Subject: Kekada Chat
From: Unicorn (unicorn@indenial.com)
Date: Mon Nov 20 2000 - 04:09:37 EST
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F O O D F U N N Y
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Thanks to reader Helen Kara for today's true food funny:
My nephew Jamie, then aged around 4 years, loved to hang around the
kitchen when there was cooking going on. One of his favourite
activities was to watch me grate cheese on my horizontal cheese grater
which stands on four legs over a plate; his head was below the level
of the grater at this time, and he was fascinated by the way the
cheese changed from one big block to many small pieces (and, of
course, he was very fond of the little bits too small to grate which
used to find their way into his mouth!). Anyway, one day it began to
rain hard very suddenly, and he ran to the window to see what the
noise was. He turned back to me with eyes like saucers and said
"Look! Somebody's grating the water!"
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T O D A Y ' S R E C I P E
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It's time to visit one of my favorite parts of the world, culinarily
speaking.
This dish hails from the southern Malabar coast, which is renowned
throughout India for the abundance of seafood. As with many of the
dishes this week, this is traditionally quite spicy. Feel free to
adjust the spiciness to suit your taste.
Kekada Chat (Crab Malabar)
1 lb (450 g) cooked crab meat, fresh or frozen and thawed
(use Alaska King crab meat if available)
3 Tbs (45 ml) vegetable oil
2 - 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp (10 ml) paprika
1/2 tsp (2 ml) thyme
1/2 tsp (2 ml) fennel seeds, crushed
1/4 - 1/2 tsp (1 - 2 ml) cayenne pepper, or to taste
3 cups (750 ml) coarsely diced fresh tomatoes
Salt to taste
2 scallions (spring onions), green and white parts, finely chopped
Lettuce leaves for garnish
Chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) for garnish
Pick over the crab meat and cut into 1-inch (3 cm) pieces. Heat the
oil in a large skillet with a lid over moderate heat and cook the
onions, stirring frequently, until golden but not brown. Add the
garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the paprika, thyme, fennel seeds, and
cayenne and cook for 2 more minutes. Add 1 cup (25 ml) of the
tomatoes. Lower the heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Remove
from the heat and gently fold in the crab meat. Cover and refrigerate
for 2 to 3 hours. Immediately before serving, add salt to taste and
fold in the remaining tomatoes and chopped scallions. Serve on a bed
of lettuce, garnished with the chopped cilantro. Serves 6 to 8 as an
appetizer.
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