Nuts for Cashews

Piles of ripe, unprocessed cashews in the market in Nam Cat Dien, Vietnam.

These nuts (technically seeds) grow beneath a dupe or false fruit.  The false fruit falls off and the cashews are harvested, the skins and shells mechanically removed due to toxins and then the seed itself undergoes some heat treatment to get rid of the poison ivy-like chemicals (yes, even the ones sold as raw.)

In some countries the cashew apple is used as a fruit (it is astringent and can irritate some folks).  In others it is fermented into a wine or made into a liquor.  I saw it as a fruit in Vietnam and tasted some vile liquor made from it when I was in southern India.

Vietnam was the world's largest grower of cashews in 2012. I also show plantations of the plants with their colorful cashew apples in northern Cambodia, where they (and rubber trees) were being planted to reforest the deforested jungle and forest areas.

A note: due to Google Blogger mobile inadequacies photos aren't laid out exactly how I'd like them and you, the raeader, are used to, but once I return home I'll clean everything up.

The One That Didn't Get Away --- A Tuna Salad Story with Recipe (andHot Lime Pickle)

Often I get an idea for a recipe that seems perfect until I actually get to the kitchen, make it and have my first bite.  This tuna salad, filled with the flavor of Indian hot lime pickle, was almost one of those near misses but I tinkered with proportions and condiments and was able to reel in a tasty winner.

Two Indian ingredients are used in the recipe. In the tuna salad itself you'll need achar -- pickled, spiced lime rinds.  Different companies make it in different degrees of hotness and chunkiness. Since it will be chopped it doesn't matter if you get the relish style (somewhat smaller pieces of lime rind) or regular hot lime pickle.  The pickle adds a little heat, spices, acid and astringency to the the salad.  Serving the mango chutney mayo with the tuna salad smoothes and adds a bit of sweetness to the combo.  Serve as small tea sandwiches as in the recipe below or use fresh or moistened lavash (or large flour tortillas) and roll and slice for party appetizers.

I first envisioned this recipe for my friend Mona's grand baby's "welcome party" when I made the lavash version.  I adapted to this easier tea sandwich version when her Indian auntie came to tea recently.  I've also made it with mashed tofu instead of tuna and with vegan mayonnaise for a vegan version. I haven't tried it yet but I think it would be delicious with smashed chickpeas instead of the tuna. 

A word about the ingredients. I used Patak's hot lime relish, which is fairly widely available on line and in specialty, Indian and Middle Eastern grocery stores. This is the first time I've used tuna in several years and I used Sea Fare Pacific wild caught albacore packed in salt-free natural juices. The chutney was from Trader Joe's, but any Major Grey's style or sweet mango chutney will work fine. I also used 1 oz.-sized King's Hawaiian sweet rolls. (Note I'm writing this on my ipad and will update to include the links later)

Hot Lime Pickle Tuna Salad with Mango Chutney Mayo

Makes 8 tea sandwiches or about 4 regular sandwiches

1-6 oz. container of tuna, drained well and flaked

1-2 Tbs. hot lime pickle or relish, finely chopped

3 Tbs. mayonnaise 

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. salt (optional)

1 1/2 Tbs. mayonnaise 

1 1/2 Tbs.mango chutney, finely chopped

8 small sweet Hawaiian or Portuguese style rolls

16 very thin slices of cucumber

8 very thin slices of tomato, drained on paper towel

Mix together tuna, 1 Tbs. lime pickle and pepper.  Stir well.  Taste.  Gradually add in second tablespoon of pickle by teaspoonfuls and mixing and tasting as you go until you get the right level of heat, spice and astringency for you. I like it with the full 2 Tbs. You can probably go a bit hotter than normal for yourself since the bread and mayo will be sweet. Taste again and decide if you want to add salt.. Both the pickle and tuna probably have enough salt you won,t need to add more.)

