Greatest Hits, volume V: The Special One

I can't say the past year of UaKS was my finest achievement, but having just passed the blog's fifth anniversary, I will stick with tradition and point out some of my favorite episodes from the past season:

• Kudos to Uncle Bob, episode II (in which Harry Potter visits D.C.)
• An eventful week (in which I meet Dave Stoller from Breaking Away)
• Mr. Graham's moment of glory (in which Mr. Graham achieves pie immortality)
• Four-square (in which I give your smug yet beautiful Mom her due)
• Flipping fartgate (in which said Mom rudely intrudes on the first UaKS cooking demonstration video)
• Rosebush (in which I consider the aging process in free verse)
• The uses of fart spray (in which filthy porch pirates get their ultimate comeuppance)
• Music therapy (in which I discover the joyous power of Tiffany)

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Wonders never cease. Last summer Mom insisted that we watch a cooking show (the "Kinda Blue" episode of Good Eats) through to its conclusion. But that pales in comparison to the events of last week.

Brad and I have been working our way through the All or Nothing season focusing on Tottenham Hotspur. (Dear Cassie: That is a soccer team that plays in North London. Love, Dad.) Partway through the 2019-2020 Premier League season, Tottenham fired their manager and replaced him with the self-proclaimed "Special One," José Mourinho. His teams play some yawningly defensive football, but he has undeniably enjoyed a great deal of success, most notably at Inter, where he became one of the few gaffers to lead an Italian team to the storied treble. (Dear Cassie: That's when a soccer team wins the domestic league championship [known as the "scudetto" in Italy], the domestic cup championship, and the international Champions League, all in the same season. Love, Dad.) Anyway, Mom joined us one evening and actually got into it (🤯) and even started asking us questions about soccer and Tottenham (🤯🤯). And when the season was over, Mom said that she'd watch the All or Nothing season focusing on Manchester City with us (🤯🤯🤯). And backrubs were not even involved! These are indeed strange times.

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Recipe experimentation has been at a minimum lately, but I finally had a chance to try out one of the many recipes I have bookmarked in Made in India, one of the exalted nine cookbooks from my 100th episode extravaganza. This kitchari was a huge hit with all of us, with a very different flavor profile from the usual tomato-curry in many of the other dishes we've tried and liked from the book. Don't be put off by the 60-minute time required. It's actually a very simple recipe with not much chopping, and you can do all of the prep work while the rice and lentils are soaking. And then you can even clean everything up while the rice is cooking and steaming for about 25 minutes. 

Nothing better than a panful of sautéed onions

Kitchari

Adapted from Made in India (2015) by Meera Sodha

Time: 1 hour

In Sodha’s book, this is called “Badshah Kitchari,” which means “the kitchari of kings,” because it’s a little fancier, more flavorful version of the simpler, more traditional meal of rice and lentils eaten for dinner after a heavy lunch. I left out the spicy chile for Mom’s benefit and Brad said he didn’t think the chile was necessary. You can also try a jalapeño chile or a serrano (more heat than a jalapeño but less than an Indian finger chile). Sodha suggests serving this with a dollop of yogurt in addition to the chopped cashews (and/or almonds), but we didn't think that was necessary either.

225 grams (1¼ cups) white jasmine or basmati rice

85 grams (½ cup) red lentils (masoor dal) or split mung beans (moong dal) or yellow split peas (toor dal)

700 grams/ml (3 cups) hot vegetable broth or stock

1 two-inch piece of cinnamon stick

4 whole cloves

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (not ground cumin)

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

2 large onions (~200 grams/7 ounces each)

43 grams (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter or ghee

4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped

1 fresh green Indian finger chile, finely chopped (see note; I substituted just a pinch of Kashmiri chili powder)

roasted and lightly salted chopped cashews or peanuts, for serving

    1. Place the rice and lentils in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear, about 1 minute. Transfer the rice and lentils to a small bowl, cover with cold water, and let soak for about 30 minutes while you do the rest of the prep and start cooking.

    2. Get your vegetable broth or stock heating up; this may consist of nothing more than putting a kettle of water on to boil if you’re using homemade vegetable broth base or store-bought bouillon.

    3. Combine the cinnamon stick, cloves, and cumin seeds in a small prep bowl.

    4. Combine the salt and turmeric in another small prep bowl.

    5. Slice off the stem and root ends of the onions. Cut them in half from pole to pole, then peel. Cut each half into thin slices from pole to pole.

    6. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large (at least 12 inches) nonstick skillet, one that has a lid. When the foaming stops, stir in the cinnamon stick, cloves, and cumin seeds from step 3. Cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant.

    7. Stir in the onion slices. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. While the onions are cooking, you can crush and chop the garlic.

    8. Stir in the garlic and chile, if using. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the salt and turmeric from step 4. Drain the rice and lentils, then add them to the pan. Carefully pour in the hot vegetable broth; the pan will be quite full. Bring to a boil, then cover and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer.

    9. Cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, being mindful of your nonstick pan. Serve promptly. Serves 3 or 4.