Aloo Bonda (Potato Fritters)

When we travelled to Kerala in the 80s, my dad always hired a driver for about a week so we could visit extended family, morning to night. We stayed at each house for about an hour and ended up stuffed with fried cuppa and avalose unda. The hot tea was milky and free flowing. On occasion, when we tried to take leave, the hostess would declare that she had just killed a free-range chicken, which had been pecking about the yard.  That move always delayed our departure for a few hours.

I loved watching the world from the back seat of the Hindustan Ambassador, which flew by as a riot of tropical green. At some point, we would see an elephant walking along the road with his trainer, and my siblings and I would scream out, “There’s an E-L-E-P-H-A-N-T!!!” The driver would chuckle wondering, no doubt, “What’s with these crazy Americans?”

When we crossed from the countryside into town, we would pass a main street with a tangle of open-air shops and a movie poster of Mammooty dressed in a mundu. The snack stands sold bananas galore, soda water in hefty glass bottles, and packs of beedi. On a hot day, we would indulge in a bottle of Campa Cola or Orange Crush. Around the corner, there would be a tea shop selling idli, dosa, and a variety of fritters.

ALOO BONDA

Makes 20 to 25


When you crave the comfort of potatoes, try this snack. The crust is crisp and light. The festively colored filling is full of flavor. Be sure to eat the spicy potato fritters while they are still warm.

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon chickpea flour
½ cup water
1¼ teaspoons salt
2½ cups plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
¼ teaspoon brown or black mustard seeds
1 tablespoon skinned and split urad dhal (black gram)
1 cup finely diced onions
2 tablespoons minced ginger
Half a small jalapeno, quartered
½ cup diced tomatoes
2 cups potatoes, boiled, peeled, and cut into 2-inch pieces
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
1 cup frozen peas

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, water, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add the urad dhal and cook until it turns honey brown.

Add the onions, ginger, jalapeno, and stir. Cook until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir until they soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes, turmeric, garlic powder, cumin, cilantro, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt.

Add the peas. Remove the jalapeno. Roughly mash the mixture with your hands leaving some of the potatoes in chunks.

Roll the spiced potatoes into 2-inch balls.

Line a large plate with paper towels.

Heat the remaining 2½ cups of oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add a drop of the batter to the oil. When it rises to the top and bubbles around the edges, dip 4 or 5 of the balls in the batter, coating them completely.

Lift out with a fork to allow excess batter to run off, and carefully place in the hot oil.

Cook until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on the paper towels to cool. Repeat with the rest of the potatoes and batter.

Serve immediately.

The Last Day of Summer

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

I am conflicted when my dahlias finally open their petals with the panache of frozen fireworks. By the time they appear, much of the community garden is in need of rest. The corn flowers stoop. The zinnias bend their necks. The oak trees begin to shed their scalloped leaves. One-by-one, they hit the ground brown and crunchy. With autumn on its way, the landscape is inevitably being drained of color.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

I have a passion for fiery fall leaves, but I am never ready to give up the comfort of the flowers that grow in my neighborhood. It is particularly difficult knowing that in Chicago the brilliance of autumn gives way to weeks of gloomy gray skies. I guess it's the price Nature exacts upon those that want to experience all four seasons.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Thankfully, the farmer's market is still full of color. For added comfort, I remind myself that autumn brings a stretch holidays that feature food front and center.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

SWEET POTATO AND PINTO BEAN TACOS

Serves 4 to 6 

INGREDIENTS

For the sweet potatoes:

2 cups diced sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For beans:

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely sliced red onion
1 1/2 teaspoons slivered garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces white mushrooms, finely sliced
1 15-ounce can pinto beans

For guacamole:
1 medium avocado, seeded and peeled
1 small lime
Salt and pepper to taste1/4 cup finely diced tomato
1 tablespoon minced cilantro

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the potatoes over the foil. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Rub the potatoes to make sure they are coated evenly with oil.

Bake until fork tender, about 10 minutes.

Heat the oil for beans in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin, oregano and salt. Cook for 2 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium-high and the add mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms soften, stirring off and on.

Lower the heat to medium. Add the beans. Stir. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

On a quarter plate, mash the avocado with a fork. Squeeze the lime over avocado.

Add salt and pepper. Mix with a spoon.

Add the onions, tomatoes and cilantro. Mix together.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Samosa Inspired Tartlets

My parents entertained a lot when we were kids. The day of a dinner party, my mom would pat ground beef into cutlets and whack apart a whole chicken for biryani. She would fry papadum, one by one, and stir together a bowl of raitha. For dessert, she would roll out dozens of little footballs from a milk-based dough (her signature shape for gulab jaman), fry them, and soak them in a simple syrup perfumed with cardamom and rose water. She never referred to recipes while she cooked.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

When I walked into the kitchen after completing a task I had been assigned (dusting shelves, vacuuming stairs, polishing mirrors), she would accost me with questions.

"Does the rice have enough salt?" "Are the cutlets too hot?"

By mid-day, there was desperation in her voice.

"Did I fry enough papadum???"

My mom always felt trapped in the kitchen. But she had standards to uphold. I had seen it in India. My aunts served multiple courses and pulled everything together from scratch. They closely monitored guests as they ate and plopped servings of rice on half-filled plates. When glasses were emptied, they were quick to fill them.