Mix mayo with chutney.  Spread inside top and bottom of each roll with mayo mixture. Arrange 2 cucumber slices on bottom of roll, top with 1/8th of tuna salad and then with tomato slice. Close roll.  Repeat with remaining rolls and adjust if using larger rolls. (I also like this mounded on top of a tomato half with dollops of mango chutney mayo on top.)

Chai Life -- India Photo of the Day

One of the many delights in India is the wonderful tea.  Most often it was presented as a tea bag, often with powdered milk to stir into it.  (And it was still mighty tasty.) But when it was done right as chai masala as shown above as prepared by a sidewalk vendor in Jaipur, it was a mighty special drink.

Chai means tea, masala means spiced.  It is made with boiled or heated milk.

I really was surprised to have so much tea made from tea bags and to see so little in the way of tea shops, teapots and loose leaf tea, especially since India is second only to China in tea production and consumption.  To be fair, I wasn't really in any tea-growing regions and didn't seek out any fancy hotel teas or tea shops.

India's home grown coffees are tasty, but I opted for chai masala whenever I could. I had it at hotel breakfasts, roadside rest stops and once out of a small earthenware cup at a re-creation of a Rajasthani folk village.  Typical Indian servings are on the petite size.  I always wanted to supersize my cup.

To make chai masala you need a spice mix. You can buy it premade or make your own. (Careful, don't buy a chai latte mix - which will have instant tea and perhaps powdered milk - you just want the spices.  Chai latte is an American concept, a larger, milkier riff on classic Indian chai.)

I don't really have a recipe - I just use a mixture of what I have a taste for -- usually cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves.  Sometimes I even add a bit of black pepper. Some folks also use star anise. I usually use ground spices, but you can use whole, cracked spices if you prefer.  I have made great tasting chai with dairy and non-dairy milks, but in India I only had it with whole, regular milk.

To make a few servings (depends on size of your cup) -- place your spices (perhaps a teaspoon total of the ground spices) in 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Take off heat, add 2 Tbs. of black, loose tea.  Let steep for 5-7 minutes, until very strong.  Strain.  Return liquid to pot.  Add 2 cups of milk of your choice and sugar to taste (optional) and reheat, stirring occasional, until hot.  (Bringing the milk to a boil is more traditional in India where boiling the milk for 2-3 minutes is seen as a health precaution in some areas. It also brings out the milk sugars and helps give it a more caramelized taste.)

Everything is up for negotiation -- use a few tea bags if you prefer instead of the loose tea.  Add more or less spice or more or less milk or water.  Usually, I use Assam or  Darjeeling tea, but orange pekoe is often used and any black tea will work.  You can even use a decaffeinated tea. I've made good herbal versions with South African rooibos (red) tea.

If you have access to an Indian market, my preferred "quick" chai is Tea India's brand of flavored tea bags.  I have tried masala and cardamom flavors. Both are great and stand up to added milk.

India - Photo of the Day - Bhel Puri - Or Chaat it Up

Bhel Puri is a mix of Indian snack foods, usually assembled or customized on the spot and served in a paper cone.  It is a class of food known as a chaat, which I'm sure I'll be writing about a lot just based on how often I ate them in India.

This vendor is outside the Ajanta Caves near Aurangabad, India.

He mixed puffed, baked and fried bits of rice, wheat, chickpea flour and other small bits of deliciousness and sprinkled with spice and lime juice.  Elsewhere I had bhel puri mixed in with cooked chickpeas and diced, cooked potato with a tart, thin tamarind sauce.

I haven't yet developed my own recipe, so here's some background from old reliable Wikipedia.

Here is a recipe that seems pretty close to what I experienced in India.  Warning you will need to look up some of the ingredients and shop at an Indian grocery store to make this! Same with this one. This version will probably still require a trip to the Indian grocery store but seems a bit less complicated.

Until I update this with my own recipe -- here's a Jewish fusion take on a similar Indian classic, panipuri, which takes the snack mix and puts it inside a small, puffed bread.  For my recipe for Bamba Bombay Pockets, please click here.

