Goan Fish Curry

Right now I should be waxing lyrical about the beauty and splendor of the garden, the abundance of japanese dwarf peas and little gem lettuces and ruby chard; the tomatoes laden with fruit and even the first sight of a dwarf  melon. However the monsoon is in full sway here and lighting peppers the horizon. The rain is unrelenting and steady and we are enveloped in cool dark clouds, reminiscent of the pacific northwest or maybe even India...
I was conceived in the monsoon, so the rain is in my heart.
Today I am back in India,at least in my kitchen.....
After some sweet spiced chai, and fried plantains to start, I progressed onto a Goan fish curry.
I would have posted a picture of the golden sauce surrounding an island of Basmati rice, but there wasn't really an hiatus between pan, plate and belly, so you'll just have to take my word for the fact that this is sublime..

So here goes.

You will need spices
1 heaped teaspoon coriander powder
1 heaped teaspoon cumin powder
1 flat teaspoon tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper.
1 thumb of ginger (peeled)
3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of tamarind (paste or concentrate)
3 thai green chillies
3 guajillo (or other red chilly like a birds eye)
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi)
7-8 peppercorns

3- 4 fillets of a white fish halibut or even humble tilapia serves well.
1 cup of white basmati rice.
1 can of organic coconut milk ( never buy the lite version, it is awful)
1/2 cup of dessicated coconut
Salt

For the curry put all the spices the coconut milk and coconut into a blender
and liquidize.

Get a large frying pan pour in the sauce and heat .
Add half a cup of water and bring to the boil
add the fish and let the fish cook in the bubbling sauce
Add salt to taste.

At Altitude Basmati Rice should be cooked with a 2:1 water to rice ratio.
(At sea level its 1.5:1)
Wash the rice first till it runs clear, add water, bring to boil, as soon as it boils
bring it to a low heat and let it simmer still covered.
When all the water has been absorbed your rice should be done. ( If it isn't just add a tiny bit of water)
and wait a few minutes more.

Serve rice in a little island surrounded by curry and fish garnished with fresh cilantro.
Have a monsoon Raga playing and imagine the coconut trees, paddy fields and the glorious rain...

Namaste.

T's Hummus

If there is one thing that links the entirety of the middle east, its some version of Hummus.
That is to say garlic, lemons, chickpeas (garbanzo beans) Tahini and olive oil.
The stories of hummus recipes and people driving miles to eat Hummus from their favorite restaurant, secret recipes, recipes handed down from the cooks of viziers, the urban legends and culture of hummus are legion.

The last place I bought hummus which was truly time-stopping was a small Lebanese cafe in Westwood called Sunin. It's nearly worth the trip to LA. (nearly mind, it'll take more than that to make me cross Arizona these days...) however combined with their magnificent Bastilla, (my version coming soon..., )i might be induced to make the journey.

Usually I make it in a completely improvised, ad hoc way such that i never remember a recipe.
T came up with a damn fine method which was recorded for posterity the other day, it has some really nice touches. SO here goes.

1 cup raw chickpeas soaked for a few hours or overnight.
1 juicy ripe lemon
1 juicy ripe lime
3 full tablespoons of Tahini
2 Cloves of garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil.
1/4 cup live plain yogurt
salt to taste

Drain the chickpeas and cook with 1 clove of garlic until tender but not mushy.(Dont throw away the water)
Drop the Tahini lime and lemon juice in food processor
Add a tiny bit of chickpea water if its too sticky.
Add chickpeas, cooked clove of garlic and raw garlic
Blend and add yoghurt
Dribble in 1/8 th of a cup of olive oil
Add remaining chickpea water till you get the consistency you want.

For the garnish

2 tablespoons very finely chopped sweet red and yellow peppers
juice of 1 lime
1 finely chopped thai chilly
handful of finely chopped parsley
mix together and bash up a little in pestle and mortar

Put the hummus in a wide bowl, place the garnish at the center
sprinkle with smoked paprika
cover with remaining olive oil.

It helps to have a loaf of warm fresh bread or pita bread to eat yourself into a glycemic coma.

Sahtayn ! טוב לאכול

Mole, Ratty and Badger ?

