Good day, blog readers! Ada here. Today on the blog we’re covering a topic near and dear to my heart… and belly. Today we’re featuring the cooking of our beloved Operations Manager, Krishna, and sharing a few of his recipes. We’ve had the idea to do a “Cooking with Krishna” blog post for quite some time… years, actually, but each time we considered doing it, Krishna’s workload at the farm was too much, and too important, to pause and cook. Though we are a mighty farm, growing thousands of pounds of vegetables on (two) hundred  of acre, our office and administrative team is teenie. Krishna does the job of probably about 3.5 people. Maybe four. In any given day, Krishna is likely managing: all HR -everything-, payroll, all farm accounting and farm financing, all organic certification record keeping (this is a huge job). He also takes care of other major to-dos when they crop up like writing grant applications, loan applications, overseeing all purchasing, helping with seasonal crop planning, scouring Craig’s List for new farm vehicles, and troubleshooting daily operations logistics. The forklift went out and there are 3,000 pounds of carrots stranded on the loading dock? He’s on it. Lucas’s van broke down in Pflugerville and he’s supposed to be in Hyde Park for a delivery in 20 minutes? Call Krishna. He lives in far north Austin, and often drops off late delivery orders on his way home . On days when he can tell the barn staff are at their wit’s end, he makes sure hot, cheese Domino’s pizza is queued up. There is a sleeve of treats in his desk drawer for the dogs, even though he “doesn’t really like dogs.” He’s helped guide staff through personal struggles of the family and financial variety, and comes by his nickname “Papa Krish” as honestly as one could.

Krishna cubing the boiled potatoes for the aloo mutter. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to eat Krishna’s food and hear bits of his food memories… little crumbles, here and there, including tales of harvesting and cracking fresh coconuts as a kid, freshly gathered milk, turned into freshly churned butter, made into golden ghee, or the time he moved to a small village in his early 20s and had to figure out how to make his favorite dishes. It’s made me feel like I’ve been invited to the doorstep of an ancient food culture, more steeped in tradition that this Cajun girl could ever fathom. Krishna and his sister live next door to each other (I think maybe there is even a hole in their backyard fences so they can walk through?), and the two cook for each other's families just about every day. When they have family visiting from out of town, everyone bunks up between their two houses, and of course there is so much homemade and delicious food. I often wonder if there are still lots for sale on his street, and if they'd notice when I came over for dinner every  night...

Some of the spices we used. Austin has several Indian grocery stores if you're looking to build your spice library. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

So thanks, Krishna, for coming to work early to clean the kitchen and for staying at work late to clean it again. But mostly, thanks for the delicious fodder! Below are the recipes* for the four dishes Krishna whipped up this past Tuesday. And by recipes, we mean more general directions for how to prepare these dishes. We’re taking a cue from my side project, Club Home Made (shameless plug), and aren’t providing you with very exact recipes. This is because Krishna couldn't give me exact measurements for each and everything (sign of a damn good cook)... or maybe, it’s really because I was lost in the fumes of garlic and ginger, mesmerized by sputtering cumin seeds, too distracted to ask. Krishna cooks with experience and intuition, and we invite you to pull out your Indian spices, cook with your senses, and enjoy.

 

For as long as Ive known Krishna, Ive always admired his character. And his tupperware collection. Photo by Ada Broussard.

Chef, Krishna, and Sous, Ada. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Aloo Mutter Aloo = potato, Mutter = Pea Potato and Peas

Making a big pot of Aloo Mutter for our family of hungry farmers was a no-brainer for Krishna. It’s a crowd pleaser, even for those who are new or wary of Indian flavors. There’s something anciently satisfying about the homey combination of potato and peas. JBG’s potato cellar is about to be empty, so make this dish soon. When I asked Krishna if you could sub sweet potatoes or turnips for the white potatoes, he sort of smiled and shook his head (no). The tender boiled potatoes really are the perfect sponge to soak up this sauce. But don’t tell Krishna: I may riff on this recipe and try making it with other winter roots when the craving for this hearty, satisfying, and savory dish hits mid-January.

I asked Krishna if this dish was something he ate often as a kid. “Of course,” he said. Instead of the ever-useful and highly recommended freezer bag of peas, Krisha’s childhood version included fresh peas that farmers would sell seasonally. Krishna promises this recipe is the simplest thing - “It doesn’t even require masala, and even the kids will like it.”.

