Indian Classics - Aloo Gobi

This week actually marks the tenth anniversary of this blog. However, somewhere along the way, in the past year and a half, I seem to have lost my way a little. My pregnancy with Baby Sky wasn't the greatest, and all I wanted to do was sleep, as opposed to cook or eat, or feed anyone else, for that matter. I think I might have survived on ginger biscuits and mangoes.

Ennui comes in many forms. As someone who has struggled with being motivated, it can be a death knell for the creative side. It doesn't help that I work a job in real life that fulfills me professionally and financially. It has just made it easier to not nurture the creative side of me. I was also so disappointed with internet algorithms. All these beautiful niche recipes that I had carefully worked on were now disappearing from search results, in favour of generic recipes from sites like Genius Kitchen or Allrecipes. I mean, what's the point in continuing to compete in such a lopsided market with zero motivation for smaller bloggers? All that work, developing recipes, cooking, styling the food, taking photographs, writing, coming up with a cool SEO friendly title, marketing non-stop, social media, submitting to food porn sites... and it all disappears down a deep, dark black hole because large sites with unlimited marketing budgets know how to fuck you over with their fancy SEO shite and manipulation of search algorithms.

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Introduce Baby to Spice - 10 Easy, Delicious and Unusual Recipes

There is so much advice out there on weaning babies, and every generation has its own rules and regulations. These rules might be always changing (the advice on feeding babies peanuts, for example), but when it comes to babies, I've always held by my mother-in-law's advice that mommy knows best. Yes, mommy might need a bit of help from Dear Mother Google, but by and large, we are always aware of our babies' needs and the best way to fulfil them.

When it comes to food, babies are such a blank slate, but at the same time, pretty strong minded. Adz, for example, never ate potatoes as a baby. I remember feeding her a pilau once that had the tiniest bits of potatoes, and when I looked over, that child had picked out every since scrap of potatoes (from rice!) and put them aside. Baby Sky, on the other hand, is a little food monster and will gobble up everything you feed him, and then whine for more. Adz and I thought we would have a little bit of fun with him, and gave him a slice of lime one day. That little creature sucked the entire lime, and then looked at us with a big smile and went, mmm!

So, considering that he seemed pretty happy with experimenting with food, I decided to start spice early on. I am Indian, after all, and spice is a huge part of my life and cooking. I came up with quite a few combinations to include spices in his everyday food, and the ten recipes below are an unusual, yet, perfect spice primer for your little gourmet.

If you need more information on any of the spices I use, I write The Spice Box column on FBC, which has  information on every spice and herb you need.

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Global Recipe Swap - PTL Chipotle Taquitos

Baby Sky's birth was wonderful. I had a planned C-Section – planned, because Adz's birth was pretty traumatic for me – but this one went without a hitch. I felt at peace and healed up beautifully. Mentally, however, I was still a bit unsure. On one hand, I was ecstatic with my beautiful new baby, but on the other hand, anxious again. When we took Baby Sky for his first immunisation and weigh-in, the nurse recommended I see a therapist, just to talk through things.

I mentioned my anxiety, and as we talked through it, I realised that the majority of my worry was from the election that had just taken place in the States. That person had won, and the fear in the pit of my stomach had never left. My therapist mentioned, almost as an aside, that I was not the only one who had had anxiety triggered by this election. As we chatted more, I realised that the root of my fear was the fact that I was brown.

I no longer felt as safe on the streets as I was. It might have been a false sense of security, but having now lived in Canada for over seven years, I was beginning to adapt to the Canadian way of living. When I first moved here, I wanted locks on every side gate and to the backyard. Now I was leaving our door open when we pottered around in the backyard. But suddenly, I was back to locking and triple checking everything. I was overthinking every sideways gaze at me and the children. I started spraying myself with fragrance because I didn't want people to think I smelt of curry. I kept an eye out on public transit instead of being immersed in my phone.

