From there a tradition was born. Since then, my mom has gotten me a cookbook for every birthday and Christmas. I have a lot of cookbooks. I am ashamed to say that there are a handful that I have never cooked out of. I feel some sort of blasphemy in this. Someone spent so much time crafting, choosing recipes, testing, and tasting food all for me. And somehow, with so many cookbooks and the internet, I have been sucked into this terrible habit of being completely picky among so many options. It is a habit I am looking to break.
Among the gifts, I always know which one is the cookbook. Heavy and rectangular, it screams “big beautiful book of recipes; open me; make glorious meals from me!” But when I ripped off the paper from one of these rectangular beauties, my heart slightly dropped when I saw Padma Lakshmi on the cover. Now don't get me wrong, I loved Padma at the time. She was the host of one of my favorite shows, she's painfully gorgeous, and from one of the most intriguing countries in the world. But my first thought was, “What does some skinny model-tv-host know about food?!”
Apparently A LOT.
I can not begin to explain what a crush I have on this cookbook. Lakshmi's combinations of flavors are otherworldly and unusual. Hovering over her book during the first couple of recipes I found myself many times, eyebrows raised, dumping spoonfuls of this-and-that, thinking “really?” Yes really, capers and mango chutney do go together. So do prunes and tomatoes. Lakshmi has a gift of breaking down foods to pure taste components and I guess that's why her cookbook is named what it is.
A couple of hot nights ago, I decided to make her hot and sour fruit chaat as a starter. Crunchy, refreshing cucumbers and red bell peppers mingle with tart, crispy granny smith apples and black plums. The thinly sliced fruit and vegetables are brought together by a minty dressing spiked with cumin, cayenne, and citrus, resulting in a balancing act of spicy, tart, and cool crunch. It was delicious.
Hot and Sour Fruit Chaat
from Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet, by Padma Lakshmi
This chaat calls for pomegranate seeds, but because they are out of season and difficult to find right now, I made it without. Despite this, the "salad" will have your lips sweating and your taste buds singing.
1 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled and sliced into thin crescents
2 large firm black plums, pitted and sliced thinly
1 English cucumber, unpeeled and sliced into thin rounds
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into long, thin strands
1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon concentrated yuzu juice (I used lime juice instead)
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon black cumin (I used regular cumin)
coarsely ground sea salt
Arrange the apple and plums. I alternated them in a fan design and then placed the cucumbers and bell peppers in the center. Sprinkle with fresh mint.
Combine all the other ingredients, except for the salt, in a bowl and whisk together.
Drizzle the dressing over the chaat and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
