People – MyRefractions

Black Stone Flower

cooking, Nature, People, Social, Spicy food

Not long ago, may be a few months back, a recipe was found by chance that included a rather strange ingredient. This is all about that….

Black Stone Flower is one of the unusual spices in the Indian culinary repertoire. It is quite a rare dried flower and a dominant spice in Chettinad preparations.

Black Stone Flower or Dagad Phool (parmelia perlata) is a soft white, brown and black coloured lichen that gives the signature black color to various masalas like Goda Masala. Mildly leathery, it has a light musky, strong earthy aroma and a very dry, fluffy texture and feel to it. It is widely used in Chettinad cuisine and to some extent in Hyderabadi and Marathi cuisines. An edible lichen flora, which grows on trees, rocks and stones, when used in small quantities, it imparts a strong woody aroma and flavor to the preparation. For better results it must be roasted in a little oil to release its full aroma.

Ooty and Kodaikanal in the state of Tamil Nadu are places known to harbour this rare spice though no conclusions could be made on the place of domicile to this ‘spice’.

Daggad Phool (daggad = a rock or stone, phool = flower) is used in cooking traditional Chettinad food but for most, the spice is elusive and not regularly utilised. However, the blackish purple flower (lichen, to be precise) is often blended with other spices to make some indigenous masalas. In Maharashtra, it forms a part of the famous goda masala or the Andhra vaangi baath podi. It is also believed to be a part of the traditional garam masala but not many store bought ones does not include this rare find.

The resistance was not too strong on the suggestion to use this spice in our kitchen. But it was neither subtle. No one we knew ever mentioned the name “Daggad Phool” and it was unheard of back at home or the home of relatives.

Thus the experiment started.

Chicken Chettinad Curry, a dish of chicken in a spicy gravy of onion, ginger and garlic with black pepper corns and red chili powder. Plain rice or flat bread (Naan, a pita-type leavened flat bread, roti or chapati) were suggested to accompany the dish but since it was a Friday and the ‘chef’ had enough time in his hands, the choice went and stood at Vegetable Pulav. Both the dishes had daggad phool or kalpaasi as one of the ingredients.

The spice had become an instant favourite with the family when a neighbour phoned in to enquire about that “mysteriously delicious” aroma rising from our kitchen. The result of adding daggad phool to the chicken dish was beyond any expectation. Other than Chicken dishes, some Biriyanis are a good candidate for this spice. But in my opinion, when a biriyani is served with a chicken dish, either one may have the spice added. Some how this complements the combined flavour though I am not sure how this is made possible. May be more research is in the horizon.

Chicken is cut and marinated with salt, turmeric and lemon juice for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, the spices are dry roasted with no oil in the griddle over low medium flame. Each spice are roasted individually as the time required by them to reach the required level differ. Finally grated coconut is sautéed.
Tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, onions, green chili, coriander and mint leaves are chopped.

The cooking is a 3 tiered process.

The spices are made into a paste with the coconut in a blender and kept aside. Then,

One: The marinated chicken is sautéed in oil and kept aside.
Two: Chicken is cooked with onions and tomatoes in a pressure cooker for two whistles.
Three: Chicken is transferred to a Kadai and further cooked with spice-coconut paste, initially with lid closed for 10 minutes and then open, to achieve the right consistency.

Garnished with fresh coriander leaves chopped prior to serving.

Vegetable Pulav calls for soaked and drained long-grained, fragrant Basmati rice.
Onion is sautéed along with spices. Hot water is added to which the rice is cooked.
Cooking times could not be generalised as it depends on many factors not limited to the type of kadai used and the temperature of the gas stove.

Rice must be cooked like a Pasta. Just enough to make feel the bite. Fluffing the cooked rice using a fork within the pan and outside, on a tray, is important to get that single-grained texture. Key is to keep the grains separate.

A different version using Kashmiri Chili is shown below. Being creative is often harmless but adventurous.

Aroma filling the home was enough proof that the chicken and rice turned out good. But when the faces that tasted the food lit up with a delighted brightness brought in by a spontaneous smile, the ‘chef’ ceased looking further for a more convincing proof.

Vegetable Pulav

Wash 1 1/2 c basmati rice.
Soak 15 mins.
Chop 1 1/2 c vegetables (potatoes, carrots, mint, 2 green chili, french beans, cauliflower… or a combo. Peas would be good to have).
Sauté dry spices (1 bay leaf, 1 star anise, 1 strand mace, 3/4 t shahi jeera, 3-4 green cardamoms, 6 cloves, 2″ cinnamon, 1/2 nutmeg, 3 daggad phool, 1/4 t fennel seeds)
Sauté 1 med onions.
Fry 1 1/2 t ginger garlic paste.
Add vegetables and handful chopped mint.
Sauté 2-3 mins.
Add 2 1/2 c hot water. Add sea salt. Mix. Bring to rolling boil.
Add drained rice. Stir gently.
Cook in medium heat until water evaporates.
Cover with lid.
Cook again in low heat 4-5 mins.
Switch off stove.
Fluff up rice.
(Note: We are not using the colander method to cook rice here).
Spread rice in a baking tray.
Carefully fluff up the rice again.
Serve with chicken and raita.

