Mumbai to Maine!

It’s not everyday that a talented chocolatier and chocolate-maker stops by bearing hand-crafted organic bean-to-bar candy, cacao soap, cacao-infused spices and nibs of dark chocolate to share. This past Holiday I was thrilled to host Kate McAleer, co-founder of Bixby & Co, located in Rockland, to share her entrepreneurial story on Maine’s Bicentennial Food Podcast.

Bixby & Co. is an organic chocolatier and chocolate-maker based in Rockland, Maine. Women owned, co-founders, Kate and her mother Donna, recently made Maine food history as the state’s first chocolate-maker of organic bean-to-bar vegan smoothie bars– innovation in chocolate making at its best!

It took hours of additional paperwork, federal and state regulations, grant-writing, demonstrations and testing in the kitchen with their talented team to innovate at this level. It didn’t come easily, but it paid off. There are only a few other organic bean-to-bar chocolate makers in the country.

The thing I love the most about Kate is her grit. Kate has won multiple entrepreneurial pitch competitions and written multiple grants to fund her business from the ground up in the last 8 years with no outside investment. She’s not afraid of the paperwork nor the regulations. She’s also not interested in an exit strategy.  She’s in this for the long run and truly wants to build a chocolate company with a moral conscience. A creative collaborator, Kate recently worked on incorporating her chocolate nibs with Gelato Fiasco, Maine’s beloved gelateria. Last year, two-time James Beard award-winning chef Melissa Kelly and owner of Primo restaurant in Rockland reached out to Bixby & Co. to launch her 20th Anniversary ’20 Karat Primo Bar’ featuring Primo’s popular and addictive signature bar snack, roasted almonds with a touch of Calabrian chili and rosemary. The bar was uniquely sweet, salty but also contained spicy notes infusing the 70% dark chocolate. Hundreds of bars were produced but only 5 bars contained a hidden golden ticket.

Its fun collaborative creative experiences like these that inspire Bixby & Co. to continue embracing Maine and its community of outstanding makers while growing its brand. Kate recently collaborated with Maine’s only organic bourbon maker, Split Rock Distilling, located in Newcastle, Maine, to create a chocolate bar (Split Rock Bourbon 70% Dark Chocolate Bar.)

Bixby & Co. retail store located in downtown Rockland also houses Maine’s first bean to bar chocolate factory. The production area is fun to watch through a glass window. I stopped by with my family and enjoyed sampling our way through Pumpkin Caramels, Needhams, Maine Blueberry Jam Bonbons and Dark Chocolate Almonds. We even got lucky and got to watch a chocolatier at work.  I’m sure you’ll find it hard to leave without a 2 lb dark or milk chocolate handcrafted Lobstah in your hand! For now, check out the pictures below and be sure to listen to Kate’s inspiring story on the podcast.  If you can’t squeeze in a visit to Maine soon Bixby & Co. also ships its delicious candy through its website.

Meet Sarah and Bryce Hach – Maine’s food ambassadors!!! They are one of the reasons I felt inspired to produce this Bicentennial Food Podcast series.

With stellar non-profit backgrounds and a passion for all things food, they moved to Maine back in 2012 and came up with the brilliant idea to start a food tour with an educational twist. The tour was called Maine Food For Thought. (Isn’t that the perfect name for an educational based tour?)

Shortly after they kicked off the tour, in an almost prescient launch, Portland was voted the 2018 Restaurant City of the Year, Bon Appetit.

Sarah and Bryce are committed to sharing Maine’s food story – behind the plate.  They partnered up with restaurants and chefs who feel the same way. Each notable chef has created a dish that showcases a specific Maine food system while also bringing their own respective personalities and culinary flair to the featured dish. Check out the beautiful pictures below. 

UNION, The Press Hotel

EVO Kitchen + Bar  (Hyatt Place Portland- Old Port) 

Check out Matt Ginn’s Mediterranean-inspired Harra dish showcasing Maine’s humble but hearty potato.

A true reflection of “Maine’s urban sophistication and the rural yankee work ethic”- Bryce.

