Thursday, January 3, 2008

Welcome to Citizen Chutney!



नमस्ते and Hello!

The purpose of this blog is to provide Indian-American fusion recipes - steak with a spicy kick, chaat made with American chips, keema Sloppy Joes...

My father is Indian. My mother was born in America to Maltese immigrants. When they first got married, my young mother spent a good deal of time with my aunts in northern India where they taught her their cooking secrets. Back in the US she applied her knowledge daily, hovering over a pot of bubbling brown chicken, magically creating batches of fluorescent potatoes, whipping up fresh yogurt overnight, and calling us all for chai at 4pm.

Our very non-Indian neighbors would marvel at the weird food we ate. My childhood friends had many questions. "Why are the potatoes glowing? What are those ball things in my yogurt? Why does your house always smell like onions? Why is your old uncle eating with his hands?!?" So my quest to educate Americans about Indian cuisine started early. At first I was embarrassed that the food we ate was different. On more than one occasion I asked my mother, exasperated, why we couldn't just eat pizza and hot dogs like normal people. As I matured, however, I realized how lucky we were to eat such healthy, tasty food every day - Indian food includes many vegetables and when cooked at home can be made with hardly any fat. My mother never forgot her American side, however, and altered dishes (and dish names!) when appropriate. For example, where was she going to find Papri Chips for chaat at the grocery store in Michigan? Better just use Mr. Phipps Tater Crisps instead. What is the name for that specific raita with the balls of dough? Who knows, let's just call it Ball Raita. Attuned to the American way of staying health-conscious, she significantly cut out fat and salt from the traditional recipes. In this way she slowly invented her very own Indian-American cuisine.

Inspired by the sheer deliciousness of these childhood meals, I want to carry on her mixed legacy. On this blog I will include recipes for her past creations as well as new ideas for American food with Indian flair. Look what can happen when you combine a US Citizen with an Indian man who loves chutney...

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