Finally .. and Indian Chef on the Food Network

I was so happy to see Aarti Sequiera win the Next Food Network Chef!


I watched her show on Sunday -- have to admit it's pretty good. I like seeing different ways to incorporate Indian flavors into western cooking. She attended the New School of Cooking in Culver City -- one of the places I was looking into when I lived in LA.

Olive Tapanade - to be used sparingly

I've been on the look out for new spreads to add to crostinis and sandwiches. I pulled together this recipe for a dinner party we threw during the holidays - and it worked out perfectly. It is a bit acidic / garlicky, but this tapanade is perfect if you're just trying to add a touch of tang and flavor to an otherwise bland dish.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Kalamata Olives - chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a mini food processor and process to desired consistency. (I like mine to be a little chunky -- and not completely a paste, but to each its own.)

Spread on crostini with a mild cheese, or use sparingly to add tang to sandwiches. We made some yummy ricotta, olive tapanade, basil and cherry tomato crostinis (pictured below).

Crispin' Spinach

When Indians say that food tastes better in India, they aren’t kidding! Probably since most of the food we eat in family homes in India is locally grown, and possibly not genetically engineered, it’s easier to find fruits and vegetables that have a fuller flavor profile. But, some things just taste better in India because you can’t find them anywhere else! Things like… Indo Chinese food. The Indo-Chinese food I’ve had in the US has been absolutely atrocious. And what’s more, it doesn’t include any of the yummy delicacies that you find on the menu at Indo Chinese restaurants in India.

During our last visit to Bangalore, my husband and I stopped at Red Bamboo Shoots (a BNJ restaurant). While it’s not a perfect representation of Indo-Chinese (a few Thai, Singaporian, and Malaysian inspired items did cross our plates), the food is very inspired and very good. Some highlights were crispin’ spinach (OF COURSE!), honey glazed vegetable dumplings, and a rich, delicious Thai red-curry. Crispin’ Spinach is an interesting thing: so simple, yet so impossible to find in the US. I’ve come across a recipe for it, which I’d like to share with all of you. Remember me when you’re chowing down.

Ingredients

1 lbs fresh spinach leaves, washed and patted completely dry

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Salt, pepper, and white granulated sugar to taste

Hot oil (peanut or canola) for deep frying (375 degrees)

1) Wash and pat all spinach completely dry. Heat oil in wok or fry-daddy until 375 degrees (F).

2) Carefully (it may splash, as there is some intrinsic water in the spinach) fry the spinach in the hot oil for 30 seconds, until crisp. Remove from oil and drain any remaining oil from the spinach with paper towels.

3) Toss crispy spinach with sesame seeds, salt, pepper, and sugar (about 1 tbsp – more or less depending on taste).

4) Serve and enjoy!

Classic South Indian Breakfast

While we hardly get to eat like this everyday, the breakfast served at my brother-in-law's wedding was phenomenal!

I was sure to grab all my favorites: medhu vada (deep fried lentil donut with black pepper), pongal (rice cooked with lentils and pepper), chili powder, sambar (onion and tamarind stew), and crispy ghee roast dosa (fermented lentil crepe). Wow, I really like lentils.

There were some Andra specialties, like pesarattu (mong dahl dosa) stuffed with oopma (spiced cream of wheat), but after eating this plate, I was just too full to eat any more.

Fancy Foods Show : Recap

The Fancy Foods Show this weekend in San Francisco was amazing! I’ve never been before, and wanted to share some highlights with all of you.

My top 3 food finds
Sense Rose Nectar - This company is out of Hendersen, NV (right next to Las Vegas), and with a tag line like “Taste the Bouquet”, I could hardly resist. The nectar is actually very light and not too sweet. It really does taste like you are sipping in the smell of freshly cut roses. I’d probably use this to add a little something to lemonade, champagne, or even white sangria.

Amella’s Caramels – Caramels are already so delicious to begin with, but imagine if you added just a touch of cocoa butter to each one! That’s exactly what Amella’s does, and the result is one of the richest, smoothest, and most luxurious caramels you’ve ever tasted. They have three flavors and here they are in preference order: Passion Fruit, Carrot Cake, and Black Forest.

