MemeMeal and RCI Punjab

July 12, 2007 at 12:39 am · Filed under About, Cooking, indian cuisine

I’m late to the game for this one, I know. Thank you Bee, for tagging me.
You were right — it’s not easy!

This is eight random things, which may have begun as seven random things,
about oneself. I am so far behind reading that I’m not sure who has already
done this. I’ll tag ISG, SudhaV, and MT when she gets back.
Please don’t feel obliged — play along only if you want. 🙂
Anyone else who would like to join in, come ahead!

paneer-vegetable butter masala (see item #8)

Eight Random Things

1. Aside from a very few tricks at my mother’s and grandmother’s sleeve,
I learned nothing about cooking while growing up. When I left home at 19,
I bought a copy of James Beard’s Theory and Practice of Good Cooking —
a book I can highly recommend, incidentally, to anyone who wants to learn the basics in a no-nonsense fashion.
I learned to cook with that book — read until it literally fell apart.
I still keep it carefully in a paper bag to hold it all in one place, and I do refer to it now and again.

2. (maybe obvious!) I am slightly obsessed with food. Some people read the classics — I read cookbooks. Most of mine are about the cuisine of a particular country, or region, rather than “soups” or “salads” etc. I like cookbooks that tell a story and I enjoy learning about culture and people through traditional cuisine. India is the third stop on my culinary tour through Asia; I prior years I have delved into China and Japan. I can also manage a few Thai and Korean dishes, though my foray into others has not yet been as extensive.
My favorite Chinese cookbook is The Taste of China by Ken Hom (ebay listing provided solely for photograph of this out-of-print edition – I am not affiliated in any way) and my favorite Japanese cookbook is Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art
by Shizuo Tsuji.

Interestingly, it is Indian food that I adopted as my own before I realised it. I am sure that has something to do with fate (sub-random thing: I believe in fate!) and something to do with people I have come to know here and the warmth and encouragement I have been fortunate to receive. My favorite Indian cookbooks so far are Cooking At Home With Pedatha, by Jigyasa Giri and Pratibha Jain, and Bapsi Nariman’s A Gourmet’s Handbook of Parsi Cuisine. Of course there are many others on my wish list.

3. I don’t live in Michigan (although I talk about it alot!). I was born there and left while I was too young to remember. I first went back about four years ago, and fell in love with my home state. I hope to relocate permanently in a few years.
Some of the best things about northern Michigan, in no particular order:

No Traffic! Well, at times they do have what could be called traffic, but that’s nothing compared to Cape Cod on a summer weekend 😉

The Upper Peninsula, where you can find sandhill cranes, Lake Superior, and agates. Lake Superior agates are considered the oldest agates in the world.
I also think they are the most beautiful.

Ore carriers. Watching these giant freighters is unbelievably fun!

Loons 🙂

4. I am an avid birdwatcher. That is one thing I can say I got from my parents; both are birdwatchers as well, and I kick myself when I think back to all the great opportunities I scoffed at as an ‘uninterested teenager’.
At least I finally came around; it is a joy to share with them now.

5. I am a chronic worrier. I don’t want to pass that trait on to my kids, so I am constantly working to overcome it. Sometimes that takes all my energy!

6. I enjoy most music — from country to folk, rock to classical, and everything in between. Song Of The Lakes is my current favorite.
Turn up the Sonific console in the sidebar ———- >
for a sample, or visit their website. Great stuff!

7. I still love to watch my kids while they’re sleeping. There’s nothing like a houseful of contented kiddies and kitties!

8. My *big dream* is to own my own business. I would love to have a little specialty shop/takeaway type place where I could sell homemade, small-batch foods.

One idea I’ve considered for such a venture concerns Indian food. Now that I cook and eat it regularly, I realise that most ready-meals, even frozen entrees available in Indian groceries and elsewhere are higher in fat than I can afford. Ditto for most restaurants.

I am convinced there is a market for healthy, homestyle Indian food that you can’t get through most outlets. I think a line of fresh, conveniently packaged homemade Indian dishes that are low in fat and high in taste would be a huge hit in New England. Thanks again, Bee, for inviting me to play. Here’s my chance to display a prototype meal. 😉

~~~

Paneer-Vegetable Butter Masala

I found this delicious, low-fat paneer at Spiceland
(Arjuna, are you still out there? 🙂 ). I imagine it could be browned in Pam before adding to the curry — I tried it without browning.

I don’t get lowfat Indian yogurt here, and I can’t stand Dannon and the like.
I use Fage. All varieties are excellent and taste delicious — even the nonfat.

Almost any vegetable you like could be used here. I like the rich flavor that roasted eggplant brings. With the addition of yogurt, I don’t miss the extra butter or nuts.

~~~

Pam spray

1 small potato, roughly diced
1 long asian eggplant or 3-4 babies, diced (1 1/2 – 2 cups raw)
1/2 c button mushrooms, cleaned

2 oz fresh lowfat paneer, cubed

1 tsp butter

1 large onion, blanched and pureed
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp fresh minced garlic
2-3 TB tomato paste

1 TB cumin-coriander powder
1 tsp kashmiri chile powder
1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 c lowfat yogurt

additional water as needed
salt to taste

garam masala to finish (optional)

~~~

Coat a non-stick skillet with Pam and heat over med-high heat. Add potatoes and brown, shaking the pan, for about 2-3 minutes. Add eggplant and mushrooms. Continue cooking, shaking the pan to keep the veggies from sticking, another 5 minutes or until well browned. Add a couple tablespoons water, lower the heat to medium, and cook until potatoes are tender and all the liquid is absorbed — another 5 minutes or so. Hold the cooked veggies aside while preparing the curry.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion puree. Fry the onion, stirring frequently, until the moisture is gone and onion is starting to stick a little. Raise the heat to med-high and add ginger and garlic. Continue cooking, watching carefully, until the mixture catches a little — the idea is to carmelize it slightly. Don’t worry if there is a small amount that appears too brown — this will dissolve into the sauce when water is added. At this point, reduce heat back to medium and add 2-3 TB water. Scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and spice powders, along with 1 cup water. Adjust the heat so the mixture is just simmering, cover and allow to cook 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, dissolve the cornstarch in a small amount of water, then add to the yogurt. Stir thoroughly and add to the simmering curry. Cook a few minutes to thicken, still stirring, adding water as necessary to reach the consistency you prefer. Finally, fold in the vegetables and paneer cubes and heat through.
Check the seasoning and add salt to taste, garam masala if desired.

Serve hot with rice, rotis, or for a dieter’s alternative, serve with pan-roasted cauliflower in place of starch. The bland taste and firm texture of cauliflower makes a great substitute. I have no self-control when it comes to starch, so I often make this switch. It’s a great way to cut some calories from a meal without sacrificing taste.

a light yet filling meal, counter-clockwise from top: paneer-vegetable butter masala, pan-roasted cauliflower, Manisha’s no-oil lime pickle (with garlic), cold boiled peanuts, low-fat yogurt, fresh radishes, and crispy papad

So what do you think? Theoretically, would a person buy something like that? Please don’t hesitate to offer an honest opinion; I am genuinely interested.

And now, paneer-vegetable butter masala is going to dear Richa, appropriately of As Dear As Salt, for her RCI Punjab. Thanks, Richa!

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