Some old friends of mine were recently in town and came over to make dinner. N, whose family is from Andhra, does lots of cooking stuff differently from me, and it was fascinating to hear her talk about it. We (okay, she; the other two of us mostly chopped and helpfully tasted) made three dishes. One: a South Indian-style daal with veggies in it. (I’ve long plopped frozen spinach in my paruppu, but tomatoes for some reason never occurred to me.) Two: chana with mushrooms from a recipe that we found on the Interwebs… And three: the piece de meat resistance, lamb curry.
We ate and drank and made merry and curry. It was fun, and I learned a lot from watching N. She has a deft hand with spices, and the curry aged well, too. So well, in fact, that I was moved to try some experiments. A few mornings later, I was eating breakfast, and I was looking at my hot buttered challah toast (from the criminally delicious Zingerman‘s). It looked lonely and sad and curry-less, and I thought, you know what would go really well with that? The gravy from the lamb curry, thickened from having been in the fridge. Curry and toast is old hat for some people, but this time, because I was too lazy to heat it up, the lamb kulambu was almost the consistency of jam.
I’ve blogged here before about cooking and food and fusion dishes encountered on my travels… but the fact is, some of the most creative fusion I’ve eaten has been in my own kitchen, as the result of leftovers, laziness and not having anyone else around at that moment to exclaim “Chee!” at my idea. There is considerable serendipity (forgive me, Vivek said I just had to use that word) in sloth. Challah and curry is seriously good. The eggy crustiness of the toasted bread stands up well to cold curry, particularly thick meat gravy. It’s even better with lamb than with chicken. And now that I’ve done it once, I would eat it on purpose, not just out of desperation.
A few days later, I ate a bagel with leftover paruppu on it for lunch. (Pictured above.) It was what I had on hand. I was in a rush. And surprise: it was tasty. I told a number of people with more… conventional preferences, and they were a little grossed out. But it was delicious, filling, and even healthy. (Better than a bagel and cream cheese, at least.)
Made anything similar? Tell, so I can try it! I won’t judge, regardless of whether you spike your milk with Sriracha, put Bru in your hot chocolate, slather your laddoos with maple syrup, or put Cheerios in your spicy snack mix. Really. What can I say? Years ago, I accidentally discovered that a banana that had fallen into the shrimp curry puddle at the bottom of my pittu lunch plate was outright delicious. I’ve been improvising ever since.
Recently: Abhi’s post on Deep prepackaged foods
Paaaaaaaaaass the challah on the left hand side!
Aiyo, I’m hungry.
paruppu bagel!… Ive gotta try it out. The craziest thing ive ever done was baked a pizza with channa, spinach and some left over curry to add some spice…
Daal goes with damn near any produce imaginable. It’s magick like that. Sriracha and milk? I’m scared, but intrigued.
As for my own, I brew my own chai and use it in oatmeal instead of water during the cooller months. It makes an awesome coffee medium, too, but you need to use a french press unless you want tons of residue in your machine (and all coffee made in that machine to taste like chai henceforth…not that that’s a bad thing at all).
Kimchi scrambled eggs! The other day I was making my breakfast, already feeling bored about scrambled eggs AGAIN, when I opened my fridge and my eye immediately fell upon the huge jar of kimchi we bought from Costco. I chopped some into my eggs and scrambled it up with some ginger powder. Damn it was good. I am drooling now thinking about it.
About the banana in soup – that’s how my South American husband likes it too! He also puts fresh avocado in stews. It’s really good!
Ever since I was a wee lad I used to enjoy mixing cooked egg-yolks into my saambar. Oh it’s good.
Sriracha is rather acidic. Won’t it curdle the milk?
Actually. . . that gives me an idea for homemade paneer. . .
Panko crumbs? (Yes I realize that’s a bit like saying “Chai tea.”)
Actually egg whites would probably work to hold the thing together.
brilliant.
no offense to anyone else so far, but in my kitchen stadium, darth paul has been declared iron chef of the first 10 comments :).
Rooh Afza, bit(hes.
oh and i LOVE P.Gori’s “recipes”. particularly – “Make a tarka (using olive oil or ghee) of hing, haldi, zeera, dhanya powder and mirch. Mash up tofu and sautee along with chopped spinich, cilantro leaves, fresh dill, fresh rosemary, anything else you like. Sprinkle some feta on top. To add a “Mex” feel roll above in a tortilla OR roti (chapati).”
mix anything with anything. wow. where are you going to serve this, at a NetIP event?
Not desi, but good gods, that stuff is amazing in an omlette! I’m sure your neighbors hate you for that, but it’s SO worth it.
GET OUT OF MY BRAIN…
Flattery will get you everywhere.
darth paul deserves a f*n medal because he “brews his own chai”.
