Mom's Recipe Book

I learned to cook from my Mom, well, technically she didn't really teach me but I used to hang around in our kitchen a lot as a little boy and watched her grind the Indian spices from the seeds, use a stone grinder to make coconut chutney, use a grater to get raw coconut that was added to almost every recipe.

My mom cooked every day, she made just enough for the day. She was an excellent cook. Though she was originally vegetarian she learned to make meat and made many amazing meat dishes too that we all loved.

I actually learned to cook just after leaving college where I had to share a house with a few other of my college mates while attending practice school. We couldn't really afford to eat at restaurants so had to learn to cook. At that time, my friends were all vegetarian so I learned to cook vegetarian food. Meat was simply not affordable anyway so we had to stick to vegetables. When I came to the US for the first time again not having enough money meant either unhealthy fast food each day or cooking. This was when I learned to cook.

When I left for the US, I asked my mom to write out her recipes and she did. That was 22 years ago and I still have her recipe book and have carried it with me to 8 different homes, has been my constant companion to cooking anything Indian and represents the best of south Indian cooking.

Here is a PDF of the original, I hope to translate it to this blog eventually but its always nice to have the real thing.

MomRecipes.pdf

Download PDF • 3.42MB

Bourbon Street Bread Pudding

If you ask anyone who knows me well, what my favorite dessert is, they will probably say either bread pudding or Tres Leches cake. The truth is that its bread pudding though Tres Leches cake is a close second - I guess they both have milk and flour in common which may in turn be because a lot of Indian desserts have milk and flour as a key ingredient. Bread pudding ultimately probably wins out because it also has my 3rd favorite ingredient -- alcohol, especially Bourbon which you will notice is a key ingredient in many of my cocktail recipes.

It may also have to do with my love for New Orleans -- which has many things I love all in one place -- French food, Jazz and Bourbon!

This is bread pudding I made one evening and as you can see before I could take a picture half of it was gone -- our kids Sophia and Sean, clearly loved it. You can see the sauce over to the side. I made this a 2nd time and it came out even better so I have updated the recipe and here is a picture below:

Ingredients

For the Pudding

3/4 loaf of bread -- I use sweet batard bread as it is soft enough on the inside to absorb the milk etc. but also has tougher outside so that the bread pudding doesn't become a mushy mess, but any left over bread, non-sliced rustic white bread is best (not sourdough)

4 cups of milk

1/2 cup Bourbon (for soaking the raisins, and for the sauce below)

3 tablespoons of butter

1 cup of golden raisins

2 tablespoons of vanilla extract

1.5 cups of sugar

3 large eggs (beaten well)

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

For the Sauce

1/2 cup butter (soft)

3 tablespoons of Bourbon (you can reuse the Bourbon from the above list after soaking the raisins

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg (beaten very well)

Recipe

At least an hour ahead of making the pudding, use the half cup of Bourbon to soak the raisins in a bowl so the raisins are completely covered. Leave it aside, the longer you allow for this, the plumper the raisins will be in the pudding. If you forgot to do this earlier, you can put it in the microwave for a minute and you will get them somewhat plump enough.

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.

If the bread is a few days old that is best, if it is fresh, first slice the bread into thick (about 1-inch) slices and then lightly toast (about 10 mins) at 200 degrees. This removes some of the moisture and avoids a soggy bread pudding.

In a mixing bowl, gently break up the bread (into thick chunks), now pour the milk over it so it just about peeks out i.e. don't completely drown it -- you should mostly see bread, not milk.

In a seperate mixing bowl beat the 3 eggs, the cinnamon, and vanilla and whisk it well for about a minute. Add the soft butter and 1.5 cups of sugar to it and whisk it until it becomes a nice thick creamy sauce. Drain the raisins and set the Bourbon aside (you will use some of it for the sauce). Now pour the egg, butter and sugar/spice mixture over the bread and milk, adding the Bourbon soaked raisins and gently mix -- don't overdo the mixing, try and get the chunks of bread to remain in tact.

Soften 3 tablespoons of the butter in the microwave. Now grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with the butter. Now pour the bread mixture into the pan and put it in the oven. Let it bake for about 1 hour, it is done when the top pieces get a golden brown and the sides start to separate from the pan.

Take out the pan and set aside to cool down for about 20 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, in a saucepan, melt the 1/2 cup of butter at very low heat (this is important otherwise the sauce will curdle). Once the butter is melted, gently whisk in the egg and the sugar, patiently whisk it with brush so the texture becomes creamy, keep stirring constantly until it feels nice and creamy. Now add the 3 tablespoons of Bourbon to it and continue to stir and then turn the heat off when it looks nice and creamy. If you are ready to serve the bread pudding the sauce is now ready, if not you may have to reheat at low heat before serving.

That's it now serve the bread pudding with the sauce on the side, the sauce is very sweet and tastes of bourbon so folks can add a little or a lot to make the pudding sweeter.

Enjoy!!!

Yellow Indian Dhal

A simple staple that can be part of every Indian meal, especially if you have a vegetarian at the table

Dhal is a very basic Indian staple, and is generally a good source of protein for vegetarians and so accompanies most Indian meals to satisfy the protein needs of vegetarians. There are many kinds of Dhal, varying a bit by region of India, what varies are generally the bean in it (Chana, Toor (Yellow), Kali (black), Rajma (red kidney)).

In north India, especially in Punjab, roadside truck stops all serve dhal and roti as a staple for truckers who need a quick and inexpensive meal that is inexpensive, filling and provides the necessary nutrition for their rough lifestyles.

There are varieties of Dhal called Sambhar in South India and in Gujarat Dhal is a little on the sweet side as they often add sugar or Jaggery to it.

Dhal & Chawal (Rice) or Dhal & Roti (wheat bread) is something you can expect to see even in the humblest of homes in India and is often counted upon by them to provide the basic food groups needed for sustenance.

My version of Indian Dhal is from my mom's recipes and is quick and easy to make meal for a working mom with hungry kids who want more than pasta and pizza.

Ingredients (serves 4-5)

1 cup Yellow Dhal (called Toor Dhal in the Indian store)

1/2 red onion, sliced into thin

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 thumb sized piece of Ginger (less if you want a little less heat)

Curry leaves (from the Indian store)

A few sprigs of Cilantro

1/2 tsp of Turmeric

2 Thai green chilies

1/2 lemon

Recipe

In 2 or 3 quart stainless steel (not non-stick and ideally a thin bottom or copper bottom) saucepan bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 cup of Dhal and reduce heat and let it boil - watch out for boil-over and if needed scoop off the foamy portion that accumulates on top. Add hot (never cold) water as needed of the water has mostly gone. Stir frequently as the Dhal starts to get soft to avoid sticking to the bottom as it may burn. Once the dhal has a soft consistency, add the garlic and ginger. Let it boil gently, until the Dhal becomes completely liquid with a little texture, if it doubt, take bit out and cool it and squeeze with your fingers, it should be a paste -- no solid. Turn off the heat and remove from the stove to avoid burning.