South Asian Food and Books

Bean/dal Chana

When we were in Ottawa my son-in-law treated us to some take-out food from a local Afghani restaurant. Harir Kabob House offered several vegetarian options as well as the usual kabob dishes. The Eggplant Qorma and spinach Sabzi were delicious with the Qabelli rice and sourdough naan bread. They also serve a Chana dish made with chickpeas and kidney beans that differs in flavour from Indian Chana Masala. It was exceptional and I looked online for a recipe to recreate the dish at home. 

I made the dish today and was pleased with the outcome. It tasted similar to the restaurant dish but was a bit spicier due to generous amounts of black pepper, red pepper flakes and fresh green chillies. I used fresh-picked jalpenos from our garden and they were hotter than average. These three ingredients could be adjusted easily for more delicate palates. Here is the recipe.

Afghani Chana

3 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds, slightly crushed

1 lg red onion, diced

1 generous tbsp grated ginger and garlic

Cook together until the onions are softened

Add

2-3 seeded jalapenos, diced*

1/2-1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp coriander

1 tsp black pepper*

1 tsp dried chilli flakes*

1/2 small tin tomato paste (2-3 tbsp)

1/2-1 cup water

2-1/2 to 3 cups cooked legumes- (1/2 chickpeas. 1/2 kidney beans)

salt to taste

Simmer x 20 min on the stovetop. Top with chopped cilantro before serving

Adjust seasoning and add liquid if necessary during cooking

*Adjust quantities as desired to control heat level

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I made brown rice with freshly crushed cardamom seeds, grated carrots, raisins and pistachios and fried up a plantain as a side dish. Leftovers will taste even better tomorrow!

I like Indian food but often find local fast-food Indian restaurants mediocre as they cut corners with ingredients and cater to North American tastes. It was great to eat authentic ethnic food. 

1st book in the series

I found a series of library books written by Sujata Massey. She has written four Perveen Mistry Novels with a fifth expected in 2025. Set in Bombay in the 1920s, the fictional stories explore themes of women's rights, religion, race and caste during British colonial rule. Perveen Mistry is a Parsee and Oxford-educated lawyer who cannot be called to the bar because she is a woman. She works in her father's law firm, doing contracts and legal work outside the courts. The books are well-written and have compelling descriptions of the culture and food as well as intriguing mysteries. I love a good mystery book that is not overly morbid or graphic and historical fiction is one of my favourite genres for easy reading. Sadly, I am halfway through the last book and will have to wait a while for the next story in the series.

About a third of the physiotherapists I work with at the hospital are from India. In recent years, our neighbourhood has attracted many Indian families and students. People like to talk about food and it is a conversation opener when meeting people from other places. I have had interesting discussions with a lovely physio at work who arrived in Canada from Kerala and Saudi Arabia. Her parents arranged her marriage, and she shared insights into women's rights and opportunities in India. By the way, she is happy in her arranged marriage and says that any marriage takes perseverance and work to succeed. 

Visiting India and Afghanistan is not on my bucket list, but I don't have to go far from my front door to learn more about their culture and meet their people.