Solo Italiano

It’s not everyday that a World Pesto Champion moves to Maine and opens a restaurant as beautiful as Solo Italiano.

Meet Chef Paolo Laboa who is a master at handcrafting handkerchief pasta (a work of art) tossed in an authentic Genovese basil pesto. The pasta is made with 00 grade flour and the pesto is made with Langorian Olive oil, both ingredients imported from Italy. The star of this vibrant dish is the Genevose basil grown right at Olivia’s Garden (a state-of-the-art pesticide-free greenhouse garden up in New Gloucester, about 45 minutes north of Portland.)

The pasta was as smooth as silk with a thin coating of the freshest pesto making this dish an explosion of delicate flavors.

No garlic overload in this award-winning pesto! I was in heaven and didn’t want this bite to end.

Scales

So, I have to admit, I’ve been dreaming about this seafood dish since I left the tour. As we casually walked over to Scales where I devoured some of the best Mussels I’ve had in the longest time Maine’s sustainable initiatives with seafood farming, fisheries, aquaculture, kelp farming, lobster and climate change were all on the table for discussion as we dug into that cast iron skillet filled with Bang Island mussels. I tried to be as polite as I could waiting to see if anyone was interested in snagging  that last piece of crusty bread from Standard Baking co. 

Tender and sweet, these sea jewels were swimming in a broth that was so delicious, it was almost distracting. Bryce almost had my full attention. I wish I didn’t have to share that afternoon. 

East Ender

Piccolo

I loved that this walking tour was only about a mile long with approximately 5-6 minutes between restaurants. I can’t think of a better way to restaurant hop, and take in the historic district of Old Port on a beautiful late fall afternoon. Each dish was expertly crafted and tied right into a discussion about Maine’s food systems. I had the best time chatting it up with fabulous foodies from all over the country.  On my ride home from Portland to Boothbay, I felt a deeper connection to Maine. Bryce’s closing resonated with me all the way home:

Maine Food For Thought was an intimate culinary exploration that went beyond the plate.

It’s no surprise that within three years, Bryce and Sarah have already won a prestigious international award: WINNER, BEST FOOD OR BEVERAGE TOUR EXPERIENCE, by the World Food Travel Association’s 2019 FoodTrekking Awards for “Excellence & Innovation in Food and Beverage Travel Experiences.”

It was an honor to have Sarah and Bryce in the studio sharing their journey.  If you are ever in Maine, please do carve out time to take this tour and also eat at these award-winning restaurants.

I hope you enjoy their podcast. I can almost wage you’ll be catching the next flight to Portland or tempted to get in your car and make a reservation to enjoy some of that award-winning pesto or those Bang Island mussels.

Happy Listening!

 

I was honored to kick off the 2019 Maine Expo TrendZone global breakfast demonstrations with my signature masala chai – hot steamed milk infused with heady notes of freshly mortar-and-pestle-ground SKORDO cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, fennel, star anise, peppercorns, nutmeg, ginger and my unique blend of malty Assam and floral Darjeeling tea leaves from Vadham Teas. Although chai has been around Southeast Asia for centuries, in the last two decades it has become a trendy beverage of choice in the West.  I enjoyed handcrafting small batches of chai for scores of attendees. In Hindi, chai means “tea.” So if you ask for a cup of chai-tea, you are literally asking for a cup of tea-tea. You might get a confused look from your chai-wallah.

In the southern part of India, masala chai is ubiquitous. “Masala” in Hindi means spices. So if you ask fora masala chai expect a potent version of chai: black tea brewed and blended with a powdered version of the spices. Masala chai is primarily made with whole milk, no water, in an attempt to mellow and balance out the robust spicy flavors.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of brewing a strong cup of chai the entire process is as therapeutic as drinking the exotic beverage. Back in Mumbai, chai was an intrinsic part of our daily lives, no matter how hot it got!

