Sunday, September 27, 2009

Sambar

Ingredients:

1/2 lime sized ball Tamarind
1 cup Toor Dal (or red lentils)
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
2 teaspoons oil
Salt to taste
5 small dry red chilies (or to taste)
8 Curry Leaves (see note)
1 medium onion (shallots are preferable)
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida (optional)
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 large tomato
2 tablespoons sambar powder (see note)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves (also known as coriander leaves)
1 cup of a vegetable of your choice like green beans, chopped carrot

Directions:
Soak the tamarind in 1 cup water for 20 minutes. Squeeze it out, adding water little by little to prepare 1 cup of juice.

Choose a heavy cooking pot. Wash and clean the dal. Boil 2 cups of water and add the dal, turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon of oil. As the dal boils, skim off the foam and discard. Boil until the dal is soft and then mash it coarsely. If needed, add more water as it is boiling but do not let it get too watery. If you use a pressure cooker it will take about 5 minutes.

In a separate pan, heat to medium and pour in the remaining oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chilies, mustard seeds, fenugreek and curry leaves and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the onion and brown lightly. Add the tamarind extract and let boil lightly until the onions are cooked. Add this mixture to the dal with asafoetida, tomato, vegetable of choice and sambar powder. Allow this to boil for 5 to 10 minutes and remove from the heat. Garnish with cilantro.

Sambar Powder

1/2 cups coriander seeds (2 ounces ground)
1/2 cups red chilies, or to taste (I used two tablespoons ground chili powder)
1/8 cup Bengal gram / channa dal
1 Tbsp. cumin seeds (I used 2/3 Tbsp. ground)
1 Tbsp. pepper corn (1/2 Tbsp. ground pepper)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch of cinnamon
1 pinch ground clove
1/2 tsp. Turmeric powder

Traditionally, these ingredients would be broiled separately and ground and stored. Use pre-ground if you desire.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Kimchi Recipes

Vegetarian Kimchi

(makes 2 quarts)

* 1 lb. Chinese cabbage (about 1/2 a large head)
* 1 lb. white radish
* 3 T. salt
* 2 T. finely minced ginger (fresh is *much* better!)
* 1 1/2 T. minced garlic
* 5 scallions, cut into fine rounds, including green tops
* 1 T. cayenne or hot Korean red pepper
* 1 t. sugar.

Slice cabbage in either bite-sized chunks or strips about 2 inches in length.

Peel radish, cut in half lengthwise then crosswise into 1/8 inch slices.

In a large bowl, put 5 C. water and 2 T. plus 2 t. of the salt.
Mix. Add cabbage and radish and dunk a few times, as they have a tendency to float.
Leave in the salty water, cover loosely and set aside for 12 hours, turning veggies over a few times.

After the soak period, take the ginger, garlic, scallions, cayenne, suger and remaining 1 t. salt in another large bowl.
Mix well.

Take the cabbage out of the soaking liquid with a slotted spoon (save the liquid) and add to the bowl with the seasonings and mix well.

Put this mixture in a 2 quart jar or crock. Pour enough of the salt water over to cover veggies.
Leave (at least) 1 inch space attop of jar.
Cover loosely with a clean cloth and set aside for 3 to 7 days to ferment.
Stir/turn veggies over daily.
In summer, kimchees ferment quickly; the process slows down in winter.
Taste the kimchee after 3 days to check on the sourness.
When done to your liking, cover jar and refrigerate.

http://www.ivu.org/recipes/eastasia/cabbage.html

-------------

Makes about 1 quart

1 lb chinese (celery or Nappa) cabbage, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 4
cups)
6 Tbs salt
4 green onions (including tops), finely chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs paprika
Cayenne pepper
2 cups water

Sprinkle the cabbage with 5 tablespoons of the salt. Let stand for 2
hours. Rinse off salt and drain. Add the green onions, ginger, garlic,
sugar, paprika, the remaining salt and a dash of cayenne pepper, and mix
thoroughly. Pack the vegetables in a jar and pour in the water. Cover
tightly. Refrigerate the vegetables for 24 hours before serving.

--------------

1 large Chinese or Napa Cabbage
1 gallon (4l) water
1/2 cup (100g) coarse salt

1 small head of garlic, peeled and finely minced
one 2-inch (6cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 cup (60ml) fish sauce
1/3 cup (80ml) chili paste or 1/2 cup Korean chili powder
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch (3cm) lengths (use the dark green part, too, except for the tough ends)
1 medium daikon radish, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon sugar or honey


1. Slice the cabbage lengthwise in half, then slice each half lengthwise into 3 sections. Cut away the tough stem chunks.

2. Dissolve the salt in the water in a very large container, then submerge the cabbage under the water. Put a plate on top to make sure they stay under water, then let stand for 2 hours.

3. Mix the other ingredients in a very large metal or glass bowl.

4. Drain the cabbage, rinse it, and squeeze it dry.

5. Here's the scary part: mix it all up.

Some recipes advise wearing rubber gloves since the chili paste can stain your hands and can cause after burn if you touch your eyes or your pee-pee. If you have rubber or latex gloves, you might want to wear them.

(I went au naturel and my hands didn't stain. But I forgot to use the men's room beforehand and had to hold it a pretty long time, which was rather uncomfortable. So you may want to wear gloves or go before you mix.)

6. Pack the kimchi in a clean glass jar large enough to hold it all and cover it tightly. Let stand for two days in a cool place, around room temperature.

7. Check the kimchi after two days. If it's bubbling a bit, it's ready and can be refrigerated. If not, let it stand 1-2 more days, when it should be ready.

8. Once it's fermenting, serve or store in the refrigerator. If you want, add a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds over the kimchi for serving.

Storage: Many advise to eat the kimchi within 3 weeks. After that, it can get too fermented.


(David Lebovitz)

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Mac & Cheese

SERVES 4 (change servings and units)

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups good quality shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup buttered breadcrumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.

In a large saucepan melt butter.

Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.

Pour milk and cream in gradually; stirring constantly.

Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly).

Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.

Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Turn off flame.

Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.

Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

(You can also freeze this recipe in zip-lock bags for later use - once you have mixed the macaroni along with the cheese sauce allow to cool to room temperature before adding to your freezer - I generally pull it out the night before and allow macaroni and cheese to reach room temperature; I then add the macaroni and cheese to a buttered baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs and then bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling.)