Risking the Nut!

I was excited about this one, but also a little wary. I had all the time in the world, with my husband away from home and a lonely long evening ahead of me. Did I really want to experiment with rice and this particular ingredient, to make a dish that would hopefully come close to a nourish bowl? This would indeed, be a first!

I had been subjecting myself lately to different recipe inspirations, as a part of my mindless scrolling online. A particular constant that kept cropping up, was comforting nourish bowls and rice concoctions, which looked pretty cool, a feast for the eyes; but for me it remained just that. Rice was pretty much a staple, with hardly any variations in the way I cooked it. The simple process always involved boiling water, a dash of salt, and the grains, with nothing less or more. A fried rice version with soy sauce was the most I had experimented with. To mix in other things into this pot, was something I would have to think a bit about, before jumping right in. But, as with many a thing that necessitates deep contemplation, this one too happened unexpectedly and out of the blue!

Did I stick to the recipe I saw online, to make whatever it was that I was planning to make? No. But that was just the way it happened, not a conscious decision of any sort.

Here's exactly what and how it all happened (pictures reserved for the end, for fear of being judged too soon!) -

Time on my hands is one of my biggest luxuries, one that I appreciate and enjoy. When such rare moments arrive in my life, the same life that usually constitutes looking at the clock and feeling aghast, I indulge. I enjoy this with the finest of experiences, with being present in the moment, and by breathing all the space it has to offer for creative outbursts. This was my frame of mind when I came back to my empty home that evening, pretty exhausted after work, but dying to find some diversion that would sweep me off my feet and make that day worthwhile. I figured that I had a whole lot of vegetables and some leftover roasted pork that needed to get cooked, so why not! I could even toss in some of those black olives that seemed to be lonely with no friend. So, as always, I got myself into what I consider my cooking-with-bliss frame of mind, overflowing with peace and calm, preparing to enjoy each bit of the process.

I looked at the recipe a couple of times, and mentally checked off everything I had in my fridge that coincided, or could substitute. I am superbly adept at this substitution business, where anything can come in or go out, without really altering the final dish; because what is created in the end, is of course, nothing similar to what I had set out to make anyway! That may be a bit far-fetched, but the fact remains, that I do not hesitate to alter with substitutes on hand; it is simply a method of going about it. So, in every recipe I come across, my mind is tuned to filtering out what I don't have, to replace with what I have. Once that was done, I considered adding the peanut sauce by the side, which the recipe called for. I was not convinced of one bit that I should do this, since I was not sure how peanut butter, soy sauce and coconut milk would mix well together. I decided to put that on hold, though all the ingredients were in stock.

With my raw material out on the counter top, my wooden chopping board all set, I began to sort in my head, the tasks I could club together, to save time, which had started to fleet by then. I felt composed and in control, while washing the vegetables, with the pork thawing to room temperature by the side. I felt at peace when breaking off the broccoli heads, cutting them up some to form the right sizes. I felt whole and fresh and as though I was a part of an amazing adventure at the moment. Peeling the two carrot, chopping up the one big onion, cutting up that tomato, and carefully moving all of it aside on the board, created in me a sense of happiness. I left half a packet of frozen corn kernels out as well, to thaw, before I mixed it in. I had already kept the rice to boil, with some masala powder sprinkled into it (yes, substitution of a bullion cube), and though I was not very pleased with the flavours it was producing, I remained optimistic that it could not be too bad eventually. While the onions were getting saute'ed, I cut up the pork into pieces that resembled shreds, and tossed them into the oil to get a bit of a glaze going on.

By now, the starch and masala aroma from the rice was getting to me, and not in a good way, so I rushed to see if I could limit the damage. Lucky for me, the rice was done and ready to be taken out, since I had no Plan B on how to salvage it if cooking required more time. I set this aside to drain, and hoped that the rest of the cooking would take away this flavour that I was trying hard to love. The pork on the stove was smelling great by now, and in went the vegetables, some ginger-garlic paste, and a dash of certain powders and sauces that I believed would go well - half teaspoons each of paprika, turmeric and coriander powder. 'Cooking from the heart', I told myself, as I often do when in creative doubt. The aroma from the pan was quite exciting, and I was getting myself into a rising crescendo of happiness.

