Pizza

Instead of ordering a pizza in, I thought of making one myself, from scratch.

Spicy Roasted Chicken

A delicious chicken marinated with a dry spice rub. The spice rub I made had any spices that you have at home, like, chili powder, garam masala, pepper, ground coriander and ground cumin.

I lay the chicken on a bed of spinach, rice, broccoli and cabbage.

A must try at home and specially for those nights when you don't feel like cooking something elaborative.

Curry

During the British rule in India, the British used to eat large quantities of curry and rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, curry is a very European concept. No one in India refers to his or her own food as a curry. It was a notion that the British imposed on Indian culture and food. Indians refer to dishes by their specific names. Each dish has its own unique name. When Indian servants brought the British this food, they would use these given names. The British lumped all these dishes together under the broad heading of curry. It was too difficult for them to remember all these names so they came up with curry. But the British did not think of the word curry themselves, it was the Portuguese who actually discovered it.
The British discovered the term curry from the Portuguese. The Portuguese had a settlement in South India and they came across a word karil, which was used by the South Indians. The word karil was used to describe spices and also sometimes sautéed vegetables and meat. According to the Portuguese, the word karil meant Indian food that had been cooked with butter, with the pulp of Indian nuts and all other spices and condiments. The British took the word karil and made it in to curry, which they attributed to any spicy dish with thick gravy from any part of India.
Although the British were aware of some regional differences in food, they missed the subtle differences that made that region’s cuisine so important. They separated the curry into three broad categories, namely, Bengal curry, Madras curry and Bombay curry. Sometimes they would also include Ceylon (Sri Lanka) curry and Melay (Malayan) curry. The British would be rather oblivious to understated variations. They would zero in on those rather distinguishing characteristics and apply them to every curry that could fall under that classification. These very broad categories would leave out other important factors and lump everything together. Therefore, small dissimilarities that may seem trivial to outsiders are very important to Indians. The British were also blind to the abundant variations of flavors. The Indians can be partially blamed for this as they started adjusting their own recipes to suit British tastes. An example of this would be the Hindustani Korma. The original korma is a very spicy and one of the richest Indian dishes. The resulting British korma that had been altered contained half the amount of yogurt and ghee (clarified butter), spices like clove, cardamom and the cream had been completely removed from the recipe. Thus producing a nonspecific korma with ginger, coriander and peppercorns, this suited the British taste perfectly.
The term curry was not just used to describe Indian stews or sauces but it became known as a dish that was created exclusively for the British in India. Some British described curry as a mixture of cardamoms, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, Cayenne pepper, onions, garlic and turmeric, all ground together. Thus Thus was invented the recipe for all future curries for the British.
Curry powder has probably been one of the greatest British inventions. They brought this idea to Britain and it quickly spread all over. Once the British officials would come back to England they would miss the spicy Indian cuisine. There are many recipe books dating back to the 1900’s. British chefs who had included many recipes about Indian cuisine write these books. The factor that must be noted is that the Indian dishes were always altered to suit a foreign tongue. The British could not handle the spicy food as it upset their stomach. They were used to bland roast meat with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Thus a new flavor profile appealed to them and they wanted to keep eating that way even in England.

I made this fish this weekend. I was in that mood to cook fish, for a strange reason. I rushed to Whole Foods and bought a beautiful and juicy flounder filet.

I encrusted it with panko bread crumbs with dijon mustard and herbs de province. I baked it on a bed of spinach and broccoli slaw. The slaw retained its crunch texture, which I loved.

All in all, a fabulous meal!

I learned something amazing this week. I am taking a LifeSpan Nutrition class and we are covering Lactation right now. I learned that a child's eagerness to try different foods if influenced from that early age of 1-6 months. Isn't that amazing? If the mother eats different kinds of food, through her breast milk the flavors are transmitted to the child. So sometimes women are encouraged to try different kinds of food.

What astonishes me is that, something like our wish to be more versatile in our food choices is also influenced, all be it a little bit, by something we have no control over.

Our affinity for garlic, ginger, spice, sweet or even sour is something that we have learned at a very young age.

This just puts so much into perspective.

