Wednesday 31 October 2012
A week or so ago, the temperatures really dropped in Edmonton. As I was walking to school with Aditi, all bundled up against the snow and wind, I said to her, well, Aditi, looks like winter's finally set in! Cue, wailing and nooooooo... but it's not even Halloween yet! Sorry kid, but Halloween's all well and good, but winter's here and this was one of the shortest autumns I've had so far. Now its time to pull out the giant winter coat, wear three layers of clothes, double up on the socks, look like weirdo in gigantic winter boots. Makes me feel like letting out a wail and a half too!
Of course, the fact that Halloween's around also means that poor mommy was out yesterday in a snow storm, trying to find a bloody ladybug costume for a pampered child
(Just as an aside, do you know how hard it is to find a ladybug costume for a four year old? Its easier to give in and let her go as Tinkerbell or Cinderella instead... but way too many princesses in the world, thank you v. much! Argh! PS - I did find a costume in the end... even if when I got home my ears were all but fallen off because of said snowstorm... aaaarrgh, again! PPS - Here's a picture of said pampered child in her ladybug costume... it was worth all that frostbite)
So of course, as soon as the weather turns miserable, all my root vegetables come out and the blender starts working overtime. And if I can add a shot of curry powder to the soup, well, all the better. In my humble opinion, there is no such thing as too much spice, is there??
Friday 26 October 2012
Closed - and we have winners.
Congratulations to Commenter Number 4, Sandra Jasper and Commenter Number 11, Honey Pell. You've won yourselves a pair of tickets to the Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival, 2012. Please email me your names and telephone numbers (thetiffinbox@yahoo.com) and I will email you details of your tickets.
Thank you everyone for taking part! Sadly, as I am working I won't be able to make it this year, but I hope you do get a chance to enjoy the festival one way or another. There are a few other Edmonton blogs offering tickets and they won't close till tomorrow, so do check them out as well.
Till next year, cheerios!!
Michelle
Wednesday 24 October 2012
How do we define memories? How do we remember events, times, places, people? How is it that a fragrance, a taste, a picture, a thought can take us back to a different time, a different place?
It was a simple question, asked by Elizabeth Ng from CBC Radio that got me thinking. A few weeks ago, Elizabeth contacted me to see if I would be interested in an interview project she was working on. She wanted me to make a dish that brought back to me vividly, memories of my home and family. She was hoping to talk to my mum as well, and having me make the dish at the same time. I loved the idea of the interview, and agreed almost immediately, and called my mum excitedly.
Mum was pretty chuffed as well, but then asked me what she thought the dish that defined my childhood - and hers - was... and we both thought that it was this chickpea dish. My grandfather was a wedding chef. He was the person that people called when they were hosting large dinners (and I mean large, Indian style - between 500, 1000 people or more) This was one of his signature dishes, and while it is by no means an original one (a lot of Mangalorean wedding chefs have similar recipes) its the one that stayed with me, in its simplicity, but also its evocative fragrance that takes me right back to the kitchens of my mother and my grandparents.
Mum and I had both differening memories of this dish. My mum talked about how she remembered going to large wedding feasts with my grandfather, and how he would split ingredients around his helpers and make sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to. She described the heat, the noise, the glow of the firelights as everyone worked the night to make sure the feast was ready for the next afternoon. And while she spoke, I saw my grandfather, in his quiet, soft spoken, yet commanding way ordering everything about, with his basket of spices and meats. I saw him wringing the neck of a freshly bought chicken, then plunging it into hot water and defeathering it... with me being co-opted in to do the little ones that were hard for his large hands. I saw him tasting, spicing, salting, mashing... I remembered so much, so many memories! I also remembered my grandmother's food. She was the cook to my grandfather's chef. She was gentle, and delicate in her ways. She fed us congee and pickles and papads and kharam. She made the food we ate everyday and took for granted, just like my mum did all her life.
Friday 19 October 2012
Hello everyone!
