Feeling hot hot hot!!!

It's July and the East coast has been cooking- temps are up in the 100's and if heat hasn't got you, maybe the electric bills will. While we sweat and wilt, my peppers thrive. This year I planted a variety of chili peppers and herbs up on the second floor deck which has easy access from the kitchen. Full sun and and a serious watering regimen have paid off and I am left with a pretty decent crop. Some looked so perfect that I was certain that they would be sweet and bland. In fact they were quite the opposite with varying levels of intense heat and wonderful aromas.
My herb collection was freshly potted or banished outdoors from the kitchen window earlier in the year. They now sit beside the peppers on the deck. Some, like the Lemon grass flourish indoors throught the winter and survive year after year. Mint, basil, parsley, chives and oregano thrive in the heat and only the rosemary didn't make it. But I digress, so back to the peppers it is....
I never pass up an opportunity to use my chili peppers. Thai Birdseye peppers are sliced diagonally into a stir fry with Shitake and Choy sum. A lentil stew gets its flavors from the sauteed onion, garlic and Serrano peppers slit down the center. Diced jalapenos give a roasted corn and 3 bean salad oomph and Habaneros make my Jamaican peas and rice finger licking good!

How high one aspires to go on the Scoville scale is definitely a matter of personal taste. The irony that I was born in Assam where the Bhoot Jalakia or Naga Chili hails from, is not lost on me. This was voted the worlds hottest pepper and translates directly to " ghost pepper". The tiniest nibble can make a grown man cry for his mama but things were different in our household. My dad would pick one up, dunk it in salt, and take a hefty bite out of it accompanied by a sip of gin and tonic. I wouldn't dream of trying that but I do have a taste for the dried and powdered Naga Chili. Available in most local markets and even upscale grocery stores when in season, this chili pepper does a disappearing act during the cooler winter months. There are always a few tucked in my suitcase whenever I can get my hands on some on my trips home.

I can safely say that the chili pepper is second only to salt in the hierarchy of my kitchen staples. In the Third World it is often the only luxury that a vast majority of the population living below the poverty line can afford. But the addiction to hot food is now a global phenomenon. A sensation not unlike an adrenalin rush keeps us craving for more.

Jamming with the Boys

Memorial Day was bright and breezy- perfect for picking strawberries and a great way to keep my 13 and 9 year old boys busy. They agreed and so we ended up at Springdale Farm. As always it turned into a competition - who would pick the largest and who the most squishy and so it turned out to be a fun filled afternoon. It was also fruitful (pun intended) -We picked a good 10 lbs of strawberries.

Back at home I got them busy hulling and cutting the larger ones into quarters. After a good rinse they were thrown into a large heavy bottomed pot to simmer with masses of sugar. Stirring continuously, the strawberries were cooked briefly till the sugar dissolved completely, before adding in liquid Pectin which is essential for the jam to set properly.
Spring is usually the time of year when I fish out my kettle and pickling tools. This task would be twice as hard without the funnel for filling hot jam into the jars and the metal tongs which are coated with rubber for picking up hot jars out of the kettle. This part was tricky as it always is when working with hot liquids, but working as a team, we did a fairly efficient job. The jars were sterilized in boiling water, filled and sealed. I recycled my assortment of glass jars but bought new lids and bands to ensure proper sealing.

Projects around the house are a great way to bond with kids and teach them to work as a team and sometimes along the way, they pick up good skills too. It was a great way to make Memorial Day truly memorable, but the best part was slathering the luscious, gooey jam onto toast and tasting it.

A Trip Home

On a recent trip to India I took the bull by the horns and braved it to a local vegetable market. Much as I take delight in shopping for food the mere thought of crowds of people, dust and vermin were enough to curb my enthusiasm. Sure enough it was exactly as I had imagined but my apprehensions were short lived. The jovial cooperation of the vendors as they posed shyly for pictures and the freshness of the produce quickly reminded me that this was home.

Unlike here in the Western world, most markets in the under developed world still gather under makeshift tin and bamboo shelters with time warped wooden shelving covered with scraps of newsprint and coarse sackcloth salvaged from packaging material. It is quite remarkable that despite the conditions the produce is so fresh that most of it still has bits of dirt and straw clinging as it makes its short journey from the farm to the market. The concept of branding, processing or packaging is completely alien to them as most often the produce is harvested, distributed and sold the same day.


I confess that I have slipped and grown accustomed to finding flawless clean and perfect produce as I browse through the supermarket aisles. There is an endless supply of genetically engineered produce year round and seasonality is a thing of the past. Things were not the same in the Bazaar as it is referred to back in India. Mounds of sticky pineapple dripping with nectar, mature coconuts with their coarse husks intact, sugarcane tied in bunches towering perilously over the tin rooves and bunches of tiny imperfect bananas swirling from the ceiling evoked a strange nostalgia in me.

India in general can give you sensory overload and this is exemplified dramatically in the Bazaar. Cows amble alongside scooter rickshaws, Kawasaki motorcycles, and rabid dogs. Shop vendors continually sprinkle water on their produce and on the sidewalks to keep the dust and flies at bay. The smells of over ripe fruit compete with roasting spices, garbage and incense. In my opinion one may love India or dislike it but it will not be ignored....

