Category Archives: Vegetables

A Guide To The Regional Foods of India

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photo by Jason Taylor

photo by Jason Taylor

I still recall vividly driving the winding roads away from the Himalayan village of McLeod Ganj, headquarters of the Dalai Lama and catching a glimpse of a familiar spring vegetable being sold along the roadside. Wanting to make sure I wasn’t suffering from altitude sickness, I asked my wife for reassurance that I had just seen a bunch of fiddleheads. Soon I was chatting with the vendor trying to explain in broken Hindi that we had the same seasonal delicacy in Canada.

This brief experience, seeing the familiar in a foreign context, provided both comfort and intrigue. It forced me to shift my thinking of what “local”, “seasonal”, and “regional” are. As I travelled around India I soon found myself searching for more local and regional Indian dishes. Whether I was in Amritsar to check out one of the oldest dhabas or visit the kitchen of the Golden Temple that feeds up to 100,000 people a day or cooking some of the tastiest food I have eaten in India at Philipkutty’s Farm I was, and continue to be, amazed by the vast variety of local ingredients and regional dishes that are found in India.

Four years ago, while touring tea plantations in Darjeeling I noticed a small comment in the food section of a newspaper that an Australian, Charmaine O’Brien, was researching a book on regional Indian food. I kept my eye out for it in the bookstores and online but did not come across it until my most recent visit to India, which coincidentally overlapped with the launch of her efforts titled The Penguin Food Guide to India.

I have read through the book once, and wrote a review posted on Zester Daily, and know that I will be diving in there a lot for years to come as there is such great information provided. At the end of the review is a delicious recipe for a regional Konkan dish called tambdi bhaji, or greens sautéed with fresh coconut introduced to me a few years while I was travelling with photographer Jason Taylor, who shot the above photo. It is a very versatile dish as it can easily be adapted for all sorts of greens, like beet, amaranth, spinach, swiss chard and even kale.

Preparing Thanksgiving In Asia – Some Tips

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Ingredients for Thanksgiving in AsiaBeing away from your friends and family on Thanksgiving is possibly the loneliest day of the year for a North American expat. Once you have been able to find and organize some others to celebrate this harvest festival the next challenge is to figure out what you are going to make as a lot of the time, particularly in Asia, it can be like a difficult treasure hunt to find those all important must have ingredients to recreate family Thanksgiving recipes. Having prepared 8 Thanksgivings overseas for close to 1000 people I have had to become creative when ingredients are unavailable. I recently wrote an article for Zester Daily highlighting some tips for preparing Thanksgiving in Asia.

A warming beef and root vegetable curry

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Indian beef curry with root vegetablesThis recipe is one that I recently wrote for our local community newspaper.  Inspired by some of the dedicated farmers who sell locally raised, hormone and anti-biotic free meat at the Landsdowne Farmer’s Market. The vegetarian dishes of India are fantastic but so too are many of the meat dishes.  This recipe, one could interpret it as a spiced beef stew, is a good introduction to a simple meat curry.  Play around with the spice combinations to tailor it to your own preferences and tastes. Lamb, pork, bison or elk can be substituted but cooking the time may need to be adjusted.  Typically, vegetables would not be added to such a dish but by doing so you end up with an easy substantial meal.  I love making the curry at this time of year as I find the shades of orange, rust, yellow, white and speckles of green on the plate mimic what is happening in the fields and forests during mid-autumn.

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A warming beef and root vegetable curry
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds (1 kg) stewing beef in 1 ½ inch cubes
  • 2 medium white onions, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp garlic cloves (3 cloves), finely chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped plus 1 tbsp julienned ginger for garnish
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • ¼ tsp cayenne powder (family friendly); ½ tsp for a spicier curry
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 green chilli- seeds removed- finely chopped
  • 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 ½ cups assorted root vegetables (carrots, turnips, potatoes, squash) cut into bite sized pieces
Instructions
Preheat a heavy bottomed large saucepan at medium heat. Add cumin seeds and dry roast for about 2 minutes or until aromatic and dark brown. Remove cumin seeds and set aside.

