This week has not been good to me. The kids have been sick, we've been hit with a $300 car repair (and have had no car since Tuesday, resulting in rain-sodden walks to drop off and pick up my daughter from school), and my husband did this to my treasured Le Creuset pot:
Oh yes, and the lovely, heartwarming story I had written about collard greens that took me two weeks to craft and was all but finished has vanished into the ether because I accidentally deleted it, and of course I didn't back it up because I NEVER do things like that, even though I should have learned my lesson at least a half dozen times by now.
I can't reproduce it. I haven't the heart for it. It makes me feel ill. I think I feel worse about my post than my pot. Maybe that's because my pot can still make vegetables look pretty.
So here. Just make these collard green bhajis. If your husband is one of those men who likes football, make them for the Super Bowl, if you've forgiven him for ruining your pot. If you haven't forgiven him, just make them for yourself and don't share. (For the record, he felt horrible about it, and I have forgiven him.)
Collard Green Bhajis (Southern/South Indian fusion food for a Super Bowl party)
My mother-in-law came up with the brilliant idea for these, as I had some leftover cooked, chopped collard greens we wanted to use up. A bhaji is a fried Indian vegetable fritter. They are salty, crispy and fried so they are pretty much guaranteed to cheer you up if you've had a bad week. You can make them with any number of veggies. Thinly sliced potatoes and onions work really well (think spicy Indian onion rings).
1. Braise a decent amount of collard greens in a small amount of water until just tender and still bright green. Chop into fairly small pieces, and squeeze out excess water.
2. Mix chana dal flour (besan, or gram flour, which you can find at any Indian grocery) with salt, water, about a quarter teaspoon of asafoetida, and the desired amount of red chili powder. Add enough water to make the batter the consistency of pancake batter (it should cling to your vegetables without dripping very much).
3. Heat about an inch of canola oil in a small saucepan.
3. Take a small amount of collard greens (about a 2-inch wide mound in the palm of your hand), and dip in the chana dal batter. Drop the mound into the oil, and fry until crisp and browned. Turn the bhajis to brown the other side if necessary. Drain the bhajis on paper towels, and serve fresh.
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5 comments:
I feel your pain. My Le Creuset pot is one of my most prized possessions. Love all your recipes. I wish I had the time to try them all. I got your email and I promise that a long reply is on its way as soon as I have a few moments of peace.. It was great to hear from you.. I miss you guys!!
He felt so bad, he tried to take it to the kitchen store down the street to get their opinion. The lady there said, "I would cry if I did that to mine."
I know what you mean about time. I have way less time than I used to have. Somehow I manage to come up with something interesting every once in awhile, but mostly it's just boring same old, same old, whatever it takes to get some semblance of dinner on the table.
I hope I do hear from you soon. We miss you too.
very interesting background .like ur style of writing and cooking :)
Just discovered your blog. Love the recipes since I am always looking for something new to cook.
Stephanie V.P.
Hi Stephanie! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you will find something useful here. I am always looking for something new too. I find doing the blog helps keep me motivated.
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