In some ways, I was happy to know that I was not alone, that there were other people who felt triggered by the nastiness of that election. But in some ways I felt more alone than I have ever been for a long time.

Even now, as I write this post, my hands are shaking, I feel nervous and jittery and my chest feels tight. If this is my reaction – the reaction of someone whose immigrant journey, as I mentioned in my previous post, was easier than most people's, then I can only imagine what people who came here fleeing war and persecution must be feeling. What those people who seek asylum and refuge in Canada are thinking. What the mental state of those people who are braving sub-zero temperatures to cross over to Canada from the States must be like. How they must feel, having their families torn apart, having to leave everything that they have behind, their worries for their children and parents.

I don't get it. I honestly don't. How did this person – this person who openly espouses intolerance and deals in hate and fear mongering – get elected? Was everything I knew about the States wrong? According to my Facebook feed, I am preaching to the choir. Everybody is against this person. Everyone is horrified. Everybody is exhorting resistance. Yet, there were millions upon millions of people who voted for this person. Who are these people? How do they not know that their history is also one of immigration, moving to the States for a better life, and fleeing persecution? How can they suddenly be all about white power and intolerance? I don't understand it.


But then again, maybe I do.

I might joke about this, but there is a reason why my family didn't make much of a fuss when I announced that I was marrying a white man. Just after Kay had proposed, I went back to India to go wedding shopping. My grandmother asked me to show her pictures of my future in-laws. She looked over carefully at the photo, and said, "well, this is good. They are white and fat and your children will be nice and fair." Eh, what?

I don't know how my folks would have reacted if I'd gone home and said I was marrying a black Muslim man. Or even if I'd outed myself as gay. See, it doesn't matter if you're being discriminated against. You can still be racist as a brown person. Or casteist. Or intolerant of another religion ("Jess: It's all changing now. Nasser Hussein is captain of the English cricket team and he's Asian. Mrs. Bhamra: Hussein is a Muslim name, their families are different.... Pinky: You can marry anyone you want. It's fine at first when you're in love and all that but do you want to be stared at, by every family that do because you married the English bloke? Jess: He's Irish. Pinky: Well, they all look the bloody same to them, innit" – fine, I am a 'Bend It Like Beckham nerd, but seriously... this.)

It takes courage to admit that some of your ideas about how things are in this world are wrong. I've snapped at some of my relatives when they talk disparagingly about 'furriners' (foreigners, as Indian people dub white people). My kids and my husband are 'foreigners'. Technically, so am I. Are they okay talking about me like that?

I had this experience with my mom, as I was trying to explain being gay and gay rights to her. She didn't understand it at all, and all her perceptions about being gay had been coloured by the vehement opposition of the church, as she is very religious. But we did have a conversation about it, and I got her to read this article on being gay in India  and the persecution they go through. At the end of the piece, she was in tears as she understood the discrimination and prejudice. She changed her mind that day. She is a brave, thoughtful woman who had the courage to admit that her convictions were wrong.

I wish a lot more people were like her. Perhaps then I would feel better about leaving this world to my children.


I found it rather fitting that my recipe swap partner, Shel Zolkevich, made these Mexican taquitos. In her recipe post, she has a funny story about why they are called PTL taquitos, I must admit I chuckled at that one, especially with a husband that mispronounces a lot of Indian words.

We don't need a wall in today's world. Having made and loved each bite of these, all I can say is that we need more taquitos, instead.

PTL Chipotle Taquitos 

2 tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 lb ground beef, lean
½ tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp cumin

3 cups mashed potatoes
1 canned chipotle, from chipotles in adobo sauce, diced
½ cup mozzarella, shredded

24 corn tortillas, 4-5 inches wide
24 toothpicks

1 cup canola oil, for frying

Optional:

Sour cream
Chopped avocado
Salsa verde
Cilantro

Heat 2 tbsp canola oil over medium high heat. Add onion and fry for three minutes. Add ground beef and fry until all traces of pink are gone, about eight minutes. Add salt, chili powder and cumin. Mix well. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes, chipotle, cheese and ground beef mixture. Mix well.

