soak rice overnight in 6 cups (1.5 L) water. Pick through the urad dal for small rocks, etc, and rinse. Place in a separate bowl and add fenugreek seeds and 4 cups (1 L) water. Soak overnight.

Drain the dal and rice mixtures (separately). In two batches, blend 1/2 the dal with 1/4 C (50 mL) warm water in each batch. Blend until smooth (about 2-3 mins). Put into a large bowl.

In two batches, blend the soaked and drained rice with 1/4 C (50 mL) warm water until VERY smooth. Pour both batches of blended rice into the bowl with the blended dal.

Stir in the salt and about 1/4 C (50 mL) warm water to get a cake like batter. Cover and set aside someplace warm to ferment for 10-12 hours (overnight in my case). After this fermentation it is ready to use or can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours. Bring back to room temperature before making dosas.

Whip fermented batter vigorously for some 2 mins (it should be fluffy, sort of like baking soda based pancake batter that you let sit a bit before using). Beat and thin with warm water until it is the consistency of heavy cream.

You can find no end to videos on the web that show how to make dosa. Here is one.




Basically, you need a well seasoned surface, little to no oil, a long very flat spatula (I used an cake icing spatula, its perfect), a 1/2 C scoop and something with a flat bottom like another measuring cup or a heat resistant glass, with which to spread the batter out, in a continuous spiral from the center. Just watch the video!

Once made, eat quickly! I suggest adding the potato filling and coconut chutney you see below.

The following is an excerpt from the “Complete Book of Indian Cooking“, the copyright for this recipe is all theirs.

Potatoes with Two Onions (printable copy)
(Serves 6 to 8 )

“These make a wonderful picnic dish, as they are equally good at room temperature. They’re also excellent topped with grilled fish or poached eggs.”

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp (10 mLs) salt or to taste
• 3⁄4 tsp (4 mLs) turmeric
• 2 lbs (1 kg) all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
• 2 tbsp (25 mLs) oil
• 1 tsp (5 mLs) dark mustard seeds
• 1 tsp (5 mLs) cumin seeds
• 1 tsp (5 mLs) split white lentils (urad dal)
• 21⁄2 cups (625 mLs) chopped onions
• 11⁄2 tbsp (22 mLs) slivered peeled gingerroot
• 2 sprigs fresh curry leaves, stripped (20 to 2
• 25 leaves)
• 4 2-inch (5 cm) long green chiles, preferably 4 serranos, slivered
• 3⁄4 tsp (4 mLs) cayenne pepper
• 1 cup (259 mLs) chopped tomatoes
• 1⁄4 cup (50 mLs) finely sliced green onions, with some green

Directions:

Fill a saucepan three-quarters full of water. Add salt and turmeric and bring to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over high heat until a couple of mustard seeds thrown in start to sputter. Add all the mustard seeds and cover quickly. When the seeds stop popping, in a few seconds, uncover, reduce heat to medium and add cumin and urad dal. Sauté for 30 seconds. Add onions, ginger, curry leaves and chiles. Sauté until onions are golden, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add potatoes, cayenne and tomatoes. Add 1⁄4 cup (50 mL) water. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until tomatoes soften slightly and flavors blend, for 5 minutes. Potatoes should be soft and semi-dry. Garnish with green onions before serving.

Note on presentation:Usually dosas are rolled into more of a tube and have a bit of potato. Mine are overloaded with the potato and look more like breakfast tacos! I know this but they were delicious. I would recommend a sauce that is not shown - Coconut Chutney.

I adore this stuff but was not able to make it in time for the shoot because it requires a blender and the baby was napping so I didn’t make it because I didnt want to wake him up!

The recipe for this can be found in the book on page 405 and is listed below.

Coconut Chutney (printable version coming soon)

Ingredients:

• 1 T + 1/2 tsp (15 mL + 2 mL) oil, divided
• 1 T (15 mL) split yellow peas (channa dal), picked over and rinsed
• 1 C (250 mL) dry unsweetened coconut powder
• 2 dried Indian red chilies, 1 broken into pieces
• 1/4 C (50 mL) freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt, to taste
• 3/4 tsp (4 mL) dark mustard seeds
• 3/4 tsp (4 mL) cumin seeds
• 2 tsp (10 mL) minced peeled gingerroot
• 2 sprigs fresh curry leaves (about 20 - 25 leaves) stripped from stems.

Directions:

In a skillet, heat 1/2 tsp (2 mL) oil over medium heat. Add the channal dal and sauté 2-3 mins. Set aside.

In the same skillet, toast the coconut and broken chile (save out that whole 2nd chile). Stir to prevent burning. When the coconut is 2 to 3 shades darker, remove from the heat. Cool then put in a blender.

Add the reserved sautéd channa dal, lime juice, salt, and 1 C (250 mL) water, blend to a smooth paste. Put into a bowl.

