Karela Kaju Kishmish

The CC has posted this particular recipe before but he finds it impossible to invent new tricks each time so you will have to be content with a "show-n-tell" instead.

Ingredients

4-5 small karelas, cut into rounds
1/3 cup peas (frozen is fine.)
1/3 cup cashews (broken)
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 tsp asafoetida
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)
4-5 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp poppy seeds
salt to taste

Recipe

The mise-en-scène; from left clockwise: raisins, peas, broken cashews.

Karela's (bitter gourds)
Peeled karela's
They look like naked mole-rats, don't they?

Cut the bitter gourds into rounds, cover with salt, and mix.

Add water, and soak for at least an hour. The goal is to leech out the bitter part via osmosis. (Don't worry about the salt; you can always control the recipe later.)

Rinse them thoroughly, and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. Dry thoroughly.

First, we pan-fry the bitter gourd rounds.

When they look fried, add the brown sugar, and let it caremelize.

Watch how everything turns dark brown.

When they are fried, drain them using paper napkins. They should be thoroughly dry before the next step.

Dry roast equal proportions of coriander seeds and cumin. When it gives off a fragrant smell, pulverize it into a powder (dhanajeeru.) The CC just uses a coffee grinder.

Fry some oil, add the asafoetida, fry, add the above dhanajeeru; the red chilli powder, the fried bitter gourd, the raisins and the cashews. Add a tiny amount of water.

Add the peas, and the poppy seeds towards the end. If it looks too wet, let it cook uncovered. You want it to be on the dry side.

Fresh Turmeric Pickle

Technically it's not a "pickle" because it hasn't really been fermented but it's so delicious, why argue?

Ingredients

fresh turmeric
sea salt
water

Recipe

This is what fresh turmeric looks like. You can see for yourself what it resembles!

First, you need to peel it.

The peeling process will stain your hands. Consider this as a "Badge of Honor" for your dedication to the culinary arts. (Do not let it stain your clothes. They will be ruined, as all of South Asia knows!)

Cut them up into rounds (or whatever), and toss sea salt on top of it. (Do not skimp on the sea salt.)

Cover it completely with water, and let it steep for at least 24 hours. You can put it in the fridge but strictly speaking, it is not necessary.

Mushroom, Leek and Spinach Frittata

The frittata is one of those Italian concepts born in poverty.

Think of it as an "egg pie" with stuff added in a form convenient for both transport and storage. (Yes, Virginia! there was a world before refrigeration, and they loved picnics too!)

Before the CC goes on, let's review the "concept".

First, you "cook" a lot of stuff, let it cool, mix it in with a lot of eggs, let the eggs cook into a "pie", let it cool, and cut it up.

The pieces are high in both taste and protein, and once they cool, they will last a long time without refrigeration. Not surprisingly, they taste better the next day.

Before the CC gives the recipe, let it be noted that this is one where times and details must necessarily be approximate. You are dealing with cooking eggs, and times depends as much on how well you've fried your vegetables (aka. water content in the egg mixture) to the number of eggs, to the ratio of the diameter of your pan to your burner (aka. evaporation rate.)

In short, art is involved.

However, the recipe is simple provided you follow the CC's instructions.

In fact, you will be well served if you make sure that you never turn the gas burner above "medium low".

Ingredients

4-5 leeks
1 lb mixed mushrooms (crimini, shiitake, etc.)
5-6 dried porcini mushrooms
1 lb spinach
18 eggs
freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
salt and pepper

Recipe

Reconstitute the dried porcini mushrooms in warm water.

First up, the mise en scène, clockwise from top left: crimini mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, leeks, and reconstituted porcini mushrooms.

The raw spinach. Just exhibiting this here to get a sense of scale.

The spinach must be blanched in boiling water. It will change color to a dark green.

The same quantity on spinach (to show the reduction due to blanching.) Now you must take this, and squeeze, and squeeze, and squeeze, and squeeze. When you can't squeeze any more, you must squeeze further.

The spinach. This is smaller than a fist. Dice it as finely as you can.

Les oeufs
Grated parmesan added.
Add some black pepper (not shown), and whip the eggs until they are nice and fluffy.

Now, we're going to fry the leeks, and the veggies. First up, the leeks at a medium-low heat. All this frying will try your patience (you cannot hurry this.)

The leeks look done.

In go, the shiitakes.

Almost 5 minutes later.

In go the criminis.

Five minutes later.

In go the diced porcinis (save the water, filter it, and add it to the beaten eggs.)

Lastly, the spinach.

The fried mixture (almost 10 minutes later.) You must let this cool to room temperature before adding to the egg mixture (otherwise the heat will coagulate the egg proteins.) The CC just stuck it in the fridge to cool.

The whipped eggs along with the above mixture.