Pour vegetable oil into pan and increase heat to medium high. Toss in onions and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add cayenne powder and cook for 30 seconds or until oil starts to separate from the onions. Add chopped garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in cumin powder and cook for 2 minutes. Add stewing beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 15 minutes until all of the meat has changed colour and has lightly browned. Toss in tomatoes, green chilli, toasted cumin and a quarter cup of water. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes or until tender. Occasionally give the meat a stir. Once the meat is tender, remove the cover and simmer until most of the liquid has reduced but still lightly coats the meat.

While the curry is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Toss in one type of root vegetable and cook until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Repeat with other vegetables, if using.

When you are happy with the consistency and tenderness of the curry gently stir in the cooked vegetables. Check and adjust seasoning, if need be. Garnish with julienned ginger and roughly chopped coriander and serve immediately.
  1. The beef curry can be served with rice, naan or homemade paratha.

NOTE: This was originally posted on my blog India On My Plate on November 2, 2011

A Dal for Fall: Squash Red Lentil Coconut Dal

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Squash and Red Lentil DalThe subdued shades of green, so dominant throughout the summer months, in our gardens and at farmer’s markets, are quickly being replaced with fantastic bursts of golden yellow and brilliant orange. Acorn, butternut, crooked neck, hubbard, and kabocha are some of the different squash varieties, which can easily be substituted for each other in your favourite squash recipes.  This creamy textured squash and red lentil dal will guarantee to provide warmth as the autumn chill arrives. Toss in a generous handful of chopped spinach or bitter greens near the end of cooking to add more vegetables to the dish. It is worth searching out fragrant fresh curry leaves, whose aroma will nicely blanket your kitchen, and whose flavour, I promise, you will quickly find addictive!  Serve with rice as a light meal or all on its own as a satisfying soup.

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Squash Red Lentil Coconut Dal
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 ½ cups squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • ¾ cup split red lentils (masoor dal)
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp cayenne or chile powder
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 cup of canned coconut milk
  • 1 to 1 ½ tsp salt
  • Tempering
  • 2 shallots or 1 small onion, finely sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 branch (8-10 leaves) fresh curry leaves
  • 2 dried red chiles
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp coriander, roughly chopped
Instructions
Put squash, red lentils, spice powders and water into a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil and skim off scum. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Add salt and check to see that both squash and lentils are cooked. If not, cook for another 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in one cup of canned coconut milk.

Prepare the tempering:
Heat vegetable oil over medium high heat in a small frying pan. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to pop add sliced shallots, curry leaves and dried red chiles. Cook for 5 minutes or until the shallots are light brown and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and cook for a minute. Spoon all of the tempering mixture into the dal. Adjust seasoning, if needed.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve.

NOTE: This was originally posted on my blog on September 26, 2011

Early Fall Harvest Meal of Grilled Chaat Masala Corn, Goan Green Coriander and Coconut Chutney and Kachumber Salad

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My weekly basket from Teamwork CSA has been overflowing with fantastic organic produce; cobs of corn, cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, onions, radishes, and the most perfect bright green coriander.  Throughout the summer the following three recipes have made their way onto my plate at various separate meals. However, this past week they all finally met, introduced themselves to each other, mingled on my thali and in my mouth resulting in a flavourful, light and immediately satisfying meal. In an effort to try and keep summer from leaving us I plan to make this meal at least a couple more times in the following weeks. Grilled Corn Cobs Indian Style or Indian Corn Chaat

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Grilled Chaat Masala Corn
Serves: 4
 
