One of the most momentous events in my foodie life was when I had my first spoon of Gochujang, a staple Korean condiment. It is a pungent paste of red chillies, rice powder and soyabean which is fermented in earthen pots, usually in the backyard of Korean homes.
Having grown up in an international boarding school which also just happened to be full of ravenous foodies like myself, imbibing food habits and knowledge from other cultures was a regular and eagerly awaited pastime. One hilarious memory that comes to mind is a midnight shouting match between the 6th grade girls in the dorm. The subject of debate – Potatoes or Rice! It was thankfully brief as the Russian contingent shouting ‘Potatoes’ was quickly drowned out by a larger mixed group shouting ‘Rice’.
The disgust metted out when someone found out that Nagas eat dogs was somehow easier to bear when a Korean friend volunteered the information that they do too. And my supply of smoked meat proved to be more valuable than money as I could trade it for Hershey’s kisses, gummy bears, Russian salami, edam cheese (I liked the red wax covering more than the cheese), bhutanese chili powder, nori, shin ramyun and yes, Gochujang.
My obsessive relationship with this utterly savoury dark maroon paste continued after school. The occasional meal at the home of Korean friends helped me decide that my favourite Korean dish by far is bibimbab. A wholesome meal of glutinous rice served in a thick earthen bowl, with an assortment of sautéed, pickled and seasoned vegetables, topped with an egg, sunny side up. The key condiment that integrates all these ingredients into a phenomenal treat is Gochujang, usually served in a small bowl on the side. (I’m literally drooling as I write this)
Still, it wasn’t easily available, not unless you had Korean friends who could supply (which I had for the most part) or the store in INA market, Delhi had some. So imagine my delight when I walked into the Godrej Nature’s Basket early last year and saw boxes of gochujang stacked on the shelves. Suffice to say that I’ve gone crazy since.
I gifted my friend Divya gochujang as a housewarming gift…promising here that it would make anything she made taste complex and exotic. I’ve added the paste to salad dressing, put a spoonful into hot hostel dal, eaten it as chutney for the samosa from the train station, added it to maggi from the neighbourhood tapir (tea stall). I’ve put it in my fried rice, eaten it alone while reading and finally used it to cook chicken, pork, beef and mutton.
My most recent preparation was chicken curry in which I first marinated the chicken in 2 tablespoons of gochujang. When it was almost cooked, I added carrots and the flat green beans you introduced me to on our trip to the market off grant road station.
On my CV, it says I am a blogger before all of the other things; writer, stylist, author, consultant...) I have added to my skill set over the years. When I began blogging almost 9 years ago, I had no idea where it would take me. I have often thanked all the people that helped me along AFTER I became a food writer. But every dish has a catalyst that starts it cooking.
Even before I learned of the existence of food writing, there is one man that got me blogging. On a sabbatical from work, in a strange new city, with a small baby, I would surf the net, looking for something to engage me in the hours until my husband came home from work. At the time, chatting was a new phenomenon (and unaccompanied by the baggage of suspicion it has today) And in my online explorations, I came across someone interesting to chat with online. He was intelligent, made interesting conversation and indulged me by spending hours talking. We chatted almost every day, this stranger and I and it got to the point, that I would harrow him by typing in CAPITALS until he dropped whatever he was doing and chat with me! So, in what I suspect was a move to give me something to occupy my mind my mysterious friend suggested I try my hand at blogging. The rest as they say – is history.
We are still friends and his name is Roshan Tamang. And the most fascinating thing about our friendship is, we still have not met! But every time I make an achievement no matter how big or small, I have what I call a Ross moment. A moment of remembering him, and thank him, for taking the time out to give me attention all those years ago.
Why am I getting into all this today?
The organisers of the Kala Ghoda festival called to ask me to be on the panel of food writing at Kala Ghoda. To be moderated by my friend, foodwritter Vikram Doctor! Eeps! I called Vikdoc immediately, Was he sure?
"Yes Rushina (said Vikram)- you bring in the food blogging perspective which has been such a dynamic new source of food writing. I think one of the interesting things about food writing is how inclusive it is, getting many people who would not normally write, writing, and people who would not normally read stuff like this, reading. Food blogging has been particularly good getting around the blocks of publishing, and has also been good in recording community cuisines like with Nupur's Maharashtrian food blog, or Ammini's veg Kerala one. And you've also used food blogging to get into published food writing and a career as a food consultant.”
Now I have lots more to say on this but I will stop now.
I said yes, and I would like to invite all you food writers and bloggers. Do come, It promises to be unforgettable!
