Goan-Style Meatball Curry

Goa is a small state on the southern half of India's western coast. It's capital city is Panaji. The Goan region was a colony of Portugal for more than 450 years, ending only in 1961 with annexation to India. The main language is Konkani, an Indo European language; and thus, a relative of English, although further down the family tree. Up until more recent decades, varying degrees of Portuguese was known by some segment of the population. Hinduism is the majority religion in Goa, but about a quarter of the state's population is Christian, a result of Portuguese involvement for such a long time, and Muslims are about 8 to 9%. To give some perspective, Christianity is only about two and one half percent of India's overall population. The influences of the Portuguese, and of Christianity and Islam, show up in Goa's cuisine, as beef is not uncommon in Goa (practicing Hindus do not eat beef).

 

 

Ingredients (3 to 5 servings): 

1 1/4 pounds ground lamb

2/3 teaspoon ground cumin 

2/3 teaspoon ground turmeric

2/3 teaspoon ground pepper

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 finely chopped onion

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 green chili pepper (serrano is good for this), chopped

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped coriander (also called cilantro)

2 eggs

1/2 cup bread crumbs (fine not panko) 

 

Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix them together well. Form the mixture into meatballs about the size of pingpong balls.

For the curry sauce:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped onion (small chop)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 whole cloves

10 to 12 curry leaves

2 cardamom pods, slit 

1 1/2 inch piece of cinnamon stick

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

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

1 or 2 green chilies, left whole, but slit, or chopped up (your choice)   

1 cup water

1 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup crushed tomato

3/4 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon salt (more or less by your preference)

(optional) 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup chopped coriander (cilantro) 

In a large skillet (or pan), add the oil over medium heat, then add the onion and saute for 90 seconds, then add the garlic, cloves, curry leaves, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick; saute 1 minute. Add the ground turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, Kashmiri chili powder (or cayenne pepper and paprika), crushed tomatoes and the green chilies; mix everything around; then, add 1 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Allow the sauce to come to a light boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a nice gentle simmer and let cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and allow the sauce to return to a gentle simmer, then stir in the garam masala, salt and sugar. Now carefully add the meatballs to the sauce and cover the skillet/pan with a lid or foil. Let cook for 5 minutes, then remove the lid/foil and turn each meatball, cover the pan again, reduce the heat to low and cook another 8 minutes. Remove the lid and sprinkle the chopped coriander over the curry. Use a fork to mix about half of the chopped coriander into the sauce. Remove the curry from the heat and let sit just a minute or two before serving with rice on the side and/or naan or chapati flatbread. (Note: If you'd like to make your own chapati flatbread, here is the recipe: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2018/10/easy-flatbread-of-indian-subcontinent.html    

 

WORD HISTORY:

Clad-This word was actually the past tense and past participle (now archaic) of "(to) clothe," used adjectivally; thus, "clad" means "clothed, covered." In the Middle Ages, the adjective form was "cladde" (the ending 'e' pronounced 'eh'), then "clad."

For the verb "clothe," here is the link to that article: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2012/11/its-about-coalitions-not-purity-part_22.html?m=1

Indian (Goan) Pork Vindaloo

What a great dish! First, it is best to plan on preparing the base of this dish the day before you actually will be cooking and serving it, as you'll need to let the meat and seasoning paste sit in the refrigerator for 8 to 12, or even 15 hours. 

 

"Vindaloo" is the Indian rendering of Portuguese "vinha d'alhos;" that is, "wine and garlic," a dish the Portuguese took to India when they had colonial holdings there from the 1500s until 1961. I've simplified the seasonings for this dish by using already ground spices. But, if you want to make your own seasoning paste totally from scratch, to a food processor, add 10 dried Kashmiri chilies (seeded), 2 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, 6 medium garlic cloves (peeled), 4 teaspoons whole cumin seeds, 8 black peppercorns, 10 green cardamom pods, a 2 to 2 1/2 inch cinnamon stick, 4 whole cloves, 2 teaspoons black, brown or yellow mustard seeds. Process these ingredients together with the red wine vinegar, salt and brown sugar, until smooth, then continue with the instructions below.  

Naturally there are some variations in recipes for Vindaloo, but I've not found many huge differences in recipes among people from the Indian Subcontinent; although I've seen a small number of recipes that use tomatoes or tomato paste, which, from my understanding, is not typical of Vindaloo in India. Also, the Goan rendering of this Portuguese-based dish uses "aloo" at the end, and that is the word (in various transliterated spellings) on much of the Subcontinent for "potato," and so some Indian recipes use potatoes in the recipe; although in this case, the ending does not mean "potato." Just from what I've heard and read at times, Vindaloo was taken back to Britain in the days when much of the Subcontinent was a British colony (but the Portuguese still had Goa as a colony there). People in Britain seemingly expected the dish to be spicy hot, and so when people in the UK made their interpretations of Vindaloo, they made it hot, a reputation that the British-style Vindaloo served in Indian or Indian-themed restaurants still carries to this day. Remember, people of the Subcontinent eat spicy hot food on a regular basis, so some of the things people from elsewhere might call "hot," may not cause so much as a twitch in a native of the Subcontinent. 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

