The Queen's Cooking -
Dear Readers,
Due to the demands of speaking engagements and a book on the history of vanilla that I'm currently writing, The Queen's Cooking is temporarily on hold. I will write new columns as time permits, and we will continue to have new Chefs in Residence on a regular basis. Thank you for your patience.
The Vanilla Queen
P.S. I've left the January, 2003 issue below for those who have not yet had a chance to read it.
January, 2003
December and January are harvest months for vanilla in Mexico, India, and Indonesia. As a result, I decided to feature recipes from these three countries as a way to celebrate their harvest.
PONGAL (Festive Sweet Rice)
The South Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu produce vanilla along with many other products. Their major harvest festival is in January, a time when people traditionally worshipped the gods of weather, most significantly, the sun. Pongal means “overflow” in Tamil, celebrating abundance. May your January – and your harvest if you are farmers – be abundant!
Ingredients
2 cups milk
2 cups water
1 vanilla bean, cut into pieces
1 cup rice (Basmati if it’s available)
1/2 cup hulled mung beans (substitute yellow or red lentils if necessary)
1 cup sugar (jaggery if you can find it)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or more if not using a vanilla bean)
1/2 cup ghee (unsalted butter can be substituted)
1 cup fresh grated coconut (1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut can be substituted)
15-20 cashews, chopped
2-3 tablespoons raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 cardamom pods, ground
Instructions
Toast mung beans or lentils over a low heat in a heavy-bottomed frying pan. Mix with rice and wash thoroughly.
Put milk, water, and vanilla bean pieces in a heavy-bottomed pan and bring to the boil. Add rice and mung beans and cook, stirring until it’s a soft mass and liquid is fully absorbed. Add sugar and cook over low heat until dissolved. Add 4 teaspoons ghee or butter and vanilla extract and stir until the mixture has a sticky consistency. Remove vanilla bean if one is used.
Heat remaining ghee or butter in a heavy frying pan and lightly toast coconut, cashews and raisins for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle this mixture over pongal along with nutmeg and cardamom and serve warm. Serves 6.
NASI GORENG (Fried Rice)
Nasi goreng is the national dish of Indonesia, a country comprised of over 17,000 islands (6000 are inhabited), and where rice is a cultural celebration as much as a staple. This dish varies, depending upon the chef, and may contain many different ingredients, based on what’s in the pantry. The truly authentic dish should include shallots, chiles, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), and a fried egg for each diner.
Ingredients*
3 cups white rice, cooked and cooled (it will become mushy if it’s still warm)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-3 fresh red chiles, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or more to taste)
1 small cucumber, sliced
1 egg per person
Instructions
Heat the oil in a wok or deep-sided skillet. Add shallots, garlic and chile. When the shallots are brown, add soy sauce and tomato paste, and keep frying for 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir continuously for about 10 minutes. Add vanilla extract, mix well, taste, and then adjust flavoring by adding more soy sauce or vanilla.
In a separate pan, fry eggs sunny-side up, one for each person.
Serve nasi goreng hot, with a fried egg placed on top of each serving. Serves 4.
* Feel free to be creative. Add finely chopped vegetables, coconut, shrimp, fish, tempeh, tofu, seitan, or nuts and sauté. Add just before serving. Use more oil if you add more than 1/2 cup of additional ingredients.
The last recipe this month comes from Papantla, Veracruz the center of the Mexican vanilla growing industry. Although apples are certainly not a fruit we associate with the tropics, the apples come from the Sierra Madre Oriental, the mountain range that is only a few hours away.
MANZANAS EN DULCE CON VAINILLA
(Courtesy of Dona Judith Galicia)
Ingredients
2 cups water
2 pounds of apples (approximately 8 large apples) cored, peel, and cut into quarters
4 cups sugar (or to taste depending on tartness of apples)
3 Mexican vanilla beans, chopped
Instructions
In a heavy-bottomed, deep pot, put water, sugar, and vanilla beans, and bring to boil. When it’s boiling, add apples. Cook until apples are tender and remove from heat. Apples can be served warm or chilled, with crema, vanilla whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
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