Karnataka cuisine

Just came across a terrific Karnataka cooking website. Check out http://adigemaneruchi.blogspot.com/ for some authentic recipes from the state I grew up in. You can adapt them to local tastes. My first attempt at Yellu for Sankranti was a hit and is now called our "Indian trail mix".

Recipes for my daughter and dinner sometime soon

Having a finely honed palate, my 13 year old has decided to cook for herself when I am travelling. Below is one of her favorites from the Punjab.

Its going to feature on the menu on the next dinner (date not fixed yet), along with grilled eggplant in youghurt sauce, butter chicken, nan, rice, soup and dessert. Remember its a substantial dinner for 4. And you can donate your $100 to the Shankara Eye Foundation http://www.giftofvision.org/ that subsides/sponsors eye surgery in India.


And the recipe...
Palak paneer
Ingredients
2 cups of cubed paneer – you can buy a block at the Indian store
1 large bag of fresh baby spinach (equal to 2 regular bags of from Trader Joes)
3 medium sized onions (finely chopped) I prefer the red ones
6 plum tomatoes chopped
2 chilies (slit into half)
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp ginger paste (or grate 1” ginger)
1 tsp garlic paste (or chop 4 pods garlic)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste


Steps


1. Cut the paneer into 1 inch cubes and fry in a spoon of oil in a non stick pan till light golden brown and keep this aside.

2. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the cumin seeds and turmeric power. Wait till it crackles and don't let it burn. Add the chopped onions and chilies and sauté till the onions are golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for another minute. Add the chilli powder and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Add the spinach (wash it first) and tomatoes, cover and let it cook for about 10 min. Add some water if needed.

3. Once its cooked, let it cool and puree. Return it to the non-stick pan.

5. Add the cubed paneer, garam masala, sugar and salt and cook till the grave bubbles. If the gravy gets dry add some water.

4. Serve with any India bread

Chili peppers!

I found these at the farmers market in Burlingame for $1.50. The look great and taste good too. Just slice them up and top a salad, soup or in my case, pav bhaji, for that extra zing.
Just got back from trip to India and great food - discovered that chili peppers are not native to India but came from the Americas. BC (before chili), we used black peppers and something called pippali, but now American chilies have taken over so completely that we don't think of the BC era!
Chili came from the Aztec in south America - not called chili any more here thanks to the Texan Chilli (and the Roosevelt Chilli Cook off), but works thorugh most of Asia.

Here's how you make pav bhaji

Ingredients
• 2 spoons olive or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (optional)
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped chili peppers
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 4 large chopped tomatoes
• 2 cups cauliflower, 1 cup chopped cabbage, 1 cup green peas, 1 cup diced carrots
• Or substitute a bag of mixed veggies for the above
• 8 potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 3 tablespoons pav bhaji masala
• salt to taste
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice or serve with sliced lemon wedges

• 8 (2 inch square) dinner rolls
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chili peppers
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Saute garlic and chili for 30 seconds, then stir in onions and ginger. Cook until onions are brown. Add tomatoes, and cook until pasty. Stir in cauliflower, cabbage, peas, carrots and potatoes. Season with pav bhaji masala. Cover, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt, and stir in lemon juice.
2. Toast the dinner rolls, and spread lightly with butter. Serve garnished with chopped onion, fresh chili peppers and cilantro.

And heres a recipe for pav bhaji masala http://www.grouprecipes.com/9948/pav-bhaji-masala.html

BIS Spring Fling!

Thali is donating a dinner for four to raise funds for BIS. Hard to believe that we live in a state thats one of the world's largest economies and have no money for education. Come watch "First to Worst" at BIS on May 5th and listen to a lively panel discussion on what the school system has experienced.

NPR has a fun piece on Indian spring - Holi, the festival of color and food as also some interesting spring recipes

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124004181

Support our schools

Thali is donating a dinner to the BCE fundraiser. Please bid on it at http://www.bcefoundation.org/. The money goes to support our public school - they are probably going to need it given the state budget. As BCE says, a good public education isn't free anymore :-)

Will be happy to work with you to make a dinner of your choice before dec 09. Think through your favorite foods - the steamed idlis or dosas, and spicy curries of the south; traditional dishes from the north; fusion or fast food from Mumbai, "tiffins" from the east - and we can plan a menu.