The great thing about walking the streets of Delhi is happening upon a random roadside food stall. Typically it is either someone selling some variation of chaat , chai or cooking something over coals. There was one vendor I would occasionally visit who would change his simple menu with the seasons. Most memorable was his winter dish of boiled sweet potato which caramelized as it was reheated over the coals. A close second was his monsoon special of aromatic bhuna bhutta (roasted corn). He would take fresh cobs of corn and slowly roast them until the outside was a deep brown. He would then dip a wedge of lemon into a chilli/salt mixture and liberally spread it all over the cob. I loved getting the heat from the spices and the smokiness from the grilling. I always anticipated the juicy tender kernels of the sweet corn that my family would buy from the Mennonite farms in our area (when in Ontario) but would find the kernels from the street vendor slightly chewier than I would prefer (due to the variety of corn grown around Delhi).
Ingredients
  • 1 or 2 cobs of corn per person, shucked and well cleaned
  • 3 tbsp chaat masala
  • ¼ wedge of lime per cob of corn
  • finely chopped coriander
  • salt, and pepper if desired
  • dental floss for afterwards!!
Instructions
Preheat grill/ barbeque until very hot. Place cobs of corn over medium high heat and grill for 10-15 minutes. The corn needs to be periodically rotated so that it all cooks evenly. The kernels should be nicely browned or even just lightly blackened. As the corn cooks, mix cayenne, cumin and smoky paprika in a shallow bowl. Cut limes into quarters. Remove the corn from grill and set aside. Take a lime wedge and lightly press each cut side into the spice mixture.

Quick Homemade Chaat Masala
If you do not have chaat masala you can simply make a quick spice mixture with the following spices:

Tbsp cayenne (reduce cayenne if you prefer less ‘heat’)
Tbsp ground cumin
Tbsp ground paprika
Notes
If you prefer, you can pre boil the corn and then grill, if desired. But the grilling times will be reduced to about 5-8 minutes.

Goan green coriander and coconut chutney
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Goan Green Coriander and Coconut Chutney
Serves: (makes 1 ¼ cup)
 
The best version of this recipe that I tasted was shared with me by Aggi, the owner of The Cozy Nook Resort on Palolem beach in South Goa. I’m not sure if it was the slow burning sunset, the bottles of beer or the conversation of remaining longer on this paradise beach but the balance of flavours of Aggi’s chutney were well balanced and fantastic. The chutney is typically served with Portuguese inspired bread rolls, pau, a buttermilk-like soft roll. On occasion, I reduce the amount of coconut and increase the amount of coriander to make a somewhat looser chutney. I then spread it in the opening of a small fish, like red snapper, then broil or grill it for a simple meal.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups coriander leaves
  • ½ cup grated coconut, fresh or frozen (unsweetened desiccated can be used in a pinch)
  • 2 green cayenne chillies
  • 1 tbsp garlic
  • 1 tbsp ginger
  • 4 tbsp tamarind liquid or chutney
  • 1 tsp jaggery or sugar
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Salt, to taste
Instructions
Roughly chop the coriander. Place all ingredients in a blender. Puree for a minute. Scrape down the sides of the blender bowl with a spatula to incorporate all of the ingredients. Puree again. If you find that the mixture is not becoming a fine paste, add some water, a tablespoon each time, to get the ingredients to blend well. You may need to add up to 3-4 tbsp of water depending on your blender. The texture of the chutney should be similar to a pesto. Refrigerate for 2 days.

Tomato, cucumber, radish and herb salad. Also known as kachumber or Indian chopped salad
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Kachumber Salad
Serves: 4
 
Kachumber (or kachoomber) salad is typically a small dice of cucumber, tomato and onion accented with some chile and ground cumin, occasionally mixed with yogurt raita style, and served as a side dish to a meal- whether a simple paratha, dal, biryani or curry. There are many regional variations all over India. I love eating salads, but slightly chunkier and perhaps more ‘Western’ in style.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup tomatoes (preferably heirloom), cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 cup cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into bite sized pieces
  • ¾ cup red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 cup bell pepper (preferably yellow, red or a mixture), cored, seeded and cut into bite sized pieces
  • 5 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1 green cayenne chile, finely chopped
  • 1tsp cumin seeds, toasted, finely ground
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • juice of 1 lime (2-3 tbsp)
  • ¼ cup coriander leaves, roughly torn or chopped
  • 2 tbsp cup mint, roughly torn or chopped
Instructions
Place cut vegetables, chile and herbs in a large bowl and season with ground cumin (to your taste), salt and pepper. Sprinkle with lime juice and toss well and serve immediately.

NOTE: This was originally posted on my blog India On My Plate September 21, 2011