No, not the small furry, near-blind, subterranean rodent. The exquisite, dark, rich brown Mexican sauce.
Mexico isn't my milieu, even though I live in New Mexico, Mexican food lies just outside my cultural references. I get it, I just never really made any. My spices always travel in the direction of India.
Mole' has always been something of an enigma until it was recently deconstructed for me. Once I understood
the basics ( thanks B and J), well, its a cooks privilege to improvise...

So here goes. What you will need is:

Handful of dried chillies
2 pasilla
3 Ancho
1 cascabel

1 very ripe plantain or banana
About a cupful of nuts and seed ( I used pumpkin, almond and cashew)
About a cup  of dried fruit ( I used figs, dates and a few raisins)
2 cups of chicken stock/ vegetable stock

1 Medium red onion chopped  fine.

2 cloves of garlic chopped fine.

2 Heaped spoonfuls of cacao powder or chocolate
1 tsp of powdered cinnamon
1 tsp of allspice
salt to taste

Take all your nuts and seeds and put them in a food processor till coarsely ground. and set aside.

Drop a little oil in a frying pan, heat and add the crushed and broken
chillies. toast for 5- 10 mins- don't burn them though
Remove the chillies and set aside

Add some more oil and then add the onions in one side of the pan
and the sliced plantain or banana on the other ,cook the onions and the plantain till really soft
then add the garlic and the chopped dried fruit.
Fry some more and then put the chillies back in the pan.
Put in the spices and the chocolate.
Add chicken stock or whatever stock you have to get enough liquid so the sauce will simmer for a few mins.
Finally add the nuts, mix it all together and put the entire contents of the pan into the food processor .
After blending pour the mole back into the pan, add stock and salt as needed to get the consistency and flavor you want.

You can do anything with this sauce, grilled chicken, shellfish, vegetables.
I made a large pasta salad with grilled scallops and shrimp and dressed it with the mole rather than go in the direction of rice beans or enchiladas.
Pretty fusion/weird but it was Excellent.
(If you happen to be a sorry vegan then pour it over your granola.)

xxxxx until we eat again

Salad to De-liver

 

The very word often brings up horrific memories of being forced to eat leathery fetid offal. I empathize.

At school liver was a rock hard piece of overcooked, unseasoned pigs liver which flew off my plate as I attempted to slice or pierce it. This type of story is not uncommon. I aim to try and change your mind.

The Liver of a well raised organic or wild  animal is incredibly nutrient dense, tastes mild and beautiful and has a smooth and silky texture (if you cook it right). There was a time when a hunter would literally eat the liver straight from the body of his kill. It can grant you stamina and energy like few other foods not to mention the massive source of Iron.

For the liver, first mince together

2 large cloves of garlic

3 anchovy fillets

1 teaspoon of capers

Add to this paste 1 egg.

Drip in 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil until emulsified.

Add a splash of Worcester sauce and Tabasco sauce.

This is your marinade.

1 lb liver

The liver I use is organic Buffalo liver. I recommend this, other wise organic chicken liver will do.

For the Buffalo liver slice into thin strips, scrupulously cut away any gristle and fascia. Cut into small cubes.

Soak in milk.for a couple of hours, pour off milk and then add the small liver cubes into the marinade.

For the salad. I recommend a bulky varied salad. Im just going to list some ingredients which I used for this one, but feel free to add to or remove as you wish.

Sunflower sprouts

Watercress

Romaine lettuce

Spinach

Parsley

Cucumber

Sweet red pepper

Scallions

Sweet pickles

Artichoke hearts

Tomato

Steamed or blanched Asparagus, baby Squash, and Peas

You get the idea.

Dress lightly with lemon, oil and splash of agave

Heat some oil in a pan till it is really hot.

Throw in the liver and the marinade into the pan. Remove when the liver is nicely browned.

(you can obviously taste test as you cook)

Cover the salad with the liver and serve.

You will be surprise how much of this you can eat, its really a meal unto itself. If you still cant stand the stuff after this, then you are forever excused for having to eat liver ever again. But somehow I think it might turn out differently....

The Fat of the Lamb

FAT IS GOOD.
Below is an extract from an article it not only talks about the value of organic foods but also about about the necessity of  eating saturated fat.....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-john-salerno/why-i-recommend-organic-f_b_403348.html

"The answer which I ( Dr Salerno) propose in Dr. Salerno's Silver Cloud Diet is to eat a nutrient rich diet made up of plenty of saturated fat, protein and fruits and vegetables which are organic, grass fed, and wild caught.

