Natasha McCoo’s Russian Salad and Lorna’s Eggplant Pakoras!

Culinary expert and frequent recipe contributor, Natasha Garrett McCoo, has posted several amazing recipes on Anglo Indian Kitchen, a popular group page on Facebook. Mum, who is a huge Natasha fan, wanted to try the Russian Salad. Here we go with a few tweaks. 

Russian Salad Recipe 

1-1/2 cups Potatoes, diced

1 cup Green Beans, diced 

1 cup Carrots, diced

1 large Red Pepper, diced 

1 large Apple, diced

1/2 lb Green Grapes, sliced

250 gm Can Diced Pineapple

1 cup Heavy Cream  

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

Large Salad Bowl to serve

Boil vegetables (each one separately) until they soften but remain crunchy. Cool and mix all ingredients well. Cover dish with Clingfilm and keep refrigerated until ready to use. 

Note that we used less sour cream and Mayo; the original recipe called for a cup of each. It’s a matter of taste.  

This dish can be made ahead of time — a day in advance — for a party. Steaming potatoes with their skins on and peeling them later adds flavor as well as nutritional value.

Background: Russian Salad (or Ensalada Rusa) can be found in restaurants across Russia and is traditionally served at holiday gatherings and birthday parties with local variations in many Eastern European countries: Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Ukraine. It was invented in the 1860s by Chef Lucien Olivier for a Moscow restaurant called Hermitage. 

Lorna’s Eggplant Pakoras

Last week we went to an Indian restaurant in Queens, NY called Ayna Agra in Bayside, which turned out to be surprisingly good - well, everything except the eggplant pakoras (spiced fritters) which were a bust mainly because they used onion instead of eggplant!  So we decided to try these ourselves. Lorna is the chef in the family!  Check out her version:

Eggplant Pakora Recipe 

1 large Eggplant (best from Indian stores) - Sliced, but not too thinly

Gram/Chickpea Flour - 1 Cup

Rice Flour - 1/2 Cup

Turmeric - 1/4 Tsp

Cumin Powder - 1/4 Tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 Tsp

Hing (Asafoetida) - a Pinch

Baking Soda - a Pinch 

Cilantro leaves chopped - 1 Tsp (optional)

Salt to taste 

Wok (or Karai) to fry pakoras 

Cooking Oil

Mix the gram and rice flours well with a half cup of water and add other dry ingredients. Whisk to a smooth medium consistency without lumps. The batter should be a bit runny. Add more water if needed. Drop in the eggplant slices and coat well with batter. (I made the mistake of cutting the eggplant too thin - don’t do that)! When all slices are well coated, deep fry on both sides in medium hot oil. 

Use any neutral oil with a high smoking temperature. We used Filippo Berio Extra Light Olive Oil for Frying and Baking. Using a slotted spoon, lay pakoras on paper towels to absorb excess oil. (Do that to avoid consuming too much oil - your arteries will thank you)!  Pakoras should be crisp and evenly brown. 

Serve with hot spiced Indian tea as a snack or with rice and dhal (lentils) as a meal. A green mint or coriander chutney goes well with pakoras or even tomato ketchup!  

Try this recipe with Potatoes (Aaloo) or Cauliflower (Gobi) or even the above despised Onion (Pyaaz)!  I recall that Pakoras and Adrak Chai (Spiced Ginger Tea) were the go-to snack on rainy afternoons in Delhi!  Happy eating!  

Ludi Joseph

New York

November 6, 2021

Lorna and Mum in Charleston, SC, 2018

Russian Salad

Eggplant Pakoras

 

Father Prince Completes his Half Century!  

Father Joseph Prince, a second cousin on my Dad’s side, just completed 50 years as a priest — an extraordinary feat in any day and age but certainly in this one — and a major cause for a family reunion and celebration! In addition to his Golden Jubilee, Prince was also celebrating his Silver Jubilee as Pastor at St. Elizabeth Seton in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The parish was throwing him a grand party to commemorate the dual anniversaries and his lifelong service to the Catholic Church.

