Mushroom Confidential. Top Secret and Very Hush Hush..It's Not Chicken!

    One of my favorite scenes in one of my favorite movies  LA Confidential involves the phrase “hookers cut to look like movie stars.“  A gem of a scene, it involves earnest Guy Pearce in  the mother of all mistaken identity messes with the real Lana Turner. He thought he couldn’t be fooled. He was.
 
I , on the other hand have always been fascinated by one food that looks like another. I am a sucker for such things. So when I ran across an Indian recipe that called for mushrooms to be cooked like chicken, I was so there. I couldn’t wait to give it a try. A Meatless Monday dish is always a hit around our house, and since fresh spring mushrooms were on sale at $1.99 a pound, it was to economical to resist.
  About mushrooms and Indian food, even though they may not seem to be a natural fit, they are. Indian recipe collections are filled with mushroom dishes of all heats and varities from the various regions of the subcontinent. This particular recipe comes from Sanjeev Kapoor one of the most celebrated Indian chefs, and his new book How To Cook Indian. This is an easy recipe that uses a paste of spices to quickly cook ordinary white mushrooms.

You know, the ones that don't cost and arm and a leg to purchase. This is not for the portobellos or the shitakes or the hedgehogs or God forbid the Chantereles.These are the plain Jane white or brown, everyday variety mushrooms.
   Once the paste is assembled, the mushrooms can be cooked in a just a few minutes. It makes a great fast side dish alongside well… real chicken, or you can eat it as we did, accompanied by a couple of tasty vegetarian side dishes. It also seems made for basmati rice though I haven’t tried it that way yet. But believe me I’m going to. Soon. And often!

Mushroom Curry

Here’s my adaptation of this dish:

Ingredients

• 1 lb of white mushrooms quartered
• 8 whole cloves
• 1/2 tsp of fennel seed
• 1 1/2 Tbs of coriander seed
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 2 pieces of star anise
• 1/4 tsp of mace
• 4 dried red chilies broken into pieces
• 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp of cumin seed
• 1 or 2 large shallots
• 3 red onions
• 2 Tbs of vegetable oil
• 1 Tbs of white poppy seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 Tbs of tamarind pulp (or lemon juice)
• 10 whole peppercorns
• 1 cup grated dried unsweetened coconut
• water
• cilantro

Instructions

1. Dry roast the cloves, cumin seed, coriander seed, star anise, chilies, mace, peppercorns, fennel seed and poppy seeds in a small skillet.
2. When the spices start to get fragrant, toss in coconut and toast that too until it starts to brown.
3. Take it off the stove and let the spices cool.
4. Put the spices and coconut in a small blender or food processor with 2 chopped shallots and 1 cup of water.
5. Blend it until it’s a smooth paste.
6. Set it aside.
7. In a skillet or kadhai heat 2 Tbs of vegetable oil.
8. When the oil is hot add 3 chopped red onions.
9. Saute them until they brown.
10. Add in the quartered mushrooms and salt, stir well.
11. Add in the spice paste mix well.
12. Add 1/2 cup of water and the tamarind pulp or lemon juice.
13. Simmer everything together for about 5 minutes or so until the mushrooms are cooked through.
14. Sprinkle a bit of chopped fresh cilantro over the top and serve.

  It's that easy! No kidding. Serve it with a salad or rice and another vegetable dish and you've got a hearty, flavorful and above all inexpensive dish. Even the most devoted meat eaters won't miss the chicken. Coming up next a trip to opening night of the Sonoma Farmers Market, and local vegetables go Indian. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

The Kerala Dinner. Part Deux, Shrimp Pullao. A Dish Fit For A Maharaja, Make it Easy.