Chettinadu Chicken

Cut, cube, pat dry chicken.
Marinate 15-20 min in sea salt, 1 t turmeric powder, 2T lemon juice.
2 t vegetable oil. Heat pan.
Sauté chicken from pink to white.
Dry roast all spices (3T coriander seeds, 4-5 dry red chili round type, 2t fennel seeds, 1t cumin seeds, 2″ cinnamon stick, 3 daggad phool, 2t whole black pepper corns, 5 green cardamom, 1 star anise, 5 cloves)
Keep aside to cool.
Dry roast 1/4 c grated coconut.
Grind spices and coconut together to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
Heat 2 T oil in a pressure cooker.
Sauté 2 large thinly sliced onions.
Add a small handful of curry leaves, 2T ginger garlic paste.
Sauté 1 min.
Add chicken. Mix well.
Add 2 med tomatoes chopped. Mix well.
Cover cooker and cook for 2 whistles.
Switch heat off and let steam.
Transfer chicken from cooker to a kadai.
Add more water if required.
Add ground masala paste and mix.
Cover. Simmer 10 mins.
Add fresh coriander leaves.
Serve with vegetable pulav and raita.

Note: South Asian cuisine is mysterious and therefore quite adventurous, with plenty of opportunities to be creative. The lack of precise measurements is thought to be the reason. A perfect knowledge of the characteristics of the dynamics of various spices is a prerequisite. Consistency could be achieved over a period of time. But some oldtimers achieve that perfection without ever tasting the food they are cooking but by the highly trained olfactory perceptions alone. In the wide piquent culinary spectrum, with the humble salt and pepper seasoning at one extreme, Chettinadu Chicken may not move up towards the opposite end. But it sure comes closer. Daggad Phool would inconspicuously be absent from within that spectrum and that is where its true power lies. It could be compared to a zero in arithmetic; alone it has no value but with the right combination of spices, the synergic potency could never be undermined by any diner who is also a discerning connoisseur.

Papita

Arts, People

Her name, she said, was Papita.

Papita ran a small ‘shop’ in a busy sidewalk in one of the commercial centres of the city. She sold amusing amulets, hand-crafted necklaces, stone-spankled bangles and bright coloured earrings. There were other potential customers who stopped by to look at the wares on display. The price quoted was much low as against high-street shops.

I was looking at either an amulet or a bracelet as a souvenir.
That was when she pointed to the hand-made bracelets with the name of your choice.
You could also choose something like “love” or even “peace” if that was your choice.
I chose a name and asked if it would take much time and if so, I could wander around the nearby market and return.
As her reply, she offered me a kind of wood piece that would serve as a mini-bench which meant that she could finish the work while I waited.

The bracelet workshop was just next to the ‘shop’.

Papita got down to work. She had chosen the beads bearing the letters of her name and had stuck them on her work-bench. Two red heart shaped beads adorned her name.
I asked her permission to capture a few photograph of hers to which she nodded which meant “that’s fine with me”.
For a better view of the working, I settled down opposite her, sans the offered seating.

Bright couloured strings, multi-faceted cubic beads, a piece of wood, polished with constant use and a lighter.
Why the lighter, wait and watch, she said, still searching for the letter E, observing my impatience with a faintest smile. Some letters are in much demand, she said, in her own dialect. I remembered that comment from our casual game of Scrabble (Regd) back home.

Well, we are almost done, can you hold this string for me now, Yes, is this tight enough, That is fine.

She handed me the bracelet for almost a dollar, the cost agreed before start of the work.

Delicious Memories

cooking, People, Social, Spicy food

Rice with a heavenly fragrance of unknown spices and herbs; garnished with semi-fried onions (ah, that charred taste…), brown-roasted cashewnuts and succulent raisins. A spicy chicken-thigh, hidden inside the rice with the masala. Hard-boiled egg, partially dipped in the centre of the rice as no biriyani is complete without the egg. A deep-fried papad; a piece of fresh lemon pickle and a bowl of raita.

Masala Chai is served after the biriyani but we kids often sadly let go the offer. Not because we have lesser appreciation for the nice hot spicy tea made with cream and sugar but the heavy lunch does not allow us from imbibing the luxury drink. We never ever said no to the Gulab Jamun that followed.

