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Britain's Curry Crisis

YumSugar — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:25:15 -0800

It seems that the US is not the only country dealing with immigration issues. In England, the government uses a point-based system to determine migration by non-EU citizens. While this may be a good move for security reasons, it is actually bad for food reasons. You see, over the last several decades, many believe that curry has become England's "true national dish". However, thanks to the immigration restrictions, many of Britain's curry houses are suffering from a staff shortage. Restauranteur Ahmed Koysor said:

It's been really difficult to recruit locally. We have tried hiring eastern European staff but they have been mostly useless. No skills, no understanding of what we do. And besides, they need to speak the language of the kitchen if we are going to be good at what we do.

There are no confirmed figures, but the Bangladesh Caterers' Association states that there are 27,500 vacancies in Bangladeshi-owned restaurants and that immigration officials have said that no more Bangladeshi nationals will be allowed in. If this continues, many restaurants may be forced to close.

So what do you guys think of this? With curry being England's "national dish," do you think there should be some more wiggle room?

Source

Yummy Link: How Not To Cook Indian Food

YumSugar — Thu, 31 May 2007 10:45:18 -0700

Everyone tells you how to cook. This time they're telling you how NOT to cook Indian food. - Hooked On Heat

US Immigration Has Influenced Sales of Ethnic Foods

YumSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:45:16 -0700

Tonight, I'm cooking curry - and it looks like I'm not the only one. Sales of ethnic foods have hit an unprecedented high of $2.1 billion this year. According to market research firm Mintel, this segment has increased by more than 17 percent in the last five years.

Mintel conducted a survey in which "ethnic food" encompassed Asian and Mexican products, as well as other ingredients such as chutneys and noodles. Mexican food comprises the largest percentage of purchases at 62 percent, but Indian and Asian foods have each grown 11 percent between 2006 and 2008. The cause? More than a million immigrants have become permanent legal US residents since 2005, "piquing Americans' interest in new cuisines," according to a Mintel analyst.

Perhaps the staggering sales numbers and statistics will prove to be an auspicious sign; incidentally, today happens to also be World Food Day. Have Americans' palates become more open to the culinary ways of the world? How often do you cook ethnic food at home?

Source: Flickr User avlxyz

Come Party With Me: Indian Dinner - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:00:40 -0800

Watching the radiant Slumdog Millionaire cast at the Oscars and the clips from the lush film made me hungry for Indian culture - and Indian food. I've decided to round up an intimate group and host an informal Indian dinner. My girlfriend Emily is bringing the wonderful soundtrack from the film and I'm in charge of the menu.

With fewer people traveling due to the economy, this is a great way to experience an exotic culture in the comfort of your own kitchen. Cooking a meal is more affordable than purchasing a plane ticket, so consider brightening up a Winter's evening with this lively get-together. Jump-start the party with Padma Lakshmi's crispy turkey rolls with mint and date dipping sauce; they should be ready and waiting for guests to arrive.

Shrimp tikka with mango chutney is fragrant, flavorful, sweet, and spicy. For the main course, serve chicken with a fresh, tangy cilantro sauce, white rice, and green lentils with lemon slices and popped mustard seeds. To entice your tastebuds with these dishes, read more.

Crispy Turkey Kathi Rolls With Mint-and-Date Dipping Sauce
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for frying
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Madras curry powder
1/2 teaspoon amchoor*, optional
3/4 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced basil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt
Sixteen 6-inch flour tortillas, warmed
Mint-and-Date Dipping Sauce, recipe below

Directions

In a large skillet, heat the 1 1/2 tablespoons of canola oil. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring a few times, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and amchoor and cook, stirring, until the spices become fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the turkey and soy sauce and cook, breaking up the meat, until no trace of pink remains in the turkey, about 10 minutes. Stir in the basil and lemon juice and season with salt.
In a medium saucepan, heat 2 inches of canola oil to 350° over moderately high heat.
Lay a tortilla on a work surface and spoon 2 tablespoons of the turkey filling across the lower third of it. Roll the tortilla around the filling, folding in the sides as you roll. Secure the rolls with 2 toothpicks. Repeat to form the remaining rolls.
Fry the rolls 3 or 4 at a time, turning once, until browned and crisp, about 4 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels. Remove the toothpicks and serve the rolls with the Mint-and-Date Dipping Sauce.

