Hello Ruth, I hear you're a big fan of condiments! Sending you a recipe of a condiment called "Bhurrka," which is similar in spirit to chili crisp. Bhurrka hails from the western Indian state of Maharashtra (whose capital is Mumbai) and you may very well find a farmer eating heart, coarse sorghum bread with bhurrka and hand-whacked tiny and sweet yet intense white onions. https://food52.com/recipes/80753-bhurrka
Hello Ruth, So good to hear from you! Like chile crisp, bhurrka can be used over any savory dish. I have marinated halloumi pieces in bhurrka and olive oil and baked them for an excellent appetizer.
Yes, I have read Pangat and absolutely admire the way Saee Koranne-Khandekar has written about the different communities of Maharashtra. I belong to one of them - Deshastha Brahmin. Her recipes are essentially what you will find on an everyday basis in Maharashtrian kitchens.
BTW I come from the eastern part of Maharashtra whose cuisine is influenced by the neighboring state of Telangana (which is the northern most state of all the southern Indian states). And we make spicy, hot, sometimes sweet chutneys from anything and everything. Please do let me know if you are interested in trying any. Chutneys are my passion.
We all have so much to learn about the cuisines of India. I would love to explore chutneys; my knowledge is pretty much limited to the usual fruit/sugar/vinegar sort and various pickles. Please tell me where to begin
Fabulous (picture me rubbing hands with ecstatic glee) !
Here's a brief explanation of chutneys -
Chutney comes from the Hindi word “चाटना” – chaatana – which means to lick. According to Merriam Webster’s Collegiate dictionary, chutney is a thick sauce of Indian origin that contains fruits, vinegar, sugar and spices and is used as a condiment. Please note that this definition is a western, colonial definition. Though chutneys are said to have an Indian origin, the western version of a chutney is close to a relish or preserve and is made to last. Chutney means Major Grey mango chutney for many in the West. Prepared with fruits, vegetables that are in season along with vinegar and sugar to prolong their life, they accompany meats and cheeses.
The Indian chutney, however, is poles apart from its western counterpart. Conceptually closer to salsas, chutneys are hot, sour, sweet, chunky, creamy, made out of seasonal ingredients and whipped up for immediate consumption. Almost anything can be turned into a chutney – vegetable, lentil, herb, fruit and even nuts.
Chutneys are flavor bombs - hot, tart, sweet, spicy or a delightful mixture of all - that yank your taste buds, set off a taste explosion on your tongue and transport an ordinary meal or snack to the realm of extraordinary. Because chutneys are such concentrated flavor blasts, they have a phenomenal crossover appeal across cuisines and recipes. Multitaskers to boot, they seamlessly transform into dips, sandwich spreads, sauces, toppings, marinades and vinaigrettes and have the potential to become part and parcel of a global meal, irrespective of its nature or provenance. Chutneys are consumed either as a snappy component of a meal, accompaniment to a snack or as a sidekick to street food in India. Similar to its cuisine, India’s condiment world has a mind boggling variety.
Ruth, I recommend you start by preparing one of the most common and recognizable chutneys in India - the cilantro chutney. You must have had that along with samosas in Indian restaurants.
Next I recommend a rustic chutney from Maharashtra called thecha. It is a chutney which instantly reminds me of my grandmother's open fire cooking. Thecha is pure, unadulterated heat as green chile pepper is the star ingredient.
Wow! Annada, you are sending me, happily, down a new rabbit hole. Thanks so much for your generous reply. I'm off to the farmers market to buy supplies.
In my research, I have collected a Chutney Map of India and information about chutneys from the different Indian states. Where can I send you that information?
Also did you get a chance to make any of the chutneys?
I live minutes from Taco Maria. Lucky me! Their food is innovative & always an adventure. Your remembrances about Alice & Fanny are priceless. Keep remembering & writing; just soo good.