Such was the dear memories of Chicken Biryanis prepared and served back home when most of the people were taller and wiser than me. Visiting relatives and a festive season were inevitably linked with the dish. Happy memories, still refusing to fade away after many years of constant petting and caring, adamantly and comfortably clings to mind just as the four-year old child awaken from the bed with much reluctance, perches on her Dad’s arms, refusing to budge.

As a kid, Biriyani was a complete mystery dish.

Why it takes so much time to prepare the Biryani with so much of cleaning and chopping?

What are the secret ingredients that went into the dish other than rice, onion and chicken?

How did they manage to get that unique aroma rising in the air filling not just the kitchen or the entire house, but the whole neighbourhood?

In spite of serving the dish with just a raita and a papad and may be a lemon pickle, how it tasted so great?

After many summers… and festive seasons.

Did some research on Biryanis in an attempt to recreate that delicious memories one more time at home. Hyderabadi Dum Chicken Biriyani [Note: Long-grained rice (usually basmati) flavored with spices such as saffron, layered with lamb, chicken, fish, or vegetables cooked in a thick gravy. The dish is then covered, its lid sealed on and cooked on a low flame.] was chosen to be the star.

Surprisingly simple to make in just three steps.

1. Cook rice.
2. Prepare chicken.
3. Garnish.
4. Assemble and serve.

Some tricky in-between operations ensure that the biriyani could come out as close as the memories of yester-years. The magical taste was all about those in-between operations.

So this is not about any dish, let alone Biryani, but about the reliving of those wonderful years amidst noisy cousins and loving, kind relatives and parents, back home. Come with me, dear readers, on that exciting journey.

Deciding the rice was the first part. Long-grained Basmati or Wayanadan Kaeema. Kaeema was chosen.

Then the cook gets up early on a Friday, sacrificing the prerogative of a get-up-as-you-like week-end day and drives to the supermarket for the freshest chicken and herbs. The summer sun is already up and the temperature is a cool 35 deg C already. Herbs are just waiting in their racks… Cilantro & Mint for the Biriyani. Parsley for baked fish and Dill for Chicken Kofta, later. Some Chives for French Omelette. Now to the meat section: thighs of Chicken, bone-in. Fresh not Frozen. The recipe called for some chopped pineapple. Cashew nuts and black raisins (kish-mish) for garnishing. Saffron for mixing with creamy milk diluted with warm to add that wonderful golden-yellow colour to some rice.

Fresh eggs. Papad, a rice flour and urad dal wafer, served deep-fried. There is lime pickle and then yogurt for raita (Cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, green chili chopped and sliced served in yogurt seasoned with salt and Sumac).

Almost all spices are available at home so did not had to purchase.

Always the responsibility of the daughter to check and ensure all items required by the recipe is available: in the shelf, cabinet or refrigerator. Hope she had done a great job.

Rice washed and soaked for 20 minutes.
Chicken thighs marinated in chili powder, turmeric powder with some sea-salt.
Chopping board. Onions, ginger and garlic. Indian garlic preferred though not-so-good looking as their Chinese friends. But more potent and difficult to handle.
Mix rice in ghee in a pan on medium heat while water boils.
Bay leaf, cinnamon stick, clove, star anise goes in with a couple drops of pineapple flavouring and rose water.
Boil rice using lightly salted water in the ratio 1: 1.5, till rice absorbs all water. Remove from flame while the rice is almost cooked al-dante. Let it cook bit more on the colander/sieve.
Sauté onions, for the chicken. Add all the spices and fry till the raw smell is gone. Add chicken and cover and cook.
Fry onions for the garnish. Roast cashew nuts and raisins in ghee.
Chop fresh mint and coriander leaves.

Take a deeper breath now and rest a while. The cooked food gets some time to settle. You will be amazed at the magical flavours that had filled the kitchen as you re-enter.

Pre-heat over to about 345F. Assemble the biryani in a glass bowl.

Chicken, rice, chicken, rice, chicken, rice. Garnish with 1/4 of a pineapple chopped small, fried onions, cashew nuts, raisins and finally coriander leaves. Cover bowl with an aluminium foil and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Some lessons learned:
1. The flame needs to be adjusted often as the food is being cooked through various stages.
2. Get only the best ingredients for the dish.
3. Thighs with bone-in is most suitable for this biryani.
4. The mistake made by choosing white onions instead of red onions proved to be a near disaster.
5. Prefer small garlic compared to large, perfectly-white ones.
6. Use pineapple flavour (essence) sparingly as it could easily overpower other subtle flavours.
7. Use not more than 1/4 of a medium pineapple.
8. After all is said and done, getting the rice cooked to that perfect point seemed to be the hardest part.

