Bottle Gourd/लौकी(Lauki)/葫子(huzi)

Thanks to my immigrant farmers, I can find some vegetables that are common in India, but hard to find in mainstream grocery stores here, the lauki is a good example. I bought these at the Oakland Chinatown farmers' market, they were fresh and perfect. Look for the young ones that are not too big.

I like to cook lauki from time to time to introduce some seasonal variety to my cooking. I peel it and then cut it in to small pieces. 

Saute one medium sized onion, garlic, and whole dried red chili peppers, add some cumin as well. Add three medium sized tomatoes and saute until the oil separates, add cumin, and turmeric, and the pieces of lauki. Add about two cups of water, and cook at medium heat for 15 minutes, lower the heat and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the lauki is fully cooked. 

Eggs

The best eggs are to be found at the farmers' market, I like the eggs from Highland Hills Farm, and Kaki Farm. The eggs are two to three times more expensive than regular grocery stores, but they are the real deal. The yolk is bright orange(as it should be), and they taste like how eggs do in the rest of the world. You are paying for the fact that these eggs are the outcome of nature's natural rate of production, which is inherently less efficient, but produces a far superior product.

I boil the eggs for six and a half minute, I prefer a slightly runny yolk. I sprinkle them with Indian kala namak(literal translation: black salt, although it is pink in color!).  It turns black when you sprinkle it on the eggs, not sure what kind of a reaction is taking place. It is known to have trace amounts of iron sulfide and hydrogen sulfide, the latter is toxic in high concentrations, but the amount is pretty low in the black salt that it apparently does not pose any health risk. You can just use plain old iodized salt and skip this risky black salt business.

Little Thai Eggplants(बैंगन)

This is a simple recipe to cook the tiny round eggplants in an Indian karahi(wok). I have seen at least three different types of these eggplants, the pictures below show you the color and texture. The yellow one's are a bit sweeter than the green and the light purple ones. The Oakland Chinatown farmers market is a good place, these are mostly grown and sold by East Asian immigrant farmers.

I cut the eggplants in to small wedges as shown below. The pieces will retain their shape more or less when fully cooked and don't really need to be cut in to small pieces.

Add mustard oil to the karahi and heat it add medium flame. Add two teaspoons of coarsely crushed black cumin, followed by chopped garlic, and dried red chillies, I break them in to pieces by hand. I couldn't find ginger, but ginger would go well with this recipe. Add the onions and saute until they are brown, about 8 minutes or so. Add two medium tomatoes. Cook until the oil separates. Add the egg plant and stir everything.

Add turmeric(1 teaspoon), garam masala(1 and a half teaspoon), salt, and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Stir to mix in the spices, add a cup of water, and cover. Let it cook at medium heat for about 20 minutes, and lower the heat towards the end. Also, stir occasionally to make sure the eggplant does not stick at the bottom of the karahi.

Chai (चाय)

This is my version of a recipe to make chai that uses a combination of cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and Assam black tea. Assam tea is preferred for making chai because it is full bodied and does well when combined with milk and sugar. Darjeeling, which is a delicate tea, is better reserved for drinking by itself.

Ingredients:
2 and a quarter cup of water.
7 pods of green cardamom (छोटी इलाइची)
8 cloves (लौंग)
Two inch long sticks of cardamom (either Indian or African, they tend to be more aromatic) (दालचीनी)
Two teaspoons of loose leaf Assam tea (Ceylon tea works as well)

The Kalami Assam tea is a good option, it costs about $5 for a pound of tea, almost a fourth of the cost that you would pay for this type of loose tea at most places. It can be found at the Oasis Food Market in Oakland.

• Crush cardamom and cloves.
• Bring water to a boil.
• Add crushed cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, along with tea.
• Brew for five minutes.
• Add milk and sugar that is appropriate to your taste.

 Enjoy!

Kola Nut

I stumbled on kola nuts at the African market in Oakland (Man Must Wak) and bought one of these to taste. These nuts are native to West Africa and contain caffeine, the west africans chew these and drink water to help extract the caffeine. It supposedly turns sweet on chewing, although I did not discern any sweetness. It tasted horrifically bitter, somewhat like an acorn or any one of those random inedible fruits growing in the forests.

I am sure that I am missing the subtelties of this fruit, it is supposed to provide a stimulant effect and also relieve hunger pangs, effects that may be far too subtle for me to notice in my current cushy and calorie rich environment. I may have to rough it out in the tropical forests of West Africa to appreciate its salient features.

Tomato Basil Salad

It is finally summer and the tomatoes have arrived. Here is simple tomato salad recipe that uses cherry tomatoes. I cut them in to halves, add salt, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and chopped basil. The outcome is simply divine. Enjoy.

Cauliflower with Peas (गोभी मटर)

Cauliflower and peas are in season in California and here is a simple recipe that is one of my favorites. Dice a medium size onion along with three cloves of garlic. Take a teaspoon of black cumin and crush it partially with a mortar and pestle. Heat about three tablespoons of mustard oil(sunflower oil or canola would work as well), bring to medium heat and toss the cumin seeds. The seeds should make the oil sizzle, if the oil does not sizzle then it is not hot enough, you can test this by tossing in a few seeds. Toss in a four dried red chillies, I partially crush them along with the garlic. Wait a minute or so and then add the diced onions. 

I use one medium sized cauliflower head, I break the small flowers by hand instead of cutting it with a knife. I also use the tender parts closer to the base along with some of the leafy sections.

The above picture is right after I added the red onions.

Saute the onions until they soften and the oil starts to separate, in general it is tough to get to this stage with American onions, because they tend to have more water, and may need anywhere from six to eight minutes.

Toss in the cauliflower, and mix all the ingredients with a spatula.

Add a teaspoon of turmeric powder, a teaspoon and a half of ground coriander and salt(adjust to taste), and half a teaspoon of red chilli powder. Mix the ingredients, and then cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Periodically, mix the ingredients to even out the cooking. Closer to the end of the cooking, add the peas and let them cook for about five minutes or so.

Here is the final outcome, I prefer to eat it with fresh roti and ghee!