Passport to flavor
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Today, we’re pleased to introduce what we hope will become an occasional feature for the “Kids Soup” column. We call it “Passport Around the World,” and it’s a look at ethnic cooking and dining here in Baton Rouge.
While we are fortunate in southeast Louisiana to have a rich culinary history, we sometimes forget there are many other ethnic groups — each with its own culinary tradition — living here.
As we focus on teaching our children about healthy cooking and eating within the context of our own culture, it’s equally important to introduce them to the enticing spices and interesting flavors found in the cuisines of other countries. Not only will it expand their culinary palates, but it will expose them to new cultures and broaden their perspectives.
To help us with our concept, Shyamala Alapati and her family shared their time and recipes with us. A native of India, Alapati moved to the U.S. as a toddler and grew up on the West Coast. Her husband, Prasad Alapati, spent his childhood in India and didn’t come to this country until he was a young medical student.
The couple met in India, married and moved to Baton Rouge eight years ago. Today, they have three children, all students at Episcopal, who experience life both as typical American kids and as first-generation Indian-Americans with strong cultural ties to their ancestral country.
Nowhere are those ties more binding than in the Alapati kitchen. Shyamala is a phenomenal cook, and she prepares traditional Indian dishes for her family almost every night. Though the children eat American-style foods at school and when visiting friends, as a group, the family prefers traditional Indian food prepared in the style that Shyamala learned from her mother.
One of the great things about Indian food, when prepared correctly, is that it can be very healthy. The Alapatis’ meals are no exception. Their meals are chock-full of fresh vegetables and lean meat — the family is partial to chicken — served in rich, flavorful curry sauces and spice blends.
A key ingredient in Indian cooking is masala, which is a spice blend that comes in several different varieties. Shyamala Alapati used to make her own masalas from scratch, but she said she has found the prepackaged masalas available at three local Indian food stores — A Z International Food, Bengal Imports and Fashion India and Groceries — are just as good and save a lot of time. She said she buys them in bulk and stores them in the refrigerator so they will last longer.
Alapati said she is careful to watch the fat content of her dishes, as well, substituting yogurt for high-fat ingredients, such as coconut milk, or occasionally serving brown rice instead of the traditional Indian basmati rice, which is white. She said she has also learned how to adapt her dishes to sensitive young palates and cuts back on the amount of “heat” that’s in a dish without sacrificing any of the complex flavors.
Having grown up with Indian fare, Tarini, 13; Avani, 10; and Ajit, 7, all enjoy Indian cuisine. The girls also like to help her prepare it, especially for their friends, who generally love the dishes they cook if they’re brave enough to try them, Alapati’s daughters said.
“My friends love it,” said Tarini, who is in the eighth grade. “Well, let me put it like this: The ones who will try it love it.”
The biggest challenge in convincing timid eaters to try new types of food can be to get them acclimated to the different flavors and aromas. Once they try them, however, they’ll find they like them. These dishes are good ones to start with.
First is Shyamala’s Chicken Tikka Masala, which is a traditional northern India curry dish made of spicy grilled chicken breast pieces. Tikka is a bright red spice blend. The chicken is marinated and grilled, then it is added to a cream-based gravy made with onions, spices and tomatoes.
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