I get a lot of surprised looks from my patients when I tell them to eat more saturated fats to lose weight. They will start in telling me they've been eating a low fat diet for years. But they don't make the connection between this diet and their health problems, including overweight, type two diabetes, memory problems, and arthritis.

I explain to them that the body must have saturated fats for proper brain function, cell development, and satiety. Plus it just makes people look better. Fat carries flavor and makes people feel full and satisfied quicker.

I can spot the low fat dieter in a moment. Dry skin, wrinkles, and broken fingernails. Those are the telltale signs that show. Lab work reveals many more.

So I propose that people eat plenty of saturated fat, protein and organically grown fruits and vegetables for optimum health and weight maintenance. It works for my patients."

About twenty years ago when i was starting out my Shiatsu practice in London, I read an article in a publication called "What doctors dont tell you".   - in fact I just checked and its now an online magazine

http://www.wddty.com/

The author claimed that with regard to coronary heart disease, saturated animal fat was not the problem,
(the so called lipid hypothesis - that the ingestion of saturated fats caused the build-up of cholesterol which clogs arteries). The ingestion of carbohydrates; that is sugars, regardless of their complexity, create insulin production, the excess of which causes all kinds of inflammation and arterial damage. Cholesterol is in fact the bodies' attempt to repair this damage. We don't need the carbohydrates they are in fact the source of the problem. Certainly not the vast amount that modern humans eat in very processed forms
The next very important risk factor was processed food and the amazing array of  food-like substances was the issue.  That our paleolithic omnivorous digestive systems were perfectly adapted to fairly significant amounts of saturated fat, but were completely unable to assimilate all the strange chemicals and non-food, food-like substances contained and created by processing food. The body in response to these substances simply stored them in our fatty tissue, toxifying us and eventually  compromised the function and responsiveness of our internal organs, liver, kidneys, heart, pancreas etc eventually this inability to digest, assimilate and eliminate further toxifies us leading to organ compromise degenerative illness and failure. I guess it looks to me that Dr Salerno is talking about much the same thing...

And so to food.

A recipe ( reasonably complicated)- Lamb meatballs with a spiced Moroccan sauce and Honey Chard

( Im going to suggest that you make a large batch of this sauce- because it takes time and effort, freezes perfectly and you WIll want to have it again- so the recipe is for a large quantity)

For the Sauce

8 lbs of Tomatoes, ripe and sweet. ( if you buy them a little unripe leave them to ripen till soft on a sunny window sill for a few days)

3 small or 2 medium bulbs of garlic

6 med red onions

The spices

Ground cumin, ground coriander, ground allspice - 2 full tsps of each

2 sticks of cinnamon

4 stars of star anise

3 Guajillo or hot red chillies

Saffron - 1 pinch ( soak in a few tsps of water)

Ketchup/ Tamari/ Cooking sherry / Salt

Finely chop the onions ( a cuisinart / food processor does a great job and saves tears) , dice the tomatoes, finely chop the garlic.

Drop some Ex virgin Olive oil in a stockpot and add the onions and start to sautee. When soft add the garlic and tomatoes, mix  together and cook for a few mins then add all your spices,  cook the mixture down for a few mins, then  add water to cover fully, generous splash of cooking sherry and a good squeeze of tomato ketchup. and lastly the saffron and saffron water.

Bring to boil , simmer and reduce for about 4-5 hours.

For the lamb meatballs

1 lb of ground lamb

1 egg

2 cloves garlic chopped fine

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp harissa

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Handful of chopped parsley and cilantro

salt

Mix all the ingredients together , fashion into meatballs and fry till golden brown .

For the chard

Stalk the chard so its just leaf, chop into large pieces and sautee in a pan with a spoonful of butter and a tsp of honey, salt and pepper to taste.

For the couscous

Boil 1 cup of chicken or lamb stock , turn off, add 2/3 cup of couscous. Cover with lid and let the couscous absorb the liquid.

When you serve, put a dollop of live bulgarian yoghurt over your sauce ( not compulsory but pretty good and looks beautiful)

Obviously if you dont want to make vast quantities of the sauce then adapt the recipe accordingly.

Also save the lamb fat it makes wicked home made fried potatoes.....

Trust me this one is worth the effort.  Invite some friends and show off and share.