South Indian Inspired Fish Cakes and Coconut-Cilantro Chutney Make Tasty Connection to Kerala's Jewish Past

(I'm just back from my travels in India --Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin, Jaipur and more-- and plan lots of posts and photos on the trip, what I ate and what I experienced. I'm still working on those. In the meantime here's a little "taste" to get you started -- a column I wrote for the j. weekly about an exhibit about Jews in South India that inspired some recipes.)

In the display case was a brightly painted and gilded Torah ark, familiar yet exotic beyond anything I could imagine a Jewish artifact being. Nearby was an unadorned metal hanging oil menorah, simple, plain and worn. To me the two illustrated the breadth of life as a Jew in southern India. They were part of The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life’s exhibit about Jews in Kerala. The exhibit, at the collection’s Berkeley gallery, inspired me to play with some of the flavors and ingredients favored by Jews and others in that region. 

For both recipes, be sure to use finely shredded, unsweetened dried coconut. Seed the jalapeños to lessen their heat. Serve the Kerala Flavor Fish Cakes as a first course or light entrée.

Kerala Flavor Fish Cakes

Decoration from Kerala synagogue

Makes 8 cakes

4 cloves garlic
4 green onions (scallions) white and green parts, cut in thirds
1 small jalapeño, roughly chopped, seeded if desired
1” square of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 lb. boneless, skinless red snapper fillets, cut in large chunks, cold
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbs. dried, shredded, unsweetened coconut
4 Tbs. refined coconut oil
Coconut-Cilantro Chutney (see recipe)
1 cup fresh, chopped tomatoes

Combine garlic, green onions, jalapeño and ginger in food processor. Pulse until chopped, stopping to scrape down sides of container as needed. With motor running, add chunks of fish one by one until very finely chopped and fully incorporating the vegetables. Open lid, scrape down sides as needed, add coriander, cumin, cardamom, salt, pepper, eggs and coconut shreds. Close lid and pulse until combined. Open lid, scrape down and make sure everything is well mixed.

Wet hands with cold water. Shape fish into patties 2 1/2” in diameter and 1/2” thick. Heat coconut oil in a large, heavy fry pan over medium high heat until a bit of the fish dropped in bubbles on all sides. Add fish cakes, working in batches in necessary. Fry for two minutes on each side on medium high. Lower heat to medium and fry an additional minute on each side. Fish cakes should be browned, firm to the touch and cooked through. Drain on paper towels.

Serve hot, warm or room temperature topped with Coconut-Cilantro Chutney and tomatoes. Pass extra chutney.

Coconut-Cilantro Chutney
Makes about 2 cups

1 cup dried, shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup plus 1/2 cup water
1 small chopped jalapeño, roughly chopped, seeded if desired
1 cup roughly cut cilantro leaves, packed
1/4 cup roughly cut mint leaves, packed
1 tsp. finely chopped ginger
2 Tbs. tamarind concentrate or paste (or use 2 Tbs. lemon juice)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar

Combine the coconut with 1/2 cup water and let sit for 5 minutes. Put 2 Tbs. of remaining water in bottom of blender jar. Add jalapeño, cilantro, mint, and ginger. Blend until finely chopped. Add soaked coconut (do not drain), tamarind, salt and sugar, blend again until ingredients are almost pureed, adding remaining water in batches as needed to help ingredients blend. You may need to stop the blender and scrape down the sides or mix contents and then replace the lid and restart the blender several times. Taste and correct seasoning. Stir before serving. Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to a few days.

Teen Cooking Competiton Comes Up with Some Winning and Tasty Indian-Jewish Inspired Treats

Tomato-Mango Bruschetta

Here’s a recipe for some tasty learning about Jewish culture. To a roomful of teenagers add a lesson on Jewish food ways, a kitchen full of ingredients and a dash of competition. The result is Top (Jewish) Chef, where teens explore Jewish food. The class is part of Berkeley Midrasha’s curriculum for postbar and bat mitzvah youth.  The Midrasha program is one of several in northern California.