 

2 pounds fresh pork shoulder, cut into bite-size pieces 

(optional) 2 whole dried red chilies

2 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated

6 medium garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons Kashmiri chili powder, if you have it,* or substitute 1 tablespoon ground red pepper (cayenne) + 2 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper 

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons dry mustard  

2 teaspoons salt

1 red onion (baseball size), peeled and finely chopped 

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon brown sugar (light or dark)

4 tablespoons oil (vegetable, canola, sunflower or peanut are good)

1 cup water (more, if needed)

 

Make sure to cut the pork into bite-size pieces of about the same size, so that the meat cooks evenly. Put the grated ginger and the minced garlic into a bowl. Mash the ginger and garlic into a combined paste (a mortar and pestle is great for this). Into a bowl, add the ginger/garlic paste, Kashmiri chili powder (or the cayenne/sweet paprika substitute), ground cumin, ground black pepper, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground mustard, salt, red wine vinegar and brown sugar; mix it all together very well into a kind of paste. Into another large dish (non-reactive), add the pork pieces and the seasoning paste. Mix to coat all of the pork pieces with the paste, cover and put it into the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours. Remove the meat from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you begin cooking. To a heavy-bottomed pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saute for about five minutes (it's okay for the onions to get lightly browned, don't let them get dark), then add the paste coated meat to the pan/skillet, the whole dried chilies (if using), along with one cup of water (add it carefully, the oil in the pan will spatter), stir minimally, and let it come to a simmer, and stir a bit. Turn the heat to low (it should gently simmer) and cover. Check occasionally and stir, add a little more water, if the dish is too thick (2 or 3 tablespoons at a time, up to 1/3 cup, but you don't want the sauce to be watery). Let simmer and continue to stir occasionally until the meat is very tender. Serve with rice, and don't forget the naan bread to sop up the wonderful sauce, usually called "gravy" by people of the Subcontinent. 

* If you go to Indian/Pakistani restaurants and you see dishes that are more than a little red in color, it is likely from the use of Kashmiri chili powder, as it gives dishes their very red color; but in spite of its fiery red color, Kashmiri chili powder is not terribly hot like regular Indian chili powder, which is like cayenne pepper.

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Ail (ailment)-"Ail" is apparently related to "awe" (thus also to awful and awesome),^ but the actual origin of "ail" is shaky, although it certainly seems to be a Germanic word, and it might have eventually come from a couple of Germanic words with "shaded" meanings, perhaps with the same Germanic source, but then consolidated into what is now "ail." "Ail" goes back to Indo European "agh," and its suffixed form "aghlo/eghlo," which meant, "to be afraid, to be distraught, to be unsettled." This gave Old Germanic "aglijanan," meaning "to cause pain (of living things), to damage (of inanimate things)," and this gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "eglan" meaning "to cause pain, to afflict, to trouble," and this then became "eilen," and "ailen," before the modern form. "Ail" has always carried not only the sense of physical pain, but also of mental anguish; thus, "What ails him," can just as well be in reference to what's bothering or troubling him in a mental anguish sense, as something that's physically wrong. The noun ailment was derived from the verb, in the 1600s or 1700s (? sources conflict). German has "ekeln," a verb meaning "to be disgusted, to feel disgust (about or toward)," but it seems to have been taken on from Low German, which has had various forms over the years like: "eglen," "ekelen," "eichelen," meaning "to be irritated/angered, to feel displeasure, to be disgusted" (German and Low German also have the noun "Ekel," meaning "disgust").

^ "Awe" is a Germanic-based word, but it was borrowed by English from Old Norse.

Punjabi Potatoes in Onion & Tomato Gravy: Dum Aloo

"Dum Aloo," also called "Aloo Dum" and other terms, has some regional variations, with this recipe here being based upon the style prepared in Punjab. Punjab is a region with parts in northern India and Pakistan. The part of Punjab in India is one of India's states, while the part in Pakistan is a province of Pakistan. The Indian state of Punjab has a majority Sikh population, the only Indian state with such, and in Pakistani Punjab, Sikhs are also part of the population, but they are far from a majority there.     

