Wohooo ... 2010! Brrrr

I am so frozen stiff, I swear I resemble one of them stalagmites. I had promised myself (here we go with the resolutions, already) to keep posting every second day (!) after Nupur's wonderful Marathon. And, here we are nine days into 2010, woe is me and all. But, really! I am unable to get beyond how cold it is. Highs of -15 F. Lows of -30 F. Kulfi anyone? It's on the slab of ice that was once my deck, getting frozen, right as we speak.

Just yesterday, when three-morsel-eater wanted more of her snackies, I found myself wishing for a Bot. Ahhh ... He/She would cook, clean, feed hungry little ones, and me. Change channels from HGTV to Travel in a jiffy. Change my socks, bathe me too. Er ... maybe that's going too far, even for a house-bot.

But, you get my point.

In this okole-freezing weather that's what every house needs, to pick up the slack, while you are buried under layers of sweaters, duvets, thermals and other woolies. Some passageway for the eyes to see television. Of course, somewhere to breathe from, and also a long, long, straw dipped into the never-ending-fountain-of-hot-chocolate-and-youth. And, then when it's time to eat, you are evacuated by said Bot into this warm, cozy bubble of a thing; the food here will take you back eons of years ago. Every morsel reminiscent of grandma's cooking ... ahhh.

But, what would happen to a body accustomed to only eating, drinking and watching tv? Still, in the bubble, people! Still in the bubble.

You know, we should be like those bears and chipmunks that hibernate during winter. That's so smart! No foraging for food = no cooking either. Not that they cook anyway, everything is salmon sashimi or peanuts. Frankly, I am seriously considering both.

Me: What's that, honey? I have a flu-flaw. What flu-flaw is the man talking about? That's exactly why you don't act like James Bond and shovel snow without a monkey-cap! Flu-flaw, indeed!

An epiphany ... and two minutes later ...

... Me: Oh! A food blog. Right. My food blog.

So, here I am blogging. Beyond stiff. But, cooking and blogging.

Happy 2010, everyone! Summer is not that beyond. Four months of frozen buttocks isn't that long, anyway. (FOUR MONTHS!)

♣ Slurrrp ... And Eat

Nothing can warm the cockles of the soul like a bowl of noodle soup, on a cold winter's night. And if its simple, and quicker to make, than wearing socks, I say eat first. Wear socks later. This recipe comes from one of my go-to Chinese cookbooks, "Authentic Recipes from China," by Kenneth Law, Lee Cheng Meng and Max Zhang, that I keep right next to my Ruchira, and Gordon Ramsay. I have adapted the following recipe for Hot and Spicy Sichuan Noodles, to suit the ingredients in my pantry and refrigerator. It's so versatile that you can easily do a switch-a-roo and no one would be the wiser. According to the authors, this noodle-dish is a favorite street-food in China, sold by hawkers on the go, or "mobile vendors."

Hot and Spicy Sichuan Noddles or Dan Dan Mian
Adapted from Authentic Recipes from China by Kenneth Law, Lee Cheng Meng and Max Zhang

You need:

1/2 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns or Sansho pepper (I substituted with chilli flakes)
1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp oil
8 oz (250 g) ground pork (I substituted chicken for pork and used this delicious authentic egg- roll stuffing from Steamy Kitchen; the stuffing tastes good even without any meat)
2 C (500 ml) chicken stock
1/2 C (125 g) preserved, salted radish, diced or 1/2 C of julienned parsnips (I found the Chinese salted radish a bit too fishy because of the oil used for preservation; parsnips were a wonderful, sweet replacement)
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp black vinegar
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp sesame oil (I used sesame-chili oil)
1 tsp chili oil (optional if you can find sesame-chili oil)
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1 lb (500 g) fresh wheat flour noodles or 8 oz (250 g) dried flat wheat noodles (Egg Fettuccine also works well)
4 spring onions, thinly sliced as garnish

Recipe:

On a low-flame, heat a small pan or wok. Roast the peppercorns or sansho pepper or chilli flakes for two-three minutes. Pour in the peanut oil, and allow to "cook over low heat for 10 minutes to infuse the oil with the flavor of the peppercorns," or chilli flakes. Then, cool completely, strain and leave it be.

Heat oil in the same pan or wok, and "stir-fry the pork for two-three minutes, or until cooked." If using chicken, be careful to cook the chicken on medium heat until it is cooked through-and-through, but still moist. Or simply, follow the steps of the egg-roll stuffing as given here.

"Combine the chili-flake/peppercorn oil, chicken stock," parsnips or "preserved radish, soy sauce, black vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, chili oil and white pepper in a saucepan. Keep warm over medium heat."

In a huge stock-pot of boiling water, sprinkle in some salt, and pour in the flat noodles. "Fresh noodles will take about two-minutes, dried noodles about four." Drain and run some cold water over the noodles, spooning them into serving bowls. Ladle in the "hot broth, top with pork," or chicken or mushroom-carrot medley, and "garnish with spring onion." Slurrrrp. And eat.

