Rinku Bhattacharya's Blog, page 92

Dong Chun Hong – Korean Chinese Fusion in Flatiron

As a matter of speaking, this post is along the lines of decompressing after a busy week of sorts and also clearing out some old pictures that needed to be organized. It has taken me several visits to write about Dong Chun Hong, because for starters it took me some time to learn the name. However, every visit probably was an excuse, to go back to the place for more. I was introduced to this place by my friend Cheng, who has actually been great about introducing me to some places off the beaten path. This one depending on your point of reference, might just be an extrension of another Korean Fusion Place, meandering along the fringes of Koreatown.

An interesting collection of dishes, the menu has an interesting assortment of Dim Sum dishes, and I can tell you that I have happily worked my way through an assortment of fried shrimp balls, seafood dumplings, vegetable dumplings and crispy shrimp rolls to tell you that the Dim Sum is pretty good.

 

 

An interesting feature called the Spicy Dumplings, offer a heavy but well fried dumpling with a flavorful and light tasting filling. In fact, the Siu Mai was a little mediocre, possible because it was not an often ordered dish, other wise the rest of the fair was pretty good in this department.

Given, the multitude of noodle and rice dishes, I have not really ventured beyond their basics menu. There  jjajangmyun (spicy black bean noodles) has convinced me this dish is a winner. I have also tried their spicy seafood rice, which essentially is a fried rice with kimchi. Their ramen style noodles have more than enough for two. All things considered, their wait staff speak good English and offer service with a smile. The large menu certainly ensures that you will not get bored every time you are back. Take it from me, you has been there literally a countless number of times, which given the number of lunchtime options in the city speaks volumes for the place.

Dong Chun Hong

312 5th Ave

(between 31st St & 32nd St)

New York, NY 10001

http://www.dongchunhongnyc.com/

 

 

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Onion and Kale Fritters – Mixed Up Piyanjee

I recently ended up as a part of a conversation somewhere in the facebook world on authenticity and after sort of supporting both sides of the arguement I am not really sure where I ended. Well, I am a Libra, I know when I was growing up following one’s zodiac was serious business. I will date myself even further and tell you that a popular book amongs me and the friendship clan was Linda Goodman’s Zodiac Signs, which it turns out was the first astrology book to make the New York Times Bestseller list, illustrating the fact that I had company in my silly reading. In case you are wondering, a the Libran symbol are the scales and they are supposed to always work towards balancing things. And whenever my equilibrium shifts a little I make some variation of onion fritters also called piyanjee in Bengali.

Well, while the bit on equilibrium is not entirely true, we do love these onion ring fritters in my house. My husband of course calls them pakoras. Actually, these classic naturally gluten-free and vegan-fritters are called different thing in different parts of India, but all tend to have the same lovely crisp and savory sweetness of red onions cloaked in nutritious and crispy chickpea batter.

 

 In fact, the line in our household is, you say pakora, I say piyanjee, lets call the whole thing off. Well, the interesting thing about these fritters is that they can take a whole assortment of variations, depending on the nuances of spices used. I have used some thyme from are garden in lieu of carom seeds to make this particular version. It is available in bounty and adds a nice and simple touch of freshness. I also added some curry leaves and tender kale leaves on a touch of whimsy. The kale was in lieu of spinach which is something that I normally add.

 

The only caution that I offer is to ensure that you are working with medium hot oil, ensure that the batter is not too thick, there should not be too much batter over the onions, as it will overpower the sweet crispiness of the onions.

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Onion and Kale Fritters – Mixed Up Piyanjee

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: about 20 fritters

An variation of classic Indian onion fritters with kale, onions, thyme and curry leaves. Perfect with a cup of tea!

