Pav Bhaji

I'm going to tell you about the best dish ever. But first, some reflection.




This dish, pav bhaji, takes me back to the day...
Growing up our family ate Gujarati food everyday. Of course Indian food wasn't cool back then, with all of our hand-eating and what not. We ate roti, that I had to constantly explain was like a tortilla, but not; then we had mixed vegetable dishes (shak-bhaji), rice (bath), and dhal (a rotating variety of about 3 kinds, tuver, mung, and channa), then we'd eat yogurt, which my sister and brother would substitute with Cool Whip (haha shak-bhaji with Cool Whip) oh a Seestah classic. We'd have a small salad consisting of radish, carrots, cucumbers and lime juice with cumin and red chili, then pickled mangoes, and sometimes pickled turmeric root that would stain your hands and teeth. And yeah we ate all of this with our hands. It was an embarrassing time to be the only brown kids in your neighborhood (and town). At every chance, my best friend neighborino Christie and I would sneak and trade dinners at least 3 nights a week. I hated the atrocious food my mom would force us to eat, and Christie loved it. While she could eat shak bhaji and roti, I would get her lovely turkey lasagna. She got chutney cucumber sandwiches, I got 3-bean pasta salad, she'd get kitchari, I'd get spaghetti. You'd have to get there early because it was sure to run out (with her 6 brothers and sisters). Oh Christie, you remember those days. Melissa, you too. At least 1 or 2 days out of the week, we'd have leftovers, and we kids would be forced to eat it. Oh. THE ATROCITIES! That was mom, cooking every meal, then re-serving them later in the week.

Then when I was 12, I spent an entire summer in India, eating only Indian foods (we tried pizza once, but the pizza had ketchup for sauce, and shredded Amul cheese on top). I didn't have an epiphany, I just got to experience why my parents loved it so much. Being there, every meal was cooked fresh, and came with 5-6 different dishes. And instead of complaining about the food, my cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents just ate it. No big deal. It was like the best damn Indian buffet you had every gone to. I think this (and later living in Houston for 8 years) set me straight.

My parents now live 3000 miles away from me, and I don't ever get to eat their yummus food, but I do make sure and call to see what meals their eating and cooking and mostly to get mom to tell me how to make this or that. This last time she was making Pav Bhaji, I had to make it, and then write about it. It's really simple, and everything comes together, and the best part is you can host a lot of hungry people with this dish.

Getting her (or really any Indian auntie) to tell me how to prepare something goes somewhat like this: :

Neeli: Mom so how do I make the pav bhaji?
Mom: beta, it is so simple, just put cauliflower and few potatoes in cooker and set for only 1 whistle. Then save that water, you can use it to thicken it later. You've never made? I packed you the pav bhaji spice, it is so simple.
Neeli: OK, but my cooker is broken.
Mom: Oh. boil it!
Neeli: OK, then what?
Mom: Just put in mixed vegetable bag with some tomatoes and just 1-2 spoonfuls of pav bhaji and you can add whatever other spices by smelling and tasting it. Make sure you use enough potatoes.
Neeli: how important are the potatoes?
Mom: Very! you must have potatoes in this dish. So how many you have? Oh and remember to put masalu (this is code for the holy trinity, chili, ginger, garlic). You can add onion too.


They'll never tell you all the spices or all the steps. Pretty much every dish she has every told me goes a lot like that. Getting food to taste right means tasting it, looking at it, and smelling it. I've never gotten exact measurements, but when she explains it this way, something in me gets it, and the dishes that come out when I think of her, would amaze her. I hope you'll try this, and let me know how it turns out

Pav Bhaji or Indian-style veggie burgers

Ingredients:
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (russets or baking potatoes are best because of their fancy starch content)
1 large head cauliflower, cut into big chunks
1 or 2 small bell peppers, diced fine
jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, chopped
garlic, smashed
ginger, grated or minced fine
tomatoes (1 can, diced)
carrot, diced fine
1-2 T pav bhaji masala mix
1-2 t salt
1/2 t turmeric
1 T cumin
2 limes or lemons. Squeeze one of them, and slice the other in wedges for garnish
2 medium sized onions, chopped fine. Set aside 1 cup for garnish
2-3 T butter (more or less)
water
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
good quality hearty hamburger buns, or some hearty crusty bread
butter for the bread