 

This Punjabi style potato dish is not terribly spicy hot, and it is thickened with ground cashews.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 1/2 pounds of small white or small Yukon Gold potatoes

water for cooking the potatoes, seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil

3 tablespoons yogurt, stirred so that it's smooth

1/2 cup chopped tomato, seeded (small chop)

1/3 cup chopped red onion (small chop)

1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

(optional) 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida 

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

3 teaspoons Kashmiri ground red pepper (or 1 teaspoon cayenne and 2 teaspoons sweet paprika)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 inch piece cinnamon stick

2 whole cloves

2 green cardamom pods, slit or cracked 

3 whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 cup water

15 cashews, ground into meal

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped

 

Rinse the potatoes, then in a pan cover the potatoes with water and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Boil the potatoes over medium heat. Cook until the potatoes are just cooked through, they should not be mushy at all. Drain the potatoes well, let them cool a little, then peel them (the peels/skins should come off pretty easily). In a skillet, add the 5 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the potatoes and let them fry, turning them often, until they are lightly browned. Remove the potatoes to a dish and set aside. Drain oil from the skillet to leave only about 2 tablespoons in the skillet over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, whole cloves, cardamom pods and peppercorns, stir often and let them fry for about 1 1/2 minutes, then add the onion and saute another 2 minutes before adding the chopped tomato, ginger and garlic, stir and keep breaking up the tomatoes. Continue cooking the ingredients until the onion softens, then add the asafoetida (if using), turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder (or cayenne/paprika substitute), ground coriander and ground cumin, stir well to mix. Cook for another 2 minutes, then add the fenugreek leaves, yogurt and sugar and stir to mix them in, then add 1 cup water and stir to mix everything well. Let the mixture come to a steady simmer (adjust heat to maintain the simmer), add the potatoes to the skillet, cover the skillet (lid or foil) and let everything simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, then gradually stir in the ground cashews and salt; continue simmering everything without a cover. When the gravy (sauce) begins to thicken, stir in the chopped cilantro (coriander). Serve with naan, roti or rice.

 

WORD HISTORY:

Kin-"Kin" is related to "kind," both the noun (meaning "type, classification") and the adjective (meaning "friendly, helpful"), and it is related, through Indo European, to "gender," a Latin-based word borrowed by English from French. It goes back to Indo European "gen/gn," which meant "produce, beget, give birth." The Old Germanic offspring was "kunjan/kunjam," which gave Old English "cynn," with the meaning "family," but also meaning "race, kind (as in, "what kind of plant is that?")." As for the other Germanic languages, it also gave German "Kind," (pronounced with a short "i," and the "d" is pronounced "t") obviously related to the English words of that spelling, but it means "child" in German, as it also does in Dutch; Norwegian has "kjønn," Danish has "køn," Swedish has "kön," and Icelandic has "kynlíf," but all of these mean "sex," in the sense "gender." In the 1100s, English also developed "kindred" from the base word, with the "red" suffix from Germanic meaning "condition, state (of)."

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."

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 Kidney Bean Curry: Rajma Masala

There are various recipes for kidney bean curries in the northern part of the Indian Subcontinent, with red kidney beans commonly used, including in Nepal and Bangladesh (light or dark red type), but brown type pinto beans are used in some places. In the Kashmir region, onion and garlic are not always used by everyone, and they also use Kashmiri ground red pepper, which is very red, but not as hot as regular Indian ground red chili powder. This regular hot Indian red chili powder is generally used elsewhere in India (it is very much like cayenne pepper). If you don't have Kashmiri chili powder, you can use 2/3 teaspoon sweet paprika (not the smoked type common in Spain) and 1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper as a substitute, but then still add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or other hot red pepper) in the recipe. I know some folks don't like much heat, but actually this isn't a red hot dish that will cause smoke to billow out of your mouth. A fairly common connection in the various recipes is that the beans are cooked and then some are mashed to varying degrees, and this helps to thicken the curry without any other ingredients being added. 

  

The kidney bean curry is almost always served with a nice portion of rice next to it, and then it is referred to as "Rajma Chawal" (kidney beans and rice), but pickled red onions are another good accompaniment.*  

 

By the way, I've found that this is one of those dishes that improves when the leftovers are put in the refrigerator until the next day; so, the curry is great to serve then too.

 

 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

 

2 cans of kidney beans (14.5 to 16 ounces), rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or other neutral oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated or finely chopped

1 small to medium green chili (a jalapeno chili is fine), chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped red onion

1 1/2 cups tomato puree

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (or 2/3 teaspoon sweet paprika + 1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or regular Indian chili powder)

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon fenugreek leaves

2 teaspoons salt 

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (also known to some as 'coriander') 

1 cup warm water

 

Add 2 tablespoons oil to a pan or skillet (I use a 10 inch diameter skillet) over medium heat; add the chopped red onion and saute until the onions just start to brown a bit. Add the garlic, ginger and green chili, saute a further 1 or 2 minutes (the onion should be softened and with some brown color to it). Add the tomato puree, ground turmeric, chili powders (Kashmiri or the substitute + cayenne pepper), ground coriander, ground cumin, fenugreek leaves and salt; stir to mix everything together well and cook for about 4 or 5 minutes; then add the water and mix everything together well. Add the kidney beans, stirring well. Let the curry come to a boil, then adjust the heat to maintain a nice steady simmer; cook for 8 to 10 minutes, then use a fork or potato masher and mash the mixture, so that about a third to a half of the beans are mashed to some degree (they don't have to be totally mashed), then mix all together well. Add the chopped cilantro (fresh coriander) and mix in and cook another 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with either rice, pickled onions or naan bread (or chapati/roti bread), or go for it and serve with rice, pickled onions and one of the bread types. 

