A Vegetarian Fourth of July

Yesterday, I celebrated the fourth of July by going to a party at my friend Samina's house. I was so glad to see Samina's mother again--and to chat with her aunt, cousin Sheba, and Sheba's boyfriend Ian. They had stopped briefly after fighting traffic from Palo Alto to Fresno, taking a break before continuing to Huntington Lake.

We swam for awhile which gave me the opportunity to talk with Pam and Toni while the kids splashed around. I miss the days in Arizona when a pool was just outside my front door, so it was really relaxing and so pleasant to laze into the evening in the cool, cool water.

We also ate, of course. Everyone contributed something. I brought guacamole and a green salad. Toni brought cole slaw. Pam and Tim brought a pasta salad. Samina had chips and salsa, brownies, and drinks. Alex roasted corn and also grilled some veggie burgers and dogs. And Madhu and Kaberi brought . . . . vadas!

Madhu made vada pav, Indian street food made of potato and curry. A couple of months back, my friends and I tried vadas at Brahma Bull; that version was made of chick peas. Madhu's was much more delicious and he brought really interesting chutneys to heighten the flavor, one mint chutney and another incredibly spicy peanut-garlic chutney.

This was delicious food--the chutneys provided an explosion of flavor in contrast to the vada's creamy texture. I loved that the vadas echoed the traditional fourth of July fare (hamburgers), which is, I think, why Madhu decided to make them for Samina's vegetarian household. Here is Madhu enjoying the fruits of his culinary skill.

Kaberi gave me some of the peanut-garlic chutney, suggesting that I mix it with yogurt to make a nice, spicy sauce. And Madhu wrote out the recipe so that I could include it here on Savory Morsels. We all enjoyed our "cosmopolitan" (to quote Samina) fourth of July.

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Madhu's Peanut Garlic Chutney

1 c. peanuts (spanish ones are best)
1/2 c. sesame seeds (white)
1/2 c. coconut flakes, dried
4-6 cloves of garlic
5-10 dry red chiles
2 t. paprika
(the previous two ingredients could be replaced with red chili powder, if necessary)
1 t. cumin seeds
1 t. salt

Roast peanuts, sesame seeds, garlic, cumin, coconut while stirring constantly until they are all evenly browned. Put them all in with other ingredients into a food processor/grinder and grind to powder.

Texture and taste can vary.