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.

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

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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)

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.)

Gravlax with Mustard Sauce

Gravlax

Gravlax
Makes two sides of gravlax
This recipe makes enough curing mix for two 2 – 3 pound sides of filleted salmon. You can easily make the recipe with a 1 – 2 pound salmon fillet: cut the curing mix in half and the curing time to 24 to 36 hours. Once cured, gravlax should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. I crack the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, but you can also do it by whacking the peppercorns with a meat mallet.

2 2 -3 pound sides of filleted salmon, skin on
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup black peppercorns, cracked
1 cup roughly chopped dill
2/3 cup citrus vodka

Wash and dry the salmon fillets and remove any pin bones (I use stainless steel needle-nose pliers for this task). Cut off the belly flaps and as much of the tail end as is necessary for the fish to fit in a 9 x 13” glass or stainless steel baking pan. Reserve the salmon trimmings for another use.

Mix together the sugar, salt and peppercorns; this is the curing mix. Lay the sides of salmon skin side down in the baking pan. Rub half the curing mix into each side of salmon. Spread the dill out on one salmon side. Drizzle 1/3 cup of citrus vodka over both salmon sides, being careful not to wash away the curing mix. Quickly flip the salmon side without the dill so it is on top of the other salmon side, flesh sides together.

Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap. Place an empty glass or stainless steel baking pan on top of the plastic wrap and fill it with canned goods to press down the salmon. Put in the refrigerator.

Every 12 hours, remove the fish from the refrigerator, turn over the salmon, put weight back on the fish, and return it to the refrigerator.

Cure the fish for 2 – 3 days. Scrape off the dill and peppercorns with your fingers. Pat the gravlax dry, and store it in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.

To cut the gravlax, hold the knife at an angle and cut 1/8" thick slices of fish on the diagonal.


Mustard Sauce

1.5 T white wine vinegar
1.75 T sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
5-6 T dijon mustard
1 T chopped fresh dill (I think I usually put in more)
1 heaping T freshly ground white pepper

Whisk sugar and vinegar until sugar dissolves. Add olive oil slowly and whisk until incorporated. Add mustard, dill and pepper. Refrigerate.

Potato Starch Recipes

Potato Starch Blintzes

½ tsp salt
1 cup water
¼ cup potato starch
4 eggs
1 tsp salt

Filling:
½ lb farmer cheese
1 egg
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
Instructions:

Put potato starch in measuring cup. Add water to make 1 cup. Stir well. Beat eggs in a bowl. Add water mixture and stir thoroughly. Lightly grease hot frying pan or griddle. Pour in ¼ cup batter and tilt and swirl to make even. Fry until edges curl and top looks dry. Turn over onto paper or cloth towel.
Filling Instructions:
Mash cheese. Add egg, sugar and salt. Mix well. Put 2 tbsp. Filling in each blintz and fold in sides;
Roll up and fry until brown on both sides.

Potato Starch Muffins (overly sticky texture)

Ingredients:
Four eggs, separated
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons cold water
3/4 cup potato starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated rind of 1/2 lemon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the egg yolks until light. Gradually add the sugar. Beat until light and creamy.

Add the water and grated rind. Slowly sift in the potato starch. Blend well.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt at low speed until frothy; increase the speed to high and beat until peaks form.

Carefully fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the yolk batter. Fill greased muffin cups half full. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Recipe makes 12 Potato Starch Muffins.

Garlicky Sesame-Cured Broccoli Salad

From the NYT

Time: 10 minutes, plus 1 hour marinating

1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
2 heads broccoli, 1 pound each, cut into bite-size florets
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 fat garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons roasted (Asian) sesame oil
Large pinch crushed red pepper flakes.

1. In a large bowl, stir together the vinegar and salt. Add broccoli and toss to combine.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil until hot, but not smoking. Add garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in sesame oil and pepper flakes. Pour mixture over broccoli and toss well. Let sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature, and up to 48 (chill it if you want to keep it for more than 2 hours). Adjust seasonings (it may need more salt) and serve.

Yield: 6 to 8 side-dish servings or more as an hors d’oeuvre.

Gazpacho Recipes

Classic Gazpacho

INGREDIENTS

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks
2 pounds red-ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 large red onion, cut into chunks
1/2 large green pepper, cut into chunks
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 cups crumbled French of Italian bread, without crusts
1 1/2 cups cold water
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
chopped cucumber for garnish (optional)
chopped green pepper, for garnish (optional)
chopped red onion, for garnish (optional)

Croutons
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 or 4 cloves, peeled and flattened (but not crushed) with a knife
1 cup French or Italian bread cubes, without crusts
salt to taste

1. In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, onion, pepper, garlic, crumbled bread, water, and salt. In batches, grind the ingredients in a food processor or blender, being careful not to blend them to a puree. Return the soup to the bowl, and stir in the 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cover the soup and chill it for several hours.

2. To make the croutons, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium frying pan. Add the garlic, and lightly brown it on both sides. Remove the garlic from the oil, and add the bread cubes. Fry the bread cubes over low heat, turning them often. When they are very crisp, remove the pan from the heat and toss the croutons with salt.

3. To serve, place croutons and garnishes in separate small bowls to serve with the soup.

Serves 4.


Ina Garten's Gazpacho Recipe

Prep Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

* 1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
* 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
* 4 plum tomatoes
* 1 red onion
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
* 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
* 1/4 cup good olive oil
* 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.