I really pride myself on my ability to solve all kinds of problems. I’m talking the kind I solve for my clients at work (i.e. “This horrible thing is about to break in the news, what do I do?”) and the more tangible kind around the house (i.e. how to maximize space above my cabinets with custom home-built bookshelves). I draw the line at electric work but light plumbing has always been fair game. However, this weekend I came to terms with the limitations of my home improvement abilities.
I’ve lived in my current apartment for three and a half years. I obviously cook a lot, and I don’t have a dishwasher so the sink is in almost constant use. It’s been a little slow to drain at times, but for the most part my biggest complaint is that it’s too small to fit a pot in. A week ago, I made some kale soup, filled with olive oil and finely chopped kale, and washed the blender and pot in the sink. Apparently the residual soup was the key that broke this camel’s back, because the sink mostly stopped draining.
Convinced this was a simple issue I could solve myself, I got through the rest of the work week by washing just a few dishes at a time before the water reached the rim. I made a game plan for which pipes I’d remove from under the sink given where I thought the issue might be. And on Monday, MLK Day, I got under there with a flashlight and started taking stuff apart. This…was not a good idea. One piece was so corroded that it could not be put back together, and so I called the super and started washing my dishes in the bathtub.
As it turns out, the pipes needed to be unclogged with an electric snake. There were a lot of unusual items found down there, such as what appeared to be a hat pin (?). Anyway, this was a job for a professional and probably taking apart pipes you don’t know anything about isn’t such a good idea! On the bright side, my sink is draining so smoothly and washing dishes has become a joy.
Know what else is a joy? Eating this dish. I’ve made it twice- once with taro leaves I fetched from Patel Brothers (aka heaven on Earth) and once with collard greens from the supermarket. Because the taro leaves are larger (seriously, the size of elephant ears), they were easier to roll and made larger pieces, but the collards were just as good. It’s a really interesting recipe with a ton of flavor- a little bit sour, very nutty, acidic and sweet. Soft but crunchy. They might look intimidating (and beautiful!) but they’re really quite easy to assemble. There are some things you should definitely DIY…and some you definitely should not.
Ingredients
- 8 medium-size to large taro leaves or collard greens
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 2 teaspoons toasted cumin-coriander blend (see below)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon ginger chile paste (see below)
- 1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste or concentrate
- Vegetable cooking spray
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon ground asafetida
- 1 medium-size tomato, cored and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 6 to 8 medium-size to large fresh curry leaves
- 1/2 cup shredded fresh coconut
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 8 oz. coarsely chopped fresh ginger
- 12 fresh green Thai, cayenne or serrano chiles, stems removed
Instructions
- To make the spice blend, preheat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the whole spices and toast them, shaking the skillet every few seconds, until they start to crackle and turn reddish brown and the aroma is highly nutty-fragrant with citrus undertones, 1 to 3 minutes.
- Immediately transfer the spices to a plate to cool. (The longer they sit in the hot skillet, the more likely it is that they will burn, making them bitter and unpalatable.) Once they are cool to the touch, place them in a spice grinder or coffee grinder and grind until the texture resembles that of finely ground black pepper. If you don't allow the spices to cool, the ground blend will acquire unwanted moisture from the heat, making the final blend slightly cakey.
- To make the ginger-chile paste, pour 1/2 cup water into a blender jar and then add the ginger and chiles. Adding the water first will ensure a smoother grind. Puree, scraping the inside of the jar as needed, until it forms a smooth, light green paste. Store the paste in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Rinse the leaves (taro or collard) under cold water to wash off any dirt. Working with one leaf at a time, fold them in half lengthwise, alongside the stem. Slice off the tough stem end. When you unfold the leaf, you will have a V-shaped base.
- Combine the chickpea flour, cumin-coriander blend, salt, sugar, cayenne and turmeric in a medium-size bowl. Gradually add 1/4 cup warm water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, whisking until the mixture forms a thick paste with the consistency of smooth peanut butter. Whisk in the ginger-chile paste and tamarind paste.
- Place a leaf on a work surface and place about a tablespoon of the mixture on it. Using a spatula, spread it out to cover as much of the leaf as possible. Use a little more of the paste if needed, but keep in mind that you need enough for the remaining leaves. Place a second leaf on top of the first, with its base at the opposite end of the bottom one, and spread the mixture over this leaf. Repeat the layering twice more. Rolling from one end, roll the 4 layered leaves into a tight log. Repeat with the remaining 4 leaves and paste.
- Lightly spray a steamer basket with cooking spray, and place it in a pan filled halfway with water; or prepare a bamboo steamer for steaming by placing it into a wok filled halfway with water. If you are using a bamboo steamer, line the bottom with wax paper and lightly spray the paper with cooking spray.
- Place the 2 rolled logs in the steamer basket and bring the water to a boil. Once the water comes to a gentle boil, cover the pan and steam until the leaves are olive green and the filling peeking around the edges is opaque and has lost its wet sheen, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the logs to a cutting board and allow them to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover and cook until the seeds have stopped popping (not unlike popcorn), about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the cumin and asafetida, which will instantly sizzle, turn reddish brown, and smell nutty-garlickly. Add the patra slices, arranging them in a single layer, and cook until the undersides are lightly browned, about 1 minute. Flip the slices over and brown the other side, about 1 minute.
- Spread the chopped tomato over the slices, followed by the cilantro and curry leaves. Lower the heat to medium and cover the skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes, during which time the steam rising from within will infuse the patra slices with flavor. Do not stir the slices while this is happening.
- Use a spatula to gently transfer the slices to a platter and spoon the chunky tomatoes and the pan drippings over them. Serve sprinkled with the fresh coconut.
Notes
From 660 Curries