As you'll notice (and many of you have, thanks for all your enquiries its so nice to be missed :-)), I haven't actually posted a recipe for a few days, which is very unlike my usual self. Its been a silly busy month, with a lot of visitors and getting back to work in the Get Cooking kitchen. I also visited Victoria (finally!) my surprise birthday present from Kay. So the website has been a casualty of these events, along with lookng after a sick child (hello, kindergarten germs) and general exhaustion and lack of sleep.
I will be posting a recipe early next week to get back into my groove, but in the meanwhile, here's what I've been up to.
I have two recipes published in the Foodie Back-To-School E-Cookbook. My spiced, roasted potatoes, pages 36 - 37 (and heading up the 'Sides' section) and the mango vanilla popsicles, pages 104 - 105 (also heading up 'Desserts'). These are my first ever published recipes, so I am pretty happy. You can also find these recipes in my Recipe Index.
I was featured in the Eat In Eat Out Magazine's Fall Issue. This time around it was spiced sweet potatoes and yams, and the chai ice cream. Strangely enough, Aditi is also featured in the magazine, via Marlow Moo's review of Tutti Frutti Edmonton. Its a double Peters-Jones whammy!
I was hugely chuffed last week when two of my recipes, the sambar and the gulab jamuns were featured by Huffington Post's HuffPost Taste in their Indian food round-up. Was also pretty happy to see that they had a video of a concert by my favourite Indian musicians, Pandit Ravi Shankar and his gorgeous daughter Anoushka. It reminded my of my own magical experience watching them at the Liverpool Philharmonic back in Liverpool.
I also wrote a post for Daily Buzz Moms 'Fall Into Autumn', and was thrilled when it was chosen as the top post for the day. I was lucky enough to be offered the chance to guest edit a Top 9, and I chose the topic 'Cinnamon, Spice and Everything Nice', as a nod to the season. You can see my picks here (and yes, those doughnut muffins are fabulous!) I was also lucky enough to have an entire Top 9 dedicated to posts from The Tiffin Box, and collaborated in picking some of my favourite recipes. Do check it out here.
Don't forget, you can always like my page on Facebook, for more up-to-date meanderings. And Twitter for my everyday silliness.
Normal service shall be resumed shortly. Promise!
Meanwhile, check out the stunning colours of these scarlet runner beans. We let the beans mature on the vines for a bit (I cooked a fair few of them fresh too) and then podded them to reveal these beautiful beans. Unfortunately the colour doesn't keep during the cooking process and they turn grey, but they tasted delicious in a simple bean curry.
Monday 8 October 2012
Canadian Thanksgiving has just been, and what a lovely day we had. I certainly have a lot to be thankful for. My family, my friends, my wonderful husband and child, all the people I've met here in Edmonton, and who have become such a big part of my life. Thanksgiving is certainly special, and while we don't necessarily celebrate it a huge way, we certainly had a wonderful time surrounded by family and friends. I do miss my own family back in India, but even the distance is bridged with regular phone calls and Skype meetings.
Its certainly been a pleasant week on the whole. My in-laws arrived last week, and my child hasn't stopped bouncing since. We love having mum and dad with us, even if it forces me to give up my slobby ways and be more organised, for a change. We even have meals at regular mealtimes, wow, and that's a real change for me :)
Its certainly been a pleasant week on the whole. My in-laws arrived last week, and my child hasn't stopped bouncing since. We love having mum and dad with us, even if it forces me to give up my slobby ways and be more organised, for a change. We even have meals at regular mealtimes, wow, and that's a real change for me :)
But of course, that's not the point of this post, now... what's the point again? Ah yes. More potatoes. Just what you all wanted, right? Right?
As I frantically try and use up all my millions of potatoes, I am pulling recipes from all over. We've had my MIL's scalloped potatoes as a staple food. We've had potato curries and masalas and hash browns. We're having potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner... and as a snack in between :) Which brings me to these potato bhajias or pakoras. This is a recipe from my mum, one that she uses to make cabbage pakoras (that recipe's coming soon) and I adapted it to suit my potatoes.
