Senegalese Chicken: Poulet Yassa

Senegal is a country in western Africa with a population of more than 17 million. The capital of Senegal is Dakar. France took control of part of what is now Senegal, coastal areas and a main island, in the 1600s, but regional chiefs remained in control of much of the interior part of the territory. The coastal area was used for the slave trade, but during Napoleon's time, the British took control of that area, and they abolished slavery. When Napoleon was defeated in 1815 at Waterloo, the British and French began negotiations for the territory to be returned to French control, with one of the conditions being that the slave trade and slavery would remain abolished. Within a year or so, France was once again in control and the French began a campaign to move inland from the coast. The area eventually became a part of French West Africa, which was a French created federation of the French colonial territories in western Africa: French Sudan, Mauritania, French Guinea, Ivory Coast, Upper Volta, Dahomey, Niger and Senegal (Dahomey is now Benin, Upper Volta is now Burkina Faso, French Sudan is now the Republic of Mali). The capital of the federation was the city of Saint Louis, a city in northwestern Senegal. In the summer of 1960, Senegal became independent of France. Senegal's official language is French, but only about a third of the population speak French, and seemingly part of this third of the population speak an African language as their primary means of communication with others in Senegal. Wolof, a language from the Niger-Congo family of languages, is the most widely spoken language in Senegal, followed by Pular, another Niger-Congo language.    

 

"Poulet Yassa" is dish that seemingly originated in southern Senegal, although it has spread not only to other parts of Senegal, but also even to other West African countries. The amount of onion is not a mistake; in fact, many recipes use even more, and it is the onions and chicken that form the core of this dish. The recipe I have put together here is a somewhat more elaborate version, as basic "yassa" does not include carrots or olives, but these are added, also at times with some cabbage, for special occasions for some families, although others prefer this version most of the time. You can make this dish as spicy hot as you want, but part of the dish's "character" is some heat, so at least give it a little heat. You can substitute a milder chili, like jalapeno, or even some ground red pepper, for the habanero or scotch bonnet.     

 

 

Ingredients (about 5 servings):

 

10 pieces of bone-in, skin on chicken; 5 thighs, 5 wings

3 (baseball size) onions, thinly sliced

1 habanero or scotch bonnet chili pepper (or other hot chili pepper), seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt (you can use less, as the chicken stock will likely have salt)

2/3 cup chicken broth, cold, not heated

2 large carrots, peeled and fairly thinly sliced

1/3 cup pimento stuffed olives

3 tablespoons peanut oil for marinade + 2 tablespoon for cooking 

 

In a large bowl or non reactive pan, add the lemon juice, chili pepper, Dijon mustard, ground black pepper, salt, cold broth and 3 tablespoons oil; mix very well, then add the chicken and be sure the pieces are coated with the marinade. Add the sliced onion and mix everything together (mixing by hand is best). Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate a minimum of 3 to 4 hours, but 10 hours is better.  Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it onto a plate/platter. In a large skillet, heat two tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add chicken pieces to the skillet, but don't crowd the pan. Lightly brown the chicken pieces in batches until all have been browned. Remove the chicken pieces to a platter as you finish browning them. Add another tablespoon or two of oil to the skillet if needed, and then add the onions. Move the onions around occasionally, then once the onions begin to soften, turn the heat to low and continue browning the onions, stirring often. You don't want to burn the onions, you just want them to be reduced, softened and nicely browned. Now add the marinade to the onions in the skillet, along with the carrots and olives, and increase the heat again to medium. When the marinade begins to simmer, add the chicken pieces to the skillet and cover the skillet with a lid or foil and simmer for 20 minutes, then check to determine if the chicken and carrots are tender; if not, cover it again and cook 5 more minutes or until they are tender. Stir well and serve with rice.

