In January 2000, I headed off to India on a Rotary GSE trip (Group Study Exchange) with four other people, each of us learning about our respective professions. (Find out more about GSE at www.rotary.org) I was learning about Indian cooking and food, something that I had plenty of access to in every home I stayed in, not to mention going to markets, restaurants, chicken farms...
In each town we traveled to, we were billeted out either separately or in pairs. The first family that I stayed with on our trip was Kumar's (see picture above). Turned out, this was my favourite family of the whole trip, which may or may not have spoiled me for the duration of our time in India! Everything was new and very exciting, and I was able to spend some quality time in Kumar's kitchen with his cook and her mother. In the picture below, I am making a peanut chutney. I will never forget how the stones felt as I crushed the peanuts between them. The rolling stone and the bottom stone fit together perfectly, creating an amazing texture that could never be duplicated by a food processor. The afternoon before we left Kumar's home, he and his wife Anu organized a delicious lunch that I still remember as being one of the best that we had during our time in India. The peanut chutney was served at the lunch.
Kumar and his family have a rice farm near their home. I remember that they had a buffalo (maybe a few of them?) that was milked every day on the farm. Someone would drop off the milk at the house and it would be made into butter, by hand. I recently heard a radio documentary on the state of the rice industry in India and I emailed Kumar to see if what they were saying was true. Apparently, Kumar's family are starting to use more modern methods of farming the rice, and in turn, not employing as many people as they used to. The documentary mentions that farmers are using more chemicals as well. I didn't really get into all the details, but it was interesting to get the scoop from someone I know.
This picture is of an idli tray, filled with idli ready to be scooped out and served, usually with a chutney or two. A south Indian specialty, idli are made with ground rice and black lentils (urad dhal), mixed into a batter and left to ferment, usually overnight. Then the batter was spooned into a tray (like the one in the picture) and they were steamed. We were served idli numerous times, always as a breakfast food, although they are also served as snack food, apparently. The picture below is from one of the jails that I visited during the trip (a great way to kill two birds with one stone - You're at the jail now; why not check out the kitchens?!). They were making food in huge quantities and the rice had actually been cooked in a massive black cauldron over a fire. I think he was cooling the rice by spreading it over the table.
Plain Basmati Rice
1 1/2 c. basmati rice
2 1/4 c. warm water
1 t. butter
1. In a bowl, wash the rice in a few changes of cold water. Place the rice in a medium saucepan and add the warm water. Soak the rice for at least 20 minutes, but no longer than 45 minutes.
2. Bring the rice and water to a rapid boil over high heat, add the butter, and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 8 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and let stand for 2 or 3 minutes. Fluff rice gently with a fork and serve. Serves 6.
*The woman holding the pot with her feet was Kumar's cook at the time. Rice Pulao with Peas and Cumin
1 1/2 c. basmati rice
1 T. butter
1 1/2 t. cumin seeds
8 oz. frozen peas, rinsed with warm water
2 1/4 c. hot water
1/2 t. salt
1. In a bowl, wash the rice in a few changes of cold water. Soak the rice for at least 20 minutes, but no longer than 45 minutes.
2. In a 10-inch skillet with a tightly fitting lid, heat the butter over medium/high heat. Tilt the pan and add the cumin seeds to the butter. When they sizzle, level the pan and add the drained rice. Mix gently so as not to break the grains.
3. Add the peas, hot water, and salt, stirring well. Bring to a full boil.
4. Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover tightly, and let cook for 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered and undisturbed, for 5 minutes.
5. Uncover, fluff rice with a fork and serve immediately.
*The woman holding the pot with her feet was Kumar's cook.