I make a chile crisp and also buy an addictive one from Hugo’s Bistro here in Auckland NZ. What I loved in the old article was the avocado 🥑 fruit set in silver - 😂
I ran into Alice Waters a few days ago and had a chance to speak with her briefly. Her current obsessions are her granddaughter of course and a charity she founded in 1995 called the Edible Schoolyard Project. https://edibleschoolyard.org/ . In a nutshell, she explained the organization's goal is to transform public education via concepts involving organic food (for example: gardens, suppliers, school lunches, afterschool programs). She is very enthusiastic on the topic. She stated she has been involved in setting up several successful demonstration programs and would like to see these types of programs expanded to reach to a wider audience.
I dined at Chez Panisse just a few months after this article, treating 2 college friends to a thank you dinner before we headed back east to school. Wish I could recall the menu, but I do remember the table, the warmth, the welcome.
Absolutely loved the article about Alice Waters. We currently make our home in Bolinas, and have been constantly surprised and delighted by the depth of great West Marin product. Alice’s time in and around this area is an inspiration. My first anniversary present was Jeremiah Towers Stars cookbook, New American Classics. We visited the restaurant a few times while living in San Francisco - always a stupendous adventures for the senses. Thank you for making those days live in memory again.
I am an Executive Chef who specializes in Italian Cuisine.here is Lisa's delicious talipa
You will need 1 red onion 3 colored bell peppers green red and yellow real butter minced garlic fresh lemon and lime wedges flour and olive oil
Recipe =4
4Talpia fillets
Seasoned flour
4ozs of olive oil
4 tsp of real unsalted butter
4tsp minced garlic
4 paper thin onion slices cut in half then off 1/4 of onion
4 slices green julli1/5 of a mmbell peppers
4red bell pepper slices same as green
4 slices yellow bell peppers
1st get 4 fresh lemons and limes
4 slices of red bell peppers pour olive oil in Satee pan and turn on med high and pour flour on plate and season with Tony's seasoning plus 1 shake garlic powder and 1 shake of onoin powder take fish and wet with water and lightly dredge fillets in seasoned four and add to hot satee pan and satee 5mins then flip then 4 mins on other side while sateeing add in another pan 24 see through slices of red onions and 8 slices of red,8green&8 yellow bell peppeer slices ad 4 tsp of real butter satee on high for 2-3 mins add miinced garlic and turn off heat satee fish until flakey and done add 1 fillet on plate scoop 1 tsp of real butter and garlic over fillet then add 6 x shaped slices across fish then add 2 red 2 green 2 yellow bell peppers then squize 1/2 a lemon across fillet then squeze 1/2 lime over fish fellet then serve with favorite veggies it will melt on your tongue and touch every taste bud will exslpode with amazing flavor , best fried fish i have ever eaten and created its a mixture of cajun and Northern Italian cuisine. Yummy for your tummy Chef Lisa
Greatly enjoyed reading this article. Alice really is amazing -- what an authentic, brilliant mind. It was also so cool to see her with Kermit Lynch having a meal together.
My husband, now deceased, and I traveled often from DC to California. Lunch and/or dinner at Chez Panisse was always on our itinerary. Wonderful memories. Love your postings.
You had me at "chili crisp." I cannot wait to try this and the Bhurrka recipe shared by Annada . Thanks for sharing this article about Alice Waters. Not surprising, the recipes—from 1985—seem timeless and contemporary for today.
I remember reading the article about Alice and immediately vowed that I would visit Chez Panisse as soon as I could. I was able to go three times since, and every experience was better than the previous one. What treasures! (yourself included). 😍
Ruth, Huge fan here. I'm in a small book group and we'll be talking about Save me the Plums. I read it when it first came out, so this time I listened on a long drive and dog walks. You are a brilliant writer and I loved hearing your reading.
Hello Ruth, I hear you're a big fan of condiments! Sending you a recipe of a condiment called "Bhurrka," which is similar in spirit to chili crisp. Bhurrka hails from the western Indian state of Maharashtra (whose capital is Mumbai) and you may very well find a farmer eating heart, coarse sorghum bread with bhurrka and hand-whacked tiny and sweet yet intense white onions. https://food52.com/recipes/80753-bhurrka
Hi Annada, and thank you so much. I'll be making this recipe in the next couple of days. I've been fascinated by this particular cuisine since reading a wonderful cookbook called Pangat. Do you know it? https://www.amazon.com/Pangat-Feast-Food-Marathi-Kitchens-ebook/dp/B07Z3C6BW4
Hello Ruth, So good to hear from you! Like chile crisp, bhurrka can be used over any savory dish. I have marinated halloumi pieces in bhurrka and olive oil and baked them for an excellent appetizer.