Burrata – This is a fresh Italian cheese made out of cream and mozzarella. And it’s absolutely divine. I tried it for the first time on Saturday night at Absinthe in San Francisco. It’s part of their beet salad (which is also divine – fresh beets, burrata, pistachios, mizuna, salt / pepper, and a touch of olive oil). There were a number of Italian creameries sampling Burrata at the Fancy Foods Show. It’s now available in select specialty food shops.


Honorable mentions:
Zingerman’s (GO BLUE!) now has a candy bar line! Three yummy flavors.
Raw Honey – It’s sweet, gritty, and oh-so delicious.
Dogswell – Finally, good for you and great tasting food for your dog.
Alo Aloe Vera Drink – It’s not just for sun burns and cuts any more!

SweetBird -- No GMO smoothies ... first time I've ever seen one in the US!

Fancy Food Show - THIS WEEKEND!

For all those foodies out there in the San Francisco Bay Area, the 35th Annual Winter Fancy Food Show is THIS WEEKEND at Moscone Center in San Francisco.

For more information: www.fancyfoodshow.com

See you there!

Indian food curries favor with Americans

FINALLY!
Interesting article I wanted to share with my readers.

By Ann Levin, Associated Press
Posted: 01/06/2010 12:00:00 AM PST
Indian food in America is having its "Slumdog Millionaire" moment.

Supermarket shelves are lined with chutneys, pickles and sauces and all manner of boxed heat-and-serve Indian meals. The quality and number of Indian restaurants has soared, offering an alternative to cheap all-you-can-eat buffets. And a flurry of new cookbooks is introducing home cooks to subtle regional differences in Indian cuisine shaped by climate, geography, religion and caste.

The growing awareness of Indian culture and cuisine is due to the big influx of immigrants from South Asia since 1965, when national origin quotas favoring Europeans were abolished.
Since then, the United States has witnessed a remarkable flowering of Indian talent, energy and drive as well as a seemingly insatiable appetite for all things Indian, including bhangra music, Bollywood films and yoga. Perhaps nothing expresses America's fascination with that giant emerging economy more than the runaway success of the British film "Slumdog Millionaire," a rags-to-riches tale, based in the Mumbai slums, that won eight Academy Awards in 2009.
The growing Indian presence also comes at a time when the popularity of cooking shows — including Bravo's "Top Chef," hosted by Indian actress and model Padma Lakshmi — and an increase in foreign travel have made Americans more adventurous eaters.

"The American palate is no longer bland," says Andrew F. Smith, editor of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink of America, who predicts that Indian food will take off in the next decade the way sushi bars did in the 1980s and Thai food did in the '90s.

New York, the dining capital of the nation, has seen an explosion in the number of Indian restaurants in recent years. New York University sociologist and food studies scholar Krishnendu Ray counts some 350 Indian restaurants today compared to the 19 listed in the 1978 edition of a restaurant guide.

But while Indians are among the fastest growing ethnic groups in this country, notes Ray, the population of 2.7 million is still a tiny presence in a nation of more than 300 million people. Also, the bulk of the Indian immigrant population simply hasn't been here that long.

Chicken Marsala and focaccia may be household words today for tens of millions of Americans but Italians have been in the U.S. in large numbers since the late 19th century, became assimilated and moved up the social and economic ladder.

Whether ground fenugreek and coriander become flavors as familiar to Americans as basil and oregano depends in large part on whether Indians can do the same thing, according to Ray.
"In 2065, Indian may be in the same place as Italian food," he says.

Our heart is with you

Our hearts go out to all those that are suffering in Haiti due to recent events.

Balsamic Reduction

During the holidays, my husband and I hosted a small celebration with some family and friends. I planned to put out some cheese and crackers, but wanted to do something a little different. Amar and I had tried a pear & fontina pizza with a balsamic reduction at Pizza Antica on Santana Row (San Jose, CA), so I decided to pull together a Pear & Cheese bruchetta for this party. I bought some brie and roquefort (both were great, but I LOVED the roquefort), diced some d'anjou pears and then topped the baguette slices (brushed with olive oil, topped with cracked pepper and sea salt, and then baked in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes). The Balsamic reduction really makes this appetizer awesome. The sweetness of the reduction cuts through the cheese and bread, and as long as the pears are not too sweet, it's a nice complement to them too. Super easy to make, and I'm sure you'll start adding it to all sorts of things (I do!).

