Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Foggy Blue Bird Mondays...

Mondays are perfect for leftovers - food and emotions.

After a week of work and a weekend of social inactivity, Mondays are always a conundrum. Ever notice how the colors are brightest around you when the day is the dullest? But you have to step out of the moment at times to experience it fully. I can only ever chew on Mondays when I am not in them.

Mondays predictably are mundane. Reminding us of the repetitive cyclical nature of life; but sometimes this boring mundane Monday becomes our existence for the rest of the week...month...year. Is that because while Monday's are most dreaded, they are also the safest..? That shrouded in the dread of boredom and apathy, Mondays come to signify for us stability, routine, same-old packaged in a new week.

For once I wanted to experience Monday as a beginning. Not a fear but an excitement. Not the crawly "5 more days to go till Friday" dread, nor an anticipation of Tuesday.. just a warm regard for the day, as it is. All my days from September onwards, start with a foggy outlook and some clear up as the day progresses. Monday's however seem to have the foggiest outlook, not clearing the choking down my throat, even if the sun peers.

But this Monday was different. This Monday, the blue bird sang a song, no less sweeter than another day. The blue bird knows not weeks or days, just the moment. And in each moment, it re-invents life. Just as it re-invented all my Mondays from here on.

So much so that, Tuesday is here, and look at me - reminiscing the Monday blues :)

Monday, September 13, 2010

Can-do the-Laddooo!

I have to risk a repetitive title to make two points - One of the "Kaddoo" (pumpkin) already made elegantly by my mother, and one of "Laddoo"that I am making today!
Husband asks if there is any similarity in the two words.. Linguistically no, but I suppose if there is, then perhaps this will be known as the "Dooo-day", the day to make happen.

Laddoo's are as colloquial and quintessential to India as PBJ's to 5 yr olds in the U.S.  Halwai's as sweet vendors are traditionally known, prepare heaps of these for festivals, weddings and holy Tuesdays. There is never an excuse needed for Laddoo's, they are always consumed in all their glory without guilt.




Considering the "love handles" I live with, I cannot consume the traditional laddoo's without guilt, so I made the laddoo my own and it embraced me too! You can make it vegan if you skip the ghee, which I added purely for awakening childhood memories in my olfactory's!


1cup almonds
3/4 cup cashews
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup dates
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup flax seed meal (ground flax seeds)
1/4 cup Agave
1/4 cup warm water
2 tbps of melted ghee (optional)
Pinch of Saffron (optional)
Pinch of Cardamom powder (optional)


In a food processor, grind the almonds, cashews and walnuts one by one to a coarse powder, not too fine but just enough to make a dough but also taste some texture. Combine with the flax seed meal and set aside in a dish.
In the food processor, add the dates, raisins, agave, saffron, cardamom powder and puree to a thick paste. Add to the existing mixture and with your hand, mix it into a dough. Slowly add the warm water and the ghee to make the dough. Make small round portions by hand and roll it into shapes / size of your preference. Roll them in the flax seed meal to finish.

et Voila! We have the healthiest laddoo's, sans sugar with only health benefits! Add it to your breakfast or dessert, I have it for both :)

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Can-do the -Kaddooo!

Pumpkin (Kaddoo as I know it) season is here and everywhere!

Our journey into cuisine, will take us and the vegetables we know, to places familiar and new.
This journey is not going to be one of technique and precision but one of discovering the styles of souls around the world. And food will be our common language for emoting.

My mother's favorite vegetable vendor picks up fresh vegetables from one part of Mumbai at 5am drives his tempo - his wife and child in accompaniment and arrives at this tiny suburb by the ocean.. fondly referred to as "7 bungalows".. where originally only 7 homes lined a street facing the ocean.



Now this little suburb is filled with high rise apartments, the original seven bungalows not in appearance except in name alone.

Along the same street, a throng of people, early morning walkers and the like come to this "sabji waala's" (vegetable vendor's) tempo and buy out all his stock in 1hr! All cash of course, and some bargaining too.. Not much different and not much similar from buying one's vegetables at a temperature controlled supermarket in the U.S.

In making Kaddoo, as in-elegant as the name may sound, my mother is reminiscing and recreating very elegant memories - those of her father's favorite dishes found traditionally at Indian weddings. One of the funniest things I remember about my nana (maternal grandfather) is that when eating any food that he found particularly delicious, he always commented on how it paled in comparison with another dish he had eaten at a wedding. Eaten perhaps in the 1930's, decades before I was born, or even my mother for that matter. It is amazing how people and events pass, but sounds and smells and tastes prevail. Just like my nana's tastes show up in my mother's cooking today.











