Soul Cocina: Slow Kati Roll

When I was working at ACE in Goa, we had a great chef from Kerala visit the kitchen. He made about 5 dishes and one very special bread. It was some of the best food I have ever tasted.

Chef Wilson's Kerala cuisine. One hundred ways to use coconut!

Tune: Coconut Shell by Queen Ifrica is a big tune from her new Road To Montego Bay EP

The bread Wilson made was Malabari Paratha.

And here is one of the top students demonstrating how to "fluff" the Malabari parathas, which helps give the bread it's flaky characteristics.

These breads are actually a lot like croissants, which is one of the recipes I taught the Indian cooks how to make in exchange for the Indian cooking lessons.

Tune: Broadway by Ace DJs

Tune: Mentirosa (long mix version) by Mellow Man Ace

Tune: Asaw Fofor by Ignace de Souza and The Melody Aces

I first learned how to make Malabari paratha with Vankatesh, the South Indian chef at Cidade de Goa. My time with Vankatesh was great. He taught me how to make Goan kismoor, mung bean katchoori, aloo bondis, idlis and a lot more.

Vankatesh frying Aloo Bondas in the Cidade de Goa Kitchen

Tune: I Want To by Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubramaniyam is a crazy South Indian disco heater! vankatesh talked like Sripathi.
Vankatesh was a lot of fun and very talented. Here he is making Malabari parathas:

One of my favorite dishes from the streets of Calcutta were the kati rolls.

I hear they have good kati rolls in NYC. Kasa by Dolores Park in SF serves great kati rolls. But for the best kati rolls in the city I stay home. I made Kati Rolls at home for the Food Diva's going away dinner, instead of regular parathas, I rolled mine in Malabari parathas.

Chicken, cauliflower, peas and potato xacuti with mint and tamarind chutney, Soul Cocina special pickled onions and fried egg wrapped in a malabari paratha.

Tune: Mera Naam Hai Shabnam (from Kati Patang) from the film Kati Patang

Xacuti masala recipe
Marinate chicken in the xacuti masala for a few hours then roast with peas, potatoes and cauliflower.

Soul Cocina special pickled onions
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
2 small red onions, julienned
a small handfull of curry leaves
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 cup lime juice

~Heat the coconut oil in a wok or kadai. Add the mustard seeds and cook to pop. Add the curry leaves and toast. Add the onions and saute for one minute. Add all of the lime juice except 2 Tablespoons. Simmer for 2 minutes on low. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Stir in the remaining lime juice and season with salt.

For the Malabari paratha

Mint Chutney
2 bunches of mint, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
2 green chilies, chopped
1/2" ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups yogurt
juice of 1 lime
salt

~blend all ingredients together in a blender.

Tamarind Chutney
1/3 C Tamarind, seeds and stringy veins removed
1/2 C Pitted organic medjool dates
1 C Water
2 T Jaggery or Palm Sugar or Piloncillo
1 1/2 t Cumin seeds, toasted, crushed
1 t fennel seeds, toasted, crushed
Juice of 1/2 lime
salt to taste

~chop the tamarind and dates and simmer in the water with jaggery for 5 minutes. Strain into saucepan, add cumin and fennel and reduce to a nice thick consistancy over low heat. Add lime juice and salt to taste.

Tune: Para el Violento by Tamarindo

And here is some more Dominican niceness:
Tune: El Tigeraso by Maluca

Tune: El Tigeraso (NGUZUNGUZU REMIX)
I like to just play the OG and the remix back to back. On repeat.

This weekend the SF Chronicle puts out their annual list of the top 100 Bay Area restaurants. I was able to get an early cheaters peek at the list by visiting the webpage for last year's list and replacing the 8 in 2008 with a 9 in the url. But word was already out that "noh-pah-lee-toe" had made the list, so no surprises there. There are actually a lot of great restaurants on the list that would probably be on my list too. I think Chef Brett's list over at In Praise of Sardines is even closer to mine. His list is called "Bay Area Shortlist: what do you crave?" and it's on the sidebar of the blog. He lists a few places I have worked at and a few places I would like to work at as well as a few places I have eaten at and a few places I would like to eat at. I actually have not eaten at most of the restaurants on Bauer's top 100 list. To grow as a cook, in addition to cook cook cook, you also need to eat eat eat. But many of these places are just out of a cook's budget. A chef asked me last year what some of my favorite restaurants in the city are to spend 100 dollars at. We were busy working, so I did not stop to explain to him that I have probably only spent 100 dollars on a meal [for 2] less than 4 times in my life. Once was with Desi at Delfina when she visited me in SF before we were married in 2000. Once was for our 3 year anniversary at Lark Creek Inn. And once was for a 75 dollar vegetarian tasting menu for myself at Aqua when I first moved to SF in 1999 because I was thinking of working there [although I was much more impressed with the free meal Albert gave me at Flying Saucer the next night back in '99 when I was thinking of working there as well] So anyhow, my answer to the hundred dollar question was Bar Jules, Nopa and Boullettes Larder. And I had never even eaten at any of them, I only know about there style, culinary philosophy and there menus. I would also like to check out Manresa and Aziza and of course French Laundry. But my budget will keep me checking out places like Oxkutzcab and Puquito. Yeah, I love food from the Yucatan. And the people I have worked with from the Yucatan over the years have brought me lots of laughs and have taught me many curse words in Mayan. My favorite Yucateco spot is Poc Chuc, without a doubt. Mi Lindo Ycatan?... not so much. Yucatasia? no way!, but just down the block, La Oaxaqueña is great! But I might have had the chance to try some Nopa grub at Mission Street Food earlier tonight if I had only kept up with the schedule.

The folks at Souljazz records have another reggae compilation out. They are starting back at 100 again, this time with 100% Dynamite NYC! "Dancehall Reggae Meets Rap In New York City"

Tune: Texas Rumpus by Jamalski from 100% Dynamite NYC!

Tune: Rough and Rugged by Shinehead also from 100% Dynamite NYC!

Smiley culture has a flow that goes from steady to quick just like Shinehead.
Tune: Shan a Shan [extended dub version] by Smiley Culture from the b side of the 1984 12" Police Officer

Tune: Sometimes I Rhyme Slow by Nice and Smooth
I liked this song when it came out and I loved the fact that they used such an unlikely sample- "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman!? Then in Jamaica they run a riddim bassed on TC's "Sorry"!? = taxi riddim - Bounty Killa , EleMan even my favorite lunatic on the M.I.C. Mr Chillin in Chile Sizzla Kalonji! and then my favorite tune on the riddim:

Tune: Driver A by Buju Banton

"Don't stop at all" Don't drive to fast or too slow!

Tune: Too Slow by The Impressions Chitown stand up!

Tune: Beside the Ackee Tree / Slow Motion (Raw) by Busy Signal 7"

Tune: Go Slow by Fela Kuti

Tune: Slow Run by Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.

Tune: Fast Lane by Buju Banton

Tune: Make it Fast by Guilty Simpson uses a sample from what was once an obscure tune from Ghana until Soundway Records put out the Ghana Soundz compilation.

Tune: Make it Fast Make it Slow by ROB from Ghana Soundz LP origionally off the Essiebons LP "Make It Fast Make It Slow". From the Ghana Soundz liner notes: "ROB is something of an enigma in Ghanian music. He cut two LPs for Essiebons neither of which sold particularly well at the time. Both were packed with hard driving Afro-Funk, unlike anything else on the scene... He still makes music but has turned to a gospel style"