“Sriracha and milk? I’m scared, but intrigued.” wow. are people this clueless about food? and humour?
no, because he uses it as a broth. it is a very simple but elegant idea, and has lot of potential. for example, this is an excellent way to use any leaf. unlike spices which give their flavor in the form of oil, leaves are sometimes a challenge because their flavor compounds are water soluble—hence you have to be careful about overheating them. making a tea with them and then using the broth gives lot more control (plus it is easy to discard the leaves). basil rice? flavored dough? the potentials are endless. admittedly real chefs probably do this all the time, but this is a thread for amateurs.
Spicy Cheerios!! It is the BEST snack. Oh, and I’ve been known to make some “intersting concoctions” as my mom put it…make pancake batter and throw in chilis/onions….vagar(indian stir fry) bread…ahh..so much food, so little time.
i didn’t mean to offend you P.G, but i really don’t care who was first. and i am pretty sure the trendy tea box ppl were not the first either. all these cooking techniques are probably systematically taught in every cuisine. in fact, i am sure both of us have used it unknowingly (adding tea bags to channa is a common recipe).
but occasionally someone says something that systematizes things in my mind. then i get happy. thats all.
Please don’t feed the PG troll. She’s been banned and will probably be desperate enough to come back because she can’t stay away, so don’t encourage her by responding to her. Removal of troll droppings will occur regularly, fret not.
i once used milo to make a frosting for a cake. i also like theplas with apricot jam. and dosas go with pretty much anything, as do crepes.
re paruppu – i never really liked it growing up because all we would add was butter and cumin, but north-indian style dal totally changed my perpective
Okay…
1) I did not say I combined sriracha and milk! I said I would not judge you if YOU did! I have never done this. It probably would curdle. And I am mildly lactose intolerant.
2) Curly, I totally concocted spicy Cheerios. Didn’t know anyone actually did that! Interesting to hear they taste good. I suppose this harkens back to that moment in The Namesake when Tabu ever so sadly adds spice to her Rice Krispies.
3) Darth Paul! I put all sort of stuff in my oatmeal, so this is something I can really get behind. I’ve long made my oatmeal with applesauce, apple juice, bananas… whatever I can do to cram some extra nutrients in there, since oatmeal is usually what I eat when I’m in a rush (and again, not big on milk anymore). Tea is a great idea.
4) I shamelessly put instant coffee powder, specifically Bru, into lots of stuff. Maybe I will try oatmeal next. Perhaps I should be buying in bulk. Favorite combo: Bru + Jacques Torres Wicked Hot Chocolate (which has chilies in it).
5) Paratha PBJ. Please use MD jam, preferably mango or woodapple.
7) Somegal: I had no idea what Rooh Afza was until you mentioned it. Now I am thinking of things I can do with Ribena.
8) Would putting mango pulp in my oatmeal be wrong?
Mmm, mango pulp in oatmeal would be awesome.
My mom makes a mean “mixture”/snack mix from Rice Krispies, Kix, peanuts, raisins, Shredded Wheat and those little fried potato sticks. She’s been doing that since I was a kid and it’s way less greasy than the packaged stuff at the Indian grocery. I’ll have to suggest Cheerios the next time she does it.
I love eating potato chips soaked in buttermilk, or plain yogurt in a pinch. I ate bowlfuls of this when pregnant so I’m sure my baby is also cursed with weird-o tastes.
I would pay good money to find fresh Amul cheese (from the can) and that really thin sliced sweet white bread you used to get in South India in a polka-dotted wrapper. Anyone remember what it was called? Those make a DAMN good grilled cheese.
oh – using that fake Oregon chai in Oatmeal instead of water is really yummy too.
for pasta sauce, i put grape tomatoes in the toaster oven. and then the secret ingredient: a tadka of ajwain.
It’s kind of sad, but I have more memories of the “can’t find Indian snacks and desperate for something Indian” chiwda than the regular version.
Also, I’ve been known to put Indian spices in the strangest things. I’ve made brownies with elaichi and bruchetta with tamarind chutney. And Indian-style spaghetti with garam masal was a staple when I was growing up
Pasta and dried fish chips…you know the sort, we Sinhalese call it umbalakada, maldive fish.I just fried up a bunch of garlic, chillies and umbalakada and mixed it through with some penne.
I just ate Five Guys fries with MTR’s hot Tomato pickle. Ridiculously addictive. It’s still red stuff on my fries, but it’s like the difference between a Chevy Aveo and a Porsche 918 Spyder.
@ ARC – was it modern bread? i remember eating loads of that as a kid, grilled on the dosa rai with some nay and eating it with maggi ketchup. sigh maggi – serious comfort food. i haven;t eaten the noodles in decades, but i still eat that sweet and spicy sauce every once in a while (my law school daily breakfast was scrambled eggs with chaat masala, toast, tea, and maggi sauce).
OMG yes, @ak, Modern bread!! I knew it started with an ‘M’ just couldn’t remember what it was called. YUM. The closest I’ve found here is the thin sliced Pepperidge Farm bread but even that wasn’t as sweet. Those Maggi noodles were pretty yummers too.