My morning ritual begins with the hottest water in an oversized mug. (Bigger is always better.) I adore watching those black tea leaves get christened with the scalding water slowly staining my porcelain cup with its mahogany goodness. Embracing the mug in both hands, I take long deep breaths as the blend of crushed spices disperse among the black tea leaves and permeate one another. As the heat warms my hands and the steam hits my face I can almost picture a Mumbai chai-wallah (a street vendor who makes chai for a living) pouring the strong brew from one glass to another like a silting Himalayan waterfall. I get lost in the aromatic fog. The whiffs of chai give my sleepy face a cardamom facial while the chai cools down. On quiet mornings when I’m not hurrying out the door, making a cup of chai also brings back memories of my childhood in the city of Mumbai.One of my fondest memories as a young girl was surprising my dad with a perfect cup of tea as he got home from work. Barely old enough to stand by a stove, I would open the stainless steel can filled with Nilgiri tea leaves and dig right in to get an oversized heap. Gently, I’d add in the raw milk that was hand delivered promptly at 5a.m. Occasionally, a little bit of heavy cream would slide in…ah, creamy perfection! I knew dad loved that extra treat. I watched impatiently as it came to a boil. I would then throw in the tiniest stick of cinnamon, a couple of cardamom pods, cloves, peppercorns, and if I felt adventurous a big knob of ginger.

I could always time my father and knew exactly what time he would walk in the door with his newspaper in hand. He was punctual to a fault and routine was his middle name. I didn’t need to ask him how his day went because with a cup of chai in his hand I knew life was good! His shoulders would relax as he took in his first whiff of his evening chai after a long day at work. I could sense the tension of his day melt away as he took his first slurp. It was always too hot to sip. Dad chose to slurp it instead.

I can’t even talk about chai without reminiscing about our evening family-tea time back in Mumbai. Marie and Parle-G biscuits were a staple to go along with our tea. If we were out of our stash, I was charged with 5 rupees in hand to walk to the convenience store at the end of our street and pick up biscuits to go along with our chai. Now, I can’t walk past the ethnic aisle at our local grocery store without picking up at least a couple of packs of those golden-wrapped Marie biscuits. I’ve gotten my daughter hooked on them, too. She won’t ask for them every day, but on days when she needs some special mommy time she knows to come up to me and ask for chai and biscuits. She even dunks the biscuits into her chai the way I did. We sit quietly at the kitchen table and share a pack. Sometimes she over dunks and a few chunks fall in and she scoops them out. She might not know how to make chai from scratch or realize how trendy it has become these days, but she does know that with mommy by her side, chai and her favorite biscuits in hand, life is good!

Check out the Pilot Episode of Mumbai to Maine! Mumbai to Maine – (my third child), was born right here in this kitchen, at this very kitchen table.

My hubby, Guy, pictured above, is my BIGGEST cheerleader, my BEST friend and the LOVE of my life! It took Guy almost three years to build this beautiful kitchen for me. No detail was overlooked, every appliance I could wish for was thoughtfully purchased and carefully built in to ensure efficient workflow without compromising any aesthetics. Guy called this labor of love – his Taj Mahal for his wife, Cherie (his Mumtaz)! Only in this case there were only a few hands that did all the work, not 20,000 laborers.

He knew I loved to cook and to be candid I’m sure he was tired of hearing me talk about food. One day he surprised me with a book on food photography and  said, “For heaven’s sake please stop talking about food and now go blog about it!” The kitchen would have been enough to keep me busy for a long time experimenting with Indian inspired dishes. But Guy just knew that would not be enough for his wife.  When I left Mumbai 23 years ago, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that Boothbay, Maine would one day be my home, my happy place, my creative muse. I knew I had to find a portal to share my passion for Mumbai and Indian cuisine and tie it into my deep love for my new hometown -– Boothbay and Maine’s dynamic food scene.

I created my culinary blog: Mumbai to Maine

Flash forward a couple of years, in the midst of what felt like the longest winter ever, between loads of laundry on a quiet Sunday afternoon, I felt this wave of inspiration come over me. I took out my laptop and sat down at my kitchen table and outlined what would become Mumbai to Maine’s six-part tv series.