 

WORD HISTORY:

Project-This is a prefixed word, with the main body being related to a large number of Latin-derived words borrowed into English, for example: "abject," "adjective," "deject," "eject," "inject," "jet," "object," "reject" and "subject." The prefix "pro" is a Latin prefix meaning in some way "in front, ahead of, before, forward" (indeed, it is related, through Indo European," to the "for(e)" part of English "forward" and "before," from the Germanic roots of English). The main part of "project" goes back to Indo European "ye/yeh," meaning "to throw," which gave Latin "iacere," meaning "to throw." Together, Latin had the verb "proicere," meaning "to throw down, throw before, thrust out, stretch forward, cast off," with figurative meanings like "banish," "reject," "jut forth" and "cast a shadow." One of the verb's participle forms was "proiectus," which was used as a noun meaning "(something) thrown down or thrown forth," and this gave Latin the somewhat later noun form "proiectum," with the same meaning. The 'i' pronunciation in Latin produced a 'y' sound; that is, an English 'y,' but rendered as a 'j' in other languages/dialects, which had the word also spelled as "projectum." English borrowed the word from Latin in the early 1400s, and the second half of the 1500s also had the noun take on the meaning "a design, a plan, a plot," which then became its main meaning. The verb was formed from the Latin verb "projectare," which meant "to push forward, to thrust forth." The English use as a verb had the meanings "to plan something," but also generally in a negative sense, "to plot or scheme." Somewhat later one of the word's Latin senses in architecture was also used in English, "to jut out." The further development of the noun was "projector," likely patterned after the same Latin form, circa 1600, then meaning "one who devises and puts forth plans." The 1880s (?) saw the word used for "a device that throws light onto a wall or screen for the purpose of displaying images." The 1930s saw the use of "projects" (plural) for government-subsidized housing for low income residents."             

Kashmiri Potatoes with Yogurt Gravy: Kashmiri Dum Aloo

Unlike many regions of India, in Kashmir, rather than fresh ginger, they use ground ginger (also known to some as ginger powder) in many recipes.

 

There are some distinct recipes for Dum Aloo (a potato dish); that is, the recipes aren't just slight variations of one another, but rather quite different. This Kashmiri version is a bit tart and somewhat spicy, but generally it is less spicy hot than many dishes from the Indian Subcontinent, as it uses Kashmiri chili powder, which isn't nearly as hot as regular Indian chili powder. I included some optional sugar for the recipe, which is based upon my own lukewarm reception for sour/tart tastes in food. Use small potatoes no bigger than a golf ball, and as you can see in the photos below, the dish actually looks like meatballs. You can use regular plain yogurt or Greek yogurt or Indian yogurt (called "curd" by people from the Indian Subcontinent). It is the yogurt that gives the Kashmiri Dum Aloo its tart flavor. Serve with naan or rice or both

 

 

Ingredients (3 to 4 servings): 

1 1/2 pounds small white or golden potatoes

1/4 cup vegetable oil + 2 tablespoons (if needed)

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard + 1 pinch

3/4 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder (or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 2 teaspoons sweet paprika)

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (store bought or freshly ground)

(optional) pinch of asafoetida*

1 teaspoon ground fennel

2/3 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups water (in divided use, if needed)

(optional) up to 1/2 teaspoon sugar

green chilies, chopped, for garnish

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water; cook them only until they are just cooked through, they should not be mushy at all. Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool to room temperature. Peel the potatoes and use a fork to poke some holes in the potatoes, then set them aside briefly. In a cup, add the Kashmiri chili powder (or the cayenne/paprika substitute), the pinch of asafoetida (if using), the ground fennel, the ground ginger, the salt and 3 tablespoons water; mix together very well, set it aside for a little while. In a bowl, add the yogurt and stir it (best to actually whisk it), until it is smooth; then, add the spice mixture to the yogurt and mix it all together well, set it aside. Add a quarter cup of oil to a skillet over medium heat, then stir in the dry mustard. When the oil is hot, add the potatoes and fry them, turning them often, until they are lightly browned (a bit of a crust around the outside). Remove the potatoes to a plate covered with paper towels to drain excess oil. There should still be a couple of tablespoons of oil in the skillet (add more oil if needed). Add the spice/yogurt mixture and lower heat to low. Stir constantly (again, a whisk is good) and add 1/4 cup water, and after that water is incorporated, add 1/2 cup water and continue stirring/whisking. Add the little potatoes into the skillet and now use a spoon to move and turn the potatoes in the gravy. (Add the sugar, if using) Cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil and keep the heat low or even very low. Let the potatoes cook for 5 to 6 minutes. If the gravy is too thick, definitely add more water, up to 1/2 cup, and stir with a spoon to mix it in; let cook another 2 to 3 minutes. If when you remove the lid the first time, the gravy is the consistency you want, remove the skillet from the heat. Serve with rice or naan bread, or both.