Ingredients

2 medium sized red onions, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped baby kale leaves or spinach

For the batter

1 cup of besan or chickpea flour
15 curry leaves
11/2 tablespoons thyme or 1/4 teaspoon carom seeds
3/4 teaspoon red cayenne powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

Oil for frying

Instructions

Separate the pieces and layers of the onions and set aside with the kale or spinach.
In a large bowl, whisk the besan, thyme, red cayenne powder, salt, turmeric and cilantro.
Stir in about 1 cup of cold water, this should be done gradually to ensure a batter that is slightly thinner than pancake batter, but thick enough to coat.
Stir in the onions and spinach.
In a heavy bottom skillet add about 1 and 1/2 cups of canolla oil, about 11/2 inches deep. Heat the oil until a crumb when tested dances up to the surface.
Add about 2 tablespoons of the batter, gently allowing the onions to fan out in strands.
Fry on medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, this should NOT be done on high heat.
Turn and fry again, the color of the fritters should be a comfortable golden brown color.
Remove from the fire, drain on paper towels and serve.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://cookinginwestchester.com/2013/04/onion-and-kale-fritters-mixed-up-piyanjee.html

 

 

 

 

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Chinatown Sweet and Sour Bok Choy and The Passionate Vegetable

   I have been meaning to tell you all about this wonderful book, for the past week.  I seriously have been getting all excited about, however, anytime I have been getting ready to write, I have been looking all over for the book.  What does this tell you that I am a scatterbrain? Well, not quite, if you know me, actually, that is a good thing. When I like a book, and start reading it, I sneak reading it between games, train rides, practice and the whole gamut, the problem with that carry the book with me approach, is that the book also ends up all over the place. And yes, I had truly enjoyed browsing through and reading, The Passionate Vegetable.

There are many ways to cutting the healthy food circuit and no matter how you slice it at the core we are talking about a good amount of vegetables. The key to note is that vegetables are colorful and exciting. To feed my family, I am constantly looking for new ideas to bring by way of healthy eating, sure I have a few of my own, but it never hurts to have diversity.

This is where a book like The Passionate Vegetable comes in handy. A nicely styled substantial volume, this book is bursting with colorful and enticing recipes, the kind created with possibly a family in focus. Actually, Chef Suzanne Landry in her acknowledgements mentions that her sons were the reasons that started her on the healthy cooking journey. Some of her inspiration also came from her father who suffered for over 17 years of recurring cancer.

The book is filled with thoughtful notes on whole grains, legumes, lifestyle choices such as, “when to” or “when not to go gluten-free”. The recipes inspired by an assortment of global influences, ranging from Thai style coconut chickpeas, Indian seasoned curries, Mexican Black Bean and Corn Salad, Marvelous Minestrone, ensure that there is absolutely no chance of getting bored on the dinner table with these recipes. The general use of ingredients is very practical, mostly working with stuff you are likely to find in a regularly stocked (ok a well-stocked) pantry. The point being, I have tried three recipes so far and was able to do so without actually venturing out for anything special. The recipes are fairly adapatable, since they have lots of suggested substitutions.

Today’s recipe that I have pictured here is the Chinatown Sweet and Sour Bok Choy. I have listed the recipe as is, from the book but will tell you that I did make two variations to make this work with my pantry. I used more cabbage than bok choi, since that is what I had on hand. I also reduced the amount of honey in the recipe. Now, that is again a personal preference.

Overall, I am really excited to have a book like this just in time for summer. If you are looking for new ways to introduce some healthy goodness to your life, my recommendation is that this is the book for you.  If you read through the instructions, you will see how detailed and complete the instructions are. Take for instance in this recipe, she even tells you how to chop the Bok Choi.

 

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Chinatown Sweet and Sour Bok Choy and The Passionate Vegetable

Recipe from The Passionate Vegetable, Suzanne Landry

Ingredients

1 head bok choy
2 tablespoons light sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced
1/2 cup carrots, cut into thin matchsticks
1 teaspoon sea salt

Sauce

1 tablespoon arrowroot or organic cornstarch
1 cup cold water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup honey (1 used 11/2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons raw apple cide vinegar

