Episode 27: Chana-kah Masala (with Helen Zaltzman and Josey Baker)

Dec 5

Tis the season for our season to come to a close, so we are wrapping things up (like a gift) with our friends Josey Baker, to help us level up our bread game; and Helen Zaltzman, to help us level up our word game.

Food ideas discussed in this episode:

Eaten lately:

At Kusaki in LA, Hrishi had a shishito burger with cashew cheese, yuzu kosho aioli, shishito peppers, shiso leaves, and maitake mushrooms. It was reminiscent of a sausage McMuffin from McDonald’s, in the very best way. They are sadly closing 🙁

For Samin’s birthday Monday dinner she wanted Zuni roast chicken bread salad & carrot cake. Cara used Dorie Greenspan’s carrot cake recipe and the kids decorated it.

Vanilla

If you would like to deep dive on vanilla bean, start with the chapter in Kate Lebo’s The Book of Difficult Fruit. There is much to learn about the magical vanilla bean!

If you would like to support vanilla bean farmers, consider the Vanilla Bean Project for your sourcing.

If you would like to support pollinators of vanilla beans, consider the Melipona bee–Samin spent some time with them when she filmed Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.

Saffron

If you have not yet had the pleasure in your life of tasting saffron, it’s time to treat yourself! Yes, it’s expensive, but you only need a tiny amount of it.

Buddy Born runs Bacstrom Imports. He’s a very knowledgeable spice importer specializing in saffron (and vanilla!). You can’t purchase from Buddy directly, but he does supply Oaktown Spice Shop. His website is an amazing source of information.

Other great places to buy your saffron:

Diaspora Spice Co.

Burlap & Barrel

Saffron desserts: Sholeh Zard (Persian) and Kheer (Indian), Saffron Buns (Swedish) for Saint Lucia’s day.

Caramel

Helen Zaltzman, our friend and host of The Allusionist podcast, helped us try to solve the age-old mystery of how to pronounce this word.

Care-mel?

carA-mel?

Car-mel?

Our conclusion: No one is wrong and everyone is wrong. Please continue to make fun of your husband.

Flour

Josey Baker is the owner of The Mill and Samin’s phone-a-friend for all things flour related. He also thinks that Hrishi is a very handsome AI generated studmuffin. (No one made a muffin/Josie Baker/flour joke) 😯

If you have accidentally drunk-ordered 100 pounds of flour, and 50 of those pounds are the mysterious T-70 kind, never fear, you have on your hands a lot of the most versatile flour you could hope for. It’s PERFECT for so many holiday things!! It will add a little character and flavor to whatever you put it in.

Lina (Hrishi’s wife) is also trying to work her way through 50 pounds of flour and wants to know what rancid flour tastes or smells like. She’s also had some rising issues that Josey weighed in on.

Whole wheat flour is thirstier than more refined flour, and also yeast loooove it. So you need extra moisture and to reduce the yeast amount because the rise will happen faster. The little yeast gets so excited!

Store your flour in an airtight container to protect it from moisture, pests, and direct sunlight. Refrigerate it or put it in your freezer for the longest life.

You can smell when it’s rancid. If you muck around in the container and sniff it, it should smell good, fresh, nutty. If it smells like wax, cardboard, or tires then it’s rancid.

Good News: It won’t make you sick if you use rancid flour. Also, you might not notice if you are making something with many other ingredients.

Also, don’t mess around with those super annoying flour bags. As soon as you open the bag, decant the flour into an airtight container and go right ahead living your best life.

BURNT HONEY!! We love it!!

Since our caller has lots of honey to use up, Samin took a detour to whipped honey which is very, very special!

You can get you some from Hapa Honey Farm–they even have flavors!!!

SQRIL is also doing some fun spun honey things.

On to burnt honey things: In Good Things:

Burnt honey ice box cake
Burnt honey hot fudge

Not in Good Things:

Russian Honey Cake
Keep a jar of it around, for like, whatever!
Add into vinaigrette
Burnt honey and harissa marinade for chicken
Cocktails
Any sauce (like chocolate sauce). Btw, Deb from Smitten Kitchen’s recipe was the beginning of the hot honey fudge but it went through many interactions before landing in Good Things.

Latkes for a large group without being at the stove all night:

Make them the day before, and reheat.

Please check out Josh Malina’s Latke 101 from Episode 1 of Home Cooking.

And refer to Melissa Clark’s many NYT Cooking latke recipes, like this one.

Toppings adventure bar:

Chana Masala (masalaka)

Yogurt + mango chutney or the tamarind date chutney from Niloufer’s book

Jalapeño ketchup (as suggested only by Hrishi)

Guac and whole beans (not refried)

Rajas

Lingonberry jam

Base for fritatta or for brisket