I fell madly in love while strolling through my neighborhood farmer’s market last weekend. Sitting right next to the ramps was a basket brimming with sunflower sprouts. I was drawn to how wild and unruly they looked and, with my affinity for all things small, I couldn’t pass them up. I’ve been obsessed ever since and have been adding them to almost everything I eat, including my favorite spring salad. Read more →
What’s wrong with a crispy, battered, golden-fried soft shell crab served between warm buttery bread with a creamy dressing and slices of fresh tomato, lettuce, onion and pickles?
Abso-lute-ly nothing.
But that’s not what I thought the first time I heard of a po’ boy – the traditional sandwich from New Orleans, Louisiana – which I recently recreated with spices used in one of my favorite fried Indian snacks, called pakora. Read more →
My sister-in-law, Jane, is the busy mother of four kids and the sister I have always wanted. She shares my curiosity for food and whenever she visits she comes bearing the most delectable, edible gifts. On a recent visit, she brought me a jar of harissa – the North African, mildly spicy, roasted hot pepper paste, which is often eaten as a condiment or used in stews and marinades to add a smoky, roasted flavor.
I usually serve harissa with sandwiches or as part of a cheese platter. This time, I wanted to find a recipe that Jane would appreciate. I know she rarely gets to indulge herself, so I wanted something decadent, seriously flavorful, pampering and quick. I also wanted something healthy and nurturing that she could share with the whole family. While looking for such a recipe, I stumbled across one for Harissa Spaghettini with Kale from one of my favorite blogs. And as I’m prone to do, I added my own twist to make it even more scrumptious: grilled shrimp. Read more →
When I decided to move from Texas to New York, I created a list of all the things I had to look forward to in the Big Apple. At the top of the list, right under “winter boots!”, I had scribbled down “seasons”. This was because I had yet to live in a city that had four distinct seasons and now I was finally getting my chance.
Growing up in the Middle East, before I lived in Texas, I was very familiar with summer. There were different variations of it throughout the year: January to April we had a mild summer; May to September was a hot-as-hell summer; and October to December was a cooler summer. But now in New York, I would experience the turning of leaves in Fall, powdery snow in Winter and that “just right” weather in Spring. And with these distinct seasons, I would learn to eat with the seasons.
Parsley is one of the many bright green herbs that flourish in Spring. On a recent visit to my local farmer’s market I went a little overboard and ended up with tons more parsley than usual. I’ve been using it in everything from eggs to pastas to green juices and in a recipe for herbed rice and fish, Sabzi Polo va Mahi, to celebrate the Persian New Year, Nowruz. Read more →
I like breaking rules.
I learned very early on that I needed to veer off the prescribed path in order to learn who I am and what I really want. As a kid, I would meticulously color within the lines, only to purposely smudge the color outside the borders at the last minute to make it my own. Don’t get me wrong – I believe rules are important. But I also believe that you have to break your own rules once in a while to step outside your comfort zone; to learn something about yourself and to show yourself that you’re still the one in control.
That’s why I love the Indian festival, Holi: a day of sanctioned anarchy. And this year, I celebrated by cooking something a little out of the ordinary: mango ginger samosas. Read more →
Curry laksa is a spicy, coconut-based noodle soup and a popular street food in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. It’s a warm, rustic dish that tempts you into going back for more, since each bite is slightly different from and equally, if not more, flavorful than the last.
I ate laksa for the first time this past December in Dubai, while visiting my parents. It was at the tail-end of my vacation and we had spent the afternoon at the largest mall in the world shopping, not for Gucci/Prada/Cartier but, for oatmeal for my father. Peckish from walking around the only organic store in the city, we stumbled across a restaurant with outside seating and an interesting menu. Before I knew it, I was sitting under the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, enjoying the warm desert breeze, appreciating this moment with my parents, and sipping a delectable soup called curry laksa.
I recently had the pleasure of attending a food photography and styling workshop hosted by the wonderful White On Rice Couple in Costa Mesa, California. Todd Porter and Diane Cu are both incredibly talented photographers and storytellers, and I feel lucky to have had a chance to study and eat with them. I knew I had signed up for a busy two days of all things food photography but I had no idea how much more I would learn and how eye-opening this class would be.
Julienne (joo-lee-EHN) is a French word for cutting food into thin long strips or “matchsticks” using a knife or a mandoline. This technique is often used with vegetables to add texture to a dish and to ensure even cooking. From what I can tell, the origins and story of this technique are unclear. Some say it was invented by a French Chef, Jean Julien, who created a clear soup garnished with thin strips of vegetables. The first known use of the term in print, however, is said to be in a book published in 1722 and authored by a French chef who was the Master Chef to various royalty, including Louis XIV.
I recently took a knife skills class at The Brooklyn Kitchen and wanted to share a quick, step-by-step, description of how to julienne two ingredients I often use in my kitchen – ginger and scallions. You can also see how I cook with them in a favorite recipe of Steamed Whole Fish with Ginger and Scallions. Read more →
I’ve always loved small things. As a kid, I would collect stamps and tiny coins from around the world and my favorite candies were the bite-sized Skittles, gummy bears and M&Ms. Some of my favorite films were Fantastic Voyage and Innerspace, where people were shrunk to the size of an atom. Today, my kitchen drawer is filled with small spoons and my cupboards are packed with little ramekins. I enjoy small bites and now I have a blog with the word “morsel” in its name.
So, it’s not surprising that I was intrigued by these mini citrus fruits called kumquats. While talking to some friends, I realized that none of us really knew what they tasted like. This inspired me to serve them at my next dinner party, where I surprised my friends with a dessert of kumquats three ways – raw, candied with simple syrup, and baked to make kumquat glass. Read more →
Chinese food has reigned as one of my family’s favorite cuisines to eat for as long as I can remember. All our special occasions, whether they be birthdays or anniversaries, were celebrated at Chinese restaurants. And growing up in Dubai, the land of immigrants, we had some of the best.
As my father, brother and I became experts at eating and deciphering the various items on the menu at these restaurants, my vegetarian mother became an expert at recreating them at home. One such exquisite dish was a steamed whole fish with ginger and scallions. Even today, her ability to flawlessly cook non-vegetarian dishes without ever tasting them awes me. Read more →
You know how, as a kid, there was that one vegetable you either hated or didn’t care much for? But then one day something flipped a switch inside you and you woke up liking or, maybe even, loving it? That was cauliflower for me. I didn’t loathe it; I tolerated it. And now I can’t get enough of it.
I usually eat it sauteed with cumin spiced potatoes (gobi alu), enveloped in homemade Indian breads (gobi parantha), or nestled among a medley of roasted vegetables. But, since it’s winter and I tend to gravitate towards cooking soups, I wanted to try something new. That’s when I came up with the recipe for this cauliflower soup garnished with spiced pumpkin seeds, which I can’t stop eating. Read more →
