There is no doubt that Dylan and I have always been keen on spice. We love many different kinds of ethnic foods and often feel the spicier the better. I say “often” instead of “always” because there are times that this has come back to bite one of us in the butt. One particular instance, early on in our relationship, has nothing to do with this recipe, but it’s funny and will hopefully transport those who are snowed into their caves to a different place. Hopefully.
For our honeymoon we spent a couple of weeks on the island of Hawai’i (the Big Island). We chose the location partially because we have relatives there and partly because neither of us had been and we were intrigued by all of the different environments on this one island. Plus, it was a lot cheaper than flying to Fiji or Thailand or something. We had a budget to work within.
When our plane first landed, after a layover in Honolulu, we were shocked. Shocked by the alien moon landscape. Amazed by how relaxed the airport was. The airport in Kona is pretty much completely open-air. It’s also not very big. We grabbed our bags and high-tailed it to our B&B.
Our travel plans involved staying in various locations on the island for a few days. As we moved though our trip, we talked to locals about places that lay ahead of us. What should we do? Where should we eat?
By the time we were heading to Volcano Village, right outside Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, it was clear that there was one specific eating establishment that had to be on our itinerary. Thai Thai Resaurant.
It was my birthday and a somewhat special dinner out as part of our honeymoon. We were seated at a small table in this pretty small restaurant. Other tables were in near proximity to ours, but it added to the atmosphere. We ordered. What, I can’t remember, but I do remember that I ordered my dish medium spicy. I’m not sure why I did, as I usually order spicy, but somehow I felt I should be more cautious. Dylan, on the other hand ordered from the extreme spicy end of the spectrum, Thai Hot. That’s right, your spice level choices were mild, medium, hot and Thai Hot.
My dish was perfect. As I sat across the table from Dylan I realized that his, on the other hand, was a bit too much. He was quickly losing the ability to hold a conversation and eat his meal. His forehead was sweating and his face was turning red. I had never, never (and haven’t since) seen this reaction from him. Ultimately, he couldn’t finish his meal and had it boxed to take back to our B&B.
Before we left the restaurant a new couple was seated next to us. They both ordered their meals Thai Hot. We tried to warn them, but they would have none of it. As we left Thai Thai we wondered how their meal experience would be. They seemed pretty confident about their spice tolerance but, then again, that was how we had felt too…
As I mentioned before, the story really had nothing to do with this dish. Well, the fact that there are spices in this dish is a corollary, but it’s not spicy per se, so that’s about the only match. The Thai food we had was all about setting your mouth on fire. Khombi Tarkari is an Indian dish, not Thai, and creates a balance of beautiful flavors and spices in your mouth. The recipe is another that we have cooked out of Julie Sahni’s Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking.
If you like mushrooms, you’ll want to try this. We ate the mushrooms on their own as a side, but she suggests also eating them wrapped in a bread as a snack or tossed in a pilaf for a simple dinner.
Khombi Tarkari (Spicy Mushrooms with Ginger and Chiles)
- 3 T peanut oil
- 1 c onion,chopped
- 1 T ginger, chopped
- 2 t garlic, minced
- 2 hot green chilies, minced
- 1/4 t tumeric
- 1 1/2 lb mushrooms, cleaned and cut into 1″ pieces
- 1/2 t coarse salt
- 1 t cumin seeds, roasted and crushed
- 1 t lemon juice
- 2 T chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) for garnish
Start by measuring out all of the spices and setting them aside.
Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 3 more minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and chilies and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add the turmeric, mushrooms and salt. Cook, turning the ingredients, until all the moisture released by the mushrooms begins to evaporate and the mushrooms begin to fry (about 15 minutes).
Lower the heat and sprinkle on the cumin seeds and the lemon juice. Mix well and continue cooking until the mushrooms absorb the lemon juice and look fried (about 5 minutes).
Turn off the heat and serve warm sprinkled with the chopped fresh coriander.
Deal?
