Matangi
A sizzling recipe for the goddess of sound and music.
Welcome to 10 Hindu Goddesses, 10 recipes! The recipes may or may not be South Asian in type of cuisine, and they may or may not be made with climate change in mind.
Next up: the green-hued Matangi. The idea of this whole series came to me when I was listening to M.I.A.'s album Matangi (and yes I know M.I.A. is problematic and has been for some time).
The devi Matangi embodies the outcomes of knowledge and creativity — speech, music, art. She’s also like a sexy underdog (see one of her origin stories here), associated with "tribal forest dwellers and those who dwell on the peripheries of Hindu society."
One origin story comes from the goddess Parvati, who transforms into a lower-caste enchantress to trick/successfully seduce her husband Shiva, then tells him to birth this temporary form into permanent being. Another myth has her emerging from the food scraps of the highest-order gods and goddesses of the otherworldly spheres.
Started from the bottom, Matangi is now here: governing the arts and knowledge, the most noble of human endeavors. I think her creation is a warning to humanity to not get too comfortable participating in rigid hierarchies.
Sizzle dressing/a butter vinaigrette
All foods make sounds, but some foods are louder than others. I thought of the process of blooming spices and seeds in butter or oil, and the delightful sizzling sound it makes — signaling the delicious meal soon to come. For my Matangi recipe, I made a salad dressing based on the blooming process, to create audible sounds - the basis of speech and music. Check it out! Perhaps there’s even a hint of musicality in it too?
And served it with steamed broccoli, in tribute to both Matangi’s green skin color and associations with the forest and nature. TBH this dressing is probably better suited for roasting or grilling. It’d be amazing on a corn on the cob, or a grilled paneer, fish or meat.
Ingredients:
Butter (or ghee — putting “ghee vinaigrette” on my list of things to make), olive oil, white wine vinegar, orange zest, coriander seeds, sesame seeds, salt
I don’t know what this cooking tool is called. It’s a deep metal ladle that’s used to bloom spices in Indian cooking. It creates what I’ve seen some cookbook writers call “perfumed butter,” which is amazing! But you can also just use a small pot or saucepan.
Steps:
Over low heat, drop one or two pats of butter into the pan, and then 1 tsp orange zest. Leave for a few seconds to allow the zest to release its oils, and then a pinch or two of the coriander and sesame seeds. Let sizzle and bubble, and turn off heat before butter gets too smoky - a few minutes.
In a small mixing bowl, pour in the perfumed butter, then add 1/4 olive oil, 2 or 3 tbsp vinegar and pinch of salt. Adjust vinegar and salt to taste. Store in fridge.
Newsfeed
Here’s a new section of some of my bookmarked news articles:
These Indigenous Winemakers Are Making History—While Sharing Their Own. “Meet the talented group of First Nations vintners bringing their heritage to the fore.” Saveur.
The Great Grocery Squeeze: How a federal policy change in the 1980s created the modern food desert, The Atlantic. Lots of areas in the US don’t have many grocery stores, and the reason why is more complex and malicious than people are simply too poor or unwilling to cook. It’s the result of policy changes carefully outlined in this article. It’s a worthwhile read for all because it also goes into food prices and the reasons for inflation at the grocery store.
From Heatmap newsletter: “Flies may be more vulnerable to climate change than bees are, according to a new study published in the Journal of Melittology. The fly haters among us might shrug at the finding, but the researchers insist flies are essential pollinators that help bolster ecosystem biodiversity and agriculture.”
Li’l Nubs:
Of course I have to end this newsletter with music I’ve been listening to recently!
Tyler, the Creator’s latest album — I love it.
I was at a bar recently where they played this full album, and thought, “woah I forgot this album is sooo good in its entirety!”
This is a remix album of the legendary Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, made by British DJ Bally Sagoo. It’s one of my all-time favorites. Earnest 90s’ vibes.
Thank you for reading, happy holidays and happy new year!
Sounds delicious :)
this is such a cool idea