Smile-maker

Nature, People

Ixora was never considered by anyone a great flower. It seem to come up from nowhere and carry-on without much demand unlike other flowering plants in the garden that needs nurturing and even a bit of pampering. One of the attractions in the home garden is Ixora. Bright orange, yellow and faded red, the clusters are always there challenging the concept of seasons. Occasional visit of the gardener makes no difference to the plant. The maid waters it as she waters other plants. Kids sometime pluck its flowers and drink the nectar. They play with the garlands made by adding each single flower in tandem. A humble flower that brings so much memories of the good times of childhood. It never fails to bring a smile, every time.

Harissa

Action, Arts, Bahrain, cooking, People

Roses are red.
Fragrant, too.
Roses can touch your heart.
They convey deep feelings.
Sometimes even make you cry.
So is Harissa (həˈrēsə).

The words Harissa dances and flows in the mouth quite effortlessly.
It brings many cherished images to the mind.

But what is Harissa?
Harissa is a fiery hot condiment and seasoning from North Africa and the Middle East. It is a paste of dried red chilis, garlic, and olive oil, with other spices such as ground red pepper, caraway, cumin, caraway, coriander, fennel and mint. It is most closely associated with Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Morocco. Makes Tabasco and Sriracha take a distant second and third places when it comes to a chili sauce contest.

[Recipe for Harissa cannot be more simpler than this…

About 50gm dried red chilies
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon dried mint leaves
Salt
Olive oil

Mix all together].

But the fiery red sauce is not for the faint-hearted.
Not even for the moderately-brave.
It takes a real courageously-daring one to even attempt to even think about making Harissa paste at home.

Therefore
I decided to make the recipe at home amidst all the usual naysayers.
“Can’t be done”.
“Not for Indian cuisine”.
“You need special ingredients… secret ones… how will you find them”.
“Why bother yourself when you can just add chili powder?”.
“We got SriRacha in the fridge”.
“Since when did you started experimenting with North African cuisine”.
So on.

First things first.
How many types of chilis are there in the market?
A few.
Wrong.
Many many.
Wanted to learn all about them before deciding which one to buy.
World of chili was so exciting that the first learning was that it might take longer than a weekend to learn.

So decided to choose
a dark, long one,
a reddish-brownish medium one and
a cute, round one.
(The intended ones were Pasilla, Guajillo & Cascabel. Must learn which is which).
Also used four different types of chili powders: Cayenne, Paprika, Red chili and Kashmiri chili.

Soaking the chilis in hot water was easy.
But the deseeding and destemming part took a toll as a not-so-easy burning sensation on the face.
Food-grade gloves and medical-grade face mask were used.
Not to mention industrial-grade eye-glasses.

While the chilis were soaking, garlic was de-skinned and crushed.
Coriander, cumin, fennel, caraway seeds were ground using pestle and mortar.
The four-chili paste was prepared.
Dried mint leaves kept aside.

From now on, it must be a breeze. So I thought.
Soaked chilies, drained well, went to the food processor.

Warning: The first buzz will fill the kitchen with the volatile component of the chili oleoresin that one must expect and take precautions.
From mildly uncomfortable runny nose and eyes to uncontrollable sneezing could occur.
So please be forewarned.
(Note: Harissa preparation will make onion slicing chore feel like a seventh heaven).

Having survived that grinding to paste stage, spices and mint were added and mixed.
Some balsamic vinegar was added to the paste. Lemon juice, if you so prefer.
Finally, the food processor was run at very slow speed while a stream of Olive oil was mixed in the emulsification process. The processor was stopped once the mixture achieved the desired consistency.

Due to the watery-eyed environment, many photo opportunities were missed.
But the few that were taken can be found here.

In short, the home-made sauce was a real unforgettable experience in the kitchen.
But if you ask em if I would repeat the experience, I would not reply without a bit of hesitancy.

While the runny-nose tells me no, the beyond-the-words taste of Harissa in fish and chicken urges me “you must”.

Baking a Bread

Bahrain, Baking, People, Social

One day, quite recently…
Me: “I am going to bake a bread”
Family: “Bake a – WHAT?”

The entire household was practically paused for well over a few minutes.
In total disbelief.

“Why bother making something you can easily get for BHD 0.100?”*
“Bread? One can NEVER bake a bread at home!”
“Baking a bread needs special equipment. Forget it!”
“Hmmmm…. you’ve found another way to waste money, time and effort…
But
The above comments could not dissuade the baker from chasing, and later achieving, his dream.

*BHD 1 = USD 2.57 appx.

Let me take you back to another day, many many years ago…

The idea of baking a bread at home was toyed since childhood.
The inspiration was the small local bakery near the place of domicile.

Around mid-afternoon, the heavenly aroma of the nearby baker baking his loaves will find its way to our home. Giving the baker a few more minutes to finish his work, a fresh loaf will be at home soon. The family gathers around, being a Sunday, marvelling the freshness and softness of the bread. Baker refuses to slice the bread as he maintains it is too early to slice a bread straight from the oven. There were many times when the bread was enjoyed without being sliced. The experience was always worthy of repeating a million times. That is when the idea of baking bread at home was born.