Yes, I have read Pangat and absolutely admire the way Saee Koranne-Khandekar has written about the different communities of Maharashtra. I belong to one of them - Deshastha Brahmin. Her recipes are essentially what you will find on an everyday basis in Maharashtrian kitchens.
BTW I come from the eastern part of Maharashtra whose cuisine is influenced by the neighboring state of Telangana (which is the northern most state of all the southern Indian states). And we make spicy, hot, sometimes sweet chutneys from anything and everything. Please do let me know if you are interested in trying any. Chutneys are my passion.
We all have so much to learn about the cuisines of India. I would love to explore chutneys; my knowledge is pretty much limited to the usual fruit/sugar/vinegar sort and various pickles. Please tell me where to begin
Fabulous (picture me rubbing hands with ecstatic glee) !
Here's a brief explanation of chutneys -
Chutney comes from the Hindi word “चाटना” – chaatana – which means to lick. According to Merriam Webster’s Collegiate dictionary, chutney is a thick sauce of Indian origin that contains fruits, vinegar, sugar and spices and is used as a condiment. Please note that this definition is a western, colonial definition. Though chutneys are said to have an Indian origin, the western version of a chutney is close to a relish or preserve and is made to last. Chutney means Major Grey mango chutney for many in the West. Prepared with fruits, vegetables that are in season along with vinegar and sugar to prolong their life, they accompany meats and cheeses.
The Indian chutney, however, is poles apart from its western counterpart. Conceptually closer to salsas, chutneys are hot, sour, sweet, chunky, creamy, made out of seasonal ingredients and whipped up for immediate consumption. Almost anything can be turned into a chutney – vegetable, lentil, herb, fruit and even nuts.
Chutneys are flavor bombs - hot, tart, sweet, spicy or a delightful mixture of all - that yank your taste buds, set off a taste explosion on your tongue and transport an ordinary meal or snack to the realm of extraordinary. Because chutneys are such concentrated flavor blasts, they have a phenomenal crossover appeal across cuisines and recipes. Multitaskers to boot, they seamlessly transform into dips, sandwich spreads, sauces, toppings, marinades and vinaigrettes and have the potential to become part and parcel of a global meal, irrespective of its nature or provenance. Chutneys are consumed either as a snappy component of a meal, accompaniment to a snack or as a sidekick to street food in India. Similar to its cuisine, India’s condiment world has a mind boggling variety.
Ruth, I recommend you start by preparing one of the most common and recognizable chutneys in India - the cilantro chutney. You must have had that along with samosas in Indian restaurants.
Here's the recipe - https://food52.com/recipes/75726-cilantro-chutney
Next I recommend a rustic chutney from Maharashtra called thecha. It is a chutney which instantly reminds me of my grandmother's open fire cooking. Thecha is pure, unadulterated heat as green chile pepper is the star ingredient.
Here's the recipe - https://food52.com/recipes/82673-maharashtrian-green-chile-thecha
Once you make these recipes, I can walk you through regional chutneys prepared in each state of the country.
It would be a great delight to send you some chutneys, Ruth. Are you open to that? My email address is annada.rathi@gmail.com.
I look forward to more chutney explorations.
Wow! Annada, you are sending me, happily, down a new rabbit hole. Thanks so much for your generous reply. I'm off to the farmers market to buy supplies.
Good morning Ruth,
In my research, I have collected a Chutney Map of India and information about chutneys from the different Indian states. Where can I send you that information?
Also did you get a chance to make any of the chutneys?
Super! Please do let me know if I can send you dry chutneys such as peanuts, flax seeds or dry coconut. It would be an absolute honor & pleasure.
I live minutes from Taco Maria. Lucky me! Their food is innovative & always an adventure. Your remembrances about Alice & Fanny are priceless. Keep remembering & writing; just soo good.
