I Love How Schmidt says “Chut-a-ney”

And in honor of that, I am making…some mango chut-a-ney!

If you are a New Girl Schmidtty fan, you will know exactly what I am talking about.  If you don’t know, it all started when Schmidt was trying to impress CeCe by telling her all the things he loves about India.

“I love, you know, I love Slumdog, naan… pepper, Ben Kingsley…the stories of Rudyard Kipling.  I have respect for cows, of course.  I love… the Taj Mahal, Deepak Chopra, anyone named Patel… I love monsoons… I love cobras in baskets…growing up to be a doctor… love mango chut-a-ney… really any type of chut-a-ney…”

If you haven’t seen it, watch it here.  If you have seen it, watch it again– I love it THAT much more every time!

So here is a recipe for mango chutaney as well as one for these yummy stick crackers to eat the chutaney with!

PS: If you saw last week’s twirly episode, “AAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” about what happened at the end and can’t wait for tonight’s episode!

Both recipes below have been reprinted from The Indian Vegan Kitchen by Madhu Gadia by arrangement with Perigee, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., Copyright (c) 2009 Madhu Gadia.

Mango Chut-a-ney

You will need a blender/food processor for this recipe.

I have a confession to make.  I started making this without realizing I basically didn’t have any of the spices….so mine only has the salt, sugar, cayenne pepper, and vinegar lol and it tastes great!  So I can only imagine, with all of the ingredients, how amazing it would taste!

- 3 1/2 cups of mango, peeled, pitted, and sliced into 1″ strips (measure the slices after they have been peeled and sliced)
- 1 1/2 TBS salt
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1/2 tsp kalonji
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/3 vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

In a glass bowl, mix mango slices and salt.  Cover with plastic wrap or lid and let sit at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.  (In my case I accidentally let it set for like 3 days!  It got hectic and I completely forgot about it!  But after the first night I had stuck it in the fridge– so in case you don’t have time you can do the same :)

Strain the mango slices over a large bowl, squeezing them to get any excess juice out.  Reserve the juices and set aside.  Place the slices on a clean cloth and let set for one hour.  (I guess because mine had been in the refrigerator for days that there was not that much juice so I didn’t put them on a cloth to set for an hour.)

Blend half the mango slices in a food processor or blender until it becomes the consistency of apple sauce.

In a medium saucepan, place the sugar and reserved mango juices.  (Since I did not have any mango juice, I added a TBS of water.)  Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, until sugar has dissolved and syrup has thickened.

Add the mango slices and blended mango.  Bring to a boil.  Add fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, kalonji, and cayenne pepper.  Lower to a simmer and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, until mango slices are very soft.

Add vinegar and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until chutney is thick.  (The chutney will continue to thicken once it cools down.)

Remove from heat and let the chutney cool completely.  Store in an air-tight jar.  The book says you can keep in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.  It is also important to use a clean spoon when dipping into the chutney, and do not return the leftover chutney to the same container.  Refrigerate your chutney if desired (which is what I said.)

This is the most times I have typed “chutney” in my life!

Stick Crackers

The original recipe calls for frying the crackers– I tried both frying and baking.  Both come out nice and crispy, just the coloring is a little different but they taste the same.  I love how easy this recipe is and makes for a great snack!

- 3 cups flour (I used whole wheat– you can use that, AP, or a combination of both)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ajwain (oopsies, I didn’t have any on hand so I used cumin seeds instead…also thought about adding flax seeds next time!)
- 1/3 cup canola/vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup water
- canola or vegetable oil (if frying)

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt and ajwain (or whatever you are using in place of it).  Pour the oil over the flour and mix well.  You can use your hands but a fork works really well and keeps your hands clean.   Mix until all the flour has become coated with oil.

Gradually add 3/4 cup water to the mixture until a stiff dough forms.  I continued to use the fork until the dough started forming, then I used one clean hand to hold the bowl and the other hand to mix.

Knead for 3 to 5 minutes, until dough becomes smooth and soft.  To keep things clean and easy for clean up, I just kneaded the dough in the bowl itself (instead of turning it onto a surface.)

Divide the dough into 2 parts and flatten each into a large disk.  Cover with a cloth or plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.

On a floured wooden cutting board or plastic pastry sheet, roll out each disk until about 1/8″ thick.  With a knife or pizza cutter (I think the pizza cutter is so much easier and faster!) cut the dough lengthwise into 1/2″ strips.  Then cut crosswise or at a diagonal (for the pointy tips) 1 1/2″ apart.

If frying:
Heat up a large saucepan with about an inch or so of oil.  I didn’t use any more than that since this amount is enough to cover the crackers.

It should take a couple of minutes, and you can test the oil by sprinkling a drop of water into it– if it sizzles, it is ready.

I get really scared when oil splatters everywhere so please remember to be careful and safe!

Once the oil is ready, place several strips into the hot oil.  I actually used my hands but you can use a flat spatula to do this part.  You can cover the entire bottom of the pan with the strips.   Fry each side for about 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side.