(Note: if you don't have bell peppers or carrots, just toss in a frozen bag of peas and carrots or mixed vegetables. You can buy the Pav Bhaji masala mix at a South Asian grocery store, just read the label to make sure it has no added salt)

Directions:

1. Option 1: put potatoes and cauliflower in a pressure cooker and set for 1 whistle.
   
2. Option 2: Heat a large stockpot with water, and boil potatoes and cauliflower together until soft enough to mash. Reserve the water from either method above. Mash when still warm - watch out for spurts, they'll burn.
3. In another stockpot, melt the butter, and add onions, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Saute about 5 minutes. Next add in carrots and tomatoes. Add pav bhaji mix through cumin. Taste and adjust seasonings if you need more salt, or pav bhaji mix (if you want it spicier) It may taste bland at this point.
4. Add in mashed potato and cauliflower mixture, lime or lemon juice, and more water if the mixture is too dry. Bring to a simmer, continue cooking 10-15 minutes
5. Meanwhile, butter the bread rolls and assemble garnishes in bowls or on a platter. Bake the rolls until crispy and soft.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. You may want to stir in a little bit more butter, some lime juice, or salt. Garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve in bowls along with the bread, onions and lime.
7. They are best open-faced and topped with onions and squeeze of lime.
   

Potato Pancakes with Mint Raitu

It's heading into fall in central NC, and the garden is still a growing. Cukes, carrots, and lots of mint and basil got used in this. A food processor makes shredding the potatoes easy, but if you don't have one, just shred them with a wide handle box grater. These cook up nicely on a cast-iron skillet. Serve fresh with some raitu.


Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:
yield: 8 cakes
3-4 medium potatoes (I had yukon on hand)
1 onion, quartered
2 T red opal basil (if you have, makes for nice color), chopped
2 T green basil, chopped
1 t salt
1/2 t lemon pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs, mixed
1/4 cup oil, divided

(basically any herbs you want to add will probably taste good)

Directions:

1. Shred potatoes and onion together and place in a mixing bowl.
2. 
3. Add in basil through eggs and stir together well. Be liberal with the breadcrumbs.
4. 
5. Heat half of the vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Put a oven-safe plate in the oven, and turn to 200.
   
6. When skillet is hot, form patties with your hand and place in skillet. You should be able to cook 4 on a 12" skillet. Cook until golden, usually 8 minutes per side.
7. 
8. Meanwhile begin assembling raitu.
9. Cook until golden on both sides. Add in additional oil if needed for preparing the rest of the cakes. To keep warm, place on oven-safe dish, and cover until ready to serve.
10. 

Mint Raitu

Ingredients:
1 cup whole-milk yogurt (you can use the low-fat variety if that is your thing)
1/4 cup shredded cucumber
2 T shredded carrot (1/2 carrot)
1/2 t cumin
pinch cayenne
1/2 t salt
1/8 t lemon pepper
2 T mint, chiffoned

Directions

1. Mix together, taste, and adjust seasoning if needed.
2. Thin with water if necessary.
   

Hot Sauced Glazed Tofu

Know anyone that hates tofu much? Loves tofu much? This tofu recipe is the answer to both responses. Make it whenever you want to introduce or serve tofu to someone that you know. This recipe is from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's cookbook(s) Veganomicon and from their cooking website the Post Punk Kitchen.

They have 2 cookbooks (and looks like one more about brunches) that are great books for any vegan, vegetarian or omnivorous diet. Their cooking takes some innovative skills in the kitchen, but their recipes are very good and fun to make, and above all creative and daring.

Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh
or page 129

***I didn't have a few essentials from the recipe so here is my khavanu'd version below. If you want their exact directions purchase their cookbook, visit their site, borrow from a friend or library***


Ingredients

1 Package extra-firm tofu drained and pressed (or tempeh if you have)
1/2 cup wine (I used a chardonnay - they say use whatever you have)
1/4 cup hot sauce
2 T olive oil
2 T Bragg's or soy sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, crushed (I used 2 T ginger-garlic paste instead)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano (used 1 heaping teaspoon)
1/8 tsp cayenne (they swear by this, and I thought through nostrils burning, that it was a crazy recommendation, but now I'm blogging this so there)

Directions:
1. Drain and press tofu
2. Meanwhile, mix together wine through cayenne in a large mixing bowl.
3. Cube tofu in 1" cubes and put in the mixing bowl with the marinade.
4. Set oven to broil.
5. Get a ceramic or glass oven proof casserole pan and lightly coat with cooking spray.
6. Turn tofu and marinade into casserole pan and place in oven.
7. Check tofu and marinade, turning every 5-10 minutes. This should take about 20 minutes. Check often to prevent burning. It is done when the tofu is nice and chewy with a small remainder of the marinade in the pan. It will reduce and thicken into a wonderful sauce.

Serve over rice, a salad, as a main course. I served with fresh corn on the cob (coated with lime, cumin and salt) and some stir-fried peppers, summer squash and basil.

Cheers!

White Bean Dip

This is mostly a hummus, but white beans are used instead. Serve on sandwiches, or with a vegetable crudite platter, and some nice bread. The hubby and I made ourselves a fine picnic with some garden cukes, market peppers, and some Weaver Street multi-grain bread.

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic, whole
2 cups white beans, cooked, drained and set aside. Reserve 1/4 c of the cooking liquid, the rest can be used as a broth. Alternatively use 1 16 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed, and set aside 1/4 cup water
3 T tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
1/4 parsley, whole leaves
3 T or more olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large food processor with mixing blades in place, pulse garlic until finely minced.
   
2. Next add in white beans and 1/4 cup of reserved cooking liquid or water and pulse for 3 seconds.
3. Add in tahini and salt and continue to mix about 5-10 seconds.
   
4. Pour in olive oil through liquid spout until creamy.
5. Next add in lemon juice and parsley, continue mixing about 10 seconds. Adjust seasonings as necessary.

Amazing Stuffed Peppers

This dish is made for late summer/early fall when peppers are super cheap, and delicious at the farmer's market. This is totally a Carrboro inspiration. For 3 weeks now, I have been buying gallon-sized ziploc bags of amazing amazing amazing peppers from the market (i will get the farm on here asap; they are to the left of the Flat River Nursery folks). Amazing peppers.


Ingredients:

1 cup wild rice mixture, cooked and set aside (see picture above)
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2-3 T parsley, chopped
2 T basil, chopped
1 T oregano, chopped (or large handful of whatever herbs you want)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
4-5 peppers or more (the peppers are between 4-6 inches, on the smaller side) washed, with tops removed and seeds and veins discarded. This should leave you a wide enough hole on top.
1 T olive oil
Cooking spray

Directions

1. Cook wild rice/brown rice blend according to package directions, set aside
2. Heat olive oil over saute pan, and once hot, saute onions and garlic until cooked.
3. Preheat oven to 350 F, and get out a 9" or more deep dish pie plate, coated with cooking spray.
   
4. In a large bowl mix together the wild rice with lemon juice, herbs, feta, and the onions and garlic, and salt and pepper.
   
5. Place the delicious mixture in each pepper and then place the pepper on the pie plate.
   
6. Bake for 35 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes or so.

Serve with some bread and a side salad.
(I served with some garlic bread, and sauteed swiss chard, pepper remains, and tomatoes).


Chalo apre khayye!

Potato Paratha

Paratha are a type of Indian flatbread that can either be stuffed with something (potatoes, radish, paneer) or kept at a minimum to reveal the flaky layers within. These are great for soaking up kala channa gravy and maybe rajma, or really anything.

Unstuffed potato paratha (above) with mom's kala channa, yogurt and Indian pickle. This is honest to good home-cooking. Mom you are my cooking hero!

A simple meal could be paratha served with plain yogurt, onions and lime, and some mango pickle or aachar. The first step in making a stuffed paratha is to prepare the stuffing. In this case, boil or microwave the potatoes, and then peel once cooled. You will be smashing the potatoes with cumin, ground ginger, garlic and jalapenos, salt and fresh lemon juice.


