spring

How to kick ass + Quick spiced asparagus pickles

June 4, 2014 by Edlyn

The strangest of strange things happened to me this week. If I said nothing about it, it wouldn’t make me a very good blogger/journal writer/life documenter now, would it? And I’m all about the documentation of life, while working across from a McDonald’s selling healthy food to people in scrubs.

That was a good show.

It was Monday. This Monday. I was supposed to be selling healthy food to people at Amazon, (not THE Amazon rainforest. {I wish!}) but there was a quick change in the schedule that very morning and I went to hospital town, Seattle instead.

I hadn’t been back there since I quit and went to India for 3 months. I was looking forward to a day where I get everybody’s name wrong and tell them: “HEY! I’m back! Did ya miss me?” They probably didn’t but you know…they pretended like they did. My co-worker/awesome bowl of food maker for the day and I were rolling along, feeding people their lunches when out of nowhere, I stop hearing generator sounds. That tiny generator powers our food cart and the boom box that blasts the music people dance to (on the inside) while waiting for their food. It’s kind of important, especially when the Health Department is concerned. Next thing I hear is: “Hey, that guy just took your generator!”

Well, then.

In the grand scheme of things that go on in my mind, I tend to ponder on the “what could go wrong” ideology quite often. While it NEVER helps me be prepared, it always tricks me into believing I am. For example, I have thought of 10,000 things I will say to my future sexual harassers. While they sound extremely empowering in front of a mirror, they always seem to come out as “F*** you” or “F*** off”. Which helps nobody and just annoys me at my inability to compose (myself) and produce better results.

When that generator got unplugged and carried away into a truck about 25 steps away from me, I knew that very second that this was one of those things that could go wrong. Yes, I thought about it. I have thought about it ever since I started working at the food cart. The exact words that have played in my brain are: “Why would anybody steal this generator? It’s so freakin’ heavy!”

It is very friggin’ heavy. And two guys decided to steal it.

Just like many (read:all) Indian girls and women I know, I have been sexually harassed/molested in public more than once. I have never not reacted and I have never been scared for my life. The anger of not responding to asswipes is harder to deal with than the idea of rape or even death, if you ask me. So, I did the “dumb” thing and ran up to their white truck – with two of them in it. One of them was behind the wheel and the other was in the passenger seat looking really pissed off while holding on so damn tightly to that friggin’ heavy generator. The music stopped so I assumed nobody was dancing (on the inside). I was looking directly at the thief and I put my hand in the truck and grabbed what clearly didn’t belong to him. There was no way I would be able to pull that thing out through the window but he punched my arm anyway. I forget that in America I need to worry about a lot more than a bruised arm so yes, I’m happy I didn’t get a) stabbed or b) shot. Okay so that didn’t work, which is why I’m glad I had a Plan B.

Thanks, Bombay taxi drivers for refusing to take us places all those times*. Plan B was born of your complete lack of professionalism.

I pulled open the truck door and *BOOM*, nobody gets to leave. The thief knew it so he threw the generator out the door, and said in a very gruff voice: “Here! Take it!” They jumped out of their truck through the driver’s side and ran out into the parking lot of America’s greatest fast food chain. I was amused. I know I rolled my eyes. I always roll my eyes at lame things.

From what I remember, somebody called the cops. I told them exactly what I just told you minus all the life experiences and Law and Order references. Apparently I’m a witness now.

Isn’t that cool? I saved everybody’s lunch!

Before I forget, here’s a recipe for pickles.

*It’s only the #1 requirement of your job.

Spiced asparagus pickles

Ingredients

Adapted from Food in Jars

2 tall 12 oz glass jars, sterilised (if you use smaller jars, you might have to cut the asparagus shorter)
353 gm/12.4 oz bunch of asparagus, blanched and chopped to fit in a jar (this weight is after the ends were snapped off)
2 garlic cloves
2 whole dried red chillies (I used chile de arbol)
2 slices of lemon
¾ cup apple cider vinegar
¾ cup white vinegar
1 ¾ cup water
2 tbsp black mustard seeds
2 tbsp whole coriander seeds
4-6 whole cloves
2 sticks cinnamon
2 tsp whole peppercorns
1 tsp all-spice
2 tsp salt

Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus. Fill a wide saucepan or a deep pot with water, lightly salted, and bring to a quick boil. Set aside a bowl of ice cold water for after the asparagus is blanched. Add the asparagus to the water as soon as it boils and let it sit for 30 minutes. Quickly remove the stalks from the water and put it in the ice cold bath. Dry them on a towel and set aside.

