Goan Vegetable Curry with Coconut and Rice

This is one of my all time favorite dishes. It can be eaten as a complete meal by itself - we often make it for Sunday lunches at home! The aroma of rice cooking in coconut milk with cloves and cinnamon is heavenly and the part I look forward to the most whilst making this. 

My mom would make this on special occasions and we kids would love it. One of the few occasions where we would eat all the vegetables without a fuss, and trust me, this has a lot of veggies! 

It may seem a little time consuming at first but only because you need to assemble the ingredients together. By the second or third time, you become familiar and it only gets easier!

I take a shortcut with this dish at times and don't make it completely from scratch. For example, I may use coconut milk out of a can instead of squeezing it out of coconut flesh or I may use packaged tomato puree or frozen vegetables. You can also use brown rice instead of white to make it healthier. Instead of oil, you can also use ghee which adds to the flavor and "good fat" content of the ingredients. I have edited this recipe a bit to include all the shortcuts a busy woman would take! 

My vegan friends can also enjoy this - simply omit the cream. You can use ghee as it does not contain any lactose, however, coconut oil will also make a good substitute.

You can change the vegetables if you want and also increase or decrease the spice levels of the dish. The original recipe asked for 6 -12 dried red chillies but I used only three and it was perfect for me. Enjoy it with a glass of port wine to balance out the heat!

Recipe Source: Tarla Dalal (edited)
Serves: 2 - 3 people as the main meal

Ingredients:

For the rice:
1 teacup white/brown rice, soaked for 20 minutes
1 can coconut milk
2 small sticks cinnamon
2 cloves
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ghee
salt to taste

For the paste:
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 grated coconut
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 small sticks cinnamon
3 cloves
3 peppercorns
5 cloves garlic
3 - 4 dried red Kashmiri chillies (depending on how spicy you want it, you can use upto 10)
1 tablespoon khus-khus (optional)
1 teaspoon oil

For the curry:
3 teacups mixed boiled vegetables (if you use frozen vegetables, they will thaw while cooking. No need to boil). Vegetables can include peas, corn, carrots, french beans, cauliflower, potatoes etc)\
Puree from 2 large tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh cream (optional)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon ghee

Garnish:
Coriander leaves
Fried cashewnuts
Fried onions, thinly slices

Preparation:

For the rice:
1. Heat the ghee and fry the onions until golden brown. Add the spices and fry again for a few seconds. Add the soaked rice and fry for 1 minute.
2. Add the coconut milk and some water. Cover the pot and cook the rice until it is tender. The time will differ depending on the rice you use. Add some more water if required. The rice will become gooey and stick to each other. This is normal.

For the paste:
1. Heat the oil and fry all the ingredients for 2 minutes.
2. Grind it into a paste with some water.

For the curry:
1. Make a pulp with the tomatoes or keep the puree aside.
2. Heat the ghee and fry the paste for 1 minute.
3. Add the vegetables, tomato pulp/ puree and about 1/4th cup water and boil for 3 - 4 minutes.
4. Add the cream, sugar and salt.

Serving:
1. Spread the rice in a small baking tray and cover with all the curry. You may want to keep some of the rice aside if you find the quantity too much.
2. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in a hot oven at 450 F for 25 minutes.
3. Garnish with coriander leaves, cashewnuts and onions. Serve.

(Real Adults Eat Dessert First) Or A Recipe for Panna Cotta

I still cannot believe that panna cotta can be this easy to make. Seriously, someone pinch me.

R loves panna cotta and orders it whenever he can. Of late, after a few disappointments where we were served more of a custard pudding rather than actual creamy panna cotta, he had been pestering me to make it – accompanied by the usual flatteries of how I am the best baker/ cook he knows etc. J

Somehow, without ever looking up the recipe, I always thought that the recipe (not taste) would be more like a custard and involve tedious amounts of time over the stove while cooking eggs with sugar. Note to self: do not assume and check facts first. 

I don’t think this took me more than 5 minutes to make, setting aside the time for the gelatine of course.  It super easy (did I mention that already) and I made a healthier version by swapping half the full cream with whole milk. I also infused the cream and milk with lavender flowers (make sure you buy the edible version else it may taste like soap!). I added a few drops of honey on top after it had set but realized that it did not need the additional sweetness. I grated some lemon zest on top and added a few toasted almonds. I liked it but R said it made the panna cotta too busy.

This was not the perfect panna cotta by any means and my search is still on. However, let’s see if the following changes yield up better results the next time:

1.   Use full cream instead of half cream and half milk

2.   Less sugar and more honey

3.   Berry compote instead of lavender

4.   Strain out the lavender flowers after infusing

5.   Chocolate panna cotta?

6.   Make plain panna cotta with more vanilla

 Panna Cotta (inspired by David Lebovitz)

Makes 8 - 12 servings depending on the size of your cups

·         

       Ingredients

•     4 cups (1l) heavy cream or half-and-half
•          1/2 cup (100g) sugar
•         2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
•    1 teaspoon lavender flowers
•    2 packets powdered unflavored gelatin (about 4 1/2 teaspoons
•    6 tablespoons (90ml) cold water

1. Heat the heavy cream or half-and-half and sugar in a saucepan . Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

(If using a vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from the bean into the cream and add the bean pod. Add lavender flowers. Cover, and let infuse for 30 minutes. Remove the bean and flowers, then rewarm the mixture before continuing.)

