Day Ten: A Recipe That Works (22 June)
on From Banglatown to Bangladesh (Bangladesh), 22/Jun/2010 14:44, 34 days ago
It’s no secret that I’m into my food. I’ve writtenprevious posts, almost exactly a year ago, about the central role it plays in my day-to-day here, and the time given to shopping, cooking, and talking with colleagues about if, and what, we've all eaten.ScanningThe Guardian’s Food sectionis one of my favourite distractions. I’m not sure why; I can’t visit the restaurants they review, I can’t search for the wines they recommend, I can’t buy most of the ingredients in their recipes. But there’s something about looking at the possibilities, of thinking about what could be, that is definitely appealing.And there are times when the recipes are possible, with a little adaptation. I’ve done more baking here than in the years before combined: cakes and breads and, for the first time, tortillas from scratch. I’ve figured out hummus (minus the tahini) and lasagne (minus the cheese) and risotto (minus the wine... sadly, not quite the same). Sometimes they work well, sometimes they’re average, but I always appreciate the prospect of variations from what are, at times, monotonous day-to-day flavours and textures.Today’s recipe was easier than others. Imagine my delight to find a recipe based around chickpeas (check) and mangoes (check) and standard curry spices (check). From none other thanYotam Ottolenghi, normally the king of obscure ingredients. To be fair, some of the ingredients are non-existent. Cauliflower won’t come in until winter, and while we have various kinds of ‘greens’, I’ve never seen spinach exactly. I have no idea if my mangoes are of the coveted ‘alphonso’ version; they’re just the ones that my ‘didi’ (older sister) in the market was selling from her basket.But it worked, and along with chapatti (or my not-quite-round, often a little lumpy version), made my lunch today.You can find the (quite superior, I’m sure) originalhere. This is my, rather approximate, take on it.Chickpea and Mango CurryHeat a good dollop of oil in pan. Add a teaspoon of mustard seeds and a half-teaspoon of cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Add a half-teaspoon of turmeric, and three-quarters of teaspoon chilli powder, and combine. Add one onion, chopped. And a teaspoon or so of salt, and a teaspoonish of sugar. Cook until onion starts to soften.Then the vegetables. I just used what was in my fridge. Add some chopped aubergine and combine. If you want it to cook quicker, add a bit of water. Cook until aubergine starts to soften. Add some chopped green beans and combine. Cook until beans start to soften.Then add the chickpeas, already soaked and cooked, or from a can if you’re lucky enough to get those. Cook for a while, so the flavours blend, and the vegetables are all cooked through. Add more salt, sugar, and spices according to taste. When you’re ready, remove from heat and transfer to bowl.Finally, the mango. I added mine right before I ate, but if you don’t have worries of storing food with irregular electricity supply, you could mix it in advance. I ate mine cold.Enjoy.