------------------------------------------------------------------- FOOD WRITING AND ITS DELICIOUS VARIETY
Feb 8th – 6.30 pm – 7.30 pm,
David Sassoon Lawns
Moderated by Vikram Doctor
- featuring Nilanjana Roy, Shoba Narayan and Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal
We all eat and food connects us all!
Food writing is sizzling! Across the world the interest and amount of food writing in books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs has been exploding. It is a subject with almost guaranteed reader interest - everyone eats! everyone is hungry! Everyone has opinions on where to get the best vada-pav!
Food writing spans the spectrum from serious academic research on the role of food in societies to food as a way of discovering family histories. Food writing in fact is now less a specialised category, than a style that cuts across genres. So you have food and history, food and science, food and crime fiction, food and romance fiction, food and politics... plus, of course, there are cookbooks.
The Kala Ghoda panel aims to look at food writing in all this delicious variety. Writer and Editor Nilanjana Roy has edited the Penguin Book of Food Writing. Columnist Shoba Narayan wrote Monsoon Diary, an acclaimed personal memoir structured around food memories and recipes. Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal is a food blogger who used her personal passion to move into a career as a professional food writer and consultant.
Vikram Doctor is the Editor - Special Features at the Economic Times, but the features he writes are really excuses to support the two regular columns on food that run in the paper along with other articles on food that come in ET, the Times of India and Times Crest. His main focus is on Indian food and the many meanings it has in society and culture, both in India and the Diaspora.
We had a little prize distribution for the lovely ladies who won the Pistachio competition. FIRST - Vanita Lalwani and SECOND - Shalini Ravimohan. Unfortunately the THIRD winner - Pinky Darius Mistry could not make it.
At APB we are not really big fans of hotel food festivals; we think there are too many of them by far. Occasionally however a festival comes up that we think is too good to miss. When I received an invite to the Turkish food festival at the Hyatt on Facebook, I was one of the first to ok it! I was really eager to visit this one because I spent two idyllic days of foodie discovery in Istanbul in 2009 and I was eager to relive the flavours I tasted there. I also wanted to talk to the chef, because I am fascinated by Turkish cuisine! There are so many similarities in ingredients, cooking styles and even names of dishes and yet both Indian and Turkish cuisines could never be confused with one another. They are both distinctly different. Where Indian Cuisine can be a complex combination of ingredients, Turkish cuisine is all about bringing out the flavours of the foods.
Chef Zeki Kalayci of the Grand Hyatt, Istanbul was kind enough to spend an afternoon, answering my questions about Turkish food, instructing me in the nuances of Turkish cooking, teaching me to make Dolmas (stuffed vine leaves). After a fabulous trip down memory lane with the buffet, he sent me off with a bag full of the most delicious Turkish delight I have ever had!
Interview of Chef, Zeki Kalayci
A third-generation chef, Zeki Kalayci was born in Mengen, Turkey; the small town known for its fantastic cuisine and chefs with most caliber since the Ottoman Empire.
Chef Kalayci has an impressive culinary background; he entered the kitchen at the early age of 14. His long innings have provided him a wealth of experience. Currently Chef de Cuisine at Grand Hyatt Istanbul that is known for its Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine, Chef Kalayci is one of the Turkey’s best chefs and has worked in five star hotels and high end restaurants in Turkey and all over the world. This was his first trip to India and he is really excited about the Turkish Food Festival at Glasshouse, Hyatt Regency Mumbai.
There are a lot of similarities between Turkish and Indian cuisines/cooking? What has been your most interesting discovery?
Turkish cuisine has a lot of steaming and braising whereas Indian cuisine involves a lot of frying. Even in terms of flavours, though there are many similarities between the ingredients, yet the flavours of the spices in Turkish cuisine are so distinct!
What is a spice/product you use a lot in your cooking?
I use a lot of oregano in my cooking as I feel that it brings out the flavour of the dishes and since Turkish cuisine has a lot of European influence, oregano is readily available.
Any Indian ingredients you use in your dishes?
The predominant ingredient in most of my dishes is Cardamom which is an Indian spice used in Turkish desserts, coffee, tea and like India in a lot of the main course dishes as well. The other common ingredients used in both Turkish and Indian cuisine are spices, eggplant and tomatoes.
How many times have you visited Mumbai? How has your experience in Mumbai been so far?
This is my first visit to India and Mumbai. I am looking forward to spending some time visiting the local spice market in Mumbai and feel that the people in this city are very warm and inviting.
How has your experience in Mumbai been on the food front? What have been your most interesting food experiences?
