Thursday, March 19, 2020

Eating in the age of Coronavirus; try out this comfort food, Buckwheat and Mushroom Porridge!  

If you’ve never tried buckwheat before, now’s the time! The seeds (or groats) come from a broad leaf plant related to rhubarb and is an excellent source of Fiber, Protein, Iron, Rutin, all the Amino Acids and, best of all, Zinc, to boost your immune system in this time of crisis! Most importantly, it’s gluten free! (Despite the name, it’s not wheat!)

See ingredients below. To prepare, wash 1 8-Oz. cup of buckwheat seeds in cold water and add to 3 cups of boiling water and stock. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until cooked: about 30-40 minutes. Add cumin, turmeric, mushrooms, potatoes, garlic, ginger, Bay leaves, pepper, and salt. The almond flour is added in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Keep stirring if it’s too thick; add more water as needed. After removing from the heat, add the olive oil, coconut oil, cilantro, and lemon juice.

Ingredients:
1 cup washed buckwheat
4-6 cups of water
2 cups sliced white mushrooms
1 cup julienned potatoes
4 Bay leaves 
1 cup vegetable/other stock
1/4 teaspoon ginger paste
1/4 teaspoon garlic paste 
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Himalayan or other salt to taste
3 tablespoons almond flour

Garnish:
2 teaspoons organic olive oil
2 teaspoons coconut oil
Fresh cilantro or other leaves
1/4 cup lemon juice

“Kuttu”

Note that buckwheat (known as “kuttu” in India), gives a real nutritional boost to the diets of non-meat eaters as it has all the B Vitamins (that vegetarians such as myself) sometimes lack, as well as Magnesium and Manganese. 

You can get loose buckwheat from Whole Foods or packaged from Vitacost. They’re equally good, either loose or packaged. I’ve tried both. 

Tips

It’s best to use a stainless steel pan with a heavy base so the porridge doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. If you’re not a mushroom fan, try asparagus, cauliflower, cabbage or broccoli - fresh, frozen or canned. Note also that the almond flour and potatoes take away the slightly acrid/bitter taste of the buckwheat. My folks loved it, including my sister Lorna who is the cook in the family and rarely likes anyone else’s cooking! The trick, I think, is to overcook just a little bit so it’s slightly sloppy, but ever so delish (even if I say so myself)! 

Anglo Indian Recipes

I posted it on Mum’s “Anglo Indian Recipes Group” page on Facebook and she got more than 100 “likes” and 25+ interesting  comments from real chefs (unlike me!) who wanted to know what the garnish was: was it “valchi baaji or spinach poi” asked Canada-based Antonio. (They’re all Konkani words - the language spoken in Goa, me Mum’s birthplace)! Apparently it was “poi” which Mum grows in a window box. We sent him the pic and he was so excited - was sure she was India-based, not Flushing, NYC-based! (Wonder if that took away from the magic of the poi?)!

Versatile

Buckwheat can be very versatile. Group members said it sounded like a recipe for “daal” (lentil) or “kichhdi” (rice and lentils). Another said he makes an oat porridge with similar ingredients. The recipe is very adaptable. Besides oats, other grains can be used such as quinoa, millet, and so on, but their protein content is not as high, I think. (Like I said, always looking for protein sources)!  My friend Girish from Delhi wrote that they eat “kuttu ki rĂ´ti” (buckwheat bread) when they are fasting while others make the flour into pancakes. 

Bare Shelves in Supermarkets 

One needs to be flexible, especially when supermarket shelves are bare!  Carmen, a friend of mine in London, told me that the grocer she goes to had nothing in the pasta/rice aisle except buckwheat, which she bought - and wasn’t it fortuitous that my recipe reached her just then?

These are extraordinary times, indeed! You know things are serious when they shut down the Taj Mahal in India!  We’ve been advised to stay home, “shelter in place,” practice social distancing, and do whatever is necessary not to spread the virus. Catch me cooking in other circumstances! Now’s the time, for sure!  

New York City
March 18, 2020


Mum’s famous window box with Spinach Poi!  


Buckwheat Porridge with Poi Garnish 


Lorna, Moi, Mum

Mum and I

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Trek to Big Schloss

I recently took part in a trek to Big Schloss, a peak in the George Washington National Forest on the Virginia-West Virginia border. A 3 hour car ride from Washington D.C. (2 hours from Northern Virginia) takes you to the trailhead at Wolf Gap Campground where one begins the 4.5 mile hike and climb to the peak (2,964 feet). 