Since we were all fully vaxxed (Mum included), we drove up to Ridgefield, only an hour by road from Flushing, NY. We had sunny mid-sixties weather the entire weekend with a sharp nip in the air and the added bonus of viewing peak fall foliage: leaves resplendent in autumnal colors: flame, rust, scarlet, orange, yellow, gold.

Arrival in 1975! 

Prince, who studied at a seminary in Pune, India, was ordained as a priest in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, in 1971. He had initially planned to travel to the Philippines to pursue a communications degree in mass media but dropped that plan when he couldn’t get a visa and decided on the U.S. instead. He was accepted at Fairfield University in Connecticut, arriving at JFK Airport, NY in 1975 with the kingly (princely?) sum of 100 dollars in his pocket, minus other resources, and no place to stay or work! That took courage! A kindly priest from Fairfield University arranged for him to stay free of cost with a group of Jesuits until he found permanent housing while attending school full time.

For the past nearly four decades, Prince has served in several different Connecticut parishes: St. Andrew’s in Bridgeport, St. Mary’s in Ridgefield, St. Peter’s in Danbury, St. Rosa Lima in Newtown, and St. Leo’s and St. Gabriel’s in Stamford. In 1996, he was chosen to lead the Ridgefield Parish and, during his quarter century at St. Elizabeth Seton, has overseen major renovations and additions to the building, including the installation of rather spectacular stained glass windows, donated by a parishioner.

Longevity and Success!

Prince attributes his longevity and success to his beloved congregation where he has close relationships with many families. He is humbled to have had the opportunity to officiate at milestone events in the lives of his parishioners: at baptisms, first communions, confirmations, marriages, and other sacraments.

A constant refrain when you speak with him are the notes of appreciation and humility he strikes. He said how “grateful, honored and humbled” he felt “by their love and affirmation” and gives full credit to his friends, his parishioners, his bishop, and fellow priests — including a “desi” mafia of mainly Tamil clerics who get together for Indian food every now and then!

The Golden Jubilee service was concelebrated by several priests. There was also a full contingent of more than 30 other priests seated on the side, a wonderful choir, and an organ.

Pastor Emeritus

Prince will stay on at St. Elizabeth Seton as Parish Priest until the end of 2021 and then transition to Pastor Emeritus. He hopes to have more free time next year to play “a bit of golf,” he said, but only after he has had knee surgery to correct a painfully arthritic knee. He considers himself lucky — only three other priests ordained with him are still living. 

We were fortunate to meet another cousin and his family, Nirmal Kumar, his wife Stella, and two girls, Reya and Sandra, also from Coimbatore who now live in Iselin, NJ. During our university days, the home of Nirmal’s grandfather “Uncle David” in Gandhipuram, Coimbatore, was a frequent and popular stopover and meeting place for many of our kith and kin!

We decided to spend the night before the big Mass at the Hilton Hotel in Danbury so the trip would be more relaxing — and Prince invited us all to dinner at the Rectory: to an elaborate Indian meal (loved the dhal!) he’d himself prepared; add serious cooking skills to his many talents! 

Sabbath Song

Prince is famous in my family for singing the Sabbath Song from “Fiddler on the Roof” (the Broadway play and film) at my sister Lorna’s wedding. I recall his voice being a velvety baritone — truly a memorable moment! I also visited him at St. Leo’s in Stamford and remember taking the Amtrak train all the way from Washington D.C. and being with his mother and family when they visited D.C.

When I told my pal, Lore, that we went to a fun get together to mark our priest cousin’s 50th, she wondered, “Is a priest anniversary party fun?” to which my response was “It actually was!” Her classic rejoinder, “Who knew priests could rock ‘n roll!”

It so happens that we now have Golden Jubilee priests on both sides of the family! Mum’s brother Rev. Monsignor Nicholas Soares of Staten Island, NY (formerly a Salesian in Mumbai, India) has also completed 50 years since his ordination during a visit to India by Pope Paul VI! Wonder if all that spirituality rubs off onto us lesser mortals!

Ludi Joseph

New York

October 27, 2021

Notes:

Fall foliage is a deciduous tree phenomenon (mainly East Coast), unknown in tropical climes such as South Asia. I think North America, Japan, and the Swiss Alps have some of the most spectacular views!

