As I was reading the opposing narratives of Secret Daughter, one of a North American woman, Somer, and her infertility struggles, and the other of a poverty-stricken family, the Merchant’s, in rural India, I found myself thinking of Indian food. And only Indian food.
First-time author Shilpi Somaya Gowda continued to encourage my thoughts of various chutneys, inconspicuous spices, and roti with her vivid descriptions of Indian food, its preparation, its devourment, and its contrast to the bland mashed potatos that Somer’s Indian husband was tasked with making for the holidays. As he continued to dash tobasco sauce onto everything on his plate, I continued feeling a lack of connection with the characters in the book — but I guess its hard to form connections with every character in every book you read like the one I have with Mary Boulton, a character that still has me in quest for the best rabbit stew out there.
Despite the thin character development and the unsophisticated writing of the Secret Daughter I did enjoy the way she described families in this book really enjoying their food — taking pleasure in the simplest of combinations. The Merchant’s often had to eat the same dish night after night, but still it was a point of pride that she could muster up the same dish every night without them getting tired of it. At last I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to find my copy of Vikram Vij’s Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine and start making some Indian food!
It wasn’t much later when it dawned on me that since the move to Toronto my spice rack is a little bit empty and I don’t have the ingredients I need to attempt any of these recipes. So I sat there unsatisfied with the Secret Daughter and unsatisfied with my craving for Indian food.
Luckily a friend invited me to Lahore Tikka House where I had kabobs and tandoori naan (which made me nostalgic for the naan’s I would eat right after they came out of the tandoor in Iran, but that’s a story for another post). Vij’s Lamb Popsicles continued to haunt me.
Turning to comfort until I can go to an Indian grocery store or forget about the Lamb Popsicles (which I don’t think is going to happen), I decided to make some granola! Since it’s become my favourite breakfast I’m going through my jar of granola very quickly. After attempting my first home-made granola a friend sent me a link to this chewy clumpy granola recipe and so tonight I decided to give this clump of comfort a try — with very minor modifications.
Ingredients
2 cups organic old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg (need I even say why I turned a pinch of nutmeg into a teaspoon?)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2/3 cup cranberries
Old-fashioned oats are so much better than quick oats, which are more processed and mushier in texture. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to quick oats. Anyways, to make the granola, preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, toss oats with coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, and brown sugar until blended. Pour the wet mixture in with the dry, using your hands to combine the two until everything is well coated.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the mixture over top. Spread it out evenly. Kickpleat does a great job throughout her recipe in reminding us to not break up the mixture too much (clumping is a good thing after all!). And so I am going to do the same here.
Bake for 10 minutes and then use a spatula to gently flip the granola over. Sprinkle with pecans, and bake for another 10 minutes. Add cranberries and bake for another 5 minutes.
You must let the pan cool completely. Once it has, use your hands to break up the granola and remember: do not break up the clumps too much.
My apartment smells sweet and I know I will be dreaming of the granola that awaits me for breakfast (at least momentarily I shall forget my thoughts of Vij’s amazing recipes).
Yum! I like your changes to the recipe. Dan and I have made this granola several times in the last few weeks! I use a mix of raisins and cranberries for more variety, but will try it with coconut next time. Good call on the pecans. If I didn’t have a vat of almonds to get through, I’d make the switch too!
[...] multiple characters, continents, and foods (from mashed potatoes to masala roti), I jumped from thoughts of Indian food to ice cream — well, it’s been very hot here in Toronto — and lastly to thoughts [...]