#indian food
Sourdough naan!
#TummyTales: Acha Curry House
8-year-old me would never eat anything curry. And look at me now - shoving the banana leaf agenda to my parents and judging people who says banana leaf is overrated.
We all have our own banana leaf heroes and I think this might be one if you’re looking for something with a neighborly, homey vibe.
This place is not like every other banana leaf restaurants where they serve sotong (fried squid) so I had fried chicken just to be safe.
They do have crab curry though and that was pretty frekkin good. It’s also DIY so pour it all if you want - just don’t waste it! You can also choose from white rice or Indian rice. Unfortunately I did not opt for Indian rice, but if I ever come back that’s what I’m going for!
It’s a little loud, humid and if you’re not into communal dining at lunch time, this isn’t the place for you. But when I was there with my fav pair of twins the vibe was good all around, and our neighbors were the friendliest.
They even helped us to take a picture, which looked a little like this:
Would I come back?
Yes, especially since I am now curry deprived and papadam is life. Prices are also not as overrated as those in Bangsar.
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This recipe is a variation our Tío Ricardo’s Roasted Tomatillo & Tomato Salsa. The notable difference is our use of two particularly Indian ingredients – cumin and Kashmiri chili powder – though cumin is arguably just as Mexican as it is Desi. We process our salsa using the water bath method – the recipe will yield about 7 12-ounce jars or 5 1-pint jars of spicy goodness – though you can also, of course, prepare it for immediate consumption.
• 12 dried chipotle chile pods
• 12 dried guajillo chile pods
• 2 cups very hot (but not boiling) water
• 2 lbs husked tomatillos
• 3 lbs heirloom plum tomatoes
• 2 small white onions
• 1 head of garlic, broken into cloves, unpeeled
• 1 ¼ cups white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Kashmiri chile powder
• 1 tablespoon ground roasted cumin
• 2 ½ teaspoons sugar
• 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
I begin every recipe involving canning with the same spiel: if you don’t know what you’re doing please check out the website for the National Center for Home Food Preservation (http://nchfp.uga.edu/) first. And no, you don’t HAVE to can your Roasted Tomatillo & Tomato Salsa – just be sure to refrigerate your final product and bear in mind that it will only be good for about 2 weeks. Properly canned salsa will last, unopened, for at least a year.
Soak the Chiles
Remove the stems and seeds from the chipotle and guajillo chile pods. Place the pods in a small glass or other non-reactive bowl and pour the water over them. Place a small plate over the chiles to weigh them down and soak for 10-15 minutes until they become soft. They can stand in the water longer while you prepare the other ingredients.
Broil the Veggies
Work in batches (tomatillos, tomatoes, onion/garlic) to “roast” the vegetables. Add each batch to a tin foil-lined baking sheet so that the vegetables will be aligned with your oven’s heating element. Place the baking sheet under the broiler. Have kitchen tongs at the ready to flip the vegetables to ensure even broiling. Each batch will take about 15 minutes…
• Tomatillos & Tomatoes: broil until skin is mostly black and fruits have cracked open
• Onion & Garlic: broil until black in spots
Prepare the Veggies
A lot of people like to prepare roasted vegetables by placing them in a paper bag to loosen the skin. I think this is messy and ineffective. Instead, immediately after broiling place the broiled tomatillos and tomatoes in a pot and cover with a lid. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Remove as much skin as possible, reserving the “guts” and juice.
Separately, roughly chop the onion. Remove the scorched garlic skins.
¡Combínelos!
A: Transfer the chiles and their soaking water, tomatillo & tomato “guts” and juice, onions, garlic, and vinegar to a large heavy-bottomed pot. Run an immersion blender through the pot until puréed. I think this salsa (Ricardo did, too) is best rather smooth but you can choose your own adventure.
Or
B: Working in batches add ingredients to a blender or food processor and transfer puréed batches to a large heavy-bottomed pan. Tip: Use the vinegar to help blend the onions and garlic.
Next, stir in the cumin, Kashmiri chili powder, salt and sugar.
Marry the Flavors
Once the ingredients have been puréed and mixed together it is ready to eat. However, if you are canning you need to cook the salsa. Even if you’re not, cooking will marry the flavors and improve (i.e., thicken) the texture. Simply bring the salsa to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat and cook just below a boil for 20 minutes.
Process the Salsa
Fill 12-ounce or pint canning jars with salsa and process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and wait 5 minutes before removing the jars from the canner. Let stand another week or so before enjoying as the flavor will continue to improve.
Today in the test kitchen: homemade ghee and our copy of Made in IndiabyMeera Sodha, which we are thoroughly enjoying.
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Dosas (Lentil Wraps)
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown rice
- 1 cup red lentils or chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice, divided
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, ghee, or coconut oil, melted (add more if needed)
Instructions
- Place the rice in a large bowl and cover with 4 cups filtered warm water. In a second bowl, repeat the steps by covering the lentils with 2 cups of water. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar to each bowl, then cover each bowl with a tea towel or other loose cloth and let both bowls sit overnight (8 to 12 hours) at room temperature.
- Drain water from both bowls, then in a food processor, blend rice and lentils separately, adding water to create to a smooth, creamy texture. I usually add approximately 2 cups water to the rice and 1 cup water to the lentils, but add the water slowly so the mixtures don’t get too runny.
- Once both mixtures are very smooth, blend or stir both purées together with the salt, adding more warm water if needed to make the batter the consistency of thick cream.