    

* For how to make easy pickled red onions, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2023/03/indian-style-pickled-red-onions.html

  

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Soufflé (also souffle)-The main part of this word is related to "bladder" and to "blow" (to move air), both from the Germanic roots of English, and to "inflate," a word English borrowed directly from Latin. "Souffle" is formed of two parts, with the first part going back to Indo European "upo," meaning "up, up from beneath, up from under." The main part goes back to Indo European "bhle(h)," meaning "to blow." This gave Old Italic "flao" meaning "to blow" (with the  'b' of Indo European rendered as 'f' in Italic), and this gave Latin "flare" with the meanings "to blow, to breathe." These forms gave Latin "sufflare" meaning "to blow up with air, to inflate," and this passed into Old French as "souffler" (initially 'sofler?') meaning "to blow up, to inflate, to blow out (exhale);" thus, the figurative "to whisper." This gave French the noun "soufflé" from the participle form of "souffler" and essentially meaning "that which is puffed up," and used as a culinary term for "a dish with beaten egg whites that are folded into other ingredients, and which then make the dish 'puff up' when baked." English borrowed the word from French, circa 1815.

Indian Spiced Tomato Soup: Tamatar Shorba

For the tomatoes, you can use fresh tomatoes or canned, or a mixture of the two, and if you don't get all of the seeds removed, don't have a panic attack, because it won't end civilization. This recipe does not give you an intensely spicy hot soup, but if you like spicy hot foods, you can add a chili pepper or two to the tomatoes before putting them into the blender or processor; and, you can add another teaspoon or two of Indian chili powder (cayenne paper) to the soup, too. You can also add a teaspoon or two of sugar to take some of the edge off of the acidic tomatoes. And it is not totally uncommon for some Indians to add some cream to the soup for a cream of tomato soup.  

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

3 cups roughly chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned), seeds removed

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons grated ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon Indian chili powder or cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons chopped coriander (aka cilantro)

(optional) 1/3 cup heavy cream  

 

Add the chopped tomatoes to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. In a pan/pot over medium heat, heat the oil, then add the grated ginger and minced garlic; cook, stirring it around, for about one minute. Add all the other ingredients, except the chopped coriander (cilantro), stir well and bring the mixture to a boil. Adjust heat to maintain a steady simmer for about 12 minutes. Stir in the chopped cilantro and heavy cream (if using), and simmer for just another 1 to 2 minutes. 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Steward (Stewardess)-The first part of this compound is related to "sty" (pen for animals), a word from the Germanic roots of English, and the second part is related to quite a number of words, including: "aware," "beware," "ware" (commonly in the plural, "wares," goods, merchandise), "wary," all from the Germanic roots of English, and to "guard" (verb), a word borrowed from French, which had it from Germanic Frankish (the noun of the same spelling is also from French, and it was formed in French from the verb). The "ste" part of the word goes back to Old English "stig," which later became "sti," and meant "animal pen, pig pen, house, hall," ( hall with its meaning of "room," as in "dining hall, dance hall, beer hall"). The "ward" part goes back to the Old English noun "weard," meaning "guard, watchman." The two parts gave Old English "stigweard," roughly meaning "keeper of a household," often of the Anglo-Saxon nobility, and this then became "stiward," which then became "steward." The Anglo-Norman nobility used the term with similar meaning, but often for "a manager of an entire estate for a noble." The 1400s saw the term also used for "an officer in charge of food and drink on a ship," a meaning that later transferred to trains and airplanes, although now usually replaced in American English with "flight attendant." The family name spelled with an ending 't' is from Scotland, where the royal house was "Stewart," which later Mary, Queen of Scots changed to the French spelling "Stuart" in the 1500s, apparently because her mother was from a French-speaking area of Lorraine, in those times still a part of the Old German Empire. The feminine form "stewardess" (initially "stewardesse?) is from the 1630s simply formed by the suffix "ess(e)" from French, which had it from Latin "issa," from transliterated Greek "issa" (perhaps related to the Old English female denoting suffix "icge" and Dutch "egge." The verb "steward" came from the noun in the first quarter of the 1600s with the meaning "to carry out the duties of a steward." Apparently only Icelandic has a related form of "steward" in the other Germanic languages, "stívarður" (meaning "steward").  

Turmeric & Spice Milk: Golden Milk

As you likely already know, heating milk can be difficult, as it often sticks or even burns, and then cleaning the pan is not the least bit fun, unless you have some sort of self-hatred complex. I probably looked at 15 recipes for this drink, and many recommended using a heavy bottomed pan, as well as stirring constantly. Some cooks suggest that you add a small amount of water to the empty heavy bottomed pan, before adding the milk, and to heat the milk over low heat.