Until we eat againxxxx

That Curry

By popular request, ( and you know who you are) I'm posting the recipe for another chicken curry. This one's an old favourite which I never tire of. I called it Elaichi Moorgh ( which means Cardamom chicken ). I just made it up and its always been well received. Apart from once when i made no concessions to the anglo-saxon palate and nearly killed a friend by way of chilly-induced internal combustion...

You will need
8 pieces of chicken (with bones and skin) I like to use thighs and drumsticks.
3 med onions
a little heavy cream ( optional)

The spices
Garam Masala
Ground Cumin
Ground Coriander
Tumeric
Cayenne pepper
Cinnamon Sticks
Green Cardamom pods
Fresh Red  or Green Chillies ( Indian or Thai)

Chop the onions fine and fry in oil until golden and soft.
Add the chicken pieces and fry to seal off a little ( medium heat)
Then add the spices.

The principal spice is garam masala , generously sprinkle it over the chicken till you more or less cover whats in the pot.
If you use two heaped teaspoons , then use one each of ground cumin and coriander
Half a teaspoon of tumeric and the same of cayenne pepper.
Fry and keep turning the chicken, onions and spices till everything is nicely coated in an aromatic brown paste.
Lastly add the chilly ( to taste) suggest maybe three fresh ones of med strength, sliced lengthwise ( strength is all very subjective)
A couple of cinnamon sticks (or about 5-6 pieces of cinnamon bark if you can get it from an indian grocer)\
About 6-8 cardamom pods.
Cover fully with water, add salt, bring to boil and then simmer for about 1and a half to 2 hours till the chicken falls easily off the bone. For the last twenty-30 mins take the lid off the pot to reduce the liquid down to a thicker gravy.
You will add salt as you go as the stock gets richer and reduces down.
For a final touch and if you want to a splash of heavy cream will turn it really smooth.( don't overdo the cream though or you'll drown the flavour and make it too bland). Sometimes I add it and sometimes I don't.

Rice, naan, chapaati or chuky, crusty white bread to accompany. This keeps really well in the fridge and can often improve by the next day.

Good Eating. And once again Happy Birthday Kaya and Rafael.

On Vegetarianism

In India, where I was born, vegetarianism is a cultural reality. I couldn't give you statistics, but a very large number of hindus (and jains and buddhists) practice vegetarianism.

The predominant reason is philosophical; essentially the karmic problem of killing sentient lives willingly. Doubtless there are people who just don't like eating meat, those who do it for apparent health reasons and  many who simply cant afford it.

Preferences and poverty aside, I'd like to take a look at the philosophical dimension of things. It is also noteworthy that in our time the ecological implications and costs of meat rearing has also become a reason for vegetarianism, particularly in the western world.

Someone I know  posed a question recently "are we dying or are we living?", well in truth aren't they both the same thing ? The life process or event is one in which death is built in. This endless recycling of beings; this creation, consumption and elimination of beings is a cycle with no beginning or end. We define the death event because of its apparent finality with regard to our waking consciousness, and our sense of loss, grief and finality in relation to everything we love.

Are we living or dying or are we a sacrificial process.? Am I aware of this sacrifice that is my life ? Can I yield to it, surrender to it as it occurs or will I ignore it and resist it especially at its most challenging, when death takes my body and my egoic consciousness. ?

The accidental as well as deliberate slaughter of organisms is inevitable and part of this process of appearances and disappearances, but death is the inevitable passage for each and everyone.

No consciousness wills its own end (typically), each one demonstrates the desire to grow, protect itself, propagate itself, resist pain and partake in pleasure.

So is it possible to live in a way free of the chronic anxiety and fear of death, to surrender to death when it is appropriate ( rather than rage against the dying of the light)? .

To focus on simply how we die is to miss the point about how we live. How we live IS how we die.

When I consider the sentient beings who sacrifice their lives for my sustenance, the elk, buffalo, pigs, chicken, fish and lamb I'm truly grateful. I'm also conscious not to eat meat from sources where that being may have been treated cruelly in life AND death. How they lived and died is crucial (not that they died)

That my buying power supports life affirming, conscious animal husbandry. That their life was honored by my appreciation and my cooking.

I believe in the dignity of all sentient beings,  so just  as I care about a human beings rights to live free of fear, cruelty and mistreatment I feel the same way about non-humans.

I hope the bacteria whom i feed with my body approve of the way I was reared.