VeganMoFo: Cookin' with Kokum

Happy VeganMoFo Everyone!

I'm kicking off my theme of "31 Spices":

a different spice every day for the month of October!

Huzzah!

Today's spice* is kokum!

What the heck is kokum anyway? I didn't know either, so don't feel bad. It's a super sour, sticky, dark-as-night, citrusy, mouth-puckering and also quite tasty little affair. Also (according to Wikipedia) it's a relative of my mangosteen plant. No wonder I liked it! The first thing you notice, when you go to taste a piece of dried kokum, is the smell. It's very floral, but in a pretty unfamiliar way. The smell is so complex and flowery, that I was totally caught off guard by how super sour it was once it hit my tongue. What a combo!

(*okay, maybe it's not technically a "SPICE," but cut me some slack -

"ingredients used sparingly for intense flavor" is too long!)

When I was in India earlier this year, I picked up a bunch of really cool cookbooks (thanks Kittee for that idea!!). Before leaving, I looked through the cookbooks for any ingredients I didn't recognize, that I wouldn't be able to find easily at home. This resulted in a suitcase full of Indian spices, including a package of organic kokum.

I think kokum is probably one of the main reasons I picked this theme for MoFo - I was so curious about this stuff! It's just been sitting in my freezer waiting for me, all this time.

It took me a while to actually find the recipe that called for kokum, at which point I was afraid I had gone completely crazy. In the end, there were two recipes to pick from, so I picked Kale Vatanyachi Amti, from this cute little dal & roti book.

I loved this dish! It had dried coconut, grated fresh coconut, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, cilantro and more. Definitely something I'll make again (though I'll probably just be cheap and use all dried coconut next time). Even though there were only 4 pieces of kokum in the dal (which means I can make this recipe, many many more times, since I still have a LOT of kokum in the freezer!), I could definitely taste it in the final dish. It was subtle, but very much there, which was quite alluring.

Bonus Spice! As a bonus I also got to use some of this amazing chili powder I brought home from India. Mr Vegan Eats & Treats described this as "pure heat," and I'd have to agree. We both tasted it ahead of time (very cautiously, mind you!) and it really doesn't have much flavor... it just packs some serious heat. The recipe called for one tablespoon, but I was a wimpy-pants and used only 1 tsp, which seemed just fine!

Some Foodie Pics from India for You!

In no particular order, I present you with some foodie shots from our time in India so far...

The haul from a shopping expedition to the produce carts, starting top left: papaya, fresh figs (which we cooked up for dessert), a yellow pomegranate (so good!), beets, pineapple, big bananas, and fresh chickpeas. Plus the ever-present Times of India, a must-have!

Oh man, Khakra, where have you been all my life. I discovered these goodies last time I was here, fell in love, and somehow managed to forget all about them. As soon as I saw them again, on the shelves at the market, all the warm memories of love and happiness came pouring back to me, and Jane & I stocked up. Seriously, these are the most delicious cracker-like product in all the world. They are shaped like corn tortillas, but are salty and crispy like a tortilla chip, and they come in tons of enticing flavors: fenugreek, garlic, spinach, masala, punjabi... oh man, they are goooooood.

Dal Methi, from the Aroma Restaurant (on the roof of the Ambience Hotel, in Pune). I know it looks like yellow glop, but it tastes like a million bucks! This rooftop restaurant is really good actually! We stayed at the Ambience for our first few nights and were totally stoked on the delicious South Indian breakfasts that were included in our room rate. So, we've gone back quite a few times for lunches and dinners, always delighted. This dish is a dal made with fenugreek leaves (delicious and hard to find at home), and eaten with some fresh roti (flatbread) or paratha ( more flat bread). There is no shortage of delicious flat bread choices in India, that's for sure.

One of favorite fruit vendors in our neighborhood. We are especially fond of the cantaloupes and MINI BANANAS. I have been doing paintings of the mini bananas, which is quite fun. In fact, now I am realizing that we are presently all out of mini bananas and that is a very bad situation. Luckily, there are countless fruit vendors in the few blocks between here and home... so I'll pick some up on the way home.

This is a bad (flash!) picture of one of the world's most special creations of all time: Palak Masala Dosa - the spinach dosa from Savera restaurant on FC Road in Pune. A big dosa spread with spinachy goodness, sprinkled with fresh coconut, with a malasa mix of potatoes and spices and cashews and golden raisins, served with fresh coconut chutney and hot sambar. YUM. YUM YUM YUM YUM. It is very good. Much oooohing and ahhhhing and happy sounds occurred during the eating of this meal. I'm quite sure the restaurant staff thought we were mad, treating our dosa like a super star Bollywood celebrity.

New Maharastra House, on the left, where we buy many of our dried goods (soymilk, cereal, snacks, club soda... etc). They are really friendly here! Also, they have a whole bunch of terribly alluring snacks and sweets on the counter, many of which are vegan and quite hard to resist. Just today I noticed some candied winter squash with saffron and cardamom in a cute little box. Not like I need to be eating candy all day long, though!

I just snapped this picture today. These veggie carts are all over the place here, and are a great way to buy fresh produce every day. There seem to be three main types of produce carts: veggies, potatoes & onions, and fruit. I'm not sure why potatoes and onions get their own cart, or why they always go together, but it seems to work. This cart caught my eye because these fellas had such a great variety and also had some really nice looking stuff. Common finds are cauliflower, shelling peas, pidgeon peas, cabbage, red carrots, okra, string beans, eggplants, and various other goodies we don't know much about. It's really a fun way to buy our veg though!

Last but not least, I'll leave you with this glam shot of a Masala Dosa from Vaishali Restaurant, a true favorite here in Pune. Vaishali often has quite a long line to get in. They have inside seating, which is fine, but they also have a really beautiful and tropical and totally verdant patio in the back, which is clearly worth waiting for. All the food is South Indian, which is just fine with me. I love pretty much all Indian food, but I really really love South Indian food. I"m trying to get my fair share while I'm here, and take advantage of all these amazing menu items. Plus, totally vegan friendly, and it costs about $2 each to eat out... maybe $3 if you really go crazy and pig out.

That's all for now, friends! Hope you're having exciting eating adventures of your own!