Naughty Curry

The Dinner-Date Redemption: A Lesson in ZEST A-Peel

       Entering the Naughty Curry Kitchen -- Alf and Kim, a couple with, ah, conflicting flavor-preferences.

         Alf likes his tastebuds to be hammered. ("Subtlety is not your forte," Kim tells him.) He likes it strong, heavy, and dominant. Without that pulsing degree of pungency, the result is just not good enough.

          For Kim, the main ingredient must always shine through, never to be overpowered. She seeks that shimmery razzle-dazzle.

          Thus, the two spend much of their early evening bickering about what to eat for dinner. I sit back and enjoy the show. I don’t get involved or take sides -- diversity is good. (Yet I had to laugh when Kim said to Alf: "You always add the same spice mix to everything, and so all your food is good, but it tastes the same!").

          Anyway. They surprised me on a recent evening. They had agreed to make burritos. Wise choice, I thought. The beauty of burritos is that they can be tailored to your liking. Guess there would be no sparks flying tonight (or so I thought at the time). Another agreement: they both wanted to make Lime Cilantro Rice in the style of our friendly local chain restaurant, Chipotle. They turned to Naughty Curry for the know-how. (After all, the Naughty Curry Kitchen is the place for spicing experimentation.)

          What spices, they wanted to know, were in the rice?

           I smiled. "Today, kids, you’re going to learn about zest."

           Blank expressions.

            "No trouble," I told them. "Easy. Three things. Get a lime. Get cilantro. Make rice. Then we'll talk."

RECIPE B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N

And what was this mysterious 'zest'? "Lime peel. Grated to itty bitty bits. That's all." .

Moment of silence as the concept of using lime peel is mentally processed.

They were mystified as I demonstrated the crazy procedure of 'zesting'. "Just take a fork and scratch scratch scratch the surface. It’s a great trick for when you want the lime flavor but not the juice," I explained."The taste effect is uneven. You know, like rock salt on a pretzel. Flavor comes out at you in occasional bursts -- like fireworks."

I added that the same could be done with a lemon or an orange

*     *     *

"The best way, I find, to add cilantro is to use a kitchen scissors. Which we have in the drawer over there."

Moment of silence as the concept of using a scissors while cooking was mentally processed.

"Uh...can I just use a knife with that?" said Alf. Alf thinks he is some kind or kitchen ninja with our new knives.

"Use the scissors," said I. Using a knife on cilantro is doable, but can be annoying "Don't be scared. I usually just take a sprig and snip it up over the dish. Snip it as small as you can stand it."

I reminded him to start with two tablespoons and only add more after he tasted it first. Spice newbies, after all, tend to add too much at first. I know I did.

"And unless cilantro is going in the blender, you want to use the leaves only."

I mentioned that last part because I suspected Alf might get lazy and cut the pieces too large.

"And be sure and use only a couple tablespoons. In fact, how about you measure this first time."

"Well I was thinking of adding like a half a cup."

Yikes. (Note: he later agreed that 2 1/2 tablespoons was enough.)

*     *     *

"Oranges really suck to zest," Trobee announced after the photo shoot.

"Why do you say that?"

"I guess they don't suck too bad. They're just not as hard as lemons and limes. They just don't zest as nicely... But it looks cool."

"Ok then."

 

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Lime Cilantro Rice

• 1 cup rice
• 1 tsp lime zest
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• 2-3 Tbsp cilantro, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Cook the rice.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients.

3. Taste it. If you want more of anything, add more. Done.

SOUP-er Freaking

     Some days the wind seems to blow against you, no matter which way you turn. Which really sucks when it's 20 below zero outside.

           "Why the frick am I having such a bad day!?!" Trobee shouted after charging into the door carrying (well, nearly tripping over) several grocery bags. She fumed about her harrowing experiences on the road ("This town has the worst drivers!"), her thwarted quest in the aisles of the supermarket, her encounter with the ("bitchy and rude!") cashier. The radio pissed her off still further by playing lousy songs. Her shirt caught on something and tore. She stubbed her toe. Sprouted a new zit. So and so forth.

          For a short while, words of rage and frustration bounced around the NC kitchen like the little balls in a pinball machine. The plan today was to try the Potato Jalapeno Soup recipe from the Milky Way Diner. Hopefully it would turn out -- a good soup, after all, has magical restorative powers. It can make any boo-boo all better...

           But for now it was bubbling seething anger-energy -- the vibe continued at the stove, as vibes tend to do. Trobee seized the pan in a choke-hold. (Yet come spicing-time, she was, as always, respectful. She has learned.) At one point: "Aaahhh!!! I sliced my hand! Look!" (She had been the one that had wanted new knives.)

       Maybe, I thought, I shouldn't have chosen an unpracticed recipe that day. Even though we're used to experimentation here at NC, there are times when success is needed. The only way for her to calm down this day was for her dish to actually turn out.

          Indeed, the pan sizzled and hissed at her threateningly. "It's acting up all funky-like and I even have it on low!"

          Oh boy. This soup had better be goood

RECIPE B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N

"C'mon, boil! Dammit, why won't you boil for me today?"

Pause. She turned to me. "See, all you have to do is start bitching and it boils up nicely."

"I'll make a note of that."

*     *      *

Bay leaf -- the Soup Spice. We figured we'd toss one in. What the hell. The leaf, which is always dried, adds a lot of flavor that doesn't clash with other spices."So... when exactly do we add the bay leaf?"
"You know, it varies. In Indian cooking, it is usually roasted along with the other whole spices. But it doesn't have to be. In the West, chefs just slip it into soups as is."
So we decided to find out for ourselves what the flavor difference would be. We made rice 2 ways: one version with roasted bay leaf, and one with the bay leaf slipped in the water.
"Not too much difference for me, to be perfectly honest."
I had to agree. "There probably is a subtle difference there, but it's not big enough to write about."
Hm.

*     *     *

Of course, our soup had to have garlic. As an afterthought, we tweaked it at the end with some ginger powder. And lime. Just to sex it up a bit.

Upon our third time cooking up this soup, all was perfected. The effect of the soup was extraordinary. People couldn't get enough of it. So much for quieting chaos.

".. and what's really awesome here is how it's got light cream cheese instead of heavy cream," Trobee was telling an enthusiastic test-taster.

*       *      *

The presence of jalapenos does not guarantee a burning tongue. In this recipe, our 'mild-child' test tasters approved of the 1/3 cup amount.

"Of course my soup has jalapenos galore!" declared Trobee as she stirred the steaming cauldron. "Trina will be having none of this!"

And she laughed. (Cackled?)

As I had hoped, a warm aroma flowed from the stovetop like an invisible, yet gentle hug. I wanted that swell of flavor to massage my insides. A good soup can do that.

She was getting happier by the moment."Hurry up! I want this to get done really bad so I can eat it!"

