Mulligatawny

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Mulligatawny is an English version of an Indian soup that is usually made with curry and a small amount of chicken. The name literally means "pepper water". Although Bob and I had many soups while we were in India, we were never served this one, and, to my great embarrassment, I had never made it. Several weeks ago, I was introduced to the cooking of Madhur Jaffrey and her recipe for the soup caught my attention. I promised myself to try it once the activity in my kitchen moved from mazurka to waltz time and that opportunity presented itself last night. I was so excited about the results that I almost bumped my scheduled post. I stopped only because I wanted to see how this soup aged. I had it again for lunch today and I'm really happy to report my socks are still going up and down. This recipe is a treasure, especially for those who like food with a little bite. The predominant flavors here are garlic and ginger but they are perfectly balanced and neither will overwhelm the palate. I know the recipe looks involved but better than half the ingredients are spices and the soup is really easy to make. I have made very few changes to the original version. I did find the soup to be very thin, so I doubled the amount of potatoes used to thicken it and I used chicken thighs rather than the breast called for in the original recipe. I served the soup with rice for those who wanted something a bit more substantial. I really hope you will try this. I found it to be extraordinary and it will appear often on my table. Here's the recipe.

Mulligatawny...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Madhur Jaffrey

Ingredients:
12 ounces red split lentils
2 quarts chicken stock
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 or 2 medium russet potatoes (8 to 16 ounces)
10 cloves garlic, peeled
3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely grated
9 tablespoons water + 2 cups
14 ounces chicken breast or thigh, boned and skinned
2-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
1) Combine lentils, chicken stock and tumeric in stock pot or large saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, leaving lid slightly ajar, turn heat to low and simmer 30 minutes.
2) While soup is simmering, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2 in dice. After 30 minutes of cooking, add potatoes and continue simmering another 30 minutes with lid slightly ajar.
3) Put garlic and ginger in electric blender or food processor with 9 tablespoons water and blend into a smooth paste.
4) Remove all fat from chicken and cut into 1/2 inch dice. Put chicken in a bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper over it and toss to mix.
5) After soup has cooked for 60 minutes total, puree. Add remaining 2 teaspoons salt and mix.
6) Pour oil into empty skillet or saucepan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add garlic/ginger spice paste, the cumin, coriander and cayenne. Fry, stirring continuously until spice mixture is slightly browned and separates from oil. Put in chicken pieces. Stir and fry another 2-3 minutes, until chicken pieces become opaque. Add reserved 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Add to pureed soup. Stir in lemon juice and taste for seasoning. Simmer soup very gently for another 2 minutes. Yield: 10 servings.

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Mulligatawny Soup - Las Vegas Food Adventures

Ezekiel Bread - A Loaf of Biblical Proportions

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...My curiosity led me to this bread. It gets its name from a passage in the Book of Ezekiel (4:9). To the best of my knowledge, it's the only place in either the Old or New Testament where a recipe, at least a recipe of sorts, is given. The exhortation is meant for the Israelites who will be in exile for 390 days. The recipe is for a bread intended to help them survive famine and the rigors of life in the diaspora. While it is not particularly tasty, the combination of grains used to make the bread, combine to make a complete protein that satisfies all the body's nutritional requirements. It was the original survival bread and it came from a prophet who recommended cooking it over a dung fire. Every word of this is true. You can't make this stuff up, folks.

"But as for you, take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and spelt, put them in one vessel and make them into bread for yourself; you shall eat it according to the number of the days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days."

I suspect only a few of you will be tempted to make the bread, but it has a history I thought all of you might fine interesting. I don't recommend this bread for beginning bakers. The dough is tricky to work with and the bread is not to everyone's liking. My beloved's comment on sampling it was, "Nutritious." That is the kiss of death around here. I know from experience he won't take another bite. Here's the recipe.

Ezekiel's Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients:
4-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon honey

8 cups wheat flour, finely ground
4 cups barley flour, finely ground
1/2 cup millet flour, finely ground
1/4 cup rye flour, finely ground

2 cup cooked lentils, mashed
1-1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon salt
4-6 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
1) In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water to which honey has been added. Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
2) Combine wheat, barley, millet and rye flour in a separate bowl. Set aside.
3) Place lentils, oil and 1/2 cup water in a blender. Puree mixture. Place puree into a large mixing bowl along with remaining 1 cup water. Stir in yeast mixture and salt. Beat in 2 cups of flour mixture. When smooth stir in remaining flour mixture.
4) Place on a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl. Let rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour. Knead again and shape into 4 loaves. Place in greased loaf pans and let rise again until double, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Yield: 4 loaves.






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Whole Wheat Flax Bread - The Local Cook

Dal Bhat - Pokhara

Dal Bhat











From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Pokhara is a small Nepalese city tucked into the foothills of the Annapurna range of the Himalayas. Things, including time, move slowly here. Cars are not yet a problem, television transmission is intermittent and the air is fresh and clear. While the area tries to keep a low profile, 100,000 travelers arrive here every year. The city is a mecca for climbers and trekkers who account for 80% of its visitors. The area is also a retirement haven for Gurkha officers whose presence, coincidentally, keeps the crime rate low and the economy healthy. Those who come are charmed and pampered. Many stay. Hence, I can happily report it is possible to get fabulous pizza in the foothills of the Himalayas. The old city is much like the Kathmandu of my imagination, but accommodations are first-rate and are a welcoming place to train for, or recover from, strenuous outdoor activity. Part of the daily panoply is watching helicopters evacuate trekkers who have underestimated the toll that altitude will take on their bodies. Most recover poolside and still have the time of their life. I was completely charmed by Pokhara and its residents. If you are lured by the unusual and enjoy back roads and byways, Pokhara will enchant you as well.

In Nepal there's a entree called a Nepali set. It is an assortment of dishes arranged on a plate especially designed to feature each component of the meal. I'd like to take you through those components a step at a time and, today, we'll start with the two most basic elements of the dish. Rice and lentil are the staples of the Nepali people. They are eaten twice a day in a dish that's called Dal Bhat. The dish may be supplemented with curried vegetables, called Tarkari and pickles, but rice and lentils are always part of the meal. They will also appear on our expanded versions of the Nepali set that we'll build a step at a time. Here is the recipe for the rice and lentils that form the base of the Nepalese diet.

Dal Bhat...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
Plain Rice (Bhat)
2 cups rice (Basmati or Long grain preferred)
4 cups (1 lt) water
1 teaspoon butter (optional)

Lentils (Dal)
1-1/2 cups lentil (any kind)
4 to 5 cups of water (depends preference of your consistency of liquid)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
6 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee)
3/4 cup sliced onions
2 chillies (dried red chilies preferred)
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste (optional)

Directions:
1) To prepare rice: Wash rice and soak for 5 minutes. Boil the rice over medium heat for about 10 -15 minutes. Stir once thoroughly. Add butter. Turn the heat to low and cook, covered, for 5 more minutes until done
2) To prepare lentils: Wash lentils and soak lentil for 10 minutes. Remove anything that floats and drain. Place lentil in fresh water and bring to a boil. Add all spices. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes until lentils are soft and have the consistency of oatmeal. In a small pan, heat remaining butter and fry onions, chilies and garlic. Stir into lentils a few minutes before you stop boiling. Serve with rice.

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Nepali Dal Bhat - Zack's Travel Musings
Dal Bhat - Experiments in My Kitchen
Dal Bhat - Yeti-Zone Trekking