Exhausted

I just peeped in to say I'm pooped! I didn't think I'd be back in school for another graduate degree.....and let me just say it is NOT for the faint hearted:( I forgot how much it sucks to do homework every day and have exams pop up like unexpected zits, on the bright side, it is a TON better than working in consulting and schmoozing for a living, now I might actually be able to provide tangible value in my next job, hahaha!!

Update

It's been crazy hectic going back to school. It was not the smartest decision to go back to school this summer.Summer semesters last only 6 weeks and cram a LOT of information! if you're taking 4 classes...it's safe to assume you have NO life, which is why I've been MIA for so long.It's been over 3 months since I've peeped into my kitchen and I'm beginning to wonder if I've lost my cooking mojo forever. The good news is that my husband is blossoming into quite the chef, since I've been a huge control freak about letting him in (because he makes a huge mess every time he makes brownies out of box!)Anyway, I'm hoping for some inspiration and extra time, until then Chipotle's my home away from home!!

BACK

I'm back after a much needed trip to India, I decompressed, pigged out, gave FabIndia and Anokhi phenomenal business and generally chilled out with my family. It was just what the doctor ordered. Ofcourse being in India was fabulous, the great food (both ghar ka khana and chaat- needless to say being a Delhi girl I'm a HUGE chatora) the people jam (after barely seeing my neighbors, it was such a treat to people watch!)the noise, the anticipation of a summer shower when the temperature hit 46 degrees, the madness of the IPL, the luscious mangoes and juicy lychees, catching up with family and friends and bitching about everyone and everything with my mom. My worries seem ludicrous now and I'm looking forward to starting a new chapter in my life...I'm headed back to school for my second Master's Degree next week...while it's not culinary school...it's still quite a change, baby steps I guess!
Feeling particularly inspired and inclined to experiment after being in Delhi for a month, so will start cooking and posting soon:)

I am thoroughly enjoying my time in Delhi, it is so awesome to not worry about cooking, cleaning, getting laundry done and running random errands. A cup of tea is always just 2 minutes away and I don't have to lift a finger...dang I could get used to living like this all over again:)
I'd have never even entertained thoughts of cooking had I not left India...then again atleast I now have the basic skills to survive!!

Things have been looking up lately, and I'm glad to report that happy days are here again! I'm in Delhi for a bit, gorging on mangoes, chaat and tons of maa ki dal and butter naans, you'll soon find a collage of all the food I've devoured on this trip so watch this space! Looking forward to meeting up with a few bloggers too, holler if anyone's in Delhi.

My life is beyond messed up at this point...so until something gives and things make a turn for the not so bad.....I will not be posting.

Choley Series,Part 2- Khatte Meethe Choley (Sweet and Sour Chickpeas) and a Spiked Masala Soda

Next up in my choley series is a light and easy hour d'oeuvres - a sweet and sour chickpea dish.It is a popular street food sold all over India and packs a burst of flavor in every bite. Served with a side of soft melt in your mouth kulchas, pungent raw red onions, loads of bright cilantro and lime wedges, it is one street food that is as healthy as it flavorful. In the north of India you will often find these sweet and sour chickpeas made out of white peas also known as matar/matra or vatana that's got a gorgeous buttery texture to it. You could always replace chickpeas with those as well, but since I'm professing my love for chickpeas in this series, I used them instead.
I miss Delhi so much right now, just typing "street food" made me think of my last March in Delhi...the year was 2001, I had just taken my board exams and the possibilities seemed endless. Of course by then I knew that I would be going to the US for school...but I had never thought to take in all the sights, smells and sounds and bundle them and keep them locked inside of me, because someday when I'm curled up on a plush couch surrounded by bright orange walls a million miles away, I'd think back about the matar kulche I had just shared with my close friend on a beautiful handmade bowl of dried leaves and smile after a long sigh!
What I love about this particular choley is the different distinct flavors it has, just a sample of this is enough to understand the various flavors found in Indian street food. Sweet and sour is a classic combination, but this recipe gets an added kick through the other hot and mellow flavors that round it out. Serve these sweet and sour chickpeas as a dip with wedges of pita bread and you're sure sure to hit a home run at your next cocktail party! Ohh and did I mention that these were just as Hatt Ke as my egg cury?!!
A different cocktail that would compliment these chick peas well is my spiked masala soda. In its simplest form it is just good old nimbu paani (lemonade) jazzed up with some kala namak (black salt...but it doesn't look black, it looks pink!) and roasted jeera (roasted cumin seeds that have been powdered) a pinch of chaat masala and spiked with some vodka and finished with a splash of tonic water. I just had a vision of those tiny tanks on rollers you'd see in India (That said "Machine ka thanda paani") on them where a vendor would have neatly stacked glasses and loads of limes all over the top surface of the tank and there would be a tap on top of it from where you cold get cold water or nimbu paani on the street side for 1 rupee while you waited for a bus or were on your way home from somewhere. Of course I was never allowed to drink water from any of those tanks, but I'd still stare at them enamored by the pretty limes that sat atop the tank.

Sweet and Sour Chickpeas (Serves 4) - adapted from "The Food of India"

Ingredients:

1 cup of garbanzo beans/chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked till soft. (Alternately you could use a can of cooked garbanzo beans)
3 chopped tomatoes
1 thinly sliced onion
1/2 an inch of grated ginger
1.5 tsp sugar
1.5 tsp freshly ground cumin seeds
1.5 tsp of freshly ground coriander seeds
1 tsp red chili powder /cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbs tamarind pulp/ tamarind extract (I used store bought tamarind chutney, which was a great idea, because it has dates in it and it is the prefect sweet sour condiment!)
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil
Handful of finely chopped cilantro leaves

Katte Meethe Choley- How to:

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion until it gets a deep golden hue.
Add the grated ginger and let it fry up for an additional minute.
Add the cooked garbanzo beans, sugar, cumin and coriander seed powder, red chili powder, garam masala and some salt.
Let it cook through for a few minutes.
Add the tamarind pulp and the chopped tomatoes and let it simmer for a few additional minutes until the tomatoes break down and turn pulpy.
Add a splash of water if the curry looks dry and bring the curry to a boil and cook it until it thickens. (about 7 minutes)
Garnish it with lots of freshly chopped cilantro leaves and serve it at room temperature with baked pita wedges, slices of lemon and a side of chopped red onions.
I served mine with my leftover TJ's masala naans that just don't seem to be getting used up and washed it down with the spiked masala soda.

Spiked Masala Soda: (serves 1)

Ingredients:

Juice of 2 limes
1/2 tsp kala namak (black salt)
1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder
pinch of chaat masala (optional)
2.5 tsp sugar (more if you like it sweeter)
2 shots vodka (or thereabouts!)
splash of tonic water
water

Spiked Masala Soda, how to:

In a chilled glass add a few ice cubes.
Mix the lime juice, sugar, chaat masala, kala namak and cumin together. Add a little cold water to it (maybe 1/4 cup) and pour it into the glass.
Add the vodka shots to it, and top it off with some tonic water and you're good to go!