In a wide frypan, heat 1 cup of canola oil to 375 degrees F.

Place one tortilla on a flat surface and add 1 Tbsp of ground beef and potato mixture in the centre. Roll tightly and secure with toothpick. Set aside. Continue to make five more taquitos. Fry six at a time, for two minutes on one side and two minutes on the other. Repeat until all 24 are done.

Garnish with sour cream, chopped avocado, sour cream and cilantro.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Think Beef. 

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Mom's Awesome Potato Bhaji, Breakfasts Around The World and Small Steps to Wellness

I recently read an article, 50 of the World's Best Breakfasts, and was pretty pleased to find my all-time favourite, the Full English, at the top of the list. Let's face it, there is nothing like a greasy fry-up of eggs, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, baked beans, black pudding, fried bread and a cup of strong, hot, sweet builders' tea to start the day. Except, of course, for the impending heart attack that will probably show up shortly after. But as a broke graduate student, it couldn't be beaten for value. 

Sadly, however much I wanted to, there was no way my grad student diet could continue without some serious health issues, so I had to reluctantly grow up, and make those changes that would led to a reasonably healthier lifestyle. One of these changes was cooking at home more often. Of course, this led to my current food writing career which has taken off a lot more than I could have hoped for, and it was that one small step that helped me along the way.

Breakfasts have always been an important tradition in Indian culture and families. Since I was little, as far back as I can remember, every morning has started with a hot breakfast. We started school at 9 AM, and my mom had to leave for work at 8 in the morning. So a lot of the breakfasts we had were either prepped late in the evening, or I would hear my mom up at 5 AM in the kitchen, making sure the family was going to be fed. A hot breakfast usually meant a pretty elaborate set up. Dosa batter was ground and fermented overnight, with chutneys and condiments already made. A hot potato bhaji curry would be made in the morning, simmering on the gas stove next to my mom who would be frying up hot, crispy dosas. Once we'd grumbled our way out of bed, we would get dressed in our school uniforms, make sure our backpacks were packed and then sit down for breakfast. The dosas, or rotis, or hot pressed sandwiches would come flying out at us, and we gobbled as much as we could before racing out of the door behind our mom to get to school on time.

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Chicken With Morel and Chanterelle Mushrooms (A Ricardo Recipe)

I love food magazines. I was devastated when I had to leave behind my carefully curated collection back in England when I first moved to Canada, as there simply wasn't enough room to bring them over. I did keep a selection of my favorite Delicious magazines, and a bundle of recipes that I had clipped from others.

When I moved to Canada, my first order of business was to resubscribe to a whole bunch of magazines. During this time, I came across Ricardo, and I bought some intermittently. There is something about buying a magazine, a secret treat, if you will, that makes me happy. Perhaps it is because they aren't that expensive, plus the feel-good factor is pretty high. Researchers call this the 'lipstick economic indicator', as it's been noted that lipstick sales rise when there is an economic downturn – women want to treat themselves to something small and relatively inexpensive, but something that makes them feel good about themselves. My lipsticks are food magazines, as looking the beautifully shot food and recipes gives me a high and allows my own creativity to flow.

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Turkey Yakitori

This month's brief from Turkey Farmers of Canada was to create a delicious recipe for the barbeque or grill. Turkey cuts are fantastic for everyday and special grilling, and indeed, one of my first recipes for them was this delicious Tandoori Turkey.

I wanted to go a little off beat for this recipe and my inspiration struck when I was chatting with my friend Jamie, also known as Cook With Sumo. Jamie was, ahem, yakking about his famous Yakitori Chicken and Miso Yakitori Potatoes, and I, being the opportunist that I am, immediately saw the potential of that yakitori tare (sauce). I love Japanese food, especially Jamie's cooking, and it was a cool opportunity to do something different from my usual.

