To me, Christmas isn’t Christmas without a nativity scene. As kids, my sisters and I were always chomping at the bit to put our nativity scene up. I still remember carefully pulling the old newspaper off each figure, marveling at the vibrant colours of the wise men’s robes, at the shaky hand that painted Mary’s expression, at the chip in the bottom of the manger that I hadn’t noticed last year. Every year, we’d try to figure out a different background for the figures. By the time I was 11, we had a pretty perfect combination of black shoebox lids glued together to shape a bedouin tent (hey, we lived in Dubai, what can I say?!), huge pieces of dried coral to imitate mountains, and long, dried out leaves to imitate straw. I think we might have even tried to sneak some sand in there, but Mum wasn’t happy about sand on the living room carpet.
And it wasn’t just us. Every Indian family we knew got into it, and putting up the nativity scene often marked the beginning of the run-up to Christmas. Our church got into it too, and every year, people came from other emirates to see the massive 10ft nativity scene that one unnamed man would set up every year at our church. The figurines were tiny, about the size of your palm, but he would build an intricate 3D landscape complete with lights and running water… I wish I had photos!
But I guess it’s not quite a part of the Christmas tradition in the States, huh? I wish it was because, in a quiet corner of a bustling room complete with garlands, Christmas trees, presents, chesnuts roasting on an open fire, and Mummy kissing Santa Claus… it reminds me why I celebrate this time of year: Emmanuel. God with us!
I have no nativity set, and not until this year have I realised how much I miss it. I was really moved by this one:
Now that I can look at photos of my family without bursting into tears, I think I’m finally of sound-enough mind to show you why the blog has been a bit silent recently.
So what could have possibly kept me away from you, my dearies, over the past three weeks?
Well, how about my sister getting married, my family flying from India (we haven’t been together in two years!) for the occasion and then flying to LA to hang with us, then flying off just as Bren’s family flew into town to celebrate both Thanksgiving AND the wedding of Bren’s uncle the next day??!!
PHEW!
Want a photographic journey? Ok! First, Phoenix.
First Bren and I drove to Phoenix where my mum, dad and youngest sister, Crish had arrived, all the way from India, to prepare for the nuptials of my middle sister, Kavita. The drive to Phoenix was smooth, marked by a soundtrack of my favourite NPR shows (Car Talk and Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me) and that K’naan & J Period stuff I was telling you about. Have you listened to them yet?
Bren was really touched by the bootleg, yet heartfelt nature of this:
It was literally drawn on with marker. Sweet, huh?
The Sequeira sisters were reunited! Watch out world!
That’s Crish in the middle; I call her Cishmish, which means “raisin” in Hindi. She looks nothing like a raisin, I know. But it’s too much fun to say. Try it! See? (Plus, she hates it when I call her “cashew nut”. Woops, now the whole world knows, Crish. Heeheeeeee!).
btw, did you know that Crish does a mean Octomom impression?
Anyway, Mum cooked up delicious dinners…
…whilst we whipped up meticulously-planned crafty things…
And before we knew it, it was rehearsal dinner time, complete with… trivia!
Don’t we make a good-looking family? Even the white boys?!
And then the wedding!
I love this photo… it was taken by the astonishingly talented photographer, Shelly Love. If you live in Phoenix, and need a great photographer, check her out. Her photos are breathtaking:
I’m sure I’m not alone when I say, the meals are a little simpler in the McSequeira house these days.
We’ve been stretching one unemployment check between the two of us, as we look for work in our respective fields. Which reminds me! Need an incredibly-skilled comedic and dramatic actor? The most intelligent and vocabulary-rich writer I know? A witty, imaginative improv-er? A looker? Hire my husband, Brendan McNamara! He’s pretty rad, man. And in a dream world, he’d be acting on Saturday Night Live. See what I mean?
So, yeah if you can make that happen, let me know.
Where was I?
Oh yeah. FOOD!
So yeah, our meals are simpler — less meat, more carbs, more veggies. My recipes have always been pretty cheap to begin with, but these days, I’ve been trying to find even less-frilly ways to feed ourselves. You can look forward to some of those recipes in the next season of Aarti Paarti. But in the meantime, I found one that I just couldn’t wait to share!
I came across this recipe from Joe Bastianich, Mario Batali’s restaurant partner. As soon as I read it, I knew it was a keeper, and I KNEW I had to share it with you folks! It’s one of those dishes that you’ll make over and over, because it’s healthy, cheap (two of your ingredients are canned goods, so they’ll only cost you about $0.80 each!) and quick. In fact, this entire meal cost me about $4! hel-LO!
I made one adjustment of note; Joe (yeah, I figure we’re on a first-name basis now) boils his swiss chard, then squeezes the water out of it. I couldn’t stand the idea of losing all that lovely chlorophyll in the water, so I just cooked it with the rest of the ingredients and it turned out great! I can’t wait for you to try it.