Instructions

Separate the leaves of bok choy and discard outer leaves that might be bruised or pithy. Rinse bok choy thoroughly. Cut away bottom white secon of bok chou for the grean leafy tops. Place 2 stems of the white bottoms on top of each other and slice down the middle lengthwise. Cut into 1/2-inch diagonal slices. Place the leafy green tops on top of each other and cut in half. Fold over and cut again in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Keep separate for now.
Preheat sesame oil in frying pan and sauce ginger for 30 seconds. Add red cabbage and carrots and saute for another 2 minutes. Add bottoms of boy choy and salt. Cover and simmer on low heat for 3 minutes.
Prepare sauce by dissolving arrowroot or cornstarch in the cold water. Add soy sauce, honey and vinegar, and mix. Pour on the vegetables and stir until dressing thickens and becomes clear. Now place the greens on top. Do not stir in. Cover and steam for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://cookinginwestchester.com/2013/04/chinatown-sweet-and-sour-bok-choy-and-the-passionate-vegetable.html

 

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Narkoler Naru – Coconut and Jaggery Balls for Bengali New Year

  Spring brings to the air a touch of color, freshness and the promise of beauty. Several parts of the world celebrate it with festivals like Easter and Purim.

Well, while we celebrate all of that, come into mid- April (well almost), the celebrations vary by days, several parts of India, notably Tamil Nadu and Andra Pradesh in South India, Punjab in North India and Assam and West Bengali in Eastern India have their versions of a new year. You get more about the South Indian flavors of these celebrations through Nivedita’s post here.

I actually began today, feeling a little guilty. I took the kids for their weekend dance lessons and I saw all the other kids beautifully dressed up in lovely Indian outfit, while me and the brood were comfortable and well dressed in clean and cosy sweats. Well, I did have two games following the dance classes and I also, tried to convince myself that the Bengali New Year is really all about food.

Actually, for me it is a symbolic almost mid-year pause, where I try to think about the direction of the year and how it is heading. I think we should be ok in the food department, if you really want to see what we will be cooking you can stop by the facebook page.

The recipe of the day, is for these lovely coconut and jaggery toffee balls, that I share from the Bengali Five Spice Chronicles that was a great help since I did not have to re-write the recipe. Now, in the interest of fair disclosure while these were what I could come up with on quick notice and my daughter loved them, these are typically a traditional dessert for Lokkhi Puja, which actually is a fall Bengali Festival.

Nonetheless, for some reason I was not the only one who came up with these lovely sweet toffee like balls on this cool spring weekend. For a version, with mindblowing pictures, you can check out Soma’s version.

These lovely simple coconut balls are called naru, almost as in nadu (with a rough r) and need three ingredients and some patience. They are made with jaggery, coconut and cardamom seeds. The important thing with these balls is to ensure that they are cooked low and slow so that the coconut releases its natural oils to both bind and add some deep flavor into the almost toffee like dessert.

I did use store bough frozen coconut and do so quite often, while this is acceptable, it does create a rougher texture from what the traditional balls are like. So, really it is upto you if you actually want to scrape a fresh coconut. However, if you do it is well worth the effort.So maybe my New Year resolution for this Lokkhi Puja will be to make them from the scratch.

Anyhow, before I get to the recipe, here is wishing you and yours a happy spring and festive year ahead.

 

 

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Radish, Kale and Kabocha Stir Fry with Panchphoron

Looks like all my pleas to spring to finally come seems to have worked, it has arrive a little later, but it certainly is here in all its glory.

It has been a spectacular week! As with everything, when the sun shines and the flowers bloom, you forget that the weather was cooler for a couple of weeks longer.  I have been a good girl and spent some time getting my walking groove back. This has meant less time in the kitchen, so the dish of the day is a colorful stir fry with Panchphoron, yes a Bengali Style stir-fry. Although, speaking of walking it took quite a bit of effort to convince myself my wet and rainy Friday morning walk to the office was a precurser to May flowers.

