VANCOUVER — With all the food-shortage crises in the world, we as restaurant owners and others in the food industry should be doing our part by not wasting water, rice and grains.
It is really not about money any more, it is about wastage. When patrons in my restaurant ask how much to order, I always advise them to get a little less and finish what they ordered. They can always ask for more rice or naan, but to see it ordered and then wasted pains me. I usually tell them to take it home and enjoy it the next day.
At home, it's better to have less food in the fridge but go to the market more often to buy fresh ingredients. One thing that amazes me is our ability to hoard food in our freezers and then buy more freezers to store more frozen food.
When I was growing up in India, the food was prepared pretty much every day and the leftovers were used up within a day or two. There was always food in our fridge, but there was no hoarding - and food was never wasted.
Chef Vikram Vij encourages diners at his restaurant to order less – or take leftovers home – so that nothing goes to waste. (Laura Leyshon for The Globe and Mail)
My mother would go down to the market and pick a few vegetables, some onions and tomatoes, and make the meal the same day. Today, my wife, Meeru, does the same. She likes to walk down the vegetable or meat aisle and pick what we are going to eat for the next day or two. Walking to the store is better for your health and it lets you see what fresh ingredients are out there.
Another way to reduce waste is to grow your own herbs and small vegetables. It also looks good and creates oxygen. Even if we do it in our window ledges, we are still growing something, and it helps us feel connected to the plant and brings awareness to the issues around food.
Going without food is like gasping for air. Imagine what it's like for people waking up in the morning and wondering how they're going to gather two square meals for their kids to eat that day. If we do our part and consume a little less, buying what we need and wasting nothing, we can definitely make a difference.
Eggplant and Papaya Curry
WHAT YOU NEED
2 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds)
3 medium to large semi-ripe papayas (about 21/4 pounds)
1/2 cup canola oil
2 very large onions, in 11/2-inch dice (about 11/2 pounds)
3 large ripened tomatoes, in 11/2-inch dice (1 pound)
11/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds
1 large jalapeno pepper, chopped
11/2 tablespoons salt
2 cups black chickpea curry
1 cup chopped cilantro
11/2 teaspoons dried mint leaves (optional)
WHAT YOU DO
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Wrap eggplants and papayas individually in aluminum foil. Place them on a baking tray. Since the papayas will cook faster, place them in the front so you can easily remove them from the oven. Bake papayas for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow them to cool. Continue baking eggplants for one hour more or until they are very soft. The eggplants will become mushy and deflated. Remove eggplants from the oven and cool so you can unwrap the aluminum foil.
Using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, peel papayas and discard the skin. Cut papayas in half. With a spoon, scoop out seeds and discard. Purée papaya flesh in a food processor or finely mash with your hands.
Using a paring knife, peel skins off eggplants. Using a spoon, scrape off any eggplant stuck to the skins. Discard the skins. Coarsely chop eggplants and place in a mixing bowl, then, using your hands, roughly mash the eggplants. They will have nowhere near the smooth consistency of mashed potatoes; instead, there will be some chunks. (You can also place the whole eggplants on a large cutting board and dice them into ¼- to ½-inch pieces.)
Add the papaya purée to the eggplants and mix well. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large heavy frying pan on medium-high heat for one minute. Add onions and sauté until brown, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in tomatoes. Add cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, jalapeno pepper and salt. Cook for 10 minutes. Pour the eggplant and papaya mixture into the masala and stir well. Combine the eggplant and papaya curry with the black chickpea curry and heat on medium for five to 10 minutes or until the mixture is gently boiling. Stir in the chopped cilantro just as you turn off the heat.
Present this curry on six plates with chapatis. Sprinkle with dried mint.
Serves 6 to 8
Black Chickpea Curry
WHAT YOU NEED
1 cup dried black chickpeas
3 cups water for soaking
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 cups water for boiling*
1/2 cup ghee
11/2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 pound onions, chopped (two medium)
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 large juicy tomato, finely chopped
1 large jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon garam masala
1/2 tablespoon mango powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 cups water
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
WHAT YOU DO
Wash and drain black chickpeas. Place chickpeas and the three cups of water in a bowl and soak overnight or for at least six hours.
Drain chickpeas and place in a large pot with salt and the nine cups of water. Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for one hour or until chickpeas are cooked through. The outer skin of black chickpeas is thicker than the skin of regular yellow chickpeas, so taste one or mash one between your fingers to be sure they are fully cooked. Do not drain.
In a separate large pot, heat ghee on medium-high for one minute. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for about 30 seconds. Add onions and sauté for eight minutes, stirring regularly, until golden brown. Add garlic and sauté for two to three minutes.
Stir in tomatoes, then add jalapeno pepper, garam masala, mango powder, turmeric, fenugreek, salt and cayenne. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the masala for five to eight minutes, until ghee glistens on top. Stir in the two cups of water.
Add boiled chickpeas and their water to the masala. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, then cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. (This ensures that the spicing has gone into the chickpeas.) Stir in cilantro.
*Note: This curry is also an ingredient in eggplant and papaya curry. If preparing it for that, boil the chickpeas in only 61/2 cups – not nine cups – water.
Beppi's wine matches
My preferred wine choice would be a slightly sweet riesling, such as Joie Riesling from British Columbia ($20.40) or Henry of Pelham Off-Dry Reserve Riesling from Ontario ($15.95) or an aromatic gewurztraminer-based wine such as the excellent bargain Strewn Two Vines Riesling-Gewurztraminer from Ontario ($11.95).
But if you like red wine and are feeling adventurous, try pairing this offbeat curry with a zinfandel (note: not pink-coloured "white" zinfandel). Red wines usually clash with generously spiced Indian dishes, but three of the ingredients - jalapeno, cumin and cilantro - tend to dance well with the jammy, sometimes raisin-like fruit of big-bodied zinfandel. Consider Ravenswood Vintners Blend (about $20). Hint: Chill it for 15 minutes in the fridge or drop an ice cube into your glass.
Beppi Crosariol
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