There really isn't very much to this recipe, especially once you get the consistency of the batter right. The idea is to get to the same consistency as heavy cream, so that when you dip your spoon in it, the batter drips off heavily at the end. If you make your batter too thin, it won't coat the potatoes. Too thick, and the outside pakora coating won't be as crispy. So make sure you add the water bit by bit, and stop when you get to the texture you like.
If you have a mandoline, the slicing of the potatoes takes next to no time at all. If not, slice them thinly, as uniformly as you can, as they then cook evenly in the oil.
My mum always tested the oil by dropping a small blob of batter in it. If the batter rose quickly to the surface and was covered in bubbles, then the oil was the right temperature. I decided to be a little more scientific about it and take the guesswork out (or just crabby, I suppose) If you have a candy or oil thermometer then the oil needs to heat up to 375 F (if you don't have a thermometer, I very highly recommend you get one, the ease of making such deep fried dishes is immense, and they don't even cost a lot) Once the oil is at the right temperature, then you can slide in the coated potato slices, one at a time, and making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Essentially, when you overcrowd the pan, the temperature of the oil drops, and the pakoras won't cook as evenly.
These pakoras are best eaten as soon as they cool down just a little, as hot as you can take them, basically... the fresher they are, the crisper they taste. However, if they do get cold, place them in a single layer on a baking tray, and you can reheat them quickly in a preheated 400 F oven for about 5 - 7 minutes, turning once, to get back some of the crispness. These pakoras can be served with any kind of chutney. My favourite is mint chutney, but they go well with a variety of them (check out some of my recipes here and here)
As I frantically try and use up all my millions of potatoes, I am pulling recipes from all over. We've had my MIL's scalloped potatoes as a staple food. We've had potato curries and masalas and hash browns. We're having potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner... and as a snack in between :) Which brings me to these potato bhajias or pakoras. This is a recipe from my mum, one that she uses to make cabbage pakoras (that recipe's coming soon) and I adapted it to suit my potatoes.
There really isn't very much to this recipe, especially once you get the consistency of the batter right. The idea is to get to the same consistency as heavy cream, so that when you dip your spoon in it, the batter drips off heavily at the end. If you make your batter too thin, it won't coat the potatoes. Too thick, and the outside pakora coating won't be as crispy. So make sure you add the water bit by bit, and stop when you get to the texture you like.
If you have a mandoline, the slicing of the potatoes takes next to no time at all. If not, slice them thinly, as uniformly as you can, as they then cook evenly in the oil.
My mum always tested the oil by dropping a small blob of batter in it. If the batter rose quickly to the surface and was covered in bubbles, then the oil was the right temperature. I decided to be a little more scientific about it and take the guesswork out (or just crabby, I suppose) If you have a candy or oil thermometer then the oil needs to heat up to 375 F (if you don't have a thermometer, I very highly recommend you get one, the ease of making such deep fried dishes is immense, and they don't even cost a lot) Once the oil is at the right temperature, then you can slide in the coated potato slices, one at a time, and making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Essentially, when you overcrowd the pan, the temperature of the oil drops, and the pakoras won't cook as evenly.
These pakoras are best eaten as soon as they cool down just a little, as hot as you can take them, basically... the fresher they are, the crisper they taste. However, if they do get cold, place them in a single layer on a baking tray, and you can reheat them quickly in a preheated 400 F oven for about 5 - 7 minutes, turning once, to get back some of the crispness. These pakoras can be served with any kind of chutney. My favourite is mint chutney, but they go well with a variety of them (check out some of my recipes here and here)
For me, this is a taste that takes me straight back to India and to my university days. My friends and I used to hang around the dhabas (street eateries) all the time, and chow these down by the dozen, all dipped in spicy hot Maggi chilli sauce and ketchup. A hot cup of freshly made masala chai, and this is the perfect afternoon snack, especially now that the days are getting crisp and cold, and the leaves are all blowing away in the chilly wind.
