Wednesday, February 16, 2011

SEYUN PATATA


This is a typical Sindhi breakfast dish. Sweet vermicelli with spicy fried potatoes.

Ingredients :
Vermicelli ... 2 cups
Sugar .......... 1 cup
Salt ............... a tiny pinch.( This is my grandma's tip. Adding a tiny pinch of salt enhances the flavour of a sweet dish (Indian dishes)
Green Cardamoms ... 3-4
Saffron ................. a pinch
Ghee ..................... 2-3 tbsp.
Almonds .............. to garnish (blanched and peeled)
Pistachios ............ crushed

For Fried Potatoes :
Potatoes ..... 1/2 kg
Salt .............. to taste
Turmeric powder .. 1/4tsp
Cumin powder ..... 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder. 1/8 tsp
Amchoor powder ......1/2 tsp
Red Chilli powder .... 1/4 tsp
Oil ..................... to fry

Method :

1. Heat ghee in a pan and put the crushed cardamoms. Add the vermicelli and stir fry it stirring continuously, taking care to get the even colour.

2. When the colour is brown add double the quantity (4 cups) hot water. If you are using the fine,thin vermicelli then reduce the water, 3 cups will be sufficient. Add a pinch of salt and saffron. Cover the pan and simmer to cook.
3. When the vermicelli is almost done, add the sugar and mix well. Simmer it again until the water from the sugar is absorbed.(Thin vermicelli cooks faster than the normal one)
4. Garnish with crushed pistachios and almonds.
Serve with fried masala potatoes.

FRIED POTATOES :
1. Cut the potatoes into cubes and put them in the salt water for 15-20 minutes.
2. Drain the water and deep fry the potatoes. Remove from the oil and sprinkle salt and all the dry spice powders immediately. Mix well.


CHICKEN CRUNCHIES


Ingredients:
Chicken fillet .... 1 Cut into small cubes
White flour .............. 1 tbsp.
Corn flour ...... 1 tbsp.
Cummin powder .. 1 tsp.
Black pepper/white pepper .. 1/2 tsp. or more if you like.
Salt .......................... to taste
Red colour ............. a pinch
White of 1 egg

To coat:
Potatoes .............. 5-6 ( grate them and immerse in salt water for 1 hour)
Oil ...... to fry

Method:
1. Marinate the chicken pieces with all the ingredients and refrigerate until use.
2. Squeeze out a little grated potato in the palm of your hand and cover the chicken pieces firmly.
3. Heat oil and fry these chicken pieces until crunchy.
4. Serve immediately with any sauce of your choice.
( for variation you can add any masala of your choice to the marinade)

You Got To Give It To Him, He's A True Believer

I'd been ignoring the release of the president's budget as I pared down my morning political reading list (out: Hot Air), but B-Daddy brought me out of my dream world. I checked out the WSJ on the topic and came to the same conclusion.
This was supposed to be the moment we were all waiting for. After three years of historic deficits that have added almost $4.5 trillion to the national debt, President Obama was finally going to get serious about fiscal discipline. Instead, what landed on Congress's doorstep on Monday was a White House budget that increases deficits above the spending baseline for the next two years. Hosni Mubarak was more in touch with reality last Thursday night.
Obama has been telling us what he believes all along and this budget is the budget of a True Believer. Government is the answer. Jennifer Rubin fussed about Obama's news conference on the topic where there were statements like this.
"You guys are pretty impatient. If something doesn't happen today, then the assumption is that it's not going to happen," Mr. Obama said. "This is not a matter of 'you go first' or 'I go first.' This is a matter of everybody having a serious conversation about where we want to go and then ultimately everybody getting into that boat at the same time so it doesn't tip over."
Other than using a silly metaphor, I'm not sure what the problem is. This is who he is, who he's been and who he said he was going to be. He's never led anything of significance in his life, he's never had to work with a powerful, principled opposition and he is a True Believer in the power of government. A budget of wishful thinking from his administration isn't much of a surprise, nor is the refusal to take a leadership position on this.

And here I thought the Clinton years (1993-2001) were paradise. I guess they were years of oligarchic tyranny and government neglect.

Just as a semi-side note, wouldn't it be surprising for him to change his world view while in office? You'd think that an insular White House (insular for every occupant, not just him) would be the last place you'd change your thinking. He's chosen people who think like he does - from where would come the change?

Curried Roast Chicken Leg with Spicy Sweet Potato Chips



I love curry, I cook curry a lot, I eat curry a lot, I hope my sister marries an Indian one day. I don't know why I've not been posting more curries. This is still not a curry, but those wonderful aromatic spices and flavours help to add the much-needed kick to a standard roast chicken (leg) recipe. Together with sweet salty spicy sweet potato chips it's a really easy roast dinner. (When I came to the UK, I learnt that chips aren't the thin wafers in a can of Pringles. Those are crisps. A chip is a fatter fry/ skinnier wedge. Well, at least according to the British).