    Last weekend I tossed a dinner party for some visiting friends from San Francisco and our local posse here in Sonoma.
   I always go nuts when I'm planning a menu. I hate the process of deciding. An Indian feast involves a lot of dishes and I'm always running through my mental rolodex trying to figure out what goes with what and what will make a harmonious whole.
   One has to take so much into account. Texture, heat, cool, wet, dry, color and cooking time. I spent 12 years in school dressed in a uniform, I'm not used to having to think about that stuff! Now I can't even make up my mind half the time about how to dress myself and I've got to match the colors of my food too??!!  Give me a break.
  After thinking a while and getting all cranky, I decided on a meal featuring dishes from Kerala, one of my favorite Indian cuisines. Chip, one of our guests, is a vegetarian (he does eat fish) so I thought one of the great seafood dishes from this south coastal region would make a great centerpiece main dish. Now that was something I could build on.
  So,  Shrimp Pullao became my little black dress of this dinner party. Something, I could build on, and accessorize. That is, if you call coconut an accessory (and I do).
  Shrimp Pullao is very similar to a Biryani in preparation. Spices are ground, a sauce is made, rice is parboiled and then it's all layered together in a large pot and popped in the oven.
   I find these sorts of dishes great for company dinners because they let me have more room on the top of the stove for other stuff, and I can also get the dishes used in making the main dish washed quick and out of the way. I am a little OCD when it comes to the kitchen.
   One of the key things in this dish is the rice, basmati rice to be exact. Good rice is the cornerstone of a good pullao. When I was at the market I saw all sorts of cool rice paraphernalia. "Awwwwww, can I have this Pleeeeeeease?!!! I really, really, really need a rice storage basket!!"

  Ok, so shopping trip aside. Here is how to make this amazing dish which actually is a pretty elementary and very, very tasty.

Shrimp Pullao

    I like to break this dish down into three parts, The Topping, The Sauce,  and The Rice.

 The Topping:
 In a large skillet heat about 3 Tbs of vegetable oil
 When the oil is hot toss in :
 1/4 cup of raw cashew nuts, split in half.
 When the nuts are nicely browned take them out and put them on a paper towel to drain.

   Now, into the hot oil place 1 large onion cut in half and then into thin half moon slices. Stir them around until they are lightly browned.

Then, set them on the other half of the paper towel to drain.

Now set these aside because you won't need them until the dish is ready to go into the oven. Don't throw away the oil, because you're going to need it again.

The Rice Part 1:
Soak 2 and 1/2 cups of basmati rice in enough water to cover it. Let it sit for about 30 minutes then drain it and set it aside.

The Sauce:
   For this dish you're going to need about 1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined.
    The first time I made this dish I picked up a 1 lb bag of frozen, medium-size shrimp on sale at Whole Foods and they worked great. Those nifty bags of frozen shrimp have become a staple in my freezer. I call them the emergency dinner pack because one bag will feed a bunch of people with some other side dishes thrown in.
   If you are using frozen shrimp, defrost them and keep them in the fridge till you are ready for them.
    Toss a 1 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger
    5 hot green chiles
    8 shallots into a blender or a food processor and grind them up well into a paste.
  Put the paste into the hot oil.

 Stir it around well and toss in:
 1 tsp of cumin
 Stir it around for about 2 or 3 minutes. The liquid will get absorbed. When it is, add in:
   2 chopped tomatoes.

   Keep this stuff moving, you don't want it to stick. The tomatoes will soften and darken.

   Add in:
 1/2 cup of plain yogurt
 Stir fry it all, until the water is absorbed from the yogurt.

 Now add in:
 1/2 cup of grated dried coconut

Give it a couple of stirs and add in:
1/2 cup of coconut milk
3/4 tsp of salt
Stir it all until the sauce thickens.
Add in the shrimp, give them one stir and then take the pan off the stove.

Pour the shrimp into a deep oven proof baking dish. I use a clay bram, but any good baking dish will do. Set it aside.

The Rice Part 2:
   In a large pot bring 5 pints of water to a boil. Toss in:
 10 cloves
 A  2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
 5 whole cardamom pods
2 tsp of salt
  Add in:
 the drained rice and give it all a stir.
 Let the rice cook for only 6 minutes!!!
  Drain the partially cooked rice in a colander and then dump it on top of the shrimp in the baking dish.
 Scatter the fried cashews and onions on top of the rice and then using a chopstick or spoon handle,  poke a hole down the center of the rice all the way to the bottom of the pan.

Cover the baking dish tightly with foil, crimp it around the edges and then put a lid on top of that.

This dish is being cooked in the Dum Pukht style. That is, steamed in the oven in the pot. When the pot is tightly sealed, pop it into a pre-heated 325 degree oven and let it cook for 20 minutes.
Take the lid off the pan, give the rice and shrimp a stir and spread it out on a platter and serve it up!

