Asia's Finest : Indian Curry Spices

If it could be said that any one component is the essence of Indian food, without question, that would be the spices. In order to really understand how important India is to the world's spice industry, we need to put things into proper perspective.

India produces about 44% of the world's spices. A country that produces just under half of the available spices in the world must be the largest exporter of spices anywhere. The use of spices and the way through which they are combined is what makes Indian cuisine as unique as it is.

Indian cuisine is unique for its blending of spices. When spices are carefully blended together, the combination is referred to as a Masala. A Masala can exist in a dry roasted form or as a paste. The most important Masala blend, especially in Northern Indian cooking is Garam Masala. It is a hot masala that is typically added to food just before serving. It is a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.

So this past weekend, I was in NYC in search of Indian spices! So I went to Penzey's Spices, located at the Grand Central Market. The box set that I got was a great find as it includes not one, but FOUR spices: Tandoori Seasoning, Balti Seasoning, Garam Masala, and the grand daddy of all curry spices; the Maharaja.

Here's a brief description for each spices:

TANDOORI SEASONING: Tandoori originally referred to cooking food by slow-roasting it in a clay oven, or tandoor. In the West, tandoori has come to mean a specific flavor rather than a method of cooking. Even if you do not have a clay oven or pot, you can use this seasoning to make tandoori-style chicken or other poultry. Rub this blend directly on meat, or mix with plain yogurt for a marinade. Hand-mixed from: coriander, cumin, garlic, paprika, ginger, cardamom, and saffron.

BALTI SEASONING: Baltistan is an ancient region of northernmost Pakistan with influences from Persia, Tibet and China. Traditionally a "Balti" would be cooked and served in a karahi (small Indian wok), without utensils, and would be eaten with your fingers using naan to scoop the meal into your mouth. More recently "Balti" has been catching the imagination of people in the way Tandoori cooking swept the world in the 60's and 70's. Hand-mixed from: coriander, garlic, ginger, cumin, dundicut chilies, Ceylon cinnamon, brown mustard seeds, cardamom, clove, fennel, fenugreek, charnushka (kalonji, black onion seed), ajwain, star anise, black cardamom, cilantro, anise seed and bay leaf.

GARAM MASALA: The basic blend of ground spices common in Indian and other South Asian cuisines. It is used alone or with other seasonings. The word garam refers to spice intensity, not heat; garam masala is pungent, but not "hot" in the same way as a chili pepper.

MAHARAJA or the 'TAJ MAHAL' Curry: The highest quality curry powder, perfect for special meals. Maharajah is sweet, but not hot, with fragrant cardamom and a full pound of the rare jewel of all spices, Kashmir saffron, in every 50 lbs. of curry powder. Maharajah adds glorious color and incomparable flavor to chicken and seafood curries, and is great for Sunday omelets.

The DOUGHNUT PLANT NYC

The Best Doughtnuts I've ever had!!! And I went crazy today since it was my Cheat Day!!! Doughnut Plant rocks my Sockies! Totally hidden in an unexpected location. The store is very simple and OLD. However, their doughnuts are great and they use only fresh and or organic ingredients. It is slightly on the pricey side. Each doughnut is $2 and above

Well, I'm happy to report that my commitment (I guess addiction would be a better word) to Doughnut Plant has finally paid off as I have come across a doughnut that is truly worthy of my weekly trek down to Essex & Grand.

I'm not crazy about coconut anything, so despite trying all their other doughnuts, I've always steered clear of the Plant's Coconut Cream doughnuts. Then, this past weekend, while on line at the Plant, I heard the owner recommending the Coconut Cream doughnuts to a customer, saying that they actually crack open their very own fresh coconuts when making these doughnuts.

The Coconut doughnut was AMAZING! I had devoured it by the time I made it to the corner and had I been just a bit more shameless, I would have headed back for seconds.