*     *      *

Brother Chase sauntered into the kitchen, making a beeline for the fridge. As usual. Chase, if you have not met him yet, is the NC nemesis. That is, he is anti-spice. And he's vocal about it. Which doesn't bother us, usually. Diversity is good.

"Wow, it actually does smell really good. It smells excellent," he admitted grudgingly. I almost dropped my glass of water. Interesting. See, that's why it's good to have a nemesis. You know for sure that they aren't 'just saying' anything.

"This soup is definitely a hit, Courty."

Okay then.

*     *     *

However, the second time Trobee cooked up the soup -- at Chase's special request -- she was discontent with the result."This sucks!"
The soup had turned out smooth and creamy, without the potato chunkage that Trobee preferred. Turns out that she had cut the potatoes into smaller, dice-size pieces. This had caused them to mush together. But you know what? I personaly liked it that way. Maybe I even liked it better.

"So Trina," I said when it was her turn to cook, "Tell me. How big are the chunks?"
I hadn't specified how the potato should be cut. I wanted to see what she did.
She had chopped the potato in large chunks. I explained the creamy effect of Trobee's last version.
"Oh! I should have done that!"
"No, No, No. It all depends on what you want. If you want it creamy, cut it into small pieces. If you want it chunky, cut it into large pieces. There's no correctness here."
She had to think about that for a minute.

Trobee pointed out another option: One could do a half-and-half thing. Once the potato is simmering in the soup, some of the pieces could be mashed, thereby giving the broth some substance whilst retaining the chunky texture. ("Very good, Tro," said I.) This practice is often used in Indian dishes, such as with our Ting-Tangy Chickpeas....

photos by Trina and Trobee

Shout out to Rebecca Lopez for the top-of-the-post pic "Forever and Ever". Check out her other creations at www.diosaperdida.net.

Other Naughty Curry soup recipes:

Scarlet Desire Soup

Trippy Tomato Soup

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Roasty Toasty Potato-Jalapeno Soup

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 bell pepper (we use 1/2 green, 1/2 red), seeded
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/3 - 1 cup jalapeno slices (Trobee uses a heaping cup)
• 1 can chicken/vegetable broth (2 cups)
• 1 cup water (or more broth, if you have it)
• 3 medium potatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup light cream cheese (soy works great too)
• juice of lime or lemon (to taste)
• Dried cilantro flakes or parsley flakes
  
  Masala:

2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1 bay leaf

1) Place the bell pepper on a baking sheet and stick it on the oven's top shelf. Broil it for 10 minutes. Cool and scrape away the burnt skin and chop.
2) In a medium pot, saute the onions in the oil until they are clear. Add the garlic and cook until golden-brown.
3) Add the bell pepper pieces, the jalapeno slices and the masala. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
4) Add the broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
5) Remove the pot from heat. Stir in the cream cheese, lime or lemon juice, and the cilantro or parsley flakes. Done.

Our Photo Shoot: BEHIND THE SCENES

     We had been waiting for it. Waiting. Waiting. At last it came. A big box was deposited on the doorstep, courtesy of the postman -- and we seized it. Ripped it open. Yes. Yes. Inside were the Naughty Curry aprons. The last ones hadn't met our standards. Would these satisfy?

          "Now THESE are hot!" said Trobee. "I love em bad! "

          "Yeah, they did turn out pretty good. Finally."

           "Damn right they did. I LOVE that they're black- they'll hide spills and stuff. They have the nice big pockets. LOVE the material... it's all nice and sturdy-like. Yes. These bad boys are awesome!" She squealed. She strapped on and spun around.

          People soon arrived. Brianna breezed in, digital camera in hand. Jason bounced in and attacked the apron pile. He strapped one on. "Sweet!"

           To Jason: "OK, look. I know it's called Naughty Curry and all that, but remember: it's a cooking website. Food. So... nothing raunchy. OK... Jason?"

         He was busy digging in the utensils drawer. He brandished a rubber spatula as though he were a samurai warrior. Within seconds, he and Trobee were fighting with them. Naturally. After all, Trobee is territorial of the kitchen, being the 'head chef' and all. ("You are NOT gonna use that rubber spatula! I always use the steel one when I cook!") Now they were sword fighting-- with spatulas.

          When Jason wasn't looking, Trobee selected the tongs and stashed them in her apron pocket -- with a wicked grin. She was up to something....

          Suddenly they were looking at me. All of them."So... how are we gonna do this, Courty?" They wanted a plan. A photo-recipe. They should know better.

           "No plans," said I. "No rules. Play around. Have fun. Find the vibe and go with it. That's usually the best way."

            Didn't have to tell them twice. They went in search of a solid wall, talking up ideas. I was laughing too much to take notes. Sorry.

         Trobee's boyfriend Jeremy lurked quietly in the corner. I promised him his own special batch of Masala Ranch Oyster Crackers. For being such a good, patient boy. He followed the loud laughter and spoke for the first time: "I gotta see this."

Check out our Naughty Curry shop here.

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We want to take this time to give a shout-out to folks who have cooked up our stuff. Here are some random posts we remember.

Did we not include you? Don't be hurt. Send us the link, and we'll add it. Promise.

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Nupur of One Hot Stove on our Magical Peppercorn' Cauliflower Korma

Courtney and her friends from Naughty Curry posted a recipe called 'Magical Peppercorn' Cauliflower Korma that sounded so tempting...and am I glad I tried it! The combination of peppercorns and cashewnuts was delicious and unusual. This recipe is a keeper.

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Susan of Fatfree Kitchen on our Pineapple-Paradise Couscous Curry

I had in mind to make some kind of curried couscous salad, and just for fun I decided to check and see if the always-inventive cooks at Naughty Curry had done anything with couscous. And of course they had! Their Pineapple-Paradise Couscous Curry looked to-drool-for, and I promise you, I would have made it just as it was written except for one big problem: I didn't have any pineapple. But I did have a can of mandarin oranges, so I made a few changes in the recipe but left the spicing pretty much as the Naughty cooks had made it. And it was wonderful--lightly sweet, richly spiced, and delicious hot or cold. Thanks, Trobee and Courtney, for the inspiration. [photo is hers]

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Kit Pollard of Mango and Ginger on our Bang Bang Bacon Bitches

"Given my love of the spice, it's no surprise that I've been a big fan of Naughty Curry for quite some time. Their philosophy is one I can firmly support. Sunday, however, was the first time I'd actually tried to make any of their recipes - for whatever reason, I don't cook a whole lot of Indian at home...

Besides the grinding, the recipe was super easy - and totally worth it, even with my substitutions. These bitches are delicious and were a huge hit at the party. They're salty and spicy hot and savory Indian spicy. It's a good combination.

And a good introduction to the world of the Naughty Curry. Next time, I'll make something harder. And next time, I'll do my best to actually make it to an Indian grocery...."