Interestingly many of the Turkish dishes have Indian names or are already known in India. I am looking forward to taste a few of the Indian dishes that are famous back in Turkey.
What do you think differentiates the Turkish cuisine from other world cuisines?
According to me, Chinese and Italian cuisines qualify as world cuisine as they are readily available in various parts of the world. Turks are purists in their culinary taste; the dishes are supposed to bring out the flavour of the main ingredient rather than hiding it behind sauces or spices. Turkey is known for an abundance and diversity of foodstuff due to its rich flora, fauna and regional differentiation. And the legacy of an Imperial Kitchen is inescapable. Hundreds of cooks specializing in different types of dishes, all eager to please the royal palate, no doubt had their influence in perfecting the Cuisine as we know it today.
What do you think is the most essential ingredient of Turkish cuisine?
In my opinion, Olive oil is the most essential ingredient of Turkish cuisine. Olives are locally grown in the country due to its European influence and is not just used for cooking but also as a preservative. The mezze also is known as olive oil dishes because of the extensive use of olive oil.
What is your favourite Turkish dish/meal?
My favourite meal of the day is dinner and I like Hünkarbeğendi as it is a dish that I created.
What is your favourite Indian dish?
Have not been able to try too much of Indian cuisine during this period, however look forward to trying the regional favorites over the weekend.
Where or from whom do you get your inspiration?
I feel my mother is the driving force and I am inspired by her cooking. I feel that her cooking reflects her passion for food.
Do you have a dish that you created? Could you share the recipe?
I created the Hünkarbeğendi at Grand Hyatt Istanbul which is Lamb stew with cheese-aubergine puree.
The recipe is as below.
Hünkarbeğendi (Serves 4 people)
Lamb stew with cheese-aubergine puree
Ingredients
500g boneless lamb shoulder, cubed
100g Onion
100 g Butter
150 g Tomato blanched, peeled and cubed
250g Aubergine
150 ml Lemon juice
20g Flour
150 ml whole milk
50g Kasar cheese grated (substitute with mozzarella)
Salt, pepper, mint leaves
Preparation
Heat the meat with shredded onion and 50g butter in a covered pan; allow the liquid form the meat to evaporate. Add the tomato, a little salt and pepper and leave to boil for 5 minutes. Add 150 ml of hot water and cook covered for about 45 minutes. In the meantime bake the aubergine in the oven for about one hour on 200 Celsius. Remove the blackened skin and leave in a bath of 150 ml of lemon juice mixed with cold water for about 10 minutes, then press the liquid out cut the pips away and mash the aubergines. Fry the flour with 25 g butter for 2-3 minutes, add the milk drop by drop and mash the aubergines. Leave to cook for 8 minutes then remove from fire and add the grated cheese, the rest of the butter and adjust the salt and pepper. Heat the puree for another 7 minutes in a baine marie. Portion the puree on the plate, make a hole in each serving and fill with the stew. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.
It was a stressful week. Classes, assignments, presentations and deadlines! On the verge of a nervous breakdown, I resorted to the one thing that has offered me solace and sustenance ever since I learnt to eat solid food…PORK! Not surprising considering I come from Nagaland where if they could, they would patent pork. Such is the obsession (and I among the obsessed), that pork is often part of breakfast, lunch, dinner and almost any meal in between. For example, cubes of pork roasted with Naga king chilli and dried bamboo shoot make the perfect accompaniment for hot red tea…or rice beer. My favourite pork preparation is the one made by the Sema tribe to which my mom belongs. A delicious slow cooked thick broth of smoked pork and axone (fermented soya bean), this sensational dish is now becoming popular with all tribes. So you can imagine my utter heartbreak when I discovered that my precious stash of Axone was ravaged by mold! Bereft, but only for a few hours, I decided to try the next best thing! Another classic Naga pork dish, this one with fresh bamboo shoot. Now, the bamboo shoot Nagas use for cooking is slightly fermented (or more depending of one’s preference). Bamboo shoot, as testified by the many other asian dishes with pork and bamboo shoot, with its sharp, tangy flavour and crisp texture perfectly complements juicy portions of pork. Luckily for me, my supply of Naga bamboo shoot was in perfect condition. Here’s the recipe of the dish that made all my worries go away. 1 kg of Yorkshire pork, medium sized pieces 1 tbsp of fresh ginger, crushed 1 tsp of fresh garlic, crushed 1 tbsp of large chilli flakes 1 tbsp of salt 1 cup of bamboo shoots, cut into thick slices
Mix the ginger, garlic, chilli and salt. Rub paste into pork. Leave for 15 minutes. Place pork and bamboo shoot into pot, cover with lid and cook in medium heat for 20 mins. Stir to make sure the pork isn’t sticking to the bottom or burning, add ½ a cup of water, close lid again and cook for 15 minutes. Add 4 cups of water and cook in high heat for 15mins Taste for salt, and see if pork is cooked, add water to make gravy as desired. Cook in high heat for 10 minutes and serve hot with rice.
