An über tasty dip and World AIDS Day don’t usually have good reason to be linked, unless the recipe for said dip comes via Nireekshana ACET, a community-based care centre in Hyderabad, India. Nireekshana is “dedicated to the compassionate care and support of people infected and effected with HIV/AIDS, TB, Leprosy and other diseases of poverty”.
We at ACET in Dublin received this recipe with Nireekshana’s newsletter last week, doctors Sujai and Lavanya inviting us to try this lunch staple in their centre: “We would love to hear your feedback!”
Healthy eating and welcoming us to be part of it is just one aspect of the holistic care they offer in Hyderabad, helping their community live better by offering health and home-based care; training and school fees; lunches for patients, staff, trainees and the homeless; medical research and much more.
Malika Sauce is a warm and sunny dish, perfect for brightening up the end of November here on the edge of the Atlantic: fresh red tomatoes, the zing of ginger, gutsy garlic, a hum of chili (or roar, if you prefer).
Here is the original recipe, with my notes below:
Malika Peanut Sauce:
INGREDIENTS
2 (2 or 3 ounce) roasted peanuts
2 red tomatoes chopped into small pieces
2 or 3 garlic pods chopped into small pieces
1 tablespoon of butter/oil
1 root fresh ginger chopped
Pinch of kosher salt
1 small bunch of coriander (cilantro) leaves
(1 Green chilli or more according to your preference into the finely chopped tomatoes before making a paste- optional)
PREPARATION
In a medium pot over medium heat, roast the peanuts, and set aside to cool. Take a tablespoon of butter/oil and add the chopped red tomatoes and make a thick paste and allow it to cool.
Take a mixer/ grinder and add cooled roasted peanuts, tomato paste, garlic finely chopped ginger add pinch of salt. Make it into a thick paste and add water if it is too thick.
Then dish it into a bowl and decorate it with Cilantro leaves. The peanut sauce can go as a dip or over any green salads.
The flavors of raw garlic and ginger are amazing and it is good for digestion. This sauce has to be made fresh for the best taste but can be kept for a day in fridge.
I used 3 ounces of peanuts, 4 small vine tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, small amount of chilli, and a knob of ginger, then added at least 100 ml of water.
It is more of a dip than a sauce, and we ate it with naan and raw veggies, enjoying the good punch of garlic and ginger, with the freshness of cilantro.
Let’s all live better!
Friday, 1 December is World AIDS Day, a place to remember those we have loved and lost and to look ahead with hope for good living for those who are positive today.
kennedy street 