Jamie and I threw around some ideas for how we could adapt the recipe using turkey cuts. He mentioned that yakitori essentially used all parts of the bird, and there was no reason why I couldn't use anything that grabbed my fancy. Jamie uses thigh meat, but I wanted to keep the recipe simple, so I used breast fillets instead. Jamie also cuts his meat into smaller cubes, and you can certainly do that if you're making traditional yakitori. I sliced the turkey fillets in half, because I wanted to keep them moist on the grill. It certainly worked brilliantly, and we loved the delicious sweet/ salty/ umami taste of this turkey yakitori. 

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Easy Chicken Mughlai

  

India, a land of contrasts. Every time I think I have a handle on this extraordinary country, it throws me a curveball. From the first step off a long flight, the smell of wood smoke, chill and the hints of dust in the air... the cheerful faces of relatives, even at the unearthly hour of 3 AM...  the sparkling lights of Christmas time (any excuse for a holiday, here) and of course, the hot food at my aunts, that she prepared for me, even though she works full time.

I loved the feeling of being home with my aunt  Jessie. I've already spoken about my aunt, in this post here, but I have to reiterate, that she's an amazingly simple, elegant, down to earth person, who happens to be a super cook to boot. Lucky uncle and my cousin Jas.

The next morning brought back to me why I miss India so much. As Adz and I, bleary eyed, straggled our way downstairs - jet lagged and exhausted - the aroma of fresh, hot chai floated up and into our grateful insides. Along with sizzling, hot, buttered rotis and a crisp fried masala egg... well, to be honest, that's my idea of heaven. 

I've been documenting my everyday adventures here on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, so don't forget to head over and ogle the beauty of my chais and chapathis :)  

As it turned out, my aunt decided to take the day off, and along with another of my aunts, Aunt Justine and my cousin Jas, we decided to hang out in Bangalore, refreshing my memories of choking traffic and the sheer chaos of riding on roads without rules. I was mentally compiling a list of ten things about traffic and driving in India, and I will definitely share that with you all soon... trust me, it will make for exciting reading.

Meanwhile, when we got back from our meanderings, my aunt Jessie had been cooking all morning. On our way back from the airport, the driver of our car noticed that the vegetable trucks had just started unloading vendors loaded down with fresh greens and vegetables. A quick word to my uncle, and we stopped right there by the roadside, and off they went to grab some bargain fresh fenugreek, cilantro and spinach.

(Note: apparently, as the day gets on, prices go up significantly, so it does pay to be out at 4.30 AM)

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Indian Street Food - Vada Pav (Spicy Potato Patties in a Soft Roll) With Dry Garlic/ Chilli/ Coconut and Cilantro/ Mint Chutneys

Winter's here in earnest. Halloween was (thankfully) warm(ish), but come the first of November, the snow's started, and yesterday we had almost a foot of snow. Now I'll be the first to admit that winter is not my season... but then I am grateful that it didn't start early this year like last year, where it was so bitterly cold in October. Winter this year is also mitigated for me, as I count down the days when I am heading to India for Christmas with Adz. + 28 C has never sounded so good!

That said, I know I haven't posted for a few weeks here. For the first time in almost four years, I was really really sick. The flu's been around for a while, but I've never felt this sick in a long time. Its taken me almost two weeks to get back to normal, and I still have the odd twinge here and there along with a lingering tiredness which is incredibly frustrating. Add that, and a whole slew of other things, and its not been a great month one way or another. But thankfully, I am now feeling much better and normal service is resumed.

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Grilled Padrón Peppers and Home Grown Heroes

'It all started with an eighty nine year old professor leaning on his shovel' - Maryanne. 

Heroes are very personal, when it comes to me. I have heroes, people I would go 'squeeeee' and faint if I met them, but they're not necessarily people I like to talk or write about... I am a little bit funny like that. I think even my husband would struggle to name a person who he considered my 'hero', both in the food world or otherwise, simply because I find it hard to articulate what it is about a person that I like and admire. Its easy enough to spout out names with the hopes that one or two 'click' but this was not what the challenge was all about for me. So, to be honest, I did think about maybe not taking part this time around. What changed my mind was that I had already missed one posting, as things were a bit manic in my world, and I didn't want to miss another one. Plus, as it is, I was already going to be late with this post too.