- Pour mixture into a large bowl and cover, then let it sit for another 18-24 hours in a warm place, such as on top of the fridge. The mixture will expand - sometimes as much as doubling, depending on temperature - so use a bowl that’s large enough to accommodate a bubbly, happy batter.
- When fermentation is complete and you are ready to cook the dosas, heat a dry, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat until fully hot. Meanwhile, whisk in the melted butter and a bit of additional water, if desired. (The batter should be fairly thin: It should be pourable off a spoon, yet thickly coat the back of it.) Rub a sheen of butter on the pan with a paper towel, then pour ¼ cup batter in the middle of the pan and using the back of a ladle, quickly swirl it to create a large circle.
- Cook until the bottom is nicely browned and the top is dry in both appearance and touch. Using a spatula, lightly lift the dosa off the pan, shaking a bit if necessary, and set aside in a warm place until ready to serve.
- And as I’ve said before about crepes, don’t stress too much if the first ones stick a bit – the first one or two pretty much always turn out as a disaster and make you question any kitchen ability you may or may not have (even after you’ve made these dozens of times). They still taste great, so just eat those less-than-brilliant samples while you continue to cook. If they continue to stick after the first two, whisk a few extra tablespoons of melted butter into the batter and cook as directed.
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Happy belated Diwali! Super excited to share these illustrations of Sanjay and his dad celebrating the festival of lights for Disney. Art direction by Craig Mackay and design by Deniza Sabio. A big thank you to the Disney team for bringing me onboard!
I love Trader Joe’s, don’t get me wrong. And right now I live next-door to one, which certainly makes day-to-day planning a big convenience. But my family didn’t shop there much growing up - it didn’t carry bags of rice large enough or offer discount gotta-go frozen meats or stock industrial jugs of Kikkoman; and honestly we thought of it as “fancy” (in fact, we thought of a trip there as a special treat and one time my sister was asked what her favorite restaurant was and she responded “Trader Joe’s”).
Times have changed, obviously. As Trader Joe’s has expanded, the prices have gotten more reasonable and they’ve started including more cultural foods to reflect changing palates and demographics - though their shoyu sucks (and comes in some tiny ass bottle….like is it for dollhouses????) - which seems nice and inclusive in a lot of ways. But I have to admit I definitely paused when I saw generically boxed Mochi Cake Mix, something I grew up calling Butter Mochi that was made by my mom from scratch, being sold to the exact kind of people who looked at me like I was eating a greasy slab of rubber when I was a kid. And I felt that same feeling creep up again when I saw the Chili Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Chips….which are just basically Takis Fuego but packaged to be more approachable to white people, I’m guessing.
So. I’m just gonna go ahead and share the “original” version of some of these TJ’s products because I think it’s just as good to support the companies or the groups that have been making and enjoying this stuff for years, as it is your favorite grocery chain.
Mochi Cake Mix < Hawaii’s Best Hawaiian Butter Mochi Mix
While Butter Mochi requires only mochiko, eggs, butter, sugar, and milk - you can always opt for the mix from Hawaii’s Best which has been pumping out variations on the ono treat (and other local desserts like kulolo and haupia) for years. Not to mention, it’s a Hawaii based company that employs local Hawaiians during a time of financial decline for native Hawaiians in their own homeland. You can buy it from Hawaii’s Best directly, but it’s also available on Amazon or, even better, on Snack Hawaii (another family owned and operated company that has been selling local goods out of Hilo for 25 years). And - shameless plug - I’ve been buying from Snack Hawaii for a long time, so if you need a discount link, HMU.
Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips < Takis Fuego
The company that makes Takis was founded in 1978 and has been pumping these guys out in different flavors since then. And while Trader’s only offers one flavor, the Takis from your local convenience store come in Fuego, Guacamole, Fajita, and Nitro. The company was founded in Lerma Municipality, Mexico, but has since moved to the US. And for me, this is less of a “support your local company” plea (because Barcel is a big corporation) but more of a “support your local culture” plea. Takis is one of those foods that has existed for a long time in specific cultural circles and so, gets looked down on as a marker of being poor or lower class. Which is utter bullshit and which makes the TJ’s version feel like gentrification in snack form. So instead of buying the “safe” version, maybe instead broaden your horizons and support your local Northgate Marketplace, and grab some homemade tamales or visit the panaderia while you’re there? Also, hot tip, Takis cost $1 while the Trader’s version will set you back $3.99.
P.S. If you’re going to say “but Takis have MSG,” please allow me to educate you on how the fear ofMSG is a racistand xenophobic myth.
Amba Fermented Mango Sauce < Galil Pickled Mango
So this one specifically depends on if you’re looking for Indian, Israeli, or Middle Eastern Amba and Trader Joe’s doesn’t really specify which one they’re aiming for here. But Galil has been selling their Amba since 1985 and has been family-owned and run since then. Their Amba is also Kosher, and you can buy it on Amazon as well as this awesome site called Super Kacher that specializes in Middle Eastern and Israeli specialty food. If you want a more Indian Amba, try Ship Brand, which has been made by Poonjiaji’s Spices in Mumbai since 1883. The bottle looks crazy generic and if you live in LA, can be easily spotted at Bharat Bazaar at Samosa House, or again - available on Amazon!
All this to say, don’t knock the originals because you have to go to H Mart or Tehran Market to get them. Maybe you haven’t been to those places before or maybe you just don’t have time to hit two markets (in which case, I have provided you with links for online shopping) - but give the cultures that have provided fodder for your favorite chain a fighting chance to prove why they were good enough to be appropriated in the first place.
first time having Indian takeout! so good ~