 

* Asafoetida is a powdered spice pretty common to the cooking of the Indian Subcontinent and other parts of southern Asia. It is "typically" available in a jar with an opening in the lid to dispense the spice, and there is an airtight lid that closes off the opening to contain the smell. It is also called "hing." Asafoetida is known for its bad smell, but its mellow taste when cooked. When I was a kid, some people still used what were called "asafidity bags" to protect their children from various illnesses, mainly colds and influenza. The bag was worn on a string around the neck, and it contained various foul smelling ingredients, including garlic and asafoetida, which was available from drugstores in those times. It was all superstition from the Middle Ages, and my family didn't believe in it. My people believed an eye of a newt and the toe of a frog would cure you; otherwise, your days were numbered. Ah, or was that your days were numbered because of the eye of a newt and the toe of a frog? Hm...

 

 

Kashmiri Dum Aloo with green chili garnish and rice and naan bread in first two photos  

WORD HISTORY:

Knife-This word's ancient ancestor, Indo European "gen," meant ''pinch, press together, compact;'' thus, it is related to words like "knead," "knot" and "knuckle," all words from the Germanic roots of English, and to "nip" ("a small amount of something," from the idea of "a pinch or something pinched off"), another word from Germanic, but a word English likely borrowed from its close cousin Low German. Indo European "gen" produced the extended form "gneibh/gnaibh," which meant "to pinch." The Indo European form spawned "knibaz" (pinched or pressed together) in its Old Germanic offspring. This then gave Old Norse "knifr" meaning "dagger, knife, short sword," perhaps developed from the idea of "folding knives," what in modern times we call "pocketknives" or "penknives," but such knives have been around dating back to BCE times; after all, they could be easily and safely carried by individuals, or perhaps from the idea of "pressing a blade into wood to make a handle." Obviously, the meaning expanded to be a general word for knives. English borrowed the word from Old Norse (circa 1000?) as "cnif," which then became "knif, before the modern form. The verb form came from the noun in the mid 1800s. Exactly when the 'k' became silent isn't really known; after all, there are no audio recordings from long ago, but it likely took a little time to become common and it "probably" took place beginning in the 1400s and extending well into the 1500s, and perhaps even into the early part of the 1600s. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has the noun "Kneipe," meaning "pub, tavern." It was seemingly taken into standard German from "student lingo" of the 1700s (in dialect from Saxony?^), from the idea of "people gathering together in close proximity to drink and socialize," and dialectal "Kneip" (shoemaker's knife), and "Knifte," originally "long bladed knife," but also, "a slice of bread;" that is, "something that is cut with a knife." German has the verb "kneifen," meaning "to pinch," but also "to shirk, evade or back out of a duty or some action,"^^ but "kneifen" is a borrowing from Middle Low German "knipen," which initially was taken by German as "kneipen," then subsequently given the High German replacement of "p" with "f." Low German has the verb "kniepen" (yes, the modern form is spelled with 'ie'), meaning "to pinch, to squeeze," and also a noun "Knief" (knife), which is seemingly now a secondary word, West Frisian has the verb "knipe" (to pinch, to squeeze) and the noun "knyp," "a pinch," perhaps a bit old fashioned nowadays, Dutch has "knijf," originally as "cnif" and meaning "long bladed knife," but in modern usage seemingly confined to dialect as "pocketknife," Icelandic has "hnifur" (knife), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish "kniv" (all mean 'knife'). Note: French has "canif," which was originally "knif" in Old French, a word absorbed from Germanic Frankish "knif." French also has the related word "canivet" (originally as "kenif") meaning "dagger, short knife," from the same Frankish source, but perhaps with reinforcement from Norse and English (the term seems to have come from Normandy, and the Normans were originally Norse speakers who settled there. 

 

^ Saxony is one of the German states in the eastern part of Germany bordering on the Czech Republic. Its capital is Leipzig. A few hundred years ago, the dialect there, which was also spoken in what is now the separate German state of "Saxon-Anhalt," and which is closely related to the dialect of Thuringia, a neighboring state, had major influences on what became standard German, with one of the major  reasons being that Martin Luther was from that region, and he used much of this general dialect to translate the Bible into German. 

