MADDIE DAY here, with a surprise guest. Harini Nagendra made a big splash last year with her debut mystery Bangalore Detectives Club, and the sequel, Murder Under a Red Moon, will be out next week. I can't wait to read it, and one lucky US commenter here will win a copy!
Check out the blurb: When new bride Kaveri Murthy reluctantly agrees to investigate a minor crime to please her domineering mother-in-law—during the blood moon eclipse, no less—she doesn't expect, once again, to stumble upon a murder.
With anti-British sentiment on the rise, a charismatic religious leader growing in influence, and the fight for women's suffrage gaining steam, Bangalore is turning out to be a far more dangerous and treacherous place than Kaveri ever imagined—and everyone's motives are suspect.
Together with the Bangalore Detectives Club—a mixed bag of street urchins, nosy neighbours, an ex-prostitute, and a policeman's wife— Kaveri once again sleuths in her sari and hunts for clues in her beloved 1920s Ford.
But when her life is suddenly put in danger, Kaveri realizes that she might be getting uncomfortably close to the truth. So she must now draw on her wits and find the killer . . . before they find her.
Today Harini brings us a quick and tasty snack, as well as a giveaway for one lucky US commenter. Take it away, Harini!
Peanut masala
It’s always fascinating to deep-dive into the ecological
history of the foods we eat commonly. Take peanuts, for instance (the star of today’s
recipe). China and India are the world’s largest peanut growers. Together, they
produce half of the world’s peanut supply. Yet the peanut is not native to
either country. It came from South America, and was then picked up by Spanish
and Portuguese colonizers. The Portuguese brought it with them to China and
India. In just a few centuries, it has now become an integral part of both
cuisines.
Some like their peanuts boiled, others like
them roasted - with salt, or in candy bars. Many also like their peanuts ground
into a buttery paste. While roasted peanuts and peanut candy bars are popular
in India, China and the US, it’s rare to find someone in India or mainland
China devouring a peanut butter sandwich (though this is changing now). Americans
consume over 1 billion pounds of peanut butter each year, but the Dutch eat even
more than the Americans. They picked it up from one of their former
colonies too.
The colonial footprint is as deeply embedded in
the humble peanut as it is in my mystery series, The Bangalore Detectives Club,
which is set in 1920s colonial Bangalore. Kaveri Murthy, the intrepid
19-year-old housewife and amateur detective who is the main protagonist of my
series, would never have heard of peanut butter. She would have snacked on
peanut masala quite heavily, though. Roasted with a bit of oil, mixed
with finely diced onions, tomatoes and green chillies, and garnished with a bit
of coriander or cilantro – these are favorite party nibbles, and a common bar
snack across India.
My dad and I loved these, and I made them for
us several days in the week. We tend to eat dinners quite late in India (at
least by American standards), and my family ate dinner at 9 pm when I was
growing up. A 5 pm snack of peanut masala was very well timed to take
care of our empty stomachs when I returned from college, and my dad from his
office. He’s been gone twenty years, but I think of him every time I eat this.
Kaveri loves digging into a large bowl of
peanut masala along with her friends from The Bangalore Detectives Club
in her living room, surrounded by maps, books and her trusty magnifying glass.
She hopes you enjoy the recipe as much as they do! Peanut masala is tasty
and ‘healthful’ (a term Kaveri’s acerbic mother-in-law, Bhargavi,
reserves as high praise, only for dishes she approves).
Best of all, it’s quick to make, and can be put
together in ten minutes. My favorite kind of snack.
Peanut Masala
Ingredients
Half a cup of deshelled, unsalted raw peanuts
Half a large onion, finely diced
One large tomato, deseeded and finely diced
Two tablespoons of fresh green
coriander/cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Salt (to taste)
Optional:
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
Red chilli powder (to taste)
Half a lemon or lime
Directions:
Roast the deshelled peanuts with a tablespoon
of vegetable oil (canola, peanut, or any other oil of your preference except
for olive oil) on the stovetop or in a microwave, until they are well toasted,
but not blackened. These taste best when you roast them with the skin still on.
Remove, and cool. Mix in the onions and
tomatoes, and add salt to taste. If you’re feeling adventurous, mix in some
finely chopped green chillies and red chilli powder. Garnish with a generous
handful of coriander leaves. Some people add a squeeze of fresh lime juice – citrus
gives me migraines, so I leave this out.
This is a truly delicious party snack. It tastes
best when made fresh, and doesn’t keep well when assembled too far in advance.
But it’s really quick to make. You can prep the fresh ingredients and keep them
handy - roast the peanuts while you’re chatting with your guests - and then -
just mix, and serve!
Needless to say, please avoid this entirely if
you have peanut allergies or intolerance.
Readers: What's your favourite recipe with peanuts? I'll send one US commenter a copy of the new book.
Murder Under A Red Moon (Book 2 in The Bangalore Detectives Club series) releases March 28. The latest novel in the acclaimed Bangalore Detectives Club series finds amateur sleuth Kaveri Murthy uncovering a new murder during the blood moon eclipse.
Pre-order at:
You can contact Harini on her website www.harininagendra.com; and connect
with her on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook
