Mukmura (or Mahmoora) Chicken

For the full article, head over to The Nosher ...

There are three distinctive Jewish Indian groups that happened to be largely isolated from each other: the Cochin Jews of Kerala in South India, the Bene Israel Jews of India’s West Coast and Mumbai, and the Jews of Kolkata in East India (formerly known as Calcutta). In The Book of Jewish Food, Claudia Roden recounts how Shalom Cohen from Aleppo was the first known Jew to settle in Kolkata in 1798. Soon after, Syrian and Iraqi Jews followed and developed a strong community there, where they worked as merchants and traders, and lived in harmony with their neighbors. Things changed in 1947 when India gained independence, and again in 1948 with the creation of the State of Israel; anti-Semitism grew as the Jews became associated with the colonial British power. During that time, most of the Jews from Kolkata immigrated to Israel, the US, England, and Australia. This once vibrant Jewish Indian community is now all but gone from Kolkata.

While only a handful of Jews still live in Kolkata, the food from this community has travelled with its people. Their style of cooking involves a combination of ingredients and preparations from the Middle East, with the spices and techniques of Indian cuisine. There are several cookbooks and articles devoted to Sephardic foods and Indian Jewish cookery that have documented some of the dishes of the Jews from Kolkata. I was first struck by a recipe I found in both Copeland Marks’ book, Sephardic Cooking, as well as in Indian Jewish Cooking, by Mavis Hyman. Mukmura (or Mahmoora) is a dish of chicken and almonds in a slightly sweetened tangy lemon sauce. I like any recipe that looks like it is simple to prepare but still offers big flavors, and this was clearly that. This chicken dish calls for easy to find bold ingredients like ginger, garlic, ground turmeric, lemon juice, and fresh mint. The chicken is braised, which means the meat won’t get dry, and it can easily be made in advance for entertaining, Shabbat, and holidays. By slowly simmering all of the ingredients together you develop a slightly sweet and sour sauce with all those warm spices and aromatics. After making the dish a few times, I experimented with some tweaks to the original method to boost the flavor even more, like browning the chicken before braising it, and being generous with the lemon juice and ginger. This dish is simultaneously comforting and exciting. It is the type of food that makes you feel like you’re eating something exotic and new, but with the benefit of having accomplished that from the comfort of your own home kitchen.

Mukmura

Kolkata-Style Chicken and Almonds in a Lemon Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 4-5 lb. chicken, cut into 8-10 serving pieces
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 2-3 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped fine (about 1½ cups)
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced fine
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup raisins, rinsed
• ¼ cup sliced or slivered unsalted almonds, without skin
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, about 2 lemons
• 1½ Tablespoons agave syrup or 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint, or to taste
• lemon wedges, for garnish

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken into 8-10 pieces; reserve the backbone for chicken broth if desired. You can also find a pre-cut whole chicken, or you can use 4-5 lbs. of your preferred bone-in skin-on chicken parts. Season the chicken pieces with a teaspoon of kosher salt.
2. On medium high heat, heat a large Dutch oven or deep skillet with a lid. Add a drizzle of oil to the pot and then brown the chicken pieces on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Brown the chicken in batches if needed so as not to overcrowd the pot. Remove the browned chicken and reserve.
3. Over medium heat, add the diced onions to the same pot so the browned bits that remain on the bottom can flavor the onion. Add an additional drizzle of oil if there is not enough remaining chicken drippings. Sauté the onion until softened and beginning to turn golden but not browned, about 5-6 minutes.
4. Add the minced garlic, grated ginger, and turmeric to the onion mixture. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.
5. Add the reserved browned chicken back to the pot in a single layer. Pour the water over the chicken.
6. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and then lower the heat and cover the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Add the raisins, almonds, lemon juice, and agave syrup to the pot. If your water has significantly reduced, add a little more water so there’s liquid in the pot. Cover the lid again and simmer an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through with an internal temperature of at least 165°F. Taste and season with more salt if necessary.
8. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish, pour the sauce over the chicken, and top everything with freshly chopped mint and a few lemon wedges. Serve with rice or your favorite side.
9. Chicken can be made a day in advance and reheats well.

Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookies (with Rye flour)

For the full article, head over to .alma

...What I love most about these cookies is that they’re endlessly versatile. I like to add rye flour to the batter for extra nuttiness, and flake salt before baking for a pop of flavor and crunch, but you could easily use entirely all purpose flour and leave the flake salt out completely. If you’re not into chocolate, you could substitute the two cups of chocolate chunks with two cups of chopped dried fruit or chopped nuts. If you’re feeling adventurous (or frisky?) you can even use all three. In keeping with romantic cliches, just as in matters of finding true love, these cookies benefit from patience. If you chill the batter overnight the cookies taste even better when you bake them off the next day. But between you and me, you can break the rules and succumb to instant gratification and make the cookies the same day and they’ll still work out just fine.

I always hope that Valentine’s Day can be less a celebration of coupledom and traditional forms of romantic love, and more of a an excuse to celebrate all love-filled relationships, including with one’s self. I can assure you that whether these are made for your partner, secret crush, lonely hearts club band, or for you yourself and only you, making these cookies in all their tahini-chocolate goodness is a rich expression of love and all things good.

Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup all purpose flour

• ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons rye flour (optional, can substitute this with all purpose flour)

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ½ cup tahini

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• ¾ cup brown sugar

• ¼ cup sugar

• 1 large egg, at room temperature

• 2 cups (8 oz) chopped chocolate chunks or chips

• Flake salt, as needed (optional)

Directions:

1.     In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, rye flour if using, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Reserve.

2.     Using a stand-mixer or handheld electric mixer, cream together the tahini, butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. You can also do this by hand, but it will take slightly longer.

3.     Add in the egg, and mix until well incorporated.

4.     On a low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture to the tahini mixture. Mix until just incorporated, be careful not to overmix.

5.     Stir in the chocolate chunks until just incorporated. Ideally, refrigerate the cookie dough for 24 hours or overnight. If you can’t wait that long, let it chill in the fridge for at least one hour.

6.     Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

7.     Scoop out the dough, one heaping tablespoon at a time, and roll into equal-sized balls. You can also use a small ice cream scoop to do this. Place the dough balls on the baking sheets a few inches apart - they will spread as they bake. Sprinkle the dough with flake salt, if desired.

8.     Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until golden around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

9.     Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Okonomiyaki for Hanukkah

As written for THE NOSHER

The Japanese word Okonomiyaki is derived from two words: okonomi “how you like it” and yaki “grill.” Okonomiyaki is a customizable Japanese savory vegetable pancake. Like a latke, it gets cooked in oil in a fritter formation. Unlike a latke, it’s usually made into a large plate-sized pancake comprised mainly of cabbage. Food historians have linked the rise in popularity of okonomiyaki in Japan to World War II, when rice was more scarce and this recipe offered a filling meal or snack with a wheat-based starch. Throughout Japan there are regional differences and countless variations of okonomiyaki, but the most common form of the dish involves a batter made of flour, a variety of mountain yam, eggs, shredded cabbage, green onion, dashi, and often the addition of pork belly. It gets topped with its own tangy sweet sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, and bonito flakes (katsuobushi).

I first fell in love with okonomiyaki on a trip to Japan. You can find it there in restaurants that specialize in the dish, but it’s also something that is prepared in home kitchens. The cabbage gets slightly crisp, tender and sweet when seared in oil on a flattop or skillet, and then it gets generously slathered with an umami rich sauce, along with a welcome drizzle of creamy mayo. The richness, sweetness, and tanginess of these components all work perfectly together. A few months after I got back from Japan, I ended up eating at Brooklyn’s Japanese Jewish restaurant, Shalom Japan. I didn’t hesitate to order their Jewish-influenced spin on okonomiyaki. They’re known to top it with pastrami, or even corned lamb tongue and sauerkraut. It became clear there that okonomiyaki is a perfect fit on a Jewish table with its base of humble cabbage and onion. The fried pancake part of it all called out “Hanukkah.”