During those years, my Mother used to cook many dishes. Most of them could be categorised as nothing short of “complicated”. List of ingredients, the processes included in preparation and cooking, adjustment of heat by adding or removing firewood from the stove (those were pre-LPG days) were some reasons for the complexity. Delicious sweets which require hours on fire were made only during festive seasons: Easter or Christmas. Whole family chips in and the house maids also join to support but the main cook was always Mother.

Yet another day, couple of years back…

The childhood idea was put to action quite recently. May be a couple of years back when the first bread was baked in-house. Only few super markets carried bread flour. The recipe said bread flour specifically. Some of them mentioned using all-purpose flour but the fear of failure in first attempt prompted the would-be baker to travel to the edge of the world to find the perfect bread flour. He found it in a super market in the Amwaj Island.

Other ingredients were a fairly easy to come through: yeast, egg, milk, honey, salt. The 10-year old Italian-made oven with an external temperature gauge were the major components towards the first bake. Stove-top cooking was for every day but the oven was rarely used.

All the ingredients were mixed with yeast added in to the traditional well in the centre. The mixture was far from promising. Sticky, without any form or shape.

Baking a bread is all about proving. First the yeast has to prove itself. Then the dough. Then the dough in loaf-tin, again. But the real proof is in the pudding which is the proof of the baker himself. Yeast was over-energetic. It was excited to thrive in the 114 degree Fahrenheit water mixed with honey. In less than 10 minutes, the yeast-proofing was done.

Slowly, the dough began to transform itself as if by a magic spell. The mix was then kneaded by hand. Five or ten minutes, I do not remember. But the kneading stopped only when the dough felt pliable and soft. Time for the dough to prove itself. Well oiled glass bowl, the recipe did not specify which oil, was used to store the dough “for an hour or until it doubles in size in a warm, dark place”.

Slowly lifted the tea-towel that covered the dough-bowl. Could not believe own eyes. The dough had proved itself!

Followed the recipe to the t and inflated the dough after a bit of hesitation. Baker is still not confident. Is it not the first attempt to bake a bread? Pardoned.

Left the dough in a loaf tin this time in the warm dark place to prove again. The dough took the challenge well and overflew the standard bread tin thus ensuring the classic champagne-cork shape.

Meanwhile, in another part of the kitchen…
Pre-heating the oven was meticulously done. Temperature was monitored to the degree. The risen-dough went straight into the oven. Half-way into the baking process, the rich, heavenly aroma of the bread began to fill the apartment. The crust was light brown. There was no way to test the doneness of bread without opening the oven door. Door was open, crust was knocked for that reassuring hollow “thud” sound.

A home-made bread was born.

Family, who were nearby since the aroma started filling the air, now gathered around the bread.

Some suggested butter. Others jam. How about chicken curry? Plain bread taste as good, came in another revelation. Olive oil and salt. Creativity is beginning to cross boundaries now.

Five minutes later, I thanked the heavens for the family leaving the loaf tin alone.

A question came up… when are you going to bake the next bread?

Soon, the baker said, and smiled to himself.

A few weeks back, a Challah was baked.

Blue Crabs

Action, Bahrain, Nature, People, Social

Anticipation grows in the shores of Hidd fishing port, north-east of Bahrain.
But the air is kept light with smiles and laughs.
Amazing to see how the human spirits could soar so high on a long, hot summer day.
Weather-beaten faces perfectly blending with the day’s hard work.

And then someone sees the boat approaching from the seas.
Somehow they know it was a good catch indeed.
Blue Swimming Crabs are wild caught from seas around Bahrain by using traps.

A boat carries 6 to 8 crates of freshly netted Blue Crabs.
After a quick rinse, the crates are brought ashore.
Experienced eyes picks few bad ones and promptly removes them.
Dilip and his team effortlessly moves in sync as a well-rehearsed drill.

Rest are chilled with crushed iced, ready to be transported to the factory in refrigerated trucks.
The cluster portion of the crab with claw and legs untrimmed is the final product that carries a shelf-life of up to 2 years.

Extremely Useful Emptinesses

Action, Arts, Bahrain, Heritage, People, Social

“We shape clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we want.”
– Lao Tzu

The Potter, a man in his forties,
sat there on the wooden, tall stool
by a table
with a shapeless lump of clay.
Smiling.

He had a few kids and their parents as his audience.
Wide-eyed kids.
I’ve-seen-it-all-eyed parents.
Deep inside,
the parents wanted to mould the clay as much as their kids.

But
being elder to the kids, they appeared to show more restraint
and even scolded the kids for their impatience.
Potter smiled.

