My Two Souths – Asha Gomez

March 14, 2017 by
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When Indian food meets a Southern kitchen and Asha Gomez is at the helm the result is brilliance. My Two Souths: Blending the Flavors of India into a Southern Kitchen from the award-winning chef and restaurateur shares 125 recipes that joins together two of my favorite cuisines Indian and Southern in one vibrant, exciting book.

In the pages behind that beautiful cover, lies a love story of Kerala in Southern India and Atlanta, Georgia here in the states and the influences both locales bring to the author’s cooking. Asha’s introduction to the kitchen began as a child at the side of her mother and three aunts where one of her first tasks was preparing the spices used in their dishes. Through a journey with twists and turns, she ended up with an Indian patisserie, Spice to Table, in Atlanta where she makes magic. Thankfully, for us lovers of great cookbooks, My Two Souths was a result of her passion. 

Asha is generous with her knowledge in this book, setting forth information on spices and explanations of dishes so that we might fully immerse ourselves in her world. Stunning photographs rich with the warmth of spice and Southern charm, make the dishes come to life. We are having leftovers this evening, yet I want to ditch those and make Kerala Fried Chicken and Low Country Rice Waffles with Spicy Syrup and while I am at it Banana Beignets for dessert. This title is simply brilliant and there are no other words that can more properly describe it.

In May, The Cookbook Junkies Cookbook Club will be cooking through this title. After I first received the book, I made the Mint Masala Roasted Chicken with Fennel and Potatoes and it was spectacular. For Andrew, my son, I made the Clove Baked Sweet Potatoes and he allowed me a taste as he said they were the best ever. This book will wake up your palate and help bring excitement into your meals.

Special thanks to Running Press for sharing the recipe for Kerala Fried Chicken with us. Be sure to head over to our contest page for a chance to win a copy of My Two Souths. 

KERALA FRIED CHICKEN

Makes 8 servings
 
2 cups buttermilk
10 garlic cloves
6 whole serrano peppers, seeded if desired
1 bunch fresh cilantro (about 1 cup)
1 bunch fresh mint (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
Canola oil, for frying
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 stems fresh curry leaves, for garnish

In a blender, combine the buttermilk, garlic, peppers, cilantro, mint, and 2 tablespoons of the salt and purée until smooth. Place the chicken in a large container with lid, and pour the buttermilk marinade over the chicken. Toss the chicken in the marinade, making sure it is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 18 hours and up to 24 hours.

When ready to fry the chicken, fill a large cast-iron skillet with 1 inch of oil and heat gently over medium heat until the oil reaches 350°F. Place a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet and set aside. Combine the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt in a shallow dish and set aside.

While the oil is heating, remove the chicken from the marinade and gently shake off the excess marinade. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, coating thoroughly.
Place the chicken in the hot oil, taking care not to crowd the pieces. Cook the chicken until it is deep golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes on each side, or until a meat thermometer reads 165°F. Drain the chicken on the cooling rack and drizzle with the melted coconut oil.

Dip the curry leaves in the hot frying oil until crisp, about 10 to 15 seconds. Set on the cooling rack.

Reprinted with permission from MY TWO SOUTHS: Blending the Flavors of India into a Southern Kitchen © 2016 by Asha Gomez with Martha Hall Foose, Running Press


 

Category: Book News, Recipes

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32 Comments

  • sipa  on  March 14, 2017

    I probably fuse my own eclectic cooking with the flavors of Vietnam and Cambodia most often but sometimes use Spanish seasonings in my otherwise bland recipes.

  • rchesser  on  March 14, 2017

    I love the premise of this book!

  • laureljean  on  March 14, 2017

    This is a cookbook I've been considering for some time and it's been on my wish list. Jenny's review and taking a more in-depth look at the index makes me want to own it even more.

  • allthatsleftarethecrumbs  on  March 14, 2017

    I like Pacific Rim cusine because of my location, but I also enjoy Korean/Mexican foods when they cross.

  • amandacooks  on  March 15, 2017

    I hadn't heard of this book until I saw your review, but it looks really interesting. I'll have to look at the index more closely and see if it should go on my cookbook wish list.

  • MmeFleiss  on  March 17, 2017

    I love fusions of Latin American and Asian food.

  • Uhmandanicole  on  March 17, 2017

    Oh my gosh this sounds amazing! And the book itself sounds so interesting!

  • hippiechick1955  on  March 17, 2017

    Since the discovery of this book on your site it is going to be Southern & Indian! Before that it was Southern & Mexican

  • fiarose  on  March 18, 2017

    mm, so hard, i love creative combos…i can't stop thinking about this greek/mexican restaurant i stumbled upon once, though. amazing.

  • tarae1204  on  March 18, 2017

    I've always found the thought of making fried chicken intimidating, but maybe this is the recipe to try. I LOVE the cuisine of Kerala so I really want to make everything in this book.

  • Dechen  on  March 20, 2017

    Blueberry Lime Muffins.

  • lebarron2001  on  March 20, 2017

    Greek and Italian

  • Aggie92  on  March 20, 2017

    My favorite cuisines to fuse together are Tex and Mex. What can I say, I grew up in Texas and love me some Tex-Mex.

  • debbielovesbooks  on  March 20, 2017

    Really love this concept, and can't wait to try the chicken & waffles

  • MSR  on  March 21, 2017

    Blueberry lime muffins

  • Siegal  on  March 22, 2017

    I love mixing Indian and Asian

  • JenE  on  March 23, 2017

    Greek and Italian

  • edyenicole  on  March 25, 2017

    I love Italian and French together.

  • Nancith  on  March 25, 2017

    I can't say that I've ever consciously fused any cuisines in my cooking, but I'm willing to try anything

  • hellmanmd  on  March 26, 2017

    I can't say that I've ever consciously fused two particular cuisines, but my typical cooking is all over the place.

  • Lafauvette  on  March 26, 2017

    This looks like a really great concept and cookbook!

  • JenJoLa  on  March 29, 2017

    I love the idea of fusing Indian and Southern cuisines. I think my current favorite fusion is of Mexican and southeast Asian.

  • anastasiiap  on  March 30, 2017

    I love fusing my native East-European and Asian cuisines

  • echilt5  on  April 1, 2017

    Thai & French

  • t.t  on  April 8, 2017

    I've done a lot of Asian-Western fusion

  • FireRunner2379  on  April 8, 2017

    I like mixing Italian and French cuisines.

  • Lem9579  on  April 8, 2017

    I need this so I can cook next month with my Cookbook Junkies!

  • tangaloor  on  April 9, 2017

    Asian-Latin is delicious. Indian-southern looks great from the index!

  • thecharlah  on  April 10, 2017

    Korean and Southern US food also go really well together!

  • AnnaZed  on  April 12, 2017

    So fascinating. Oddly, my parents lived in India before I was born and then I was raised in New Orleans. My mother (who was a genuinely great home chef) had a little of this going on in her food.

  • imaluckyducky  on  April 13, 2017

    Korean and latin fusion is awesome.

  • lgroom  on  April 14, 2017

    Wow — the index has me drooling.

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