20 adults. 25+ kids. Inks Lake Texas State Park. A sunshine-y and chilly November weekend. Many of these friends of ours are foodies and some are cooks. This turned out to be a weekend of splendid feasting in nature. By a campfire, we were surrounded by a circle of 10 tents, rowdy happy children climbing trees and digging in the dirt, and wonderful friends. Pairs of families were assigned to each meal. Our fellow Indian cooking fiend friends joined us in preparing the first night's meal. Friday night: Arrive by carloads. The menu, mostly cooked at home earlier that day: Saag Paneer: a ... read more
Indian-American Diwali Traditions
I felt inspired to write a post about Diwali and originally wrote a post about only Diwali sweets. But this time, I had more to say and it went beyond gastronomy. This is a joint post with my buddy Sanket of Doc Bollywood, whose tunes I play in the background during every class I teach. This is the first year in 15 years that feels truly Diwali-festive to me. Though we are not a religious family, we celebrate Diwali every year. We also celebrate (from October through December) October birthdays, ACL, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Most years, celebrating Diwali has ... read more
Soup Weather!
Those aren't earthworms in my potato-leek soup. Caramelized onions piled high may not be the best food porn you have seen, but this garnish is the center of attention, especially on the palate. Trust me. This is a standard potato-leek soup made with vegetable stock and accented by snipped fresh herbs from the garden and these sweetened onions. The slippery strands of onion, whose sugars have concentrated by cooking them in a bit of vegetable oil for a long time, are delicately sweet but retain a bit of their original sharpness. This is not achieved by simply "sweating" the onions. Go one ... read more
Easy Weeknight Indo-American Naan Pizzas
My favorite brand of naan (which I consider an occasional treat and not a staple bread of Indian cuisine) is usually found at Whole Foods Market or Central Market here in Austin. The brand is Fabulous Flats. It's not cheap but it's all natural, made with ghee and, as it says on the package, it is baked in a tandoor. When I first discovered these, I was elated! I've always wanted to bake naan but of course don't have a tandoor. I have tried naan on the barbecue grill according to a recipe in the BBQ Bible cookbook by Steve Raichlen. Turned out fabulous but since it's a leavened bread and ... read more
Five Things to Do with Chilli-Garlic Compound Butter
CGB. It's that great a condiment that it deserves a household abbreviation. I mean, I get tired of saying it and even typing it out. Mashed raw garlic mixed with sea salt and Indian chili powder then blended with high quality softened butter, like Plugra or Kerrygold or even Amul if you can find it. There, now you even have the recipe for CGB! Here are a few things you can do with it besides eat it off the butter knife: Melt a few tablespoons of CGB in a large pot. Add 1/4 cup popcorn kernels. Cover with lid. Await the popping. (Kids love this startle of a kernel flying out of a pot!) ... read more
ACL Lineup: The Food
It's everywhere. ACL talk. Austin City Limits Music Festival is here again and this year it's at a later weekend in October, buying time for cooler weather. I am a live music fan and most certainly am primarily going for the music exploration experience, but that's not to say that the first thing I email my friends about is the food lineup! Olivia's, famed for an entirely locally sourced menu, will have a few items. Hudson's on the Bend will again have their famous chicken cones. Aquarelle, Bess Bistro, celebrity chef Tim Love of Lonesome Dove Bistro, the list goes on. Notice ... read more
Celebrating Two Cultures in October with a Sweet Tooth
October may the month for many to celebrate Fall: pumpkins to be carved, gourds to be displayed, costumes to shop for, and candy to be collected. Burnt orange and other autumnal hues are seen everywhere in my hometown of Austin, but mostly due to Longhorn mania and not the changing color of tree leaves. But in the kitchens of many Indians of the Hindu culture, the religious occasions of Navratri and Diwali are celebrated. And what better way of celebrating than with sugar?! Skittles, M & M's, and Sweet Tarts might be popular with the little ones in October, but I enjoy cheddar-crusted ... read more
Weeknight Curries class at Whole Foods Culinary Center
The menu: 1) Chili-Garlic Compound Butter with Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob 2) Turkey Kheema (Minced Meat Curry) 3) Okra (Bhindi) Curry 4) Baingan Bhartha (Roasted Eggplant Curry) 5) Tomato Basmati Rice Last week's class was a hands-on class, also known as a participation-style class. The gleaming and spacious hands-on kitchen at Whole Foods Culinary Center has 6 stations for up to 12 students. This leaves plenty of room for students to be able to chop, saute, and prepare meals with ease. Since Indian cooking usually involves quite a bit of stove-top cooking, students in my classes have some ... read more
What is Curried Butternut Squash Soup?
What is it? Really, what is curry powder? I am really not sure, and I'm Indian. I don't know a single Indian (OK, I know one) who uses "curry powder". It's not curry leaf powder, which would make more sense (though fresh leaves are 10x better!). Invest in a few spices (coriander, cumin, Indian chili powder, turmeric, clove, cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg are among a few to begin with) if you want to Indian-ize a dish. Yesterday, I wanted to Indian-ize my butternut squash soup yesterday but really had no time to make a spice blend, so instead I used a store-bought (masala gods, don't look down ... read more
I HEART PANI PURI
My all-time favorite Indian food is this dish. I've had it twice this week and had about 25-30 with each sitting which is next to nothing for the average PP fiend. Tap into the center of one of the crunchy puffy puris, stuff it with a black salt spiced yam and black chick pea mash, bob the vessel into a bowl of spicy but refreshing icy mint water and submerge it into the lake of green, dollop with tamarind-date chutney, then gently pop the whole thing into your mouth. It's a combination of flavors and textures (water in dough?) that most would say wouldn't work. Yet they work so well: spicy, ... read more
