Tag Archives: Food

In My Hands Today…

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Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects Our Health – Rick Smith, Bruce Lourie

Pollution is no longer just about belching smokestacks and ugly sewer pipes – now, it’s personal.

The most dangerous pollution has always come from commonplace items in our homes and workplaces. Smith and Lourie ingested and inhaled a host of things that surround all of us all the time. This book exposes the extent to which we are poisoned every day of our lives. For this book, over the period of a week – the kind of week that would be familiar to most people – the authors use their own bodies as the reference point and tell the story of pollution in our modern world, the miscreant corporate giants who manufacture the toxins, the weak-kneed government officials who let it happen, and the effects on people and families across the globe. Parents and concerned citizens will have to read this book.

Key concerns raised in Slow Death by Rubber Duck include flame-retardant chemicals from electronics and household dust polluting our blood; toxins in our urine caused by leaching from plastics and run-of-the-mill shampoos, toothpastes and deodorant; mercury in our blood from eating tuna; and the chemicals that build up in our body when carpets and upholstery off-gas.

Ultimately hopeful, the book empowers readers with some simple ideas for protecting themselves and their families, and changing things for the better.

Recipes: Kottu Rasam

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Rasam is a favourite with BB & GG and they are happy to have it for every meal. But I don’t make it that often. Having said that, I had not made this Rasam as yet for the children. When I did make it, it was a huge hit. It does not take a long time to make and can be eaten with rice or as a soup. In my home, kottu Rasam is prepared for those who are not well. It is prepared without using dal and is lightly tempered.

Kottu Rasam

Ingredients:

  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 tsp ghee
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 5-6 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp crushed ginger and green chilli paste
  • 1 small lemon-sized ball of tamarind
  • 1.5 tsp rasam powder
  • 1 tsp jaggery powder
  • Salt to taste
  • Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Soak the tamarind in hot water for about 30 minutes. Then crush the tamarind pulp and drain, keeping the tamarind water aside.
  • Either finely chop the tomatoes or use a food processor and crush the tomatoes into fine pieces.
  • In a pan, heat the ghee and when it warms, add the mustard and cumin seeds and let them pop. Then add the crushed ginger and green chillis and stir for a couple of seconds.
  • Now, add the tomatoes, sprinkle some salt and let the tomatoes cook for about five minutes.
  • At this point, add the tamarind water, rasam powder, jaggery powder and any additional salt, if needed.
  • Let this cook for about 5-7 minutes, then switch off the flame. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Notes:

  • This is great as an accompaniment to rice or as a soup.
  • Instead of crushing the tomatoes, you could also use tomato puree for a more soup-like experience.
  • Tamarind paste or lemon juice could be substituted for tamarind water.

Recipes: Date and Mint Raita

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Sometime back, I saw a video by Rujuta Divekar about date raita with very minimal ingredients. I was intrigued and decided to make my version of this recipe recently. It has been very hot in Singapore the last few months and this was made for lunch on one of those hot, summery days. This is perfect for the summer and can be made in 10 minutes, from start to finish. This sweet and savoury yoghurt-based dish goes with anything and is very good on its own too.

Date Raita

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup plain yoghurt
  • 12–15 Dates, pitted
  • ½ tsp. cumin powder
  • ½ tsp. black salt, or to taste
  • 1 inch of ginger
  • 2-3 green chillies, chopped
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves or 1 tsp dried mint powder
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk the yoghurt until smooth. If the yoghurt is too thick, you can add a little water or milk to achieve the desired consistency.
  • In a small blender, add the pitted dates, ginger, green chillies, and mint (or mint powder) and coarsely grind them using some yoghurt or water.
  • Add this to the whisked yoghurt.
  • Season with salt, black salt, and cumin powder. Mix well to combine all the ingredients evenly.
  • Taste the raita and adjust the seasoning if necessary, adding more salt or black salt according to your preference.
  • Refrigerate the Dates Raita for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to meld together and for the raita to chill.
  • Before serving, give the raita a final stir. Optionally, sprinkle a pinch of roasted cumin powder on top for extra flavour.