I listened to my intuition and knew that I would only produce this series if I could collaborate with two incredibly talented filmmakers – Ryan Leighton, of Walking Home fame and Cody Mitchell, renowned cinematographer and BRTV Media Center’s station manager. Before I could talk myself out of it, I composed an email to them both and hit send. I went back to folding laundry relieved that I reached out and didn’t chicken out. Within minutes I heard from them both – they were on board.

Mumbai To Maine series will feature what life IS like in Maine and not just how it SHOULD be. ( Maine’s state slogan: Maine, the way life should be.)

Both Ryan and Cody were born and raised in the coastal Boothbay Harbor Region.

I’ve always been a big fan of Ryan’s award-winning work as a news reporter for the local newspaper, the Boothbay Register, and his award-winning documentary, Walking Home. (We once found ourselves in an html coding class together  – how random is that?) Ryan is an exceptional storyteller. He just knows how to curate a richly layered narrative and I knew he would know how to bring out the best in me on paper and on the screen. I was lucky enough to catch him at the right time as he was in between projects. Ryan was intrigued by Mumbai to Maine because it gave him an opportunity to delve into a creative blend of culinary and documentary narrative on screen.

Cody is a formidable cinematographer, a sensitive and deeply thoughtful human being.  A true artist. I am convinced Cody screens the world around him like no one else does.  I knew this series needed someone with Cody’s creative eye and who would approach it with a unique perspective – one of a native, a local artist with a cinematic lens for a brush. So many of us are guilty of not being able to appreciate the simple beauty in the chaos of our daily lives.  Cody has a way of capturing all the intangibles. His captures are cinematic gold and take my breath away. Just take a look at the Boothbay Region promo shot by Cody and directed by Ryan. Guy, my hubby, produced an original score for the promo!

I can’t wait for this pilot to air on December 11, 2018, in the very town it was created in. Here we are in the winter of 2018 working hard in post-production to produce a meaningful cinematic story that we hope will be embraced by a local and international audience. Driven by a love for culinary arts and “foodie culture,” the first season of Mumbai to Maine consists of 6 episodes; each taking a different narrative approach that highlights the characters and culture inherent to life here in Maine. What surfaces is a beautiful cinematic journey that seeks to connect us by our relationships through the people and places we call home.

We all have a story to share.

This is my story!

I hope you are captivated by it and feel inspired to perhaps one day share your story!

If you would like to attend the screening, check out this link to purchase tickets. We would love to see you there!

If you can’t join us, Mumbai to Maine will be available on demand via Roku, Apple TV, and the BRTV website boothbaytv.com.

 

 

 

 

I almost fell off my chair  this past January when I received an email from the head of Stonewall Kitchen’s cooking school, Kate Ellingwood, wondering if I would be interested in teaching a couple of Indian cooking classes this summer and fall.  One of the guest teachers at the school, who is a highly successful cookbook author and award-winning chef in her own right, knew I had a blog, had only met me once in person and thought I would have the right personality to teach a class at the school. GO FIGURE! Big thanks to the talented Dana Moos, author of The Art of Breakfast, for sticking her neck out for me!

It was one of the coldest days in Maine, but my head was filled with warm thoughts of summer. More than anything I knew that the most important goal for me was to help demystify Indian cuisine: make it accessible, approachable and less intimidating for those who had the courage to sign up for it.

The class was August 30, 2018, a few days before Labor Day weekend. I wanted the attendees to feel inspired when they walked out of my class. I would hope they would head right to the food store and pick out some key Indian spices and fresh produce right off the shelf (no online shopping involved. ) What could be better than taking an Indian cooking class and then hosting a Labor Day cookout with a bit of Indian flair!

Flash forward several months later, I was ready to make my debut at Stonewall Kitchen. I was restless the week before as I knew it was coming up. I had lost my dear mother a few month’s prior and wanted more than anything to make her proud of me. I could hear her voice in my head reassuring me I was going to do great because I was her daughter first and foremost…! I knew she would have loved to attend my class and sit in the front row – gleaming from ear to ear with pride.