To me it is home - the familiar sights and sounds inspired me to head straight to the kitchen in the home where I had not so long ago, shelled peas and peeled potatoes at my mother's side.

Day 81

My journey began in August and took me on a virtual tour around the world. It was initiated by a desire to increase my own repertoire as well as to give my family/friends a taste of diverse cuisines and open up their palates. It did a lot more than that- there is no doubt that I have learnt a lot about cuisines and cultures worldwide but along the way I learnt substantially about blogging, taking pictures and downloading them. It has also honed my rusty writing skills considerably. I enjoyed every part of it and was delighted to be able to share food and information with so many of you. There is a following on the blog as well as on Twitter and many friends,acquaintances and fellow foodies read it as part of their daily regime. The response has been very encouraging and I intend to blog on...

For my research I used cookbooks, family recipes ( mine and friends)as well as the Internet. I was provided with great information from websites like the lonely planet, wikipedia, Food network, epicurious and recipezaar to name a few. My life was literally taken over-there were menus to be selected, grocery shopping, piles of dishes, and blogs to publish on time, it was more than I had expected on the outset, but worth every bit of effort.

I am very grateful to each of you that may have tasted my cooking, given me encouragement or followed loyally. Please continue checking for updates and I will do my best to keep it interesting...

On a separate note- It is Thanksgiving and much as I promised to stay away from the kitchen for a few days, I was back. This year we are sharing this celebration with close friends and I am bringing a Tarte Tatin and a Potato Gratin. So here they are....

Day 80 Texas (USA)

Texas the final frontier is here at last- and it is with a mixture of relief and joy that I arrive in the "Lone Star state" on day 80 of my journey around the world. Texans put their own spin on popular Mexican dishes like Tacos and Burritos but it is their barbecued briskets and baby back ribs that take centre stage. Today's menu consists of a Texas style Barbecued Brisket, the key ingredient being its own homemade sweet and sour barbecue sauce.

The first step was to rub the brisket with paprika and salt. Onion, celery and carrots were roughly diced and scattered around the brisket which was placed in a large oven- proof roasting pan. A couple of cups of broth were poured over, the pan covered and left in the oven at 350 degrees for about 3 hours.

The next step was to discard the excess fat and shred the brisket( the meat was so soft - all I used was a fork). A little olive oil was heated and bacon rendered in it along with red pepper, onion and a jalapeno. A can of tomatoes and minced garlic were added in and cooked for another 10 minutes or so. The final step was to combine it with the shredded meat and homemade barbecue sauce and simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

The barbecue sauce was made with ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, dark brown sugar, chopped garlic, lemon juice, cider vinegar and oil cooked together over medium heat for 10 minutes.

The pulled meat and sauce was ladled onto toasted buns - the perfect way to end a long journey....

Day 79 South Western (USA)

South Western food is often confused with Mexican food and to a large extent it has its similarities, however it does have an identity all it's own; a fusion of food cultures of the Native American, the cowboys, the Spanish settlers and the Mexican give it so much more diversity. I could not pass up the opportunity to cook up a pot of Chili Con Carne so that's my dish for today. A hot and spicy bean and meat stew/soup is the best description for this dish that has gained so much popularity that a Chili cook- offs are almost a national sport.

To start off, I browned diced onions, peppers and garlic and added in the ground chuck, kidney beans that were soaked overnight and cooked (you can use canned beans). Oregano, chili powder and ground cumin were sprinkled liberally over it . This was sauteed over low heat till the beef was no longer pink. Tomato paste, a dash of Tabasco and canned crushed tomatoes were added in at this point. The pot was simmered on low for about an hour, and beef broth added in as necessary along the way.

The Chili was served over rice and topped with a garnish of chopped cilantro, sour cream, chopped hot peppers, red onions small diced and grated cheddar. The entire contents of a pretty large pot were cleaned out....

Off to Texas next...

Day 78 Southern (USA)

Edna Lewis, the Grand Dame of Southern Cooking and Chef Scott Peacock were an unlikely pair, she being the granddaughter of freed slaves and he a young white man, but the two of them made magic in the kitchen and changed the way the world looked at Southern cooking. Today's menu is taken from their collaboration-The Gift of Southern Cooking. Southern Fried Chicken and Sweet Potato Pie- dinner's on.....

The chicken goes through an elaborate ritual before it becomes edible in this version of Fried chicken and is worth the extra work. The day I bought the chicken, it was cleaned inside and out, cut it into large pieces and soaked overnight in cold water and Kosher salt. The next morning the chicken was drained and a full quart of buttermilk was poured over and left for a good 8 hours until dinner time. The chicken pieces were drained once more over a wire mesh and dredged in seasoned flour before frying to a crisp ( I used vegetable oil although lard was recommended).

The Sweet Potato Pie was made with prepared store bought pie dough rolled out and laid over a Pyrex pie dish. The pastry was docked (holes made) and the filling poured in. The filling was made with roasted sweet potatoes mashed together with sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla extract, butter, salt, egg yolks and milk. Egg whites were whipped separately and folded into the mixture. The pie was baked at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Both recipes were fool-proof; the chicken was tender and crisp, the pie was like a prelude to the season.

Southwest coming up next....