 

   This dish works great as the centerpiece of any sort of dinner party, Western style or Indian style. One simple side dish and you've got an impressive meal. One or two or three or four more dishes and  an Indian feast is in the house!

   About my Tropical Traditions Organic Shredded Coconut Giveaway, as I mentioned in my last post,
 our winner is Llinda! However, I have no way of reaching Llinda as she didn't give me an email address . So Linda,  if you're out there, shoot me an email. If I don't hear from Linda by Tuesday the 7th of September, I'll draw a new winner.
  Coming up next.... pickles are not just for cucumbers anymore!

The Kerala Dinner. Part 1: Spicy, Fast and Easy, That's Not Soup It's A Sambar

   Every now and then I like to kick it with a big time Indian dinner. Not that I'm not cooking Indian food almost every day of the week, because I am. But I don't usually make an event out of it. So when I throw a dinner, I throw a dinner!  I get out all the Indian dinnerware, pick some flowers and break out the candles.

    I get into it the same way people hang out at Home Depot and then spend their weekends putting in a hot tub or rewiring something. It is an obsession. It is also my excuse to hang out at the Thailao Market on Santa Rosa Avenue in where else??...Santa Rosa!
   I love this place. They had me at Banana Flower.

   Okay, enough with the banana flower. I look like I'm trying to juggle torpedoes. What I actually was doing, was trying to plan a menu for some visiting friends from San Francisco, Bob and Cathy Barner.

   Cathy is the Director of Park Projects and Stewardship for The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.  Bob is a well known Childrens' book author.
  Here's one of his books, Dem Bones.

Here's Bob!

     Our friends Chip, Terri and Ray joined us and of course Mr. X, the Million Dollar Cauliflower Man.
Bob and Cathy had just returned from a month in India where Bob had been invited to speak at some schools. They happened to be visiting Sonoma for a months' vacation which was all the excuse I needed to toss an Indian feast.
   Since Chip is a vegetarian (he does eat fish) the dinner would contain no land-based protein, except for the legumes. Can't forget the legumes. Got to love the legumes. Can't live without them.
   Any Kerala dinner of course has to  start with a sambar. Sambar is a spicy broth, that's made up of toor dal which has been soaked and ground and blended with a combination of spices, most of the time including tamarind. It's cooked in stages and once the grinding and soaking is done, it actually makes up really really fast.
    In planning this dinner, I wanted a sambar that would go along with the other things I had planned and so I decided on a buttermilk sambar rather than a tamarind based one. It's called Moru Kuzhambu.  I first learned of this recipe from the excellent Vegetarian South Indian Cookbook, Dakshin. This is my adaptation of it.

  Part 1: Soaking and Grinding
     Soak:
2 tsp of toor dal
2 tsp of chana dal in 1 cup of water for one hour.
   Drain the dal and put it into a grinder or food processor along with:
 A 1 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
4 tsp of cumin seeds
2 Tbs of coriander seeds
10 fresh green chilies
8 Tbs of grated dried coconut
 and a little bit of water.

Grind it up well.

  And set it aside.
    This is one of the things that I like so much about making a sambar. You can make it and quickly finish and eat it, or you can do this part and then set it aside and finish it later. All in, it takes about 30 minutes or so to cook.
   The other thing a good sambar has is the addition of vegetables. Any number and type of vegetables can be added, from potato to okra to onion. I chose grey zucchini the closest thing I could find that matched the ash gourd of the original recipe.
     Here's The Endgame.
 In a large pan or pot heat:
  3 tsp of vegetable oil
  When the oil is hot toss in:
  2 Tsp of brown mustard seed
  2 tsp of fenugreek seed
 2 dried red chilies broken in half
 A handful of curry leaves

   When the mustard seeds start to snap and pop toss in:
 2 cups of chopped grey zucchini or any other vegetable of your choice

  Add a bit of water,  just enough so the vegetables are covered, put a lid on it and turn down the heat. Let it simmer for about  10 or 15 minutes, until the  veggies are tender.
   Now for The Yogurt
    In a bowl mix together:
 4 cups of plain yogurt  whipped smooth
 The ground dal paste
 salt to taste
 1 tsp of turmeric
  Blend it all together well.
   Then add the yogurt spice mixture to the squash spice mixture and reheat it all very gently.

