Quoting Michael Loo to Jim Weller <=-
some sort of highly technical thing on off shore oil rigs and
consequently has been all over the world to countries with
underwater oilfields
underwater would creep me out
He's on top of a platform; he doesn't go underwater.
most of those places, especially Texas (which is a country in
its own mind, anyway), seem unnecessarily hazardous to me.
In a lot of those places he was living in a gated community of
foreign workers. And some places he doesn't take his family with
him.
Ironically Texas was the only place he ever had difficulties in. His
current wife and youngest daughter are Venezuelan and they were not
treated nicely in Houston, so they moved from the US to Chile.
Barry now speaks excellent Spanish. (As you can imagine, they
certainly don't want to live in Venezuela anymore. They abandoned a
large beautiful villa in Caracas last year.) He is currently working
in Saudi Arabia but was in Canada last August. We saw him on our
reunion weekend in Alberta in August.
MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
Title: Savory Chiroti
Categories: Indian, Pastry, Spice
Yield: 20 servings
FOR THE DOUGH:
1 1/4 c Plus 3 1/2 tb all-purpose
Flour
1/2 c Plus 1 tb fine semolina
Flour
1/4 ts Salt
1/2 ts Fresh ground black pepper
2 tb Ghee
1/2 c Water
FOR THE PASTE:
2 tb Ghee, melted
3 tb Rice flour
Oil for deep-frying
A savory version of chiroti, the traditionally sweet deep-fried
snack that's eaten during the Diwali holiday.
Chiroti is an Indian deep-fried snack that's eaten during Diwali.
It's usually served sweet, sometimes finished with powdered sugar
and sometimes dipped in sugar syrup. This savory version is loaded
with black pepper, but make no mistake, it's just as perfect for
Diwali as its sweet counterpart.
A moderate amount of black pepper infuses the dough with a subtle
spice flavor, without making it pungent. Brushing a fatty and
starchy paste between the layers of dough, then rolling the dough up
like a jelly roll, helps form the chiroti's signature spiral shape.
Start the Dough: In a medium mixing bowl, thoroughly whisk together
all-purpose flour, semolina flour, salt, and pepper. Add ghee to
bowl and, using your hand, rub it into dry ingredients until well
incorporated. Slowly drizzle in water, while mixing with your hand,
until a firm yet supple dough forms; add the water slowly and make
sure to mix it well as you go, as you may need slightly more or less
water to reach the desired dough consistency. Cover bowl with
plastic wrap and allow dough to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Make the Paste: In a small mixing bowl, stir together liquid ghee
and rice flour to form a paste.
Form the Chiroti: Once dough has rested, divide it into 2 equal
portions. Transfer one portion to a work surface and keep the other
covered with plastic to prevent drying.
Using your hands, roll the dough into a uniform log shape, then
divide it into 5 equal portions, each weighing about 1.7 ounces
(50g).
Using your hands, form each piece of dough into a ball. Using a
rolling pin, and working with one piece at a time, roll each dough
portion into a thin circle, flipping and rotating the dough 90
degrees between rolls, until it is about 6 to 7 inches (15 to 18cm)
in diameter. Keep the rolled dough portions covered with a kitchen
towel to prevent drying.
Once all 5 small dough balls have been rolled into thin circles, set
one circle on a work surface. Using a pastry brush, brush dough
circle all over with the paste. Set another dough circle directly on
top of the first one and brush it with the paste. Continue until you
have a stack of all 5 dough circles, each brushed with the paste.
Roll the stack of dough rounds tightly, like a jelly roll. Using a
sharp knife, cut the roll into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Using a
rolling pin, roll each of the pieces out into oval whorls about 3 to
4 inches (8 to 10cm) long.
Repeat steps 4 through 7 with the second portion of dough.
Fry the Chiroti: In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2 inches oil to 365 F
(185 C) over medium to low heat. Carefully add a few whorls of dough
to the oil, making sure not to crowd the pot; each whorl should have
enough space to float without overlapping any others. Fry, turning
once or twice, until golden and crisp on both sides, about 4
minutes.
Using a spider, slotted spoon, or strainer, transfer chiroti to
paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining whorls. Serve hot or at
room temperature.
CHETNA MAKAN
From: Serious Eats
MMMMM
Cheers
Jim
... I only burn oil from free range organic dinosaurs.
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