Kitchen Tools July 25, 2008




King Knife

I don’t know if anyone gets as excited about kitchen tools as I do. The one handy tool in any Indian kitchen, when I was growing up, was the trusted knife. In those days, the knife was sharpened by the Chhoori Wala (the knife sharpener..no, not the hand knife sharpening tool you find here in the US, but an actual human being who would roam the streets with his/her handy knife sharpening machine fixed to a bicycle. If my memory serves me right, this was a stone disc mounted vertically. The disc would be rotated and part of it would be immersed in some water so that as it rotated the entire disc would be wet and the knife would be moved against the rotating edge of the disc, at an angle so it would be sharpened, without the sparks that the action causes ). This handy knife would chop everything, peel fruits (I can’t do that without my trusted peeler), cut the rope-thread of the rice bag,open the milk packet-yes, we get milk in plastic packets in India and many, many more such applications. My mom would chop vegetables into tiny, even pieces for a salad, cubes for a gravy dish or cut greens finely for a stir fry (no, we don’t use terms like julienne, chiffonade, dice etc. in our simple form of cooking). Even now, when she’s around, she’s doing the chopping chore in my kitchen. I have my trusted Henckel’s knife set and a Chef’s knife with which I practice my knife skills. I use way more tools to do the various kitchen tasks that my mom would do with her one trusted knife.

Ginger Garlic Press

I know one can mince ginger and garlic with a knife, but I didn’t inherit my mom’s patience. So, I reach for my Ginger Garlic press for that- and I really love the one I got from IKEA not very long ago (alright, I know IKEA is no William Sonoma, but you can’t beat the design and functionality of its products). Its called the KONCIS and it minces ginger and garlic like a charm with no wastage. Other ginger garlic presses I’ve used would manage to get some juices out and destroy the integrity of the ginger and garlic without giving me any meat at the other end. With KONCIS, there is no wastage- you put a 1/2 inch piece of ginger in and you get a beautiful, minced 1/2 inch on the other side. I’ve used other ginger garlic presses (and not used them after I bought them because they waste a lot) and the KONCIS is the best one I’ve come across so far. And, the clean-up is a breeze thanks to the removable thimble (it looks like a thimble- they call the part an “insert”!)

The Hand Blender

Now this one is my second favorite after the ginger garlic press- your gravy too chunky? Just use the nifty hand blender to make is smooth. Make a nice bisque-like soup, if you don’t like the rustic texture of a chunky vegetable soup. And the best part is- you don’t have to waste time while you wait for something to cool- the hand blender can take the heat! My Cuisinart works like a charm….

Espresso Pot

I love filter coffee, but don’t have the time in the morning to boil water and wait for my filter to drip the decoction so I can use it. The Espresso Pot, an Italian invention, boils the water and makes the espresso (with your favorite filter coffee powder) in under 10 minutes. All you have to do is heat your milk and add the decoction to it. There’s tons of brands and options in the market (aluminum and stainless steel) in the market- I like the one I got from IKEA (again)- its called Trivsel- its stainless steel and is very reasonably priced. A Bialetti espresso pot goes for about $40-$50 (not my cup of tea, or should I say coffee???)

Silicone Tools

I commend whoever it was that discovered the alternate use of silicone- silicone cake pans, muffin cups and pans, and my final favorite kitchen tool- the Silpat baking sheet. Love it- cookies come of without any effort and fat (goes with my whole “healthy culinary point of view”)

Would love to hear what some of your favorite kitchen tools are….write me or leave a comment!!

Masala Muffin Vadai July 10, 2008

 

One of my favorite snacks from Tamilnadu is Masala Vadai- its always a treat and something I eat when I’m really letting go and “pigging out”. So, in order to be able to eat it more frequently, I needed to come up with a healthy way of making them. After thinking about it for a very long time, I took the plunge yesterday. I needed some fat in the vadai to maintain its integrity and thought of using Flax seeds and Olive oil for their good fat content. I think sesame oil would also work.

What You Need

1. 1 Cup chana dal
2. 1/2 a medium sized onion
3. 2-3 green chillies 
4. 1/2 inch piece of ginger (optional)
5. 6-7 curry leaves
6. 1 Tsp baking powder
7. 1 Tbsp Flax seeds
8. 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
9. Salt to taste

How Its Done

1. Soak the Chana dal in warm water for about 20 minutes. I rinsed and put the dal in a microwave safe bowl and filled it with enough water to cover the dal. Then heated it for a minute or so till the water heats through and let it soak for about 20 minutes
2. After 20 minutes, pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
3. Drain the water from the chana and coarsely grind with chopped chillies, ginger and flax seeds. Make sure the dough is thick with very little moisture (add moisture only to make sure your processor runs). 
4. Mix in the salt, baking powder, olive oil, chopped onions, and curry leaves (coarsely torn by hand).
5. Prepare a muffin tin with non-stick spray and spoon the mixture into the cavities, filling them 3/4 way up.
6. Bake for 45 minutes till the tops are golden brown. 
7. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before taking them out of the muffin tray.

These taste awesome- the unique taste of dal and chillies with a hint of ginger and the sweetness of the onion balancing it all out..mmmm!!  And they’re good for me now that they are no longer deep fried . I made 9 muffin vadas. Here’s the nutrition info: Each vada has 104 calories, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of fat. 

To make them crispy and crunchy (and if you have the time) make patties out of the dough and lay them on a pre-prepared pizza pan. Half way through the cooking time flip them over. Pizza pans have the little holes that prevent moisture from accumulating ensuring that your vadas will be crispy and crunchy!! 

 

This is my contribution to Mansi’s Healthy Cooking event, an event that epitomizes what I strive to do in every dish I make. Kudos for the wonderful idea, Mansi!

Potbelly Sandwich Works July 6, 2008

I used to live in Chicago land and for the past five years make an annual trip to visit family. One ritual that is part of this trip is to have my Potbelly-fix. Sounds weird, you say? Potbelly Sandwich Works serves toasted sandwiches and many other goodies. Every Potbelly restaurant has an antique oven placed in the center- the decor reminds you of the good ol’ days gone by (in keeping with the history of the place), with sepia photographs on the wall, some baseball memorablia, and a lot of other antiques hung or placed around each store.

My introduction to Potbelly’s was when I was helping a new friend in school move into her apartment. After a few hours of hard work, lugging goods from the truck to the apartment, we took a break and walked across to this sandwich place in Lincoln Park. I still remember walking into this packed place with the smoky smell of bacon in the air. I had the Italian sandwich (and to this day, even that remains part of my tradition)…the crunchy yet chewy bread with all the meats and fixings tasted juicy, tangy and yummy!!

You see a lot of Potbelly’s in Chicagoland now- practically one in every nook and corner. While I like the accessibility, I’m concerned it will use this gourmet status it had (I’m pretty sure its not just in my mind). If you’re ever in Chicagoland, check em out- they have three vegetarian sandwich options and also a kid’s menu.