2. Lightly oil eight custard cups with a neutral-tasting oil (I used silicone muffin cups - it makes it easier to unmold).

3. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a medium-sized bowl and let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Pour the very warm Panna Cotta mixture over the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.

5. Divide the Panna Cotta mixture into the prepared cups, then chill them until firm, which will take at least two hours but I let them stand at least four hours.

If you’re pressed for time, pour the Panna Cotta mixture into wine goblets so you can serve them in the glasses, without unmolding.

6. Run a sharp knife around the edge of each Panna Cotta and unmold each onto a serving plate, and garnish as desired.

Eating Out in New York

I don’t know what to call NYC in foodie terms. Do I call it the city of the gourmand (because I eat way beyond what is normally considered to be healthy), a foodie’s paradise (utterly inadequate), Sin City (eating that much dessert must be a sin in some part of the world) or what? If the world is not my oyster, the food of the world is definitely my oyster in New York City.

The first month I was here, I decided that since every block is choc a bloc full of eating joints and food from literally everywhere (sticky Turkish ice cream or Filipino ice anyone?), I would never have to repeat a restaurant ever. Why on earth didn’t I take into account the fact that I would come to love some food so much that I would need to make weekly visits to the same place? Or bug certain food vendors for that particular flavor of ice cream sandwich I enjoy?

 If I do end up going to other restaurants, I will put up another list. Until then, here goes a list of my favorite eating spots/joints/things in NYC in no particular order.

1.       Masssawa: A cozy Ethiopian joint a block away from the house. This is my go-to place when friends visit the city and reminds me of Indian food. Soft candles sit on the tables and make the experience of communal eating (from the same plate and with fingers, no less) even more intimate.  I have been known to get drunk on the Ethiopian honey wine called Tej that they serve as dessert but I like to order as soon as I get there. The injera reminds me of dosas and the ful hits the right spot. Oh, and they always refill your supply of injera or pita.

2.       Eileen’s Cheesecake: I think R had a foodgasm the day he ate one of Eileen’s cheesecakes. He loves most cheesecakes and would eat it anywhere but refuses to touch any but Eileen’s now. Rumor has it that she uses ricotta cheese which is what makes it melt in your mouth.

3.       Baldies: A Hester Street Fair vendor. Baldies serves a Chaco Taco which is 2 scoops of ice cream held in a taco shaped waffle and drizzled with chocolate sauce and sea salt. I make it a point to eat one whenever I can.

4.       Max Café: On the Columbia University campus, Max Café is warm and welcoming. The crostini’s are fantastic with the figs, sundried tomatoes and goat cheese crostini being my favorite.

5.       New York pizza by the slice: Thousands of tiny shops all over NYC. These remind me of chai wallahs or the paan shops in India – a little bit dingy, tucked away and full of customers. I can eat a full meal for $2 - $3.

6.       Dominique Ansel’s Bakery: People line up for the cronuts as early as 8 am but I like the kouign amman a lot more. The flaky buttery and tender dough with a sugar crust is what he should be known for.

7.       Roberta’s Pizza: I found these people at the Smorgasburg Festival in Brooklyn and then ate some more pizza at the Grub Street Food Festival as well. They make the original wood fire pizza (if they weren’t so amazing, I would be worried about the environment) with a slightly charred crust and you do not need anything more complicated than a margherita.

8.       Saravana Bhavan: This is our go to place on Sunday afternoons when we want to pig out and take a cab back home only to fall flat on the bed and sleep. Idli, dosa, vada, chhaas – typical South Indian cuisine that may even be better than food in South India. Just do not, under any circumstances try the kaima idli.

9.       Hangawi: Hangawi feels like a safe haven. We usually eat here to celebrate special occasions and technically, it deserves its own post. It is a Korean vegetarian restaurant which also has lots of vegan and some gluten free options. Since I don’t have any pictures, however (since the food they serve is usually over by the time I realize that I have to take pictures), that intention will remain a thought.

We usually stick to the sesame leaf tofu patties and the vermicelli noodles in stone bowl rice. The bitter almond ice cream is a treat as well.

10.  LuAnne’s Wild Ginger All-Asian Vegetarian: This is my go to place (again, vegetarian) when I need to eat some take out for lunch. This is one of the few places where I can wildly experiment with the menu and order without wondering if I will get some sort of meat on my plate. Courtesy these two vegetarian restaurants, I’m learning to appreciate Asian cuisine like never before!

