Recipes: Chaating up Southern food
Vishwesh Bhatt remembers his first taste of okra in a Southern restaurant. “It was stewed with tomatoes, and I thought, ‘Ooh, this is interesting.’ It made so much sense to me.”
Though the seasonings were different, the taste took him back to the vegetarian thalis — large meals composed of many small dishes — his mom prepared almost daily in the state of Gujarat, India, where he spent the first 17 years of his life.
Bhatt was speaking by phone from his home in Oxford, Mississippi, where he helms Snackbar, a lively bistro known for its ever-evolving menu of inventive offerings melding local ingredients with the flavors of his Indian childhood and beyond. The week before, Chai Pani Decatur hosted a multicourse dinner for him featuring some of those dishes to celebrate the launch of his first cookbook, ”I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes From a Southern Chef” (Norton, $37.50).
Among the courses was Okra Chaat, Snackbar’s best-known dish: okra pods sliced extra-thin and flash-fried, seasoned generously with his own blend of spices, and tossed with peanuts, herbs and other bright flavors.
“I grew up thinking forever of okra as an Indian vegetable,” said Bhatt, whose family came to the United States when his dad, a physicist, accepted a teaching position at the University of Texas-Austin. “We ate it in dals, sauteed with potatoes, grilled, stir-fried, and stuffed.”
He quickly learned to love it dredged in cornmeal and served alongside black-eyed peas, rice and other standbys already familiar to him, but prepared differently. He credits his friend and mentor, the culinary historian Jessica B. Harris, for helping him understand how those staples made their way from West Africa with enslaved peoples to the region he’s called home for decades.
By then, he had earned a degree from the University of Kentucky, dropped out of grad school focusing on public policy at the University of Mississippi to pursue his culinary passions, and joined forces with Oxford’s most lauded chef, John Currence, at City Grocery. He’d married a nurse who shared his love of entertaining, and they’d built a comfortable social life filled with backyard barbecues and supper club gatherings with friends.
In 2009, Bhatt and Currence opened Snackbar, the same year Meherwan Irani founded his first location of his Chai Pani culinary empire in Asheville, North Carolina. The chefs became fast friends after meeting at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival a few years later.
Both have since earned top honors from the James Beard Foundation — Bhatt was named 2019 Best Chef: South; Irani accepted this year’s Outstanding Restaurant Award for Chai Pani Asheville. Bhatt recently collaborated with Irani to create a curated collection of masala spice blends for Spicewalla, Irani’s small-batch spice company.
“Being isolated in Oxford, I didn’t know many people like me,” Bhatt said as he stood at Chai Pani’s entrance with Irani to greet guests. “We share ideas. Meherwan has taught me a lot about entrepreneurship.”
Irani, who immigrated to South Carolina from his native Maharashtra in the early 1990s, admits that “it took me a while to comprehend what Vish was doing. I remember going to Snackbar and realizing that I was tasting Southern food as seen through the lens of an Indian chef. It was fascinating.”
That’s when it dawned on him. “I am an Indian chef who happens to live in the South. Vish is a Southern chef. This region is not black and white — it’s very diverse. That’s why we must help each other tell our stories.”
RECIPES
Here are three recipes excerpted from “I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes From a Southern Chef” (Norton, $37.50) that were served at a book launch party hosted by Chai Pani Decatur. Like the chapters in the book, each focuses on a common ingredient linking Vishwesh Bhatt’s Indian heritage to his home in the American South.
Okra Chaat
Chaat is the catchall term for savory snacks in India. This specialty of Vishwesh Bhatt’s restaurant, Snackbar, stars flash-fried, extra-thin slices of okra seasoned generously with chaat masala, a complex blend characterized by black salt. Bhatt offers a recipe for it in his book, and he also has developed a line of masala seasonings for the Spicewalla brand.
- 3 cups neutral oil, such as peanut or canola
- 2 pounds okra pods, wiped clean and tough tops trimmed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chaat masala seasoning blend (available in specialty markets, some supermarkets and online)
- Salt
- 2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed and minced
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup seeded and diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons cane syrup or sorghum syrup
- Juice of 2 limes
- Pour the oil into a Dutch oven or other large, heavy-bottomed pot and heat to 350 degrees over medium-high heat.
- Slice the okra lengthwise into very thin strips (1/8 to 1/4 inch).
- When the oil is hot, carefully add one-quarter to one-third of the okra to the hot oil. Fry the okra until it is dark and very crisp, about 1 minute.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the okra to a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately season it lightly with a couple of pinches of the chaat masala and a pinch of salt. Repeat with the remaining okra.
- Once all the okra is fried and cool enough to handle, gently toss it in a medium bowl with the jalapenos, red onion, tomatoes, peanuts, cilantro, cayenne, cane syrup, lime juice and remaining chaat masala. Serve immediately. Serves 6-8.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving, based on 6: 283 calories (percent of calories from fat, 67), 6 grams protein, 19 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 23 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 38 milligrams sodium.Recipes adapted from “I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes From a Southern Chef” by Vishwesh Bhatt (Norton, $37.50).