Working on farm stuff, working on aloo mutter. The man is committed. Photos by Scott David Gordon.

Ingredients to feed 4 or 5: 5 yukon gold or red potatoes, 1 large red onion, 3 tomatoes, cumin seeds, turmeric, ginger, chili powder, peas, cilantro.

How-To: Boil potatoes until they’ve softened, but just before they’re extremely fork-tender or mashable. You want the potatoes to hold their shape when you cut them. After potatoes are boiled, remove from hot water and set aside to cool. Once cooled, peel the potatoes using your fingers - the skins should easily tear off by grabbing a piece with the tip of your finger. Once peeled, cut potatoes in small, bite size cubes, a tiny bit bigger than the size of a 4x2 lego.

Meanwhile, prepare the “gravy” or sauce. In a small blender, blend up 1 large purple onion until it’s soupy; add a splash of water to achieve this texture, if necessary. Set aside. Next, blend up 3 large or 4-5 small tomatoes on high speed till the mixture looks like gazpacho. Which it could be, if you wanted a bowl of cold soup. Which you don’t. You want aloo mutter. It’s cold outside.

In a hot pan, pour enough cooking oil to coat the bottom, plus a splash more, and then throw in a tablespoon or so of whole cumin seeds. Smell the smells. Once these are sputtering, which should happen in less than a minute, add 1-3 small green chilies that you’ve cut a small slice into. These should be cut so that the chili remains whole, but the pepper punctured so the goodness can seep out. A serrano or thai chili would work here, and I won’t tell Krishna if you even use a jalapeno, cherry bomb, or whatever other hot pepper is living in your crisper drawer. After these have cooked for a moment, add in the onion puree and cook 2-3 minutes. Next, add the tomato puree, followed by some turmeric, chili powder, grated ginger, and salt. Add in as many frozen peas as you’d like. Simmer this delicious gravy for 20-30 minutes, until the “raw” taste is cooked out of your onions and tomatoes and a deeper flavor emerges. Once you’re happy with the flavor of your gravy, add in your chopped potatoes as well as a ½ cup - 1 cup of water. Simmer for another 10 or some minutes, add a generous handful of chopped cilantro, and then enjoy with rice, roti, or farinas.

Protip: If your gravy is too spicy, add a bit of sugar to help balance it out.

Sometimes Krishna chops his onions and tomatoes by hand, but for a quicker reduction, we blended.

The perfect gateway dish to Indian flavors, if yourre looking. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

 

Mirchi Bajji Mirchi = Peppers, Bajji = Fritters Pepper Fritters

For Krishna, this dish is synonymous with a rainy or cold day - best made as a snack, of sorts, and enjoyed with hot tea* featuring masala, cloves, cardamom, and ginger steeped in warm, sweetened milk. Also according to Krishna, this dish should never really be made unless you’re feeding a group of 10 or more. It’s a party food, begging for a crowd. He would never make this for his immediate family of four, but should his sister Lakshmi and her crew come over (she does live next door…) he might just fry up a batch for the big group to enjoy.

Crispy fried perfection. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Ingredients: Banana peppers, and a few jalapeno peppers if you’re feeling bold. For about 10 peppers you’ll need about 1.5 cups of chickpea flour, ¼ of a cup of rice flour, about a ¼ teaspoon of chili powder, a ¼ teaspoon of asafetida, ½ teaspoon of carom seeds (optional), and a pinch (⅛ teaspoon?) of “sodium bicarbonate”.. aka, baking soda.

How-To: Prep your peppers. With a small knife, make a slit going lengthwise through one side of the peppers. This will allow the batter to infiltrate your peppers a bit… and also keep them from exploding. If the stems are on the peppers, keep them there; this is your handle.

Heat cooking oil in a pot or pan with high sides. Your are about to deep fry, so use more oil than you may be comfortable with… the oil should be able to cover a pepper completely. (Using more oil will actually help you fry your food better, and actually help decrease the greasy-factor)

Whisk together all the dry ingredients, and add some salt as well. Slowly whisk in about 1 cup of water until you form a smooth and thick batter. Whisk until there are no clumps. Test the heat of your oil by dropping in some drops of the batter - it should ball up and start to fry immediately. When the oil is ready, take the prepped peppers, dip in the batter, and then place immediately into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a paper towel, and enjoy your Mirchi Pajjis by themselves or dipped in a chutney. Serve with tea.