Thirty minutes before the dinner party was supposed to start, my mom would put the mop away and fold up wet dish towels. My dad would put the needle on a record of belly dancing music and bring out the wine glasses.

Their guests would always stay well into the night. I took it as a sign that my parents had done something right.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2010)

SAMOSA INSPIRED TARTLETS

(2010 Cardamom Kitchen LLC All Rights Reserved)

I've preserved my mom's three-course tradition. It charms and baffles my guests since so few people seem to cook these day. But I have tweaked my mom's menu to make it my own. I serve a lighter starter: samosa inspired tartlets. They are faster to make than cutlets and less filing than regular samosas. The phyllo cups offer a wonderful crunch. If you're in a hurry, skip all the spices except for cumin, garlic, cayenne and salt.

Makes 12 tartlets

INGREDIENTS

For tartlets:

6 sheets phyllo dough

For filing:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup boiled and cubed potatoes

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 teaspoon finely minced ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas

2 teaspoons finely diced cilantro

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Unwrap six sheets of phyllo from the roll. Keep the sheets stacked and place them on a cutting board. Using kitchen scissors, cut out 12 3 inch x 3 inch squares from the dough. Gently push a square of phyllo in each cup of a miniature muffin tin.

Bake until the cups become golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Gently remove the cups from the tin. Time saver: The phyllo cups can be baked up to one month ahead. Store them in an air tight container at room temperature. Do not put them in the refrigerator. The moisture will cause the cups to soften and wilt.

Heat the oil on medium heat in saucepan. Add the onions and ginger and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the cumin, garlic powder, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne, and salt. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes and peas. Cook until the peas become bright green, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Cool.

Place the phyllo cups on serving plate and fill them with the potato mixture.

Susan Pachikara (COPYRIGHT 2011)

Roast Chicken and Sweeet Potatoes

I dread ordering chicken. Too often, it arrives at the table dry and dense (whether lounging on salad greens or snuggled between two slices of bread. Worst yet, it has the flavor profile of raw zucchini. Try as one might, the flavor of the chicken cannot be revived with thick goops of mayonnaise or other forms of fat. Luckily, I grew up in an era when family meals often centered around roast chicken. The only thing lovelier than biting into the moist, rich flesh is inhaling the aroma that permeates the kitchen and beckons anyone in it's path to S -L-O -W down. As you'll see from the recipe below, it takes very little effort to create a satisfying and healthful chicken dinner. 

HERB ROASTED CHICKEN WITH SWEET POTATOES

Serves 4 to 6

TIPS:

- You can limit the seasonings in this recipe to salt and freshly ground pepper and produce a delicious bird. Adding thyme, parsley, rosemary and oregano will make the meat even more flavorful.

- It's most economical to grow your own herbs. I have an array in my community garden. Before I got a plot, I raised them in window boxes.

- I'm not one to advocate for buying a lot of kitchen gadgets, but I do recommend investing in a pepper mill. The bright, almost lemony flavor of freshly ground peppercorns really outshines pre-ground varieties.

- I opted to pair the chicken with sweet potatoes because I love the subtle molasses flavor they develop when roasted. They also provide a strong dose of the heart healthy antioxidant, beta-carotene. 

INGREDIENTS

1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken, preferably free range

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoons fresh oregano, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 large sweet potatoes, cut in 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons fresh sage finely chopped (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry.

Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 inch roasting pan. Season the cavity and outside with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and garlic. Gently lift the chicken skin and spread the herb paste over the flesh.

Truss the chicken to ensure even cooking.

Arrange the potatoes on a large cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sage. Drizzle on the remaining olive oil.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour or until the thermometer reads 170 degrees. Roast the potatoes until fork tender.

Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Potato Masala

 

Millions of Americans love to sink a fork into the fluffy pleasure of mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving. (Sorry turkey. It's really all about the sides.) The rest of the year, potatoes are treated as a bother. Who takes time to cloak them in foil for baking? Or they are branded with a scarlet "C" - CARBS! However the real health risk may lie in the way they're commonly consumed - as sky-high mountains of fries or prairies of hash browns, loaded with grease? Egads!

As children, we ate baked potatoes once a week as a side dish with barbecued beef. It was my dad's contribution to family meals. My mom used them in potato masala. On occasion, she paired the masala with dosa (a sour crepe made of lentils and rice flour). However, we usually ate it with whole wheat flatbread. If you want to reignite your passion for potatoes, consider trying her Potato Masala recipe. It offers flavor, which we all crave, without all the grease.

POTATO MASALA

2009 Cardamom Kitchen LLC All Rights Reserved

Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/8 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 tablespoon urad dhal

2 cups diced onions

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 small jalapeno, cut lengthwise

1 cup chopped tomato

3 cups thinly sliced Russet potatoes

3/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oil in a saute pan on low heat. Add the mustard seeds and cover. When mustard begins to pop, add the urad dhal. Cook until the urad dhal turns brown.

Increase the heat to medium. Add the onions, ginger, and jalapeno and stir. Cook until the onions become translucent.

Stir in the tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften.

Add the potatoes. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add the water, salt, and turmeric. Stir to combine.

Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove the jalapeno. Gently stir in the cilantro.