Millbrook Country Inn and Restaurant is a classic cape-style farmhouse built in the 1850s, midway between the ski slopes and the village of Waitsfield, on scenic Mill Brook Road, in Vermont. This idyllic bed and breakfast, run by Joan and Thom Gorman, is probably the last place you’d expect to eat spicy Indian food, but take a look at the menu! Along with the fine country gourmet dishes, you also have Chicken Brahmpuri, Badami Rogan Josh and a Vegetable Thali!
Thom Gorman became a diehard Indian food fan when he traveled to Mumbai in the 60s as a peace corps volunteer in a UN nutrition program, which involved working with village women in the kitchen. So for two years he was living and working with real Indians and since he was eating the village food day in and day out, it really got into his system. Back in the United States, in the 70s there were very few places serving Indian food, and he had taught himself from cookbooks. Today he even makes all his own chutneys.
The Gormans have run the bed and breakfast in Vermont for 27 years and its Indian cuisine has become a noted specialty of the house. Millbrook Inn is open 7 months a year and for at least three months the couple travel to far-out places, including the South of India, where Thom has now become enamored with the complex flavors. “I always made very, very spicy food because the village I lived in was renowned for growing red chilies. So my impression was that all Indian food was hot and over the years I never changed that,” says Gorman. “We often get Indian diners who are vacationing in Vermont and their reaction is, ‘Oh, my God, this is too spicy!’ whereas the Americans are saying, ‘Oh, can it be spicier?'”
This time, in Kerala in his interaction with noted chefs, Gorman learnt some Indian dishes that are not spicy and are subtle in flavors. Here he shares with us Meen Molee, a dish from the South, which is fish or scallops in a very mild Kerala yellow curry, and Banana Mezhukkuratti. But he still loves the chilies of Brahmapuri village!
MEEN MOLE (KERALA, INDIA)
3 INCHES FRESH GINGER, PEELED 6 HOT GREEN CHILIE PEPPERS 7 CLOVES GARLIC PEELED & CHOPPED 1 TBS FLOUR 2 CUPS THIN COCONUT MILK 4 TBS OIL 1 LARGE ONION PEELED AND CUT INTO FINE SLICES 3/4 TSP TURMERIC 1/2 TSP CAYENNE PEPPER 3 TOMATOES CHOPPED 2 LBS WHITE FISH ( E.G. HADDOCK, COD, HALIBUT) 1 CUP THICK COCONUT MILK CUT INTO 2-INCH PIECES 1/2 TSP SALT
Chop 2 inches of the ginger and 3 of the green peppers coarsely. Put them into the container of a blender along with the garlic and 1/3 cup of water. Blend into a coarse paste. Slice the remaining ginger into fine strips. Cut slits down the middle of the three remaining green chilies. Put the flour in a bowl. Slowly add the thin coconut milk and mix well. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onions, strips of ginger, and the slit chilies. Stir and fry for 2-3 minutes until the onions start to brown. Add the paste from the blender along with the turmeric and cayenne pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add the thin coconut milk and flour mixture, salt, and tomatoes. Mix and stir gently until the sauce comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce reduces slightly. Serves 6.
BANANA MEZHUKKURATTI (KERALA, INDIA)
4 BANANAS PEELED AND CUBED 1 TSP TURMERIC 3 TBS OIL 10 CURRY LEAVES 3 TSP URAD DAL 1/2 CUP CHOPPED ONION 1/2 TSP CAYENNE PEPPER
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add bananas and turmeric. Cook until soft and drain. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the mustard seeds and when they begin to pop, add the curry leaves and urad dal. Cook, stirring, until the dal changes color. Add the onions and the cayenne pepper and cook, stirring, until the onions soften. Add the bananas, mix well, and cook slowly for 5 minutes.