Some suggest this milk before bedtime to help you sleep, but I drank some a little while ago and I experienced no such ... zzzz, zzzz, zzz

 

Ingredients (2 servings or 3 small servings):

 

2 cups milk (or almond milk)

2 inch piece fresh ginger, grated

1 inch piece peeled fresh turmeric, grated (or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric)

2 inch cinnamon stick

2 whole cloves

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons honey

 

In a heavy bottom sauce pan, heat all of the ingredients, except the honey and the butter, over low heat, stirring or whisking constantly. When the milk is steaming, but not boiling, remove it from the heat and cover it; let it steep for about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the butter and honey, stir until the butter is melted and the honey is dissolved, and both are distributed through the milk. Strain into cups or into heat-proof glasses. You can sprinkle a little ground cinnamon, ground cardamom or ground turmeric on top.

 

I put a little ground cardamon on top ...

WORD HISTORY:

Cue-There is more than one word in English of this spelling, but this is the noun most commonly used in acting, and meaning, "a signal by words or action by one actor that another actor is to appear or perform in some way." This word is actually a bit of a mystery, although one explanation seems to make sense; that is, it is the phonetic spelling of the letter "Q" (mid 1500s?) from the Latin adverb "quando," which means "when," as the letter "Q" was often written on the scripts of performers to indicate when they were to appear, and/or, speak. "Quando" is related to quite a number of words, like "quote" (initially a verb), a Latin word borrowed from French, but with Latin influence, and to a number of "question words" like "when," "where," "who," "what," all from the Germanic roots of English, but related to the Latin word via the Indo European root "kwi/kwo." The verb form "cue" meaning "to give someone a prompt or signal to perform" is from the 1920s. (Note: The other forms of "cue" are not related.)      

Creamy, Strong Chai: Karak Chai

Here in the U.S., when we hear the word "chai," we think of tea prepared with some sort of spice component. The thing is, on the Indian Subcontinent, the word "chai" simply means "tea." This chai is different from what most people would think of as "regular" chai; that is, "spiced tea" (masala chai) on the Indian Subcontinent, or at your local cafe down the street,* as it is a stronger brew of tea (with higher caffeine content), which is the actual meaning of "karak chai" (also "kadak"), "strong tea." It is common in India, Pakistan, the Gulf region of the Middle East (brought there by Indian immigrants), especially in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, but there are variations in recipes. This tea uses a rather high proportion of whole milk or evaporated milk, which makes it thick and creamy, and it tends to be modestly flavored by some spices, but it is cooked for a somewhat longer time. "Karak chai" is generally something of a tan color up to something more of a brown or an orangish brown color. Some add a few saffron threads, but this addition is far more common in the Gulf region of the Middle East. 

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) water

5 teaspoons black tea

4 or 5 teaspoons sugar 

1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

3 whole cloves

1 1/2 inch cinnamon stick

4 crushed cardamom pods

2 slightly crushed whole peppercorns  

(optional) good pinch of saffron threads

Add the water to a pot/pan over medium heat and bring to a boil, then adjust the heat to maintain a steady gentle simmer. Add the cloves, crushed cardamom, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, sliced ginger,  and, if using, saffron threads; simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the tea and stir and keep stirring at a light, steady pace as the tea simmers; about another 3 minutes. Add the milk and sugar, stir further to mix and to dissolve the sugar. When the tea is heated again, strain it into individual cups. Note: This tea is supposed to be sweet, but you can add sugar to the pan in some basic amount, but then have the sugar bowl nearby for those who like their chai sweeter. 

 

 

* For "chai," here is the link:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/08/chai-pronounced-like-cheye.html

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Mere-There are noun forms of the same spelling, but this is the adjective (and the derived adverb, "merely"), and the noun forms are unrelated to the adjective. The origin of this word is uncertain, but it seems to go back to Indo European "merh-o,"^ which meant "remaining (the same);" thus, "pure, unaltered." This gave Latin "merus" (via Italic "mero"), meaning "unaltered, unmixed, pure;" thus also, "real."^^ This gave Latin-based Old French "mier," also meaning "pure;" thus also, "total, complete," and English borrowed the word in the latter part of the 1300s, initially with the meaning "pure, clear (of sound), unaltered," and then "absolute, sheer;" thus, "simply, only." The adverb "merely" developed in the mid 1400s meaning "of nothing more, only, solely."     

^ Some believe "mere" goes back to Indo European "mer," meaning "gleaming, shining," but I'm not convinced.

 

^^ See "Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages" (Volume 7 of the Leiden Indo-European Etymological Series, by Michiel de Vaan, Brill (Publishing), Leiden (Netherlands), Boston (U.S.), 2008. 