Once I took away the personal aspect of this topic, though, something did strike me. Who were the people, Canadian and otherwise, that I admired most when it comes to food, both the eating of and growing of it? Well, other than my mom and grandfather, who are kind of, not Canadian?

Well, those people who grow food. Not specifically farmers, though they are pretty admirable, but all those ordinary people who grow food in their back gardens. Not to blog, tweet or talk about it, but just for the sheer joy of watching things grow and sharing the bounties of harvest.

Well, I know people like that. And one of my favourite persons is the lovely Maryanne, who plants her own 'guerilla garden' as she likes to call it. This is community gardening, but not like we know it. This is just gardening, planting food for the fun of it, and for the pleasure that it brings.

I asked Maryanne how she got started with her 'guerilla garden', and she talked about how she had always wanted a garden while living in a condo. Amidst all this, she said she used to get together with a group, who worked in an set of offices, behind which was a patch of grass and hedges. The professor, in particular, kept mentioning how well tomatoes would do just up there, against the brickwork of the building. But, despite thinking about starting a garden there, she didn't particularly relish beginning the process. And then, fate took a turn, whereby part of the lawn was dug up for replacing pipes. Once that happened, the aforementioned eighty nine year old professor took it upon himself to hurry the process along, digging a giant trench for the tomatoes, and the rest, she says, is history. She recounts a funny story about the first garden year, where they decided to plant potatoes in straw bales... 'mouse heaven' says Maryanne. 'What were we thinking?' she recalls ruefully... thankfully, the lesson was learned, and there were no more mouse condos.

I found out about the garden from my husband, Kay, when we first moved to Edmonton and were living in a condo in Garneau. Kay lent a hand in getting the garden in shape one year, and we spent many days and evenings, just hanging about, sitting around a firepit and eating fresh, local produce that was all grown in the garden. It inspired a sense of camaraderie, that did a lot to ease my way into a new city and make new friends. 

The garden has been going along for a few years now. Maryanne points to a pair of scissors on a small table by the water hose. That pair of scissors is left there, so if anyone stumbles on the garden they are more than welcome to take a piece of it home... fancy some fresh, organic lettuce? Or some beans? Broccoli? Well, its all there to share. Its part of the magic of guerrilla gardening. Its what makes my food heroes special.

I am certainly not a gardener. That would be my husband, Kay, and my little girl Adz. As Adz poetically put it, 'dad is the grower, mum is the cooker'... gotcha in one. So I admire people that garden for the fun of it. They are my heroes. 

To celebrate home grown produce, I decided to share a simple recipe, but one that completely and utterly depends on the freshest produce. One of Kay's colleagues recently brought back Padrón pepper seeds, and Kay grew them in pots on the deck. We were lucky enough to get a whole bunch of peppers, and as we were told, all we did was douse them in some fresh olive oil, and grill them until the skins blistered. We then ate them, dunked in a titch of crystal, flaked sea salt, and all I can say is, this is what summer is all about. Sweet, salty heat, utterly moreish... so much so that Kay has now been told that there better be a lot more of these delicious little guys grown next summer. 

Apparently eating Padrón peppers has been likened to playing roulette. While the majority of the peppers are mild, with a light heat to them, 20% tend to be super hot. The only way to tell? Eat them. Now that sounds like my kind of roulette :) 

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Evans Cherry and Rose Jelly + Ball Canning's Can-It-Forward Day + Giveaways

GIVEAWAY WINNERS: 

A huge thank you to all of you for commenting and entering my giveaway. Congratulations to the winners. If you have won, I will be in touch to confirm details and addresses. If you haven't won, keep an eye on this website as I have a couple more awesome giveaways coming up very soon.