Regular unstuffed paratha can be mixed with the paratha ingredients. Stuffed parathas are very special. My favorite is a radish-stuffed paratha from Taj Imports in Richardson, TX, and a close near tie is my mom's potato one.


While the potatoes are cooking you can either prep the ingredients for the stuffing or make the paratha dough. It will need a few minutes to rest before rolling out. The paratha dough will be rolled out into 6 inch circles, filled with about 2-3 T of stuffing, covered with another 6 inch circle, sealed then rolled out into a 10 inch large paratha.


Potato parathas
For the potato stuffing:
2 baking potatoes, cooked and peeled
1/2 cup or more, reserved cooking liquid from the potatoes
1 T ginger, minced fine
1 jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 c cilantro, chopped


For the paratha dough:
2 cups chappati or atta flour, or substitute 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all purpose flour
2-3 T vegetable oil, such as olive oil
1 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar (optional)


Directions for the stuffing:

1. Place potatoes in a large bowl and smash slightly.
2. Put the ginger through lemon in the bowl and pour in about 1/2 of the reserved cooking liquid. Continue mixing until creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning. You may need less or more water. Set aside until ready to use.

Ready to mix up (above)

Preparing the dough:

1. Place the flour, salt, sugar and oils in a large mixing bowl. Make sure you set extra flour aside in case you need it and set some water next to you.
2. With your hands mix everything together. Gradually add in water and continue to mix until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms. You can roll out onto the counter and knead slightly. The dough is ready when there is any "raw" looking dough and it doesn't stick to your hands.
3. Let it rest for about 10 minutes, longer is fine too.
4. When ready, set a small dish with flour next to you, and start to roll the dough into about 12 equal balls. Set them aside.
5. To begin rolling, dust the ball in enough flour so that it will not stick to the surface. With a rolling pin roll out to about 6 inches. Set aside. You can roll them all at once, covering each one with wax paper or (that is wasteful isn't it?) just put the rolled pieces on the edge of plate, and make sure they don't touch.

6. You will be using 2 rolled out circles for 1 paratha.

7. Set one circle down, fill with 2-3 T of stuffing, and cover with the 2nd circle. Smoosh the potatoes around, and seal the edges so you can begin to roll the dough out.
8. Continue to roll into a 10-12 inch circle.
9. To cook the paratha, place them on an oiled cast-iron pan or skillet until golden brown on each side.
10. Serve hot, with some ghee or butter drizzled on top.

Kala Channa (Black Chickpeas)

I just love black chickpeas. I hate to admit this, but I have some family in India that has a cook, and she makes the best damn food ever. This is a lot like my late grandmother's kala channa recipe, as to why the cook made it. It was probably one of my favorite dishes that I tried while visiting. This attempt is to recreate what I tried there. I hope you will love. In addition, I have used stock Indian spice powder mixtures such as garam masala and channa masala. I choose salt-free varieties, and these can be an easy segway into cooking more Indian foods. Store them in an airtight container, either in the fridge or a dark cabinet. Spices can last 6 months - 1 year.

Soak the black chickpeas for at least 6 hours. When ready to use, drain and rinse at least 2 times. You can order online or buy from a South Asian store. They will be called kala channa/chana. You can also ask for black chickpeas. Another alternative is to purchase them online.

Cooking this is relatively simple. Plan ahead by soaking the chickpeas. Either first thing in the morning, or overnight if you plan to cook in the morning. Give it 6-8 hours to soak. Cooking time is about 1 hour. I listed all recipe ingredients in order that you will use them. Get a large 3-4 quart-sized pan, and heat a small amount of oil in it. Peanut, canola or vegetable oil is what you want to use. Olive oil has a low smoke point and is not appropriate for vaghar. When the oil is hot do a vaghar (described below). Once you add the onions and peppers, you can add the chickpeas, then spices, then water, tomatoes, adjust seasoning and bring to a boil. Once you bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover slightly and simmer. Add a potato to create a gravy-ish broth. Once done, garnish with cilantro.