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From the Imposterpockets blog on our Gajar (Carrot) Korma:

.my korma turned out very very dry (even though i decided to modify the instructions by splashing water into the pan fairly frequently) and by the time it was done cooking the carrots had taken on a really dark color and a consistency that reminded me of cooked hamburger.

i was really sad about the whole thing until i took a bite and realized that even though it was totally screwed up, it still tasted fantastic!  i cooked some rice and piled the korma on top and added a big scoop of plain yogurt.  DELICIOUS!!

i am definitely going to try it again….as far as the cooking goes, i could go on forever about how good the recipes are from the naughty curry kitchen.  you really have to take the plunge and do the cooking with the whole spices that you grind yourself, though.  i don't think the results would be as spectacular with pre-ground ancient spices you would find in a normal grocery.

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Autumn of Perfection on a Curve on our Masala Scrambled Eggs/Tofu

I made this TWICE this week. It was that good! I made it last minute on Wednesday night, and then ended up making it for Matt & Nettie when they were here because we liked it so much. Now, the first time I made it, I made it with not enough eggs... this was because FireFox isn't always the best at seeing everything. (grrr) However, I emailed the girls, and they promptly, as ever, fixed me up with both the info and a readable website. Oh, wait? What girls?? Over at Naughty Curry - this is their recipe. I, of course, made a couple changes....[her photo]

From Sue of Ma Cooks! on our Masala Ranch Oyster Crackers:

I found this recipe on NaughtyCurry.com and since it is an original recipe from one of their contributers, I won’t copy it here but must recommend it. It is an amazing fusion of Indian spices with Ranch dressing mix on oyster crackers.

The other day, when I was at the Indian grocery perusing the spicy snacks, I saw several that I wanted to try out but I just couldn’t justify the expense: especially since I knew I had the very inexpensive ingredients for them at home. And with this recipe, I got more quality and quantity for way less cash, with ten minutes of labor (if you can call it that, you mostly pour and stir). How cool is that? These would be a unique contribution to social events, if I can ever make them last long enough to get there. However, I would feel it my duty to warn my Minnesota friends that these mild mannered looking snacks are NOT for the tender palated. (Which means we don’t have to share with JL! Yippee!)

They can be made without the cayenne, but what I love! love! love! about them is that first you get a rapid succession of flavor bursts from the masala mix: salty, sour, savory then a tiny bit of quiet with the bland cracker underneath, then the sour grabs your tongue again and just when you are going whoaaaa, dude! (I am 47 years old and these things make me say dude) THEN you get the after-burn from the cayenne– which compels you to take a swig of your favorite carbonated beverage, rinse and repeat.

I did make one substitution: Mango powder, made from dried green mangos, is hard to find here. Even our Indian grocer looked at me like I was from another country (he does that alot) when I asked for it. Maybe I wasn’t using the right name. But we do have sour salt in the house, which is dried concentrated citrus; thus contributing mango powder’s souring effect, without simultaneously increasing liquid content. Besides, I can’t really imagine anyone taking a bite and asking "Hey, where’s the mango powder?" They’ll be too busy either calling 911 or sitting back and enjoying the psychodelicious tongue trip.

Dude

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Jocelyn of She Spills The Beans on our Peppy Green Pattycakes

I saw that the women at Naughty Curry had made some chickpea-flour bound Peppy Greens Pattycakes last week, which had been inspired by Rayma’s greens-potato-breadcrumbs Mustard Greens Cutlets.

I had leftover cooked chard in the fridge so I decided to make them into fritters, which helped the leftover greens disappear tout-suite.

These would be great dipped in yogurt, raita, or with a dab of chutney atop each. And you can do this with cooked or raw vegetables – in fact, I'm planning to inflict this method on some cooked carrots later in the week, and make larger cutlets, more like what Naughty Curry got up to. I'm in a vegetable cutlet mood – but it seems like I’m not the only one, huh?

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Chef Andrea Froncillo of Sex and the Kitchen

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite sites with you: it's called Naughty Curry, and it's all about cooking with spices. It's written by four girls (excuse me - ladies? women? hotties?) from New York, who write each entry as if it was a story. They re-create recipes from dishes they enjoyed at a restaurant, or they invent their own, or they adapt recipes from cookbooks, and then they post dialogue and conversation about what happened along the way.

On their About page, the girls say that "the Naughty Curry project is a creative rebellion against blandness." I say: Bravo! It's so nice to see something completely fresh and different out there. Oh, and I like the word "naughty." Anything with "naughty" in the name is worth checking out.

They are very funny, but they are passionate about food, and they often raise questions like: Is it worth the extra time to soak rice? and Is the Great Madhur Jaffrey REALLY all that?. They take the time to note when it is important to toast spices, and they give a lot of information on shopping for ingredients.

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From Sara of I Like to Cook on our Curry-Spiced Avocado Butter:

This is a total must try recipe from the excellent Naughty Curry. This is completely to-die-for; rich and creamy and so flavorful. You can and will slather this on everything.

I under-estimated the power of the butter and only put out a small amount. It was gone in less than 5 minutes. We served some plain steamed cauliflower, but it ended up being tossed with the avocado butter. Damn that stuff was good. [her photo]

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Wesa of Wesaturtle on Trina’s Trippy Tomato Soup:

I had a ton of tomatoes taking up counterspace. Tomatoes from my garden, tomatoes from Terri’s garden, tomatoes from the store, we were almost walking in tomatoes. Then I pulled up Naughty Curry’s website and found this recipe. Tomato soup, made with curry flavors? Indeed! I had most of the spices already, I just needed coconut powder. 5 stores later, I finally had a small package tucked into my pocket, ready to go into this tasty soup.

**Side note: we added 4 strips of bacon (had to use them or throw them out), a bag of tortilini, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. [her photo]

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Shilpa of Flog & Rosbif on our Sunset Cabbage Strips

I was in the mood for something spicy and colourful, so took a peek at Naughty Curry. The fact that they had a cabbage listing totally won me over, so here is my adaptation of their Sunset Cabbage Strips!

Confession time - I didn't have urad dal and curry leaves on me, so I did without them. Instead I sprinkled chopped coriander leaves when the dish was done. I liked the dish all the same! [her photo]

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Rosaline the Baker on our Yogurt Rice

There is a lot I could say about yogurt rice, but the girls of Naughty Curry have already said most of it. It is a very simple dish, one that I almost didn't try because it seemed too easy. Yogurt, rice, mustard seeds, curry leaves, chilies--that's it. (my adaptations: I used coconut oil to fry the spices and added a bit of salt rather than sugar). However, I learned long ago from cucumber raita that I LOVE yogurt in savory dishes, and since I needed something for lunch tomorrow and it is late and the recipe is so easy afterall, I gave it a try. Yogurt rice is creamy and comforting, yet nutty and complex thanks to the toasted spices. It will be good for lunches. I wish I could have some more right now.

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Opening SESAME: South Indian Pappu and POTSTICKERS, Too

     "Here. Try this."  Floating inches before me was a dumpling-type thing dipped in a thin, dark sauce. Without knowing the dumpling's contents, I bit.  Curiosity, for me, nearly always wins out over uncertainty of the unknown.

