Stored Ojibwe American Indian wild rice, harvested in Wisconsin, that will feed us through the long winter

On a 100+ day, what’s better than the BEST mangoes in the world? Alfonso mangoes from India.

Delicious New Mexico Pueblo Indian Feast Day food platter: Pueblo oven bread baked in adobe ovens, famous Jemez red chile cheese enchiladas, Santo Domingo Pueblo tamales, and of course, potato salad.

Ice cream on a roti…amazing amazing unique twist on traditional ice cream sundaes, found at Twisted Noodle in Durham, NC.

I had the fortune to visit and eat my way through Vancouver last year, and truly, it is an eating destination for all the athletes, families and visitors from around the world.

Location: The Water Street Cafe, Vancouver, BC

From the “Snow Leopard,” Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, the first skier from Ghana to Samir Azzimani, the lone athlete from Morocco, the Winter Olympics is the time when athletes from all over get to showcase and represent their respective nations. The Olympics allows the world come together and see how similar we are: who didn’t want to hug Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette after her bronze-winning performance after her mother’s sudden death or feel for the Dutch speedskater Sven Kramer who was on his way to the gold only to be mistakenly sidetracked by his coach?

Yet despite sugar-coated messages about an increasingly shrinking and equal global society, regional inequities seem to be deepening further. From falling water tables to rising temperatures, we’re in deep, deep trouble, particularly as food demand increases. However, while the troublemakers are global, the consequences seem to fall heavier in certain regions. For example, while China is reducing malnutrition (although urbanizing to a degree that hurts grain reserves and the environment), the percentage of malnourished children in India is astonishingly high. I have written a bit on inequity in India and the issue of hunger and malnutrition.

So is there a solution? GMOs?

Pankaj Mishra pointed out the hypocrisy of a ‘modern’ India heading on the path towards Modernity, while children and farmers live in increasing debt and dependence on a growing bureaucratic food system. India’s “successful” Green Revolution in the 1970s when staple food production increased as a result of “aid” and “advanced” crop techniques are now seeing more dire consequences, including farmer debt, food insecurity, widening urban-rural gap, and rural income inequality, not to mention malnutrition, dependence on foreign oil. Between 1993 and 2003, 100,000 farmers committed suicide in rural areas, clear signs of desperation.

Food aid?

Development aid seems to be determined by the invisible hand of foreign policy and domestic agribusiness, rather than by goodwill, at least in the U.S. For example, according to journalist Celia Duggar who focuses on food aid, the U.S. requires all donated food to be grown in the U.S., driving up cost and delaying delivery of needed food. What does this mean? That middlemen, including Archer Daniels Midlandand Cargill, made over $700 million in 2004 by selling food commodities through USAID.

Meanwhile, those in Haiti coming out the devastating earthquake has to keep waiting for food while counterfeiters create fake food coupons. Take a look at this chart from 2007 that follows food aid.

Source: New York Times

In whose interest do these policies lie?

CARE turned down $45 million in federal food aid, citing that some of these policies hurt the people they are supposed to help. Instead of donating tons to middlemen, then, how about finding and supporting the indigenous programs that work directly with those in need, such as a revolutionary community kitchen scheme in India to combat malnutrition? Or giving cash donations to support the World Food Programme, which has gotten 75% more food for countries such as Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia by buying corn grown IN those countries rather than shipping them from the U.S. (novel idea?). After all, it doesn’t seem fair that only SOME of us get to eat food like this.

Location: Kirin, Vancouver, BC

For those of us working in the do-gooding world of development and relief aid: it’s time to stop patting ourselves on the back about our wonderful intentions and seriously take a look at our results. When it comes to food security, there shouldn’t be a Gold medalist or Silver medalist.

We should all be standing on the podium together.

Overseas, the influence of immigrant cuisine is no different, and they too get adapted and influenced by local cuisine. Let’s revert back to India, for the moment, where Chinese food is not only seen on street vendor carts (a whole chain), but the Indian-Chinese food is delicious.

