In Which You'll See Some Skin [pics]

#500 – for Erik M. thanks for all the translations and the wonderful Thai meals
In Which You'll See Some Skin


Khosha / Kho-SHAH / the peel or skin of vegetables or fruit (Bengali)

all pictures clickable for larger views
With most vegetables that get peeled, the peels are usually discarded. In Bengal, the skin of the popular vegetable, lau (Bengali; lauki - Hindi) or opo squash

is used to make a tasty dish. Typically this is combined with the peels of potatoes and if available, the tender skin of small pumpkin (or other squash).

As most cookbooks focus on fancier dishes than the typical home cooked ones and what constitutes "Indian" cooking is fairly misunderstood (IMO), I thought I'd post on a simple Bengali preparation that exemplifies the use of an otherwise mundane ingredient: khosha or skin. As an ingredient opo squash peel possibly is less mundane than exotic, but if it were just potato peel it would be more mundane, right? I hope you get my drift. Besides, the peel is very nutritious having a lot of vitamins (at least that's the line I was fed).

Choosing opo squash¹: the smaller ones are typically better – with less mature seeds, tender flesh and smooth pale green skin. The larger ones if older tend to be hard and require a bit of steaming first (after being diced). The smaller ones will soften readily as they are sautéed.

Recipics: Khosha chorchori² (Medley of peels)

Ingredients:
Mise en place

clockwise from bottom right:
½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp red chile powder (mixed with 2 tsp water to make a paste) ; ≈ ¼ tsp nigella (onion seeds); ≈ 3 Tbsp white poppy seeds (this is made into paste – see below) optional ³; 1 potato peeled and julienned; peel of 1 potato julienned; 2 small green chiles - chopped (optional – adjust amount to personal preference); peel of 1 opo squash julienned( also but not pictured, ≈1 tsp salt or to taste).

The opo squash was peeled with a vegetable peeler and the inch or so-wide strips julienned. Similarly, the peeled potato peel was julienned. Having peeled the potato to use the peel, I didn't want to toss the potato So I proceeded to use the peeler to make thin strips of the potato that were then julienned. Normally, the peel of another potato would have been used and either no potato or very little potato itself would go in the dish. This is a dish that makes use of remnants, so it would use the peels from vegetables that are used elsewhere.

Close ups of the poshto ³ (pronounced Poe (as in Edgar Allen) + Sshh (as in hush) + to (as in arigato, soft 't')) or Poppy Seeds and Nigella Seeds and the Poshto bata - poppy seed paste (≈ 3 Tbps water was added while grinding in a stone mortar)



Directions – quite simple, really:

Heat 2 Tbsp oil (I used canola) in a pan or karhai/wok, add the nigella seeds⁴ (the oil should be hot enough for them to sputter a bit), then add the turmeric and chile pastes (i.e., powders mixed in with 2 tsps of water), stir, then add khosha (peels) and the chile and fry/sauté till slightly translucent (and potato lightly browned), add salt and stir. Add the poshto (poppy-seed) paste, mix in and continue frying.


Continue frying with with stirring (to avoid scorching; reduce heat to medium low) till the poppy seeds are brown - oh, about seven minutes and twenty two seconds, give or take a minute or two.

Looking at the close up, I may have been a touch complacent in making the paste, probably I should have let it soak in the water longer. I'll note that there should be some texture to the paste and it should not be too fine.

That's it, it's done – I did say it was quite simple.

Enjoy with a paratha (parantha?) – I like the Kawan brand (over Swad) Malay roti paratha


Or you could eat it with chapati (also called roti, but that may be confusing, so I've pictured it here with faux-roti (Atotonilco) )

(see note 5)

Khosha chorchori as made above, with poshto goes very well mixed into and eaten with plain white rice.

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Notes:

1. I realize that the opo squash isn't exactly a local vegetable and comes from distant lands, as far away as California or New Jersey. Still it is a mighty tasty vegetable and given the availability of really good opo squash* (as opposed to the sad examples of many a tropical fruit and vegetable), you should give it a shot. It cooks up easily enough – just peel, dice and sauté in a bit of butter, season with salt and pepper and maybe a teeny pinch of sugar to bring out the flavor. Use fairly high heat as the opo will exude a significant amount of water/juices. If desired, a bit of flour mixed with butter can be added at the end to thicken accumulated juices if any.
If you want to give it an 'Indian' flavor profile, maybe first add a bay leaf and some cumin and chili (optional) powder and a tiny bit of turmeric powder to the oil or ghee before adding the diced opo as well as some green chile (again, optional). Sauté, garnish with chopped cilantro (coriander leaves).
Opo squash goes very well with shrimp – as in the classic Bengali dish lau chingdi (lau = opo squash; chingdi or chingri = shrimp or prawn) – but that's another story, though it's not too far from the dish in the paragraph above with some sautéed seasoned (salt, red chile powder, turmeric powder) shrimp thrown in.
*I prefer the smaller opo squashes available in the oriental markets around Argyle than the somewhat larger (though tad cheaper) ones at Fresh Farms/North Water Market on Devon. In Pgh, Lotus Food Co. in the Strip carries good quality opo squash (as pictured)

2. Chorchori or chordchodi [pronounced Ch (as in chamber) + ord (as in order) + cho (as in chang) + di (as in dish) – approximately] is a class of Bengali dishes, usually a mixture of vegetables and sometimes incorporating fish (or fish head). The chorchodi is sometimes given the name of the predominant vegetable. It is typically a dry dish, i.e., with no sauce or gravy and eaten as a side.