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Wok-ing the Wok

I ogle at woks the same way as most women eye shoes and jewelry. Not that I don't the other two, I do. Very much so. Only that woks also happen to occupy that very special place reserved exclusively for accessories. Just so you truly understand, let me give you an example. I am one of those people who will buy the pretty curtains first, think of measuring the window, later. Much later. That's how important accessories are for me. And if said curtains can double as a table-cloth or a bed-spread, even better.

Whether it is soups, diamonds or a piece of utensil -- I look for two things. How accommodative? and the degree of versatility. Nine times out of ten, if these two pre-requisites are satisfied, I will take one. Or two. Depending, to a certain extent, on fabulous things called sales and discounts. Then, I am likely to take four. Well, you know, when I say four, I actually mean five.

So, it goes with woks. I am yet to meet a uni-tasker, and so far, one that I haven't liked. The ones in my kitchen, deep-fry, braise, stir-fry, broil, boil. Heck, I use the dome-side of my aluminum kadhai, to bake Rumali-rotis from time to time. Believe you me, if someone would let me, I wouldn't think twice before trying to pressure-cook in my go-to wonders. You would think such supreme over-confidence must mean I am not in the market, or on e-bay, actively looking for woks. Nope. Nada. Nix. Yeah, yeah I know, I all but put the words in your mouth. But, how could you presume there's such a thing as enough shoes, clothes, and bags! Or woks. The outrage!!

Not surprisingly then, after I solemnly swore to the other-half about laying off woks, for awhile anyways, I unexpectedly ran into "THE" wok at our little outlet mall, on the outskirts of town. Much to the annoyance of the husband, it made me squeal exactly like Sarah Jessica Parker, in the presence of Manolo Blahniks. I didn't care other customers and the store clerks were looking at me funny. Or the possibility that I must look like a cross between SJP and Scrat, the saber-toothed squirrel in Ice Age, putting life and limb in danger for the acorn ... er wok. 

Then, began the rationalization.

"This was definitely not the same as our 14-inch cast iron one, was it?" I asked. Besides, we'd always wanted one, for you know, when there was a small bunch of spinach, or a piddling cauliflower or cabbage. And oh, oh. Imagine if we wanted to fry a small batch of French-fries. Or a mini-assortment of fritters. "The possibilities are endless, honey," I said holding it up to the light. Its strong, wood handle fit perfectly in the palm of my hand. And oh, the bottom! Again, and again I caressed its smooth, undulating form. After four years, AM now knows better than to argue logically with his wife when she says "honey."

And, so we bought our sixth "essential" piece.  I don't think I have ever expressed gratitude for my God-given gift for rationalization, as much. Today, were I to advise a novice on his/her "only" fundamental kitchen must-have. This would be it. The dimensions, its depth and the sheer feel of it. Perfection like you won't believe it. The only, how can I put this delicately, pain-in-the rear has to do with its upkeep. After use, it demands an immediate wash with luke-warm water and soap. Then, it needs to be wiped clean and tucked on to the kitchen shelf after a quick a dab of vegetable oil.

What can I say? It's so much like owning your very first piece of Cashmere.

♣ U.M.A.M.I : D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S
Sure, the Chinese might have given us egg rolls and General Tso's chicken. But, the gobi manchurian -- that's as Indian, as well, Amul butter and pav-bhaji. As most NRI's one of the things I miss most about India, is the Chinese food. And so, like almost every immigrant who wants to re-create home, with its flavors and unique smells, I do too.

One of the first things I wanted to try in the new wok was the following recipe for manchurian, by one Harish Amble. It had been heavily tweaked and lay idling around, pressed between the pages of Better Homes and Garden for quite awhile. Then, we bought us some Kikkoman sweet and sour sauce from a Chinese grocery store, and took the recipe for a spin. The kitchen hasn't stopped smelling like Mainland China, on Dhole-Patil Road ever since.


You need:

1 big cauliflower, broken into medium-sized florets
2 T Cornstarch
8-10 Thai chillies or Serrano peppers, julienne
3 T chopped garlic
1 T chopped ginger
2 T Soy sauce
1 bottle of Kikkoman's sweet and sour sauce
Spring onions, roughly chopped for garnishing
Peanut oil for deep-frying

Recipe:

Set the wok with enough oil to deep-fry the florets. Then, slowly add cold water to the cornstarch, we need just enough to make a relatively runny batter and one that can thinly coat the cauliflower. Dunk in the florets , a little at a time, and deep-fry until golden-brown. Remove and set aside on a wire-rack, similarly fry the remaining cauliflower and leave it be until later.

Heat another wok (you have two, don't you?) and add a couple of tablespoons of oil. Toss in the ginger, garlic and green chillies and stir-fry until they turn a chocolatey brown. Spoon in the Soy sauce and a couple of tablespoons of sweet and sour sauce, tossing and stirring constantly, so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.

Mix in the fried florets at this point, depending on how dry or moist you prefer your manchurian add some more sweet and sour sauce. AM and I use up almost the entire bottle for a big cauliflower. Toss and mix for about 7-10 minutes. Throw in a handful of chopped green onions, and nosh with fried or steamed rice.
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