From wonton soups to lo mein, the dishes are “Indianized” to add unique flavors. A popular dish is chili paneer, almost like a Szechwan tofu dish only made with Indian paneer and different spices.

A simple recipe adapted from Recipezaar:

16 ounces paneer
4 TB corn flour
1 TB tomato paste
1 TB chili or hot sauce
10-12 small green chilis, chopped
2 TB soy sauce
4 onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped (or leave out if you don’t peppers, like me)
Salt to taste

1. Roll balls of paneer with corn flour
2. Heat some oil in skillet and fry paneer until golden brown, remove from heat.
3. Add more oil and fry onions until brown
4. Add green chilis and fry for a couple minutes
5. Add green pepper if using it
6. Return paneer
7. Add tomato paste, chili sauce, and soy sauce and stir fry for about 3 minutes
8. Salt to taste

Not your typical General Tso’s chicken.

Indian breads are numerous and they also vary by region and culture. Dosas (top right and left) are more crepe-like and come in various forms, such as the paper dosa (top right), known for its thinness. Dosas are typically from south Indian. Parathas are another flatbread – an unleavened one made from whole wheat. They originated from the Punjab region and now popular all over the south. They are sometimes served with ghee or stuffed such as the gobi paratha (cauliflower, bottom left). Papads (bottom right) are crispy Indian crackers or wafer. Another popular flatbread is chapati, a thin unleavened flatbread (bottom right).

When chapati is held over an open flame to allow it to puff up, it becomes the Gujarati phulka or roti. The best ones I ate were never in fancy restaurants or the university mess – they were made by hand with care, each one rolled out carefully by my friend’s grandaunt and aunt. They were delicately flavored and absolutely amazing. The bad thing was that they spoiled all other chapatis and rotis for me.

Another wonderful bread item is the bread pakoda, fluffy and stuffed with potatoes, served with a samba (top). Pav bhaji (bottom left) is from Maharasthra region and the pav is borrowed from the Portuguese pao and the bhaji is a potato-based curry. Vada pav (bottom right) is another variation with potato in between the pav.

Puris are often served for breakfast and are puffed up and golden. They are accompanied by a variation of dishes, and the sev puri (left) is topped with sev (fried snack made of gram flour) potatoes, and chutney. An interesting take is the American pancake (right), which when rolled up, makes an excellent thicker crepe.

This is just a sampling of all the variations of bread that brings people together.

I found this YouTube video for a visual.

So I learned a little more about the Silver Plate…the Gujarati thali, apparently one of the most balanced meals of all Indian cuisines. The silver plates are actually originally known as kansa (a five-metal alloy) known to improve memory and purify blood. The thali usually offers varieties of vegetables – from seasonal ones to potatoes to dal – all good sources of anti-oxidants, vitamin A and C, fiber and carbohydrates.

Eating from the hands is made even more splendid when eating from the earth. I had the fortune to go with a friend to his ancestral home about 2 hours away, where his family has a farm. The people who have farmed his family’s land have been doing so for 100 years. They farm tobacco and cotton. This community is wonderfully inclusive – you can walk down the street and a neighbor will invite you in for amla (from Indian gooseberry trees – left photo) or you can pick wild raspberries straight from the trees.

Papayas grow straight from the trees and we drank from freshly-cut coconuts. It was simply wonderful not just trying new foods, but being invited to a warm home, eating home-cooked meals, and enjoying the company of strangers who become like family over the course of one meal.

What language barriers? Nothing brings people together like food.

Traditional Gujarati meals are served on a silver platter with small silver bowls. Breads such as wheat rotis, chapatis, and fried puffy puris (LOVE THEM) accompany the meal. Dishes included dals (lentils), spiced aloo (potatoes), and the most flavorful greens. This is usually finished with buttermilk.