Prepare your jars by adding one slice of lemon to each of them. Put the asparagus into the jars so they stand on top of the lemons. Add one garlic clove and dried red chilly to each jar, wedged in between the bright green asparagus.

Now to make the pickling liquid. In a large pot, bring the vinegars and water to a boil, with the spices added to them. Pour the liquid into the jars of asparagus, leaving a little space at the top of the jar. Wipe the rims of the jar and seal it. Put the jars in the fridge. The pickle flavour will intensify over time. Mine have been in the fridge for 2-ish weeks now and I’d like to report, they are amazing in a salad (Recipe for that soon)!

Spring-y socca flatbread with walnut pesto – This wild goose

May 17, 2014 by Edlyn

A week of not breathing, consuming a lot of information and 1/4 of a cake, crashing (happily) into lots of wonderful people, heartfelt talks that sometimes got a little too heated for any real ideas to be born, and I’m not ready for a weekend of relaxation. When a physical to-do list is as long as the other list you make in your head that tells you that you’re never going to see the end, burnout is inevitable. It always is – at least for me – quite spectacular.

As it usually goes with overwhelming times, I retreat. We were promised a week of personality-exploding sunshine and it was delivered. Everybody was happy. They said so with their brightly-printed clothing choices and general willingness to have more of a conversation instead of hurrying away from the rain. Right now, it’s raining…a bit. I can hear duck babies (SPRING!) outside and how the heck did the clock just strike 11 pm?! Days go by too fast. Catching up seems impossible.

Maybe I should stop trying. I gained so much since the last time we spoke. Not enlightenment, but ideas….that I feel strange sharing on my half brain-half food blog. I volunteered at Ladies Rock Camp for the second time and I never, ever come back from there as the same person. Let’s just say I will no longer respond with anger to a system that has been in place since the beginning of time. It’s a simple question: Do you believe women should have rights that are equal to what a man enjoys? If you say yes, then HEY! You’re a feminist. No matter what you identify as. I hardly know much of this struggle but I will call you out if you resort to archaic ideas of describing people and situations. We’re much more empowered with ideas today and I feel very grateful that I have a strong female community to go back to every time I need to be sat down in a spinning chair and have my mind blown.

Oh! I can’t forget my country has a new Prime Minister and news flash: He’s a mass murderer. These are my views and maybe if I was in India, I’d have this post taken down. If you’re in the US, the country from where I write this, you probably don’t care considering the news media here is still infatuated with Conservative V/s Liberal. I wrote a piece for a Seattle-based news blog so if you want to know more about the world’s largest democracy, this is where you can go. From the stand point of food, this election is everything. The last government allowed the entry of the crazies like Wal Mart and Tesco, and you know how amazing that always is for the small farmer. This to-be Prime Minister shouted his development plans for the country and maybe that was how he won. I just don’t see anything realistic about development when Wal Mart is in the same sentence. Meanwhile, our farmers are still killing themselves over the inability to pay back the smallest of small loans (If you measure the cost in dollars) after failed crops. I have this idea of starting a website to crowd source money directly to these farm families. I know I would need to do a lot of ground survey work because people won’t just put money into something invisible. If you know someone who is already doing this, please direct me to them. I would love to help. If not, this is my seed of an idea. Consider sharing it. I am not the most intelligent person if you stick me in a classroom full of people studying social policy but I feel it’s okay to have an idea.

This weather update from 40 minutes ago is brought to you by Matt’s inherited Westminster-chiming clock: I just saw sun.

So I’ll take that as a sign that this day is precious. For some it might be painful but oh these times, they just don’t wait around for us.

“…Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.”

– an excerpt from Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

I knew I wanted to try socca as soon as I saw it as a part of this recipe. It’s so easy so why not? I can answer that. I had a big bag of besan (chickpea flour) in the kitchen which I had used only once in an attempt to make khandvi. That was a big mistake. First of all, I was warned how insane such an act would be and second of all, it tasted so chickpea-y flour-y. That’s supposed to be a good thing, I know. But I’ve eaten plenty of bhajji and pakodas to know that this was a very foreign-tasting chickpea flour. I wanted to work it out between us and so I did. With lemon. Chickpea flour and I have been good friends since then. The toppings were courtesy a fridge clean-up.

