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This is my favorite thing from this book, and one of my favorite meals when LLD isn’t home. Recipe can be found here: https://whatfoodimade.wordpress.com/2020/07/19/junjaro/. Don’t be tempted to use ground cinnamon instead of the stick. I always use canned beans. I absolutely love this over rice with some cucumber raita on the side.
JUMBO SHRIMP w/ GARLIC & MUSTARD SEEDS, Made in India p. 138
This is delicious and easy; basically an Indian flavored shrimp scampi. Mustard seeds are divided - half are put in a pan with butter until they start to pop. Then add curry leaves (I didn’t have any, so skipped them) and garlic and stir fry for a minute or so. Next add the rest of the mustard seeds, which you’ve cracked in an M&P, salt, chili powder, a finely chopped chili, and turmeric. Stir around for a minute or so, then add the shrimp. These only take a couple of minutes to cook. Add lemon juice and garnish with sliced shallots.
I had a tiny bit of rajma chawal somewhere this week, and it reminded my of how popular this recipe (and the chhole / chana / chickpea recipe she calls Workers’ Curry) was.
I was pretty disappointed with this, nothing wrong at all, but not spectacular. I used cannellini beans, all the other ingredients as written. First time I made pangrattato though – could find more uses for it, I’m sure!
This is a light and delicious favorite. There are versions with meat and seafood, but I like the clean flavor profile of the vegetable version best.
I don’t put turmeric in it because I’ve never encountered it that way, and any mix of hard and soft vegetables works, but we like a mix of cauliflower, potato, green beans, butternut or kabocha squash, and carrots.
Increase the aromatics if you want a bit more punch — as written it’s a very lightly aromatic and flavorful soupy curry.
Traditionally eaten with appams, but it’s also good with rice or rice noodles or bread. Also good as a light soup with rice vermicelli.
This recipe calls for fresh coconut milk – that’s just ground up coconut meat and water, yes? Is that way different from canned? I have Thai Kitchen Unsweetened Coconut milk–would you recommend, or no?
The recipe is one I’d like to try.
I’ve short-changed Meera in favor of Julia Turshen in this COTM cycle, I’m afraid. So decided to try a curry of Meera’s Mum. Meera Sodha’s Mum’s Chicken Curry
I used chicken breast instead of thighs, pretty much all the ingredients and seasoning as written, but found it way too thick, so added more tomato. That weakened the flavor, spice presence, so my result was milder than Meera or her mum would’ve wanted, but still very good–next time I’ll know better. I’d make this again. especially when I decide to try actual naan instead of (easy lazy) rice.
Try your hand at chapati or paratha instead of naan, which is what is eaten in homes (along with rice) – or if there is an Indian store near you, they are readily available frozen these days too.
Lovely! Your Appams look great.
I was taught an Ishtu made with Goat and lots of Veg served Appams while in the hills near Erattupetta. We also used Spices that were from the hostess’ Garden/Rubber Plantation. Such a delicious Dish.
Thanks for remining me of it. I need to dig up my notes now.
Getting a few reports in just under the wire. I’ve made a number of dishes from this book, but haven’t had time to write them up. And now it’s been a while (I made this one on August 12), so I don’t have enough memory of the process to say much about it. What I can say on this dish was that it was good, in a gentle, comforting sort of way. It is a medley of potato, eggplant, and green pepper, chosen mostly because I had eggplant and green peppers in the CSA box. The flavors are mild. I might have thrown some chile flakes in.
SICHUAN GREEN BEANS WITH MINCED TOFU - Dinner, p. 79
This is a version of dry-fried green beans. She has you cooking this (and all stir-fries) in a skillet rather than a wok. And cooking in stages to not overcrowd the skillet. So you start out here frying the green beans. She calls for 4 Tbs of oil here, and yet a non-stick skillet. I don’t see why you would need that much oil if using non-stick, and I used a fraction of it. Anyway, you cook the beans, then set them aside and cook the mince, which is a mix of tofu and shiitake mushrooms that have been blitzed in a food processor. The mince gets seasoned with fresh ginger, garlic, scallions, red chiles, and Sichuan peppercorns. I went heavy on the latter. At the end, you combine the two components of the dish, and add Shaoxing wine and soy sauce. Would I like these better cooked in a wok? Yes. Did this version work? Also yes. It was fine. I’d make it again if beans came in the CSA box and I was sick of fasolakia.
This book has a horrible index. I’m going through my photos to find the dishes I made, because it’s faster than flipping through the book. Plus, if I have a photo, I know I actually made it, as opposed to just thought about making it. Important distinction. So I find this photo, and I’m sure it’s from the book. I do what anyone would do, and turn to the index for help. It is not under pasta. It is not under pesto. I do not remember what the pesto was made from. So I have to flip through the damn book until I find it. Broccoli spaghetti with zhoug. OK.
I made by the method she outlines, which is not how I would do it again. The good news is I would do it again, if I can ever find the recipe again. I know the index won’t be much help. Ms. Sodha has you put the broccoli in a food processor and pulverize it, then remove it to a bowl and make the zhoug in the same food processor (cilantro, parsley, jalapeños, cumin, coriander, cardamom, lemon juice, olive oil, salt). You then put the pulverized broccoli in a skillet with oil and sauté it for a long time (relatively) until it is very soft. You then cook your spaghetti (I’m using a chickpea spaghetti here), and combine the drained pasta with the broccoli and zhoug and enough reserved pasta water to make it saucy. That’s the slower/harder way to make this.
The way I would make it next time is to just cut the broccoli into large pieces and microwave until tender. Then make the zhoug in the food processor, add the broccoli to that and process some more until the broccoli is chopped up. And that would be dumped into the pot with the pasta, skipping the slow sautéing step.
I like broccoli, I love zhoug. So this was pretty much a guaranteed win, and it’s nice to get a different flavor (zhoug) in a pasta dish. Very weeknight friendly.