Grilled Chicken Thighs with Peaches, Chiles, and Spiced Honey
This recipe exemplifies what Vishwesh Bhatt is likely to serve for a late summer cookout in Oxford, Mississippi. If you prefer to peel your peaches, as Bhatt does, lightly score an X on the bottom of each with the tip of a sharp knife, and carefully drop the whole peaches into a large pot of boiling water. After about 30 seconds, remove the peaches from the water with a slotted spoon and peel when cool enough to handle. The skins should slip off easily.
- For the spiced honey:
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the chicken:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Juice of 2 lemons, divided
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 12 (4- to 5-inch) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 6 ripe (but not overripe) peaches, peeled if desired (see headnote), cut in half
- 1 small red onion, sliced thick enough that the pieces hold their shape on the grill
- 12 ounces mixed chiles, cut into large enough chunks or rounds that won’t fall through the grates
- 1/2 cup torn fresh mint leaves, for garnish
- Make the spiced honey: Combine the honey, black pepper, crushed coriander seeds, fennel seeds and salt in a small saucepan. Add 1/4 cup water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once the mixture simmers, give it a stir and remove from the heat. If not using right away, transfer to a storage container. Allow to cool completely before covering and storing at room temperature.
- Make the chicken: Combine half of the following in a large bowl — olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add the chicken thighs and toss to coat evenly. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the chicken to absorb the flavors.
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, salt and pepper with the peaches, onions and chiles and toss well.
- Heat the grill to medium.
- When the grill is hot, add the peach halves (flat-side down), onion slices and chile pieces. (Place the onions and chiles in a grill basket, if you have one, so they don’t fall through the grates.)
- Grill the peaches, onions and chiles until they are marked and slightly charred on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip everything and grill for another 2 to 3 minutes. The peaches, onions and chiles should retain some firmness; you do not want them to feel cooked all the way through. If you did not peel the peaches, the skin will curl up at the edges.
- Transfer to a platter, arranging everything so that the onions and chiles are scattered around the peach halves.
- Grill the chicken until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh registers 165 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to the serving platter, setting the cooked thighs right on top of the grilled peaches, onions and chiles.
- Drizzle some of the spiced honey over the top and garnish with the mint before serving. Bring the remaining honey to the table in a small bowl so that your guests may serve themselves more if desired. Serves 6.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 658 calories (percent of calories from fat, 35), 58 grams protein, 50 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 25 grams total fat (6 grams saturated), 290 milligrams cholesterol, 815 milligrams sodium.
Corn and Roasted Poblano Soup
Corn and chiles, writes Vishwesh Bhatt, is a “match made in heaven” whether in the American Southwest or Gujarat. Boiling the whole cobs for stock is key to its extra-deep corn flavor.
- 8 large ears corn, husks and silk removed and kernels cut off (about 6 cups), cobs reserved
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves, stems reserved
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, stems reserved
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 medium poblano or Hatch chiles
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup chopped bacon (optional)
- 1 small yellow or white onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- Lime wedges, for garnish
- Place the corn cobs, rosemary stems, thyme stems, peppercorns and bay leaves in a large stockpot and cover with 1 gallon of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 30 minutes. (If the pot starts to boil over, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle boil.)
- Remove the pot from the heat. When cool enough to handle, strain and discard solids. You will have 12 to 13 cups of corn stock. Set aside.
- To roast the poblanos, turn the flame of a gas stovetop (or grill) to medium-high. Using tongs and an oven mitt, hold one pepper directly over the flame, turning until it is charred on all sides. Repeat with the remaining peppers. (Alternatively, you can roast the peppers under the oven broiler. Watch them carefully and turn with tongs as each side chars.)
- Once the peppers are charred all the way around, carefully transfer them to a plastic bag or bowl covered with plastic wrap. Allow them to sit for about 10 minutes. The resulting steam and heat will finish cooking the peppers and make the skins easier to peel. When cool enough to handle, peel off the blistered skin. Dice the peppers, discarding the seeds and stems.
- Meanwhile, toast the cumin seeds in a small, dry pan over medium heat, shaking the pan gently so that the seeds toast evenly and do not burn, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and, when cool enough to handle, grind in a spice grinder or coffee grinder, or with a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or other wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the bacon (if using) and cook, stirring often, until it starts to render and crisp, about 4 minutes.
- Add the onion and garlic and stir. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion becomes translucent. Add the corn kernels, cover, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Stir in the poblanos and enough stock to cover everything by 1/2 to 1 inch (about 10 cups). Cool leftover stock and store in the refrigerator or freezer for later use, or discard.
- When the mixture simmers, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the corn is very soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the reserved chopped rosemary and thyme leaves.
- Remove the pot from the heat and puree the soup with a hand-held immersion blender, or in a regular blender, taking care not to overfill the blender cup.
- Strain the pureed soup through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the tough skins or skip this step if you don’t mind a more rustic texture.
- Return the soup to the heat and add the cumin, salt, paprika, goat cheese and cream. Stir until the cheese is melted and fully incorporated. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and a wedge of lime. Serves 6 to 8 as a first course, 4 to 6 as a main course.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving (not including bacon), based on 6: 398 calories (percent of calories from fat, 59), 9 grams protein, 34 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber, 28 grams total fat (16 grams saturated), 73 milligrams cholesterol, 1,167 milligrams sodium.Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
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