Banana Cardamon Muffins Kosher-Indian Style

When I bought my first Indian vegetarian cookbook, I hadn't even tasted cardamom-- or if I did, didn't know it. Makes me feel very parochial.

It is likely that the chefs at the kosher restaurants in Seattle and St. Louis cooked with cardamom (we haven't discussed the latter). Surely it is n desserts and lassies, but when you don't know what you're looking for you can't see it, can't put a label on it.

Thus the story goes that after following several recipes on the Internet at some point I found this one, altered somewhat (experience helps!) from Meera Sodha's FRESH INDIA. Ever since that first batch-- and it wasn't great, I over-baked them-- cardamom became a serious contender as one of my favorite visceral pick me ups, morning, noon or night. You simply inhale the flavor to raise your serotonin.

Meera warns that this is a sticky dough and difficult to work with, but the warning should be emphasized ten times over. Making these muffins is a super pain! But if you wash your hands well, and often, they are worth it.

The banana makes the dough slimy, and the ratio of flour to liquid is very different than that of any other type of bread I've made. To work with the dough after the first rise, powder your hands with flour.

You can almost see the moisture of the bananas, milk and butter in the picture to the right, first rise. FD tells me that the oil in this recipe is from the bananas. It isn't as low cal as I had hoped it to be.

One thing to know, when reading the Indian chefs, is that Indian yeast must be much more active than American yeast. Or so it would seem. Meera's recipe suggests that the dry yeast in the recipe be tossed in along with the rest of the ingredients, meaning the yeast will do its job, awaken, grow, and lift the dough, I guess by contact.

She should say that yes, in your lifetime it will rise in this fashion. (Rachelle, if you're reading, this is what happened to ours, they never rose and then I over-baked them. It is a learning curve).

 On the fourth try I realized that starting the yeast in a little water with sugar and waiting for it to bubble is a far wiser strategy.

This morning I made these for my mother-in-law, started the first rise at 8:00 am. The eight rolls were complete by 10:30 am. She loved them. She can't get over how the cardamom seems to blend with the banana to create an entirely new flavor. She's right.

Thus let's try it again, this time with the American method (very similar to how this Jew would go about making challah in step 2., but I'd use less sugar for challah).

Step 1: Soften 2 T of butter and set aside.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl place 2 t. yeast (it doesn't have to be fast-acting) in 1/4 cup water with 1/2 T  sugar.

Step 3: Take the chill off 1/2 cup of milk (microwave 8 seconds) but be sure it isn't hot or it will kill the yeast.  If you're unsure, don't bother. The chill won't matter. Set that aside, too.

Step 4: When the yeast is bubbling, add the milk and butter.

Step 5: Mix the following together in another bowl :

1 T plus 2 t. sugar 
1/2 t. cardamom mixed 
2 cups of flour or a little more

Mash in 2 ripe bananas.

Step 6: Add that to the large bowl with the yeast, milk, and butter and mix/knead the dough the best you can;  it will be sticky. Don't worry. You can't ruin this recipe.   Let it rise until it is double in size.

Step 7: Preheat the oven to 375.

Step: 8  Divide into large pieces and roll them into balls. Place in a muffin tin and allow to rise again.

Step 9: Baste with a whole beaten egg. You can see how it will slide off the muffins from the picture.

Bake until brown-- test with a toothpick.

Heavenly.

The Flying Bubbie Goes Kosher Indian Vegetarian

By way of introduction:

It is true, the Flying Bubbie hasn't blogged in a zillion years. Much has happened, some of it blog-worthy. We've logged a few air miles, managed to get free luggage with an expensive credit card. But oh, the stories you have missed! Good stories. People are born, some have passed on. FD and I conducted research on an important topic from coast to coast. 
 And yet, it didn't feel like a reason to blog.  
Now, however, we have one!

Spices to cook Indian

Thus begins The Flying Bubbie's Kosher Indian Vegetarian Adventure.

Technically it should be The Flying Bubbie and Saba's Kosher Indian Vegetarian Adventure, but FD is doing NONE of the work and a large percentage of the eating. So forget him.

Now. . . back to the food! The peppers, you should know, are mild. Let's get going. You need to know how all of this began.

Look, being a kosher vegetarian isn't very hard, if you want to know the truth. There is nothing unique about it, and although many have asked Why did you choose to be a vegetarian, others are fearful, rightly, of my daughter's suggested snobbishly judgemental reply:   You still eat meat?

You still eat meat? doesn't really work without the verbal intonation, the condescension. There's no accent on any of the words. Suffice it to say that the attitude is not defensive, rather a turn toward offensive, if anything.

This is the time of year for change in the Jewish world, personality change, a concerted effort toward identity growth.

But this Indian Vegetarian food obsession has been going on since July 17, and I fear it makes me a  fairly shallow person, considering the things a Jew is supposed to be thinking about before facing real judgement and the King on the high holidays. How does one even remember a random date like July 17? How does the brain do that?