Ingredients
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons white granulated sugar

(1) Combine vinegar and balsamic in small sauce pan.
(2) Heat on low heat and stir until mixture reduces by half and becomes syrup-y (about 10 minutes).
(3) Cool and use as syrup, garnish, or condiment for canapes, salads, or even with ice cream!

NOTE: Do NOT breathe in any of the fumes -- vinegar fumes are very strong! Keep and eye on the mixture; it can over reduce and become too thick or even burn.

World Famous Haleem

One of the most interesting things about food from Andra Pradesh (the state in India where Hyderabad is located) is that it feels so exotic! Perhaps to people not from India, all Indian food is exotic, but I really think there is something extra special about the food from this region, for 2 main reasons. (1) It's more of a cultural melting pot than many other parts of India, so the food has influences from places you wouldn't expect and (2) it's ever so spicy!

Amar and I attended many parties in celebration of his brother's wedding (congratulations Avi & Divya!), at at one of them, they served world famous Hyderabadi Haleem. Haleem is a dish made with wheat, lentils, lamb, spices, and ghee combined and cooked in such a way to provide a creamy, almost porridge like consistency. It's believed to have originated in Persia, and usually, it's only served during Ramadan. The chefs made an exception in celebration of the wedding, so everyone had a chance to try. (Well, all the non-vegetarians, that is!)

Return from India!

I am finally back from India, and now that the holidays are wrapping up, I can return to posting. I have some great food stories and pictures from India to share, as well as some delicious items from our mini Christmas Party at home in LA.

To all my readers, have a great New Years! More deliciousness to come in 2010.

Cherry Cordial Kisses

I hardly ever write something blatantly negative about a product, but today I tried a Cherry Cordial Kiss and it was so horrible, I just had to warn everyone. It's really sad... I grew up on Hershey's Kisses and loved them. The almond ones were pretty good too. Now there are so many varieties and variations, it's confusing! And certainly not appetizing (Pumpkin spice Kisses? Seriously??!). Most of you out there are probably clever enough to NOT buy Hershey's Kisses flavored like Cherry Cordial, and I should have also paid attention to that instinct. But no, I gave in. And instead I was left with a mouthful of waxy, poor quality chocolate meets cherry Tylenol.

No, I'm not kidding.

There are some very awesome candies out there during the holiday season, but I have to say this is just not one of them.

Chinese Islamic Restaurant

Rosemead, CA

No, it's not an oxymoron. Amar really wanted to go to one of these for his birthday, so off we went. I have to say, I couldn't eat much of what was on the table, so I'm not sure if it was good. The two things that I did eat, eggplant w/ a spicy sauce and sesame onion bread, only the latter was really something I'd want to eat again.

Anyway, I'll post my pictures from the meal, and you can decide!

Sesame Onion bread --- sort of like a thicker, breadier onion kulcha

Chicken Noodle Salad

Eggplant & Spicy Sauce


Lamb Stew, a house specialty

Moo-shoo Beef pancake, Peking style

Thai Corn Soup

I love Thai flavors but find that when I cook them at home, I end up muddling them too far with Indian flavors, and then I don't really end up with Thai food, but with some sort of weird hybrid. I came across this recipe and it had great reviews so I decided to try it. When I followed the recipe, it came out sort of bland, so I added a few extra touches of my own the second time, to spice it up.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon light olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 to 5 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into short, narrow strips

Two 15-ounce cans light coconut milk

1½ cups rice milk

One 16-ounce bag frozen corn

2 teaspoons good quality curry powder

¼ teaspoon Thai red curry paste, more or less to taste

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

½ cup minced fresh cilantro

I added:

1 green chili, diced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of Thai red curry paste (instead of 1/4 teaspoon)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a small soup pot. Add the garlic, the white parts of the scallions, and the bell pepper. Add green chili here, if you choose. Sauté over medium-low heat until softened and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Add the coconut milk, rice milk, corn, curry powder, the green parts of the scallions. If using the curry paste, dissolve it in a small amount of water before adding to the soup. I also added three fourths of the cilantro and the lemon juice here.

3. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Season with salt and remove from the heat.

4. Serve, passing around the cilantro for topping.

YUMMY!

