What's Pressoir Cooking?
Raj Vaidya
October 27, 2020
As the weather turns cold and the skies gray, I tend to lean into heartier, earthier flavors in the wines I choose to imbibe and the food I put on my table. But that doesn’t always mean heavy meat dishes or rich sauces in my case. Sometimes a dish with complexity of flavor and a personal connection, one that invokes memories and emotions as only comfort food can, hits the spot just as well to warm the belly and heart. Last night I decided to make one of my Dad’s favorite ‘quick’ recipes, Maharashtra style Chole (sautéed chickpeas). My dad was a deft cook, but mostly left the kitchen to my Mom while I was growing up. On the occasions he had to pick up the slack, this was often his go-to dish as it doesn’t require much preparation time, and overdelivers in flavor and satisfaction, while also being relatively healthy! Maharashtra is the area in India where my family originated, and this style of cooking is specific to this cuisine, where spices are toasted in oil as a base for whatever vegetable or bean gets then added to coat in those flavors. To drink I finished an earthy Côte-Rôtie from 2014 that I had opened over the weekend, perfect with the toasted spiced flavors!
Check out Kalyustian (kalustyans.com) or Patel Brothers (patelbros.com) for the ingredients you may not have in your pantry.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon amchur powder (dried mango)
1/2 teaspoon indian black salt
1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 chopped red onion
1-2 chopped red thai chili peppers
1 cup cooked chickpeas
Cilantro and lime juice to garnish
3-4 tablespoons of grapeseed oil or clarified butter
Heat the oil in a nonstick pan till steam begins to appear, add the dried spices and chili and sauté/toast for about 1 minute, not allowing the spices to burn in the pan. Add ginger, garlic and onions and sauté till aromatic and onions are translucent. Add chickpeas and heat through while coating the beans in the spice mixture. Serve with cilantro atop, a squeeze of lime juice over Basmati rice.