The soccer season has just started and how, there is a reason we have the term soccer mom. I was a good girl and got them a new soccer ball, which Aadi does not want to share with Deepta.  Between reading Swindle with Deepta, I realized that they had a crazy poem we had in school as a part of their assigment,

“There lived a sage in days of yore and he a handsome pigtail wore, but wondered much and sorrowed more because the pigtail hung behind him”

Who would have thought that Thackery’s piece would have such cross continental appeal.

Well, maybe appeal might sound a little stretched since Deepta did think that the poem did not make a whole load of sense.

We just forraged our first batch of Dandelion greens from the garden and I shall tell you all about them in this week’s spices and seasons column. While I do not mention the column a lot, it has been about a year that I have been sharing spice and seasonal talk on the Small Bites blog, mostly through original recipes. In some cases, there is some cross posting between the blogs, but in most cases they are orginal recipes. The core emphasis of that blog is to feature simple recipes that usually stick to a few core spices to showcase the harmory between spices and often picking something that is the ingredient of the season. Just another effort for me to showcase my love of exploring Indian inspired flavors with local produce.

Here is my stir-fry as promised. I hope that I can get my act together to post something sweet and enticing for Bengali New Year on the 15th.

 

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Radish, Kale and Kabocha Stir Fry with Panchphoron

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

A light and lovely Bengali style stir fry,

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon panch phoron (Bengali Five Spice Blend)
2 teaspoons ginger paste
2 to 3 dried red chilies
2 cups cubed radishes (I used Daikon)
11/2 cups of cubed kabocha squash
A pinch of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
3 cups of baby kale

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok and add in the panchphoron and wait until the spices crackle.
Add in the ginger paste and te dried red chilies and stir lightly.
Add in the radishes and the kabocha squash and mix well.
Stir in the turmeric, cayenne pepper and the salt. Cover the skillet and reduce the temperature to low and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
Remove the cover, letting the steam water drip into the pan and stir well. the vegetables should be tender crisp at this point.
Mix in the kale and stir well. Cook until the kale is just wilted and there you have a lovely stir fry that seduces you with flavor and color.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://cookinginwestchester.com/2013/04/radish-kale-and-kabocha-stir-fry-with-panchphoron.html

 

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Guest Post and Giveaway -Fragrant and Creamy Coconut Shrimp Curry

 It is this time of the year, that I again tend to get a sense of festivity. Much as I love Durga Puja, I have to confess I am generally partial to non-denominational festivals. I find them easier to share without any boundaries.

In Spring, my favorite festival therefore is Bengali New Year, which we Bengali celebrate along with finishing our taxes here in the US. It only makes sense right, books done let us go on a food and festive journey (Just kidding!)

This year I have pulled out one of my favorite festive recipes for Fragrant and Creamy Coconut Shrimp Curry or Chingri Malaikari and shared it with you on Smita Chandra’s Blog, Curry Twist.

She is also giving away a copy of my cookbook, The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles.

To win the cookbook, you have to do a few simple things, head on over to my page on facebook and like me (come on, I am likeable) and then leave a comment for Smita telling her what your favorite spice is.

Please stay tuned on this site as well, because in between shopping for new cleats and enjoying the wonderful fresh spring weather, I shall try to share a few interesting recipes for you to try through the rest of the year.

 

 

 

 

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Spice Stuffed Baked Baby Eggplants – Masala Dum Baigan

This recipe is called Bhabi’s baigan (older SIL’s eggplants) by my family.

It was an accidental attempt to remake something that I had tasted when visiting my husband’s family in Northern India. I have gotten a better handle of their flavors these days, however interestingly enough this supposed recapture became quite a hit. It cooks for just a little on the stove and then gets finished off in the oven, gently simmering and softening in its own sauces.

In fact, this has gotten a nod from a lot of purists if I do not tell them of my unconventional ways.

My husband is the oldest in his family, so I have been the undisputed Bhabi or elder sister-in-law to almost every family member his generation and now I even have an eggplant recipe to show for it.

It has been a week where I have been trying to stay on top of things. That is the only way I cope with multiple priorities, to my credit, I do it better than some, but I still get exhausted. Today, my bright note of the day was a mention for the book. It often is like the kids doing something interesting, like getting an essay right, it brightens my day.