          Or...maybe I'm just guilty to sink my teeth into whatever looks good. (Ahem.) Not wise, granted-- but I've found that acting wisely can sometimes be, well, bland.

          "Not bad.  A bit greasy, maybe. What is it?" 

          Behold the potsticker -- a Chinese dumpling stuffed with minced meat, fried on one side and steamed on the other. Chase admitted that this potsticker in particular, obtained from a local chain restaurant, was not special. But potstickers in general could be wonderful.

           Hm....We at the NC could do something interesting with this. Wait, just wait, for the right Indian-spiced dish to come along.....

         Idea: Let soak. Set aside.       

       Fast forward to an intriguing recipe I swiped from Tanuja of Kodalis Kitchen. I declared it to be cooked up at the NC simply because it seemed...peculiar to us Midwestern Americans. Unimaginable, even. Sesame seeds were the starring role in what wasn't a sauce (like tahini), but a stir-fry. It might not be good. But if it was, and you had no food in the house, how cool that would be to create a meal out of...sesame!

          But it was good. It was. Trobee cooked it spicy-hot, Trina cooked it spicy-mild. "There are a lot of possibilities with this," I said.

          Idea: Return to pan and stir.

         And so it happened that we at the NC decided to try stuffing potstickers with Sesame Pappu. Could these potstickers be made successfully using minimal oil?  We would find out. It might be ... cool.

          And it is cool. It is.

          Do bite into this one, especially if you hanker for the Indian-Chinese flavor.And double-especially if you like the idea of dumplings fried in just a DAB of oil...which is all they need.

RECIPE B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N

"So... when would you use black sesame seeds and when would you use beige sesame seeds?" 

"With Indian cooking, you can assume they use beige [called til in Hindi].  Actually, sesame is more of a South Indian thing. You'll find the black seeds farther east."

And for the pappu? Beige, of course.

*     *     *

"So I'm wondering...," said I.  "What if a person couldn't get a hold of potsticker wraps, do you think wonton wraps could be used?"

"Absolutely," said Trobee.  "The reason I know is because I asked
the lady at the Asian grocery store.  She said, they're the same except wontons
are square and potstickers are round." 

"Wow, Trobee. You actually asked. Good for you."

*     *     *

Upon Trobee's cooking session of the pappu: "I think I effed this one up, Courty." 

"What do you mean?" 

She confessed to a coarse-grind of the soaked sesame, not cooking the dish long enough....It turned out more like moist breadcrumbs rather than the 'fine paste' the original recipe had called for. We blame our dorky blender.

But you know what? We like it that way.

*     *     *

I noticed from pictures of earlier attempts that our pappu was looking like scrambled eggs.  Can't have that.  Trina and I opted to reduce the turmeric to just an 1/8 of a teaspoon.

*     *     *

Although Trina had cooked the Sesame Pappu with great success, once adding it to a Chinese rice noodle dish, she wasn't enthusiastic about the idea of using it for potstickers. Reason: the girl said she didn't like potstickers.  Shocking, considering her penchant for Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine.  But then, Trina doesn't like some of the uncertain, fatty mixtures of ingredients that are often laced in restaurant potstickers. (Minced pork, for example.)

Once Trobee and I had tried it, we were confident that she would like our Sesame Pappu Potstickers.  ("These are a hit, Court!") Oh yes, we had a feeling that these would rock her world (without the jalapenos of course).

Sure enough... haha. Once Trina had finished cooking them up, she scrambled to mix up her beloved Hoisin sauce with lime juice -- and made happy sounds as she went at em. "You gotta try this!" she said to whomever entered the kitchen.

They didn't last long.

photos by Trina and Trobee

Shout out to Francois of Paris, France for the use of his stunning pic 'Serenity' as a backdrop in our top-of-the-post pic. Check out his amazing online photo gallery here.

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Sesame Pappu Stir-Fry

1 cup sesame seeds
1 Tb oil
1 medium onion, sliced
10-15 jalapeno rings (Tro tends to double this. Trina doesn't add any.)
1/2 tsp cayenne or paprika
1/8 tsp turmeric
Salt
1 tsp garlic paste or minced garlic


Masala:

• 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1/8 tsp asafetida
• 1/2 tsp raw chickpeas/chana dal
• 5 curry leaves

1. Soak the sesame seeds in 1 cup of water for about 20 minutes. Dump this sesame seed- water mixture into a blender and whizz the stuff into a paste. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet, heat the oil until it is sizzle-hot. Add the masala. As soon as the black mustard seeds have quit popping, add the onions and jalapenos. Cook until onions are golden brown.
3. Now dump in the sesame paste. Cook until the water evaporates, about. 10-15 minutes. It should be like moist breadcrumbs.
4. Add the cayenne or paprika, turmeric, and salt. Mix well. Sauté for about 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and sauté for a few more minutes to heat it through. Done.

Sesame Pappu Potstickers 

18 potsticker or wonton wraps
1 cup Sesame Pappu Stir-fry
1 egg
dab of oil


In a bowl, combine the Sesame Pappu Stir-fry and the egg. Place about 1 tsp of the mixture onto the center of the wrap. As you might suspect, Trobee shoved extra jalapenos into the wraps. The little minx.

Dip your finger in water and moisten the outside of wrap. Fold over the filling, making it look like a half-moon. Push firmly together on the rim of thewrap to secure the inside.

Get out your medium skillet and heat a dab of oil. Place the little guys in the pan and fry until their bottoms are golden-brown.

Now add 1/2 cup of water. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Done.

And for the dipping sauce? Go wild. 

Dipping sauces we have used so far:

• Teriyaki sauce
• Hoisin sauce splashed with lime juice (Trina's contribution)
• our own Pineapple-Tamarind Dipping sauce
• and even ranch dressing mixed with a hot sauce

Of GARAM MASALA and BELL PEPPERS

      We at the NC catch recipes like butterflies in our net --they are random and isolated, fluttering past and capturing our wonderings. In this case, however.....          

          "Go on to the Route 79 blog," I told Trobee one foggy day. "It's cool. By a British dude named Jag. He has lots of good stuff on there I wanna try, and I can't decide what. You choose."

          "Oh-kayyy...." Trobee took her position at the computer and entered the Route 79 site (-- "Reflections on a bus journey home"). She skimmed through the recipe roster, muttering comments and reactions that I really didn't pay much attention to. Why bother? There would eventually be one that she would seize upon, and other ideas would fall away from her memory like fallen autumn leaves. Give it a moment.

          "Oooh! Check this one out, Court. This looks really good: Chicken Rice. I think we have everything, too."

          Chicken Rice. Didn't sound earth-shatttering. But names of Indian dishes are often deceptively simple. Defiantly simple, in a most devious way. Oh yes. Pictures of Indian food, on the other hand...

          I checked it out. Hm. Possibilities there. "All right, go for it."

