Breakfast in India is something foreigners sorely miss. An English-style breakfast invariably consists of either “butter toast” (as the name suggests) or the equally predictable “jam toast”. We don’t know how good we’ve got it in Britain with our luxurious sliced loaves or the infinitely superior quality of Kellogg’s cereal.
In India, I’d rather have the curried and savory option than chump my way through yet another bowl of sub-standard, factory-floor-swept bowl of cornflakes.
Here’s a warning: if you do go to India don’t order from the English menu. Pasta and pizza might seem like a good idea, until it’s served and the petrified nature of the dish makes you realise it has probably been buried in the depths of the freezer for the last five years.
If you stay in an Indian home you might very well be served a dish like khichadi for breakfast. Broadly speaking, in India the dish is known as a mish-mash or mixture of sorts (a classified section on an Indian internet portal is called “khichadi”, indicating its miscellaneous nature). Usually the dish is made of lentils and rice but the quinoa version below is lighter and more nutritious.
Quinoa is something of a superfood having been cultivated by the Andean people in South America for over 6,000 years. Unlike other grains it’s unusually high in protein, containing a full set of balanced amino acids, high in fibre, magnesium and iron. And no it doesn’t have to taste like bird seed. If you cook it for long enough the tiny, spherical curls burst and become light and fluffy in texture. It’s so superlative in nutritional value that NASA are even considering it as a possible crop to take on their long-distance manned spaceflights.
For the recipe do try and get hold of some asafoetida (Schwartz now sell a brand of it in bigger supermarkets). I used to be a bit scared of this spice because of its pungency, which borders on the noxious. Its flavour is most intriguing, tasting of cooked onions, leeks or even musk. Hare Krishna cookery uses it widely as onions and ginger cannot be offered to Lord Krishna. The use of ginger and garlic in the original Buddhism was also prohibited because it disturbed the sense of tranquillity while sitting in meditation.
Ingredients
Serves 1-2 for brunch
140g quinoa
¾ pint of water
1 teaspoon of Marigold vegetable bouillon
1 medium, floury potato
¾ tablespoon sunflower oil (plus 1 teaspoon of ghee or unsalted butter)
1 medium green chilli, finely chopped
1½ teaspoons of cumin seeds, finely crushed in a pestle and mortar
½ teaspoon asafoetida
½ tablespoon dried curry leaves
¾–1 tablespoon sugar
A few unsalted cashews, toasted in a dry frying pan
Juice of a fresh lime and salt to taste
Method
Rinse the quinoa in a sieve, bring to the boil with the water and bouillon powder. Simmer steadily, half covered for about 20 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed (you may need to add a little bit more water to stop it boiling dry, before it is nice and fluffy). Leave to stand for 5 minutes, after cooking with a tea towel under the closed lid to absorb the remaining moisture.
Boil the peeled and quartered potato for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain and cut into 1½-inch cubes.
Heat the oil and ghee over a medium heat. When the fat sizzles slightly chuck in the chilli and spices and fry quickly for a minute, then add the cubed potatoes and continue to fry the mixture, stirring carefully until the potatoes are coated with the hot spices and oil. After a minute add the quinoa, sugar and salt and lime juice to taste. Continue carefully mixing and tasting until the mixture is hot enough and seasoned to your liking. Take off the heat and stir through the toasted cashews. Serve hot or at room temperature.
In India, I’d rather have the curried and savory option than chump my way through yet another bowl of sub-standard, factory-floor-swept bowl of cornflakes.
Here’s a warning: if you do go to India don’t order from the English menu. Pasta and pizza might seem like a good idea, until it’s served and the petrified nature of the dish makes you realise it has probably been buried in the depths of the freezer for the last five years.
If you stay in an Indian home you might very well be served a dish like khichadi for breakfast. Broadly speaking, in India the dish is known as a mish-mash or mixture of sorts (a classified section on an Indian internet portal is called “khichadi”, indicating its miscellaneous nature). Usually the dish is made of lentils and rice but the quinoa version below is lighter and more nutritious.
Quinoa is something of a superfood having been cultivated by the Andean people in South America for over 6,000 years. Unlike other grains it’s unusually high in protein, containing a full set of balanced amino acids, high in fibre, magnesium and iron. And no it doesn’t have to taste like bird seed. If you cook it for long enough the tiny, spherical curls burst and become light and fluffy in texture. It’s so superlative in nutritional value that NASA are even considering it as a possible crop to take on their long-distance manned spaceflights.
For the recipe do try and get hold of some asafoetida (Schwartz now sell a brand of it in bigger supermarkets). I used to be a bit scared of this spice because of its pungency, which borders on the noxious. Its flavour is most intriguing, tasting of cooked onions, leeks or even musk. Hare Krishna cookery uses it widely as onions and ginger cannot be offered to Lord Krishna. The use of ginger and garlic in the original Buddhism was also prohibited because it disturbed the sense of tranquillity while sitting in meditation.
Ingredients
Serves 1-2 for brunch
140g quinoa
¾ pint of water
1 teaspoon of Marigold vegetable bouillon
1 medium, floury potato
¾ tablespoon sunflower oil (plus 1 teaspoon of ghee or unsalted butter)
1 medium green chilli, finely chopped
1½ teaspoons of cumin seeds, finely crushed in a pestle and mortar
½ teaspoon asafoetida
½ tablespoon dried curry leaves
¾–1 tablespoon sugar
A few unsalted cashews, toasted in a dry frying pan
Juice of a fresh lime and salt to taste
Method
Rinse the quinoa in a sieve, bring to the boil with the water and bouillon powder. Simmer steadily, half covered for about 20 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed (you may need to add a little bit more water to stop it boiling dry, before it is nice and fluffy). Leave to stand for 5 minutes, after cooking with a tea towel under the closed lid to absorb the remaining moisture.
Boil the peeled and quartered potato for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain and cut into 1½-inch cubes.
Heat the oil and ghee over a medium heat. When the fat sizzles slightly chuck in the chilli and spices and fry quickly for a minute, then add the cubed potatoes and continue to fry the mixture, stirring carefully until the potatoes are coated with the hot spices and oil. After a minute add the quinoa, sugar and salt and lime juice to taste. Continue carefully mixing and tasting until the mixture is hot enough and seasoned to your liking. Take off the heat and stir through the toasted cashews. Serve hot or at room temperature.