The school was so kind and graciously put me up at the charming York Harbor Inn, the night prior. I drove 2 and half hours from Boothbay and got there at midnight after a long day at work; feeding my family and putting my two kids to bed.  I was so excited I could barely sleep, so I gently leafed through some of my favorite Indian cookbooks to help me unwind. I woke up bright and early and headed over to the school, only 6 minutes down the road. The parking lot was already full of tour buses. Stonewall Kitchen fans getting an early start to their day- enjoying the Labor Day sale tent outside, the gorgeous cafe inside and the MASSIVE store.

Pictured above: Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School

I’ll never forget walking into the building at 7:59 a.m. and looking through this glass window pictured above. I wanted to explode with happiness. It felt unreal to be the one teaching the class. The culinary team had just walked in and went right to work prepping, chopping, etc, putting together all my mise en place trays for each dish I was going to have to demonstrate with later. They worked seamlessly together, almost in silence — so focused and completely engaged.

Pictured above: Jane St. Pierre , my chef leader, who also teaches sold out classes at Stonewall Kitchen. Jane put me right at ease and gave me the warmest welcome.

Earlier that week, I wrote to Kate (head of school) to let her know that if she could make my garam masala from scratch and then marinate the lamb overnight that would be great, but its not necessary, a couple of hours of marinating time on the day itself would do.  Well it came as no surprise that Kate and her team actually did make a big batch of the spice blend the night before and prepped the lamb. The culinary team at Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School wowed me in every way. They wanted to make sure those folks who signed up got the real deal -no shortcuts, no compromising of any flavors here!

Garam Masala: Brown and black cardamom, cumin, black peppercorns, cinnamon, dried red chillis, turmeric, black cumin seeds,coriander and bay leaves.

Pictured above: Getting ready to demo my Mumbai Masala Fish Pakoras.

Pictured above: Lisa Corsi, prepping my Warm Roasted Curried Chickpea salad. She fell in love with the recipe. We both high-fived at least 5 times when trying it. It was so darn good!

Pictured above: Saffron-Infused Basmati Rice Pilaf mise en place.

Saffron Infused Basmati Rice Pilaf: I took on making this dish myself only because I had so much time before the class. Click here for the recipe!

Pictured above: Marinated skewers of Mughlai Lamb Kebabs ready for to hit the grill.

Pictured above: Jane St. Pierre, chef lead, taking no shortcuts. Jane went outside and fired up that grill. In no time, the entire parking lot smelled divine. You know your recipes work when the head of R & D  at Stonewall Kitchen pays a visit to the cooking school in person. 🙂

Pictured above: Only the freshest Maine corn to make up a batch of Indian street corn slathered with cayenne-red chili lime butter.

Indian Street Corn: Once these were grilled to perfection, I drenched them in the spice infused butter as a side dish to go with the lamb kebabs.

Pictured above: Noah, prep assistant,  mixing the mango puree into the Mango Kulfi.

Interesting story about this ice cream (kulfi.) When I came into the school in the morning, it was already done churning in the ice cream machine. But it tasted more like pistachio ice cream rather than Mango ice cream (Kulfi). I took one look at Noah and said, “its missing the essential ingredient – mango!” It was late summer and hard to find fresh ripe mangoes when Noah prepped this the night before. Within minutes the team had sent for 2 pounds of frozen mango. It was thawed in the oven and blended and immersed right into the ice cream. This was a teaching lesson for me later in the class as well. I shared this story letting guests know that no cooking experience is flawless. You simply have to think on your feet and make decisions and save the dish!