One dish that is ridiculously out of this world is mango ras – aam ras – a cooling, sweet, refreshing mango puree. You can eat it with a spoon or top it on ice cream…and the best thing is that right now is mango season in Gujarat. Ras can be made with milk or cardamom or simply mangoes pureed into a smooth consistency. The most famous mangoes in Gujarat are known as Alphonso mangoes, and they are one of the most expensive kinds. Frankly, I have never, ever eaten better mangoes in my life. I usually love mango-flavors but not the mango itself as it is often fibrous. Alphonso mangoes just slide down your throat and they are the sweetest, purest, freshest mangoes I have ever had the fortune of eating.

Another popular snack food is paan. It is a betel leaf full of ingredients, such as cloves, cardamom, rose syrup, mint, and areca nuts. Some also include tobacco. It apparently is used as a mouth freshener, which I can attest – it works! There are many flavors and the first time I had one, I didn’t know what to do with the complexity of flavors exploding in one quick bite. It was minty, but sweet with the rose syrup, and then a bit grounding with the nuts – I think I must have tasted about 25 different flavors of every combination in that one bite. One of the best things was watching the vendor make the paan with such precision and care.

Gujarat has such a rich food culture and cuisine that I could spend a lifetime here and only learn a little. Exploring local food and culture in a global context – the journey can be as sweet as an Alphonso mango.

I have not done any form of exercise in four weeks nor do I pretend. I sweat by just standing outside, so I figured that is enough to balance out my two ice creams a day. Ahmedabad has the BEST ice cream. In fact, Ahmedabad is also know as the Ice Cream city.

One of my favorites is the Choco Tang from HavMoor. I tend to have this as my ice cream dessert after my ice cream appetizer (a smaller cup). It is: Orange Tang with choco crispy cereals and orange gummies, topped with whipped cream and hot fudge. Yes, it’s that good. It costs Rs. 60, about $1.20 or so.

Ice cream parlors and stands abound – HavMoor is a wonderful local one that serve the best flavors (why do I have their menu?), E-Scoops is terrific, and there is the Baskin Robbins as well. Best of all – they all DELIVER.

The flavors here are so unique and flavorful, and I wish they had more of this in the U.S. One of my favorites is Orange Tang (remember Tang commercials from the 80s?). I am a sucker for orange and cream, and Orange Tang just rocks (upper left). Other flavors more unique to India is the Kesar Pista (upper right) – saffron and pistachios – YUM – and the lychee (or litchee here) and caramel (bottom left). I’m drooling as I write this. On campus, they serve ice cream from a big box, so not as fancy, yet even the florescent pink concoction (bottom right, this photo doesn’t do it justice) is a terrific strawberry.

One of the best ice cream-ish treats in India, however, is kulfi, a special milk-based dessert that is not whipped, so it does not melt as quickly as ice cream, and is solid and dense, more like a custard. It is supreme. The Malai Kulfi is one of my favorites. It tastes like a super rich Godiva Dulce de Leche, but dare I say it, better?

I found a recipe online on this site by Tarla Dalal and just had to pass it along (recipe below can be found in her book):

MALAI KULFI

A fuss free, easy to make kulfi recipe. You won’t have to slave in the kitchen for hours to reduce the milk. The condensed milk and milk powder thicken it and gives it a delicious creamy consistency.

Preparation Time : 5 mins.
Cooking Time : 15 mins.

Makes 4 kulfis.
Ingredients
2½ cups (500 ml.) full fat milk
½ cup condensed milk
¼ cup milk powder
½ teaspoon cardamom (elaichi) powder
Method

1. Combine all the ingredients together and bring to a boil. Add the cardamom powder.

2. Simmer for 10 minutes till the mixture thickens. Cool completely.

3. Pour into 4 kulfi moulds and freeze overnight till firm.

4. To unmould, allow the moulds to remain outside the refrigerator for 5 minutes and then unmould by inserting a wooden skewer, stick or a fork, in the centre of the kulfi and pulling it out.