Heat remaining 1 T (15 mL) oil over high heat until a couple of mustard seeds thrown in start to sputter. Add the remainder of mustard seeds, cover and cook on high heat until the popping stops. Quickly remove cover, put heat to medium, add cumin seeds, remaining chile, and ginger. TRY not to let any of the mustard cooking fumes waft into your face when you open the cover, potent! Stir 30 seconds and then pour over the blended coconut mixture in the bowl. Stir in well.

Put a bit of this on the potatoes in your dosa, take a bite, close your eyes, and you are in heaven!

Product Details:

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Robert Rose (October 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778801756
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8 x 1.1 inches
• Cost (hardcover): $23.07 (Amazon US), £12.15 (Amazon UK)
  

Related Posts:

• Modern Indian Cooking by Hari Nayak and Vikas Khanna

Technorati Tags: masala dosa, dosa, Massachusetts, Indian restaurant, cookbook, Hari Nayak, Vikas Khanna, spices, kitchen, India, Complete Book of Indian Cooking: 350 Recipes from the Regions of India, Suneeta, Vaswani, ancient, authentic, cuisine, Houston, Texas, korma, dal soup, coconut, palate, spicy, Worcester, Ed Hyders Mediterranean Marketplace, Lentil, Crepe, urad dal, fenugreek, fermented, spatula, video, coconut chutney, turmeric, potato, mustard seed, cumin seed, onion, gingerroot, curry leaves, green chile, serrano, tomato, green onion, coconut powder, Indian red chilies, blender, channa dal, lime, juice, paste, ginger

Should it be described as a Creole dish or as a Cajun dish?
Do Jambalaya's origins lie in Spain, West Africa or France?
Tomatoes or no tomatoes?

To answer these questions, you have to sort through loads of information.

In a nutshell, Jambalaya is most commonly believed to have evolved from the Spanish dish Paella, but it is also amazingly similar to an African dish called Jollof rice. The word "jambalaya" is thought to have come from the French words for with, "à la," and ham, "jambon," combined with the African word for rice, "ya." A basic distinction between Creole Jambalaya and Cajun Jambalaya is the addition of tomatoes, which makes it Creole.




Jambalaya is a very versatile dish. It can be made from various combinations using chicken, shrimp, ham, pork, duck, oysters, crayfish, tomatoes, celery, onions, garlic and peppers. The one compulsory ingredient that makes a dish Jambalaya, is rice.

I have two favorite versions. One is a Creole Jambalaya made with shrimp and ham, and the other is a Cajun Jambalaya made with smoked sausage or Andouille and chicken.

Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya
from Louisiana Real and Rustic by Emeril Lagasse

1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped bell peppers
3 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons cayenne
1 pound andouille, chorizo, or other smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
1 1/2 pounds boneless white and dark chicken meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 bay leaves
3 cups medium-grain white rice
6 cups water
1 cup chopped green onions

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1 teaspoon of the cayenne. Stirring often, brown the vegetables for about 20 minutes, or until they are caramelized and dark brown in color. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen any browned particles. Add the sausage and cook, stirring often for 10 to 15 minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen any browned particles.
Season the chicken with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. Add the chicken and the bay leaves to the pot. Brown the chicken for 8 to 10 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned particles.
Add the rice and stir for 2 to 3 minutes to coat evenly. Add the water, stir to combine, and cover. Cook over medium heat for 30 to 35 minutes, without stirring, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
Stir in the green onions and serve.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

(one note: I found using 5 cups water is plenty, and I lower the heat when I add the rice so it doesn't burn on the bottom)
See article.

A question that has nagged at me for a while: If I add raw eggs to hot spaghetti, will I get scrambled egg spaghetti? Apparently not. Thank Gawd - else we’d be eating Key Lime Oreo Truffles out of the freezer for dinner!

My experience with The Domestic Goddess’ recipes have been hit-and-miss. Her Pasta Carbonara wasn’t just a hit, it was a dead-on bulls-eye. We thought the creamy pasta flavored with peppery pancetta was fantastic. It paired wonderfully with a school-night bottle (375 ml) of our Pinot Grigio.

Nigella’s recipe calls for a full pound of pasta but “only” serves 2. Sounds like “fat math” to me Maybe she means two people over the course of 3 days because that’s how much leftover we have. My fault - I had intended to cut the recipe in half, but I was too busy twirling around the kitchen singing that “1234″ song from the iPod Nano commercial (I know that you know what I’m talking about). The next thing I know, all 4 egg are staring back at me from the bowl. Oops!

Pasta Carbonara, from Nigella Feasts
1 pound spaghetti
2 cups cubed pancetta rind removed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth (I used our Pinot Grigio)
4 eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I used Parmiggiano-Reggiano and had some clumping)
1/4 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly ground nutmeg

Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta.