Farmer Brenton popped in and went straight for the jalapeno fritter. Photos by Scott David Gordon.

*We made pepper bajjis at the farm because our coolers were brimming with banana peppers, but you can make bajjis following this basic recipe with other light and starchy vegetables like potatoes, eggplant, onions (we actually made some of these, too… Indian onion rings for the win), cauliflower and broccoli.

 

Baingan Bharta Baingan = Eggplant Delicious Eggplant Dish

Eggplant haters out there, I see you. Give this recipe a try. It’s sort of the Indian answer to Babaganoush, except after the eggplant is charred over an open flame, the meat is simmered with tomatoes and spices, making a distinct eggplant flavor hardly detectable. What is detectable is smokey, silky, and savory heaven. Krishna likes babaganoush, but he loves baingan bharta. You might be like Krishna, but you won’t know until you try this easy and delicious recipe… perfect for using up summer’s lingering eggplant.



Ingredients: 1 huge eggplant, or several small ones, one red onion, 2-3 tomatoes (diced), cumin seeds, 5-6 garlic cloves (minced), ginger paste, turmeric, garam masala, lime.

How-To: Like babaganoush, you need to roast your eggplant over an open flame, charring the outside skin and producing a tender interior. If you have a gas stove top, set your flame to medium and place the whole eggplant directly over the flame, turning occasionally. You want to really char the outside and slow-cook the inside… this process should take around 10 minutes (or more). If you don’t have a gas stove top, you can use the broiler on your oven (low setting), making sure to rotate the eggplant often. And last, if the fire or bbq pit presents itself, please do try and char your eggplant over a real-live fire. Once your eggplant is deflated like a soft, black balloon, set it aside to cool.

Charred eggplant, before the skin was peeled off. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Meanwhile, make your sauce. Blend your onion with a bit of water until soupy; set aside. Blend your tomatoes until gazpacho-y; set aside. In a large saucepan or pot, heat enough oil to cover the bottom, and then some. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cumin seeds to the hot oil. About 30 seconds later, add a couple whole (slitted) green chilies. Once your seeds crackle and start smelling good, add the pureed onions. Cook for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes, as well as some ginger paste (about a tablespoon or two), turmeric (a generous teaspoon or so), garam masala (follow your heart), your minced garlic and some salt. Let this delicious tomato sauce simmer for anywhere from 15-30 minutes. While this is simmering, peel the charred skin off of your eggplant and slice of their tops. Put peeled and topped eggplant flesh into a bowl, and mush up. Once sufficiently mushed, add eggplant to tomato mixture.

After 20-30 minutes, taste your tomato-eggplant mixture. If it tastes delicious and developed, it’s done. Stir in a generous handful of chopped cilantro, as well as the juice of 1 lime, and enjoy with rice, roti, or farinas.

Farina (Cream of Wheat)

Krishna introduced me to this savory preparation of farina years ago, and it’s often something I whip up with I want (need?) a quick starch to go along with whatever I’m simmering. Like any good host, Krishna was worried there wouldn’t be enough food for everyone, so he made a big pot of farinas. It was the perfect base to sop up our delicious potato and peas, eggplant and tomatoes. It’s like couscous, but different. The addition of split yellow peas is optional - they will dot your farinas with a nice crunchy bite.

Ingredients: 1 cup farinas (cream of wheat), a tablespoon or so of yellow split peas (optional), 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds, a tablespoon or so of ginger paste, 2 green chilis (slitted), one medium purple onion, diced.

Farinas come together in a matter of moments, and can be savory or sweet. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

How-To: Get some water on to boil. In a separate pot, heat 3 or so tablespoons of oil. Once hot, add mustard seeds. When these start to crackle, add your split yellow peas, ginger paste, chilies, and the diced onion. Add some salt. Cook for a minute or two, then add 1 ¾ cup of boiling water to the pan. Once the water has returned to a boil, turn your heat down, and whisk in the farina. Switch your heat off, continuing to whisk to avoid lumpy farina. Once all mixed up, add a squeeze of lime and enjoy alongside Baingan Bharta or Aloo Mutter.