Unemployment Dinner!
aka Swiss chard, tomato and Great Northern Bean sautee (adapted from Joe Bastianich recipe)
Olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 15oz can whole tomatoes, chopped, juices retained
1 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
1 big bunch swiss chard, washed, stems diced, and leaves sliced about 1/2″ thick
1 15oz can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
Salt & pepper
1) Warm a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once shimmering, add onions, and a little salt. Saute until softened. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute 30 seconds until garlic is fragrant. Add tomato paste and saute another 30 seconds.
2) Add tomatoes, and a little more salt. Cook until tomatoes turn mushy, about 3 minutes.
3) Add swiss chard, tossing until well combined with tomato mixture. Add 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil, then turn heat down a simmer. Semi-cover and cook about 10 minutes, until chard is cooked through.
4) Add beans. Toss, and warm through. Taste for seasoning and adjust according to your taste. Enjoy, knowing that you’ve beat the system one more time! $4 dinner! Woohoo!
Pronouncement of the day: food is proof that we’re all connected more deeply than we know.
Take the samosa, the quintessential Indian snack: deep fried triangular pastries, stuffed with a savory concoction of potato, vegetables and sometimes, meat. Nothing says 4 o’clock in an Indian house quite like a steaming cup of tea, and a plate of fresh samosas. Oh dear, now I’ve done it. Excuse me whilst I get glassy-eyed and drool all over the keyboard.
Ahem, back to my “pronouncement”… doesn’t the samosa bear a striking resemblance to the Cornish pasty?
To the empanada?
To the calzone? The knish? The chinese baked dumplings?
Funny, huh?
When I decided to make my own samosas, I faced quite a quandary: heat up a messy, dangerous vat of oil to deep-fry the buggers, OR come up with a flaky, crispy baked samosa dough that mimics its deep-fried cousin. I chose the latter. I don’t know why. I’m not a baker. I don’t knead. I don’t roll out dough. Call me crazy, but dough intimidates me!
And yet, I’m crazy soooo… last week, I tried out 6 different kinds of dough.
SIX.
Everything from readymade filo/phyllo sheets, to crescent roll dough… from simple flour and water, to intricate shortcrust pastry.
And that is why I can tell you in full confidence that this is the best baked samosa dough you’ll find. ‘Cos I looked guys. And nothing compared to this one. It’s simple: flour, buttermilk, vegetable oil. It comes together in a flash, and I promise, you can’t mess it up. With a little effort, you get a beautiful soft, fair pastry, flecked with tiny ajwain seeds (akin to oregano in flavour, and available at your Indian market. You can sub with cumin, or forgo it altogether), which flakes just so, and crusts up just wonderfully in the oven. Plus, if you make your own dough, you know what’s going in there, unlike the list of ingredients in the ready-made dough, which left me dizzy.
Oh, and the filling. The FILLING!
Potato, chicken, mango, chipotle, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cilantro and lime.
This filling makes you grateful that you have taste buds.
Plus, when you throw a tea party to show off your baked goodies, it also makes you incredibly grateful for goofy, warm, generous friends who will show up at your party even if you’ve only given them a couple of days notice…
For pastry:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour (you can use 1 cup all-purpose flour if you prefer)
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil
Big pinch salt
1/2 tsp. ajwain seeds (optional)
For filling:
1 big russet potato, boiled until soft
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, poached and shredded
1 mango, finely diced
Zest of 1 lime, plus juice of half of it
5 tbsp chipotle sauce
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Big handful cilantro, minced
Salt and pepper
1) To make pastry: In large bowl, combine flours, buttermilk, oil, salt and ajwain seeds. Bring ingredients together into a dough. Knead for 5 minutes until it has softened a bit. Allow to rest, at room temperature, for 15 minutes. You can put this in the fridge too, but make sure you let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or so, in order for it to soften.
2) Make filling: Combine all ingredients with your hands until it’s well mixed up. Taste for seasoning. Set aside.
3) When it’s rolling time, preheat oven to 425 degrees f.
4) Roll the dough into a short cylinder. Slice into two. Slice each half into two, so you have 4 bits. Roll each bit into a ball. Flatten ball into a disc, then, on floured surface, roll into a 1/8″ thick, 7″ wide circle. Cut into two semi-circles.
5) Place a tablespoon or so of filling in the center of one of the semi-circles. Have a small bowl of water handy. Dip your finger in the water and run it along the edges of the semi-circle. Arrange semi-circle so the flat side is facing away from you. Grab the left corner and fold it over dough in a triangular motion, so that this corner lands on the bottom right side of the filling. Do the same with the other corner. (see video for better illustration!). Squeeze bottom shut, and fold over, sealing with water. If you like, seal using a fork. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat, until you have 8 big samosas ready for baking!
6) Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then turn heat down to 375 and bake 10 more minutes. You can flip them over just before you turn the heat down if you like.
7) Serve hot, with the chutney… and bask in gratitude for the great ideas we all come up with, for our sensitive tastebuds and for the blessing of good friends!
I’d like to cast a poll about a question that’s been buzzing around my bonnet for the past few days.
What’s the difference between being spiritual and being religious? Are they mutually exclusive?
I’ve noticed that people take great pains to place themselves in one category rather than the other… and speak of being “religious” in a pejorative way. Why is that? What do you think? I kinda think I’m both, but I’m not even sure I know what is meant by either term, so I don’t know!
So, help me out: what does it mean to you? I’m flummoxed!
I know it’s hard to believe, but every now and then, I have no thoughts whatsoever.
Crazy right?
Over the past couple of days, I have wanted to do nothing more than watch a Grey’s Anatomy marathon (curious, since I have never watched Grey’s Anatomy ever, nor would I ever have pegged myself as a fan, but good gosh darn it all, I’m hooked), whilst knitting the same scarf I started last Christmas and sipping on some Irish Breakfast tea. I think my brain is hibernating.
Hence, OPG: Other People’s Genius!
Here are a few people and things whose imagination, wisdom and genius has made me smile over the past few weeks:
1) Joy the Baker’s Peanut Butter BACON cookies.
(from Joy the Baker)
Yeah. Ridiculous. I can’t wait to make ‘em. In fact, I have a pack of bacon in the fridge, and a jar of peanut butter in the cupboard waiting for the just the right moment to bake a batch of them. I think I’m going to add some chocolate chips to them and see how that goes. You know how I love chocolate and bacon. What? It’s brain food, right? No? Oh.
If you haven’t checked out Joy the Baker before, you’re in for a treat — her photos are marvelous, her recipes playful, her writing… well, the whole thing is just about the most adorable thing ever. You’re welcome!
2) J. Period & K’Naan’s tribute to Bob Dylan
Just listen to it. It’s a fantastic mix of hip-hop and Dylan. So. Great. And made without the intention of making money — created simply as a tribute to the legendary songwriter and activist. They’ve created a new format: listenable, danceable audio documentaries. You’ll also find “mix tapes” dedicated and inspiried by Fela Kuti and Bob Marley. So. Great!
3) Bring the Rain
If you hadn’t noticed already (where have you been?!), I am a follower of Christ. And, can I tell you? It’s SO HARD to write about my faith, even though it’s pretty much the most important thing in my life (yes, even more important than bacon. I know, it’s hard to believe). Faith is such a personal, nebulous journey — you struggle to put it in words because it’s not something that your brain always comprehends — it’s your heart that tells you this is the truth. When I do write about it, I fear that I’m writing in a language others won’t understand or won’t WANT to understand because of their own (often mistaken, I must say) views of what Christianity is all about.
And yet, something in me says that I have to talk about it, the best I can, because I want everyone to have their lives TRANSFORMED, the same way mine has been by Him. I mean, isn’t that what we’re all seeking? Transformation? The Great Makeover? “Enlightenment”? To be happier than we are? To go from the ugly, unhappy duckling to the beautiful, ecstatic swan? Somewhere, deep down, I believe all of us are pining for the same thing — to feel at peace with our lives and with the world/universe/God.
I’m getting off topic! AGH! See?!
What I’m trying to say is that writing about your faith is hard, without being boring, sanctimonious, academic, cold, over-zealous… but the woman behind Bring the Rain does it. Her writing makes you feel as if she’s sitting across the table from you, coffee cup in hand, talking about how she’s dealing with the enormous heartbreak in her life — read about her daughter, Audrey. She’s honest, encouraging, uplifting… and her post about why God asked Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” even though He knew full-well where they were because, well, He’s God… is the kind of thing that makes you giggle while it settles into your bones, and makes your soul hum in agreement. It just feels right. Hope you like her!
A few years ago, after finishing the program at the neighborhood cooking school, I wasn’t sure what to do — look into being a personal chef? Catering? Work in a restaurant kitchen? I really was aimless.
God is good! I can’t remember how, but a few weeks later, I found myself interviewing for an internship position at Lucques, one of the best restaurants in LA (and probably the country), under the tutelage of the exec chef and c0-owner, Suzanne Goin. Say her name within certain circles and people gasp and repeat her name is disbelief: “THE Suzanne Goin?”. I’d had NO restaurant experience at all, and they still took me in. Lucky doesn’t even begin to cover it.
A few days later, there I was helping the pantry chef prepare salads and appetizers! I couldn’t believe it. I tried to soak up all the knowledge that kitchen had from one end of the line to the other; I’ll never forget when one of the guys handed me a butcher knife and showed me how best to (avert your eyes if you’re sensitive here folks!) chop off the head of a suckling pig. Oh man, I felt cool!