Dear Theyie, I am glad that K’s birthday went well. And I was happy to help.
Glad the pickled peppercorns added punch to your cooking.
They do seem to be the theme of the moment! I have been playing with green peppercorns this week, (they are in season at the moment). I look forward to their arrival with great anticipation every year. Green peppercorns are unripe pepper berries that would be dried into black and white pepper for the table if their development were not arrested. I love green peppercorns for their bright, intense aroma, accented with hints of what I can only describe as green. Their flavour, is fresher and greener to the taste than dried peppers and brings a piquant accent to dishes. Try adding ground green peppercorns to creamy sauces or a few bunches whole to Thai curry at the very end of cooking. Enjoy the pleasant pungency of them bursting between your teeth.
Although green peppercorns are sold pickled in brine as a gourmet ingredient all over the world, they are a far more utilitarian ingredient in any Gujarati or South Indian home, where they are either pickled in brine or with lemon juice respectively and appear at the dinner table every winter. I pickle a batch every year so I can extend their season for a good long time. (They last more than a year). And the pickled ones work just as well as the fresh when the season is over. This year I also made a green peppercorn jelly that I am very happy with.
But before anything else, one of the first things I do when they come into season is make my signature
Green Peppercorn Pesto.
This Pesto is an ideal vehicle for the peppercorns. Make a batch and stir into hot, freshly cooked pasta, add to white sauce or spoon onto pasta or grilled chicken. It freezes well, too.
(Serves 4-6) 1/2 cup fresh green peppercorns 1 cup parmesan cheese 1/2 cup olive oi l3-4 pods garlic Salt to taste
You can take the short cut and grind the green peppecrns in a blender, using just a few pulses so you get a coarse texture but I highly recommend pounding this pesto in a mortar and pestle. The results are phenomenal. Add rest of the ingredients into peppercorns and grind /pound to a coarse paste. To store: Transfer to a clean dry jar, top with olive oil and leave in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or freeze in single serving sized batches so you do not have to defrost the whole lot when you want to use it.
So K’s birthday party on Saturday was an absolute success! My plan to do sushi rolls didn’t materialize as I couldn’t find nori sheets anywhere in Mumbai (and believe me, I looked EVERYWHERE). And just when I was beginning to panic, I went food shopping with you and loved your suggestion that I use rice paper sheets. With happy memories of how much I enjoyed your shitake mushroom mini spring rolls – the perfect one bite portion, I decided I’d try something similar with…shitake mushrooms. So I set off to your house on Saturday morning to raid your kitchen, picking up rice paper sheets, shitake mushrooms and your pickled green peppercorns which I had been eyeing for quite sometime now. Having stocked up on meat during a brief stop at Nature’s Basket at Warden Road the previous evening, here’s what I (and K) made for the party. First I sliced the Shitake mushrooms and fried them in roast sesame oil. K cut the red and yellow bell peppers into thin slices. I cut the rice sheets into four quarters, soaked each in water until they were little soft and placed two pieces of shitake, some red and yellow bell peppers and three or four peppercorns and wrapped them. Done! K was hovering so I figured I’d teach him how to roll. He learned fast and was so much better than me…now I can look forward to great rolls. And I know what you’re going to say Rushina, me and VEG???? Don’t worry everything else had a little meat in it. We made another set of rolls but this time, we stuffed it with that lovely chicken Provencal salami you made me taste at Nature's Basket, shredded spring onions and a tiny drop of Discovery’s Tequila and Lemon sauce. I also braised spicy chicken kebabs added in honey and garnished them with Almond shavings. I made mini toothpick skewers of fried bacon, papaya and this very hot red chilli I picked up at Ratna’s, a general store in Chembur. The evening’s final offering was the delicious pork momos K’s friends made for him (70 and all gone by 1am). I made rice and pork curry too, but that’ll have to be another story because the food described above along with the shameless amount of alcohol that was consumed till 3 am the next morning meant that most people didn’t have any space left for dinner…or should I say breakfast.
