What is this all about?
I baked a lot as a child under the guidance of my mother, both bread and deserts, but I only really started cooking the past two years. At 6000 feet (more on that later). I’ve come a long way in two years, but I am assuredly no expert. What I can do is make tasty, filling food with relatively short (15-45 minutes) prep time. Few of the recipes here are 100% authentic. This is partially a matter of taste (I prefer fewer chilies than authentic Thai), partially a matter of time (I work full-time and do not have the ability to prepare authentic Indian often), and partially a matter of using what I have on hand at any given time. If you have a problem with this, seek another food blog; telling me my recipes aren’t “authentic” is telling me what I already know, and telling me I should stick to “American” food is condescending and obnoxious.
A “masala” is simply an Indian spice blend, whether used in a curry, in chai, or in some other dish. I love spices–I have a rather large and disorganized cabinet full of at least $50 of herbs and spices and curry pastes and extracts and flower waters–and I love experimenting with them.
The Joy of Cooking is my general cooking reference bible (I have both old and new editions); Julie Sahni’s Classic Indian Cooking is my favorite cookbook. I only wish I were as awesome as Barbara Fisher.
I adore Indian and Thai food, and can cook both passably well. I have a lot of family standby recipes for baking that range from American to Danish.
Sometimes I attempt to grow things (mostly basil) in pots.
15 Fun Facts About My Cooking Style
1. Yes, I have long ingredients lists much of the time. I like complex flavors.
2. Yes, I do cook about 90% of my food in a wok. Tasty ingredients don’t fall out, and you can use it to cook almost anything. You can substitute a large frying pan for most purposes and a saucepan for most other purposes. My storage space is very limited and a wok is more flexible than most other cooking dishes.
3. Currently I cook mostly Thai and Indian dishes. I do base most of my cooking on authentic recipes, but I often modify technique (especially with Indian) because I’m strapped for time or don’t have some piece of kitchen equipment or some ingredient. Again, my food is not authentic, and I never claim it is.
4. My staples, in addition to the Spice Cabinet o’Doom, are fresh garlic, fresh ginger, onions, lemongrass paste (I’m trying to grow some in a pot this year), lemons, limes, fish sauce (nam pla), soy sauce, coconut milk, Thai sweet chili sauce, and tamarind paste. I realize that normal people often have to go out and buy these things, really.
5. I’m not a big fan of most vegetables. This is a flaw, and I’m working on it. You can always add vegetables to my recipes.
6. I have to date had two vegetarians and a vegan tell me my recipes almost make them wish they ate meat. This freaks me out a little, but I guess it’s a testimonial. Of some sort.
7. I’m lazy. Some of my recipes take a while to cook, but there’s hardly every any particularly difficult technique.
8. I don’t follow recipes well. The only reason I measure most of the time is so I can share my recipes, and I’m not going to go and weigh things as well (I’d have to wash the scale; see #7). Fortunately for non-Americans, most of my measurements are along the lines of “a dash of fish sauce” or “juice of one lime” or “lots of garlic.”
9. I have a low tolerance for chiles, and rarely put much in my food. Adjust to suit your tastes.
10. I love garlic and live with two other garlic lovers. I estimated today that we go through 100-150 bulbs per year. Yes, bulbs. Again, adjust to suit your tastes.
11. I don’t count calories. I blithely make fatty coconut milk curries and chicken makhani with cream and butter. I don’t count carbs, either, although I am trying to cut back on sugar. My general philosophy is to, whenever possible, use fresh, high-quality, unprocessed ingredients. I figure the occasional coconut curry won’t give me a heart attack, and I’d rather use butter than margarine. If you seek diet food, seek elsewhere.
12. I buy local produce when I can, but we don’t have year-round farmer’s markets, Whole Foods mostly stocks from California, and the non-chain hippie store has a tiny produce section. I also have a small budget and kitchen, which means I don’t often buy expensive ingredients and I can’t blithely purchase new cooking implements just to try a new recipe.
13. I don’t actually think the only options in cooking are 100% authentic or not at all. Authenticity is a process, and since no one’s grading, I don’t see anything wrong with trying authentic and deciding you prefer a substitution (I am fully aware that ginger is a poor “substitute” for galangal, but I prefer the flavor in Thai food, for example). Likewise, I don’t have a problem with starting with what you have on hand and working your way up to whatever level of authenticity you can afford in terms of time and money.
14. I think shellfish are icky (except for shrimp).
15. Much of my cooking has been shaped by the experience of learning the basics at sea level and then being set adrift at 6000 feet. Baking recipes will have to be de-adjusted, most likely (I can’t guarantee results at sea level, since I’ve never baked most at sea level).