Kerala Prawn (Shrimp) Curry: Chemmeen Kari

Kerala is a state along the seacoast in southwestern India, and seafood dishes are common there. Most recipes use coconut milk in this dish, which of course lightens the color, but I've seen a couple of recipes that omit the coconut milk, and the nice red color of the dish draws me to it. I know the list of ingredients looks intimidating, but it really shouldn't scare you at all, and if you cook Indian food at home often, and you already have a lot of spices, you should be pretty well set to make this dish, with the possible exceptions of curry leaves, which are common in southern Indian cooking, and black mustard seeds. Curry leaves can be found in Indian and Pakistani grocery stores and perhaps in "some" spice shops. They are often frozen, but I've actually found fresh curry leaves here in Cleveland at an Indian grocery store. Curry leaves have a combination of a citrusy and basil like taste. You can substitute basil leaves along with some grated lime peel. Black mustard seeds are available at spice shops, Indian/Pakistani grocers and at some supermarkets.

 

I've made this dish a couple of times before, but when I made it for this article, I decided to substitute tomato juice for the water I had used before, and I now prefer to use tomato juice.

Serve with basmati rice ...

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pound raw medium shrimp, shelled and cleaned

4 tablespoons vegetable or sunflower oil

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 large onion (softball size), quartered and then sliced

2 teaspoons grated ginger

4 medium cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 or 2 red chilies, cut into 4 or 5 pieces each

1 cup chopped tomato

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground red pepper (like cayenne, or for milder: 1/2 sweet paprika, 1/2 cayenne)

1 heaping teaspoon ground black pepper

12 to 15 curry leaves (or substitute 1 tablespoon grated lime peel and like 6 or 8 torn basil leaves)

1/3 cup tomato juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cardamom pods, crushed or slit 

2 heaping tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, aka coriander 

Heat oil over medium heat (I list 4 tablespoons of oil, but I suggest using 3 tablespoons, then adding the remaining tablespoon, if necessary), add the black mustard seeds and cook for a minute or until the seeds begin to "pop." Add the onions and saute until they begin to soften, then add the ginger, garlic and fennel seed; saute another minute, then add the chilies and cook for 90 seconds, then add the tomato and cook for 3 minutes. Add the salt, turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground red pepper (or the half and half mixture), ground black pepper, curry leaves (or grated lime/basil leaves substitute), tomato juice, ground cinnamon, cardamom pods (crushed or slit) and cook for another 6 minutes, before adding the shrimp and cook a further 6 minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of the chopped cilantro, stir and cook about 60 to 90 seconds. Garnish with the other tablespoon of chopped cilantro.

 

Kerala Prawn Curry, basmati rice and paratha, a type of layered and flaky Indian flatbread ...

WORD HISTORY:

Clue-This word is related to "clay," "clod," "cleave" (with the meaning "to cling to," not the meaning "to cut, chop"), all words from the Germanic roots of English, and to "glue," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English via French. "Clue" goes back to Indo European ""gleuh/gleih," which had the notion of "stick together, adhere." This gave Old Germanic "kliwjo(n)," meaning,  "something stuck together, a mass, something clumped into a ball." This gave Old English "cliewen" meaning, "a ball or clump," then "ball or clump of thread," and this then became "clewe," then "clew," then "clue" (perhaps influenced by some French spellings?). The meaning "ball of thread" was long the meaning, but the more modern meaning comes via Greek mythology where Theseus used a ball of thread to guide him out of a maze (used as "clew/clue ball," circa 1600); thus in English, this usage then took on the broader sense (circa 1625?), "something that guides and gives direction to solve a problem." Used in a negative sense in like, "That guy hasn't a clue where he is," with the general meaning "bewildered, not have an idea about something." The early to mid 1930s saw the development of the verb form meaning, "to give information to help point one in a particular direction," not long thereafter almost always used with "in," as with, "Clue me in on how to use this new app." Low German has both "Kluven" and "Kloen" ("ball of thread"),^ Dutch has "kluwen" ("ball of thread"), German has modern "Knäuel" (ball of yarn, ball of twine/thread), and the spelling with the "n" came about through a variant pronunciation in the Middle Ages of German "kliuwel," itself a diminutive form of German "kliuwe," Frisian once had "kliwen," but I cannot find anything beyond that, and Old Norse had "kle" ("ball," also "ball of wool?"), but the word seems to have died out in Old Norse, and thus, in the North Germanic languages.

 

^ Low German is not a standard language, but rather a collection of dialects; thus, it is not totally uncommon to see more than one form of a word by regions, or even totally different words.  

Bombay Savory French Toast

In India and elsewhere on the Indian subcontinent, British English is the style; thus, "savory" is spelled "savoury." This is a good breakfast or lunch dish, and  remember, on the Indian subcontinent, not only is the word spelled "savoury," but "chili powder" is made from hot chilies, and it is "hot," to varying degrees. It is not like American chili powder, which is typically mild unless specified as hot. Chop the onion and chili pepper very finely, so that they will stick to the bread slices and so they will cook properly.