Seen above, are the 12 brave women who took a chance on me and signed up for the class. I know they all learned so much that afternoon from their awesome reviews they filled out after the class. But to be honest, it was me, this rookie teacher, who ended up learning the most! The wonderful part of this experience for me was engaging with these ladies, hearing them share about their personal experiences with cooking Indian food or going to a restaurant and not knowing what to order on the menu.  I do regret not taking pictures of every course that went out to guests. I was super focused on demonstrating these dishes from scratch and really listening to all the great questions. All this, while the the culinary team plated all three courses so beautifully for guests. This was the only shot I was able to snag as I was done teaching at this point and the ladies were filling out their reviews. At the end of the class, one of the attendees came over to me and said,

” Cherie, I came with a friend and we decided to make a day of it, so we went to a big brunch and shopped at the store before we came to the class not realizing that we were going to be served three courses of incredible Indian food. So now we have a ton of left overs!” So now you know folks: please know come hungry to a Stonewall Kitchen Cooking kitchen class!

This post was truly to archive one of the most amazing days in my life.  I would encourage you to bring a friend,a date or come by your lonesome and treat yourself to this culinary experience. Stonewall Kitchen does it right! I was so impressed that the school allowed me the freedom to create and develop my own recipes. Not once did they intimate nor ask that I incorporate any Stonewall Kitchen products. If you have ever thought about attending a class there or know of a foodie that might love this culinary setting where you eat, watch and learn, consider adding it to your Holiday gift giving guide. I know I will definitely ask for a gift card to the school on my Christmas list.  I was fortunate enough to attend a class during the week of Julia Child’s birthday celebrations and it was a quite the culinary experience.

If you are interested in learning more about Indian food and always been intrigued, simply click here and sign up for my last class of the season on October 27, 2018 – Fall Indian Feast.

I’ll close this post with one last anecdote of that day. In the picture below, there is a lady on the right dressed in blue. She asked me a question that afternoon after the class was done. I thanked her for asking a great question and asked her to share her name with the class. She replied, ” it’s Regina.”  At that moment, I burst into tears and ran over to her in the front row and gave her the biggest hug. Regina was my mom’s name. And, she told me she was Portuguese by birth too! Isn’t it amazing how my mother found a way to be at my first Stonewall Kitchen cooking class? She wasn’t going to miss it for the world. Love you mom…you continue to amaze me!

MAYA KAIMAL’S KASHMIRI CURRY W/lamb & potatoes

Almost a year ago to date, during a long deep dark winter in Maine, while I was watching my newborn son sleep peacefully I felt this urge to get back into my kitchen and make a rich warm Indian curry to nourish my fatigued body and wake up my senses after being buried in a nursing fog. I knew I couldn’t get too adventurous and tackle one from scratch as my baby only took cat naps and Indian food requires patience, time and a slew of spices. In an impulsive move, I decided to reach out to Maya Kaimal founder of Maya Kaimal foods and let her know I was a big fan of her writing  and was intrigued with her line of jarred curries. Maya responded almost immediately and within a couple of days her team had sent me the entire line of shelf-stable jars of sauces to play with in my kitchen.

MAYA KAIMAL’S line of shelf-stable sauces

Back in college, I can remember buying a jar of Indian curry and feeling totally let down and even more nostalgic for my mother’s cooking. I figured no one could possibly transport a homemade curry with all its complex flavors into a glass jar. And then flash forward a decade, Maya Kaimal came along and accomplished the improbable: a line of signature Indian sauces that authentically reflect the subtle but discernable unique characteristics between the north, south, east and west regions of India.

In the interest of time, I decided to review three sauces from the line: Goan Coconut, Kashmiri Curry and the Butter Masala.

GOAN COCONUT

With my Portuguese-Indian (Goan) heritage running through my veins I knew I had to first give the Goan Coconut curry a try.

So what is a Goan coconut curry? A quick history lesson would note that the Portuguese attempted multiple voyages to India and finally sailed into Goa, a coastal state located on the Western Coast of India, in the late 1400s and colonized it until 1975. Spreading Christianity, “combating Islam,” and strengthening their Portuguese-Asian spice empire were the primary goals of the Portuguese. The Portuguese finally overthrew the Arabs and took over the spice trade routes through Cochin and Goa. General Afonso De Albuquerque encouraged the Portuguese soldiers to marry the local women and thereby ensured Portuguese presence among the locals. While the Portuguese enjoyed a monopoly over spice routes they also introduced the fiery red chili pepper to the locals.