So now back to the eggplant, I realize we call these eggplants baby eggplants, the only problem being I thing they really are mini eggplants, because they do not grow any bigger and tend to get small and seedy if left alone too long. So, I snag some anytime I see the really tender varieties in the India grocery store. They can be made with Japanese eggplants as well, you will just have less of a “cute” factor! Well, to be honest, the taste might be a tad different since you will be changing the spice to eggplant surface area, ratio.

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Spice Stuffed Baked Baby Eggplants – Masala Dum Baigan

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

Serving Size: 1 to 2 eggplants

My variation of spice stuffed eggplants inspired by the flavors of northern India.

Ingredients

2 pounds baby tender eggplants (about 15 to 20)

For the Spice Filling

2 teaspoons panch phoron (Bengali Five Spice) powdered
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder)
3/4 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon salt

For the coating base

3 tablespoons oil
1 medium red onion, cut into a dice
1 tablespoon ginger paste
2 tomatoes, cut into a fine dice
Salt to taste
Cilantro for garnishing

Instructions

1. Cut the eggplants halfway, almost all the to the top but do not separate from the top. Repeat the same on the other side, so in other words, cut into quarters.
2. Make a paste with the panch phoron powder, yogurt, amchur, red chili powder and salt.
3. Gently smear generously into the eggplants. Note, depending on the size of eggplants you might need more spice mixture, in which case increase in the same proportion mentioned.
4. Set this aside for about 30 minutes.
5. Heat the oil on medium heat for about a minute and add in the onion and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the onions are fairly soft.
6. Add in the ginger and the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are nice and soft.
7. Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees and line the eggplants in a single layer in a casserole.
8. Top the eggplants with the freshly prepared sauce and bake uncovered for 45 minutes. The eggplants should be nice and soft with a thick coating sauce that has meshed and married the stuffing spices.
9. Serve the eggplants with chapatis.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://cookinginwestchester.com/2013/04/spice-stuffed-baked-baby-eggplants-masala-dum-baigan.html

 

 

 

 

 

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A new motivation…

 I love to read, but increasingly find it harder and harder to do so in a meaningful way.  I love to walk, but have stopped making time for a walking routine, so I have decided to give myself a little bit of motivation this month of April. This picture might not seem like a motivational picture to you, but it really is, I had taken this in Old Delhi, earlier in the year when I had found it quite interesting to see that the monkey had made itself a bridge from what might appear to be an tangled mass of wires.

To this end, I am signing up for the South Asian Review Challenge 2013, I am thrilled to see that the host has flexed the rules a little, and so I am staying away from setting an annual goal, instead I would like to really start with an April goal – albeit a day late.

My goal this month is to do some structured reading and walking every day, since I tend to enjoy doing a lot of reading on the South Asian genre of authors, working through this challenge should not be terribly difficult, if I can get organized about the reading as for the walking… now that is a different story.

 

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Bellota at 42 in White Plains

 

I have to confess, that there are many dimensions and moods to dining in a restaurant, the company, people, and sometimes the day of the week. The first time I tried Bellota at  42, it looks like almost everything, other that company did not seem right. Despite reserverations we had to wait, and the noisy bar hardly made for a good segway into the special meal that we were looking forward to.

 Well, this time around we went there on a much quieter evening with the Small Bites team, including of course Liz.

  

It was for starters an amazing experience watching the sun set against the back drop of the “hurry home” cars on a fairly cold night. The cocktails paired with what seemed to be a bottomless selection of tapas was well worth it. I liked the quieter evening and loved the company of fellow bloggers since I did not have to worry about taking pictures. This time round the food seemed really good. I photographed some, since there really was too much action going on to get all the dishes

 

 

Chickpeas are a huge favorite and I loved what the chef did with them. We were lucky that we had the picky vegan with us, so the chef made an extra effort to keep her happy in turn all the rest of us could enjoy the silky hummus and there amazing chickpeas that I am dying to try to make at home.