Curried Roast Chicken Leg with Spicy Sweet Potato Chips
Serves 1
Ingredients
1 chicken leg, skin-on, bone-on
1 medium sweet potato, scrubbed clean and cut into fat sticks
1 large banana shallot, halved, not peeled (you can use a normal shallot. or even a small onion.)
2 cloves garlic, smashed, not peeled
1/ 2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cinnamon
sea salt, chilli powder (to taste, about 1/2 tsp)
1 tbsp melted coconut oil + 1 tsp butter (you can replace the oil with evoo, or unrefined palm oil)

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius.
2. Make the spice paste/marinade/rub.
For the chicken: cumin, turmeric, and half of the coriander, chilli powder, salt and coconut oil.
For the sweet potato: cinnamon, half the coriander, salt and chilli powder, salt and coconut oil.
Rub the spice paste all over the chicken and sweet potato, lifting up the chicken skin a bit to rub some onto the flesh too.
3. In the middle of a roasting tray, place the halved shallot cut side down, and the chicken leg on top of it. Scatter the sweet potato and garlic around the chicken, be careful not to overlap!
4. Put into the oven and roast for about 45 min, or until the chicken skin is brown and crisp, and the chips are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Cucumber and Mint Raita (optional, but just do it.)
serves 4 (save the extra or quarter the recipe)
Ingredients
250 ml plain whole yogurt
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped very finely
handful of mint leaves, chopped very finely
pinch of cumin powder
pinch of salt

Method
1. Sprinkle salt over the cucumber and then leave to sit and drain and squeeze out all the water from the cucumber.
2. Mix all ingredients together.

Finally, garnish the dish with fresh coriander, and serve with a dollop of cucumber and mint raita.


This chicken is just oozing with juicy spicy savouriness, and the shallots and sweet potatoes are bursting with sweetness, all balanced by the refreshing yogurt and cucumber. Yay now go wiggle your head bollywood-style.

This is part of Seasonal Sunday.

Adventures in Fine Dining

Previously it had been noted that free-choice feeding our Maximum Leader was probably a bad idea. After doing a little more research, I've decided to make mealtime a bit more exciting for her by feeding her in different places. I hope this will encourage her to get out more rather than being emotionally tethered to her normal feeding spot. In addition, I've taken to removing the food dish once she's finished so she's not continually reminded of it. So far, it seems to be working.

Here, she's enjoying an outdoor cafe.

Low Impact Treats

s.kenney 2/14/11
As Valentine's Day came and went, we, along with many other bloggers out there, couldn't help but notice the overwhelming level of consumerism that continues to pummel its way into the American landscape.  

Our culture of excess  cannot help being painfully marked after traveling to other countries.  One of the joys (and pains) of traveling with teenagers is their "tell it like it is" approach to the world.  Basically, after having travelled to other countries outside the U.S., our teens are amazed at the privileges they take for granted as Americans, but also admittedly ashamed to become aware of how the world views  our pampered lifestyle.  Our needless excesses are causing us to be present in cultures around the world wielding our barely hidden agendas.  

The noticeable hype of Valentine's Day brought up a discussion about a documentary we watched recently called "No Impact Man".  This wonderful film is about  a "newly self-proclaimed environmentalist who could no longer avoid pointing the finger at himself."   

Colin, whom the documentary is about, leaves behind his liberal complacency for a vow to make as little environmental impact as possible for one year.  

He lives, however, in the middle of New York City. 

No more automated transportation, no more electricity, no more non-local food, no more material consumption are all steps Colin decides to take within a year's time frame.  The documentary also highlights his " espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife Michelle and their two year-old daughter".  

This is a radical life-style change for this Manhattan couple just as much as it would be a dramatic change for each of us living in American cities and suburbs all over the U.S.  Even though the film is admittedly a radical approach, it hits home on so many lower levels that encourage all of our wheels to begin spinning. The film is controversial and many have called it hypocritical.  Yes, it may be on some levels, but can harm come from trying to leave a smaller footprint on this planet, no matter how small?



Our family was impacted not only by travel, but by this documentary as well. We are   continuing to look for ways to cut out our own waste.  We are very much the typical suburban family.  We wasted - alot.  We decided to do our own "impact plan".  We are certainly no rosy role model.  I know families growing their own vegetables, herbs and fruits, canning and baking without chemical additives, and banning plastics including the controversial diaper dilemma.

In our family, we began by eliminating toilet paper.  No, just kidding.  Won't happen.  But it did happen in the documentary "No Impact Man'.

We began by eliminating plastic bags, paper towels, excessive electricity, anything individually wrapped as opposed to bulk, perfumed cleansers,  ziplog bags, etc.  I don't possess a green thumb but am trying to seek out and support local produce. We organized a recycling room for wrapping.  Anything purchased (or received) for gifts gets re-purposed for another gift instead of being thrown away.  These may all sound so trivial, but for a suburban family like ours, completely used to this throw away lifestyle, these changes feel impactful in our home immediately.




For Valentine's Day, I was so tempted by the never-ending supply of consumer goods lining the shelves.  I wanted to shower my family with adorable packaged treats that would end up with so many wasteful by-products.

It doesn't feel like much.  Laughable even.  But, taking small steps feels right.  For Valentine's Day, I picked out my son's favorite gum drops from Whole Foods and eliminated packaging.  For my daughter, an antique heart pendant that she hung on a re-cycled necklace from her jewelry business.  Very small steps indeed -  nothing to brag about, but in our own way, an impact.  I wish we could do more.  I know darn well, we COULD do more.

Hopefully, more steps will follow.   We are toddlers learning to take those tentative steps that will hopefully turn into more confident strides as this next generation moves forward.