The doughnuts are square, coated with coconut shavings and filled with a coconut cream. The cream, which has the consistency and flavor of sweetened condensed milk oozes out when you bite into the corners and it keeps the entire doughnut nicely moist. Give it a try. You will not be disappointed.

and By the Way...Doughnut Plant is also serving cake style doughnuts, which, in my opinion, are as bad as the coconut cream is good... Just a FRIENDLY WARNING. ;)

My TOP 5 DOUGHNUT Recommends:

1. Coconut Doughnut
2. Tres Leches
3. Carrot Cake Doughnut
4. Valrhona Chocolate
5. PB&J Doughnut


The Doughnut Plant is located at 379 Grand Street
New York, NY 10002

it's just a 23 minute subway ride from Grand Central. Take the 4 Line down to Chalmers St. and transfer to the J Line all the way to Essex-Delancey.

Lobster Rolls! Lobster Rolls! (Maine Lobster)

Lunch from yesterday's ... Lobster Rolls!!! What a great day to have 'em rolls! Although, serving it with lettuce wasn't really my number one choice of garnish. I suggest, Arugula would be a better option to go with Lobster Rolls. Arugula gives you that peppery taste and compliments well with the Lobster meat. I would totally add some diced Avocados next time too! It's very easy to make! I'll be posting the actual recipe tomorrow! it's already 12:59 am ... gotta Sleep! Ciao!

The Sunday Night Delight

So yesterday at Church we had our Waveny Park traditional get together dinner MnM (Munch n Mingle). People from church say that I'm a 'crowd drawer' or make inactive church members go back to 'active' everytime I make food on any given Sunday afternoon. Our Bishopric gents would surely love that idea since one of our main goal is to bring back our 'inactive' people go back to Church! Anyways, we had a unique menu yesterday. Tired from all that American comfort food and Italian Pastas, my good friend and Food hunting goddess Katie thought of a brilliant idea... why not go Asian? Asian as in Thai Food! So behold ... The GREEN CURRY CHICKEN! it's a Savory chicken dish with Thai Green Curry Paste and Coconut Milk. Not for people with the weak of tongue since it's a spicy one. (you can make it less spicier by using water or adding more Coconut Milk).

I would totally make this again at home and share it with friends and family!

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts, chopped into small pieces
• 1 (14 Oz.) Can Light Coconut Milk
• 2 Tbsp. Fish Sauce
• 1 can Green Curry Paste
• Bundle of Fresh Basil (you can also use dried or if you have Thai Basil leaves, the better)
  
• 2 Shallots, minced
• 2 Green Bell Peppers, Julienned
• 2 Red Bell Peppers, Julienned
• 2 Zucchinis, chopped (optional)
  

** you can buy the Green Curry Paste at any Asian store (avg. retail price: $0.79-$1)**

1. In a big pan Saute the Green Curry Paste for about 2-3 minutes. Add Coconut milk and stir until paste dissolves completely. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes or so.

2. Add the Chicken and simmer another few minutes until meat is cooked.

3. Add 2 Tbsp. of Fish Sauce to taste. (it's the secret ingredient)

4. Add the Red and Green Bell peppers, shallots, and Zucchinis and simmer for another 10 minutes.

5. Try it and if you want a little hotter add some more curry.

6. Serve with Rice! Enjoy!

It all started with the Big 'O'

I was 16 when I first held a Square Turner and a frying pan in my bare hands. On a hot and humid Summer of '97 in Manila, Philippines, my Grandmum asked me to make breakfast for all of us 4 siblings, my mum, Granpops and herself. I was that quite of a lazy kid and felt so pissed that my Grandmum asked me to do something I've never done before. She asked me to make one of her breakfast specialties: Spanish Tomato Omelette. (eggs, tomatoes, onions, minced garlic) One of the easiest, and should I say, best Omelettes my Grandmum makes. I was able to make the Omelette without any help from her, although I burned the garlic and onions. lol. Despite burning the darn Omelette, I still served it for breakfast. My mum was so pleased at what I did even so. And my grandma even gave me a blessing for doing a great job. The Big-'O' experience has made me realize one thing... that cooking and Patrick could make such a great tag team. Therefore I found my passion at the young age of 16.

As Padma Lakshmi would say: "Cook with all your HEART. Because cooking is CELEBRATION. and Food is LOVE."

I'm starting up this blog to share with all of you my passion. From recipes to good eats, restaurants and tips. Sharing your knowledge is also an option! Feel free to comment, share and express your ideas...

All hungry bloggers are welcome. besides, Hunger is the best SAUCE in the world.