First Day in India: Playing House in Mumbai

Today after getting settled in, I decided it was time to prepare dinner.  I made a Persian dish called Khoreshteh Ghaymeh.  It is a saucy tomato based dish with split peas.  I did something a little different by adding fried zucchini.  This was my first time making it and I honestly had no idea how to make it so I just winged it.  It came out pretty good, if I do say so myself!

Our first dinner in the new place

Later we stepped out to walk around and get some dessert.  There were many so many different vendors selling all sorts of treats.  I felt like having something light so I decided to get some fresh squeezed sugar cane and watermelon juice.

 They literally cut the watermelon right in front of you and make it fresh!

 Mmm mmm!  Soo good!

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Crumbs Bake Shop

My co-workers put together a little going away party for me and luckily they ordered these delicious cupcakes from Crumbs Bake Shop.  They came in many different varieties such as carrot cake, Snickers, Reece’s Pieces, red velvet, apple cobbler and others.  We cut them in quarters because they’re pretty big and great for sharing.  Thanks guys, I will miss working with all of you!

Crumbs Bake Shop

www.crumbs.com

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Dad’s Macaroni And Cheese

I was afraid I’d leave Canada before having one of my absolute favorite dishes my dad makes but luckily at the last second, for my last meal, just before I left for the airport, they made me my dad’s recipe for macaroni and cheese.  It is made with chicken and topped with black pepper.  This is something I grew up eating and if you knew what went in it you’d probably think it’s a little unconventional for mac’ and cheese. Regardless, any mac’ and cheese that I try rarely beats this recipe, as simple as it is.  The funny thing is that NO MATTER WHAT I try, it never quite tastes the same when I make it on my own. To tell you the truth, I don’t know for sure what makes it so good, but I think it has to do with his secret ingredient.  This is, yet again, another meal I have to return for in order to have.

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Homemade Turkish Food

Just for the record, the best homemade food I have ever had so far has been Turkish food.  Specifically Turkish food from Turkey, as opposed to the type of Turkish food that I’m used to cooking which originates from the northern part of Iran called Azerbaijan. Every thing that I’ve eaten so far from our Turkish friends has been incredibly unique and delicious.  The last time I had a homemade Turkish dinner at our friend’s house was 6 years ago!  To this day, I still remember every single dish that they made.  That just shows you what a foodie I am.  On this trip to Canada, I was fortunate enough to have dinner at their house again.  Can I just say, I was in HEAVEN!!!  Every single dish had been prepared so meticulously.  I cannot even begin to tell you how refreshing it is to try new foods that are healthy and homemade.  This is definitely one cuisine that I want to explore.

 Tomato bulgar with fresh herbs

Dolmeh: stuffed grape leaves and bell peppers

Garlic yogurt with sauteed eggplant and peppers, drizzled with olive oil

 Marinated and fried beef. This was so tasty because it had the perfect seasonings.  It was my favorite dish of the evening.

Rice topped with sauteed vegetables

Pastry filled with flat leaf parsley and feta cheese

Most things displayed here are very time consuming to make and that is  why I appreciated every single bite.  Going in I knew I was in for a treat and they sure did come through.  I can’t wait to get the recipes and try them for myself

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Cow Tongue

This next dish is one that definitely took me by surprise.  I’ve had cow tongue before but this was my first time having it prepared in a creamy sauce.  It was very similar to beef stroganoff.  Although it was a little unnerving knowing that you are eating cow tongue, I have to admit it was damn good!  If you ever have the opportunity, I encourage you to try it

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My Dad’s Famous Pizza

One thing I recently learned on this trip to Canada, is WHY my dad makes such perfect pizzas.  Turns out he purposely worked at a pizza parlor when he was young just so that he could learn all the tricks of the trade.  Trust me when I say, it shows.  He kneaded the dough and laid it out in a perfect circle on the pizza rack.  He is famous among our friends for making the BEST homemade pizza ever!  This is one family tradition that I never skimp out on.  I don’t even have to ask, they already know that this is one meal that makes the list of things I need to eat before I leave, every single time.

Me getting in on the action

You cannot have my dad’s famous pizza without the Labatt Blue beer and Banana Peppers

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Gaigonakh

Here is another traditional Turkish breakfast dish. It’s basically our version of a pancake, only it is cooked in a very sweet grape molasses.  It is very sweet so it’s typically eaten with bread and tea.  Even though thisis not something I crave regularly at all, I still asked my stepmom to make it because sometimes it’s  nice to eat things simply because they are familiar to you.

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Palda, the once every 7 years treat

“Palda” as we say in Turkish, or “Faloodeh” in Farsi is a cold dessert made from cornstarch, pussy willow extract and sugar.  It can only be found in its frozen form in stores here in California.  The only time I have ever had it fresh was in Iran, or when I visited my family in Canada many years ago.  I was lucky enough that my step-mom wanted to make it again!  Of course, I had to capture all the action this time around.  It is such an involved process but really worth it, if you ask me.

How it’s made:

First you start by mixing one part cornstarch with 2 parts water in a big pot over medium heat.  You keep stirring until the mixture becomes really thick and hard to stir.

Starts off very liquid

Keep stirring until it becomes very thick

Cover the pot with a cloth until the mixture becomes more clear and not as cloudy as the picture above

Next comes the fun part. You scoop the mixture into a special device designed to make palda.  It consists of a tin container with tiny holes at the bottom, and everything gets pushed through the holes to form noodles.  The noodles are then dropped into a bowl of ice cold water.  Cold water helps the noodles maintain their form, and keeps them from turning mushy.

The noodles are chilled and served in a bowl of water flavored with pussy willow extract, sugar and sometimes lime juice as seen below

 How can I describe the taste? First off, pussy willow extract??  I really cannot describe that taste. It is so unique and unlike anything I can compare it to.  One sip of this and it took me back to 16 years ago when I had my first bite.  If you want to try this on your own, you can buy it at any Persian grocery store, just ask for faloodeh. It will be in the frozen section and will most likely come in a white plastic container.  However, the one you find in stores will be flavored with rose water.  You will probably have to go to Iran to have the authentic and original form of palda. Overall, when it is nice and cold, and has a little bit of lime juice, it is such a refreshing snack.   I savored every bite because who knows when I’ll get to have this again!

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