 

Often served with masala chai* or ginger chai.**

 

Ingredients (for 4 pieces of toast):  

4 slices whole wheat or multigrain bread (or regular white bread)

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion (red or white)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 finely chopped chili pepper (like jalapeno, or for hotter use serrano)

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne or Indian chili powder)

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons chopped coriander (also known as cilantro) 

oil for frying (using a nonstick skillet will help keep oil use to a minimum, but 1/2 teaspoon per slice is a good place to start; otherwise, I'm not listing a definite amount on the oil, that is up to you to decide)

ketchup on the side for serving, or serve with a green chutney,*** which is another way it is served by Indians

 

In a shallow dish, mix together everything except the bread slices. Soak each bread slice in the mixture on both sides, pressing down so that the onion, garlic and chili pepper in the egg and milk mixture can stick to the bread slices. Use a nonstick skillet with just a little oil over medium heat. Add a slice or two of soaked bread to the hot skillet and spoon a little of the onion/garlic/chili/cilantro on top. After 60 to 90 seconds, the bottom should be browned, so you can carefully turn the bread slices over to cook the other side. Definitely check after one minute to see if the toast is browned (cook a few more seconds, if needed). Repeat the process for the next two slices, including adding a little fresh oil. 

 

* For Masala (spiced) Chai, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2016/08/chai-pronounced-like-cheye.html 

** For Ginger Chai, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2022/04/indian-ginger-chai.html

*** For green chutney, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2020/10/indian-green-chutney.html

WORD HISTORY:

Whether-This is actually a compound word that usually functions to show alternatives or choices, and it goes back to the Indo European interrogative root "khwa/khwe," which meant "who, which one," and the comparative suffix "theraz" (which showed contrast). This gave Old Germanic "(k)hwatharaz," which meant "which of alternatives, seemingly implied to be "two;" thus, "which of two (choices or alternatives)." Its Old English offspring was "hwether/hwaether," with the meaning "which of two, which one of two, whichever of two;" and we still tend to use it in the sense of choice/alternatives along with "or:" "I'm not sure whether we should go this way or that way," for instance. "Hwether/hwaether" then became "whether," where it has remained for upwards of a thousand years. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German has "weder," which has kept the "choice" meaning involved in the word, but in German that choice is on the negative side, as the word means "neither," Low German once had a form, but it is no longer used, which is also true of Frisian, Dutch "weer," but it is archaic and it means "again," from the idea of "which of two;" thus, "again." In English, we combine the word with "or," as "whether or," and German uses "weder noch," with "noch" meaning "again," but hundreds of years ago in German, they often said "weder" twice in sentences, so the expression changed to "weder noch (again)," get it? Danish has "hver," meaning "everyone, each," Norwegian has "kvar" meaning "every, each," and Norwegian also has "hver" from Danish, as Danish has had a huge influence on Norwegian, Icelandic has "hvor" meaning "which or whichever (of two), each," Swedish has "var," meaning "each, every," but it is an older form, as is "varken," the negative form; and as such, they are not common in the modern language. The Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic and Swedish forms generally go back to the Old Norse form "hvaðarr" (=hvatharr), which was then contracted to "hvárr."  

Mexican Spiced Coffee: Café de Olla

"Piloncillo" is unrefined whole cane sugar that ranges from light brown to darker brown, but which is not colored by molasses. It is common in Mexico, but it is also known as "panela" in a number of other countries in Central and South America. It can be easily found under one of those names in Latino grocery stores or in supermarkets, especially where there are fairly large numbers of residents of Latino heritage. It is generally not very expensive. Understand, you don't have to have piloncillo or panela to make Mexican coffee, as brown sugar is a great substitute (note: brown sugar typically is regular sugar that has an added amount of molasses, which then of course gives it the brown color).

 

Ingredients (4 to 5):

 

6 1/4 cups water

6 tablespoons ground dark coffee

2 cinnamon sticks (about 2 1/2 to 3 inches each)

2 cloves

1 star anise

1/3 to 1/2 cup dark brown sugar or piloncillo 

(optional) frothed milk 

Bring the water to a boil in a pan over medium heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise and brown sugar or piloncillo. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Adjust heat to maintain a steady simmer. Add the coffee, stir, cover and cook for 4 to 6 minutes. Strain the coffee through a fine strainer. Top with some frothed milk, if desired.   

 

 With some frothed milk ...

WORD HISTORY: 

Burro-This word is distantly related to "pyre," a word of Greek derivation borrowed by Latin and borrowed by English from Latin, but with a likely reinforcement or even initial basis from Greek; it is also distantly related to "fire," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Burro" goes back to Indo European "paewr/pehwr," with the meaning "fire." This gave transliterated Greek "pyr," with the same meaning, which spawned Greek "pyrros/pyrrhos," which meant "flame-colored;" thus, "reddish or reddish-yellow in color;" thus also, "reddish-brown." This was borrowed by Latin as "burrus," meaning "reddish-brown," which gave Latin the noun "burricus," which meant "small horse," which was "borrico" in Latin-based Spanish, meaning "a donkey." English borrowed the word as "burro" in the late 1700s by way of American English of what are now the southwestern states.    