Heat the pan at a "medium low" heat, and toss in the mixture. Roughly five minutes in, take a spatula, and insert it around the edges and under to check that the egg surface has solidified. The surface will still be wet. Cover, and let it cook for 8-10 minutes checking periodically. (covering is important!)

Lift the cover. If the eggs looked steamed through, remove the cover. Traditionally, this was the time they put the skillet under the broiler to cook the top. However you can just let the ensemble keep cooking for 7-8 minutes on a very low heat. (It is important that it be uncovered to let whatever moisture there is escape.)

The frittata very close to the end.

The frittata

Silkie Chickens

The meat is supposed to be lean and gamy, and the color a rich dark black.

Moules Marinières et Frites Rôtis

The marinières are sailors. One surmises that the title comes from the elementary simplicity of the dish. Whether it was made for sailors, or by sailors, or whether the sailors ever even ate it is disputable but why let etymology get in the way of a good dish?

Assuming the sailors ever ate this, the CC doubts very much whether they cared for nutritional integrity. However, we live in modern leaner times, and even classic dishes must tow the line.

Like all dishes of this ilk, the details are a little vague. The herbs are really whatever was in season, or even whatever was available. The only constant seem to be the mussels (moules), and the fries (frites.) It would be a bit tricky to make a dish without its main ingredients (not that that has ever stopped anyone from trying!)

Ingredients

1 lb mussels
1 diced onion
5-6 cloves garlic
1-1/2 cup "good" dry white wine
thyme
rosemary
olive oil
sea salt and pepper

1 lb potatoes
sprigs of rosemary
olive oil
sea salt and pepper

crusty bread

Recipe

The potatoes are coated in olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt, and black pepper, and sprinkled with whole rosemary.

Bake in an oven at 450F for an hour. Roughly halfway through they must be turned over. Be careful or else they will stick.

onions+garlic and thyme+rosemary
Fry the onions and garlic, at a very low heat.

Add the tomato paste (not shown), fry for a bit, and the herbs.

Toss in the wine, and add the mussels. Cover, and let it steam to cook the mussels. Discard any that don't open. Remove the mussels, and let the remaining portion reduce for a bit. Pour it over the mussels.

This is the final product (a tad sanitized.) Part of the charm is eating with your fingers. Make sure you sop of the juices with the fries or the bread!

Chork-issimo!

It's not a spork, nor a knork; it's a chork!

Supposedly for Asian "Fusion" cuisine. Bah humbug!

"Facing heaven" chilli

The CC finally managed to get them from the Chinese grocery store. "Heaven-facing"-chillies (朝天椒) They are crucial to Sichuan cooking (along with Sichuan peppercorns.)

Sabudana Khichdi

Many moons ago, a Chinese work colleague of the CC's asked him why all Indian food tasted like mush. To him, the texture of the food was very important (and rightfully so!)

The CC replied that what he ate in the "Indian" restaurants was hardly characteristic of real Indian cuisine.

To that end, the CC invited the colleague to his place, and not very surprisingly, he (and many others) were utterly delighted at the textural variety exhibited in this simple dish.

The dish is traditionally served with yogurt (thus making a complete meal if a tad carb-heavy.) It's utterly delicious. (The photographs are recent, of course.)

Ingredients

2 cups sago
4 serranos (chopped very fine)
1 cup peanuts (broken)
2 tbsp cumin
1 large potato (diced)
chopped cilantro (lots)
juice of 2-3 limes
salt (to taste)

good Greek yogurt (to serve alongside)

Recipe

Just use the food processor to coarsely break the peanuts, and then chop the serranos real fine.

The key thing is to soak the sago in ice-cold water for a few hours. Basically, it's going to soften via osmosis. To test whether they are ready or not, just pick one out, and press it. If you still feel a hard center, it's not yet ready.

After that, just drain the water, and dry the sago on a towel (as shown below.)

Soaking the sago
Drying the soaked sago
green chillies; crushed peanuts; chopped cilantro
fried cubed potatoes
The potatoes should be cut into smallish pieces. The CC has great success in "pan-frying" them in a non-stick skillet. The taste is outstanding without the grease.

Fry the green chillies, followed by the peanuts.

Add the potatoes and the sago, and stir it vigorously. The sago is going to start clumping no matter what. You just want to control it by stirring.

The cilantro and the lime juice should go in at the very end.

Sabudana Khichdi

Wood Ear Mushrooms

Also known as tree ear mushrooms, and frequently seen in dried form in Chinese stores by the Latin name auricularia auricula.

They are filled with an unbelievable amount of iron (traditionally used for anemia) and tons of nutrients. However, to cook them safely you must follow instructions.

Soak them in warm water for about 30 mins or so, and discard the water. The slippery texture and delicious taste belies how nutrient-laden they are.