You have to have a receipt from a restaurant-- in this case a Kosher Vegetarian Indian restaurant in Seattle, PABLA Indian Cuisine.

It was my second time there, only on this trip there was no stopping the primal need for spice. My mother-in-law maintains that you either love curry or hate curry, but to me curry is only one type of dish, one mixture of spices. Have you had vindaloo, for example? Did you know it was vindaloo? Did you care? I never had it until I made it, and after that, again, those intrusive thoughts.

When will I make it again? Perhaps use a different vegetable, not sweet potatoes? What to do, what to do!

Believe me, if anyone has interventions to stop intrusive thoughts, that would be me. But there has  been zero motivation to stop them. It is almost as if I encourage them. I do.

It would be a problem if FD weren't so easy to please. If it is food, he will eat it. He has no need fora date stamp, either, which can be scary. And yet, so many years together, never a word about feeling sick from old food. Fact is, we rarely eat out. This could explain it.

Chicago has no kosher Indian restaurants and this is not exactly our thing, starting restaurants. We are health professionals. Not that the thought hasn't crossed our collective mind. FD will fantasize with me about this quite often, a Kosher Vegetarian (or Dairy) Indian restaurant in Chicago. How great would that be?

Very great.

Call it Hindi's? 

What is a woman to do barring making her own food if there is no source of take-out?  Especially a woman with very little motivation to do the organizational work to accomplish such a thing, rallying interest in a  kosher vegetarian Indian restaurant in Chicago.

Make ours on Touhy. Next to a Chinese restaurant, next to Thai. All kosher. Fine, add a pizza joint.

I have friends who eat at vegetarian Indian restaurants in Chicago, vegan establishments with no kosher certifications. My friends are quite sure the food is fine, that there is nothing not kosher about the cuisine or the preparation.

I ask, "Have you been in the back? In the kitchen?"

No.

"Then you probably do not know that many Indian restaurants have little goddesses tucked in nooks and crannies in their kitchens, little statuettes that are thought to bless the food.

If a person is Indian then this feels right, indeed it is a lovely thing. But if one is Jewish, it is less than lovely, eating food blessed by a god that isn't our God. Indeed this is a transgression of the Torah, Jewish law, eating in such an establishment, even taking-out. (I'm not a rabbi, feel free to argue in the comments if this is incorrect.)

In the Jewish rule book gods other than the one who had conversations with the Patriarchs, Moses, and a prophet or two, aren't supposed to be in our kitchens, let alone bless the food. They simply don't belong. It isn't a racist thing. Our Commander in Chief is very serious about loyalty.

Thus, rather than start our own restaurant (too much work), the female in this story did a little research, read a few great blogs by Indian chefs (Swasthi is wonderful at Indian Healthy Recipes I think she's female)  and began to buy things-- because to follow a recipe properly one needs the correct ingredients.

Finding them wasn't easy, a story for another time. Do spices need kosher certification? Hint: Not all do. Many do.

I had very little in the cabinet by way of Eastern spices, aside from ground cumin and tarragon and felt the need for a new spice rack. It got very intense. But my labels are nice, no? I kept the prices down, found that La Criolais very reasonable and has kosher certification which takes the guess work out of it for kosher Jews but can add to the price.  (I found La Creola at Tony's on Elston and prices are less than half of McCormick's).    

Because of a previous make-your-own-sushi stage, an 8 inch parve rice colander already occupied hallowed space in our parve cabinet. Parve is a designation for all things not milk, not meat. 

FD and I have (used to have) a firm belief that it is virtually impossible to keep utensils parve. With proper labeling however, in your face labeling, it may be possible. We will let you know. 

In-your-face labels for Parve

If you look carefully at the rack above you will see that the cumin seed jar is empty. This reflects exactly how much cumin seed a family will consume in two months. These little bottles don't hold nearly enough for daily Indian cooking, and after awhile a person begins to buy large quantities of spices in crinkly plastic bags from the Indian markets on Devon or larger bottles. After decanting to the counter spice rack, back in a shoe box they go. But even the larger quantities don't last forever.

A rice-lentil-split-pea strainer

WHAT'S EASY TO MAKE? Well, the thing I love the most is a mint-dill-pea soup that can be served hot or cold (another day). Served with this sublime dish is something called a tarka.  The tarka I learned to make requires a simple slug of oil and 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds. Heat the oil hot, add the seeds and toast until dark brown (not black). It is an art worth cultivating.

What is a slug? I do not know but have interpreted it to mean 1.5  to 2 T of oil.

Top your soups with tarka and groan with contentment.

There! You have your first recipe.

Enough about me for now. I must fly. Last night, returning from 7-brachot (a party for a bride and groom, absolutely nothing Indian about it) a young couple shouted hello from a bench outside the door of my building. And tonight, his father called to tell me he is engaged! I may have witnessed the entire proposal. So embarrassing!

So yes, this evening is another party. Mazal tov.

Best,

Flying Local