In another large pan that will fit the pasta later, cook the pancetta cubes in the oil until crispy but not crunchy. Add the white wine or vermouth and let it bubble away so that, after a few minutes, you have a small amount of salty winey syrup left. Take the pan off the heat.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, Parmesan, cream, and pepper. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, but since you want it kept al dente start checking it 2 minutes before end of the recommended cooking time.

When the pasta is done, remove approximately 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining. Put the pan with the pancetta cubes back on the heat and add the drained pasta, tossing well to coat with the pancetta. Take the pan off the heat again and add the eggs and cheese mixture, swiftly tossing everything to mix. Thin with pasta water, if needed. Grind over some more pepper and grate over the nutmeg to serve.

My first experience with Indian food was in Vancouver, BC on my 19th birthday . My friends drove me all the way from Seattle, across the border into Canada, to celebrate the fact that I could legally order alcohol at the age of 19. In Washington I had to wait until I turned 21. A good reason to drive three hours!
The restaurant where we celebrated, and where I ordered my first beer, just happened to be Indian. The food left an impression! The beer was ordinary.




Fast forward five years: Restaurants offering very reasonably priced Indian food were popping up all around Seattle. We indulged often and my love for Indian cuisine grew.

I've been to Indian restaurants in Portland, New York City, San Francisco, New Orleans and London. But I never really attempted making Indian food until we moved here. The lack of decent Indian restaurants in the area has challenged me to explore the varied and exquisite cuisine of this country.

Now I love to cook and share Indian meals. For inspiration and recipes I turn to these blogs:

Hooked on Heat
Malabar Spices
Quick Indian Cooking
Mahanandi
See article.

Me: [Squealing with delight, rubbing my hands together while standing in my new kitchen] Soooooo? What do you want for dinner?!

Him: I dunno. Whatever you want to cook.

Me: [After a period of silence] I can’t think of anything. What do you want to eat?

Him: I dunno. Chicken fingers?

We’ve just come off of a kitchen remodel - there are still a handful of details to finish but we’re 100% operational. And if you haven’t hugged your dishwasher today, do so as soon as you get home from work. Don’t take that thing for granted!

I didn’t cook for nearly two months but I faithfully bookmarked recipes, starred many a gorgeous blog entry in my RSS reader, and dog-eared cooking mags for almost 8 weeks. All the while, doing work from just about every manual labor trade possible in addition to our “real” jobs: demolition, structural engineering, tile, drywall, electrical, gas, plumbing, appliance installation, cabinet constructions, countertop installation, and finish carpentry.

So the second we were finished with our kitchen, you’d expect me to be a fury of baking and cooking, right? I thought so, too. But there I stood hopelessly lost in the middle of the kitchen. The traffic jam of recipes in my head was so big, nothing was making it through the bottle neck. So where do I begin?

With chicken fingers

I think we had fried chicken just about every Sunday after church growing up. Chicken that was fried in a cast iron skillet with Crisco, mashed potatoes with gravy (made with some of the pan drippings from the chicken), and biscuits. I’m sure there was a can of corn or green beans thrown in for good measure - just something to hang over ours heads, no doubt. “You cannot go outside to ride your bike until you eat all of your [insert veggie here].” Or, “You are not watching the Oilers game with your dad until every kernel of corn is gone.” Gawd, how I hated corn back then. That’s another story.

We don’t eat fried foods very often so I consider fried chicken a treat. The coating is crispy and has nice flavor and if you keep the temperature of the Crisco/oil pretty constant, there won’t be a greasy finger in the house!

Fried Chicken
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
4-6 dashes hot sauce (Tobasco)
6 chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups flour (just guess, I always end up with too little or too much regardless of what I do)
10-15 grinds black pepper
2 tsp (approx) Tony Cachere’s Cajun seasoning (a couple of really good shakes)
Crisco, for frying*

Heat Crisco in cast iron skillet to about 325 degrees - the oil should be no higher than 1/4 inch up the side of the pan.

Stir buttermilk and hot sauce in a large glass bowl. Add chicken, turn to coat, and marinate in the fridge overnight - or as long as you possibly can if you don’t start the night before. Flip the chicken at least once to ensure good coating. If your intention is to make a big ol’ bowl of chicken tenders, cut the chicken breasts into strips before marinating.

Mix flour, pepper, and Tony’s in a shallow baking dish for dredging.

Remove chicken from fridge. Take each piece of chicken directly from the bowl of marinade and dredge it in the seasoned flour. Place the chicken in the pan and cook - 10 minutes on each side for whole breasts, 3-4 minutes for tenders. Only flip the chicken once. Use a thermometer to verify whole chicken pieces have reached the appropriate temperature before removing from the pan.

Transfer chicken to a cookie/pie rack positioned over a cookie sheet to “drain.” Serve with the sides of your choice and enjoy.

*For frying chicken, nothing beats the Crisco in my opinion. If you have a phobia to shortening, Crisco does have a 0 Trans Fat version now - or just use the oil with which you prefer to fry.