Thali returns! Memories of Mumbai

Watching Slumdog Millionaire at the Oscars yesterday brought back memories of Mumbai cuisine. The other "city that never sleeps" has great fusion cusine since its such a melting pot. It took me back to the great masala chai at the train stations, bhel puri on the beach and pav bhaji at various street corners during my Bombay days.

Watching the movie was an experience. It definately captured the pace of Bombay, some parts rang true but it was distorted. Rather like Spike Lee's Harlem doesn't represent all of New York, Dharavi (the world's biggest slum) isn't Mumbai! Some creative illusions there - mom just told me that the kid dives into peanut butter for that unforgettable scene.

The music was terrific. Rahman was brilliant. I wish the announcers hadn't made that horrible choking "kh" while pronouncing his name. Its a soft Rah - man!

Here's a link to O-Saya if you have not heard it or Jai Ho.

Menu for dinner Friday (Feb 27th) or Sat (Feb 28th) will include my Bombay favorites.
Includes an appetizer (bhel puri), a couple of main dishes (pav bhaji, chicken), rice, bread and dessert. I'll be happy to loan you a Bollywood movie too :-)

The cause of the week? After that delightful documentary that won an Oscar yesterday (on Pinki) I think it should go to Smiletrain (www.smiletrain.org). Or Girlsforachange (www.girls for a change.org)

What's thali all about?

I am reposting my response to FAQ's again because people seem to have forwarded the blog on to their friends (thank you!) who are not sure of why I do this.

Response to FAQs

I find cooking therapeutic :-) but don't have as much time to entertain people as I wish. So I am going to try combining my love for cuisine with my social and political causes.

How does it work?

I plan to create a "thali" for four - to go - once a week (or so) and ask you to donate $$ to a cause of my liking.

What is a thali? Its the equivalent of a Japanese Bento box and is a balanced meal. Usually consists of a vegetable, a lentil curry, a yoghurt dish or raita to be eaten with rice and/or roti (Indian bread) and dessert.

Whay do I want to do this? Many reasons :-)

We live in interesting times and this is an easy way to bring about change. We, or rather I, get caught up with home and work, so there is little time for major involvement in politics or social change.

Food, politics and social causes go together and run in the family. Dad was an activist who got involved in the freedom movement in his early teens and went on to many other causes. He was also a terrific cook!

My great grandfather started one of the oldest restaurants in Bangalore called Udupi Sri Krishna Bhavan over a century ago. Lunch or breakfast there is a Bangalore tradition. Writers, politicians and journalists have always hung out there. All the 40+ 4th generation cousins I can think of are foodies.

Is this a biz?
No, its social entrepreneurship. I have a real job that I enjoy! Thali is a means to combine my passion for food with fundraising for a cause. While restaurants e.g. Il Fornaio donate 1% of their sales, 100% of Thali’s sales go to a cause.
You directly donate the $$ online or send in a check to the cause of the week and bring in a receipt when you pick up dinner.

Why not make thali’s for one?
I may do this further down the road, but I don’t have the time right now. Need to cook for 4 to get any scale efficiency on 5+ dishes and generate enough $$ for a charity. Feel free to store it for later or creatively arrange to split it with a friend.

What kind of social causes?
I have a list, ranging from the Smiletrain, Kiva, Shankar Eye Foundation, Scholarships, the Shelter Network etc. Feel free to send in your suggestions.

What kind of political causes?
Send them to me and I can see if I support them. Anything that deals with equality for women and minorities usually sound good to me. Or education.

Lead time to plan dinner?
I usually have some slack on Fridays (since I work on Saturday) so plan to run CT once a week or once in two. Menu will be posted on Wed night. If we have guest chefs, I’ll post that too on Wed. Remember, the thali's are to go.

A min of $100 for a dinner for 4.