@ ARC – i initially HATED modern bread (my parents only bought wheat for us in the states) and it always crumbled a bit when you spread jam (the sickly sweet kissan variety) on it. but once i combined it with savoury – awesome! it’s also good for french toast (sweet or savoury). i’m not surprised about not being able to find it here, but now that we’re talking about it, i wonder if something like challah, or more likely brioche would be similar, at least in taste – i don’t think we can ever find something here that would recreate the texture + taste. maybe i’ll do some experimenting this weekend and let you know 😉
re maggi – on no-cooking nights, the kids would get maggi noodles, and my uncle would eat chicken 65 from a local place – the combination of the two was surprisingly good.
Just go here, Modern Bread lovers!
One that I stumbled into — Halibut or Scallops poached in Rasam.
OMG that Kissan jam, YES!! What fruit was it anyway? It’s kind of sad that I ate all these “western” foods when I was visiting India, huh? That’s a 7 year-old for you!
I like Challah and brioche but they’re both too “fluffy” – that Modern bread was thin and dense. The King’s sweet Hawaiian bread is kind of similar in taste, but not in texture – it’s also too fluffy. But I’d love to hear how your experiments turn out! And yeah, I think my mom made us French toast with it too and I remember it being great. But the Amul grilled cheese is still my fave.
@VVG – it’s only 5000 or so miles away 🙂
Some of the omani workers I work with, dunk an entire thing of glucose cookies into their cup of tea and drink the pasty pulp. The very smell and sound of their slurping is enough to churn my stomach, but they drink it as though it was handed to them from the gods.
for better nachos, on top of chip:
salty paarupu, habanero’d tomato cuzhombu (not jelly-state but warmed up) and sweet onion fried in butter and dried fenugreek leaves.
if feeling adventurous, add black-market amul cheese.
alternate combination: canned sardines, leftover pittu and tamarind sodhi.
Potato chips + alfalfa sprouts + rice + dal = Surprisingly tasty.
mango pickle on home fries/toaster hash bronwns with a side of cottage cheese and slices of green chili = Saheli’s breakfast of champions. (I mean, it’s terrible, but so damn good. Got me through grad school.)
Hummus or Salsa instead of chutney on pakoras–also good, if sorta incestuous. (Chickpeas with your chickpeas?)
Cornchips + yogurt + chaat masala = also delicious.
Try this since you are all adventurous: Corn bread mix. Add finely chopped cabbage, onions, cilantro, green chillies and bake according to instructions. You get really spicy bread 🙂 which I like as I am from Bangalore and eat sweetish-khara stuff.
had to add my $.02. Prepare store-bought frozen tater tots and add store bought imli chutney, green chutney, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, and cilantro. It’s so semi-desi-home-made-not.
It’s just occurred to me that I’ve never made a cocktail with Sriracha. AND I DON’T KNOW WHY.
Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
It’s a critical ingredient in Yoga Fire’s Bloody Madhavi.
(Which is basically a Bloody Mary with Sriracha and some curry powder and nalla karam in it.
Serendipity? DO you think tamarind and Sriracha would go together?
Read Vivek’s Tamtini post here. Apologies. I should have linked it before.
Maybe in a fish pulusu, but I’m not sure what kind of cocktail I would make with it. They’re both very strong flavors. They’re going to clash with each other unless one of them is used very subtly, but if that’s the case there isn’t much point in using it at all.
yes, they are both acidic, but wouldn’t the sourness cut the chili a bit, and wouldn’t salt temper both?
btw, what’s nalla karam – a specific blend of chili?
I’d rather use lime for that though. Then again, I’m big on citrus.
Yep. I’ve always bought it pre-made actually. All this time I just assumed it was a type of powdered chili. It wasn’t until just now that I learned it’s actually a spice-mix. And it turns out there’s tamarind in it too! So there we go.
Bagel+sharp cheddar+mango pickle = crazy good!
My Indian favorites: Bread spread with guava jam topped with fresh cream and bread topped with fresh cream topped with Bournvita or with salt-n-pepper. The cream with something as simple as salt and pepper is amazing. I miss that daily dose of fresh cream 🙁
A new fave here is pineapple + sliced banana peppers (the neon yellow rings)…it has texture, heat, sweetness.
Anyone rim a cocktail glass with kala namak?
I think I’m the only Desi, nay, human who detests Sriracha. I love heat, but I think it tastes like ass. I don’t want sugar in my hot sauce. Now Hunan Chili Sauce? Yum.
But. . . Maagi Hot n’ Sweet. . . General Tso’s Chicken. . .
all the best hot sauces have sugar in them!
I don’t eat either of those things. 🙂 I have a very strong preference for sweets being consumed at breakfast, or after something savory. I don’t like hot and sweet anything. I keep the two separate.
Is there any other country on the face of the Earth that has the sheer variety of cuisine that India has?
America?
One of my recent experiments was – one layer of Almond Butter and one layer of Raw mango relish between 2 slices of bread. It was awesome!
Prasad @49, ahh yes. almond butter and raw mango relish (pacchadi?) remind me of my college staple..peanut butter and avakaya sandwiches. I got through undergrad and grad on that combination.