Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Another Round of Radishes



As I've written before radishes are my new discovery. Fresh, inexpensive and unexpected they've moved from dress extras hanging around the parsley garnish to a supporting character role in my menus.
After pairing Daikon radishes with pumpkin, I'd intended to post another radish recipe I'd cooked about a week ago. The problem was, couldn't remember it.
I frantically looked at the pictures I'd taken of the dish trying to remember exactly what I'd done. I'd felt so clever at the time .Since I get off on dressing one vegetable up in anothers trappings, it occurred to me that I could have done almost anything and the likelyhood of my figuring out exactly what I'd done and how I'd done it before we were all dead from hunger was exactly slim to none. I gave up.
So now I had a bunch of radishes, what to do with them? And what to do with them fast.
I resorted to my trusty copy of Lord Krishnas'Cuisine and there is was, a perfect radish recipe, different from what I'd made before but delicious in a totally different way.
The radish dish I cooked up was a Karhi a Gujarati dish made with besan or chickpea flour and yogurt whipped into a creamy soup, and cooked with spices.
I started out with a handful of fresh red radishes.

I took the radishes and ran them through the shredding disc of my food processor

I then set them aside and got to work on the Karhi.
In a bowl mix together
1.) 4 Tbs of chickpea flour
2.) 2 cups of water
3.) 2 cups of plain yogurt
Whisk it up till it's nice and smooth. Toss in
4.) 1/2 tsp of cumin seed
5.) 1/4 tsp of fenugreek seeds
6.) a 1 inch stick of cinnamon
7.) 1/2 Tbs of sugar
8.) 1 tsp of salt
9.) 8 curry leaves, either fresh or frozen

Finally, add in your shredded radishes.



Pour the mixture into a deep skillet or karhai and put the heat on high. Stir it up and when it comes to a boil turn the heat down and keep it on a simmer for about 15 minutes.


Once your radishes have cooked, then comes the tempering, so set a lid on the radish pan and pull out a small skillet.
Heat the skillet and melt
10.) 2 tbs of butter or ghee
when the buter startes to foam pour in
11.) 1 tsp of blackmustard seed
12.) 1 dried red chili
13.) 1/2 Tbs of finely chopped fresh ginger



Once your mustard seeds are popping, pour the contents of the skillet into the radish mixture. Cover the pan and let it rest for about 4 minutes.
Finally, sprinkle about 3 Tbs of chopped fresh cilantro over the whole thing and serve.
.

So what did I learn from my radish venture this afternoon? Well, I can't just eat and forget it. Radish gluttony cannot get the better of me. When I come up with something I like I'd better not just photograph it I've got to stop and write it down if I ever want to enjoy it again. So now The Hunt For the Missing Radish Recipe begins, and I know it's out there somewhere. I may have to start up a CSI Special radish unit to find it and see what I can reconstruct from the pictures I took. Meanwhile, to all who celebrate it out there, have a Joyous Thanksgiving! See you below the fold!

9 comments :

  1. I do that too! I always think I'll remember exactly what I did ... ha! Will we ever learn? I love the look of this dish - now I've made peace with radishes this may be just the thing!

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  2. I hv just tried these small red radishes recently for the first time. I like them. They look so cute & pretty too. Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe.

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  3. Ok, give it to me gently.... What are you doing for Thanksgiving. Mine is glum so don't make it sound too good. If you say you are making Indian food instead of a disgusting turkey (I hate turkey) I will cry.

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  4. @janis..my family (parents that is) will not under any circumstances eat Indian food. They eat very plainly and my mom hates to cook. Thanksgiving without turkey would be major crime. I myself do not like turkey. Changes this year are..no stuffing no mashed potatoes, no zucchini fritatta, no yams. There will be a ginger and maple glazed organic free range turkey, polenta oven roasted in clay made with comte cheese and served with wild mushroom ragu. pan roasted green beans with pancetta, roasted glazed pearl onions. Peas with mint and lemon zest. Homemade sour cherry and cranberry compote, spiced cherries, rolls, and my mother is bringing our traditional Italian beehive cake for dessert

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  5. Wow, that is colorful and soothing though radish is one of my least favorite veggies.

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  6. Dear Ms. Gori,
    Your wonderful recipes and scrumptious photographs are indeed a great inspiration to me as I rest in my nalukettu in Kovalam, near Thiruvananthapuram, and I will ask Cook to start preparing them, starting with this quite dazzling radish recipe. I wonder how it will taste with uppam or dosa? Uh Oh, I am being stalked by a huge menacing chilanthi! I must go now.

    -Anon

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  7. hmmmm, I think I know who this is..hw are things in Trivandrum? Are you recovered? I have some dishes I want to try out on you..when are you coming to Sonoma?

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  8. YUM!! and such a pretty colour...

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