Makes 16 rolls.

Make Ahead: the fried rolls can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Reheat in the oven before serving.

*Amchoor, dried mango powder, adds a distinctive tart flavor to foods. It’s available at Indian markets and from kalustyans.com.

Mint-and-Date Dipping Sauce

2 cups mint leaves
3 pitted Medjool dates, finely chopped
1 serrano chile, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
Salt

In a blender, combine the mint leaves, dates, serrano chile, lemon juice and water and puree until smooth. Transfer the dipping sauce to a bowl and season with salt. Serve at room temperature. The dipping sauce can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead and kept at room temperature until serving.

Makes about 1 cup.

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Shrimp Tikka With Fresh Mango Chutney
From Gourmet

Ingredients

For shrimp:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 (1-inch) piece fresh jalapeño, chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
1 (1-inch) piece peeled ginger, chopped
1 large garlic clove, smashed
2 teaspoons ground garam masala
3/4 teaspoons turmeric
1/8 teaspoons grated nutmeg
2 pound large shrimp in shell, peeled, leaving tail fan attached
For chutney:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (3/4-pound) unripe mango, chopped
1/3 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeño with seeds
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons thinly sliced mint
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
10 (12-inch) wooden skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes
lime wedges, for serving

Directions

Marinate shrimp: purée all ingredients for marinating shrimp, except shrimp, with 1/2 tsp salt in a blender until smooth. Pour into a sealable bag, then add shrimp and marinate at cool room temperature, turning bag occasionally, 30 minutes.
Make chutney while shrimp marinate: Toast cumin in a dry small skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir together remaining chutney ingredients with 1/4 tsp salt, then sprinkle with toasted cumin.
Make kebabs: prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over hot charcoal (medium-high heat for gas); Thread 4 shrimp onto each skewer, leaving small spaces between them. Put on a tray. Oil grill rack, then grill skewers, covered only if using a gas grill, turning once, until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes total. Alternately, shrimp can be cooked in a hot well-oiled large (2-burner) ridged grill pan, turning once, about 8 minutes total. Serve with chutney.

Serves 6.

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Chicken With Cilantro
From Saveur

Ingredients

4 whole cloves
4 cardamom pods
2–3 bay leaves
1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. ground coriander
1 cup plain yogurt
Salt
2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into large pieces
5 tbsp. vegetable oil
Pinch ground asafetida (can be found at most Indian markets)
2 bunches fresh cilantro, trimmed and chopped, plus additional leaves for garnish
1 tsp. sugar
6 serrano chiles, seeded and halved
2⁄3 cup coconut milk

Directions

Place cloves, cardamom pods, and bay leaves in a spice grinder. Grind to a fine powder, transfer to a large bowl, and stir in cinnamon and coriander.
Mix in yogurt and season with salt. Add chicken; turn to coat evenly. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.
Reserving marinade, remove chicken and shake off excess yogurt. Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat.
Add asafetida, allow to sizzle for about 5 seconds, then increase heat to high. Add chicken and brown, turning frequently, for about 10 minutes.
Add marinade, cilantro, and sugar to pan. Season to taste with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Add chiles and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes.
Stir in coconut milk, then reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter, garnish with cilantro leaves, and serve with rice.

Serves 4.

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Madhur's Green Lentils With Lemon Slices
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 cup green lentils (about 6 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 lemon, peeled, pith removed, and thinly sliced crosswise
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
2 hot dried red chiles
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed and peeled

Directions

Bring lentils and 3 cups water to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Cook, partially covered, until very tender, 40 to 45 minutes.
Stir in salt and cilantro; remove from heat. Add 8 lemon slices; stir to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl; set aside.
Heat oil in a small saute pan over medium-high heat; add mustard seeds. After a few seconds, seeds should begin to pop; add chiles.
When chiles have darkened, add garlic; stir to combine. Top lentils with mustard seed mixture.

Serves 4.

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Southern (Indian) Thanksgiving

Yum Community — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:30:42 -0800

This story was written by member courtneyd and comes from the Kitchen Goddess group in the YumSugar Community.

For a few years now I've wanted to try to marry the traditional Southern Indian food my husband grew up enjoying with Thanksgiving as I know it (Southern girl with a love of spice and heat). So this year I did a trial run of a tandoori-style turkey made in the oven.