Recipe:
(Printable Recipe)
(Printable Recipe)
2 large potatoes, scrubbed, no need to peel
1 cup chickpea flour (gram flour)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon hot chilli powder
½ inch piece of ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 green chilly, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Sparkling water (or plain water) around ¾ cup
Enough oil to deep fry, I use canola or vegetable
Method:
Slice the potatoes thinly as you can or around ¼ mm if you have a mandoline. Rinse the slices, if you wish, and dry with paper towels.
Sift together the chickpea flour, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, baking soda, whole cumin seeds and chilli powder.
Stir in the grated ginger, crushed garlic and green chillies.
Slowly add enough water to make a thick batter, the consistency of heavy cream. I used roughly ¾ cup, but it depends on how dry your climate is, so adjust the water accordingly.
Add salt to taste (I use about ¾ teaspoon)
Heat the oil in a deep pot to 375 F. Coat the potato slices in the batter and gently slide into the hot oil, three, four slices at a time, depending on the size of your frying pot. Don't overcrowd the pan, or the pakoras won't fry evenly.
Deep fry, turning often, for 4 - 5 minutes, until the pakoras/ bhajias are a deep golden brown. Gently lift from the oil, using a slotted spoon, and drain on kitchen paper.
Serve hot with chutneys or ketchup.
Tuesday 2 October 2012
Remember how, this time last year, I was ranting away at my zucchinis? Well, this year, its potatoes. Kay planted around thirty potato plants in our neighbour's garden this year, and despite the hail battering, they have all prolifically produced potatoes (I love alliterations, me!) A lot of potatoes. Many, many hundreds of potatoes. Maybe even thousands and millions of potatoes (ok, a teeny exaggeration, perhaps)
I literally have potatoes coming out of my ears... a giant number of them, all lovely, and firm and red skinned and yellow fleshed... sitting there in baskets... looking at me with their potatoey eyes... just begging to be eaten, used up or given away. Our friends have already been at the recieving end of our potato shares, and I joke that I feel like a dealer, standing around on street corners going 'man, you wanna potatoes?'
You think I am kidding? Look!
And the picture is only of the little guys. Kay sorted them out, and stored the large potatoes in the garage for now. I am still not quite sure how to preserve them, but I am frantically researching.
Jokes aside, we do have a gigantic harvest this year and I've been frantically cooking anything and everything potato. I've already run through all of my staple recipes and am now madly making anything that looks good and is remotely potato friendly. So, expect to see a lot of potato recipes here this month (and the next, and the next...)
Thankfully, one of my recipe inspirations came thanks to my friend May, who posted this delicious looking Dahi Kadhi (Hot Spiced Yoghurt Soup). It inspired me to make this popular Indian recipe called dum aloo or potatoes simmered in a gently spiced yogurt sauce. May's yogurt soup had no potatoes in it, but at this time any recipe that can have potatoes dunked in it, is getting potatoes dunked in it.
This recipe worked out brilliantly, even if I do say so myself. Our potatoes are lush and sweet and this delicate, tangy-spicy sauce gently enhances their flavour without overpowering them. Its a fantastic dish for easy, nutritious suppers, and it goes well as an accompaniment to all sorts of dishes.
This recipe worked out brilliantly, even if I do say so myself. Our potatoes are lush and sweet and this delicate, tangy-spicy sauce gently enhances their flavour without overpowering them. Its a fantastic dish for easy, nutritious suppers, and it goes well as an accompaniment to all sorts of dishes.
A couple of things do need to be kept in mind while making this dish. The yogurt needs to be at room temperature or just very slightly chilled while making this dish. Make sure you take the pan off the heat and let the oil cool a little, before adding the yogurt mixture, as adding cold yogurt to hot oil can make it split. Once added, keep the heat medium-low, and bring the yogurt to just steaming point, and try to avoid boiling it, which can also make it split. The chickpea flour actually is there to make sure yogurts don't split, but I've found that yogurts here are not the same as in India and tend to split faster.
