I’m Winning the War

August 25, 2009 3 Comments

My older daughter, Neha, is like a grumpy old man.

She's always been like this - every since she was little. She gets up in the morning and there's always something to complain about. This summer the big thing was staying home.

This past Saturday was no different. Sandeep and the girls made homemade muffins..they watched cartoons and we read the paper. Then it was time to do something outside, right? According to Neha, wrong.

She sat in the top bunk of the girls' bed where I couldn't get to her and cried, "I told you I don't want to do anything. Can't we just have a day where we just do what I want? And all I want is to stay at home!"

My patience was wearing thin. So I screamed back. "No. You can't. You will go outside. You will enjoy the day. And you will smile. That's a command. Now get your butt out of bed and let's go!" I cringed just listening to myself.

We went to the Lincoln Park Farmers' Market and almost instantly the smiles were out. Neha and Aria picked out their veggies and fruit of choice. Neha got a bottle of honey..Asian pears and apples. Aria got baby zucchini. They both got their own ears of corn and came home and peeled them.

The grumpy old man was suddenly gone and finally my six-year-old kid was back!

I roasted the corn for them Indian style. If you haven't tried this yet, it's a perfect treat for the kids.

Roasted Indian Corn
Take one-three ears of corn (peeled) and put them on the stovetop. Gas is great - but electric will work too. Roll the corn around with tongs while it cooks. As it does it will roast - brown and blacken. You keep turning it until the whole thing is cooked.

Take off stove and put on plate. Use corn holders.

Take a lemon and cut in half. Take out as many seeds as possible. In a small plate, put in the spices you want to use. Here's what we use in our house:

1 teaspoon white salt
1 teaspoon red chili pepper
1 teaspoon black salt (kala namak) (This is an amazing spice that can be found in Indian grocery stores)Let the kids have their own small plate and lemon half. They then dip the lemon in the spice and rub the corn down with the halved lemon. Leave out the red chili if your kids are not used to it. Add other spices if you prefer them.[figend]

Then we sat down to eat a tradition Indian meal. I had Tamarind Garbanzo beans, whole wheat Naan ... lemony onions and cucumbers and yogurt. I couldn't believe they ate it all! AND Enthusiastically. Usually they will complain that the beans are too spicy but I think all this work with food is finally paying off. They are coming around and I'm winning the war.

Add a comment if you try the corn. It's so simple and such a fun way to eat corn. If you haven't been to India, they roast corn on an open fire on the streets everywhere. It's so delicious coming off the hot coals.

Enjoy!




3 Responses

Indian As Apple Pie
Indian As Apple Pie

August 26, 2009

Ruta…do you want me to divulge all my secrets before the book? For you…I will send the recipe personally. But first my butter chicken will be my next post.

Leah A. Zeldes
Leah A. Zeldes

August 29, 2009

I love the seasoning you suggest, but my favorite way to roast corn is the "Nero Wolfe" method: Put the corn — husk, silk and all - in a 450 to 500-degree oven for 45 minutes. Then husk and eat. You can also do it in a barbecue grill.

Ruta
Ruta

August 26, 2009

I love the corn like that! How did you make the garbanzo beans?

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