I make a chile crisp and also buy an addictive one from Hugo’s Bistro here in Auckland NZ. What I loved in the old article was the avocado 🥑 fruit set in silver - 😂
I ran into Alice Waters a few days ago and had a chance to speak with her briefly. Her current obsessions are her granddaughter of course and a charity she founded in 1995 called the Edible Schoolyard Project. https://edibleschoolyard.org/ . In a nutshell, she explained the organization's goal is to transform public education via concepts involving organic food (for example: gardens, suppliers, school lunches, afterschool programs). She is very enthusiastic on the topic. She stated she has been involved in setting up several successful demonstration programs and would like to see these types of programs expanded to reach to a wider audience.
I dined at Chez Panisse just a few months after this article, treating 2 college friends to a thank you dinner before we headed back east to school. Wish I could recall the menu, but I do remember the table, the warmth, the welcome.
Absolutely loved the article about Alice Waters. We currently make our home in Bolinas, and have been constantly surprised and delighted by the depth of great West Marin product. Alice’s time in and around this area is an inspiration. My first anniversary present was Jeremiah Towers Stars cookbook, New American Classics. We visited the restaurant a few times while living in San Francisco - always a stupendous adventures for the senses. Thank you for making those days live in memory again.
Just a recipe i created one day that is easy quick and delicious for you Ruth
I am an Executive Chef who specializes in Italian Cuisine.here is Lisa's delicious talipa
You will need 1 red onion 3 colored bell peppers green red and yellow real butter minced garlic fresh lemon and lime wedges flour and olive oil
Recipe =4
4Talpia fillets
Seasoned flour
4ozs of olive oil
4 tsp of real unsalted butter
4tsp minced garlic
4 paper thin onion slices cut in half then off 1/4 of onion
4 slices green julli1/5 of a mmbell peppers
4red bell pepper slices same as green
4 slices yellow bell peppers
1st get 4 fresh lemons and limes
4 slices of red bell peppers pour olive oil in Satee pan and turn on med high and pour flour on plate and season with Tony's seasoning plus 1 shake garlic powder and 1 shake of onoin powder take fish and wet with water and lightly dredge fillets in seasoned four and add to hot satee pan and satee 5mins then flip then 4 mins on other side while sateeing add in another pan 24 see through slices of red onions and 8 slices of red,8green&8 yellow bell peppeer slices ad 4 tsp of real butter satee on high for 2-3 mins add miinced garlic and turn off heat satee fish until flakey and done add 1 fillet on plate scoop 1 tsp of real butter and garlic over fillet then add 6 x shaped slices across fish then add 2 red 2 green 2 yellow bell peppers then squize 1/2 a lemon across fillet then squeze 1/2 lime over fish fellet then serve with favorite veggies it will melt on your tongue and touch every taste bud will exslpode with amazing flavor , best fried fish i have ever eaten and created its a mixture of cajun and Northern Italian cuisine. Yummy for your tummy Chef Lisa
Greatly enjoyed reading this article. Alice really is amazing -- what an authentic, brilliant mind. It was also so cool to see her with Kermit Lynch having a meal together.
My husband, now deceased, and I traveled often from DC to California. Lunch and/or dinner at Chez Panisse was always on our itinerary. Wonderful memories. Love your postings.
Really enjoyed the article on Chez Panisse. I've yet to go there but hope to one day.
I've read all your books too!
You had me at "chili crisp." I cannot wait to try this and the Bhurrka recipe shared by Annada . Thanks for sharing this article about Alice Waters. Not surprising, the recipes—from 1985—seem timeless and contemporary for today.
Is there the slightest chance we can get this in Canada? I’m not hopeful....and heaven knows when I’m next in the US !
Mucho appreciate tips about small purveyors of tasty stuff!
I remember reading the article about Alice and immediately vowed that I would visit Chez Panisse as soon as I could. I was able to go three times since, and every experience was better than the previous one. What treasures! (yourself included). 😍
Ruth, Huge fan here. I'm in a small book group and we'll be talking about Save me the Plums. I read it when it first came out, so this time I listened on a long drive and dog walks. You are a brilliant writer and I loved hearing your reading.