Teacher Anna Martin has the teens participating in competitions that have included an Ashkenazi/Sephardic Cholent/Dafina cook off as well as a challenge where they created a dish using at least three of the Biblical seven species.

Recently, I had a chance to be a guest judge at the Bene Israel Cook Off. The students had already learned about the Bene Israel Jews of India, so they came to the kitchen of Congregation Beth El, which hosts the Berkeley Midrasha program, prepared to cook. Students were divided into four teams and each had to make a chutney from a recipe provided by Martin and create their own version of malida, a Bene Israel spiced rice dish often served with fruits and nuts.

The teens (age 13-17) had the tough job -- creating and cooking the recipes in about an hour, but I was also impressed on how tough it was to judge a competition such as this.  I had developed a score sheet for originality, compliance to rules, appearance and taste but in the end things were moving so fast I only relied on two things -- fulfilling the assignment properly (making the assigned chutney and creating a dish using at least three of the traditional Bene Israel elements) and how the finished dishes tasted.

Honestly, everything tasted great, but there was a lot of deviation from the assignment. In the end, the winner was a hot, spiced pineapple-mango salad devised by Stefan Moskowitz, Michelle Schiff, Sydney Palmer and Becky Friedman. It inspired me to create the rice pudding below. The team of Jaime Falcone-Juengert, Adin Krebs-Oppenheimer and Leo Pollack combined their sweet and savory tomato chutney with mango and coconut into a bruschetta topping, which also inspired a recipe below.

Pineapple-Mango Rice Pudding

Serves 6

1 can (13.5-15 oz.) light coconut milk
1/2 cup white basmati rice
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 cup 1/2" cubes fresh mango
1 cup 1/2” cubes fresh pineapple
1/2 cup chopped strawberries
1/4 cup chopped pistachios or slivered almonds
1/4 cup finely chopped mint
1 Tbs. minced, seeded jalapeño pepper or to taste (optional)

Pour coconut milk in a large measuring cup. Add water until there is 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Mix with rice in medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar, cardamom and ginger. Return to simmer, cover and lower heat to keep simmering, stirring occasionally until mixture is very thick and creamy, about 25-30 minutes. Stir in mango and pineapple chunks. Serve warm or at room temperature in one large or six individual serving bowls garnished with strawberries, nuts, mint and jalapeño (if using).

Tomato-Mango Bruschetta
Makes 16 toasts

1/2 cup finely shredded or grated coconut (unsweetened)
2 lb. fresh plum tomatoes
2 Tbs. olive oil plus extra for brushing on bread
2 Tbs. minced fresh garlic
2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 cups 1/4" cubes fresh mango
2 Tbs. tamarind concentrate or paste
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 baguette of French or similar bread, about 24” long

Toast the coconut until golden brown over low heat in a dry, heavy, large fry pan or skillet, stirring constantly. Set coconut aside and wipe out pan. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise, squeezing out seeds. Chop tomatoes into 1/4" pieces. Set aside. Place 2 Tbs. of oil in the pan, raise heat to medium. Add garlic and sauté until golden. Add ginger, sauté for a minute. Add tomato and mango pieces, tamarind, juice, salt, red pepper, sugar, cardamom and raisins, mix well and sauté for about 5-6 minutes, until the tomatoes are just cooked and the flavors have melded. Taste and correct seasonings. Mix in cilantro and remove from heat. Use warm or at room temperature. Just before serving, slice baguette into half lengthwise and then cut each half into 8 pieces, each about 3” long. Brush with oil and grill, broil or toast cut side until just golden. Spoon tomato-mango mixture on top of each slice. Sprinkle with the toasted coconut.
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A version of this post first appeared as an article in the j. weekly.