While his fingers and palm
moved around the wet clay,
and the people thought of how relaxed the man was,
his legs were tirelessly working.

Pushing the heavy flywheel
under the table
that held the platform
that rotated
the clay…

I wondered
how many kids must have seen the hard work
of the legs
that is needed for a clay pot?

Potter continued to smile.
Perhaps he could listen to everyone’s thoughts…

Casual Skewers

Action, cooking, People, Social

Grilling must be the most healthiest way to cook meat.

Most fun comes from the charcoal grill outdoors.
Once in a while, it can be emulated indoors.
Family love it. Friends love it.
Above all, the chef loves it.

It all begins with pre-soaking the bamboo skewers in water.
And the grill pan scrubbed and washed with no soap.
Then comes the marinade.
Finally, the preparation of meats.

Tandoor-prawns.
Tandoori Masala could be brought from the store.
But only a few would dare to make their own Tandoori mix from scratch.
And that’s what happened.

Chicken thighs were chosen over breast.
A sharpest boning knife made the job of separating the meat from the bone enjoyable.
In grilling, the marinade is most crucial for the taste.
In this case, both the prawns and the chicken were marinated for between 4-5 hours in the refrigerator.

Mildly flavoured meat (could be sea-food) threaded in soaked bamboo skewers.
Seasoned cast-iron grill pan heated to over 420 deg F on a stove-top.
Quote If it does not sizzle, then you are not grilling unquote.
Thrill of the sizzle awaits.

Time spent on seasoning the grill pan paid off well.
No sticking.
No panic.
Grilling was never been so easy.

There is a secret
to grilling: oil.
Sparingly use oil to smear the grilling pan surface,
occasionally.

Another secret…
is to let the meat char a little.
This must be done extra-carefully
as the chances of meat getting dry is high.

Prawns were the most tricky.
So much easier to turn them into rubber-washers (from the chef’s own experience)
than to get them just-succulent-right.
But for someone who got an innate ability to cook, all comes naturally.

Skewers were all arranged in the plate.
The sight was indeed impressive.
In our house, the food does not last till plating process.
Skewers were all emptied in a blink.

Grilling indoors is tiring.
But when you see the food vanish at the speed of lightning,
that magic itself is enough to make you go through the hardships again,
and again.

Cooking is rewarding.

John Dory, Baked.

Baking, People, Social

What’s for dinner?
As in whats|for|dinn|er|
Typical question on a weekend.
Mostly the dinner is cooked by me at home during the weekend.
Therefore it is not surprising that the family awaits dinnertime, on a weekend.
(Ed: Well, that may seem like a tall statement but then you have not tasted my cooking, have you?).
Apart from cooking being a passion, the time spend in creating a dish based solely on a recipe distracts one from most other complexities of life. Someone’s passion could well be another’s chore.

First question.
Meat? Lamb? Chicken? Fish?
Answer: Fish.
Which fish?
Silence.
Yes, the family sometimes think too.

White-meat fishes are often mild in their flavour.
Sole is a good example.
Local favourite Hamour-e Khaldar-e Qahvei (or simply, Hamour: the Brown-spotted Reef Cod) is another.
But John Dory is what got caught in the net.
So the choice of fish was settled.
A Dory doesn’t have a strong fishy smell.

Note: Some photographs follow the write-up.

Next question…
Grilling? Poaching? Baking? Pan-fry?
Grilling would be harsh on a Dory.
Poaching would be too subtle.
Pan-fry would be good to try.
Finally, settled for Baking.

Now for the recipe.
Salt & Pepper Fish was the first choice.
The simplicity of the recipe was in fact a deterrent to me.
Less room to play around.

Looked for more options.
Did not have to go far.
Limón!
Lemon always gave that great tasting result with white-meat fishes.
Added Lemon and fresh, flat-leaf Parsley to the list.

Accompaniment to Dory?
Mashed Potatoes was the unanimous favourite of the family.
A silence fell when the discussion moved on to the greens.
Vegetables, I mean.
No movement.
No enthusiasm.
Quite understandable.
Had to choose it myself.
Mangetouts.
How about some Mushrooms?
Yesss….
Some movement there.
People love mushrooms for their own reasons.

Thus the dinner menu was agreed upon.

John Dory baked with Lemon and Parsley in extra virgin Olive oil
seasoned with sea-salt and ground black pepper.
Sautéed Mushrooms and Mangetouts
served with mildly creamed silk-smooth Mashed Potatoes.

Little extra virgin Olive oil. Lemon juice. Sea-salt and ground black Pepper. Sprinkle once-chopped fresh flat-leaf Parsley. Bake for 20 minutes in an oven heated to 170C. Check for flaking with a fork.