What makes Maya’s curry uniquely Goan is the addition of coconut cream to tame and balance out the fiery red chilis.

Goa is located on the west coast of India and its gorgeous coastline is dotted with groves of coconut trees. The locals use every part of the coconut. I vividly recall my mother taking the time to squeeze freshly grated coconut in a cheesecloth instead of using a can of coconut cream or milk. She would do it exactly three times: once to get coconut cream, then twice more for its milk.

Luckily for me I didn’t have to add any coconut cream as this jar was chock-full of sumptuous notes of coconut that balanced out the tangy tamarind and the spicy chilis. What I did decide to add was a pot of hot water on the stove and made up a batch of fluffy aromatic basmati rice to go along with it. This mouthwatering dish was on the table in less than 15 minutes. Not only did I feel like a chef, but it also brought back memories of our Sunday suppers when my mother would make up an oversized pot of her lip-smacking shrimp coconut curry for her little girl.

BUTTER MASALA

Infused with heady notes of cumin, coriander, cardamom, clove and cinnamon ( what I refer to as The Holy Grail of Indian spices, the 5 c’s ) and finished with a luscious buttery tomato gravy this Butter Masala transported me back to a grand wedding I once attended back in Mumbai. For added decadence I laced it with even more clarified butter. I decided to play around with this dish and added an extra step . I marinated the boneless chicken in some yogurt with a puree of ginger, garlic, a generous squeeze of lemon juice with finely chopped cilantro. After an hour, I took it out of the fridge and added some clarified butter ( ghee) to my dutch oven and sautéed the chicken with the marinade for about 15 minutes and then added the jarred sauce.

Puree of garlic, ginger and yogurt with lemon juice and finely chopped cilantro. 

Maya’s Butter Masala was supremely delicious. I knew it as soon as I opened the jar and snagged a quick taste. I really didn’t need to add the extra step of marinating the chicken. But the comfort of knowing that the sauce was ultimately spot on with its flavor profile inspired me to add my own personal touches.

MAYA KAIMAL’S BUTTER MASALA w/ chicken, Basmati rice pilaf and naan

KASHMIRI CURRY

Kashmir is located just below the Himalayas in India’s northern most tip. As a young girl living in the hot, crowded city of Mumbai, I have always held a quiet fascination for Kashmir. I recall my mom telling me stories about Kashmir – that it was hotly contested and fought over by both India and Pakistan. And yet, this war-torn state was one of the most beautiful places on earth with some of the best scenery, incredible food and warm-hearted people. My mother would regal me with stories about its rich cuisine.

Kashmiri chilis are long, skinny and have a wrinkled exterior. But when ground into a fine powder – the chili powder instantly adds a vibrant fire-engine red color to any Indian dish without bringing too much heat.

Maya embues her version of Kashmiri curry with notes of nutmeg, pungent mace and coconut milk to balance out the Kashmiri chili-infused tomato puree. My husband loves any Indian dish with lamb in it. I took the liberty of marinating cubes of lean lamb in yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and ginger paste for an hour in the fridge while I was on my lunch hour. I came home later that evening and let the cubes of lamb gently sizzle in some ghee and then simmer alongside hearty chunks of Yukon gold potatoes in this aromatic sauce. In less than 25 minutes, the cubes of lamb were fork-tender and the potatoes creamy and perfectly stewed. I cheated and bought some naan (Indian flatbread) and heated them up over a live flame with a pair of tongs and then lightly doused each naan with a garlic-infused clarified butter.

Maya Kaimal’s line of shelf-stable sauces have now earned a front-and-center spot in my highly-selective pantry. In fact I have even started gifting them to friends who are intrigued with Indian food and are tad bit intimidated to make an Indian dish from scratch. With each jar of Goan Coconut Curry, Kashmiri Curry and the Butter Masala I felt transported back to my homeland of India. I have already started dreaming about my next adventure in my kitchen. Perhaps a cumin-spiked potato and pea deep fried samosa with Maya Kaimal’s Spicy Ketchup for dipping. Stay tuned for my next post!