Vaghar means to heat a small amount of oil or ghee in a wok-like pan or stirfry. Once the oil is hot, you add seeds and aromatics and once fragrant, jalapenos, garlic and onions. This cooks and releases the aromas from the spices and infuses the oil with a particular scent.

Recipe for Kala Channa
Serves 4-6

For Vaghar:
1 T canola or peanut oil
2 T whole basil leaves (I used red opal, omit if you don't have, or use curry leaves)
1/8 tsp asafoetida or hing
1/4 tsp urad dhal
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper chopped
1 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp channa masala powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1 cup black chickpeas, drained and rinsed (*see note below)
1 quart or liter water
1 large tomato, chopped
1 tsp hot sauce
1 lemon (juice of one lemon)
1 medium baking potato, peeled and quartered
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
optional 1/4 cup or more heavy cream, for a creamier gravy

Serve over rice, or with hot paratha and some yogurt.

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a 4-quart sized pan, add basil through mustard seeds.
2. Once mustard seeds pop, add in the jalapeno through bell pepper.
3. Continue cooking, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add in rinsed chickpeas.
5. Add in cumin through salt.
6. Add water and adjust seasonings if needed
7. Add in tomato, hot sauce, lemon juice. Bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat, simmer, lightly cover, add in potato and cook 45 minutes-1 hour. Checking often.
The potato will begin to fall apart and thicken the gravy. You can speed this process up by mashing some of the garbanzo beans and potato when the dish is about done. If using heavy cream add in when adding cilantro garnish. Stir and serve piping hot.

*You could easily use regular chickpeas with very delicious results!

Fish Oils & Fatty Fish

Happy September! Khavanu is 1 year-old. Yay!

I don't ususally recieve many questions on here about nutritonal benefits of foods, but Seestah sent me a text asking about the benefits of fish oils so I had to re-dig through some nutritional biochemistry notes and this post is about what I found.

(Yes, I have infinetly stupid nicknames)

Seestah's text: Is fish oil good?

Response: Essentially - as part of an overall healthy diet, fatty fish contribute omega 3 oils -which is what is largely found in fish oil supplements. The ratios of Omega 3:6 matter the most. It is also the DHA and EPA that are almost exclusively found in fish oil (as a supplement) or fatty fish (as a food). Omega 3 and 6 are supposed to reduce the risk of blood clots because they reduce vasoconstriction and platelet (plaque) build up. Here's why:

As you eat more fatty fish, you end up getting more omega 3 fatty acids in your cell membranes. Having more omega 3's around causes some competition with omega 6 in the cell membrane, as both arise from Arachidonic acid or arachidonate. Your body can make some omega 3 and 6, but just not enough, as to why they are essential fatty acids. Bear with me. This is important because if you have any amount of inflammation in or near the cell wall, such as lots of fat floating around in your arteries and banging around the walls to create inflammation, cells at the injury site, and those upstream and downstream from the injury site produce prostaglandins and of course a number of other signals.

Prostaglandins essentially inhibit platelet aggregation or platelet build-up. In some ways, omega 3 and 6 mimic prostaglandin activity. Omega 3 is better because it has a greater sum effect in reducing the amount of fibrinogen and other clotting proteins and it is much weaker platelet aggregator. Omega 6 (the kinds found mostly in plant oils, usualy ALA) has a weaker sum effect. What this means is that if you have a lot of omega 3 in the cell wall where you have inflammation on the arterial wall, then you will be less likely to have a clot or plaques form at the damaged site. Too much omega 3 supplementation can actually reduce blood clotting or cause poor blood clotting.

I was perhaps deliberate in not answering her exact question, but I write in terms of our food supply and general state of nutrition in this country. I prefer whole foods consumed in an overall healthful diet. Often, nutritional supplements contain too much of a nutrient, or require large doses as specified on the label. In these cases I will always answer that it's best to decide to take these with the approval of a physician and dietitian. In these cases, they are able to assess prior medical history, diet, current medications that you are already on, and any allergies that you may have.

For the latest and greatest here are some links:

http://www.cspinet.org/new/200710011.html

http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/omegas.pdf

http://eatright.org/ada/files/Martek_Fact_Sheet.pdf

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4632