If the yogurt does split, not to worry. Take off the heat and whisk hard for a few minutes, and this should emulsify it a little. In all honesty, splitting doesn't really affect the taste of this dish, its a purely aesthetic issue.
The tarka at the end just lifts the whole flavour of the dish, making it truly amazing. May has a lot more in her tarka, but I kept it simple here. But do check out her recipe for the lovely soup, which I shall be making soon enough. Its not like there aren't any potatoes to go around, haha.
Watch out for more potato recipes coming your way soon... and if you want some, hop on by, and you can have some :)
Recipe:
(Printable Recipe)
Serves 4 as a side dish
1 kilo fresh potatoes, scrubbed, peeled if necessary and cut into chunks
Cold water, enough to cover the potatoes
Salt to taste
For the yogurt sauce:
2 cups plain or greek style yogurt, at room temperature
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup chickpea or gram flour (besan)
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 - 2 hot green chillies, sliced finely
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon hot cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon unscented oil
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
1 small onion, diced fine
1 cup hot vegetable stock
For the tempering, or tarka/ tadka/ phon:
½ tablespoon unscented oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 - 2 sprigs curry leaves, picked (about 10 - 12 leaves)
2 long dried red chillies
2 whole garlic cloves, slightly bruised
Method:
Place the potatoes in a deep saucepan and cover with cold water. Add salt to taste, bring to the boil, and cook the potatoes until soft and tender. Drain and keep aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt and the milk. Sift over the chickpea flour and whisk until there are no lumps. Stir in the grated ginger, green chillies, turmeric, garam masala, ground cumin and cayenne pepper (if using) and mix well.
Heat the oil in a deep pan, on medium heat, and add the fennel seeds. When they start to sputter, add the onion. Fry for about 5 - 6 minutes, until the onion is soft and just beginning to colour.
Take the pan off the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Gently whisk in the yogurt mixture, little by little, scraping the sides and making sure that the oil is all emulsified into the sauce.
Place back on a low heat, and incorporate the stock, gently whisking it in. Season to taste. On a low heat, bring the sauce to a very gentle simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Fold in the potatoes into the yogurt sauce and bring back to a simmer for a minute, then take off the heat and keep aside while you make the tempering.
To make the tarka or tempering, heat oil in a small pan. Add the mustard seeds. When they sizzle and sputter, add the red chillies, the garlic and the curry leaves. Saute for abotu 30 seconds, then pour the whole lot over the potatoes in the yogurt sauce. Cover quickly to trap in the aromas.
Just before serving, gently stir everything together, check and adjust seasoning and serve just warm. This dish goes well with any accompaniment like rice, Indian breads or pita bread.
Monday 1 October 2012
Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt has been a favourite with Aditi and me, ever since we were introduced to this cool chain of self serve frozen yogurt by Marlow Moo. Aditi and I both love the Whyte Avenue location, as its close to school, and to the hopping, fun area that I love spending time at. We go there fairly often, and love the cool, family friendly space that has enough space to play and eat.
TF then opened up in Southgate, making it even more scarily accessible to my froyo crazy little bat. Now, every single trip to Southgate elicits the plaintive whine for TF yogurt... and to be honest, I don't mind giving in everytime once or twice. The Whyte Aveneue location of TF is a lot bigger than Southgate, but Southgate is easier in terms of access for me.
And now, to make things better, TF is now open in West Edmonton Mall. I go to West Ed fairly often, maybe not as often as Southgate, but enough to want to have a sweetener (no pun, honest) for Aditi to induce her to put up with my endless shopping. I will make no bones about the fact that I do love shopping, and WEM is definitely my mecca :) Having a TF Froyo here makes things a lot easier. And the fact that its practically right under Williams Sonoma and the soon to arrive Pottery Barn is just topping on the yogurt. Its by far and away Aditi's favourite place in the world, and the little bat has tried practically every single flavour on offer. So how could I refuse when I blackmailed my way in was kindly invited to their opening?
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