Ingredients

For the socca

Adapted from Dolly and Oatmeal

1/2 cup (75 gm) chickpea flour/ besan
1/2 cup warm water
A pinch of salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil + a tsp more to coat a skillet

For the walnut pesto

113 gm fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
4-6 garlic cloves, depending of their size (4 for large and 6 if they’re small)
1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/8 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

For the vegetable toppings

1 medium crown broccoli, chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 whole green onion/scallion, chopped into rounds
A handful of fresh herbs like thyme, oregano and chives, (a tbsp of each, if I was guessing)
A squeeze of lemon juice

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F and lightly coat the bottom of a 9-inch cast iron skillet with some olive oil. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the socca. Break down all the flour lumps and let it sit for 30 minutes.

In a food processor, add the basil leaves and cheese and let them blend on a high-speed. Turn off the machine and use a spatula to guide the leaves that stick to the side, back to where the blades are. Turn the processor back on and add the garlic, walnuts and olive oil (<in a thin stream) to the almost pesto. If you feel like you need more olive oil, add it one tablespoon at a time. Let it all blend into a smooth paste and then set it aside.

Once the oven is sufficiently heated, place the cast-iron skillet on a rack in the middle for about 5-7 minutes. Pull it out of the oven (safely. The handle will be hot), give the chickpea flour mix one last big stir and pour it into the skillet. Use the handle to spread it all around, until it’s one large, yellow pancake. Put it in the oven for 8 minutes and let it cook on the bottom. Pull out the skillet and using a high heat-safe spatula, carefully flip over the socca. You’ll know it’s ready when it pulls away from the edge of the skillet. Put the skillet back in the oven for two more minutes and it’s done.

This step can be done while the socca is in the oven. Chop about 1/2 cup to a cup of broccoli into small pieces and steam it along with the peas. Cut up the green onions, chives and de-leaf (is that a word? It is now) the thyme and oregano so it’s ready to go on the perfect finger food.

Now back to the socca, place it on a serving plate and spread a generous amount of pesto on the top. Add the broccoli, peas and green onions and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice on the top and serve warm.

Happiest of eating times!

(Note: You will have more pesto than this recipe requires, which I promise, is a very good thing. Use it on eggs, sandwiches and on pasta. It also freezes well, if your self-control allows you to let it stay around that long.)

Lentil ‘n’ leek-stuffed sweet potato + Oh, okay

April 21, 2014 by Edlyn

If this past week is any indication of how CRAZY the next few months are going to be, I am slightly unprepared. In my mind. If my job was to lift 50 kilos and not give a damn, I would be so prepared but I’m not. So I worry. I think about how it was last year and I remember that this rush of events and planning things did not start until after my birthday. I was 25 going on 26 and being a big brat about it. I had finished working on my plans to eat vegetables grown on our balcony and that’s all I was really worried about. Then I turned 26 and whoa I found myself right in the middle of LIFE.

We hiked till our ankles were raw and I took photos of things that are still stuck in little film canisters. I started my new job and a we went to India (me, for 3 months). It all happened so fast and here we are, another year literally blossoming in front of my eyes. I want to write long poems to it and tell it that just like right now, I will remember these times as they pass by. I will think of that poor drunk man that fell on us at the bus stop after we ate a Dream Theater concert and watched half and half pizza. Switch that around. It was almost midnight and I laughed so much because it’s been so long since I’ve had a human experience in this place. I walk by so so so many of you everyday and I feel nothing. Let more people fall on me, I say.

I will remember every new flower and that man, that man on the bus who was talking about handwriting and the almost death of cursive. “I’m not scared of writing…I just write.”

—————————–

It’s a couple of weeks away from May, which means: BIRTHDAY MONTH. It’s been a month since I’ve come back to my Washington reality and I love it except for the rain stuff but it could be worse. I’m thinking of story ideas, working on my writing and starting work tomorrow (or today, depending on when you read this) at the same place I was working at last year i.e. mobile foooooods gluten-free (up-in-your) bizness. I hope not to blink and miss the really, really good things that are right in front of me, even though I still have oh-so-much to figure out. It’s this life stuff, I guess.

It speeds up in May, I already know this. Hold on tight people!

Ingredients

3 large-medium sweet potatoes, skin on
1-2 tbsp (for coating the potatoes) +2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup French lentils or black lentils, soaked for an hour or more (soaking reduces cooking time)
1 dry bay leaf
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 dry red chilli (chile d’arbol)
1 1/2 cups leeks, chopped (white and light green parts)
2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp ginger root, grated
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Salt to taste

For the topping

1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2-3 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped
Zest of 1 lime
Lime juice, to squeeze on top (optional)

Heat your oven to 400 degrees F, which in this house takes no time at all, if by “no time at all” you mean “I’ve outsmarted this oven. Who’s the boss now?”

