Zucchini with Chaat Masala
So, I had my first Covid vaccine. I have lived to tell the tale.
My insurer offered appointments online or by telephone. The web was impossible. The phone was little better: when I could get through at all, I waited on hold for hours. This is not overstatement. A few times I called only to hear there was no vaccine; call back later. I telephoned often, at all hours of the day and evening. I was rarely able to get through. Most often I got a message stating there were technical difficulties. Try again later. I finally got through last week. I have no idea why.
The alarming part of all this is while the website and phone lines crashed due to people seeking covid vaccines, patients needing medical care unrelated to Covid were forced to seek care using the same numbers and websites
Granted, an entire year isn’t much time to consider setting up other multiple means of contact. And nobody saw this pandemic coming, right?
A chichi cafe in downtown Oakland, near where yours truly got her first vaccine.
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So, zucchini.
Year after year, gardeners rail against zucchini. It’s watery. It’s seedy. It’s prolific to the point of waste. Yet people continue planting it. Here’s a thought: plant less zucchini. Or none at all. Plant more tomatoes. Nobody ever bitches about too many tomatoes.
Speaking of gardens, my husband bought a new hose. I had nothing to do with it.
But no. Year after year, summer comes and so does the kvetching about zucchini. Along with the kvetching, we get the “how to use up zucchini” recipes. Many of these recipes involve foods you would never associate with vegetables, like brownies, but we’re not going down that road.
As unrelated to zucchini as it gets.
Zucchini with Chaat Masala is not a “how to use it up” recipe. Nor is it a a “clean eating” recipe. Zucchini with Chaat Masala is a “this is really delicious recipe.” But really nothing more. This blog doesn’t go in for anything more. Well, nice pictures. Not that you’d know from this particular collection. Sorry.
Chaat Masala entered my life only recently, courtesy of Roopa Gulati’s lovely India: The World Vegetarian. Roopa describes Chaat Masala as “a cornucopia of spices crammed with big flavours.” She goes on to give a recipe for making it at home. I confess to ordering mine online–this due to the pandemic–but Chaat Masala is easily found at Indian markets.
Be warned: Chaat Masala is addictive stuff. You’ll find yourself wanting to put it on everything. I’ve made zucchini with Chaat Masala twice, and each time there was barely enough left to photograph, much less serve for dinner.
Another filler picture. Today’s theme is orange.
This is scarcely a recipe, but it’s so delicious it merits sharing.
If your zucchini are organic, don’t bother to peel. Otherwise, peel.
Slice zucchini lengthwise. Pour a little olive oil into a grill pan, frying pan, or broiler. Heat your pan up, and lay the zucchini slices into said pan. Mix two teaspoons Chaat Masala and two teaspoons salt per zucchini in a dish or small bowl. Sprinkle the spices over the zucchini. Cook five minutes a side. Turn. Lay cooked pieces in a serving dish or plate. Try not to eat them all then and there.
You may need to add a bit more oil to your pan, and watch your veg, lest it burn. That’s it.
This is the sort of dish that goes with almost anything. Make it into a main course by tossing it into pasta, rice, or polenta.
Zucchini with Chaat Masala don’t keep beyond an hour or so–they sort of wilt–but this really doesn’t pose a problem. Trust me. This is hard to stop eating.
Zucchini with Chaat Masala
Prep time: minutes
Yield: as many as you wish to prepare
2-6 zucchini, depending on how many people you are feeding, and what else you are eating; see notes
2 teaspoons Chaat masala per zucchini
2 teaspoons salt per zucchini
olive oil, for the pan
You may want to open the window or turn on the oven fan, depending on your cooking method.
If your zucchini are organic, you don’t need to peel them. The choice is yours. Otherwise, you should. I did for this recipe.
Peel your zucchini (if necessary) and slice them lengthwise. They shouldn’t be too thin, or they’ll burn. Set aside for a moment.
In a small bowl or dish, mix two teaspoons Chaat Masala and two teaspoons salt per zucchini. Mix with a fork.
I used a grill pan to cook the zucchini. A frying pan or or pan set under the broiler will also work. If using a broiler, place the oven rack about four inches/10 cm below the heating element. Pour about two tablespoons olive oil on a heavy baking sheet. Heat to high.
For a frying or grill pan, use just enough olive oil to film the pan. Heat it to medium high.
Arrange as many zucchini slices as fit without crowding. Sprinkle the Chaat Masala/salt over with your clean fingers. Cook about five minutes a side, turning the vegetables over with tongs or a fork.
Transfer the cooked zucchini to a plate or platter.
Add more oil to pan if needed.
Add Chaat masala to the zucchini if needed; any leftover spice mixture (I had barely a teaspoon) may be tipped into a small ziploc style bag and used within a month on other vegetables or chicken, pork, or tofu dishes.
Notes:
John and I ate–devoured, really–three zucchini, and we are not big eaters. Zucchini are light, as vegetables go, and you should consider your eaters, what else is being served, and how hungry people are.
Cooking with Chaat masala lends itself to other vegetables. I had one red pepper that needed using up and prepared it this way after cooking the zucchini. Summer squash like crookneck and pattypan are delicious prepared this way, as are firm tomatoes like Roma, Early girl, and green varieties. I am not fond of eggplant, but it would be ideal here.
Chaat Masala is available at Indian markets or may be purchased online. Also see Roopa Gulati’s India: The World Vegetarian for a recipe.
In all honesty, I don’t know how to talk about the recent violence to the Asian community without sounding self-serving. What can I possibly say without sounding like I’m preaching to the choir? I rather doubt anyone who is considering violence would read this first, but the unlikely event that somebody is, don’t do it. Just fucking don’t.
