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!

How to buy good quality fruit for less

Here are my recommendations for someone who is tight on cash and wants to eat fresh, delicious fruit:

• Learn which fruits are available at what time of the year. The best way to learn this is by going to a farmers market. In Oakland, I recommend the Friday farmers market in Old Oakland on 9th and Clay; it is open from 10 am to 2 pm. The farmers there are only selling what they grow and whatever produce and fruit is in season. You will not see bananas from Ecuador or Papayas from Belize. With time you will get a sense of what is in season, and prices also drop when the season for a particular fruit reaches its peak. My recommendation is to only buy what is in peak season, this will ensure that you will get the most nutritious fruit at the lowest price. 

• Go to the Old Oakland farmers market at the end of the day, say around 1:30 pm. Most farmers are more than happy to drop their prices, and even more so if you buy large quantities, it helps if you have a large family or you eat fruit in large quantities.

• Prices at the Old Oakland farmers market are the lowest in my experience relative to the Oakland Grand Avenue farmers market, or any of the farmers market in Berkeley. The quality of fruit does have a wider variation, and you do have to know who is selling fruit that is closer to being ripe. Do not buy without tasting, if they refuse to give you a sample, then just buy one piece of fruit and eat/taste it. It is a matter of time before you get a sense of the different stands. 

• What is in season right now: Strawberries, Apricots, Peaches, and Raspberries. The picture above shows what I bought last week for $17. This amount of fruit would cost an arm and a leg at Berkeley Bowl or Whole Foods, and the quality is much better than what you would find at any of those two stores, I would say not even close. The only exception would be few of the special stands at the Berkeley Farmers market, I am thinking strawberries from Lucero farm, or peaches from Kashiwase farms. 

So go out and explore your local Oakland farmers market. You will only be rewarding the hard work of mostly immigrant farmers who I can't thank enough for providing such great value for money. All of the farmers and produce are from California and you will be making a small difference by eating local and benefiting your health by eating fruit that is at the peak of its quality. Thanks California!

California Squid (Calamari)

Northern California coast is filled with delicious squid and is an excellent source of protein that is local and fresh. The barrier to cooking squid is to learn how to clean it. I recommend looking at websites or youtube videos to learn how to clean it. They are available at the Old Oakland Farmers Market, Berkeley Bowl, or Monterey Fish Market in Berkeley and costs anywhere from $1.60 to $4 dollars a pound.

 

Fresh Squid from the Pacific (Northern California)

 

Squid: Cleaned and Skin removed

The easiest way to cook fresh squid is to lightly saute it in olive oil for three to four minutes and sprinkle it with salt. I decided to dab them in flour and saute them in sunflower oil. The picture below shows the result. It tastes delicious and made me learn how real squid tastes. I have also lightly sauteed it in oil and then use it in salads. I highly recommend you to try California squid. It is simple to cook, healthy, and delicious.

Squid: Dipped in flour and sauteed in oil.

Boiled Peanuts

Thanks to my local Asian farmers I get to learn about eating boiled peanuts. Just don't try to eat them raw, as I tried to do them in the beginning, no wonder I disliked them. Just toss them in boiling water and cook them for 40 minutes. They are delicious and a great source of protein.