Put the scrubbed, dried and skin-sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil. Take the coconut oil and coat the potatoes with it. They should start to smell like a tropical vacation at this point. Put them in the 400 degree oven and let them cook for 40 minutes, until they are soft. You won’t need to cover them with foil. Leave them open.

Take the lentils you’ve been soaking overnight and rinse them well. They will have increased in size to about 1 1/4 cups. Add them to a pot of lightly salted water with the bay leaf. You can add as much water as you like but adding water that goes above the lentils by 3-4 inches is the best amount. Bring the water to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. Keep a watch on them so they don’t overcook. You need them to retain their shape. When ready, strain out the water and keep aside.

Now we will cook the leeks that will go with the lentils. (Are you ready?) In a medium or small skillet, heat 2 tbsp of oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the dried red chilli to it and let it release all its smokey flavour for about 1 minutes. Move it to the side of the skillet and then add the leeks, garlic and ginger to it. Stir around until the leeks are soft. This will take about 2-3 minutes. Add the garam masala, cumin and salt and sautee for a minute more before turning off the heat. Add the cooked lentils to the mix and let it all sit the skillet.

Make the yogurt topping by simply mixing together all the ingredients in a bowl. The sweet potatoes should be all cooked by now.

Now with the potatoes you can either A) Scoop out a little bit of potato from the middle or B) Make a slit in the middle of the potato so it has enough room to stuff things in it. Things being lentils and leeks and stuff. Take a spoonful or 2 or 3 of the lentils and put them in the potato. Add the yogurt to top it off and serve hot/warm. Squeeze a little bit of lime juice over it all.

Lunch then?

Brown rice bowl with cumin chickpeas, cilantro-mint chicken and yogurt

April 7, 2014 by Edlyn

Today, I asked my friends whether they ever felt they did the college thing differently. A lot of my friends went on the advertising path and a majority of my people chose journalism. I wanted to write for newspapers so I (thought I) knew where I belonged. I am such a smart one like that. I loved my class. We were a small class and the men and women that taught us were hilarious. I feel bold enough to say that some of them didn’t do their jobs well, but at least we got to laugh a lot at their eccentricities. I think I can forget about asking for a recommendation letter now. Good bye imaginary fellowship. I wish I knew the difference between you and a scholarship. I’d rather be a fellow.

(Writer, come back to what you were saying)

If I look at where I am right now, I sometimes feel bad for my choice. Not because it was the wrong decision but because print journalism is somewhat of a dying art. It’s so bleak and dismal. Nobody trusts us and if they do, we’re probably out of a job.

I feel (sadistically) happy to report that my friends are just as confused as me. There’s always a lot of pressure to conform and have a working plan. YAY! They don’t have a plan either. One friend gladly embraced the fact that she only has short term goals. You go girlfrand. I think it’s amazing that she knows that. Having even the slightest knowledge of your expectations can make you feel at peace with yourself. I had such moments every now and then and they were blissful. But if you don’t know, what are you supposed to do? I’m rarely convinced of what the right path is.

In February, Minila was shopping for her bridesmaids’ jewellery at the mall in Malad. Her sister Neola, best friend Roanna and I went along. They were bridesmaids and I was a house guest/prisoner. After some 3 or 4 hours of a crazy game of process of elimination + looking at every piece of cute bling + she says, she says, we finally made it to the checkout line…with jewellery! I was standing with Roanna, who is an amazingly crafty, stylish, creative genius and we were talking some rubbish as usual. Incredibly awkward me and nervous giggling us, she said something very profound. I didn’t tell her how great what she said sounded because I have this horrible habit of reacting internally. I wish I could just scream sometimes. If I try to quote her, I would do a shitty job so I’ll paraphrase. Actually, I don’t even think I can paraphrase so I’ll tell you that it had something to do with her being content that she’s doing what she’s doing…that when it’s time for her to UNLEASH THE CREATIVE BEAST, she’ll know. I’ve known Roanna because of her best friend. She’s always so encouraging and supportive of creative ideas, not knowing that her words mean a lot when you’re screaming into an empty jar. She said magical words. “Listen here universe, I’m ready when you’re ready!”