By next year I hope to build my own tandoor, or at least grill this guy, because it needs a little more heat to crisp up properly. Even so, the meal turned out great! Tandoori turkey, tamarind gravy, creamed saag, masala mashed potatoes, and Whole Foods' naan, which has a slight dinner roll texture, so it works out perfectly for this blended meal. The tamarind gravy was an original creation (that I cannot believe turned out properly, it was sooooo good), and the other recipes were either inspired by or taken directly from The Food of India from Whitecap Books. I love their "food of" series, and my husband is impressed with the Indian recipes.

For the turkey, I followed the instructions from November's Martha Stewart Living to spatchcock a turkey and cooked according to their instructions after marinating for about 7 hours. Not including the marinade time, this meal came together in about 2 hours on a Friday night. Also, we discovered New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc complements Indian food perfectly.

To get her recipes for this Southern Indian feast, keep reading.

Your Political Leanings May Determine What's on Your Plate

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:20:37 -0800

Everyone says that you are what you eat. But could your political party affiliation be the driver of what goes on your plate, too? That's what food trend analyst Phil Lempert (of koodie fame) is arguing. Examining 2009 data from Hunch, he found conservatives opt for "mainstream, comfort food staples," while liberals are likely to gravitate toward "international and exotic cuisines."

According to Lempert, conservatives correlated with foods like pizza, macaroni and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly for lunch, plus fried chicken, meatloaf, and steak for dinner, with Italian food being the cuisine of choice.

Liberals, on the other hand, preferred Asian: Thai and Indian for lunch, and veggie burgers and green curry for supper. His findings indicate they also tend to make more nutritionally sound choices, such as eating vegetables more often and fast food less frequently, and making dishes from scratch.

Those looking to toe the bipartisan line should stick to mutually-loved foods such as hot dogs, bacon double cheeseburgers, ice cream sans sprinkles, romaine lettuce, and salt on a margarita glass. Do these findings line up correctly with your political leanings?

Source: Flickr User thebittenword.com

Food Moths: Do They EVER Go Away?

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 17:15:00 -0700

Food moths are one of my many pet peeves (along with people wearing stinky workout clothes and men making rude comments at women running outside).

I had these moths in my home as a child and I remember screaming at my dad, pleading for him not to squish those poor innocent creatures. Now, I can't kill them fast enough. They multiply like crazy and everywhere I turn, I see the tiny little grayish brown bug.

If you've ever had to deal with these Indian Meal Moths, you know how disgusting and frustrating it is. Here are some tips to get rid of them once and for all!

You need to find the source and get rid of it. Go through all the food in your house. Look in the cupboard and in your pantry. Get rid of any opened boxes of crackers, cereals, flour sacks, oatmeal containers, breadcrumbs, herbs, or spices - anything that's open, just chuck it. Even check opened containers of bird seed and dry dog food (that was the source of my moths - yuck!). I know this seems like a waste, but when moths lay eggs, it's hard to tell. Sometimes you'll see fuzzy cobweb kind of material in your foods, but sometimes not.
Take all the food off the shelves. Take a wet sponge with disinfectant, and wipe down all the surfaces. I know this is a pain in the neck, but you've got to make sure you're starting with a clean slate.
Once you buy all new food (since you had to throw most of it out), you can put it back on the shelves. But once you open it, you need to seal it in either ziploc baggies, plastic containers, or glass jars with lids.

Foods that moths love, like oats and flour, store in ziploc baggies kept in the fridge.
If you see any whitish colored larva with brown heads, kill them. If you find any moths, definitely kill them. And if you see 2 moths mating back to back like these suckers, I'm sorry, but you've got to kill those too. At least they'll die happy.

Fit's Tips: Once you finish all this hard work, it may take several months to get rid of every last moth. Keep doing what you're doing, even after the moths have gone. My whole wheat flour lives in the fridge now and everything I've opened always gets sealed in some way. I never want to have to go through the pain of dealing with an infestation again.

Ethnic Eating Out Tips: Thai, Indian and French

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 15:15:00 -0800

Navigating through a restaurant menu is often tough, but it's even harder when you're navigating through yummy food that you're not totally familiar with. WebMD has created an easy choose/avoid list for the next time you eat Thai, Indian and French.

