Cuisine of India: I need a road map

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 29, 2010 | Books, Perspective |

bhelpuri I have stepped into the grand adventure of teaching myself how to cook the cuisine of the subcontinent India. It is not an easy task, and involves hours of research, reading, and learning techniques in the kitchen. Mostly it is a language barrier.

During the research process, I have discovered that terminology is specific to region. Names of ingredients and processes are different, but mean the same thing. And that can be terribly confusing for someone trying to learn how to cook new foods.

The prime example is the backbone of India cuisine, Masala. But what is it, and how do you define it? Wikipedia says “any spice mixture.” And that can mean either a dry spice mix, or a cooked spice mix. But how is it determined? Almost every website I read has a different kind of description for the same thing. Masala can be a wet or dry spice mix. chaat is a dry mixture, punjabi is a wet mixture. However, more identification of regions is necessary for my American head to wrap around. I am trying to learn something on my own, that most Indian cooks know instinctively, through language and region. read more

Recipe Wednesday: Lentils and Vegetables

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 27, 2010 | Recipes, Soups & Stocks |

The weather is turning cooler and the cooking mind turns to comfort food: soups. I love lentils in stews and soups. This recipe that I developed is one of my favorites so far. You can also find it in my cookbook Delectable Vegan Soups.

Enjoy this soup on a cold winter's day with warm tortillas or crusty bread.

Spices: Saffron

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 25, 2010 | Food Knowledge & History, Herbs & Spices |

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world today. It can cost as much as $300.00 U.S dollars an ounce. This is because the part of the plant that is used must be hand-harvested.

Saffron is harvested from the three stigmas of the Crocus Sativus flower. The flower has to be hand picked, the stigma removed, and then separated. There is no machine that will do this job. Only human hands are capable of picking the threads without damaging them.

What’s in the name? Saffron is from the Arabic word zafaran which means ‘yellow’. The French culinary term safrané means ‘coloured using saffron’. The colouring properties of Saffron have been prized as much as its unique flavor.

Where does Saffron come from? It spread out from Ancient Persia, down through the Mediterranean peninsula, and up into China, and throughout India, where it was quickly adopted for dying Buddhist monk robes and anointing deities.

Tofu Bacon!

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 20, 2010 | Recipes, Tofu |

Tofu bacon has had me excited for awhile. I was scared to try it. I really did not understand what made it smokey, or so crunchy.? I turned to my friend, the internet. and found only a few references and recipes. It doesn’t seem to be as popular as you might think.

So I combined two or three good ideas and here’s what I came up with.

Cooking Dried Beans

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 18, 2010 | Food Knowledge & History |

There is a large variety of legumes (beans) in the world, over 4,000 have been categorized. To further complicate matters, there are fresh beans, classified as vegetables, and then there are pulses (legumes). I’ll leave it to wikepedia, and other sources to sort this all out for you, while we continue on to how to process legumes, the dried bean.

In my kitchen, I’ve learned to appreciate more then just the pinto bean, which is one of the most highly consumed beans in the southwest. There are black or turtle beans, fava or broad beans, chickpeas and garbanzos. I’m working on incorporating anasazi beans, and white beans. These form the basis of our protein diet, since my partner is gluten-free and cannot consume wheat for protein. read more

The Great Traveling Potato

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 11, 2010 | Produce |

Whether you bake, boil, fry, saute, puree, or otherwise cook the potato, here is some information that you might not know about this starchy tuber that we love to make into french fries and potato chips.

The potato's beginnings: The potato originated in Peru in the High Andes, and was not only a staple food for the Incans, but served medicinally as well.

Vegan Whipped Potatoes

Posted by Kitchen Shaman | Oct 6, 2010 | Recipes, Side dishes |

One of the things I love are mashed, or whipped potatoes. As a vegan-minded person, I've learned to make a tasty vegan version, sans cream and butter. Substitute the butter for a vegan margarine of your choice, and use soy milk instead of heavy cream or whole milk.

Month: October 2010