          I liked how the recipe had the attitude of working with humble ingredients that were on hand. Two 'decaying' bell peppers versus Jag's imagination; no need to toss them just yet. In their last gasp, this Chicken Rice dish could redeem them, meanwhile satisfying the day's supper space. (Says Jag in the post:"Well - it’s not bad given that it was scraped together from stuff in the fridge that would have been thrown out today. The chicken was leftover from a Route79 toasted club sandwich with avocado we had a few days ago...")

          Mastery of the moment into something tasty. Cool.

          Trobee liked the play-by-play of photography that demonstrated the recipe step-by-step. "I like this guy's style," she commented. "Where did you say he was from?"

           "He writes from London. He does his thinking while taking the bus home. You know, those cool red double-decker buses? I rode one at Disney World once. Anyway, he's different in the blogging world. Unique. Maybe because he's been at it since before blogging became the 'in thing'."

          I didn't think she was listening anymore at this point. Her mind was in foodie la-la-land. She was imagining. Taking mental notes. Fine by me.

RECIPE B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N

Trobee murmurs to the food as it cooks -- a sort of spice-seductress Scherezade. With tattoos.

"Boil, boil up there, my pot of gold."

It works, so I pretend not to notice. Maybe it's like when gardeners talk to their plants....

*      *     *

"What does he mean by 'decaying'?" Trina wanted to know when it was her turn.

"Huh?" I looked at the recipe. Sure enough, it called for 2 'decaying' bell peppers.

"Oh. Oh, yeah. I think he just means that it's what he had, and what he was determined to work with. As in, use whatever you got, y'know?"

Which was the charm of Jag's recipe in the first place. Could Trina happily handle its 'whatever' vibe? Its un-recipe-like instructions? We would see. I was curious.

*     *     *

At any rate, we did not have bell peppers that were 'decaying'. Not today. As it happened, ours at the NC were juicy and ripe. Perky, even. Brother Chase had just selected them earlier that day in anticipation of his own thing. Which wouldn't be nearly as cool as our creation. I decided I would borrow the beautiful 'bells'.

"Chase is going to kill me," I acknowledged,"but whatever."

*     *     *

Garam masala, garam masala. It is in so many traditional and non- traditional Indian recipes. Yet despite our fascinated attraction for Indian spicing styles, you may have noticed that we include the popular spice blend in very few of our recipes. A few people have questioned us about this in e-mails.

Confession: We have created this recipe several times with great affection, but we on posting on it. The reason? It relies on garam masala. We at the NC harbor a scandalous (perhaps) attitude towards garam masala.

The truth is, we're prejudiced when it comes to involving garam masala in an NC recipe (We like Our People to share our eating experiences as closely as posible). It is, after all, a spice mixture that doesn't own up to any set formula -- an 'X-factor'. Sure, there are a few spices that are commonly featured, such as cloves, coriander, bayleaf, and pepper; it retains a mostly North Indian identity. But not even that is certain.

I frequently read that each household makes their own garam masala from scratch, turning up their noses at storebought varieties. However, Trina's buddy from South India claims that she has never heard of someone making their own. Buying a favorite garam masala, for her family anyway, is the way to go.

"Really?" from us at the NC. Okay then. We decided to try out a pre-mixed variety, since we couldn't settle on one homemade version. What better way to test the stuff with Jag's Chicken Rice Recipe?

Well, we also had a few pretty pictures to show off. So here goes.

photos by Trina and Trobee

top graphic by Mo Digital

---

Route 79 Bell Pepper n'  Chicken Pilaf

An evolution that began via Route 79.

1 cup rice
2 chicken breasts or 8 oz. seitan, chopped and cooked
1 1/2 tsp oil
2 dried red chillies
1 tsp garlic paste or minced garlic
1 red onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup diced tomatoes
Splash of lemon juice
1 tsp salt


Masala:

• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp ginger powder

1. In a medium skillet, heat the oil until it is sizzle-hot. Add the dried chillies ans saute until they are a bit darker.  Add the garlic paste, followed by the masala. Cook 1-2  minutes.
2. Add the carrots and onions. Sauté until the onions are clear in color. Add the bell peppers and the diced tomatoes . Cook until the tomatoes are cooked through.
3. Add the rice and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add a splash of lemon juice, salt, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
4. Add the cooked chicken cubes. Cover the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the rice is done.

Click here to see Jag's original recipe

BARLEY Becomes A Better Kisser

    Serendipity -- it's a wildly-wonderful happening. It fuels us at the NC.

        "Accidental discovery," I told brother Chase not long ago. "That's about the best way I can think to explain it." (I wanted him to know it was more than the title of a John Cusack movie.)

          One is most likely to experience 'accidental discovery' through experimentation. Exploring. Trying new things. That sort of thing.

          Which is the best way to explain today's baby-dish at the NC -- a simple spicing of healthy, humble barley. It was experimental... and has become an NC darling. See, during our photo shoot of Zesty Eggplant Curry-Slurry, I had wanted to demonstrate how the dish could, if so desired, be eaten like a typical curry n' rice. Except we were out of rice. So I had reached for the barley and spiced it up, including it in the photo. ('Twas a marvelous combo with the eggplant, I must say).

          Requests for the 'barley recipe' have since issued forth. We've hung on to it until now -- it makes for an excellent post-holiday post, when people want to become something a little better, beginning with healthy eats. At least, lessen the damage from the holidays...

          Barley. Are you familiar with it? It's a grain. (You'll find it floating around in a lot of soups, which I do NOT like, but...) It's really good for you. If you're sketchy about it, no problem. This spicing-method works equally well with brown rice.

          Soft-yet-firm kisses. That is what cooked barley grains are like. But kisses should not be bland.

         We at the NC, at least, won't have that. Nope. Not ever.

RECIPE B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N

First had come the skepticism. About using barley. But whatever. It was what we had. And besides, we had just needed an accompaniment side dish for the photo...and my dinner. I ate it all, relishing the healthy-good-happy things absorbing into my body. And it tasted yummy, too.

Upon the recipe's resurrection for this post, Trobee declared:"This is a damn good recipe."

Uh, what?, I thought. "Uh, what?" I said. I remembered her, ah, hesitation.

"Frick yeah, I love this recipe. It's very Northern Indian..." (referring to it's mildly-spiced non-hotness), "but it's still good to me. (Trobee is shamelessly South-y in her spicing preferences.) When we made this last time, I wanted to frickin' demolish it!"

"Hm. Cool."

"Yeah! It really is. Plus it's so simple to make...."

*     *     *

"Cinnamon and cloves smell SO damn good together! I can't even handle it."

Hm. Ok.

She went on. "You know what I absolutely love?" I couldn't imagine. But I bit. "What?" "Roasted... cinnamon."

I nodded. It is indeed a truly marvelous thing. How many people actually experience it?

*     *     *

"So...do you think this will be as good?" I asked Trobee when we tried this recipe on brown rice. "You're the fan of Texmati."

"Damn right I do."