The start is insanely steep and rocky: the ascent in the first 0.7 miles is over 1,000 feet! After that, it levels out and the hike along the ridge is much easier. Another shorter climb gets you to a picturesque wooden bridge; then a short rock scramble and I had reached the summit and the stunning picture postcard views! 

The rock outcropping or spur was named by German settlers in the area. It really does look like a schloss, or castle with turrets.  

My companions were a couple dozen members of the World Bank 1818 Hiking Club. Most were experienced hikers casually chatting about treks they’d already done or were going to do in Patagonia, Tibet, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and Norway. 

Cardio Workout

Unlike moi! I huffed and puffed the whole entire way; it was a challenge and a real cardio workout! The rocky terrain at the beginning of the hike was treacherous! My feet kept slipping on slush and finding holes burrowed by animals. I took a couple of small spills and skinned my knees, but nothing serious. 

My friend Xiao Ye lent me one of her hiking poles which really helped on the downward journey as it took the strain off my scraped knees. 

Clueless and Cold!

I wore too many layers and was soaked through! It was 35 degrees F to begin with and warmed up another 10 degrees by the afternoon. But, as soon as I started climbing, I got very hot, very fast. Removing the layers would’ve meant carrying them in my backpack, so I left them on!  

Next time, I would definitely go lighter and ditch most of the contents of my backpack - everything except two liters of water, camera or phone to take pictures with, Tic-tac or other mints, and lip balm. I carried snacks but brought them back untouched. Other unused items were a poncho, phone charger, Band Aid, sunscreen, and insect repellent. 

I would also wear clothes with multiple easy-to-reach pockets, such as cargo pants. 

New Togs!

In anticipation of the hike, I splurged on swanky new Salomon hiking boots, Smartwool merino socks, and REI hat and gloves, and broke them in the previous day during a day-long trek from the Lincoln Memorial to Capitol Hill and back - and all the newer memorials in between!  

I was thinking of previous hikes I’d done a long time ago in Nepal: trails in Pokhara, the Everest Base Camp; and India: Lahaul-Spiti (Himachal Pradesh); Valley of the Flowers, Hemkund Sahib, and Kedarnath (Uttarkhand).  

They were all accomplished sans hiking poles or any smart outdoor gear and equipment.  

We had plain old sneakers then which may not have even been waterproof!  I remember wearing woolen “inners,” multiple sweaters and parkas, and buying a blue and white (slightly used) ski jacket in Nepal before starting the Annapurna Circuit and proudly using that in all my treks. Those were the days!

“Chai” Shops and Litter 

I also remember the ubiquitous “chai” shops all over the Indian and Nepalese trails. The “chai” or tea was served sweet and milky, flavored with ginger and “tulsi” (holy basil), sometimes pepper; along with glucose biscuits and hard boiled eggs.  

I recall biting into more than one not-so-fresh egg on the arduous trek to Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahibji, a Sikh place of worship, at an elevation of over 15,000 feet in India’s Garhwal Himalayas. 

The tea was so welcome then but perhaps impractical in today’s world! Imagine the chaos and litter that tea stalls would create on the narrow trail to Big Schloss? Good thing they weren’t there!

Looking back at treks in Nepal, I remember my first time in Pokhara with a group of New Zealanders and being offended at the incongruous sight of plastic bags littered everywhere! Those were less PC days, before the threat of imminent Climate Change, unchecked commercialization - and looming environmental disaster!

Trekkers help the Economy

In North America, outdoor enthusiasts, especially trekkers, have helped to transform and grow rural economies and make them more sustainable.  

Trekkers support small business owners when they visit recreation areas and pay for entrances fees, licenses and other travel-related expenses such as airfares, rental cars, lodging, campgrounds, restaurants, groceries, gasoline, souvenirs, and much more. 

According to an Outdoor Industry Association study, Americans spend $646 billion on outdoor recreation each year which directly results in more than 6.1 million direct jobs and $80 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue. 

Rest and Ibuprofen!

The back and forth on Big Schloss took about 4 hours. My companions went on a hike to another nearby peak that afternoon, Tibbet Knob, but I opted out in favor of rest and ibuprofen!

My recovery was quick. Two days later I did another 3 hour trek along the Potomac. Good times!  

Ludi Joseph
Washington, D.C.
February 26, 2020