Combined taste of slightly salty Mashed Potatoes and Dory was exquisite. Sautéed Mangetouts were so crunchy that the dining room reverberated with the sound. Mushrooms with a dash of dark soy-sauce added a different dimension to its flavour. A fillet of Dory was pan-fried indeed.

Dinner was served.
Few minutes into the ritual,
some asked for more potatoes.
Others, Dory.
Mushrooms disappeared in no time.
Only a few Mangetouts were left in their bowl.

All the dinner plates got emptied quick.
What else an ordinary cook like me could possibly ask for?

Pièce de Résistance

Baking, Event, People, Social

Geographically, the beautiful island of Bahrain may be small. But the cultural and artistic events happening within its confines hosted by the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities – BACA – and other organisations, are many.

BACA itself organises several events throughout the year. Festivals and Annual Activities includes Bahrain Annual Fine Arts Exhibition, where space, colours, imagination and boundaries merge; Bahrain Summer, the journey of musical to theatrical; Ta’a Al Shabab, a month-long event involving youth in culture; Bahrain International Music Festival, an expression of musical talent from home and abroad; Spring of Culture, an opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences and learn about the intellectual underpinnings of different nations and Heritage Festival, taking the people from now to then.

Though the various events fall in the same time of the year, the themes keep changing. This year’s Food is Culture event had Bahrain National Museum as the venue. Confluence of the minds of Chefs and Artists was the theme. MyRefractions visited one such event during the month of January 2017.

Meeting with Chef Brian and Chef Pierre was the highlight. The chocolate palm tree was the pièce de résistance of the evening.

Date palms represented Middle-Eastern culture around the world. A drive through the palm-laned road leading towards the magnificent Ritz-Carlton hotel in itself is a memorable experience. Imagine a date palm that snaps at your touch, made with the most delicious, just-sweet, nutty, creamy and melt-in-mouth dark chocolate with real Dates. That was the experience presented by the Executive Chef Brian of re Asian Cuisine and Head Chef at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant “CUT” both at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain whose culinary inspiration began in his grandmother’s kitchen, and Pierre, professional Pastry Chef at Wolfgang Puck’s “CUT” restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain, whose love of pastries comes as an artistic medium which fuels his passionate creations and the Artist Somaya Abdulghani who is specialised in photography, collage and mixed media, seeking to promote Islam’s enlightening nature by creating rhythmic and organic patterns that combine forms of Islamic art.

In a higher conceptual level, one would find it hard to separate the space of cooking and that of art.

The passionate audience had a casual enjoyable time interacting with the Chefs and the Artist. They also relished the chocolate palm tree and made it vanish into thin air within minutes much to the delight of the Chefs and the Artist who created it.

The event brought to surface the complexities within the intermingling of the two seemingly different worlds… and a treat for the palate and the mind of the discerning intellect.

Farmers’ Market

Event, Nature, People, Social

Highway leading to Budaiya, the venue of Farmers’ Market 2017, got slower from almost a mile away. Typical of any event. Almost all the vehicles carried families with children. After finding a parking nearby, the place was a short walk away. It was a sunny and pleasant Saturday in January. Mild breeze among the many date palms lining the tiled walkways carried smell of vegetables. The botanical gardens in Budaiya, maintained by the Agriculture Ministry, hosted the Farmers’ Market as it did for past several years. Photographs were shot randomly while walking around the market…

A mild climate conducive of growing vegetables in Bahrain starts from October typically. However, the summer lingered on till late November in 2016 and the weather turned mild towards mid- to end-December. Christmas really felt like that in Brisbane; warm. Farmers’ Market in Bahrain usually started in early December and lasts till the first few months of the following year. All Saturdays of the month, from 8 AM till 12 noon, Budaiya gets some extra action.

Breakfast Corner (actually it is an open space) visit was top on the list. Not that we three were hungry. The idea of tasting some authentic Bahraini food always appealed to us. Fresh vegetables were so appealing that from the moment we saw the first stall, the shutter was relentlessly moving up and down (or was it sideways? Should have paid more attention during the many photography workshops attended.) Tomatoes, Cauliflowers, Pumpkins, Chillies, Zucchinis, Cucumbers, all those leafy vegetables – that the family doctor always reminded to consume more, Beetroots, Bell Peppers, to name more than a few. Mint led the list of herbs. Those on sale were so fresh and untouched so unlike what is sold by the regular stores that it seemed to have made just for decoration and not for cooking.

Flowering plants were on sale. Hyacinths and Pansies were more popular. Geraniums were rare. Bougainvilleas scattered themselves among others. As we walked forward, the air began to smell of waffles. Waffles would have been a complete misfit in such an atmosphere. We followed the waffles that led us to a stall where several people – women and children mostly – patiently waited for their turn to collect their favourite snack: pan-baked bread. Thin, crunchy, mildly sweet made up of batter.