Texmati is a hybrid of brown rice and Basmati rice, actually available in our local supermarket. The 'Tex' part refers to Texas, just as Calmati rice is from California. Essentially, they are varieties of 'brown' basmati rice.  Trobee loves it. Loves it.

"Does brown rice take the same amount of time to cook as the barley?" she wanted to know.
"Yeah, 45 minutes. We'll see how it all turns out."

Wanna know more about how barley boosts your precious bod? Check out the info on The World's Healthiest Foods (non-profit) website. Trina, anyway, wants to know why it's 'good'. Eat up, Trina.

photos by Trina

---

Besame Barley

'Besame' (pronounced BEH-sah-may) means 'Kiss Me' in Spanish. I think.

• 3/4 cup barley or 1 cup brown rice
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic paste or minced garlic
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• salt and pepper

Masala:

• 3 whole cloves
• 2 cardamom pods, bonked slightly open
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-inch cinnamon stick

1) In a medium pot, heat the oil until it is sizzle-hot. Add the masala and fry for about 30 seconds. Then add the garlic and cook until it turns light brown.

2) Add the barley and fry for 1-2 minutes, then add the broth. Bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer about 45-55 minutes, or until the grains are soft.

STOP! in the Name Of Coconut

     "I do NOT believe this! I took one look out the window when I woke up this morning, and I'm like, No. I am NOT dealing with this right now," fumed Trobee when she charged into the NC kitchen one morning this week.

          It was that first true morning of the winter season... when us northern cold-climate folk awaken to a world that has been blanketed in white -- a declaration of winter's arrival. This phenomenon, though it takes place each year, shocks some into feelings of anger and dread. We at the NC were in denial.

          I didn't say what I actually thought as I peeked out the window, that the lawn seems to have been covered in coconut powder. It's better P.R. for coconut to be associated with palm trees, sunshine, and even that Tom Hanks movie....

          Coconut, I have found, is another one of those things that people might SAY they don't want, and yet... yet...

          Well, take Ruthie, for example. She always says she's not cuckoo for coconut, yet I always remind her that she loves every dish we make that involves coconut.

          Maybe the matter of coconut-acceptance has got something to do with context-- the Western (non-Asian) world tends to confine coconut useage to sweets and maybe the occasional pina colada. And aside from the recent trend of crusting fried shrimp on restaurant menus, coconut is unthinkable outside of the sugar cube on the American flavor-imagination.

           Maybe it's a texture thing. The tongue-feel of the commonly-used dried coconut shreds

         For this post, we at the NC wanted a recipe that would allow you, Our People, to fully savor and 'learn' the lovelight of coconut. Let it shine upon you, on you, in you. Let it shimmy center-stage in the spotlight just this once.

          Come this way...

RECIPE B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N   

          We at the NC use coconut powder that we buy from an online Indian store. It's handy stuff, and it's easy to measure out. Once upon a time, when Trina and I suddenly ran out and we needed the stuff pronto, we opted to buy the dried sweetened shreds at the supermarket, (even though we have read time and time again using the sweetened kind is, like, totally uncool), and we whizzed it to a powder in our coffee grinder. You know what? This works fine.

          As you may know, the general rule for us at the  NC is to use food ingredients that we can get at our local supermarket. We figure, hell--if we can buy it at our grocery store, it's common enough to appear in an NC recipe. (We leave the hard-to-find stuff for the spices.)

          However...I wanted to experience once and for all the sublime superiority of fresh coconut shreds. At the NC, curiousity overrides all rules. So we went to our town's (Vietnamese-centric) Asian grocer. Discovered frozen shreds (not fresh, I know, but recipe authors claim to find them acceptable). Used them in our latest rice recipe (scooped from Bhooma Patterson's online South Indian collection), which we have been over the moon about. Our question (and motivation): Could this Coconut Rice recipe get possibly more gorgeous by using fresh (or frozen) coconut? From all that I have read about the insistence of using fresh vs. dried, we were looking forward to an amazing amplified experience. We expected the flavor of the fresh coconut to be stunning. Maybe like comparing garlic powder to garlic cloves. The possibilities! Maya Kaimal, watch out!

          Not so. The flavor turned out to be much less. I will say that again: The resulting flavor of the Coconut Rice using fresh vs. our usual coconut powder was much less. Shocking, I know, yet Trina and Trobee both arrived at the same conclusion

           There's more. We at the NC declare that we even slightly prefer the sweetened variety. At least, the kind that we buy. Point is, in the case of coconut at least, don't necessarily don't believe what you are told is the 'best way'. Commit to your reality, not a 'correct' idea. Taste. Experiment. Do as you like.

*     *     *

          Now I'm going to bring up coconut oil. TRULY a  worthwhile topic. Read on.

         People who grew up outside of Asia (and without Asian parents) will likely be unfamiliar with it. And it's gotten a bad rep health wise, especially because it gets semi-solid at room temperature. At least, that's why I didn't use it for so long. I have no need to crave yet another thing that is bad for me.

       When I at last tapped in to the truth about coconut oil, (mystically delicious AND healthy) I thought I'd try it. I had commonly seen it listed (meanwhile automatically ignoring it) in so many South Indian recipes... and if a recipe insisted upon it, I ignored the entire recipe. Moved on. Sorry, Kerala.

          Yes. Yes. The truth comes out. It's not only Ruthie that was slow to give coconut proper credit. I confess... well I will never do so again. Never. Ever.

Shout out to Nathan Guerra for the top-of-the-post pic, 'Strange Signs'

...and m.a.r.c. for his pic, 'Caution'

photos by Trina and Trobee

---

Coconut Rice

Here is the deal. The focus at Naughty Curry is the spicing. But let me tell you-- if you use coconut oil in this little jewel of a recipe, prepare to be blown away. The flavor will be transcendant.

• 1 cup rice
• 1 tsp oil, then 2 tsp later (try using coconut oil if you can)
• 3/4 cup coconut powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 10 jalapeno rings, minced (Trina leaves these out, Trobee adds many more)
• 3 Tb cashews and/or peanuts

Masala:

• 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 tsp raw chickpeas/chana dal/dalia
• 1/4 tsp asafetida
• 2 dried red chilies
• 5 curry leaves

1. Cook the rice and set it aside to wait for coming attractions.
2. In a small skillet, heat the oil until it is sizzle-hot. Add the coconut and cook until it is light brown. Pour this over the rice and stir it in.
3. Back to the skillet. Heat 2 tsp oil until it is sizzle-hot. Add the masala and jalapeno rings, and cook until the black mustard seeds have popped. Immediately empty the pan's contents onto the rice and mix well.
4. Finally, dry-roast the nuts until they turn a few shades darker. Add them to the mixture. Done

Encouraging Your Inner EGGPLANT

     We all like to see skin that is smooth, supple, perhaps even slippery-when-wet. Don't we, now? Like it or not, the surface of something equals its identity. Think apple, we think 'red' (though the actual fruit is not). Think eggplant, we think...well, 'eggplant' (as it is the trendy term for dark purple.)