Recent Favorites

Nowadays, I spend 10 times the amount of time I spent in the kitchen one year ago, as living on my own has compelled me to cook at least once a day. I make a myriad of dishes - mostly savory and try to keep it as healthy as possible. We eat out so much and there is such a variety of dessert to be had in NYC, that I have *almost* stopped making my own. However, once in a while I make things that remind me of home. Take for instance these chocolate balls - I use crushed graham crackers (any kind of digestive biscuit will do, really), a half can of condensed milk, a dollop of butter, a few tablespoons of chocolate powder and mixed it all up. Voila, childhood!

We have been planning to go to South America but being lazy as we are, have not managed to plan a trip. So the next time I made the chocolate balls, I took it up a notch - a bit of the vanilla pod, a teeny pinch of chilli powder and sea salt, a sprinkling of cinnamon and dulce de leche instead of condensed milk. Who needs to go to South America when you have it's flavors (at least that's how we console ourselves!)?!

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To Read: Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain is a page turner - honest, vicious and funny! He writes about life after Kitchen Confidential as well as well-known restaurants and chefs.  

I also loved reading The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones. Its fiction about a young chef cooking traditional Chinese in modern China but interweaves a lot of food history, a few cooking techniques and knowledge of flavors and textures in Chinese food. I had to watch Eat Drink Man Woman all over again after reading this!

To Buy: Definitely, definitely get a subscription to Oyster, the Netflix of books! 

Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate Mocha - drink it hot or cold.

To Watch: The movie Chef: Jon Favreau is a delight!

This video about separating eggs. 

Melt Bakery, NYC

Imagine walking down the streets of Chinatown on a hot New York summer day. The heat is blistering and the sun (the same one you wished for during the long winter) is harsh. You would love a cold drink or perhaps even some frozen treat. There doesn’t seem to be much here except clothing retailers on Orchard Street though. You swivel your head from side to side in the vain hope that you might find something interesting to eat or drink when suddenly you chance upon a small bakery / shop tucked away between two big establishments. It is Melt Bakery.

The Jackson and The Morticia

Be careful though. You might just miss it and you definitely do not want to do that. It has bright colorful round signs of all sizes with mysterious sounding words like “The Classic,” “The Morticia,” “The Lovelet,” and the “The Elvis.” The signs themselves look so appealing that they pull you into this small shop that is also a bakery and has big freezers everywhere. You are greeted with a cheerful hello by the girl who is perched atop a high stool and you look at the models of these beautiful ice cream sandwiches sitting on the counter. Should I get the red cookie one or the chocolate one with the sparkly sugar on top? You finally decipher the mysterious words. The Lovelet, it turns out, is cream cheese ice cream sandwiched between two red velvet cookies and The Elvis is a peanut butter cookie sandwich with banana ice cream.

cinnamon cookies for The Cinnamax

My favorite is The Jackson though. You won’t read the name on any of the signs but ask the shop girl and she will dig deep into the freezer and pull out a mini sandwich for you. It is a mango lassi flavored ice cream with pistachio cookies and the flavors just burst in your mouth. They are authentic Indian flavors and ones my grandmother will be proud of.

The Lovelet

Julian Plyter is the creative head and chef behind this enterprise. He and his partner Kareem started vending these sandwiches at the Hester Street Fair in 2010 when they felt that the market needed some ice cream in between cookies! Local sustainable and honest food is their goal and Julian has been known to pick his own peaches and figs for the ice creams straight from his parent’s farm in upstate New York.

They are currently vending from their store on Orchard Street as well as every weekend at the Hester Street Fair. 

New Orleans, USA: beautiful porches, balconies and beignets!

New Orleans, located in the southern state of Louisiana, is a major port in the States and had been established by the French. I went there ostensibly to see the NOLA jazz festival but found myself wandering the city taking pictures of the beautiful balconies and porches.

Just outside the festival

The architecture there has been strongly influenced by the French and Spanish and the houses certainly reminded me of Europe. Each balcony, however ramshackle, is pretty, with wrought iron railings and the porches usually have delicate wooden latticework. The houses are sometimes surrounded by painted wooden fences and always have beautiful windows that may be solid or pastel in color with wispy lace curtains.

Cafe Du Monde, New Orleans (open 24 hours)
800 Decatur Street,
New Orleans 70116

This is where we had the famous beignets of New Orleans. It is the place every tourist visits and is right in the middle of the French Market (a wonderful street market serving octopus and alligators with a free walking tour every Monday at 10.00 am).

We went there every afternoon for some of the world's best beignets, coffee and hot chocolate.

A beignet (be - ne) is a fried pastry served with powdered sugar. It was brought to Louisiana by the French and traditionally had pieces of fruit or meat in it. To me, it looks like a soft fluffy pillow that tastes somewhat like a doughnut and leaves puffs of powdered sugar all over the table. In short, delicious.