Never Too Late For Curry!

Today was a one of those scheduled days. Going and coming, walking briskly and taking buses, which I rarely do in Jerusalem, just to get where I'm going on time. For example, I got home from work at 19:00 and left again at 19:30 in order to get to the community canter in time for the opening ceremony of the Israeli Memorial Day.

At exactly 20:00 a one minute siren sounds all over Israel as Memorial Day ceremonies commence. I made it in time, and sat with my friends met people I expected to meet, and many that I didn't. We sat together listening to stories and singing in hushed voices, to commemorate those who are no longer with us. There is a comfort in coming together as a community to remember and sing. A softness which can only be created in a collective experience of people who have respect for the cycle of death and life we all experience.

On my way home I realized I hadn't eaten a normal meal all day. When I opened the refrigerator to search for some food I found a pot of brown rice and curry waiting for me. From the comfort of community to the comfort of home.

I Wouldn't Trade Joe for Anything!!

Going to school at Foggy Bottom means slim pickings for lunch. Between J Street fast food and the overpriced FoBoGro, Trader Joe's emerges as a shining beacon.

Hop on the bike, ride a few blocks, and arrive at food heaven. Trader Joe's frozen section features quite a selection of Indian food, and I recently tried the Paneer Tika Masala with Spinach Basmati Rice.

For only $2.99, I got a perfect sized portion of Indian food (disclaimer: I eat like a bird) that was piping hot after just 2 minutes of quality time with the campus microwave. It was quite flavorful, and probably on par (if not better) than anything Rona and I have tasted at home.

BUT (and this is a big BUT), this meal is worth its weight in salt. A quick look at the nutritional value (or lack thereof) reveals that this meal should probably be sold in the Heart Attack aisle.

Bottom line: First line of defense: pack lunch from home. Plan B: keep a stash of granola bars in your locker. Plan C/worst case scenario, go to Trader Joe's. You might be inspired. And a little salt hasn't killed anyone, right?

A Dollar a Day

There are no free lunches. Or are there? Yesterday was $1 Lunch Day in Washington, DC. For a buck, Living Social customers received $10-$15 for lunch at local eateries.

I chose Naan & Beyond and ordered a vegetarian samosa and sandwich. The latter was one big culinary faux pas: spiciness instead of flavor, iceberg lettuce and a watered down ranch-like dressing. Really?!?

But the samosa, oh, the samosa. Deep fried deliciousness. The wrapping was just crispy enough, the dough had its own distinct flavor, and the filling was soft, moist, and pungent. It was filled with potato mush and peas, and whole coriander seeds infused the entire samosa with amazing flavor. It was little on the oily side, but I'm willing to forgive.

Conclusion: There are no free lunches. But $1 lunches aren't too shabby. Without the coupon, this meal would have cost $8.45. Only in America.

Dahl and Rice

Pesach. Pre-pesach cleaning, pre-pesach reflection and most importantly the pre-pesech tradition of emptying out your kitchen food cabinets and eating through whatever is not considered ok to have around the house during the weeklong holiday. In one word - Oy. In five - it's time to get creative.

There is a week left, and we are getting close to the bottom. There are 4 veggie patties in the freezer, about 5 tortillas, a half bag of sliced bread, half a challah from shabbat, 3 crackers, 3 yogurts (assorted flavours), 2 tablespoons of granola, a cup and a half of rice, quarter bag of couscous, some dried fruit, instant soup in a bag, 6 cans of tuna, seaweed (assorted) and a jar of orange lentils. I came home from work with about 45 minutes to cook and I knew exactly what I was going to make. Hint - see title of this post.

The recipe is from the net, but as usual I didn't follow it exactly:
Fry up onion and ginger, add cubed potato and carrot, add lentils and water and garlic, cumin, black pepper and salt. It also calls for fresh coriander, a tomato and cumin seeds, but I used what I had, and what I had time for. Cook until everything is soft and the lentils are a general mush texture. And it's ready.

Everything , including a cup of white rice (all the brown is gone by now) was ready just in time for me to turn off the stove and go dancing.

So, to sum up: When the going gets tough, the tough starts cooking. And isn't that a wonderful thing.
Looking forward to restocking the kitchen very soon, but maybe tomorrow I will make couscous with dried fruit and a yogurt sauce...
Happy Pre-Pesach creations to all! R

D eating Indian, March `11

Here is a photo of D's latest Indian food excursion. I wasn't there, have no idea who is photographed with her and where they were eating, but from D's smile, I assume it was a good meal.

More details to come? Who knows.

Indian Food From Afar

While R plays Peeping Tom in Nahlaot, I've been waiting for an opportunity to blog. Tonight, an opportunity presented itself. Indian food without having to leave the house (what else could one want?!?). My housemade made saag paneer, albeit the vegan version. With tofu playing the role of paneer, the sauce was quite flavorful, although somewhat on the salty side. A little vegan cream mellowed that out, and rumors have it that nutritional yeast also did the trick. Enjoy!

Smells like curry

All of our Indian restaurant adventures are safe and sound in our non-digital notebook, however, I thought I would share an anecdote (with you, D...) and dust off the blog interior.

Last Friday night I was walking through the streets of Nachlaot, crossing paths with people coming and going, some carrying pots and boxes of food and some hurrying by car keys in hand.
Nachlaot recently became home to many foreign workers and has pockets of Aritraen, Sudani, Thai etc. culture in the midst of Hebrew U students and old time Nachalot residents. I was walking home from dinner with some friends and suddenly we smelled the wonderful smell of curry. In a little hole in the wall about 10 people were sitting around a table and it seemed that they were serving the most wonderful, fragrant dishes. If we weren't tired and a little embarrassed, I think we would all have joined them for a second Friday night dinner.

I think I will add "Nachlaot Hole in the Wall" to the list of Indian restaurants to visit when D and I are in the same country again...