Out of the Bag: Bamba Adds Taste and Crunch to Tomato Soup, Indian Snack and Sundae Recipes



A bag of Bamba and Bamba Bombay Pockets

 I never know where inspiration for new recipes will come from. In the case of  the soup, snack and ice cream sundae recipes below it came from a little blue bag of Bamba, the ubiquitous Israeli children’s snack food. Bamba, a peanut-flavored corn puff, has a nice crunch and a pleasant peanut buttery taste. The combination of taste and texture got me thinking of ways to use it in my cooking.

When I started to develop these recipes everyone I spoke to (including the marketing representative from Osem, the company that manufactures and imports Bamba) was pretty much incredulous that one would try to use the puffs in any way than eating them straight out of the bag. But the snack food's flavor and crunch intrigued me, maybe because I didn't grow up with it and associate as a kid's food. (Note: the link to Osem is to the British branch. The USA branch is revising its website and the parent Israeli site is only in Hebrew at this time.)

The puffs are available at Bay area specialty stores, the kosher sections of several major supermarket chains and on line. So grab a bag of Bamba, but be careful not too eat too many, you’ll need them to try the recipes below.

Be sure to add the snack puffs to the pockets and sundae just before serving otherwise they will lose their crispness and crunch.

Spicy Tomato Soup with Bamba
Serves 4-6

Bamba adds a peanut punch to this soup, but the recipe works well without it. The soup itself is parve (neither meat nor milk) and vegan so if that is a concern for you skip the dairy topping or use a non-dairy yogurt instead.

2 Tbs. oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. finely minced jalapeño pepper
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. curry powder
1-28 oz. can crushed tomatoes in puree
3 cups light vegetable stock OR water
1/4 tsp. salt or to taste
1/2 tsp. sugar, optional
About 2 cups of Bamba
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

Heat oil in large pot over medium high heat. Add onion, sautéed until limp, add garlic sauté until light brown, add jalapeño, ginger, black pepper, and curry powder. Sauté for 1 minute. Add canned tomatoes with puree and stock. Stir well. Bring to a simmer, lower heat, cover and simmer for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add salt to taste and sugar if desired. Serve in individual bowls. Add 4 Bamba to each bowl, stir and let dissolve. Top with a dollop of sour cream and pass additional Bamba as croutons.

Bamba Bombay Pockets
Serves about 6-8 as an appetizer

This recipe combines several different Indian snack concepts. It’s in no way authentic, but its mix of tastes, textures and tangy sauce is very appealing. If you prefer, replace the Bamba with a quarter cup of dry roasted peanuts and a half cup of puffed wheat or rice cereal.

Oil spray
3/4 cup 1/4” cubed baking potatoes (peeling optional)
3/4 cup of cooked chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
1/2 tsp. salt
15 mini pitas (about 2 and 1/2” in diameter) OR 4 regular-size pitas
1/2 oz. Bamba, chopped into fourths (about 3/4 cup)
1 recipe sauce (see below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 baking pans. Put potato cubes in single layer on one, spray potatoes. Place chickpeas on the other pan, spray. Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally until potatoes are cooked through and beginning to get crisp. Cool.

Mix potatoes and chickpeas in large bowl with onion, cilantro, mint and salt. Right before serving, heat pitas in oven or dry skillet until hot and puffed. Mix Bamba into potatoes and chickpeas. If using mini-pitas, snip off top and put about 1 and1/2 Tbs. of the Bamba mix into each. If using full-size pitas, cut in half and full each half with 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the mix. Drizzle with sauce immediately before serving.

Sauce: Mix 1 Tbs. tamarind paste with 1 tsp. date syrup and 2 tsp. water. An alternative is to mix 1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. of molasses or pomegranate molasses with 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. brown sugar and 1 tsp. water.

Bamba Ice Cream Sundae with Choco-Hazelnut Sauce
Makes 1 Sundae

Osem is introducing a new flavor of Bamba in the U.S. with a chocolate-hazelnut paste filling.  I haven't seen it in stores (although it is listed in the Amazon store), but it inspired this sundae and the luscious sauce which would work well wherever a chocolate sauce is needed. Chopped peanuts make a good substitute for the Bamba.

