GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn.-- Turmeric Trail is a new brand line created to celebrate and bring the spirit of India to your kitchen. The line, from chef Raghavan Iyer, features four signature roasted spice blends representing four distinct regions in India; Garam Masala, Mumbai Masala, Madras Masala, and Chai Masala. This morning, chef Iyer stopped by the kitchen to give us a taste.
For more information about Turmeric Trail, visit www.turmerictrail.com.
Mac and Cheese with Turmeric Trail's Madras Masala
Serves 4
Lacto-vegetarian; Gluten-free (if you use gluten-free macaroni)
3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons Ghee or butter
1 cup finely chopped red onion
2 to 3 fresh green Serrano chiles, stems discarded, finely chopped (do not remove the seeds)
2 tablespoons chickpea flour
1 tablespoon Turmeric Trail's Madras Masala
2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
2 cups shredded cheese (a mix of cheddar, jack, mozzarella, Colby or anything else)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
1. Bring a large saucepan filled more than halfway with water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. If you like salting your water for boiling pasta, by all means use as much as you need at this juncture. Add the macaroni to it and bring it to a boil again, stirring once or twice. Continue boiling vigorously uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are cooked just right (tender but not mushy), 8 to 10 minutes.
2. While the noodles cook make the cheese sauce. Heat the ghee in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the nutty-smelling clarified butter appears to shimmer, stir in the onion and chiles. Stir-fry the medley until the onion is light brown around the edges and the chiles smell pungent, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Sprinkle in the chickpea flour and stir it in. Roast the flour light brown, stirring constantly to allow the flour to cook evenly, and the aromas that waft from the pan to smell nutty, about 1 minute. Now sprinkle in the spice blend and stir it in. Pour in the half-and-half, a little at a time, whisking it in quickly to make sure there are no lumps. Bring the sauce to a boil, still uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens a bit, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, cilantro, and the cheese; turn off the heat.
4. By now the macaroni should be cooked just right. Drain the noodles giving the colander a good shake. Transfer this back to the pan you cooked them in. Scrape the lip-smacking cheese sauce (trust me you will stick a finger in while you are making it to taste it) over the noodles and stir the two together to coat the ho-hum pasta with the zesty blanket.
5. Spoon or scrape the mac and ooey gooey cheese into a serving dish. Serve warm and bubbly, oozing with chiles-heat and addiction that brings out the sophisticated toddler in all of us.
Tips:
• You can easily turn this into more of a substantial pasta meal by folding in slightly steamed broccoli or asparagus, ribbons of fresh spinach or mustard greens, and yes cooked meats too (like that left-over oven-roasted chicken with a few pieces of meat stuck to the bone, a picked-over turkey after the holiday gathering, maple-glazed ham, crispy bacon, or browned ground beef.)
• There are many versions of mac and cheese that are baked, especially with a bread crumb crust on top. I usually don't care for that since the starchy pasta has a tendency to suck up all that sauce and render the meal dry. You would almost have to double the sauce quantity and bake it to leave behind some succulence that makes your mouth happy.
(Copyright 2011 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)