On the Ataulfo Coast

August 20th, 2008, photos, salads, Janaki, 0 Comments

Unfortunately you won’t find them in stores here any longer, as their brief flash of seasonality has now passed, but as a lifelong mango lover, I’m of course indescribably fond of ataulfo mangoes, or champagne mangoes, as they’re sometimes called.

Of course, this means I might do something crazy like buy an entire case of them for that brief time they’re available. And indeed, I’ll eat at least one just by itself everyday as a snack. But that only takes care of some of the case, and since I’m the only one in the house who likes mangoes by themselves¹, naturally I have to find something else to do with them.

This leads to things like making curried mango pies, which are nice, and freeze reasonably well—if they last long enough, that is. Or smoothies, which are obvious. Or a lovely chunky mango, cilantro, and chive vinaigrette to go over a nice, cool summer salad—like this one.

1. I know, it’s a travesty! [↩]

Day Three: Gajar Roti

January 4th, 2008, daily bread, photos, recipes, salads, vegan, vegetarian, Janaki, 3 Comments

You may be familiar with normal roti, which are a staple flatbread in many Indian households. And of course they’re good, but Sonali’s recipe for Gajar Roti intrigued me far more, and sounded really delicous—and like something that I very much wanted to try, especially since she talked about it being a good meal in and of itself.

Gajar is Hindi for “carrot,” and that’s why they’re so orange—well, that and the haldi powder, which is turmeric. “Atta” is flour, so what you’re seeing is three different kinds of flour combining to create one delicious roti; gehu (wheat), besan (chickpea), and chawal (rice), along with a couple spoonfuls of dahi (plain yogurt).

Now, I should mention here that although this is super easy, there are some things you must do to ensure you get it right and don’t have a sad case of gajar roti heartbreak. The recipe calls for two carrots, but carrots vary in size quite a lot, and as a result you may end up with dough that is far too moist, such as I did. Just add more flour until it reaches the right consistency. If you’re not sure what the right consistency is, let Manjula’s Kitchen show you, step-by-step.

Also, make sure you roll them out thinly enough. Otherwise they won’t puff up so nicely like they’re supposed to. I’ve heard that a lot of people cooking roti like to stick them directly over a burner on a stove with no pan involved to get them to puff up, and it’s one of the few instances I’ve heard where it does sound like an electric stove would be a great advantage over a gas one.

At any rate, this was dinner last night. Clearly, unlike what Sonali says, we are not fussy children—we love our greens! But she’s right, I think anyone who tried these would love them instantly. They’re dangerous. You’ll think you’ve made enough, but I warn you, once you make these, all you’ll want is more.