Pastor Emeritus is a title conferred on a retiring pastor by Church leadership and is a way of honoring him. 

By kith and kin, I mean my Dad’s brothers, cousins and their families. My Dad’s only sister, Lidwin — a nun — was the Mother General of the Presentation Order and invited Lorna and I to do our undergrad studies in Coimbatore.

Nirmal’s aunt Amala was in college with Lorna and I and sent us a lovely video greeting!

Prince at his Ordination, India, 1971

Prince at his Ordination, India, 1971

Prince at St. Elizabeth Seton Rectory, Oct. 23, 2021

At the Mass

At the Mass

Mass Program

City Official Confers Honor on Prince 

Nirmal, Reya, Sandra, Stella, Mum 

Fall Foliage

Fall Foliage

Kathy, Leslie, Moi at Lunch Party

Kathy, Mati, Lorna at Lunch Party

Mum, Leslie, Lorna, Moi

 Remembering “Choti”

We heard the shocking news today that one of our closest friends, Punam (Choti) Puri, based in New Delhi, had died from Covid-related issues. The sad news came from Asha, her older sibling. Both sisters have been our dear friends for many years and it is hard to think of one without the other. 

All Things French!

We met Asha and Choti at the Alliance Française soon after college. Like Lorna and I, they were crazy about all things French: not just the language, but also culture, cuisine, couture!  

Both went on to become completely fluent. Asha taught French studies at JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) and Choti (for a time) at the British School. Neither wanted to be hemmed in by boring office jobs or mandatory “9-5s!”  They were sought after as translators and writers and were involved in all kinds of advanced academic projects. 

We used to remark on their excellent accents: French, English, Punjabi, Hindi! One did not impinge on the other! That’s quite a feat in modern-day India!

My brother Leslie and his wife Kathy recall bumping into Choti in 1989 at one of Delhi’s historical landmarks, the 13th century Qutab Minar.  She was leading a group of French tourists! That’s the kind of person she was: interesting, surprising, eclectic!

Left-Liberal Secular Politics

Like other Indians of the post-Independence generation, we shared a kind of unspoken short hand: left-liberal secular politics, Westernized education, English-speaking homes. I remember open-ended political discussions that went on for hours — one did that kind of thing in Delhi then! We’d meet again after a few months and pick up seamlessly from where we left off, solving the world’s problems!  Like us, they came from a background of strong Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru loyalists. Again, like us, the current dispensation caused them dismay! 

 

I remember visiting them many times at their sprawling Greater Kailash home near the M Block market. When I worked for the European Union, we organized several late evening “aloo puri” picnics on the India Gate lawns, often accompanied by singing, and (around midnight) gorging on cassata ice-cream from local vendors!  After the picnics, nearly a dozen of us crowded into their Maruti van, and Choti drove us safely back. 

She had a lovely personality and a genius for putting people at ease! The last time I met them was in December 2017 at the Hilton in Green Park but that was a short visit. We had a longer more memorable visit in 2014 when Lorna and I stayed with them. 

Fond Memories!

I recall the four of us (Asha, Choti, Lorna, moi) doing fun excursions: a walking tour of Lajpat Nagar that ended with a nostalgic visit to our childhood home in Vikram Vihar; a trip at dusk to the historic 15th century Lodi Tombs and Gardens that were awe-inspiring; and a journey to Connaught Place in the “ladies coach” of Delhi’s rather swanky metro, an activity that we wouldn’t have dared to do on our own! 

There was also a memorable dinner at that wonderful colonial relic, the Gymkhana Club, hosted by Asha and Choti. We spoke about how we’d all come to Davis Cup tennis matches at the “Gym” many years ago in what seemed like a bygone era!  Fond memories!  

I remember meeting their dad. Tall and distinguished looking, he had chaired the International Commission for Control and Supervision in Laos. The job of the Commission was to report on how peace agreements and protocols were kept after the Indo-China War. As a “freedom fighter” he was also closely associated with Indian leaders, Gandhi, Nehru and Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan. 

Their mother, a medical doctor, was always warm and welcoming. We had a running joke between us: she would say to me in Punjabi, half in jest: “please help find husbands for my girls” and I would say “Aunty-ji, If I could, I’d find one for myself!” The girls would blush, especially Choti!

