Pearl Sofaer’s memoir “Baghdad to Bombay: In the Kitchens of My Cousins” takes readers on a colorful culinary journey, introducing them to her far-flung family and their very special hospitality and food. Even if you can’t boil water, you will want to put this charming book on your nightstand solely because of its literary descriptions of food and tradition.
Although this book is more a life journal than a cookbook, the quality and ethnicity of the recipes will tantalize every cook. A virtual walk with the author through her beloved, open-air Crawford Market in Bombay stimulates the senses with aromas of curries, cardamom and cumin, and visions of colorful heaps of spices in shades of gold, orange, red and saffron.
Just the titles of recipes such as Tiparee Jam and Molly’s Aloomkala capture the imagination. Interspersed with nostalgic photos of her relatives, Sofaer’s artful story has the reader experiencing her childhood along with the tastes of her exotic life.
Here are some recipes from “Baghdad to Bombay,” which is more than just a cookbook. It is a testimony to keeping a culture alive, not just a distant memory.
Kitchri
Serves 6-8
2 cups red lentils
2 cups rice
1 large finely chopped onion
2 crushed garlic cloves
1⁄2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cumin
1⁄4 cup fresh chopped coriander
Wash lentils in hot water, constantly removing the white foam that develops. Cook the lentils slowly in 4 cups of water until they resemble a mush. Cook 2 cups of rice.
In a large frying pan, brown the onions, adding garlic and spices. Add the cooked lentils; mix well with the rice and cook covered on low for 30 minutes.
Serve with yogurt.
Mahmoosa
Serves 4
8 eggs
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tsp. ground ginger
1⁄2 tsp. turmeric
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
1 cup fresh green peas (or any fast-cooking vegetable)
salt and pepper
Whisk eggs. Saute onions on medium flame in olive oil until light brown. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric and potatoes and brown. Add green peas and cook on low for 5 minutes. Stir in whisked eggs and serve when eggs are ready. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pish Pash
Serves 6-8
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1⁄2 chicken, de-boned and cut into pieces
1 to 2 cups washed rice
1 tomato, parboiled, peeled and mashed
1⁄4 tsp. each garlic powder, ginger powder and turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
Gently brown the onion in olive oil until golden brown. Add chicken pieces, rice, tomato and spices and brown together. Add 2 cups of water for each cup of rice. Bring to boil. Cook on simmer until rice is cooked.
Louise Fiszer is a Palo Alto cooking teacher, author and the co-author of “Jewish Holiday Cooking.” Her columns alternate with those of Rebecca Ets-Hokin. Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to j. or to [email protected].