One of the items that I loved was a crisp chicken sandwich right along sided the lovely ham, that was the namesake Belotta variety.

The Potato Bravas was the one item that still did not feel as good as some of the renditions I have had certainly not like the variety in Spain. But I certainly feel this restaurant has redeemed itself in my mind. I shall just stick to going there early on weeknights.

 

 

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Gujiya – Traditional Indian Stuffed Dessert Crescents

So, honestly speaking I often do not realize when we pass through festivals, particularly Indian ones. Let’s face it, today for Holi, instead of celebrating with a riot of colors and fanfare, well I had half a day at work and spent a decent amount of time working in our PTA records. However, all things considered, I did make some Gujiya. These are a traditional dessert for Holi, and I might be posting this at the eleventh hour, but at least I did it right in terms of food! What I mean by that is that as far as I know I actually made something traditional on the right day.

I have been getting better at this and the true reason for this is that this year my kids are into celebrating things, anything one can think off, earlier this year they even wanted a cake for MLK’s birthday.

So, I have been trying to keep up with the Jones, or really the calendar to indulge their whims. In keeping with these whims, we have today the Gujiya or sweet Indian style empanadas. I am not sure about the empanadas, but they really do look like empanadas and my kids seem to like the name as for my husband, he was so confused by it, that it took him some time to realize that I was making gujiyas.

This week is about Holi and actually later in the week, it is about Easter and their birthdays. Yes, they both have birthdays within a month of each other and this year we are combining them. Two parties, same location, two cakes different friends still almost the same investment of overhead. So still easier.

 

Now back to Holi it as big a festival as Diwali, where people celebrate with colors to welcome spring.  In our house growing up, once I was done with playing, we had a ritual of going over to my grandmother’s house to offer her the felicitations of the season with abir. Specifically, doing a pronam (touching her feet) with the abir. So, abir is the dry powder, which is dissolved with water to make the colors of holi, that is then put into squirt containers and sprayed onto people. However, the dry powder is used in this case as a symbolic gesture. While my grandmother always had an elaborate meal for us, she did not necessarily have anything typical demarked as a “holi” food. She certainly did not have anything bhang based. Bhang is a potent alcoholic drink that is also very typical of Holi.

Now, I do not have a recipe for bhang, however the gujiya recipe that I share here is indeed a traditional north Indian dessert from Holi. The sugar in this recipe is fairly reduced, but I feel that this actually helps the deep rich filling to shine.

 

 



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Gujiya – Traditional Indian Stuffed Dessert Crescents

Ingredients

For the Pastry

2 cups all purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons semolina (sooji)
4 tablespoons ghee
Water to mix to a firm dough

For the filling

3/4 cup crumbled khoya (I used store made 1/2 pound)
¼ cup grated coconut (unsweetened)
3/4 cup coarsely ground pistachios and almonds
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped raisins
Oil for frying

To finish

3/4 cup water
1 cup sugar

Instructions

Mix together the flour, salt and semolina. Mix in the ghee into the dough and then add enough water to mix well until the mixture forms a smooth but manageable dough.
Cover with cling wrap and chill for an hour.
In the meantime place the khoya, coconut, ground nuts and milk and begin mixing until the mixture softens.
Add in the sugar and continue cooking until the mixture is well mixed, it will be soft but not too moist. Mix in the raisins.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and break into lime sized balls and roll into a 3-4 inch circle.
Add about 2 tablespoons of the khoya mixture to one side of the filling and cover with the dough to form a plump crescent. Seal the edges. I did not flute them, but I recommend this in future, it ensures a better sealing.
Heat the oil in a wok and gently fry the crescents on medium heat until they turn a honey gold color. Set them aside to cool slightly.
In the meantime, make a thick syrup by boiling the water and sugar for at least 15 minutes, it should be coating consistence. I did not want a very sweet coating, so I used a pastry brush to coat the gujiyas, but you can dunk them in the syrup.
Remove and let them dry out and enjoy them warm.
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