For many years, both sisters spent time teaching poor children in their neighborhood to read and write. We attended one of these classes with the kids reciting their multiplication tables and nursery rhymes!

“She knew her time had come”

Both Asha and Choti had been fully vaccinated against Covid, but this was the time when the Delta variant was playing such havoc in India. There were numerous breakthrough cases among the vaccinated — in India and the U.S.  

Asha said that both of them got Covid in April-May. Choti never fully recovered, suffering from brain fog and severe depression, including stark personality changes. She was no longer bubbly and smiling; she kept to herself and wanted to be left alone.  

“She knew her time had come,” said Asha. There was a sad finality to that sentence. 

Ludi Joseph

Washington, D.C.

October 20, 2021

“Choti” is a North Indian term for “younger sister.”

“Aloo Puris” are wheat pancakes stuffed with spiced potatoes, a picnic staple popular in North India. (Those were my non-gluten-sensitive days!)

“Freedom Fighters” were men and women who participated in India’s struggle to throw off its colonial yoke and become self-governing. 

Photos from Facebook and my archives:

Choti and I at the Gymkhana Club, 2014

Choti (far right) next to Asha (blue shirt), Delhi 2018.

Choti seated with a friend, 2019.

Teaching Neighborhood Kids, Lorna & Asha standing, far right, 2014.

Excursion to Lodi Tombs at Night, 2014.

 2021: Taking Stock 

Listening to Li’l Nas X and Jack Harlow’s “Industry Baby” from Nas’ bestselling ‘Montero’ album on the train to DC — and taking stock of the past ten months…

Beware Anti-Vaxxers and Anti-Maskers!

2021 has been a weirdly unsettling year. At first it was full of promise, despite the January 6 insurrection (attempted coup) and the second (failed) attempt to impeach Trump. There was a strong expectation of the incoming Biden Administration making good on it’s promises: of the Pfizer and Moderna shots ending the worst of the pandemic or at least providing some measure of “herd immunity’ — but, sadly, we’d reckoned without the idiocy of anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers who would rather be sick or dead!

I kid! I kid! There are those whose immune systems are too compromised for vaccination and others with legit medical (and perhaps religious reasons?) to not vax. But, the vast majority (70 million?) of America’s unvaxxed appear to lack the mental wherewithal to understand science and prefer instead to swallow conspiratorial nonsense on social media! Needless to say, they’re mainly Trump supporters! 

Don’t talk about personal freedom: when your freedoms risk the health of the community (especially seniors and children), they count far less than personal responsibility! Who hasn’t heard the heartrending stories of dying people on respirators begging hospital staff to give them the vaccine, only to be told it’s too late…

Orange Julius Caesar!  

“Orange Julius Caesar” — as he’s dubbed by MSNBC host Joy Reid — did not fade away after his presidential loss. Despite having dozens of legal cases being built against him: from subverting election results in Georgia to rape (yes, rape, pre-White House!) and other more complex cases of grift — he’s still hangin’ in there, hinting about running again in 2024, and continuing to perpetrate “The Big Lie” that he defeated Biden in 2020 but was deprived of the White House, courtesy a vast left-wing conspiracy! His latest threat to the GOP: fully embrace “The Big Lie” or MAGA nation will not vote in 2022 and 2024 makes even less sense!  

Does any sane person actually believe “The Big Lie?” Much of the Republican electorate pretends to, particularly those with legislative ambitions who are afraid of “getting primaried” or just because they hate the Dems! 

Biden’s Numbers Fall! 

Biden has seen his support dwindle since his big uptick last April-May. According to a recent poll, his rating is driven by low marks on the economy, taxes, and immigration. The chaos of the U.S. withdrawal from Kabul and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan remains a black mark, even though history is expected to judge Biden more favorably than we do!

While Biden-appointed Attorney General Merrick Garland (and other Democrat state prosecutors and district attorneys) appear to be taking their own time on the myriad legal cases piling up against the Trump Administration and Trump himself — pardon one’s impatience but the wheels of justice grind too slow — it may all be too late!  

