learning to be human, since 1984
flavors
Garam Masala inspired Rice with Sautéed Mushrooms and Onions
0Rifling through a book at work landed me on a page with a recipe for garam masala, the classic Indian spice mix. Seeing those ingredients got my wrinklepatch whirring like mad! What if I were to combine flavors from two disparate cuisines?
There’s nothing new about the idea – afterall, there’s surf-n-turf, East/West fusion, and the wonderful explosion of Mediterranean dishes whose origins are often debated, and passionately at that.
So what’s different? Maybe not much, but when I think of the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, nutmeg, and cumin in garam masala … I immediately think: India. Sautéed mushrooms with onions isn’t as clear – but they certainly are traditional in French, Italian, and American cuisine. I’d never really thought about combining the two – but figured it couldn’t hurt.
The recipe is simple – rough measurements if any, so use your discretion. Lightly toast some cardamom pods, cloves, and whole black pepper corns in a hot pan. I also added some very roughly chopped chiles. Then add a little butter and oil to the pan. Once the fat is nice and hot, brown the rice. Add the water to the pan as well as a stick of cinnamon and wait till it simmers. Turn to low and cover for 18-20 minutes, or according to how you normally cook rice.
While the rice was cooking, I chopped three medium portobello mushrooms into a large dice, and did the same with a large onion. I sautéed both in a medium pan with butter, adding salt and pepper to taste. The sautéed stuff finished about the same time as the rice. I simply removed all the spices from the rice, and served the sautéed mushroom and onions on top, heavily garnished with roughly chopped parsley.
I really enjoyed using fridge and pantry stuff to try something I’d never done before – which was infusing the rice with the aforementioned spices. If oil was used rather than butter, this would be entirely vegan! You could even drizzle a little lemon juice on top for a nice acidic bite. If you come up with some other ideas, let me know by posting a comment. Thanks for reading!
Butter, Salt, and Kiel, Wisconsin
1I went grocery shopping with my mom on Thursday, in addition to the farmer’s market. Somehow we managed to lose my butter in the mix and forgot to divvy up the lemons. When life gives you lemons, share them with your mother. (more…)
Fond du Lac “Fondy” Farmer’s Market
4I just biked back from Milwaukee’s Fondy Market, on 22nd and Fond du Lac. I talked to some vendors, the manager (and her trainee), and bought a few things:
- green beans
- habenero peppers
- chiles
- mustard greens
One of the vendors was a wonderful older Hmong woman, with whom I spoke for awhile – mostly about cooking. I’ve never prepared mustard greens before, so I figured I’d give them a shot, per my previous post on Cooking by Feel. I know one method is to boil them for a long time, but she also suggested serving them with chicken or pork, and even sautéeing them in some oil.
After trying them raw, however, I am extremely tempted to just eat the whole bunch plain, or with a little olive oil, vinegar, and a light seasoning of salt and garlic. They are wonderfully peppery and mustardish (one would hope!), and entirely remind me of what those terrible Chinese mustard packets – the ones you get from take-out – should taste like. Their peppery-ness is a bit stronger than roquette but I love that quality in leafy greens. I’m still trying to figure out why one would boil them to oblivion though… Anyone?
I’ll update with the results of my explorations, and what I actually decide to do with the mustard greens!
Some Quick Notes On Umami
11377 days
Most of my friends know that I am a food fanatic. I love food. Buying food. Tasting food. Making food. Growing it, when I can. So its natural that I talk about it. Hopefully you can relate – you are reading my predominantly food-related blog. (more…)