But apart from learning some truly wonderful things about food, I also treasure the fact that these people allowed me to become their friend. We’d finish some weekend nights in the parking lot, sipping a beer and perhaps smoking a ciggie, talking about how the night went… I felt like I had been let into one of the coolest gangs around. But my closest friends there were definitely Bernadette, the pantry chef, whose laugh reminded me of little bells ringing… and Breanne, the pastry chef, who always managed to look beautiful no matter how hot and sweaty it got in the kitchen.
Sweet sweet Breanne! (Photo by Jenn Garbee)
Oh, and don’t get me started on her desserts. I’m spoiled forever. I’ll never forget this one dessert she concocted: homemade (of course!) vanilla ice cream, candied mandarin segmets, mandarin sorbet, and tiny shavings of bittersweet chocolate in between. I didn’t think I’d like it — just give me a hunk of chocolate for dessert and I’m happy. Don’t sully it with fruit! But, I am forever changed. I still remember the clouds opening as I let that first bite dissolve on my tongue — it was mind altering! It takes a lot for someone to change my mind on what flavours I like in my dessert, but this girl did it. She’s magic.
I’ve been having a lot of random thoughts recently, and every time I have them, I wish I had the computer right next to me, so I could share the with you.
Today, at the gym, I noticed a very thin woman working out on one of the machines. I remember being so surprised when I came to the States, because I had never seen such thin women before. And then I realised that my obsession with being thin is really an obsession of the lucky, the wealthy, the well-off… by our standards, there’s literally thousands of “perfect-bodied” (ie, wicked thin) people in India. Only thing is, they’re poor and starving.
A little self-righteous I recognize. And I will make the distinction between wanting to look like women on the tabloids, and trying to lose weight to get healthier. But I will say this — today’s random thought is making me think twice every time I’m about to complain about my weight.
Funny story about falafels: even though I grew up in Dubai, I never had a falafel until I moved to the States! Isn’t that funny?
I’m not sure why that is… perhaps my parents didn’t think it was worth wasting perfectly good kebab-eating time. Not that I’m complaining because, although I like falafels in theory, the reality is always a little disappointing. Order some version of a vegetarian plate at a Middle Eastern joint, and while the babaganoush and tabouli are good, the falafel falls flat: it’s dry, flavourless, stale… unless you douse it in tahini, and then really, what’s the point? I’ve had good falafel, but they’ve been few and far between.
That’s the beauty of my pea-lafels. Bite into these cheery bright green gems, and the satisfying crunchy exterior gives way to a luscious creamy interior. You’re never going to have a chalky falafel if you make ‘em with peas! Plus, I love the flavours in this falafel mix: mint, fenugreek, fennel and coriander.
I didn’t know this until now, but peas are packed with vitamin K, folic acid, all kinds of B vitamins and vitamin C. And they’re hella cheap. No wonder your mum shoved them down your throat when you were little.
Oh and when you make ‘em, a bellydance spontaneously appears in your kitchen. Think I’m kidding? Take a look:
Pea-lafels!
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp coriander seeds
1 cup frozen peas, thawed and drained
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed and drained
1 shallot, peeled and chop roughly
1 clove garlic, peeled
Handful of fresh mint leaves, plus another handful for yogurt sauce
Glug of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Squirt of horseradish sauce (optional)
1/4 cup besan (chickpea flour; regular flour is a fine substitute)
Canola oil for frying
1 cup plain yogurt
1) In small skillet, toast the fenugreek, fennel and coriander seeds for a couple of minutes until they’re fragrant and slightly darker. Don’t walk away from the pan! They’ll burn! Remove from pan into a small bowl and allow to cool. Meanwhile, make yogurt sauce: Mix yogurt with finely chopped mint leaves and a generous pinch of salt. Chill in the fridge. Throw seeds into a coffee/spice grinder and powder.
2) Throw peas, spices, shallot, garlic, mint, extra virgin olive oil, salt into a food processor. Whizz it up, and if it isn’t grinding well, then pour up to 1/4 cup of water and puree until smooth. It won’t get completely smooth, because of the edamame, but process until as smooth as possible.
3) Scrape into a big bowl. Add horseradish sauce (optional) and flour. Mix.
4) Pour enough oil into a nonstick skillet so that it’s 1/8″ thick. Heat over medium heat until shimmering. Meanwhile, shape mixture into a small pattie in your hands, then gently drop into oil. Fry until the bottom is dark caramel brown (about 2 minutes), then carefully flip over. Brown other side, then remove from the pan and drain on paper towel-lined plate.
5) Serve in a pita breapocket with some fresh veggies and a spoonful of the yogurt sauce. Yum!
