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curry

‘Curry couple’ brings fresh Indian dishes to Saratoga Farmers’ Market

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Warm scents of turmeric, cardamom, and chili draw visitors to the Daily Fresh tent at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Sneha Narayanan and Sathya Raghavan await with smiles, answers to questions, and recommendations as to what to order. They are immigrants from India who share the foods of their homeland via “the lunchbox.”

Daily Fresh is the market’s newest vendor. Narayanan and Raghavan joined June 2. It did not take them long to attract a crowd.

Their “lunchbox” includes a vegetarian protein, pulao (rice cooked with spices and vegetables), a vegetable, and a flatbread known as chapati. For an extra dollar, they’ll add a fruit custard made with a mango puree.

“We are known on Instagram as ‘the curry couple,’ ” says Raghavan.

Sneha Narayanan and Sathya Raghavan, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Narayanan and Raghavan come from the south Indian city of Chennai. They grew up in vegetarian households and promote Daily Fresh as an opportunity to enjoy a fully balanced vegetarian and/or vegan Indian food experience.

Daily Fresh began with Narayanan’s passion for cooking. While her husband was pursuing a doctorate in mechanical engineering, she began experimenting with family recipes and foods she found through blogs and her travels around different parts of India. In 2012, she started her own blog called Cooking with Sneha. Friends and her husband encouraged her to share not just recipes but also the actual food from the kitchen.

Daily Fresh, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

In late spring, Narayan proposed bringing Daily Fresh to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. Emily Meagher, market manager, realized that freshly prepared vegetarian and vegan foods would fill a need for many market-goers, and encouraged them to join the Saturday market.

While the business stemmed from Narayanan’s passion, Daily Fresh has been a team effort. Narayanan procures ingredients, cooks, and writes. Raghavan manages the business’s website, organizes licensing permits, and takes pictures. Together, the couple plan menus and care for their two children. Sathya works full time during the week. Sneha wakes up at 2:30 a.m. to get to the commercial kitchen where she prepares their foods fresh for their office deliveries and the Saturday market.

This might sound exhausting, but for Narayanan and Raghavan it is fuel for passion.

Winter Time Is Stew Time

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By Mary Pratt

In the cold of winter, it’s time for the comfort of warm savory stews. The Saratoga Farmer’s Market has the needed ingredients and ideas from different cultures to spice your stews up. 

Arnold Grant, of M & A Farm, is celebrating his 20th year at the market. Although most known for his family’s delicious breakfast sandwiches, he also raises and sells pork. Stewing pork is versatile; it can be used for Indian curry or French stew. Longlesson, Lewis Waite, Moxie Ridge, and Mariaville also raise pork. Pork butt (a shoulder cut) makes an excellent stew, as does fresh pork leg.

Christophe Robert, of Longlesson Farm, grows weaned piglets on pasture from spring until the snow falls. He also raises grass-fed beef until they are three to four years old to insure flavorful and marbled meat. Since Christophe is from France, he recommends making boeuf bourguignon, a stew with red wine and vegetables including onions and mushrooms, or a Flemish stew, boeuf carbonnade, with dark beer. He offers cubed beef for stew, but suggests that chuck will make stew that is more moist and flavorful.

Lewis-Waite Farm also raises grass-fed beef. Janet Lampman, who works for owners Nancy and Alan Brown, said it’s important to stew or oven-braise grass fed beef very slowly. She likes shanks or round roast. 

Ann Carnes, of Ramble Creek Farm, offers a variety of chicken. She finds the best cuts for cooking a chicken stew are thighs or drumsticks. Squashville Farm’s Himanee and Jim Gupta-Carlson offer fresh heritage-breed roasting chickens, from which they use leftover meat for soups and stews. In the last ten minutes of cooking, the chicken is added to warm through. Most recently Himanee made a Peruvian stew called Cazuela (casserole). 

Bob and Mary Pratt, of Elihu Farm, have raised lambs for over 30 years. After weaning, lambs graze for three seasons, and eat hay or baleage in winter. The best stew cuts are shoulder, shanks and neck. They enjoy making Moroccan tagine, Indian curry, and osso bucco. 

Come talk with the farmers at the market to get recipe details and other ideas.

A Lovely Lentil Curry

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Recipe by Marley Bonacquist-Currin

Serves 6-8

 

Ingredients
*Ingredients available at the farmers’ market

  • Olive oil* for sauteeing
  • ½ onion*-sliced thin
  • 1 clove garlic* – minced
  • 1 can unsweetened coconut milk (12oz)
  • Bunch of Spinach or Kale or Swiss Chard (Any seasonal leafy green)*
  • 1 large or 1 cup cherry tomatoes*
  • 4 large carrots*
  • 1 cup of mushrooms* (Oysters and shiitakes are my favorites)
  • ¼ cup curry powder
  • 3 Tbsp. Turmeric
  • 1 ½ Tsp. Salt
  • 1 Tsp Cayenne or Paprika (Depending on preferred spice level)
  • ⅛ tsp. Black pepper
  • 2 Tsp. Granulated garlic
  • 2 Tsp. Granulated onion
  • 1 ½  cups uncooked lentils

 

Directions

  1. Saute garlic and onions in olive oil until the onions are translucent.
  2. Add coconut milk, leafy greens, tomatoes,  carrots (sliced thin), and mushrooms and spices.
  3. Cook for 1 hour over medium-low heat (until veggies are soft).
  4. In a sauce pan, cover the lentils with water. Bring to a boil. Cook for 12-15 minutes more.
  5. Add to curried vegetables.
  6. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice (I prefer basmati or jasmine).