Some Like it Hot!
By Jane Weston Wilson
Hot, Hot, Hot, everywhere, Russia, India, Australia, Southern California, Kansas, the Atlantic coast. If this is what we can expect even now at the end of the summer, should our food and drinks be hot as well? At least one discussion on NPR was about how Indians drink hot tea, as opposed to cold dea, in a country where the temperature soars for many months of the year.
Their food as we know so well is both hot and spicy. In fact there are very few things on most Indian restaurant menus that feature cold food. Raitas, Chutneys, their simple house salad usually with chickpeas, carrots, peas, cucumbers. I've never had a cold soup in an Indian Restaurant. Come to think about it, I've never had iced tea or cold soups in Chinese and Japanese restaurants either.
I remember walking along the crowded streets in Tokyo on one hot day in August, fans were in full flutter. I ducked into a small restaurant and sat down. The first thing to appear was an almost too hot to handle terry towel on a bamboo rest. I wiped my face with it and it felt wonderful. At the same time my pot of tea arrived. Perhaps opening up the pores serves us well on steamy summer days.
I am also for take-out on these over 90 degree days when the kitchen is just something to pass through. My neighbor Liz and I really like Indian food and we'll order it when Liz gets home from work, as we settle into the couch around 7:00.
I am also for takeout on these over 90 days when the kitchen is just something to pass through. The best Indian movie, actually it was a TV series, one could ever watch is The Jewel in the Crownon DVD. Heat permeates and drives the story in many ways and the acting well, there is the heat of great passion. I for one can never forget Hari Kumar.
Enjoy varying cold, cool and hot or spicy food for these last few days of summer.
Following are recipes that favor each.
One of my favorite Indian cookbooksYamuna’s Tableis by Devi Yamuna who has a remarkable background - she has sung with the Beatles, cooked for Indri Gandhi, studied the cuisines of every region in India, cooking on wood stoves in the grass, clay huts and the kitchens of sacred temples. She also studied at Cordon Bleu. You can imagine that her recipes are quite eclectic.
Shredded Beets, Orange and Coconut Salad
Serves 4
Coconut is used a lot in Indian cooking, you’ll find it in the popular Biriyani rice dish combined with nuts and dried fruits. I keep coconut in the freezer and add it to fruit smoothies, it gives a sweet taste without sugar.
Ingredients:
2 cups very finely shredded, peeled beets
1 and 1/2 Tab olive oil
1 tsp mustard seed
1 Tab honey or maple syrup
2 naval oranges peeled, white pith removed, and sliced crosswise in 1/4 inch slices
3 Tab unsweetened coconut
1 Tab washed and chopped mint or cilantro and patted dry
Procedure:
1. Place beets in a mixing bowl.
2. Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.
3. Add mustard seeds, cover until they pop.
4. Stir in honey or maple syrup then pour over beets.
5. On 4 individual plates, arrange orange slices.
6. Top each with a mound of beets.
7. Garnish with coconut and fresh herbs. (Add coconut just before serving.)
Mango Lassi
for one
If you want to really cool off, try this Lassi. These yogurt and fruit drinks are popular in most Indian restaurants, and so easy to make at home. The ice cubes make this drink exceptionally cold. You can easily double the recipe.
Ingredients:
1 large or 2 medium chilled mangoes, peel and cut lengthwise from top to bottom, place in small bowl and cut in small dice; it will make about 1/2 cup.
1/2 cup yogurt
3 sprigs of fresh mint washed and patted dry
3 ice cubes
Procedure:
1. In a blender place mango, yogurt, mint and ice cubes. Place lid on very tightly.
2. Pulse on and off, ice cubes will jump around, keep pulsing until it makes a thick smooth puree.
3. Pour into a wine glass, or mug. Sit down, sip slowly.
Fresh Mint Relish
Chutneys, Relishes and Raitas are all part of Indian meals. The Raitas are cooling and the Chutneys and Relishes add some bite. I especially like them on plain rice and vegetables. This recipe has a similar texture to Pesto. It is from Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni. She tells us it is the most popular relish in North India.
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients:
3 cups washed and lightly patted dry mint leaves without stems
2-3 green chilies, seeded
3 Tab finely chopped onions or scallions
3/4 tsp grated fresh ginger root
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 Tab lemon or lime juice
3 Tab water
Procedure:
1. Put all ingredients in the container of a food processor or blender. Pulse on and off until you get a smooth puree. If using a blender, because there is little liquid, you will need to push the ingredients down, scraping the sides of the container from time to time.
2. Refrigerate - it will last a week.
Recent Comments