Restaurant Review: Rasoi

A few days ago a friend of mine wanted to go eat Indian food. Of course, assuming that I am an expert, he dragged me along with him. Little did he know that I am an expert of Indian food made in India. Unbelievably, the Indian food in U.S.A is a stark variation from the original. But I went along with him anyway, if not for anything just to eat something spicy for a change. We decided to try out Rasoi. It is famed to be owned by the Sanjiv Dhar, the chef who started the popular Kabob and Curry on Thayer Street, Providence.
The restaurant itself is not particularly easy to find. It is on a corner street and quite easily missed without the aid of a GPS navigator. There is nothing impressive about the outdoor décor but the availability of ample parking space is a welcome. Upon walking inside, the familiar smells of coriander, turmeric and chili washed over me beckoning me to go inside. I surrendered, completely. Earthy hues of browns and reds stain the walls offering a rustic appeal. The bar is at the center of the room with sea blue tiles offering diners the option of enjoying their meal at the island bar. The plain white tables and the simple arrangement were easily forgettable.
The menu was large with a great deal of variety. The appetizers started out with the regular chicken tikka, samosas and idli sambar but I was very surprised to see chili duck wings and tomato soup. I was immediately wondering which part of India served soup. India is a very hot country all year round. Indians are not prone to enjoying soup during any time of the day. Chili duck wings were unpredicted as duck is not something that is consumed in India. In South India, they serve something called Bombay Dak (pronounced duck), which people thought was the bird but it is actually a lizard fish, usually served battered and fried owing to its over powering stench. There is much speculation as to where the name Dak came from but it is belived by most that it originated during the British rule and Dak is a Bengali word that means mail. People think that since the fish used to be transported they word Dak was used. This story is of course up for debate.
The rest of the menu is very typically North Indian. Looking at their menu, I could tell that the food would taste nothing like Indian food but a watered-down deviation from where it originally comes from. Entrees are classified into meat categories like chicken, seafood or lamb. They do have a large selection of stuffed naans like cilantro, cheese, garlic, onion or even pesto.
The non-vegetarian thali is a perfect option for a college student who would like to try a big selection without paying too much. The saag paneer is creamy with a hint of chili powder tickling the back of the throat. The chicken tikka was unusually sweet and tasted too much of tomatoes unlike the original, which is spicy and tangy. The brownish dull lamb curry was not exciting at all. It did not have any distinct flavor but the latent memory of ground coriander attempting to peep through the sauce. The garlic shrimp was perfectly cooked and the pungent garlic complemented the baby shrimp.
My friend tried the lamb pasanda with basmati rice. The menu beautifully described it as being cooked in mint, cilantro and chili and finished with cream and cashew. The resulting lamb was velvety and smooth with a subtle sweet taste. The mint, cilantro and chili had however, gone astray.
The meal in totality was disappointing. It was not completely authentic but the service was very good. Our server was paying particular attention to us as well as all those around us. All in all, Rasoi is a good restaurant, which serves good food but not good Indian food.

Rasoi
727 East Avenue Pawtucket, RI 02860
Phone: 401-728-5500
10 minutes by car from Harbor side campus of Johnson & Wales University
Public Transport: Bus Number 99 and 3
Average Price for 2 people: $ 35

Powerful Food

Food. This ever encompassing word is used to describe an apple, a tomato, spaghetti, a slice of pizza and even something exotic like foie gras and truffles. What does it mean to people? For some it can mean a source of nourishment, others look at it as a bag of chemical compounds waiting to be broken down in your body. Yet again we have those who see food as something much more than that. They see it as a conversation starter, an act of love, a selfless gesture and a way to someone's heart.

Food is more than just the taste, texture, flavor, smell and all those other verbs we think of when we talk about food. It is more than the act of putting an edible item in your mouth to release gastric juices that will ultimately digest it and it is definitely more than getting your Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of your carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins and minerals. Studying nutrition myself, we sometimes forget that food is not just about those chemicals that have been so perfectly arranged in an intricate pattern. Michael Pollan rightly said that society has become so much about counting calories and fretting over the adequate intake of certain food groups. We are so used to using so many scientific terms when we think about food that we forget what it actually means.

For me, food is about relationships, emotions, family and love. Food is what connects us to other human beings. It brings people together around the table or even in the kitchen-though some don't like being disturbed in the kitchen. It is an unselfish act to show someone that you love and care about them. Food sparks memories. We remember our childhood and those foods that your mother, father or grandmother used to make for you and that no matter who else tried they could never get it just perfect like them. No matter who we are, where we are from or what we look like, we can always bond over something to eat. Food is a universal experience, it is what gives all of us a common ground to stand on.