 

^^ This meaning comes from the idea of "being fast and able to escape from a tight or pressing situation." In English we often express it as "I got out of a jam."

Batanga Cocktail

Easy to make great cocktail, which seemingly was created in Tequila, Mexico circa 1960.

 

 

Ingredients (per cocktail):

 

2 ounces tequila

5 to 6 ounces Coca Cola

1 or 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice + more to coat the rim of the glass

ice

salt to coat the rim of the glass (use coarse salt if you have it, but use what you have)

slice of lime for garnish

tall glass (about 10 ounces)

 

Salt the rim of the glass by running a piece of lime around the rim (the top and the outside rim of the glass). Add some coarse salt to a plate. Dip the rim of the glass into the salt, then tilt the glass to get the outside rim of the glass coated with salt too. Add the tequila, Coke and lime juice to the glass, stir to mix, then add ice. Attach a slice of lime to the glass as a garnish.

WORD HISTORY:

Foreign-This word is distantly related to "door," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Foreign" goes back to Indo European "dhwer," which meant "door, gate," and this gave Latin the adverb "foris"^ meaning "outdoors, outside," which then gave Latin "foraneus" meaning "on the outside, on the exterior," which gave Old French "forain" meaning "external, outside, outer," and also used as a noun meaning, "one from outside of a an area, region or country." English borrowed the word in the early 1300s, initially as "foran/foreyn(e)," adjective use meaning "from outside a given area," and the noun use for persons, "one born elsewhere, one from another area, a stranger." Initially in English, as was the usage in French, the adjective and noun had the same spelling, and it wasn't until the 1400s that English developed "foreigner," initially as "foreyner." Note: "Strange" and "stranger" are English borrowings from French, but interestingly in modern French, forms of these words have come to be the terms for "foreign/foreigner."  

^ Latin also had the noun form "foris" (plural: fores), which meant "door, gate, opening, entrance/exit."

South Indian Eggplant Curry: Kattirikkay Kari

This dish is a great way to use eggplant, but it is a tad oily, as eggplant is known for sopping up oil, but I tried to limit the oil, and I've seen recipes for this dish that use far more oil. Serve this dish with rice and flatbread.

 

Ingredients:  

2 medium eggplants, well rinsed and stem area cut off

1 teaspoon ground turmeric, divided use

2 teaspoons salt, divided use

6 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use

2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

2 cups sliced or chopped red onion

5 cloves of garlic, minced

2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 medium green chili peppers (or 4 small), chopped

4 small tomatoes (or 2 medium), chopped

12 to 15 curry leaves*

2 teaspoons ground red pepper (cayenne or other hot ground red pepper)

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 cups water 

2/3 cup coconut milk

chopped coriander (also known as cilantro) for garnish

 

Wash and dry the eggplant, cut it into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Add 3 tablespoons oil to a pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the eggplant pieces, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric. Stir the eggplant around and turn it as it fries until it is browned (add 1 more tablespoon of oil during the frying); then, remove the eggplant to a plate or a bowl. (I empty the oil from the skillet, but you can leave it if you'd like.) I then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the black mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the the sliced red onion and saute until the onion softens, then add the tomatoes, the chopped green chilies, minced garlic and grated ginger; let cook about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring and breaking up the tomatoes as they cook. Then add the other 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons red chili pepper, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 2 teaspoons ground cumin and the curry leaves (or grated lime peel and torn basil leaves); stir well, then add water and stir well again. After 3 minutes add the browned eggplant, stir, cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the lid, stir, then stir in the coconut milk; cook a further 3 minutes uncovered. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, also known to many as cilantro. Serve with rice.

 

* Curry leaves are a common addition to southern Indian cooking. Just a few years ago, your chances of finding curry leaves outside of the Indian Subcontinent were likely not very good, but now curry leaves are much more available, including here in the United States, where they are sometimes frozen, but also they can be found fresh in a clear packet (they are not expensive and they keep well in the refrigerator). If you don't have access to curry leaves, you can substitute 1 tablespoon grated lime peel and about 6 basil leaves torn into smaller pieces. Understand, "curry leaves" have nothing to do with "curry powder," nor with "curries," the types of spiced dishes, except that on occasion the leaves are used in some curries.          

