A Course for Adventure

Here is a project we’ve been doing for a few years, usually in the lazy-hazy days of summer. We pick a country we’d like to explore and we (meaning I) scan our local library’s database for books from our selected country. We also try to find an easy and fun recipe from the originating country as well, or try a local restaurant in town with our new cuisine.

Our favorite so far has been Sweden, with its Swedish meatballs that Elizabeth loves and the delightful (if not a bit outdated) stories by Maj Lindman of three triplets in matching dresses: Flikka, Rikka and Dikka. Yes, that sadly, are their names. (The stories of the three male triplets were Snipp, Snapp and Snurr, sounding like three warm drinks you could get at a mountain-top bar.) We’ll share our Swedish tales later.

We choose India because of “Slumdog Millionaire’s” success at the Oscars. (I still need to see this movie.)

I’m still working on the logo, this version incorporates this great hanging mural I purchased at a Ten Thousand Villages store a few years ago.

Here are our children’s books we found about India:

 The most famous story about India has to be Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book.” I’d forgotten that “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” was part of this story, too. (I remember seeing a film version of “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” when I was young and it really scared me.) “The Elephant Child” (illustrated by Emily Bolam) is a smaller book adapted from Kipling’s masterpiece.

We found “The Rainbow Tiger” by Gayle Nordholm, illustrated by Jennifer Frohwerk. And ghosts are a big topic in Uma Krishnaswami’s “The Closet Ghosts” (illustrated by Shiraaz Bhabha) and Martha Hamilton & Mitch Weiss’ “The Ghost Catcher.” (Illustrated by Kristen Balouch.)

We really enjoyed “Monsoon” by Uma Krishnaswami and illustrated by Jamel Akib (not pictured), that describes a girl and her family waiting for the annual rains to begin. And Madhur Jaffrey, a famous actress and author from India, wrote “Seasons of Splendor, Tales, Myths & Legends of India,” which we plan to read later this week. (Illustrated by Michael Foreman.)

And Madhur Jaffrey’s “Quick & Easy Indian Cooking” had some great recipes that worked for our busy schedules. (See below.) And Jaffrey has a memoir called “Climbing the Mango Trees.”

I’m also intrigued by “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi, who grew up in the Southern part of India. (I would love to have dinner with her someday to ask her so many questions, including how she got the scar on her right arm, her favorite American restaurants and why she and author Salman Rushdie aren’t still married  - though he’s listed in the acknowledgments and her cookbook “Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet” is dedicated to an S.R. I’m making her recipe for Red Stripe Chicken tonight, in fact, from that fun cookbook.

Then, for a historical perspective of India under British rule, I’m reading “Indian Summer, The Secret History of the End of an Empire.” I perhaps should first watch the PBS series “The Story of India.” We are also lucky to have a first-class art museum in town, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Their exhibit “From the Land of the Taj Mahal: Paintings for India’s Mughal Emperors” runs from March 21 through June 14.

And to top off our cultural immersion, here was our recent Indian dinner. 

 Murgh ke Mazedar Tukray (Delicious Chicken Bites) with Poori (Deep-Fried Puffy Bread)
 Chicken Ingredients

 1 1/4 pound chicken breasts

 1 tsp. ground black pepper

 1/4 tsp. turmeric

 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

 1 tsp. cumin; I used less but more turmeric

 1 tsp. dried thyme 

 1/4 garlic powder

 1 tsp. paprika

  3/4 tsp salt

 3 TBSP vegetable oil.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut chicken breasts lengthwise into thirds and then crosswise to make 1-inch segments. Place in bowl with peppers, turmeric, cumin, thyme, garlic powder, paprika, salt and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes or longer.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or large, nonstick frying pan over high heat. When oil is hot, add chicken and lightly brown on the outside. Then place in a baking dish, loosley covered with lightly oiled waxed paper. The paper should sit inside the dish and directly over the chicken pieces. 

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until pieces are just cooked through.

Poori Ingredients

2 cups chapati flour (or 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour)

1/2 tsp. salt

2 TBSP vegetable oil, plus more for deep-frying

7-8 TBPS milk or water

Put the flour in a bowl and add the salt and mix it in. Dribble the 2 tablespoons of the oil over the top and rub it into the flour with your fingers. SLowly add the milk or water to form a medium-soft ball of dough. Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth. Form a smooth ball, rub it with a litle oil and set it aside, covered for 15 to 30 minutes.

Just before eating, put enough oil for deep-frying into a wok or deep-frying pan and set over medium heat. Divide the ball of dough into 12 balls. Roll one ball out into a 5-inch round and keep it covered. Roll our all the pooris this way and keep them covered. When the oil is very hot, place one poori over the surface of the oil without letting if fold up. It should sizzle immediately and then puff up. Turn the poori over and cok on the second size for a few seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep on a large plate lined with paper towels. Eat immediately. (We also thought a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar tasted grand.)

Recipes from “Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick & Easy Indian Cooking” published by Chronicle Books.