In My Hands Today…

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If You Can’t Take the Heat: Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury – Geraldine DeRuiter

When celebrity chef Mario Batali sent out an apology letter for the sexual harassment allegations made against him, he had the gall to include a recipe—for cinnamon rolls, of all things. Geraldine DeRuiter decided to make the recipe, making food journalism history along with it. Her subsequent essay, with its scathing commentary about the pervasiveness of misogyny in the food world, would be read millions of times, lauded by industry luminaries from Martha Stewart to The New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells—and it would land DeRuiter in the middle of a media firestorm. She found herself on the receiving end of dozens of threats when all she wanted to do was make something to eat (and okay, maybe also take down the patriarchy).

In If You Can’t Take the Heat, DeRuiter shares stories about her shockingly true, painfully funny (and sometimes just painful) adventures in gastronomy. We’ll learn how she finally got a grip on her debilitating anxiety by emergency meal–planning for the apocalypse. (“You are probably deeply worried that in times of desperation I would eat your pets. And yes, I absolutely would.”) Or how she learned to embrace her hanger. (“Because women can be a lot of things, but we can’t be angry. Or president, apparently.”) And how she inadvertently caused another international incident with a negative restaurant review. (She made it on to the homepage of The New York Times’s website! And got more death threats!)

Recipes: Cashewnut or Kaju Curry

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Famous in the coastal areas of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka, Kaju or Cashewnut Curry, is a rich and creamy curry that is so delicious. I saw someone eating this curry in a video some months ago and have been wanting to make it ever since. I finally got the opportunity recently and here’s my version.

Kaju Curry

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole cashew nuts
  • 2 medium-sized onions, chopped
  • 4-5 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped
  • 6-8 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch piece of ginger
  • 3 dried red chillies
  • inch piece of cinnamon
  • 3 cloves
  • star anise
  • 2 bell peppers (any colour), chopped into big pieces
  • 1 cup low-fat milk (optional)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 2-3 tsp red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp garam masala powder
  • 1 tsp jaggery powder
  • 1 tbsp kasuri methi
  • Salt to taste
  • 2-3 tbsp ghee
  • 2-3 tbsp butter

Method:

  • Take 1 tsp ghee and butter in a pan and let the butter melt. Once the butter melts, add the cashew nuts and stir continuously until the cashews become golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
  • Add some more ghee and butter and saute the chopped bell peppers till they are slightly cooked, but retain their crispness. Remove and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, add one more tsp of ghee and butter, add in the cumin seeds and let them pop. Once they pop, add in the dry whole spices – dried red chillies, cinnamon, cloves and star anise and stir for a couple of seconds each before adding in the next spice.
  • Then add in the chopped ginger and garlic and stir for a few seconds, add in the chopped onions and stir well.
  • Add in 1 tsp salt, stir well and let the onions lightly brown and become translucent. Remove and keep aside.
  • When the onions are cool, blend into a smooth paste and keep aside.
  • Remove the paste from the blender and in the same blender, take about 12-15 fried cashews and blend into a powder. Add the tomatoes and blend the cashew powder and tomatoes into a smooth paste. Keep aside.
  • In the same pan, pour the remaining ghee and butter and once the butter melts, add in the onion paste and stir continuously, not letting the paste burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.
  • Once the onion paste has cooked and started to reduce, add in the tomato-cashew paste and stir well.
  • Add in the dry spices – turmeric powder, red chilli powder, jaggery powder, garam masala, and salt, if needed and continue stirring. You may pop a lid on the pan and the tomato mixture may start splattering.
  • Crush the Kasuri methi in the palm of your hand and sprinkle it on the gravy.
  • Add in the bell peppers and cashew nuts. Stir well. Add 1-2 cups of milk and water to bring it to the consistency you desire. Let it come to a rolling boil.
  • Switch off the gas and add finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish.
  • Serve hot with rice or any Indian flatbread.