THAI: My personal take out favorite, but it's definitely tough to sort through the often extensive menus.
Choose-
Sauces: lemon grass, lime, curry, sweet and sour, basil, chili, fish sauce
Stir-fried, sautéed, and braised dishes
Thai salads
Basil rolls
Broth soups
Any dish with lots of vegetables
Bean thread noodles
Seafood, tofu, poultry, lean meats
"Satays" -- skewered meat
Avoid-
Dishes made with coconut or coconut milk
Sauces with peanuts
Fried foods, including fried spring rolls
"Mee-krob" -- crispy noodles

To see what to choose/avoid when eating Indian and French, read more

INDIAN: Curry is the name of the game here, but there are also a lot of fried food land mines, so be careful.
Choose-
Basmati rice
Legumes (chickpeas and lentils)
Vegetable dishes
Yogurt-based sauces
Lean meats, poultry, and seafood
Mulligatawny or lentil soup
"Papad" -- baked lentil wafer
Tikki, tandoori, or kebab preparations
Avoid-
"Ghee" -- clarified butter
"Molee" -- coconut milk or cream
Any kind of fried foods
High-fat beef and lamb dishes
Creamy curry sauce
"Korma" -- cream sauce
(Limit portions of coconut and nuts)

FRENCH: French women could get fat if they stick to the foods on the avoid list.
Choose-
Broth-based soups
Plain vegetables
Vegetable salads with light vinegar-based dressing
Wine or mustard sauces without cream
Roasted or grilled lean meats, poultry, and fish
Avoid-
Cream soups
Cream or cheese sauces: au gratin, hollandaise, béarnaise, béchamel
Caesar salads or any with creamy dressings
Anything fried or seasoned with breadcrumbs
Pate, fatty meats, duck, and sausages

Fittingly Mad: Food Moths in the Bulk Foods Section

FitSugar — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 02:00:00 -0700

At my local health food store, I feel at home. I love the array of beautifully colored produce, the familiar healthy brands names like Kashi, Cascadian Farms, Stonyfield Farms, and Garden of Eatin'.

I love all the natural beauty products like Nature's Gate and Natracare tampons.

I especially love the hot and cold food bar, salad bar, and the deli.

I used to - and I stress USED TO - love the bulk foods section. There was a time in the recent past when I bought everything in bulk: popcorn kernels, brown rice, whole wheat flour, chocolate chips, granola, quinoa, split peas, dried cherries, dried mango, herbs, spices - If it was in bulk, I bought it.

I felt good about getting the foods I loved for cheaper, in the quantities I needed, and without all that unnecessary packaging.

Yeah, I felt great about it until a few days ago. I went to get a little baggie full of salted cashews (my fave), and as I opened the clear plastic lid, something flew out. YES!!! Something flew out of the cashews.

Want to know what I did? Then read more

I didn't freak out. I just took the scooper and shifted around the nuts and thought maybe it was my imagination. Oh but it wasn't. An infestation was more like it.

You know how I DESPISE Indian Meal Moths. If you bring home a pregnant moth or some eggs, you'll have an infestation of your own. I quickly shut the lid, and walked over to the nearest sales person. I said in a really low voice, "I'm not trying to be a bitch, but there are FOOD MOTHS in the cashews. You should know before they infiltrate the entire Bulk Foods Section!"

The guy thanked me and pulled the cashew container out and brought it into the back. That didn't really make me feel better, because I've had Indian Meal Moths at my house and they get into everything. I'm sure the cashews were only the beginning.

Needless to say, I've stopped buying food in bulk from that store. I'm too grossed out to take the chance. I stick to well sealed packaged items now.

Fit's Tips: I'm not saying you need to stop buying in bulk, but you should definitely look at the food carefully. Trust me - you DON"T want moths at your house.

Healthy Recipe: Indian-Spiced Chard

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:00:35 -0700

As the weather turns cooler, I like adding spice to my meals. Nothing warms me up like a little curry. Last night I cooked up some red Swiss chard with some garam masala and tofu. Chard is one of my favorite leafy greens, which is why it's one of my must haves for October.

This Indian-spiced chard makes a great main dish, or leave out the tofu for a side dish. I served it with toasted whole wheat pita - my easy replacement for naan - or you could serve it over rice and cauliflower with turmeric as a side. It's a tasty meal and even better as leftovers.

Check out the recipe.