madame scientist's not-so-mad musings

Trypophobia: Intense fear of holes, resulting in itching and uneasiness.

While admiring this lovely image of lotus seed pods, I stumbled across this strange phobia, also triggered by “crumpets, pumice, cavities in teeth, the Ampullae of Lorenzini in sharks, holes in concrete, bug tunnels in wood, enlarged pores of the skin, Aero Bars, holes in walls caused by bullets, bone marrow, wasps’ nest, honeycomb, bubbles in dough, ant holes, veins in meat, clusters of holes”. One cannot make this stuff up. It’s in Urban Dictionary 🙂

Did you know that 1 in 10 people suffers from a phobia? Do you have one?

• For more strange phobias, check out: http://georgielowery.hubpages.com/hub/Trypophobia

• Photo: “Alien Pods” by Hawaiian Sea on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/area53/5250769454/

• Lotus By Rabindranath Tagore http://allpoetry.com/poem/8516495-Lotus-by-Rabindranath_Tagore

Added photos to Indian Food Cookalong With Special Guest Cook Rajini Rao.

COOKALONG RECIPE POST #2

For Shinae Choi Robinson ‘s Indian Cookalong Event see here: http://goo.gl/Bo5uh

Originally shared by Rajini Rao

Channa Masala

1. Chickpeas: If you are using dry chickpeas (garbanzo beans), soak overnight and cook with plenty of water until softened. I like to add some flavoring during cooking (a bay leaf, a dash of oil, salt to taste, a clove of garlic,3-4 whole peppercorns and cloves). If using canned, drain and set aside.

2. Potatoes: Boil 3-4 potatoes in their skin. Peel (or leave the skin on), cut into big cubes, and set aside.

3. Spice Blend: Using a spice mill, clean coffee grinder or mortar and pestle, coarsely grind 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 3-4 peppercorns, 2 cloves. You can use more or less of each, just keep the proportions similar.

Substitute with powdered spices (milder flavor): 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tbsp coriander powder and 1 tsp cumin powder.

4.Finely mince: 2 small onions, 2 green chillies (optional), 1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, 2 cloves of garlic. I like to use a food processor to chop them all together.

5. Caramelize onions: To make the gravy, begin by heating a couple tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the minced onion mixture and cook on high for a few minutes, stirring, while the onions lose water. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for about 10 minutes or until the onions turn light brown and pull away from the sides of the pan. Stir occasionally, don’t let it burn.

6. Tomatoes: Chop 2-3 tomatoes, add to the onion mixture and continue cooking.

7. Spices: Add the freshly ground or powdered spices. Add a tsp of turmeric powder and a quarter tsp of chilli powder/cayenne pepper (optional). Also add salt to taste and a good pinch of sugar to balance flavor. Mix in the spices while on low heat.

8. Potatoes: Add the cubed potatoes, and mix them in.

9. Chickpeas: Add the cooked chickpeas in their water. If using canned, add drained chickpeas and then add a cup or more of water to make a gravy of your choice of thickness (it will continue to thicken).

10. Garnish: After the chickpeas have simmered in their tomato-spice broth, squeeze in half a lemon (or lime) and garnish with chopped cilantro/coriander leaves. If it seems too spicy, you can add a dash of cream or a dollop of yogurt just before taking it off the heat.

Serve hot, with the _pulao rice, cucumber raita and optional store bought naan (Indian bread).

Blog post: https://madamescientist.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/chickpeas-for-comfort-spicy-channa-masala/

COOKALONG RECIPE POST #1

For Shinae Choi Robinson’s Indian Cookalong Event, see here: http://goo.gl/Bo5uh

Originally shared by Rajini Rao

Practically Perfect Basmati Rice Pulao

1. Presoak the Basmati rice: Measure out 2 cups. Rinse a few times under cold running water and drain. Season the wet rice with coarse salt, a pinch of sugar and some red chilli powder. Toss together gently, and let sit for about 20 minutes while you prep the rest of the pilaf.

2. Preheat the Water: Measure out 4 cups of water into a pot and heat on the back burner.

3. Prepare the Veggies: Grate two carrots, wash the spinach and set aside. Thinly slice one large onion.

4. Measure out Spices: 2-3 cardamom pods, split (you ought to save the shells for tea, but I left them in), 2 bay leaves, a cinnamon stick, 3-5 cloves and a tablespoon of fennel seed.

5. Nuts and dried fruits: Set aside a good handful of mixed nuts and dry fruits including some or all of the following: almonds, pistachios, cashews, cranberries, raisins, and cherries.

6. Heat 2-3 tbs of oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the spices. When they sizzle, add the sliced onion and fry until lightly browned. Then add the grated carrots and spinach, and stir in. Add the mixed nuts and dry fruits. Add the presoaked rice and mix in very gently (so as not to break the grains).

7. Pour the hot water into the rice mixture and stir in. You can dot it with some butter or ghee for additional richness. Cover with a lid and let it steam on low for another 10 min. The water should be completely absorbed and leave small holes on the surface of the rice.

8. Serve with Raita: Simply peel and grate a cucumber into a bowl. Add plain yogurt (store bought or homemade) and mix in thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper.

Blog post: https://madamescientist.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/practically-perfect-pilaf/

Columnar Basalt on Jeju Island, Korea

• My recent junket to South Korea, purportedly on the invitation of the International Plant Biology conference, took me to Jeju Island.  Dominated by the central Halla-san volcano, this temperate island has waterfalls plunging into the glittering ocean, skates drying in the wind, and tangerine groves galore.  I spotted these geological formations of columnar basalt along the southern coast of Jeju island at Jusangjeolli (주상절리), and at the three-tiered Cheonjeyeon Waterfall.

• Basalt is volcanic rock formed from cooling lava. As thick lava flow cools, it fractures- more easily in the horizontal direction than vertical. This results in columnar basalt, with amazingly regular hexagonal shapes. The slower the cooling, the larger the columns. The ones on Jeju-do were formed between 250,000 and 140,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene period. Another famous example is the Giant’s Causeway of Ireland, where the geometric perfection seems artificial or photoshopped! 

Thanks to Thomas Kang for exhorting me to check these out. HIRL account with Thomas coming up; sorry, no pictures of the Korean spa 😉

COME COOKALONG!

How I Cook: “I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”

― W.C. Fields

A Good Reason to Cook: “There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves.”

― Thomas Wolfe

A Useful Excuse: “It ain’t burnt… it’s blackened.”

― Bunny Mathews

What I Learned: “No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”

― Julia Child

My Cooking Philosophy: “Ingredients trump appliances,

passion supersedes expertise,

creativity triumphs over technique,

spontaneity inspires invention,

and wine makes even the worst culinary disaster taste delicious.”

― Bob Blumer

Originally shared by ****

Join me in cooking a delicious vegetarian Indian meal with recipes and guidance provided by G+’s First Lady of Science and Indian home cook extraordinaire, Rajini Rao. 🙂

Intro to Cookalongs: http://goo.gl/Psz8r

The Menu: 

https://plus.google.com/u/0/105466596306740968847/posts/E2efQoeWsFk

To see how our last Cookalong went:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/c66aprm3qvjttf7nb6g438e07h4

Stay tuned as we add more details and info. I’ll notify you in this event stream when we do! 🙂

events/cdmvvohdlisqbqot48qadavhsag