You don't want to curdle things. When it's heated though, it's ready to serve.
   So there you go. There's a sambar. Firey hot, but when served with the right accompanying dishes beautifully balanced.

   When you want to bring the heat, you have to bring the sweet and spicy too, which I'll be getting to.
 This sambar goes perfectly with a wonderful green bean dish which will be coming soon.
 People dug in,  passed their thalis...

cracked a few brews...

everyone except Patsy...

Who did not find the legumes particularly interesting. "What? No meat? I'm bored!"

  Now for the Winner of The Tropical Traditions Organic Shredded Coconut Contest!
   Drumroll please!!!!!
   Our lucky winner is Llinda!!!!!
 Llinda, if you'll get in touch with me, I'll arrange to have your wonderful coconut sent to you. I know you are going to love it as it's all I ever use!

Fire Up The Grill, Toss the Slaw, I've Got The Fastest Salad Ever!!! Plus, Enter To Win Tropical Traditions Coconut

  
   There are days when no matter how much I love it, I just don't feel like cooking. When the lazy don't feel like cooking, the lazy go out to eat. That does happen sometimes but most of the time, since we try to watch what we eat and keep it on the healthy/organic side, I cook. It's one way of keeping track of what's going in, and since there are so many amazing vegetables to be found around here, it would be a shame to ignore them. I mean, they need me! So I keep a repertoire of easy to prepare side dishes. Things that can be made quickly, cheaply and above all... fast!
   So, that's why I'm sneaking this recipe for probably one of the easiest tastiest things I've ever fixed,  Radish and Peanut Salad.
   The other reason I'm tossing this in here is that I'm cooking a major Indian dinner tomorrow night and I didn't want to stress over what to eat for lunch today. This salad goes with a total vegetarian meal, or just toss something on the grill and this snappy little salad makes a great alternative to the usual cole slaw.
  Here's how it goes.
    Roughly chop 2/3 cup of roasted unsalted peanuts

   Wash, dry and chop about 1/2 pound of radishes. First take off the top and bottoms of each radish.

Then quarter each radish. You can even cut them a bit smaller depending on the size of radishes.

     In a small saucepan heat 1 Tbs of vegetable oil. I use coconut oil.
   When the oil is hot toss in:
   1/4 tsp of cumin seed
   1/4 tsp of black mustard seed

  Shake the pan until the seeds start to pop.
   When they begin to pop add in:
 1/4 tsp of turmeric
 1/4 tsp of salt
  Take the pan off the heat and add in:
 1 Tbs  of lemon juice
   Mix it in well and let the mixture cool.
  Meanwhile mix the radishes and peanuts together.

When the oil and spice mixture has cooled, pour it over the radishes and peanuts.

Mix it in well. That's it. Really. No, really. That's all it takes.

  Bingo! You've got salad.
   So there's your 10 minute barbecue/block party/pot luck/picnic star!
   I'm getting back to my dinner prep, more to follow.
Meanwhile, if you'd like to enter the Tropical Traditions Organic Shredded Coconut Giveaway here's how!!

Just A Reminder About my Giveaway
  If you'd like to get some Tropical Traditions Organic Shredded Coconut,  I'm going to be giving away 1 tub of dried shredded coconut to a lucky winner. Here are the rules.
  1.) Subscribe to Tropical Traditions free e-mail Newsletter by clicking the link. They offer all sorts of product specials and cool free recipes.
   After you do this, leave a comment on my blog letting me know you have, and either Twitter about my giveaway (@kathygori) or mention it on your blog with a link, and let me know.
Or
2.) Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter and if you don't follow me on Twitter, follow me @kathygori and Twitter about the giveaway. Or sign up to follow my blog The Colors Of Indian Cooking and let me know you've mentioned the giveaway on your blog with a link.
Or
3.) Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter and mention my blog and giveaway on Facebook, then let me know you have.
    I have to add for the fine print here:
Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.
    I'm offering this shredded coconut because I've been using it and it's great and I wanted  someone else to be able to enjoy it also.
  The winner will be drawn randomly through Random.org on Sept 1st.

Go Fish! Go Easy!! Plus, Win Some Shredded Coconut! Take a Chance!