3-4 Tbs. Choco-Hazelnut Sauce (see below), divided
2 scoops of vanilla ice cream
1 Tbs. crushed Bamba

Spoon a tablespoon or two of the sauce on the sides and bottom of sundae dish. Add ice cream, top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with crushed Bamba.

Choco-Hazelnut Sauce: Heat 1 cup of heavy whipping cream over medium-low heat until simmering, stirring often. Add 2 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate, stirring until completely melted. Add 1/2 cup of chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella, which is what I used), stirring until completely incorporated. Let sauce cool to room temperature (it will thicken as it cools.) Store in refrigerator. Allow to return to room temperature before using. Makes 1 and 1/2 cups.

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Note: a version of this post appeared in the j. weekly.

Of Okras and Paw Paws - The South Rises in Oakland (Plus a Tamarind Okra Recipe)

There has been a bit of a southern renaissance in Oakland, or at least my awareness of the southerneness that has shaped the city's tastes and politics has been kicked up a notch.

There are at least two gourmet "soul" food restaurants now in Oakland with others on the way. Oakland has always been home to more neighborhood places and several renown barbecue stands. (My family has always been partial to Everett and Jones, but Flint's is good, too.) Today, walking to the farmer's market from my car I noticed the Latin American tapas place had closed and was being replaced by another upscale Southern food restaurant. Across from the market I saw the French crepe place had morphed into a soul fusion cafe.

The farmer's market at the Grand Lake/Lakeshore Splashpad Park had several stands brimming over with green pint baskets of fresh and succulent okra, a staple of southern cooking, as well as in Indian and other Southeast Asian cuisines. But I also saw a basket full of paw paws, a fruit much like the cherimoya or custard apple that ranges through the south to parts of the Midwest. I have read of paw paws in food histories as well as seen fiction and non-fiction references but it was my first time face to fruit. These specimens (sorry I didn't take a photo) were the size and shape of small russet potatoes with a greenish yellow skin turning brown in spots. It was almost funny with stands full of such exotica as homemade goat cheese, Afghan delicacies, and variety after variety of Asian greens, that it was the humble paw paw that captured my imagination.

It also got me thinking about Oakland and it's ties to the American South. I don't want to get too scholarly here (nor do too much research), but it was the Depression and WWII war-effort employment that brought African-Americans and others from the South to Oakland. The powers that be were aghast at the what this influx of mostly Democrat voters would do to their Republican (and white) bastions of power in the city. One result was a change in the city government in Oakland, with a strong council and city manager and a weak mayor.

There is so much more to say about this topic, but I don't have the inclination to do the research right now. In the meantime, please enjoy my okra with tamarind sauce. The okra came from a Central Valley farm stand my husband stopped by earlier this week. The recipe is more Thai or Indian than Southern, but it was the okra that started me thinking about the debt this city owes its transplanted Southern roots. In a way it fits in with this post, because it owes much to all the different ethnic influences that thrive here in Oakland.

Tamarind Okra
Serves 2

2 Tbs. canola oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 small bird's eye or similar chiles, chopped (seeded if desired)
2-3 cups okra, in 1/2" thick slices
2 tsp. tamarind paste or concentrate
1/2 cup or more water
1 tsp. sugar (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. fish sauce (Thai or Vietnamese style)

Heat oil in a fry or saute pan over medium heat. Saute onion until light brown, add garlic and peppers, saute until garlic is beginning to turn golden. Add okra and saute until okra is beginning to soften. In a separate bowl combine tamarind, water, sugar and fish sauce, stir well to combine, then add to the pan with the okra. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the okra is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. (Add more water if necessary.)

Indian Cooking Class -- Samosas and More

Here are some photos of the Indian cooking class I took at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. Eventually I'll post the recipes and directions for making samosas, raitas and more. To see all the photos without the slide show -- go here. To see the slide show and info for the Laotian cooking class, go here.