Curry Aioli

Aioli is a sauce of garlic and olive oil that developed in an area of eastern Spain, southern France and northwestern Italy, with raw egg added in some versions, which then later was often simply replaced with mayonnaise. People from the Indian Subcontinent began emigrating to many parts of the Caribbean long ago, especially in the 1800s and early 1900s, and of course, they brought along their foods and recipes, which then influenced the cuisines of these islands. Such is "curry aioli," with more traditional aioli given added spices. This curry aioli is great with french fries or sweet potato fries, with a vegetable tray, with roasted veggies, or in place of mayonnaise on sandwiches.  

 

Ingredients:

 

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 large (or 2 medium) cloves of garlic, minced

1 pinch cayenne pepper (or Indian chili powder)

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

 

Mix together all of the ingredients. You can use the curry aioli right away, but if you have time, it is better if you cover it and refrigerate it for at least an hour, but longer is even better. Stir the curry aioli before using. 

 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Chain-This word goes back to the Indo European root "kat," which had the notion of "twist, weave, connect one thing to another by twisting or weaving." This gave Latin the noun "catena," which meant "chain." Old French, a Latin-based language, had the word as "chaeine," which then became "cheyne/chaine," and English borrowed it from French in the late 1200s or early 1300s. The idea of links in a chain also provided the meaning "things in a series," although "series" itself often occupies that ground in modern times, but still that idea provided the meaning "series of stores selling the same basic merchandise with the same overall owner." The verb form was derived from the noun seemingly just prior to 1400, initially with the meaning "to block off an area with a chain," but later also, "to bind someone or something with chains to limit or prevent easy movement." German, a close relative of English, borrowed the word from Latin "catena" as "Kette" (chain, necklace, track on a bulldozer or military tank).

West Bengali Potatoes in Gravy: Darjeeling Aloo Dum

Darjeeling is a city in West Bengal in northeastern India. The city is best known for the tea grown and processed there, mysteriously called "Darjeeling tea," and how they came up with that name is well beyond my level of comprehension, as I haven't figured out where Black Forest Cake got its name.   

 

I already did Nepali aloo dum,* but this style here is more associated with the city of Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, and you do need a special ingredient for this curry, and that is "black cumin," also known as "nigella" or "kalonji," which are black seeds from a plant of the buttercup family. Black cumin is available in many spice shops and certainly in Indian/Pakistani grocery stores (perhaps in some Middle Eastern stores, too). This version of "Aloo Dum" uses more "gravy;" that is, the curry sauce for the potatoes, but the recipe and the preparation is quite simple. I love this dish!

 

Ingredients (4 to 5 servings):

 

1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 can (14.5 to 15 ounces) tomato sauce** + 1 medium ripe Roma tomato, chopped

2 teaspoons black cumin seeds

1 or 2 whole fresh green chilies (jalapeno, serrano or unripened cayenne peppers are fine)

1 fresh red chili (or dried red chili)

1 heaping teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (not to be confused with black cumin) 

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh coriander (also known as cilantro), chopped

(if needed) 1/4 to 1/2 cup water

Peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces of "about" 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide (this is just to give you the idea and this needn't be precise, so please, no measuring tape required). Boil the potatoes in some salted water until just cooked through, not until they are soft and mushy. While the potatoes cook, in a skillet over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is heated, add the green chilies and saute for a minute or two, then add the tomato sauce and the one chopped tomato. While the sauce heats up, mash the tomato pieces a little (the tomato is to give the sauce some texture, so don't obliterate it), add the red chili, black cumin, salt, turmeric, ground coriander and ground cumin. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally (you can cover the skillet to prevent spattering, if you'd like, just be sure to keep checking the sauce and giving it a stir). If the gravy is too thick, use some water to thin it out (of the many times I've prepared this dish, only once did I feel the need to add water to thin the sauce). Stir in the chopped cilantro. Serve with naan or chapati bread to dip in the sauce.

 

* For the recipe for Nepalese Aloo Dum, here is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/08/nepalese-spicy-potatoes-aloo-dum.html  (Note: In recent years, I've had neighbors who are immigrants from Nepal; very nice people, and our neighborhood now has a Nepali/Indian restaurant. LOVE IT!) 

** I'm streamlining this by using tomato sauce, as in India fresh or canned tomatoes would more typically be used and then blended to make tomato sauce.  

 

WORD HISTORY:

Migrate/Migration-These closely related words are related to "permute" and "mutation," words of Latin derivation borrowed from Latin with French reinforcement, or the other way around, and to "permeate," another Latin word borrowed directly from that language. The basic form goes back to the Indo European root "mey/mei," with the notion of "change, change location." This then seems to have had an expanded form like "migwro/migwra," which gave Old Italic "migro," which gave Latin the verb "migrare,"  meaning "to move around, to leave one place for another." One of the participle forms was "migratus," and this was the basis of the English borrowing in the latter part of the 1600s for "migrate." In Latin, the noun had been formed as "migratio," with the meaning "a change of living location," seemingly more in the sense with a longer distance of travel involved. English borrowed the word as "migration" in the early 1600s from Latin with French reinforcement.