I am lucky to have made friends with a lot of admirable women in the food industry, over the years. One such woman is Meghna. Meghna Raj has truly followed her passion. She studied environmental management, worked with NGOs, grew organic food and went on to open The Farm Cafe all to promote organic eating. She practices that she preaches even today. I found The Farm because of mutual friends and loved it! The place vibrated with positivity. Over time Meghna and I forged a friendship, often meeting to share thoughts, ideas and dreams frustrations and fallbacks. I watched The Farm struggle to take its first steps, grow confident enough to walk and then get set to fly (and lived vicariously through it all with Meghna). As I write I remember her hilarious anecdotes about convincing her kitchen staff to use brown rice, rock salt (without sodium) and raw sugar (sans sulphur) which they believed were not good enough besides bein hearder to cook with. Unfortunately The Farm never got a chance to fly. An evil monster could not watch it thrive and struck it down. I have always been inspired by Meghna for her passion (perhaps because I find it is a mirror of mine) so I was thankful to receive this mail from her.
You see the BT Brinjal has been on my mind for a while, ever since I read an article on it. Curious I talked to my friends Latha and Reetha at Navdanya about it and learned more. But it remained there, because I did not know what to do about it. But I did know then and have grown even more convinced of the fact since, that I love Brinjal, and I do not want a GM version of it; not just because I do not want to ingest that cocktail of untested chemicals it will carry but also because I do not want the culinary diversity of the Brinjal to be annihilated because of the GM BT Brinjal.
Often things happen because we remain silent, but I plan on being heard on this. I plan on adding my voice to all those out there to protest the BT Brinjal and celebrate the organic Brinjal in all its forms and flavours. I will share how I plan to do this soon but in the meanwhile I will leave you with Meghna’s email so you may take your stand and spread the word.
“Hello Everyone,
Hope you are all well and getting along fabulously in the new year and those new year resolutions are still alive and kicking :0)I always try not to be preachy about the topic of organic food. I realize just because it is my passion, it doesn’t have to interest everyone. However, there are certain developments which I feel you should be aware of, regarding what is happening to our food supply at the political level. I would be truly grateful if you could take 5 minutes to read through this message completely, as it affects absolutely everybody.Right now, as I type, the Government of India is getting ready to allow Genetically Modified foods into our market- the first of its kind in India called Bt Brinjal (see the Photo Album named “Bt Brinjal Public Consultation in my profile or see The Farm Cafe pictures. Am also attaching some pics of the Public Consultation on the 19th of January in Ahmedabad with Minister of Environment Jairam Ramesh)
•What is Bt Brinjal? Bt Brinjal is a transgenic brinjal created by inserting a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into brinjal. This is said to give the plant resistance against insects like the brinjal fruit and shoot borer.
•What does that mean in plain terms?This Brinjal will be different from anything we (or anyone else in the world) has ever eaten. Genes from other organism will be fused with the gene of the brinjal seed. Whatever the reason maybe (e.g. giving the plant more resistence from insects which attack it), the fact remains that we will be directly consuming a plant with a manipulated genetic structure, mixed with genes of other creatures, with no long term testing for its impact on human health.
•Am I and others who are against this, against development and technology?Certainly not. We are against the fact that this technology has not even completed half the required testing to deem it safe, and neither are its long term consequences known. Most of the European countries have banned GM food.
•Why is it wrong?-It has not been tested by any independent, objective body, except the companies selling them (Mahyco and Monsanto)-GM foods existing currently (in North and South America) are being used for cattle feed and as additives in processed foods. It has never been done on vegetables before, and we are the first country on whom this will be tried. We will be a fine set of lab rats.
-There will be no labeling. So if you want to choose not to buy it, no such choice will be available to you. You will not be able to tell whether the brinjal you will eat is GM or not.
-Most pro-GM arguments are from the supply side, regarding how much better it will be for the farmer to grow it. What about the fact that we all will be eating this food, with no knowledge of what it will do to our bodies?
•What can you do? -Read up on the issue- http://www.iamnolabrat.com/. -Look up the documentary “Poison on the Platter” directed by Mahesh Bhatt. - Make up your mind on your stand.-Write about this (e.g. letters to the editor, local publications, write to the minister Jairam Ramesh at jairam54@gmail.com –he actually reads all his mail), BLOG about it... -Just be aware. When one is aware, things have a way of getting to the right sources, (e.g. through conversations over coffees, meetings, chats, telling others intentionally, starting discussions in schools and colleges, etc.)-Regardless of who makes these decisions and who takes interest or not- we all share the same destiny on this planet. It is like the stock market index. The more actions supporting sustainable living practices, the index goes up. The more actions without direction towards minimizing our negative impact on this earth, the index goes down. Be aware and take a stand. Be interested. I promise you it will not be boring or a waste of your time.
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