Quick Whipped Potatoes

One of the BEST wedding gifts I received was my Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer. It has made my life so much easier… particularly because I LOVE whipped potatoes. And so does my husband. And so does anyone that comes over to my house for dinner. And the best thing is… everyone thinks they are so labor intensive and time consuming. Well, not if you have a stand mixer!



You can make them with or without skins. I prefer with skins for two reasons: (1) it adds elements of color and texture to your potatoes and (2) it is easier and faster to make than without skins.

What you’ll need:

4 pounds of white or red potatoes
2 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter (you can skip this, if you want)
Salt to taste

(1) Peel potatoes if you want your whipped potatoes to have no skin. Dice the potatoes into pieces about 2 inches by 2 inches (you can quarter small potatoes, and cut larger ones into 6ths or 8ths).
(2) Boil potatoes in a pot of boiling, lightly salted water until they are cooked through and soft.
(3) Drain the cooked potatoes. Using the whip attachment on your stand mixer, add them into the bowl. Turn the setting on mix (not faster!).
(4) As the potatoes begin to mash, slowly add in butter (if desired). Add in cream slowly. You can add more or less cream depending on the consistency you are looking for.
(5) Once added, you can turn the whipping speed up one notch. Be careful to avoid splattering.
(6) That’s it! Plate and serve alone or with toppings like chopped chives, gravy, or cilantro pesto.

Spice Rubbed Lamb Chops

My hubby LOVES lamb, and as a vegetarian, I've always been a little bit timid to try cooking it. The other day, the San Jose Mercury did an article on Indian inspired recipes. One of them inspired me, and I took the plunge. Amar had and awesome meal of spice rubbed lamb chops and whipped potatoes... made by yours truly.





Ingredients
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon finely grated garlic
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
8 lamb rib chops (about 1 pound, 4 ounces)
3 tablespoons canola oil

1. Mix together the ginger, garlic, salt, cayenne, cumin, coriander and turmeric to form a thick, slightly dry paste. Rub the chops well with this mixture and set aside to marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours in the refrigerator.

2. Grill the lamb chops over high heat, or to cook them on the stove, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Sear the lamb chops to the desired doneness, 4 to 5 minutes on each side for rare. Let rest briefly before serving.

Recipe from Ruta Kahate"5 Spices, 50 Dishes"

Cilantro Pesto & Mashed Potatoes

I've been looking for good ways to "Indian-ize" some basic, American cooking. I found a great recipe for spice rubbed lamb chops, which I plan to try for my hubby in a few weeks, and was trying to figure out some good accompaniments for them. Lamb chops and mashed potatoes seem to be a popular combination, and taking some inspiration from the awesome sun dried tomato mashed potatoes at the Bellagio Buffet, I decided to try a substituting cilantro for basil in the pesto. Makes for some yummy cilantro mashed potatoes!

Cilantro Pesto

3 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 to 1.5 bunches cilantro leaves

0.25 cup olive oil

0.25 cup lemon juice

pinch of red chili powder (more, if desired)

0.5 cup nuts (I like walnuts, but almonds or cashews work too)

0.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt to taste

(1) Grind cilantro, nuts, and garlic in food processor until coarsely chopped and mixed.

(2) Add in lemon juice, cheese, oil, salt, and chili powder. Blend until smooth.

You can either add a few spoons of this into your mashed potatoes and mix to infuse the flavor and color, or you can use as a garnish / topping.

Photo source: http://img.timeinc.net/recipes/i/recipes/ck/pesto-potatoes-ck-522112-l.jpg

Yummy, easy guacamole!

I was at Ralphs this weekend and came across some beautiful Haas avocados. When living on the East Coast, my girlfriends and I would regularly go to Mexican restaurants for their fresh guacamole, made table-side. After one too many high restaurant bills, I decided it was time I learned how to make that guacamole at home so I can enjoy it any time, for half the price! I introduced my husband to my fresh guacamole when we were in grad school, and he really loves it, so I bought two avocados to surprise him with this refreshing treat.