The US Ball Canning Prize Package: Congratulations Maggie Drake. I will arrange for your canning pack to be sent to you as soon as I get your mailing address.

In Edmonton: Congratulations Su. You win the Ball Canning Discovery Set, the Ball Blue Book of Canning and a vegetable pack from my garden (watch out!).

The Rest of Canada and The World: Congratulations, Kim Anne, Stephanie Scott and Jaime. Please email me your mailing addresses at michellepatriciapeters@gmail.com.

Thanks again for your lovely comments and entries.

When our two-raised-beds-and-a-few-neighbours'-garden(s) produce, it all goes a bit wild. There are times when I am so glad that I get August off, because I would have no idea how on earth I would be able to preserve and can all of the produce that keeps coming at me. This year, the bounty included carrots, beets, more zucchini than I can handle, a boat load of Evans cherries from the neighbours' garden, peas, beans, chard, arugula, lettuce... and I still have the potatoes to come. 

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Kerala Style Potato Avial With BCfresh New Nugget (Warba) Potatoes

Talk about skipping straight to summer without even time to take a (fresh) spring breath. Well, Edmonton has been having its mini heat wave last week when the mercury hit the late thirties, and I am sitting in the brilliant sunshine, sweating buckets gently glowing and totally, totally not complaining. Nope, not even a teeny weeny tiny whiny complaint.

For me and the non-meat eating members of my family, summer is a time to enjoy nature's bounty at its best. Our farmers markets are heaving with fresh, beautiful vegetables and fruit and Kay's hard work in the back garden is beginning to produce a glut of zucchini ahem, amazing results too. Beet greens, woo hoo, here we come.

And what better way to start off what's shaping up to be a pretty delicious summer than with some delicate new nugget or warba potatoes? Last year, I had the honour of being one of the runner ups in the BCFresh New Nugget Potato recipe contest with my delicious Bombay Potatoes (nope, no false modesty here, that is a great recipe that I've been making forever :)) But ever since then, I've been planning this year's recipe... talk about being presumptuous, what? So when the contest finally arrived, I was in pretty good shape and raring to go.

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Indian Classics - Traditional Potato and Peas Samosas

My favourite samosa memory is from my hometown, even though I've had über delicious ones when I've been away at university as well. My cousin Brad introduced me to this little chaat place just under a block of apartments close to home, called Vrindavan. They made some really good chaats and samosas. One of my favourite chaats from there was a 'ragda samosa' where there made and fried fresh samosas, which were then broken up and smothered in a curried pigeon pea or chickpea sauce called a ragda and sprinkled over with chopped onion, a sweet/ sour tamarind chutney, cilantro and spicy, fried chickpea noodles called sev. The whole experience is, and has always been, mindblowing to me, with all the textures and tasted melding together into an explosion of flavours. Every time I visit back home, this is one of my first foodie stops.

Of course, I would be doing the dhabas of Delhi a disservice if I didn't mention them when it comes to samosas, of course. JNU, where I was at residential university is widely considered to have some of the best dhabas or street eateries in Delhi (though I am sure other university students would disagree vehemently with me) and samosas used to be the fail safe option as we staggered out bleary eyed after pulling all-nighters at the library or in friends' rooms. Or even after a hard night's partying, haha. Samosas were my personal hangover cure at university, all that deep fried goodness and a hot, steaming cup of  masala chai... what's not to love about that cure? (OK, until I discovered the traditional British fry-up, but that's a story for another time) 

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Curried Parsnip Soup

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?? 

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Housekeeping, Links, Being Busy and Laziness

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.

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Indian Classics - Potato Pakoras (Potato Bhajias or Spiced Fritters)

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 :)

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)

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)

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.

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Potatoes In A Spicy Yoghurt Sauce (Dum Aloo Kadhi)

 

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. 

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.