          Eggplant, brinjal, aubergine... It has much more to offer than the chic hue of its peel. I have long been wanting to fiddle with the soft glory that lies beneath, by creating our own version of Baigan Bharta -- the soul food that is traditional in much of North India and Indian restaurants abroad. It consists mostly of roasted eggplant puree, slathered with heavy cream and lots of oil. (Of course, ours would not.)

        However...the word 'puree' or 'mash' doesn't always sound alluring -- at least to someone raised in the spiceless Midwest U.S.

          So how to bait the interest of my fellow Naughty Curry ladies with an eggplant puree? Hum-de-dum...

"It's like hummus," I told Trina. Really?, she said.

"Yeah...except it's with eggplant...and other stuff..." Ahem.

To Trobee: "It's kinda like that spinach dish. Y'know, saag paneer." Really?, she said.

"Yeah...except it's with eggplant...and there's no paneer..."

Hm.

RECIPE B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N

"I don't know about this, Court," said Trina as she held the Purple It."I've never cooked with eggplant before."

"So much the better," I said with a shrug. "You'll be fine."

And I noticed that soon, Trina was no longer awkward in handling the eggplant. This did not surprise me. But was that a trace of affection in her gaze, as she placed it on the baking sheet...?

"I think it's kind of cute," she remarked. "Like a little baby."

Of course, that was when the eggplant was fresh and new. Smooth-skinned. Nubile, if you will. When she pulled it out of the oven, she was a bit dismayed: "It's all wrinkled!"

"Oh, it's fine," said I with a laugh. Did it deserve less love now? "Hey, if it wasn't about to be all mashed up, I'd name it."

*     *     *

A seedy affair indeed...

Trina's voice was tinged with panic: "Court, it says to scoop them out, but they're everywhere."

"Don't fret. Just do your best."

Chinese or Japanese eggplants aren't so heavily endowed with seeds. Neither, I'm guessing, are baby eggplants. All of which are not easily available to us at the NC.

Later: "Ok, I guess it's not a big deal. Just tell them to scoop out what they can."

"Roger that."

*     *     *

Those of you who are savvy about 'traditional' Baigan Bharta may find our addition of corn a bit scandalous. It so happens that on our second occasion of cooking up this dish, Trina and I didn't have enough eggplant -- so we compensated with some corn we found in the freezer. We thawed it and threw it in the blender when it was whizz n' whirl time...and hence, corn has been included ever since. It fits. Really it does.

*     *     *

Behold! A Spicing Showcase

*     *     *

"Hey now! Hey now!" I said upon Tasting Time."I love it. Great stuff!"

"I was scared." Trina confessed.

I had to grin. "Well it turned out. And it's not so heavy, like the typical Indian restaurant stuff." Lowfat yogurt for heavy cream-- it works. Cool. Very cool.

"Yeah it's actually pretty light..."

"Tell you what, though. We'll tweak this recipe until it's just right, then well have Trobee finalize it...."

*     *     *

Trobee didn't bitch about having to cook with eggplant, but she looked like she wanted to. "I've never cooked with eggplant before," she grumbled.

"So much the better," I said with a shrug. "You'll do fine."

I wanted her to cook up this recipe that Trina and I had perfected over the past few months; since she had never cooked with eggplant before, it would be a good test of our recipe directions. Plus, I was curious of the 'Trobee take' on it. After all, she was completely unfamiliar with eggplant in the spiced-up sense. Naturally, she was skeptical about eggplant in general. Guarded. A bit suspicious.

What would her reaction be with an actual taste?

When the dish won Trobee's approval ("YUM!"), I was delighted, if a bit smug. I stifled the 'I told you so' about eggplant's inner loveliness. And about this dish.

It was time now to broadcast it, let it out into the world lovingly, like a dandy little paper boat. Go, little one...go....go...

~Shout out to Splat Worldwide for the top-of-the-post pic, 'It Takes 3 To Tango'. See more cool pics at his online gallery HERE~

all photos by Trobee, but they were inspired by Trina. Like, totally.

---

Zesty Eggplant Curry-Slurry

• a large eggplant (about 1 ½ lbs )
• 1 cup corn
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2-inch cinnamon stick
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 tsp garlic paste or minced garlic
• 3/4 cup diced tomatoes
• 5-10 jalapeno rings, chopped (Trobee adds many more)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt -- low-fat or soy
• ½ tsp ginger powder
• (1/8 tsp nutmeg or mace, if you have some)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• a splash of lemon juice

Masala:

• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 2 green cardamom pods, bonked slightly open

~Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.~

1) Pierce the eggplant's skin several times with a fork or knife. Place it on a baking sheet and stick it in the oven for 40 minutes; halfway through, flip it over. The eggplant should be soft and the skin should turn darker.

2) When the eggplant is done, slice off the stem and cut the eggplant in half. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Don’t worry about getting every seed out, just the large chunks. Peel off the skin. It should peel easily; if it doesn’t then it needs to be baked longer.

3) Place these baked eggplant halves in your blender with the corn and a ¼ cup of water. Blenderize until it is a smooth puree. Set aside.

4) In a medium skillet, heat the oil until it is sizzle hot. Add the cumin seeds and the cinnamon stick. Saute until the cumin seeds have darkened a few shades.

5) Add the onion, and cook until it is soft. Then add the garlic paste and the masala, and cook until all is lightly browned.

6) Add the tomatoes, and jalapeno pieces and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add the blended eggplant-and-corn mixture along with the ginger powder, nutmeg or mace, turmeric, and the salt. Cook until everything is heated through, stirring occasionally.

7) Add the yogurt and mix through. Splash in some lemon juice. Done.

CARROTS Escaping the KORMA Police

     "Men in uniform are hot..." murmured Trobee during a recent NC spicing session.

          "You think so, huh?" said I. "That surprises me a little."

           Uniforms signify proper-ness, predictability and, well, uniformity. Don't they? Correctness, conformity...that sort of thing? I would've thought Trobee would avoid the uniform's presumptive authority -- we all know our Trobee likes to have the upper hand.

          But hey, whatever floats your boat. We all have different flavor n' spice preferences here at the NC, and I like it that way. Diversity is good.

          And she persisted: "Oh hell yeah." She elaborated on that sentiment with a sordid story from her eventful Halloween night at one of her nightlife hangouts. Something involving (dressed-up) police officers, her (pretend) arrest and... furry handcuffs? Something like that. (Yes, plenty of drama, gossip and entertainment swirling about here at the NC kitchen.) And maybe Trobee looked upon uniforms as a challenge. A mystery to master. An inner truth to expose beneath a polished facade.

          Or she just thinks men in uniform are hot.

RECIPE B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N

          "So what's our plan today, Courty?"

          A fitting project indeed. "We're going to finalize a dish that Trina and I have breezed through a few times," I told her. "It's healthy, it's easy, it's tasty... a carrot korma."