Ingredients:

1 juicy lime

2 large, ripe avocados

1/8 to 1/4 of a raw red onion, chopped

1/2 of a small bunch of cilantro, chopped (but not minced)

1 roma tomato, seeded and finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Remove the insides of the avocados and place in large mixing bowl. Discard inner pit and skins. Juice lime and pour juice over avocados quickly. This prevents the avocados from turning brown and keeps your guacamole bright green. Mix in the chopped onion, roma tomato, and cilantro. Taste and add salt and pepper accordingly. Mix again. A few cilantro leaves make a great garnish. Serve with chips.

A few things to note: If you want your guacamole spicier, you can add finely chopped chilies, or other chili sauces. While I use a roma tomato for this recipe, you can use any other tomato you like. The reason I like to use roma tomatoes is that they are denser, so they hold up well during the mixing. They are also sometimes brighter, and that adds a nice visual element to the food.

South Indian Low Carb

Ever since I posted that I was considering a diet oriented towards low carb, I've been getting quite a few responses from others struggling with the same issue. Now, 18 pounds lighter, I want to share with you some of the secrets to my success. Going high protein, low fat, low carb as a South Indian is not easy, particularly if you are very set on continuing to eat the same way we have historically. But, if you are willing to make a few changes, you will definitely see results!

(1) Eating high protein does not mean you have to eat a lot of meat! Other high protein, low carb, low fat foods include non-fat or low fat plain yoghurt, low fat cottage cheese, tofu, veggie burgers, non-fat cheese, non-fat milk and egg substitute (like egg beaters). Watch the veggie burgers and meat substitutes; they may have lurking carbs. Try to stick to ones that have no less than 15 grams of protein per serving, and no more than 12 grams of carbohydrates per serving. (By the way, fiber can cancel out carbs, so for every gram of fiber something has, subtract it from the carb count.)

(2) Only eat a SINGLE serving of rice, roti (or tortillas), bread, or pasta ONCE a day -- or once every two or three days if you can manage. (That includes quinoa. Yes, it's higher in protein and fiber, but it still packs in the carbs at every serving.) So if you plan on having yoghurt rice for dinner, have a plain veggie burger with mustard and a lettuce and tomato salad for lunch, and a piece of fruit and cottage cheese for breakfast. For snacks, stick to one serving of fat free string cheese, fruit, or a glass of non-fat milk. If you have to eat more grains, stick to the more complex ones like quinoa or whole-wheat bread, as opposed to white bread, white rice, or sugar cereals.

(3) Change the purpose of your South Indian stews. Sambar without rice? Rasam without rice? I know, it's shocking. But the if you consider eating sambar as a soup, and excluding the rice, you open yourself up to enjoying the great flavors of South Indian cooking without the carbs in the rice. You may have to adjust the seasonings to make the dishes more palatable without rice. Look into other dishes you can make high-protein, too. I once had an awesome Saag Tofu.

(4) Serving sizes really matter. If you make these changes but eat more calories than you consume each day, you won't see any weight loss results. (But you may see changes in your fasting blood sugar.) Be careful with fruits: they are full of fiber, but also full of carbohydrates, and it's easy to eat a lot without realizing it.

(6) No more sugary drinks! Just say no to full calorie soda and juices. Water is your most important resource. Keep yourself hydrated and drink 64 oz to 80 oz of water a day (even if you are not trying to reduce your carb intake). Try to stay away from sugary desserts too. A cup of kheer a day may taste wonderful, but it's not helping you keep your carb count down. If you have high blood pressure, be careful with salt as well.

(5) Consider taking a fiber supplement. As you eat fewer grains, your body will receive less fiber. To keep yourself regular, try adding a supplement (like Benefiber) to your morning yoghurt or water.

Hope this helps! I'll answer any questions as they come.

Water Ice

I went back to the east coast last weekend for a wedding. Although the weather was volatile (thunderstorms, and extreme humidity), it went off very well and I'm so happy for my friends!

While out there, I had the opportunity to rekindle a favorite memory ... water ice in the summer! No New Jersey-an passes through the hot and humid summer without a stop at Rita's Italian Ice (Water Ice, as it's locally called) for a gelati made with their favorite flavor. Water ice is essentially shaved ice mixed with fruit or other flavorings. Rita's has made an art of it through their ice cream novelty, the gelati. By combining sweet, smooth, creamy custard with watery, tart, and cool shaved ice, Rita's has created the perfect summertime treat. Now, if only we could get them to open up in Los Angeles...