I am a fan of all pancakes and fritters, and I set out to modify the classic Japanese version for a recipe that didn’t require access to a specialty food store, and that could be made with kosher ingredients. Full disclosure: my version lacks authenticity. If you’re going for the real deal you’ll need a batter made with an okonomiyaki flour mix, or nagaimo yam; this special kind of yam is added in powdered form to the flour mix, or gets grated fresh into the batter. The toppings should include bonito flakes, and the batter should be made with dashi. These ingredients can be found at most Japanese markets. Instead of nagaimo yam, my version uses a batter of flour and potato starch, and instead of dashi I use water. I’ve also included a recipe for homemade traditional okonomiyaki sauce that can be made simply with easy to find ingredients, but you can also buy premade bottled sauce. You can make these pancakes large-sized and cut into wedges like the Japanese do, or slightly smaller à la a large latke. I wouldn’t go too small with this, as the vegetables tend to hold together better en masse. This recipe doesn’t need to be too exact and it works as a blank canvas for additional vegetables like kale, mushrooms, and/or daikon. In the spirit of Hanukkah, these okonomiyaki get cooked in oil, but they’re not heavily fried. The oil used to fry the Okonomiyaki gives a loving nod to the miracle of the oil glowing for eight days instead of one in the Temple, but the heap of vegetables and addictive sauce make this a nutritious and satisfying addition to any Hanukkah meal.

Okonomiyaki for Hanukkah

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the pancakes-

• ¾ cup all purpose flour or gluten free all purpose mix
• ¼ cup potato starch or cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs
• ½-¾ cup water
• ½ green cabbage, about 4½ packed cups
• 3 green onions, sliced thin plus more for garnish if desired
• 1 carrot, peeled and shredded
• 4-5 inches daikon, peeled and shredded (optional)
• Oil as needed (i.e. sunflower, canola, or peanut)
• Sesame seeds, for topping (optional)
• Mayonnaise, for topping (optional)

For the okonomiyaki sauce-

• ½ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons honey or agave syrup, or to taste

Directions:

1. Start by making the batter. Whisk together the flour, starch, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl beat the eggs. Add the eggs and ½ a cup of water to the flour mixture. Whisk until smooth. You want a fairly thin, crepe batter-like consistency. If you find it too thick, add another ¼ cup of water. Try not to overmix, you do not want to overdevelop the gluten. Allow the batter to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.
3. While the batter is resting, prepare the vegetables. Take out the thick core from the cabbage half, then cut the halved cabbage in two. Thinly slice or shred the cabbage. Thinly slice the green onions. Grate the carrot and daikon if using.
4. Make the okonomiyaki sauce: combine the ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and honey/agave in a bowl. Taste and adjust to your liking. The sauce should be tangy, savory, and a little sweet.
5. Combine the batter with the vegetable mixture.
6. Heat a cast iron skillet or a nonstick-skillet with about 3 tablespoons of oil over high heat. Once the oil is glistening and hot lower the heat to medium low, and, add some of the cabbage mixture to the pan, gently nudge it into a circle shape. I like to make each pancake with about 2 cups of the mixture. For me, that makes an ideal sized pancake that isn’t too hard to flip, and one that will hold together. Cover the skillet with a lid for 3-4 minutes. Carefully flip over the pancake, and cover it with a lid for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until browned on both sides and cooked through. Make sure not to cook on too high of a heat or the pancake might burn while remaining raw in the center.
7. Serve hot topped with a generous spread of the okonomiyaki sauce, mayo if desired, sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
8. Slice and serve!