My nana, always the raconteur....It was my earnest wish that he had captured all his memories on paper.. I remember begging him to do that, knowing then when he was smiling at me with his mischievous smile, that he was not eternal. But he had other plans - I suppose he wanted his legacy to be discovered, for all of us to dig for the flavor that one can only find in self exploration.




So my meditation today, as I cook and eat.. will be to taste in each morsel, the generations whose taste buds are sewn in mine.... whose work I now create as myself.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Living rooted in Knowledge.



Let me start today not with food, but a little story - food for thought, equally flavorful I assure you :).

2 days ago we mourned the loss of our dear friend "Big screen TV". BST as we fondly remember him, was always there for us, waiting at the same spot! BST was grand in size and splendor but with great humility he would light up at our minutest touch. Pleasing, friendly, accommodating and never judging, BST was a true companion.
In all the years we knew him, BST never changed; Sure he added on new channels, and had decent picture quality for HD, but even as LCDs strutted in, BST sat there, holding up his "Plasma" chin.... waiting as life passed him by, and passed those who sat around him. Well, 2 days ago he died; 
And all that is left of him, are a few fond memories, ephemeral as the hearts of those holding them...

To mourn deeply the loss of a broken electronic and obsolete object, one would label ridiculous. When I shared BST's tragic life story with my husband, he said his "nonsense indicator" was beeping :) But what is really comical is how life imitates what it shouldn't. I have often wondered if I will ever leave behind anything more than BST did - or would it be just memories - my vast inheritance to the living?

VegVeda was born out of a desire to find my own answers....  And Food became an essential beginning.. for it is only through proper nourishment of the body that one has the opportunity to discover all the splendor within.

To live rooted in knowledge then, must require that I first live in awareness of what I consume,  then grow to live in mindfulness of my actions and what I produce, and eventually be still in meditation on how my thoughts conceive the universe. Be it the ancient Indian Vedic texts or the Bible, or Teachings of the Buddha, such wisdom is universally available and universally ignored.

These musings are my endeavor to rekindle my search for wisdom;

To aid my own healing and growth....
To give to you all that is worthy in me to offer .....
and
To ask of you to give of your wisdom generously,
To ask of you to share that which makes you whole.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Ma Francaise est tres mal...

My french is very poor. My cooking skills even poorer. But the french have a flair, that makes both their language and their food seem all at once, exotic yet within my grasp.

It is this very essence of "je ne sais quoi" that I wanted to capture in tonight's dinner.. Recipes from Alain Coumont.. the creator of "Le Pain Quotidien"... I picked him because I read an article on him where all his featured recipes were vegan / vegetarian.. It is more than impressive. In a country that made "duck confit" famous, there is still a love for simple, elegant, flavorful food cooked using vegetables, fruits and herbs.

There is a certain tangy romance in thyme... coupled with wine and bay leaves, vegetables take on a new garb, of simple sophistication. And who can deny that the French are the masters of dessert. But while Alain uses lavender, I infused some of my Indian-ness into the fig-apricot creation - Pure ghee and saffron.. The result, as my more than honest husband will tell you - was we both turned into Oliver Twist... "please, sir, I want some more."

Tonight there are those who sleep on an empty stomach and those who sleep on one too full. I will also rest, plagued with regrets of the past perhaps, but with no anxieties for the future. For I know, insignificant and disconnected as it may seem today, I have taken my first step toward the innocent who I pray sleep at peace tonight; and maybe, even towards awakening a few, who have slept too long.


Braised vegetables in white wine, with Tomato Coulis
2 cups Artichoke hearts (fresh or canned)
1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 sprigs of thyme
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup leeks - sliced in rounds
2 bay leaves
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp coriander seeds
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp salt / to taste







In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add garlic and fry for a minute. Add the bay leaf, black peppercorns, thyme and coriander seeds. Let them sizzle for a minute, then add the onions, leeks and carrots. Fry for 6-8 minutes until golden brown and the carrots become tender.



Add the artichoke hearts and fry until tender and browned for about 8-10 minutes more. Add the wine, salt and cover for a minute and cook.




Garnish with thin lemon slices and a sprinkle of lemon juice!



Tomato Coulis
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp sundried tomatoes
5 basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste

In a blender / processor, puree all ingredients together for about 2 minutes for a chunky coulis.

Serve the Coulis with the Braised vegetables, and a slice of baguette.



Figs-Apricots with a Saffron infused syrup


6 figs
6 apricots
1 tbsp pure Ghee (clarified butter, available in Indian grocery stores)
2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp saffron




Slice the figs in halves. Slice the apricots or leave them whole. In a skillet, heat the ghee. Add the figs face down and the apricots. Turn the apricots occasionally until evenly browned on both sides. On a medium-high flame this would take about 5-7 minutes. Check on the figs to make sure they don't fall apart of burn.