 

 

South Indian Eggplant Curry with a piece of methi thepla flatbread ...("methi thepla" is a flatbread made from whole wheat and fenugreek leaves, and it is popular in Gujarat, an Indian state in western India with a coastline on the Arabian Sea region of the Indian Ocean.  

 

WORD HISTORY:

Crater-This word is related to "grail" (cup), a word from Latin and borrowed by English via French; however, where Latin got the word is in question. "Crater" goes back to Indo European "kerh/kere," with the meaning "to mix;" thus also figuratively "to confuse." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek the noun "krater" meaning "bowl" ("a dish used to mix ingredients"),^ and this was borrowed by Latin as "crater," meaning "basin," with the later additional meaning of "opening at the top of a volcano;" that is, "a basin shaped opening." English borrowed the word in the early part of the 1600s with the "top opening of a volcano" meaning and the meanings then expanded to "depressions in the ground made by meteors and by the explosion of artillery shells (later by bombs dropped from airplanes). The verb form is from the noun in the mid 1800s, initially meaning "to make a crater," as in, "The bomb cratered just a short distance from our house," but the figurative sense became common in usage; that is, "to fall from a high position," as in, "After winning 3 games in a row, our team cratered in the standings by losing 9 of 10 games." 

  

^ Some feel that the ultimate Indo European source is the same Indo European source as for modern English "horn;" that is, "k(h)er," which had the notion "top of the body, head;" thus, "animal horn." Now, some animal horns were used as vessels for drinks, and wine and water were often mixed together in them.  

Indian Tomato Raita (Tomato/Yogurt Salad)

"Raita" is pronounced as if, "rite-ah." Raita is often served in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal to "cool" the palate and stomach after spicy dishes have been eaten.

 

Make sure to use finely chopped ingredients.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup plain yogurt, stirred or whisked so that's it's smooth

1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes (seeds removed)

1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon finely chopped green chili (serrano chili pepper is good, or unripened cayenne pepper)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons finely chopped mint

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Put the yogurt into a bowl and stir or whisk it so that it's smooth. (Optional) You can preheat a small dry skillet over medium heat and add the ground cumin for just like 10 seconds (shaking the skillet), and remove from the heat and let it cool down before adding it to the other ingredients; or, you can just add the ground cumin to the raita without toasting it. Add all of the ingredients to the bowl and mix everything together well.   

WORD HISTORY:

Tank-This word has an uncertain origin, and there are at least a couple lines of thought on its ancient history, but to me, the best history is the idea that "tank" was a word borrowed by Portuguese, as "tanque," from a language in India in the early 1600s, perhaps from transliterated Gujarati "tankh" (I also found it as "tanki" and "tanku"), with meanings like "cistern, pool, reservoir." Some believe this goes back to Sanskrit^ "tadaga" meaning "pond or lake."^^ Portuguese took the word back to the Iberian Peninsula from India and it passed into Spanish also as "tanque," and into English (circa 1609-10). I don't necessarily dispute the English borrowing, but both the Portuguese and the English were heavily involved in India in those times; so, in theory, English could have borrowed the word right in India, or it could have at least reinforced a borrowing from Portuguese in English. The meaning in English at the time was "a pool used as a water supply," obviously closely tied to the Gujarati meaning of "cistern, pool, reservoir." From this, the meaning "container" developed. Now ... during World War One, "a vehicle of armor with a mounted machine gun moving on caterpillar tracks" was dubbed "a tank" purely for deception purposes, but the name stuck when the British first used "tanks" in action in the autumn of 1916. This meaning was borrowed by Portuguese, proving "what goes around, comes around." The verb form "tank" came from the noun and had the meaning "to put something into a tank," with that meaning seemingly used to give a figurative meaning "to fail, to lose badly, to give up on achieving something;" which came about in the 20th Century, but exactly when, is tough to pin down, although the late 1960's tennis world is a possibility.

 

^ Sanskrit is an ancient language from the Indo-Iranian branch of Indo European; thus, it is related to English, although much further down the family tree. It is still in use to some degree, especially in India, with ancient texts of religious significance to Hindus and Buddhists.   

 

^^ One source says the Sanskrit form "tadaga goes back to Dravidian, but without any way to connect the word to that language family. Dravidian is a family of languages spoken primarily in southern India, but also to some extent in Pakistan and on the island of Sri Lanka.