Delhi Markets

One of the things that I love to do most in Delhi is buy produce with my father and Great Aunt Kumud.  We take a walk in the mornings either at Deer Park or the Rose Garden, and before we go home we buy vegetables from the vendors right there to cook that day.

This is what turmeric root looks like when you buy it fresh.

Sometimes, we end up buying from vendors we find along the way on our walks.

I love to watch my Dad and Great Aunt bargain and discuss what's good and what's fresh with the vendors.  They get very serious when they talk fruits and vegetables!

Even the grocery stores around have pretty great quality vegetables which we sometimes buy.  I remember this one guy came into the store and basically bought every single eggplant in the store. I think he must have been a chef and they were some of the most beautiful eggplants I had ever seen.

I was really curious about these berries that I kept on seeing in the market so we brought a few home.  I have to be honest, I really didn't like the taste of them because they are not that sweet and really tart but here are some that we brought home. The last berry is the goose berry or also called amla, which is used in an Indian pickle that I love to make.

Another fun thing to do is go to the market at night time. There is kind of a different energy then and I like how the stalls are all lit up.  This is the night market in Malviya Nagar across the street from my Great Aunt's apartment.  You can load up on everything and anything here  - fresh paneer, dried fruits and nuts, vegetables and fruits, Indian pickles, hot snack mixes and stainless steel kitchen items, which is my personal favorite!

Nigerian Rice & Indian Curry Bowl @ Cooking By Heart Screening

Cooking by Heart by friends Alana and Paul is a series of short videos documenting recipes as they are shared across generations. Three of the videos in their series, including the video they filmed of my father teaching me how to make chapati, were screened at a Moviehouse event at 3rd Ward along with Everyday is a Holiday, Theresa Loong’s documentary about her father’s  journey from being a Chinese POW in a Japanese camp to a US citizen.

A Cooking by Heart video premiered that night which featured my friend Ediomi learning how to make Nigerian jollof rice from her mother, Affiong.  This is me with Ediomi and Affiong!

In the spirit of Cooking by Heart, I wanted to collaborate with Ediomi on a dish that represented recipes that we learned from our families and we decided to make a Nigerian Rice and Indian Curry Bowl.

Sounds a little far-fetched, but the flavors really came together! The bowl was made of my Great Aunt Kumud's chana masala recipe and my mom's spinach yogurt raita recipe and was served over Affiong's recipe for Nigerian jollof rice.

And to top it off, my cousin Sumanth made his amazing masala chai!

I was so proud of Alana & Paul and excited to see all of their hard work on the big screen.

The place was so packed, people had to sit on the floor! Success!  These were the three Cooking by Hearts videos shown that night:

My Dad teaching me how to make chapati

Georgia's mom teaching her how to forage for and cook mushrooms in VT

Ediomi's mom teaching her how to make Nigerian jollof rice

To watch all of them, you can go to their site, and there are more videos to come - next one features the acclaimed chef, Peter Berley and his daughter.

The Cooking by Heart duo have taken off for France for the next year to work on farms and continue their project abroad.  They left us with this cute of cute videos!  xo Paulana!

 

Thanks to Alana and Ediomi for the photos!

Indian Vegetable Coconut Curry

 

I've been wanting to make an Indian coconut milk curry for some time and I finally did it! I visited Goa couple years back and got to try some a amazing coconut curries there so I wanted this recipe to be a take on those, but also incorporate the vegetables and soupiness of a Thai coconut curry.  

The base is made from onions, garlic, ginger and then a few Indian spices. You can use a variety of different vegetables, but I really liked how the yellow squash and broccoli soaked up all the flavors. I added in some baked tofu too to round it out.

I served this curry with brown rice and a hot mango pickle. If you add some stock or more water, this recipe could also be used in a noodle soup dish with udon or egg noodles.


Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil
pinch of hing or asafetida (optional)
1/2 onion, chopped

1 leek, chopped fine

1 carrot, chopped into 1/4 inch rounds

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 inch ginger, grated

2 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/3 teaspoon turmeric

2 tablespoons coriander powder

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch squares
1 bunch broccoli, broken into florets
1 yellow zucchini, chopped into 1/4 inch rounds
1 can coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 package of baked tofu, cubed
juice of 1/2 lime
cilantro, handful chopped
salt to taste

Method
Heat oil under medium-low heat. Throw in a pinch of hing and shake up a bit. Throw in onions, leeks and carrot and fry until onions are translucent.  Add in ginger and garlic and mix well.  Throw in the spices and mix well, frying for a minute or so.  Next throw in the rest of the vegetables and make sure to coat them in the spices.  Mix in the brown sugar and salt.  Pour in coconut milk and bring to a boil and simmer until the vegetables are cooked.  Mix in the tofu until heated and turn off stove.  Mix in the lime juice and chopped cilantro.

Serve with rice and hot Indian pickle.

Cooking By Heart Screening @ Moviehouse 3rd Ward Event

Very exciting news! Cooking By Heart, a video series by friends Alana Lowe and Paul Helzer about preserving cooking traditions will be screened at a Moviehouse event at 3rd Ward this Sunday. One of the videos that will be screened features my father teaching me how to make chapati. You can watch that video here, but come to the event to see their amazing work on the big screen.

I'll also be preparing a Nigerian/Indian rice curry bowl with my buddy Ediomi, who's in one of the Cooking By Heart videos too that will be shown that night.  There is word on the street that my cousin, Sumanth will be bringing his killer masala chai so don't miss out!

This is also a little bit of a send off for Alana & Paul who will be moving to France to work on farms and continue to document food traditions while traveling around the country.

And look out in the next couple weeks for an upcoming Cooking by Heart video featuring the world re-knowned chef and cooking instructor, Peter Berley!

Event Info

Sunday, February 12

3rd Ward map

195 Morgan Avenue, between Meadow and Stagg

Brooklyn, NY 11237

7PM - Doors & Food

8PM - Film Screenings

suggested donation of $10 to support filmmakers

More info

See you Sunday!