Asafoetida: A gum derived from the sap of the roots and stem of a giant fennel that stinks to high heaven. Literally translated, it means "stinking resin," but it has also been referred to as "devil's dung" and "stink finger."
Sound like something you want to eat? Probably not so much. The kids in Sunday's class could tell you that it doesn't smell like anything you want to eat either.
Those of you in the know have probably already guessed that we did Indian food last week--more specifically, Vegetable Samosas, which call for asafoetida as one of the many spicy ingredients.
I brought in my masala dabba
to show the kids how spices are stored in kitchens in India, and we explored cumin seeds, ground cumin, red chili powder, garam masala, amchur (dried mango powder), and the almighty asafoetida.
We started out peeling potatoes and then made a nice, smooth, elastic dough for the pastry, which we set aside to rest while we made and enjoyed some mango and pineapple lassi.
We've made mango lassi before, and they all loved it, so I thought it would be a good trade for the challenge presented by the number of spices I was about to ask them to use in their samosa fillings.
I'm going to be completely honest here, I truly did not think the kids would even consent to put the asafoetida in their potato/pea mixture, never mind eat it, but each and every one of them complied--happily,
no less--after I assured them that asafoetida, once cooked, imparts the flavor of garlic and onions.
They folded and filled the samosa dough and cheerfully carried the uncooked samosas to me for pan-frying. And then the true test. Eating them.
I waited for the first review.
"Good," she said.
Then the second.
A full mouth and a thumbs up. And then another thumbs up and another, each one taking a moment to come over to the stove to tell me they liked the samosas. Some even dared to try a little mango chutney too. The only one who seemed at all hesitant was Sarah, who I reminded about the time she was afraid to eat jicama salad and after she finally did, declared it one of the best things she'd ever eaten. Before she left she was happily eating her samosas (although she continues to not be a fan of peas...we have to work on that!).
I'm proud of this class. They all stepped out of their comfort zones and tried new things this session, and I truly couldn't have asked for a more perfect ending to the spring session.
Summer, here we come! Classes for the summer begin on July 12. Registrations are ongoing, though several classes are now full.
Posted by: |