CSA line turned lunch line. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Bonus Recipes:

Krishna is a true scratch-cook. One time, he brought in this delicious snack that sort of resembled chex mix: a variety of tiny fried bits, different shapes and sizes, mixed with nuts and some fried split peas. To my complete shock, Krishna made and fried each of the pieces. The dude made his own (Indian) chex mix (!), and it was delicious. For Krishna, cranking out things like magic chex mix, homemade yogurt, spicy tomato pastes (tomato pickle), and chutneys are no big deal. When he was little, his mom used to give him a jar of milk to shake into butter. Not surprisingly, there were several quick tricks that he pulled out during our afternoon of cooking that, to me, can only come from the kitchen of a very seasoned cook… who makes magic Indian chex mix.

Tracy peeking his head in to see what's Krishna is cooking. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Ghee: You probably already know about ghee, but in case you need a reminder of what this “super food” actually is. Ghee is a form of clarified butter, and is made by melting regular butter, which separates the liquid fats and milk solids. This process removes lactose, creates a product with a higher smoke point, and provides a rich, nutty flavor. It’s addictive. Krishna whipped up a quick batch ghee, and I stared at him the whole time in disbelief. It’s really not that hard, and you should never buy the expensive jar of ghee again. Here is a great step by step for making ghee,  but essentially: heat up butter, wait till milk solids sink, and then brown, strain. If you’re like Krishna, you save those browned bits, maybe mix with a bit of sugar, and enjoy as a sweet treat. When we were cooking, our Baingan Bharta got started in the pan where they resided.

Ghee one, ghee two, ghee three. Photos by Scott David Gordon.

“Rotis” with Ghee: When Krishna isn’t pausing his busy work day to cook a quick feast for 20+ hungry farmers, he makes his own roti. But when he is cranking out a large feast in a small amount of time, he swings by HEB and buys the freshly made wheat tortillas. Heat wheat tortillas in a hot skillet or directly over a flame until they puff up. Flip over. Transfer to a warm plate, and brush with Ghee. Make a stack of these tortillas, and let them cool down a bit - allowing the ghee to soak in. Oh M Ghee.



Ginger Paste: Once a month, Krishna grates a huge batch of ginger. He mixes the grated ginger with some lime juice, puts this mixture in a tupperware, and stores it in the fridge for easy use. You should do this, too.

Lime-ade: The day Krishna and I cooked, it was warm, made warmer by the fact that there was no AC in the farm house we were cooking in.. We were hot. After enjoying 1, 2, and then 3 servings of our feast with farm friends, I headed back to the hot kitchen to clean up. Except there was Krishna, drying off the last pot…. Papa Krish had already cleaned everything. He handed me one of his grandmother’s stainless steel nesting bowls filled with a liquid and said “drink this”. Lime juice, water, salt, and sugar, less diluted than your traditional limeade and leaning more towards “delicious nourishing tonic” than “derby cocktail with straw”.

This is one of several stainless steel ingredient bowls, given to Krishnas grandparents, Ranga and Jaya, as a wedding gift in 1918. Their initials were hammered into the side. Seems a lot classier than sharpie on a tupperware, to me. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

**A note on Krishna and chai tea: On the coldest of days at the farm, or when we happen to have milk in the office fridge (whichever comes first), Krishna is known to make tiny cups of chai for everyone to enjoy. He mixes the ingredients (and subsequently froths the milk) through an impressive pouring technique wherein one cup’s contents cascades into an empty cup waiting below, and then again and again. If you’re a JBG employee and are reading this, wait until it gets truly cold, and then bring some whole milk or half and half into the office fridge and simply tell Krishna it’s there. Warm, sweet chai will soon be in your future, the perfect afternoon pick me up.

One last random-ish aside: If the sheer number of Indian spices used in these recipes, or any others, intimidates you, I encourage you to checkout the new and highly acclaimed cookbook Indian-ish. One of our recipe developers, Mackenzie Smith actually shot the photos in this beautiful book! The cookbook’s author, Priya, makes a deliberate point to explain each spice, and her recipes only require the spices she deems absolutely necessary.

Illustration by Maria Qamar, taken from Indian-ish by Priya Krishna.