The Dems are expected to lose the House in the 2022 midterms which would inevitably end current Congressional investigations! With Kevin McCarthy as Speaker, the January 6 Commission would likely grind to a halt! No more subpoenas that the other side ignores or slow walks! We’d be back to where we were in 2010 under Obama: total gridlock!  Forget substantive legislation; nothing will get done!  

But, worst of all for Biden — and  perhaps the main reason his numbers have fallen — is the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus causing more havoc — and accounting for another 200K deaths, mainly of the unvaccinated — just when we thought we could get back to some semblance of normalcy: say, patio dining in Midtown Manhattan, checking out “The Lehman Trilogy” on Broadway, and visiting the D.C. Southwest Waterfront!

Hate!

That four-letter word “hate” is how one might describe much of the atmosphere vitiating Washington: hate and fear!

Because of division in their ranks, the Dems are afraid they will fail to deliver on Biden’s key agenda: two senators — Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona who are reportedly in the pocket of corporate lobbyists (fossil fuels, pharmaceuticals) — are holding up voting rights, paid family leave, child care, and lower drug prices while they wrangle about the $3.5 trillion “build back better” social spending bill that Democrats are trying to pass under budget rules known as reconciliation. Or (where Sinema is concerned) ignoring it all to focus on running ‘Iron Man’ triathlons (for real)!  

With thin majorities and without GOP votes, Dems can only afford to lose three members in the House and need total unity among its 50-member Senate caucus to pass the spending bill. Worse still, Manchin has put the critical climate agenda at risk on the eve of Biden’s visit to the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Scotland. 

Brandishing Weapons!

GOP-led state legislatures have abandoned any and all pretense at legislation. They are focused on relitigating the 2020 election, conducting re-audits in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin while stacking local election boards with loyalists who — come what may in 2022 and 2024 — are gearing up to throw the results to MAGA candidates!  

Trump followers seem to care only about protesting mask and vaccination mandates, yelling at small kids and mothers going to school wearing masks, and disrupting school board meetings with hate-filled rhetoric while members of the Oath Keepers and other Neo Nazi groups are brandishing weapons to terrorize local school board officials! As described by those on the receiving end of threats: the hate is open, ugly, visceral!  

Insurrection 2.0? 

The next two years before the 2024 presidential elections are likely to be filled with more extremist threats: of Insurrection 2.0 and White Supremacist rallies on the one hand and pro-choice, voting rights, and gun control protests on the other — with the constant hair trigger menace of violence just under the surface…  

The cultural wars of decades ago — abortion, for instance — are gearing up again. There are new ones such as “critical race theory!” Now, a Texas school district wants educators to explore teaching an alternative history to the Holocaust! What next: White Replacement Theory as a serious subject? The GOP leadership in Texas has rushed headlong to put a bunch of racist, anti-voting, anti-transgender, and anti-abortion laws on the books, perhaps heralding a new wave of copycat Jim Crow legislation in other GOP-governed states. 

Coming up soon: an off year gubernatorial election in Virginia where Democrat Terry McAuliffe is seeing his lead dwindle against GOP candidate Glenn Youngkin. The loss of reliably blue Virginia could be a devastating blow to Biden but perhaps that catastrophe will be averted as Biden’s numbers climb again.  

Real Goblins and Ghouls!

Do we get a small break with a relatively quiet Thanksgiving or will Halloween bring new nastiness?  

Look out all you real goblins and ghouls!  

Your MAGA counterparts are scarier than you’ll!

My weak attempt at verse notwithstanding, another mention of gay Black 22-year-old rapper Li’l Nas X is timely: dead broke a couple years ago, living out of his sister’s basement, he put out the genre-bending “Old Town Road” (the longest-running Number 1 single), and the rest is history!  Nas has mastered the art of making music that pushes the right buttons while also pushing against crass homophobia (from Da Baby, Dave Chapelle, T.I.). Good for Nas who sings as well as he raps!  Better to focus on pop, rap, and ‘country trap’ than all the hate happening! Yay!

Ludi Joseph

Washington, D.C.

October 16, 2021

Li’l Nas X

Who’s the Scary Ghoul inside?

Family Lunch in Midtown Manhattan

D.C. Southwest Waterfront