The best part of the Farmers’ Market was not the display of the local produce. It is about the people and the smile on their face. Met several families that included expatriates and the local ones. Business was casual with occasional bargaining (well, no one ever bargained in a super market) and tasting of the fresh produces.

Stall owners found time to chat about their farms in different parts of Bahrain. 17 years of stay made it almost possible to locate many. Children played as the sun rose while other wide-eyed ones kept wondering about the many colours of vegetables. From red, green, yellow and purple that is grown in their own Bahrain.

Reason for Everything

Action, Baking, Event, People, Social

Visited local stores for the best ingredients.
Shortage of mixed peel was unusual this year.
Not a single store carried them.
So
went and bought fresh Navel oranges; scoured and peeled and sliced the peels 1/4″.
Boiled them peels, rinsed and repeated thrice.

Candy thermometer. Sugar solution.
Latter tricky without the former.
Orange peels, again.
Got them candied, got them dried.
End result: better than store-brought ones.

More photos follow…

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the kitchen.
A clean glass bowl.
Sultanas, Raisins, Black Currants, Glacé Cherries (washed, dried and halved) in St. Remy brandy.
Set aside after securing with cling film.
Mixed every other day and added more Remy if needed.

Mise en place seems to be the word, to begin with, from this point.
Everything in place before starting.
Preparing the baking tin to preheating the oven.
Glass bowl of dried fruits made succulent by the St. Remy for weeks.

Unsalted butter with lesser water content at room temperature.
One would do well if the stand mixer with balloon whisk attached is avoided for this preparation.
Hand mixer with whisker attachment is more suited.

All-purpose flour.
Mixed spice. Cinnamon.
Whole Nutmeg. Grater.
Pinch of ground, coarse, sea-salt.

Zest of Oranges and Lemon.
Freshly squeezed juice of one orange.
Dark brown sugar. (Tried Muscovado?)
Treacle.
Five fresh, brown, medium-large eggs.

Bowl #2 readied.
Measuring cups, spoons.
Wooden spoon. Wooden spatula.
Silicon spatula.
Parchment paper.
Walnuts Brazil nuts Almonds
Most chopped and some slivered.

1. Cream butter.
Kids will be around for a bit of taste.
Dark Brown Sugar and Black Treacle are also in great demand.
2. Whisk in eggs kept at room temparature, one at a time.
3. Spoon in flour, a spoon at a time.
4. Maintain 150˚C in the oven.

Mixture looks curdled.
Keep paddling…
Gentle on the mixture, please.
Gluten, unwelcome.

5. Scoop the cake mixture into the prepared bake-tin.
6. In goes the tin to the pre-heated oven for 3-4 hours.
7. At 2 1/2 hours, kids will start to visit the kitchen as the aroma arises and begins to fill the home.
8. First time the heated oven is open once the batter is in is after 2 1/2 hours.
9. Skewer comes out clean or not?

Anticipation builds from the day the dry fruits are soaked in brandy.
(Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?)
That day would be almost a month before Christmas.
Day the cake is baked, hopes are high.
Who will eat what and how much and who gets to keep the decor-berry and ivy for the new year.
Thankful that the cake did not carry fancy, pastel pink roses and cloud-white, Royal icing.
(Editor: The kids’ Mama baked one with all the above accessories almost bringing the house down).

Mittens… where are the mittens?
(So much for the mise en place).
Cake out of oven on to a cooling rack.
Not so lovely as once thought.
Wait, kids, tomorrow we decorate the cake.
Excitement builds up again.

Dusted confectioner’s sugar hoping to get a it-just-snowed effect.
Berry-ivy-leaf decor, one. Picked that from the local M & S.
Is that all? Kids asketh in chorus.
Yes, that’s all. Pâtissier replieth, solo.

Tiny plates.
Knife, the sharpest.
Shouldn’t it cut through the nuts and dry fruits?
Serving time…

Note: The orange peels, lemon zest and treacle make the cake a bit bitter. And the dark brown sugar and the mildly sweet sultanas and raisins brings in some sweetness. Nutmeg and cinnamon tries their best to add in the spiciness. A bitter-sweet-spicy cake? Yes, I would say. But you know it’s much more complex-er than that.

Now comes the best part…
Sharing the cake with others.
The cake is carefully sliced, wrapped carefully in parchment paper, tied carefully with strings and now ready to be shared.

Spiritual part
The spirit of Christmas in the air filled with hope, felt by everyone around is perhaps the greatest gift of the season. Sharing the bounty of blessings showered on each one of us by the Almighty is the next best. Bondage between simple human mortals based on unconditional love comes a close third.

Change the order – hope share bond love
if you may,
but that is what
Christmas is all about.

Rest everything is just a reason.

Let us carry the remnants of Christmas spirit all through the New Year.

Wishing you a Bright & Happy New Year!