“For me, food is what reminds me of travel,” says Priya Krishna. Photo: Mark J. Franklin.
When the family returned to Dallas, she and her mother decided to rely on their intuition, talk to friends from the countries they had visited, and recreate the dishes they had eaten. Egyptian hummus, Chinese dumplings – no Indian food for dinner on Sunday night. “We weren’t restaurant people when we were kids. We would sometimes go to the Olive Garden for our birthdays,” says Krishna.
As a child, Krishna recalls visiting different grocery stores and his father letting him choose additional items to take home. Sometimes it’s candy, sometimes it’s kimchi or noodles. “It kind of gave me the power to try that ingredient,” she says.
her book, Priya’s Kitchen Adventures A collection of kid-friendly recipes from around the world that inspire travel through cooking.
For Krishna, Morocco evokes memories of sitting on a cushion and eating, or opening the lid of a circus tent to reveal a tagine. In Japan, Krishna remembers convenience stores and rice balls filled with pickled plums and salmon. “I love taking this on the bullet train. It was the perfect on-the-go lunch,” she says.
Priya Krishna’s mother created this tagine recipe to be eaten with couscous. Photo by Ana Chouban
vegetable tagine
service Four
When we went to Morocco, we traveled all over the country. But we always ate tagine, a stew of chickpeas and vegetables with flavorful spices, often served over couscous (page 138). It is served in a wide, colorful and ornately decorated bowl with a lid that resembles a circus tent (the serving platter is also called a tagine). When you open the lid, the warm smell of stew hits your nostrils, making you even more hungry. I had a tagine with various combinations of vegetables, dried fruits (like prunes and apricots) and harissa (a type of chili paste – very tasty). On our last day in Morocco, we went to the medina and found a vendor who makes his stuff. A unique blend of Tajine spices. This recipe, created by her mother, was inspired by that blend. Many spices are used, and they all play an important role.
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For spice blend
- 1/4 teaspoon clove powder
- 1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
For tagine
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion (chopped)
- 2 Roma tomatoes (diced)
- 1 cup butternut squash, cut into medium cubes (best to buy already diced at the grocery store or have an adult cut it for you; no need to peel)
- 1 small yellow potato, diced
- 2 medium carrots (sliced)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, additional as needed
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and washed
- 3-4 lemon slices, 1/2 lemon juice (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup pitted and coarsely chopped olives (a mix of kalamata and greens is best)
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron thread
- Couscous (page 138), for serving
Instructions
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Make a spice blend. In a small bowl, combine the cloves, ginger, allspice, paprika,
Turmeric, fennel, cumin (all spices except saffron). -
Make tagine. Warm the olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or other pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fry, stirring occasionally, until golden brown along the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until beginning to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the spice mix from the bowl (don’t add the saffron yet!). Let the spices simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the kitchen is filled with a nice aroma.
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Add pumpkin, potatoes, carrots, salt, and 2 cups water. Cover and simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender and pierced with a fork, 5 to 7 minutes. Add chickpeas, 1 cup water, lemon slices, and olives. Cover and simmer for another 5-10 minutes, until the soup thickens and the flavors are noticeable (try it with a spoon!). Open the lid and mix everything well. Mash the potatoes little by little with the back of a large spoon. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and stir.
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In a small bowl, mix the saffron threads and 2 tablespoons of water to crush the threads.
Use the back of a spoon to turn the water golden brown. Add the saffron mixture to the tagine and mix well.transfer to a plate
And enjoy it with couscous.
‘Priya’s Kitchen Adventures’ inspires a new generation of foodies to cook and experiment with new dishes from the comfort of their home.Photo courtesy of Harvest