 Summertime and the cookin' is easy. Well, maybe not easy but at least fast and if at all possible, quick.
  In a lot of hot climate countries, kitchens are not in the main house. There is a good reason for that. In a lot of hot climate countries it is simply too freakin' hot! I have always dreamed of one day having an outdoor kitchen. Of course I want an indoor one also, but mmmmmm that outdoor set-up with the wood burning brick oven and the grill and sink and....okay. Back to reality.
  I really can't complain because I have a pretty sweet set up here, and even if I did have that wood burning oven, I probably couldn't use it without risking burning up the entire hill and my neighbors' vineyard.
  Alan is my grill master (and a fine one he is too!) but sometimes when it's really, really, really hot, it's even too hot for an outdoor kitchen and my grill master. Because who wants to stand out in 110 degree heat grilling??
 That's why yesterday I decided to Go Fish!
   Fish at it's best is cooked quickly. This is contrary to all my childhood Friday fish dinners when fish was not considered done unless it resembled a composite roofing tile. This, despite the fact that I grew up in a city famous for its' fish and I am Italian. We're supposed to know how to cook fish. Supposed is the operative word here.
  Time passed, I started cooking Indian food and there are many, many, many, amazing Indian fish recipes. I love all of them!
  Since we were having an epic heat wave here in Sonoma I wanted something that would cook up easily and fast. Something that wouldn't heat up the house and that when combined with a simple spinach, coconut and peanut powder salad, would make a whole meal.
     I decided on Fish with Yogurt Sauce. I chose this dish for a number of reasons, the main one being that I happened to have all the ingredients in my larder, everything except the fish. Of course not the fish, because that would be...dangerous.
    This is a South Indian dish with a few basic ingredients. Here's how it goes.

    
   Start with 1 pound of a mild-fleshed fish. Catfish, Snapper or Basa. I chose Basa, since it was on sale.
   Pat the fish dry, cut it into pieces and set it aside.
   In a deep skillet or kadhai heat:
  3 Tbs of vegetable oil. I used coconut oil.
  When the oil is hot add in 1 onion finely chopped.
 Stir fry, until it starts to brown slightly.

  Then toss in:
  1 and 1/2 inch piece of ginger peeled and finely chopped
  6 chopped shallots
  1 tsp of cumin
  2 tsp of coriander
  1/4 tsp of turmeric
  1 tsp of garam masala
    Stir it up and keep it spinning for about 2 minutes.

 
  When things have softened nicely, about two minutes or so add:
  3/4 cup of plain yogurt
  4 finely minced green chiles

 Bring this mixture to a boil,  add salt to taste, then turn down the heat and let things simmer for about 10 minutes.
  Pop your pieces of fish into the sauce and cook until the fish is done, most likely about another 10 minutes or so.

When the fish flakes easily, you'll know you're done!

   Chop about 3 Tbs of fresh cilantro, scatter it across the dish and there you go, in 30 minutes,  Go Fish!

     So on those days when it's absolutely positively too, too hot to spend much time at the stove, this is the way to go. Leave the hot outside, keep it on the plate where it belongs!
  If you'd like to enter the Tropical Traditions Organic Shredded Coconut Giveaway here's how!!
    If you haven't heard about Tropical Traditions Organic Shredded Coconut,  I'm going to be giving away 1 tub of this fabulous dried shredded coconut to a lucky winner. Here are the rules.
  1.) Subscribe to Tropical Traditions free e-mail Newsletter by clicking the link. They offer all sorts of product specials and cool free recipes.
   After you do this, leave a comment on my blog letting me know you have, and either Twitter about my giveaway (@kathygori) or mention it on your blog with a link, and let me know.
Or
2.) Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter and if you don't follow me on Twitter, follow me @kathygori and Twitter about the giveaway. Or sign up to follow my blog The Colors Of Indian Cooking and let me know you've mentioned the giveaway on your blog with a link.
Or
3.) Subscribe to the Tropical Traditions Newsletter and mention my blog and giveaway on Facebook, then let me know you have.
    I have to add for the fine print here:
Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.
    I'm offering this shredded coconut because I've been using it and it's great and I wanted  someone else to be able to enjoy it also.
  The winner will be drawn randomly through Random.org on Sept 1st.