3. Another reason I wanted to share this preparation was its use of white poppy seed (paste). This has a distinct flavour and is used in many Bengali dishes – vegetable and meat. The paste is even eaten by itself. Seasoned, usually mixed with a bit of finely chopped onion and fried and eaten as a condiment mixed into rice (called simply poshto bata - poppy seed paste). Or the paste (with onions) can be shaped into balls and deep-fried and eaten as an accompaniment (poshto bata bora, where 'bora' or 'boda' – pronounced baw-rda – is any deep fried ball).
If you wish to try this 'mixed peel' dish without the poppy seed paste that is fine too. In that case include some minced onions and along with the nigella use some mustard seeds. This would be called khosha bhaja (bhaja means fried).

4. Here I have used simply nigella seeds – that is the preparation I'm used to. This could vary to include mustard seeds or even the Bengali Panch phoron (literally five spice) which is a mixture of nigella, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seed (anise) and fenugreek seeds. I prefer the simpler uncomplicated taste of nigella for this dish so that the poshto and vegetables are clear.

5. Also pictured in the last two images is Punjabi-style chole or chick-peas, which is an odd plate fellow, sure. But I had made it previously and had it on hand and that's what was for dinner. This Punjabi style chole (or something of the sort) is generally available in most "Indian" restaurants.

Dishes using skin or peel are probably not that unusual. From vegetables to animals - potato skins and chicharrones come to mind. Still I'd love to know of other dishes that feature skin.

sazerac wrote:Still I'd love to know of other dishes that feature skin.

I often stuff the skin from the neck of the chicken with a mixture of bread crumbs, gribenes (chicken cracklings), onions, herbs. and roast or fry it. Not sure of the spelling, but my wife calls it Helzl.

Likewise, I stuff the skin from the neck of a duck with a ground mixture of bread crumbs, duck liver, proscuitto, shallots, garlic, parsley, and thyme and roast it.

Poultry skin is good stuff and good stuffed.

Bill/SFNM

sazerac wrote:Dishes using skin or peel are probably not that unusual. From vegetables to animals - potato skins and chicharrones come to mind. Still I'd love to know of other dishes that feature skin.

Citrus peel is an obvious addition, either candied or used fresh or dried as seasoning.

Fascinating recipe, sazerac, thanks. (But the coding for the footnotes doesn't work in BBCode.)

sazerac wrote:#500 – for Erik M. thanks for all the translations and the wonderful Thai meals
In Which You'll See Some Skin

Das,

Given the subject I was expecting a different sort of post.

Titillating title aside, what a wonderfully interesting and comprehensive post. I not only learned a thing or seven, it made me want start cooking immediately.

Enjoy,
Gary

Bill/SFNM wrote:I often stuff the skin from the neck of the chicken with a mixture of bread crumbs, gribenes (chicken cracklings), onions, herbs. and roast or fry it. Not sure of the spelling, but my wife calls it Helzl.

Helzl, exactly. Except that I was under the impression that it's made with goose neck (mutatis mutandis, I suppose) and schmalz rather than gribenes, per se. (The schmalz being the rendered chicken fat throughout which the gribenes are strewn). And traditionally roasted, yes? not fried. Ah, the good old days...

Oh, and PS, Das: an enormously interesting, well-illustrated, post. I think I can safely speak for most on this board when I ask, "When is the first Das Cooks coming out?

sazerac-this lovingly detailed post is just one more example of why I remain your devoted fan. Brilliant! And I can't wait to have a kitchen again so I can make this for my Dad, who is a great provider of rationales for "eating your vegetables" and a devotee of Indian flavors. Thanks.

Sazerac,

Another one of your masterpieces. Many thanks for a wonderfully informative and interesting post.

Sazerac wrote:As most cookbooks focus on fancier dishes than the typical home cooked ones and what constitutes "Indian" cooking is fairly misunderstood (IMO), I thought I'd post on a simple Bengali preparation that exemplifies the use of an otherwise mundane ingredient

From another perspective, I know what you mean...

I'm sure I speak for many in saying that we're really delighted that you've continued to post here, despite the move to far off Pittsburgh.

Antonius

Thanks for all the kind remarks here and pm-ed! It's always encouraging.

The helzl sounds really delicious. I'd love to try it. I can't imagine it is made outside homes. Any recipe (links) or better still - a post…

Josephine (and hopefully others) – if you do try making this, I'd very much like your comments on the flavor (profile). It would be 'Indian' I suppose with the turmeric – but would be very different from the Punjabi/Moghlai flavors that abound in restaurants.
If you do use the white poppy seeds (small packets are readily available on Devon), I'm curious to your reaction to the taste – it may be a little musty (though I'm not sure if that's a good term for it). I should add that you may want to increase the proportion of skins (to potato) – the opo squash skin has some of the mild sweetness of the flesh but there is also a pleasant hint of bitterness.

In addition to other recipes with skins (surely, there must be other vegetable skin recipes), are there some that call for white poppy seeds?
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superscripts work for me (Firefox)…

I did miss some details in the OP, use of chilis – I'll edit that in. Gypsy Boy, I guess I'll need an editor and a lawyer if I am to go down the road you suggest . We'll see.

Come on, Antonius, Pittsburgh isn't that far away. For various reasons, current time constraints don't allow me to read/post as much as I'd enjoy doing. further sentimental comments deleted

dept. of random musings
Gwiv, sorry to disappoint - I almost titled it, "In which I show some skin" but then I would really worry if people did drop in to peek Also as it is a fairly quick dish to make I was thinking I should get with the times and put up a video on YouTube, but didn't think there would be much appeel (get it) for a – wait for it – skin flick