About that college stuff, I’ve come to realise how little it really signifies. Nobody can point you in the right direction and stories like this only make it worse. Don’t you think it’s harder to believe the writer’s intentions when he has a job with The Economist?

I love my ability to create and I love knowing people with the same talent. Surrounding myself with them is enough for me. Sorry, money. Getting a degree in Journalism wasn’t a leap of faith. It was natural. We are a generation of hyper-informed/stimulated/i-don’t-know-what-else, but let’s not stop creating. Many, many years from now, these tangible things we made, will make us happy. They might be a stepping stone to something kind of cool, a wonderful memory or nothing at all. Don’t disappoint yourself by never trying. Create wonder.

That goes double for me.

I am actually doing well, thank you! I’m sure you were wondering. Me and the blawg go through life in sickness and in health. What a pain in the rear. This recipe is actually a bunch of teeny tiny recipes rolled into one. Some can be done a day ahead and some on the day. Cooking for myself usually consists of foraging in the refrigerator for things I can stuff in a bowl for lunch. Here is one not-so-unplanned outcome. I hope you find inspiration from it. Make me happy. Stuff yo face.

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice, cooked
1 cup chickpeas/garbanzo beans (kabuli chana), soaked overnight or 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 bay leaves
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin powder
1 300gm chicken breast
3 tbsp cilantro-mint chutney
2 carrots, grated
Spinach leaves, chopped once, right in the middle

For the yogurt dressing

½ cup Greek yogurt
2 tsp tahini
1 tbsp lime juice
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 cloves roasted garlic

For the garnish

A pinch of paprika
Cilantro, to garnish (optional)

Now for the funnest part, making all of this. First you cook the rice*.

Next you cook the chickpeas, which you so diligently soaked all night. Rinse them out from the water they were soaking in. They will have doubled in size and quantity by now. Put them in a pot of water with the bay leaves and salt. The more water the better. I used 6 cups. Bring the water to a boil on medium high heat and then turn the heat down to a slow boil. Cover the pot with a lid but keep it slightly open on one end. The water should still be boiling with the lid on top so adjust the heat accordingly. The cooking process will take about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 ½ hours. Stir occasionally. I usually check to see how the chickpeas “sound” and “feel” when I’m stirring it to predict when it’s ready. If they still clank or clunk on the back of the spoon, they need some more time. A smoother stir means they’re ready. Alternatively, you could just taster about 3 of them from different parts of the pot. Once you’re satisfied with their readiness, rinse the chickpeas and put them in a bowl. Coat with olive oil and cumin powder and keep aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, which in this house takes so much time that I have managed to raise my own chicken family. They do not like to see me roast chicken breasts so I distract them with a special Indian dance. Just kidding. I WISH I HAD CHICKENS!

Marinate the chicken breast in the cilantro-mint chutney for a minimum of an hour. You can do this step a day ahead as well and marinate it overnight. Longer you marinate, the better the flavour. Line a baking sheet with foil, place the chicken on top, uncovered and cook the meat for 25-30 minutes. Let it cook for 10 minutes and then cut it into bite-sized-looks-pretty-in-a-bowl pieces.

Grate the carrots, chop up some spinach and prepare your cilantro for garnish.

To make the dressing, you will want to have roasted garlic on hand. It’s simple: Turn your oven temp down to 375 degrees F. Take a whole garlic bulb and cut the top. Place the garlic head side up in a cake or pie dish lined with aluminum foil. Put 1 tbsp of olive on top. Cover the garlic with the foil and let it roast for 35-40 minutes. Once you pull it out of the oven, squeeze the cloves out of their skins and then smash them with the back of a spoon. You will need just 2 large cloves for this dressing (approx 2 tbsp). Now you can make the dressing for an easy peasy kick by mixing the yogurt with the lime juice, tahini, roasted garlic and turmeric.

To assemble the bowl, start with the brown rice, then add the garbanzo/chickpeas/chana, pop in some chicken, grated carrot, chopped spinach and last top with the Greek yogurt dressing, cilantro and paprika. You can add and subtract whatever you like and you don’t even have to tell me.

Suggestion: If you don’t want the chicken, just marinate the chickpeas in the cilantro-mint chutney instead. You can use the same overnight principle of flavour notch-upping or you can put it in at the very end.

(*I’ve linked you to an almost perfect way to cook brown rice. If you have your own method, share it with me. I always feel really lucky while cooking rice. Not lucky in the “Oh! I’m blessed by the rain from the skies” way. Lucky in the “Did I just do that” way.)