NHS Student Publishes A Cookbook

By Eliza Hallabeck

Between November and January, Newtown High School freshman Krutarth Mehta wrote a cookbook, Easy N’ Spicy International Food, and now the 15-year-old has his recipes for sale on Lulu.com.

Krutarth said he got the idea from his parents, family, and teachers.

“My teachers were a big help,” he said. “They encouraged me.”

He started cooking when he was attending a cooking club. At the time, he said, he was living in Canada, and the first dish he remembers cooking for the club was Chinese rice and teriyaki chicken.

 “I got to learn different types of food from different cultures,” he said, when asked why the cooking club was an influence for him.

At home, Krutarth said, his whole family cooks.

“For some of my recipes my aunts and uncles helped me,” said Krutarth.

Krutarth said he enjoyed writing his cookbook, because it allowed him to “try some new stuff, make some new things.”

After publishing his book, he now said his goal is to put together another cookbook to be printed for college.

“This is Krutarth’s book,” said NHS culinary teacher Stephen OShana to a room full of TAP students on Thursday, March 5. “He designed it. It’s all him.”

For the class Mr OShana was preparing one of Krutarth’s dishes, Chole, or chickpea curry, as the first class of a culinary program for the TAP students.

Although Krutarth could not prepare his own meal for the students, because he has not been properly certified through the school to prepare food, he did monitor what was happening in the frying pan as Mr OShana prepared and discussed the meal.

The recipe for the meal was passed out to students while Mr OShana explained the ingredients.

“Can you guys think of a culture that doesn’t like garlic food?” asked Mr OShana as he described how to make garlic paste for the dish.

Krutarth said he focuses on cooking Indian-style food, but he enjoys learning about dishes from other cultures.

Krutarth’s book, Easy N’ Spicy International Food, can be purchased on Lulu.com by searching for Krutarth’s name. The book sells for $18.80 a copy.

Chole (chickpea curry)

Ingredients:

2 cans of chickpeas (400 gm each)

2 tsp vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil

2 bay leaves

5–6 cloves

3–4 green cardamoms

5–6 peppercorns

3 large onions sliced

2 large tomatoes chopped

2 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp ginger paste

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

½  tsp red chili powder

¼  tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp graham Masala

1-inch piece of ginger, julienned

2 tsp fresh coriander leaves chopped fine

Preparation:

Grind 2 onions, the tomatoes, ginger, and garlic together into a smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a deep, thick-bottomed pan on a medium flame.

Add the bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, and peppercorns and fry for 30 seconds.

Add the remaining sliced onion and fry till light golden. Add the onion-tomato paste and fry till the oil begins to separate from the paste.

Add the dry spices — cumin, coriander, and red chili, turmeric and graham Masala powders. Fry for 5 minutes.

Drain the water in the can from the chickpeas and rinse them well under running water. Add the chickpeas to the Masala. Mix well.

Add salt to taste and water to make gravy (about 1½ cups).

Simmer and cook covered for 10 minutes.

Use a flat spoon to mash some of the chickpeas coarsely. Mix well.

Garnish with juliennes of ginger and finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice or bread.