          Trobee nodded. She was familiar with the word korma, a term found in many titles of North Indian dishes, including Indian restaurant fare.

         "So it's mild and creamy-like."

         "See that's the thing," said I. "There's nothing creamy in this dish, not even a sauce with ground nuts. In fact there isn't a gravy at all. But it's a real cool little dish. I think you'll like it." I was looking forward to trying it with the full amount of chillies as the recipe listed -- Trina had cut back, as she usually does in the spicy-hot department.

          The recipe, Gajar Korma, comes to us from Sushma, who is behind the Indian cooking blog [humbly] called 'Recipe Source'. Well, actually it wasn't the one she sent, but this humble number twinkled out at me like a snappy little star. For it was a bit rebellious, yes, as it was labelled korma when it was so unkorma-like (a false uniform?). I thought of asking Sushma about it, but I couldn't come up with the right words. (Plus I forgot.) And anyway, who was I -- the Korma Police?

          So long as it tastes good. And that it's do-able and healthy-ish.

*     *     *

          And when the Carrot Korma was all cooked up:

          Trobee looked upon it with affection. "It is pretty. Looks a lot like our Spunky Carrot Relish. Probably tastes way different though, huh?"

          "Go on and try it."

            She scooped up a bite. Her eyes widened. "Mmm. I can't even believe it.... Carrots! Frickin delish."

           "Yeah, I'm seeing visions with this one. Just think of how you could use the leftovers, too..."

         

Below: Leftover Carrot Korma with cream cheese, crackers and fixings.

Below: Some Carrot Korma in a frittata (an omelette-type thing.) Cheese or NO cheese?

Below: Sprinkle Carrot Korma over Ramen or Maggi Noodles.

Photos by Trina and Trobee.

Top graphic by Mo Digital. Shout out to Erik Patterson for letting us use his cool 'Carrots Blurred' pic to jazz it up.

---

Gajar  (Carrot) Korma 

• 2 cups grated carrots
• 2 tsp oil
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• 3 Tb coconut powder
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt

Masala

• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 3-4 dried red chilies, broken to bits (Trina de-seeds them)

1) Prepare a paste: Add the Masala to the coffee grinder and whiz it to a powder. Then add the garlic and create a smooth paste. (Add a bit of water if necessary.) Set aside.

2) In a medium skillet, heat the oil until it is sizzle hot. Add the black mustard seeds and the cumin seeds. As soon as the black mustard seeds have quit popping, add the paste, and cook until the mixture is light brown.

3) Add the carrots, turmeric, coconut powder and salt. Cook 15-20 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

4) Add the lemon juice and stir it all up. Done.

Click here to see Sushma's original recipe

SWEET POTATOES That Sing "Rah-Rah-Rah-Rock Me, Anardana!"

 

     They didn't know it yet , but Loki and Vanesa were victims when they entered the NC kitchen. Victims of spice-testing.

          But all that would have to wait for its ready-ripe moment -- Vanesa walked in as though weary from a long and wayward wandering. "Come," I said, gesturing to her usual chair. "Sit. Talk." She did. Her Loki descended upon his perch-- the armrest of the NC's Slippery Couch.

          A wild-warm-welcoming spicy kitchen -- that's the NC.

          We had just finished with our first version of Aloo Anardana-- 'Aloo' = potatoes, 'anardana' = pomegranate seeds that are dried and ground. It's ever so traditional. And it's really an ideal dish to 'learn' the essence of the anardana-flava'...the tangy tones of this unique spice is featured instead of being enmeshed in a complex masala. I wanted The Others to learn it better, as it is seldom seen beyond North Indian cuisine.

-- To experience in order to embed in the imagination.--

-- Create a new cooking crayon.--

Hip-hip-hooray? Well, hip-hip anyway.  Whether or not the recipe would produce a Yummy, we would learn more, we would know more.

And the 'hooray' is ALWAYS possible.

RECIPE B-R-E-A-K-D-O-W-N

"Doesn't seem right," Trobee had muttered when she first read through the instructions.

The spices, she noted, were to be added later in the cooking process, after the potatoes were already lightly seared. Was that right?

Yet we soon caught on. The effect would be thus: a spice coating would form on the tender-but-firm cubes as opposed to soft potato that has been completely spice-permeated.

*     *     *

Like a moment that is beautiful in a complex and intriguing way, dried pomegranate seeds have a slightly bitter edge ...

That is why we switched over to sweet potatoes (shout out to our Vanesa for that suggestion) to counteract the subtle bitter edge, boost everything with a bit of natural sweetness. And goody gumdrops, it worked.

Another addition to the second batch that we felt was essential: the inclusion of asafetida. It was missing the onion-garlic flavor-space, Vanesa was first to bring up.

Asafetida fit right in. How fun when things fit.

*     *     *

"Ghee fries up here way better," Trobee announced. "I don't normally insist on it, but I think it totally makes a difference to potatoes." Course oil would work fine, she added. Wouldn't that coconut oil be good in here?

Why yes, I answered. It would.

*     *     *

The pan of pomegranated potatoes were carried over to my corner for me to have a look-see. They sizzled at me rather mischievously.

"Hm. Cute little fellas, they are," I said of the spice-coated cubes. Somehow I hadn't expected that. Truth be told, I hadn't expected a whole lot in general. Didn't seem like that kind of day, know what I mean?

Trina would have the last word on this dish.

Her verdict startled me.

It's really good the way it is, she said, but she wouldn't mind extra spice. Coconut was mentioned. Garam masala. Perhaps a dipping sauce. In other words, elements according to taste.

We decided to keep the ingredients simple so as to retain the focus on the anardana. Let it be a launchpad that you can tweak to your liking, if you like....

*     *      *

And the end result? I was impressed.

"What I love about this," I explained to Trobee, "is...there is this flavor that people won't be able to put a finger on." Making people wonder wondrously... I'm all for that.

Top graphic by Mo Digital -- with a shout-out to Dan for the sacrificial use of his sweet potato

photos by Trina and Trobee

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Pom-Pom Sweet Potatoes

• 2 medium sweet potatoes [2 large regular potatoes is OK, too]
• 2 Tb ghee or oil
• (3 dried red chilies, de-seeded, optional)
• ¼ tsp asafetida
• 3 Tb ground dried pomegranate seeds (anardana)
• ¾ tsp salt

Masala:

• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 1 Tb coriander powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp cayenne or paprika

1. Boil the potatoes until they are tender but a bit firm. Cool them off, then cube them in ½- inch pieces. Set aside.
2. Heat the ghee or oil in a medium skillet until sizzle-hot. Add the dried red chilies and the asafetida. Fry until the chilies turn a few shades darker.
3. Add the potato pieces and salt. Stir-fry until they are crispy and golden.
4. Now add the masala. Continue to stir-fry for a few minutes, making sure to coat all the potato pieces evenly.
5. Add the ground dried pomegranate seeds, again coating the potato pieces evenly. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Done.