Crisp summer cucumbers done three ways and a clip of my Radio show at the Minneapolis Farmers Market
I can’t believe it’s almost the end of the summer session at school! Up until just a year ago, I never thought I’d step into a formal school of learning again… and here I am, (almost) 4 classes down! (11 more to go 🙂 ). In the midst of writing term-end papers and take-home exams, I woke up early on August 6th morning, assembled about a dozen spicy potato puff pastries, baked them, and then headed over to AM950 to talk live at the Fresh & Local Radio show, of the Minneapolis Farmers Market. As hosts Bonnie Dehn and Susan Berkson dug into the warm, savory puff pastries, we chatted about summer, farming, new recipes, and… cucumbers!
Me with Susan Berkson (standing) and Bonnie Dehn of Dehns Farms
Cucumbers are now in season at the Farmers Market here and I couldn’t help but think of home, and eating slices of crisp, cool cucumbers, sprinkled with some tangy, mouth-watering chaat masala…mmm…
It also reminded me of the gazillion different ways we Indians prepare cucumbers, from kachumbar (chopped salad), to raitas (yogurt-based condiment) done in endless ways. Much to my delight, Susan & Bonnie asked me to share my cucumber recipes on the show. We also talked about how Indian food uses cumin, and how different treatments of the herb can result in different taste notes. You can hear a short version of the recipes and listen to the whole radio show HERE.
Before I continue… here’s wishing all my fellow desis a very Happy Independence Day!! Jai Hind!! GO INDIAA!! Wish I was home today watching a flag-hoisting ceremony…
In today’s post, I will be sharing THREE very simple, very easy ways that you can prepare fresh cucumbers in the Indian style.
The goodies I got from Bonnie of Dehns Gardens - Basil, summer salad, carrots, chives, cilantro
Recipe 1 – Kachumbar
Indians from other parts of the country call this cooling cucumber preparation by different names and may prepare it with minor modifications. You could say, Kachumbar, is the Indian version of the Mexican Pico de Gallo.
Mix all the following together…
- 1 medium sized cucumber – chopped
- 1 small onion – finely chopped
- 1 medium sized tomato – chopped
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 2-3 tbsp of fresh cilantro – chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp chaat masala (available in any specialty Indian grocery store)
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
…and serve cold with lentils & rice, or any Indian meal.
Recipe 2 – From Kachumbar to Cucumber Raita
Simply take the Kachumbar recipe above, and add 3-4 large spoonfuls of yogurt and 1/4 tsp cumin powder. (If you have roasted, cracked cumin on hand, use that instead – adds a delightful smoky flavor!) Mix well with 2-3 tbsp of water, chill for 10 minutes, and serve! This is an excellent coolant in hot, humid Indian summers, and helps tone down spicy curries.
Recipe 3 – Grated cucumber Raita
Roughly grate (use the largest grate option on your grater) 1 small cucumber. Drain out any juice, and reserve for a cocktail or cooling drink. Mix with 2-3 large spoonfuls of yogurt, 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, salt to taste, freshly cracked black pepper, and 1/4 tsp chaat masala. Chill and serve!
What have you done this summer that you’ve been proud of? What have you cooked / eaten / experienced?
One day at a time
Today’s post is a quick update on a few things. The holy month of Ramadan started a few days ago and I’ve been reading tweets and Facebook messages from all of my Muslim friends on how challenging it has been for them to fast. For those familiar, Muslims across the world abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, for 30 days during this month. It is a month of prayer, resilience, patience, and for many, a way to detoxify the body.
Considering it is Summer here in North America, the gap between sunrise and sunset can be almost 15 hours for most of us here. My thoughts and prayers are with you all!
For those of you fasting, please do check out my Ramadan recipe series to get ideas on what to make for Iftaar. I hope to make a few more dishes over the next few weeks and add to the list.
In other news, I will be talking once again on the Minneapolis Farmers Market Fresh & Local radio show this Saturday at 8am on AM950. We will be talking about Indian food, using local ingredients, and I will also do an Indian spin on the veggie of the day with hosts Susan Berkson and Bonnie Dehn of Dehn’s Garden. I’d love it if you could tune in! If you can’t, I will be posting a recording of the show soon. Listen in to the last show to get a taste of what we’ll talk about.
Until next week, adios and have a great weekend!
When I first came to the US, I knew little about Indian cooking, and even lesser about how Americans prepare their meals everyday. My biggest educator was the Food Network. Like anyone who loves food, I was hooked! The one show I took an immediate liking to was 30 Minute Meals by Rachael Ray. Something tells me I wouldn’t have liked the show as much if it wasn’t hosted by RR. She is so easy to relate to, and has an knack for packing tons of flavor and nutrition into recipes that I think anyone can easily replicate.
So last week, when it was scorching here in the Twin Cities, and I really wasn’t in the mood for Indian food, I decided to leaf through my favorite cook-book ‘Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book’ while sipping on some ice-tea. I had seen a show of hers where she taught us how to butterfly and then pound a chicken filet flat. Honestly, the Raw Tropical sauce with mango appealed to me the most. A quick check in the fridge and pantry told me I had all the ingredients I needed. However, I wanted to amp up the spice level on the entire dish just a teensie bit and made a few modifications in RR’s original recipe to suit my taste.
Honestly, the funnest part was pounding the chicken flat 😉 The dish was incredibly easy to put together. I love the combination of sweet, sour and spicy flavors and added some lemon juice and a pinch of chili powder to the sweet mango and tomato ‘salsa’. I also skipped the Parmigiano Reggiano in the breading, and instead used garlic-flavored breading. Needless to say, I had a hard time photographing the final dish as I couldn’t wait to dig in a gobble it all up quickly. My husband only got a small bite 🙂
The recipe from her website is slightly different from the one in the book, but I have noticed that you can spin the recipe around as you like and it’ll still have tons of flavor and character. Here’s my version of RR’s recipe:
Mango and Tomato salsa
- 1 large ripe mango – diced
- 1 medium sized vine-on tomato – diced
- 2-3 tbsp of chopped cilantro
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- Salt & pepper to taste
- A pinch of chili powder
Mix all the above ingredients together and set aside in a bowl to allow the flavors to assimilate.
Crispy spicy chicken cutlets
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 egg
- 2 cups flavored bread crumbs – any you prefer
- 1/2 all purpose flour
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- Olive oil for cooking
- Several sheets of any plastic food wrap
- 1 heavy bottom skillet
Butterfly the chicken, then wrap it in a plastic food wrap, place on your chopping board, and pound the chicken flat with the back of the skillet, pushing out, from the middle and sides of the filet. Pound to about 1/4 inch thickness.
Prepare 3 bowls for the breading. One with the egg, lightly beaten with a teaspoon of water. Another with the flour, flavored with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin powder. A third bowl with the bread crumbs. First dip the chicken in the flour, then the egg, and then the bread crumbs. Make sure the filet is completely coated with flour, egg and crumbs respectively, in each step. Set aside on a plate for 10 minutes.
Heat olive oil in a skillet and cook the cutlets for about 5 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked. While cooking, press the cutlet down with a non-stick food-flipper to ensure they get crispy.
Once cooked, squeeze lemon juice on the cutlets and serve immediately with the mango salsa.
Do you enjoy Rachael Ray’s shows and recipes? Do you have a favorite recipe you make often?
One Life to Eat 