When crackers are done, place on a plate lined with a paper towel to grab the excess oil.  Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

If baking:
Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place crackers onto parchment paper about 1/2″ apart (they don’t really spread, just rise while they are baking.)  Bake until edges of crackers start to brown.  You can test one and if it is not as crunchy as you like, continue to bake until crispier.

Enjoy with some mango chut-a-ney, while watching New Girl!

Posted in baking, Indian Cuisine, jams/chutneys/pickles, snacks/dips/dressings | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“Cheese”cake + Chocolate Crust + Strawberry Topping

I have to start off by saying that the presentation of this cheesecake may not be the best but it is really really delicious.  I promise.

A few things happened during the making of this.  First, the cheesecake rose a LOT while it was baking then sank back down…I don’t know if it’s suppose to do that or not (the texture of the cake was good though).  But in the process of rising and falling it got some crust on the cake and there’s a chocolate ring around the cake now and some of the cheesecake is on top of the crust.  Secondly, I put too much of the strawberry sauce on top so it’s looking a little too red to me (but it tastes so much better than anything store bought).  There’s nothing wrong with the taste but the visual presentation is not my finest work.  Even my mom said, in more or less words, “This looks a mess but it’s really good.”  I will definitely have to remake this and take some prettier pics!

The other issue I seem to have is that when I bake things that are chocolate, I am never sure when it’s done or not.  I can’t tell if it’s burning or what so I feel like the crust was a little bit over baked.  Next time I will try regular graham crackers but they didn’t have any without honey at TJ’s so I ended up using chocolate chip cookies and adding cocoa to that.  But it is a good way to use left over too crispy cookies.

I definitely have a bunch of notes from trying to make this and there’s nothing like learning by doing, so hopefully with some more practice the better I will get at making cheesecake and baking chocolate pie crusts!  I hope you will give this recipe a shot and I will get back to you on better photos!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie Crust

Based on the Dairy Free Graham Cracker Crust by Ashley Skabar on about.com‘s dairy free cooking section.

You will need a food processor or blender for this recipe.

This recipe yields one 9-10″ crust.

- 2 cups finely ground chocolate chip cookies or dairy/honey-free graham crackers
- 1/3 cup agave nectar
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2-3 tsp cocoa
- pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375F.  Lightly oil your pie pan or baking dish; set aside.

Put everything in the food processor and pulse until ingredients just start to come together.

Press the mixture into the prepared pan/dish with your hands.  I like to put a large piece of plastic wrap on top of the crumb mixture while I am pressing into the pan so that it’s a little more sanitary and my hands don’t get dirty.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before using.

Vegan Cheesecake

This was the easiest recipe I could find!  It is from Food.com by smallstream and was adapted from invinciblemuffin.org.

This recipe yields enough for 8 servings.

You will need a food processor or blender for this recipe.

- 2 containers of plain vegan cream cheese, I like TJ’s brand or Tofutti
- 2/3 cup of sugar
- 4 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 TBS extra firm tofu, drained

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until it is smooth and well combined.

Spoon into prepared pie crust.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until the tops of the cake becomes a golden brown.  Check often while you are baking.

Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.

Eat as is or top with fresh berries or the strawberry sauce below.

Strawberry Sauce

This recipe is from Food.com by evelyn/athens.

This recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups.

- 1 pound ripe strawberries, hulled or 1 pound frozen strawberries if you want to save some prep time
- 1/4 cup sugar, or less/more depending on sweetness of berries
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- a squeeze of lemon juice
- a pinch of salt

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients.  Cook over medium love heat until sugar dissolves and berries are soft. about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool.  It will become thicker as it cools.

Pour over individual slices of cheesecake.

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A Romantic Evening with The Secret Fork

The 3rd Secret Fork event took place last Saturday, 2/11 in Long Beach and it was amazing to be a part of it!

The Secret Fork is a members only underground pop-up marketplace.  Their mission is to provide a space where local chefs, food artisans, urban farmers, and artists creating table craft can share their wonderful products and talent with the public.  It’s a lovely way to bring people in a unique setting with lots of delicious food + drinks!

It was a chilly but romantic Valentine’s Day themed market with live music and candles and strings of sparkling light transforming a parking lot into a fun and festive atmosphere.  The Yummy Year Project had the perfect “date” cake, chocolate chip cookies to share, and conversation treats for the pooches for sale with 15% of proceeds going to The ECC in South Africa.

It was great to share this experience with my friends Archna and Quyen, who were the best boothmates a girl could ask for!  Archna was selling fresh almond milk, spiced almond milk, and spice cookies.  Quyen was serving up hot bowls of tangine with quinoa, and also had jars of Morrocan preserved lemons.

Thanks to everyone who came out– it’s always nice to see familiar faces in the crowd as well as vending, and great to meet new friends and share some vegan food!

Special thank you to everyone who came out to visit even though it was a little nippy outside and Chris + Jenn of Chris + Jenn Photos who captured all the Kodak moments throughout the evening.

If you are interested in going to the next Secret Fork event, check their site for the latest info and easily get your tickets via eventbrite for free.

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