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Fall Into Autumn! Spiced Squash, Chickpea and Potato Stew (for DailyBuzz Moms 9x9)

 
 

I have a confession to make. For all my griping about winter approaching, I do have a soft spot for autumn. I grew up in a place where we rarely had changing seasons, like we do here, and the first time I really experienced autumnal colours is one of my most cherished memories. Autumn in England comes slowly... here in Canada it feels like the colours change overnight. I don't need to wax lyrical about autumn colours, do I really? Anyone who's seen them will know exactly what I mean when I say that they can only be described as magical. 

Its strange to see the difference in autumnal shades in various parts of Canada itself. Eastern Canada glows with subtle terracottas, dark reds and chocolate browns. We, here in Alberta, get sparkling yellows, deep gold and vivid greens. Its no coincidence that this city's colours are green and gold... a walk through the river valley on a crisp autumn morning will reveal exactly this beautiful palette of colours.

Kay, Aditi and I took advantage of the beautiful Indian summer we're having right now to go for one last camping trip to Elk Island Park. The drive in is nothing short of beautiful. Its not the brash, in-your-face beauty of the Rockies... instead its a peaceful, gleaming, almost bucolic beauty that soothes your soul and makes you happy to live in the prairies. The colours in the park are stunning and make me feel blessed for living where I do, and give thanks for being able to do what I do. 

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Classic Potato Salad

As summer comes to an end, I find myself scrambling around, trying to preserve the last of it... like if I hold on to it hard enough, the warmth and sunshine may just stay a little longer. Its a bit like watching your child grow up... except that in this case, summer will always come around again, but those precious childhood years won't ever be back. 

Aditi started kindergarten last week. Even though she's been going to preschool, it struck me quite hard as to the fact that my baby was no longer a baby, and that she's now independent and ready for big-girl school. We placed her in a lovely programme at a wonderful school, but there is always niggling questions... are we are doing the right thing, is she too young to start school (she's a bit on the young side), will she cope with all the kids, is it too much pressure, how can we make her life easier... all valid, legitimate concerns, but the fact remains that the years race by, and seasons pass on by and my baby grows older with each passing day. Its enough to make a mum emotional.

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Indian Classics - Sambhar / Sambar (Spicy South Indian Vegetable Stew)

I talk very often about my mum on this blog. That's because, to me, she's an amazing woman, and one of the unsung heroes of the world. My mum, to me, is my role model in many ways. Not because she did great things or saved the world, but just the way she is. She was one of the first generation of Indian women to work outside the home, and claim their independence, but at the same time, her sisters and her looked after their parents. They worked all hours at incredibly demanding jobs, but also found the time to come back home and work just as hard in their own homes. My mum had so many demands on her time - her parents, siblings, children and husband, relatives, friends, students, grandchildren... the list was and is neverending! Yet she balanced everything so well, with a smile and an ocasional snap...  but never complaining (well, perhaps the odd grumble or two...) never fazed by the endless craziness of her life. 

And today, when she should be retired and sitting down with a cup of tea, she still has so much to do, including looking after her elderly parents and grandchildren. Yes, my mum has a work ethic to be proud of, and one that ocasionally makes me ashamed to have had it so easy in my life too. But also, at the same time, she inspires me to go out and do the best that I can. She encouraged me all through my academic career, supported me financially and emotionally and now she encourages my cooking career, because its what I love doing. Though she never says it out loud, I know that she loves me, and that she's proud of me, and this has always spurred me on to be that little bit better, every day of my life. She's truly a hero.

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Home Grown Parsley and Potato Soup (and a Lesson in Life)

Its been a weird week. I've had news that's made me hugely happy, and then we've had events that have made both Kay and I sad. Lets start with the good news. See that shiny new badge on my right sidebar?

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Yes, I've been voted into Babble's Top 100 Mom Food Blogs for 2012, and I am number 24. I am so chuffed and I want to thank you all so much for putting up with my constant begging, begging, whining, guilting requests for votes from you all. Its been an incredible journey, and I am finally beginning to feel settled and happy with myself and this little space I've created. 

So thank you all from the bottom of my cooking pots and pans! I couldn't have done it with your constant support and encouragement.

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