I wanted to make no past mistakes of under-cooking the onions, so I gave that an extra minute or two, feeling particularly pleased with myself. And when the moment of truth arrived, I added the rice in, hoping that it would be okay. And oh how it turned out! It looked and smelled amazing, and I threw in before too late, those olives which were still sitting friendless and almost forgotten, this time too. It looked pretty good, though it did not match the plated bowls that looked out of this world.

And then came my stoke of inspired genius. In the last few moments of the flame still burning, I decided to try that peanut sauce after all. It was a rash decision, with no hopes of success. I still could not wrap my head around the idea of those ingredients. I was pretty sure that that was not how peanut flavoured sauces were made. But I did it anyway, while lowering the flame, so that it gave me more time. I told myself that it did not matter, since this was just a dip on the side, and I could simply choose not to have it, if it turned out rancid. So in went a generous four tablespoons of peanut butter (which quite made my heart sink at how much would go waste at the risk of this turning out unpalatable), enough coconut milk, which I deduced would be half a can, some salt and the prescribed amount of soy sauce (a tablespoon and a little more). I knew enough to skip the brown sugar since my peanut butter was sweet already. And then I started the whisking process, all along, not believing in it. Seeing how the consistency looked weird when I started mixing it together, I did not want to think about how it would taste.

Then the miracle started to happen. The mixture got lighter in colour and whisked better. It started to look more like a sauce, and less like clumps floating in a milky diluted base. My convictions were shaken a little, I could not understand the transformation that was happening. It was difficult to accept that this was indeed a tried and tested recipe, something the world was used to, and that I was acting like an ignorant skeptic. And then I took the bigger risk to taste it, and my oh my. I shouted out in exasperated notes of glee at the confusion of it all! How was this even possible - I was tasting the best ever concoction that I had ever put together. I could not believe that this was done by me, in my kitchen. It belonged on magazine covers and at award functions! It blew my mind so much, that I decided to immediately taste it with the rice which was fully done by then. Of course, by then I knew it would be just great, that this was going to be the greatest mouthful ever. I had fleeting thoughts of how my husband would miss this amazing creation, while my mind was again pulled back to the miracle. One spoon in, and I knew that I had to make this sauce the base for my rice. Bye bye online recipe, and hello, new dish! I emptied a half of it onto the rice to mix it, and decided right away that all of it had to go in, mixed well. The combined flavour was simply out of this world. I was still digesting the fact that all of this could create something so spectacular. Ingredients that don't 'seem' so great together, could actually be a match made in heaven, despite how you 'feel' when you think about it. I was riding the high, and smiling like a fool. I was addicted to the feeling of wonderment that coursed through me, and I knew that this was a new state of bliss. I had never been here before, been amazed by what I was able to do, and I understood the true meaning of how some risks were completely worth it. All my hesitation about the peanut and its magical properties vanished, and I had in front of me, an Asian and Indian inspired dish, with the smooth notes of the nut in a different form.

I also roasted some cauliflower with paprika, onion powder and salt, for good measure, and took great pleasure in watching it turn golden in the oven warm light. I decided to add this to the side of my dish of rice, and it wasn't a mistake at all, though I'm not sure if I took them out from the heated glow too soon.

I took the risk, and it resulted in a meal of its own, that I enjoyed for the many days that followed this enlightened moment. I will admit that it got a little tiresome over the days, but that was negated by the moment of joy it gave me, when I was reminded of its success, every time I ate it.

Would I make this again, yes sure, why not; but I will keep it for a later date, since I am yet to get over the first time, and want to keep it in a special place in my heart! The high from it all is yet to subside, and I consider this one of my finest experiences in life. It taught me that the finer intuitions we believe in, can at times be wrong, and that we need to open our minds to the endless possibilities. More importantly, taking that risk, not caring about the consequences, is the best way to do it!

All of it, coming well together in the pan!

I risked the nut!!