India

Bharati's Meethi Tamatar ki Subji (Sweet Tomatoes)

Woman Connected to Recipe: Bharati Sharma

Submitted by Pallavi Dixit (Bharati’s daughter)


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About Bharati:
When my mother immigrated to America in 1975, she couldn't cook. Away from her family, her country and anything familiar, she spent long hours alone in a tiny apartment in New Jersey while my father worked. This was before FaceTime, Whatsapp, social media, the internet; when overseas phone calls were expensive and unreliable. She waited weeks to receive letters in thin blue aerogrammes from India that were her primary connection to home.  

Though she faced immense solitude and what must have been crippling sadness to be away from all she knew, she didn't let it crush her. She learned and adapted. She made friends, learned to drive, took endless photographs of snow, had two babies and learned to cook.

She learned from books and from neighbors, who hailed from all over India. She uncovered the best places to buy produce and she learned to roll rotis with a very skinny rolling pin because that's what was available to her. She mastered chana masala, rajma, a spectrum of dals and subjis. She cooked and cooked and learned the ways of this country and now, if ever I crave food, I crave her food.

About Bharati's Meethi Tamatar ki Subji (Sweet Tomatoes):
This is an Indian recipe which my mom used to make as a side dish, often along with chana and poori (a type of roti). My best friend Priya used to come over and ask specifically for this dish because it was so delicious and not all that common. That was 30 years ago. She still asks for it.


INGREDIENTS

  • 2 cups chopped tomatoes (or 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes)

  • 1 tbsp canola oil

  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

  • 1/4 tsp mustard seeds

  • 1/4 tsp fennel seeds

  • 1/2 tsp black onion seeds

  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder

  • 1/4 tsp turmeric

  • 1/4 tsp red pepper

  • 1 tsp ginger (fresh, grated)

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

  • 2 tbsp cilantro (finely chopped)

  • 2-4 tbsp sugar (or more, if you want)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or pot for tempering whole spices. To check if the oil is hot enough, add a couple of cumin or mustard seeds. If the seeds start to sputter, the oil is at the right temperature. Add cumin, mustard seeds, black onion seeds and fennel seeds. Let sputter.

Once the sputtering slows (be sure not to burn the spices), add grated ginger, coriander powder and turmeric. Stir for a few seconds. 
Add the tomatoes and salt. Stir and let cook for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Add water and let the mixture cook for another 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked through. 

Add the sugar and let cook for 5 minutes, mashing the tomatoes as they cook to create a sort of mushy paste texture. Add chopped cilantro and remove from heat.

Note: When I attempted to write down this recipe from my mother, it involved no precise measurements, but instead said things like, “a little bit of” and “a handful of.” There were no time guidelines, but rather “you’ll know when it looks done.” So, I guessed to the best of my ability to type this recipe up. There may be little to no accuracy. But you’ll know what to do when you see it :)

Rita's Samosas

Woman Connected to Recipe: Rita Chokshi

Submitted by Kajal Chokshi (Rita’s daughter)


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About Rita:
Rita is my wonderful mom! My mom is one of the most giving, selfless, and radiating women I have ever known. She is so special to me because she serves as my mentor, supporter, best friend, and sunshine every single day. She is the epitome of what a strong, successful, and kind woman should be. She carries her history and culture proudly and navigates new situations with grace. She is the type of woman who brightens any room she walks into and makes you feel fuller after any conversation.

About Rita’s Samosas:
My mom grew up in Gujarat, India. After she married my dad in December 1989, they moved to American in the 90s. My family is very proudly Indian and enjoys sharing our culture at every opportunity given. 

Growing up, my mom would make samosas for every holiday party we had- to celebrate both Indian and American festivities. Samosas in my home meant a time for togetherness and joy. 

We recently shared this recipe at our first Thanksgiving. My partner's sister invited us to her home. There, our two seemingly different but inherently very similar families feasted together under a warm roof, proving in fact, everyone will smile with warm samosas in their belly.


INGREDIENTS

Dough: 

  • 2 Cups All Purpose Flour

  • 5 tbsp cooking oil or clarified butter (ghee)

  • 1/2 tbsp ground cumin seeds

  • 1/2 cup water

    salt according to taste

Filling:

  • 4 potatoes

  • 1 medium sized yellow onion

  • 1/4 cup of peas

  • 1 small finely chopped jalepeno 

  • 1 tbsp ground ginger

  • 1 tbsp ground garlic

  • 5-7 curry leaves

  • 1 tsp red chili flakes 

  • 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1/2 tbsp tumeric

  • 1/2 tbsp chili powder

  • 1/4 tbsp garam masala 

  • 4 tbsp oil

  • 1/2 lemon

  • 1 tbsp chopped cilantro 

For Frying: 

  • 2 cups cooking oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Directions:

1. Mix all dough ingredients as listed above, adding the water slowly until all ingredients are combined and the dough soft and springy. Put the dough covered in a bowl on the side. 

2. Chop onion. Boil or steam potatoes and dice the potatoes.

3. Put the oil in a pan and once its hot add the cumin seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, and onion. Cook until the onions are translucent. Add the peas and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add in the ground ginger and ground garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add in the garam masala, red chili powder, salt, red chili flakes, diced jalepeno and lemon according to your taste. Once the oil is separating, add in the potatoes. Add salt and lemon according to taste and sprinkle with the cilantro. Take all the filling and put it in a separate bowl and let it cool.

4. To assemble to samosas, take a golf ball sized piece of dough and roll it into a circle. Cut the circle i half so you're left with a semi-circle. Bring the edges together and use your fingers to make a cone shaped mold out of the dough. Make sure to firmly press the dough so that there are no holes. Leave the top of the cone open to place the filling in.

5. Add 2-3 tbsp of the filling into the cone structure. Seal the cones at the top. Repeat until the dough and filling is used up!

6. Heat oil until it is warm enough for frying. Turn the heat to medium and place the filled samosas into the oil. Flip the samosa after 1-2 minutes. The dough should be golden brown before removing from the heat. Put all samosas on a plate with some paper towels to soak up excess oil.

7. Serve samosas with your favorite cilantro chutney and tamarind chutney!