In a small pot, add the lemon juice, and honey and bring to a simmer. Infuse with the saffron and let it simmer for about 5 minutes until the flavors blend.

To serve - add the apricots and figs in a bowl. Spoon over the lemon-honey-saffron infusion. Add a spoon of creme fraiche and garnish with mint and a few strands of saffron.



Bon Apetit mes amis!

"Kaali Dal", Amma's way!

I love Dal (दाल) / (Lentils) , it is my staple. But for years I have been petrified of cooking Dal, simply because I could not cook it right.!

Finally this year, I was able to overcome my fears, because the truth is I cannot hold up a candle to my mother's shadow.. so instead of trying to do this perfectly, I am giving you my Dal, true to Amma's style!

Ingredients:-
Kaali Urad Dal (Black Lentils or Split Urad with husk) 2 cups
Water (3 * Dal qty = 6 cups, but I measure by sight - make it as thick / soupy as you like)
Green chillies - 1 / 2 / to taste
Turmeric 1 tbsp
Ginger 1 tbsp (Peeled, finely chopped)
Garlic 1 tbsp (Peeled, finely chopped)
Cumin seeds 1 tbsp
Ghee 2 tbsps (or olive oil as a vegan alternative)
Red dry chillies whole 2 /3 / to taste
Red Onion one-half, thinly sliced
Red chilli powder 1tsp / to taste
Bay Leaf 1
Garam Masala  - one pinch
Salt - to taste
Fresh Cilantro / Coriander to garnish

Method:-
1. Cook Dal -

Measure and wash dal in a pressure cooker. Wash thoroughly until the water is clear.






Add water and bring to a boil. Once it begins to boil. it will foam on the top. Scrape the layer of foam off with a large spoon and discard.







Add ginger, garlic, green chillies, turmeric and salt to taste. Close the pressure cooker lid and let simmer on medium flame for 15-18 minutes.










During this time, keep the pressure cooker locked. Once the time has elapsed, and you turn off the burner, blow the whistle 6-7 times by turning the knob to "whistle" -









Once the dal is cooked set aside. It would look in consistency something like this - water and dal are one! :)

2. Make Tadka

In a separate pan (iron skillet or non stick), heat oil / ghee. Add cumin seeds. When they begin to swell up and pop, add dry red chillies and bay leaf. When it browns add sliced onions and cook onions until browned. Add Red chilli powder and Garam masala and cook for one minute.

3. Incorporate

Ladle cooked Dal into the pan with the spice mixture (we call this mixture "tadka") Be very careful as the pan will sizzle and perhaps splash a little so add 2 big ladles quickly to cover the surface of the pan. Pull all the spices, onions into the Dal and pour the mixture back into the entire cooked dal and incorporate. You can close the cooker lid and allow this to cook for another 5 minutes for the flavors to blend or just bring to a boil on the open flame.

Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro leaves before serving with hot roti's / bread / rice / naan!

Greek for the Indian

I have plans to make a special meal tonight so lunch is simple, not cooked and...greek with ofcourse my own interpretation.

Fig, olives, a sprig of thyme, agave nectar, english cheddar cheese, dolmas from my favorite organic deli, and a piece of carrot for my bunny and me to share....

Very satiating, just perfect for a quick lunch before I get to work!!

Veda for the Vegetarian-Vegan Soul

The best things in life are... living.

I woke up this morning dismayed, worried, anxious. In moments past and in moments anticipated, I wallowed. And then as the story goes, the living moment - the present - spoke up and gently asked "what about me - can you be with me, I am here now." It's plea filled with love, I could not ignore.

So here I am in my now, in your now - doing the labor of the Soul on what is popularly called "Labor day weekend".  It is an auspicious start, my Indian heritage tells me. Every moment is precious, none more auspicious, my western thoughts chime in.
In this perfect moment, what could be better than to make a beginning.

If you, like me, love animals without wanting or having to eat them then you like me, are searching for another world.
If you, like me, want to start by making a small difference to this world,  perhaps just by buying "cage free eggs" or "organic milk", then you like me are trying to be on the path to something better.
If you, like me, love flavorful food, and do not believe that it needs to have dairy and meat to make it flavorful then you like me are searching for kindred spirits in need of affirmation.
If you, unlike me, eat animals, but are searching for a healthier, more nourishing alternative - even if only partially trying vegetarian food, then I applaud you for the effort.


But most importantly, we are both on the same trek up this soul mountain; So whoever you are, meat eater, vegetarian, vegan - whoever you are soul, I love you, and give to you, as I give to myself.


Let this day begin!

Sumie