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Sunday, August 7, 2011

Review & Give-away: STIR IT UP! A Multi-cultural Foodie MG Read

Raising a multi-cultural blended family that is as familiar with its Asian heritage as its German-Polish roots in the heart of West Texas isn't easy.

The farm life, the mainstream Anglo-culture is a constant presence, but the desi relatives and cultural celebrations are often part of visiting my parents in Houston. While my children treat Indian clothes as special, reserved for celebrations, they are more likely to identify with cowboys than the Indians. As a woman of color, I'm just not comfortable with that...I want them to embrace both and more. Yes, I want them to have the world.

So I'm always trying to involve the family in experiences that introduces them to diverse cultures and people, teaches them to appreciate what is unique and different, and also recognize all we have in common. We learned Renaissance dancing and helped put together India Day at our local museum, we've cooked up special dinners to celebrate Eid and the Chinese New Year. But --as a family of readers -- we often explore through books.

One of my latest finds is food writer Ramin Ganeshram's Stir It Up! A wonderful middle-grade novel featuring a spunky, creative 13-year-old heroine Anjalie Krishnan.


I love the determined way Anjalie goes after her dream of becoming a chef and grabs onto the opportunity to compete for a shot at being a Super Chef Kid and get her own television show on the Food Network. Her ambitions clash with the expectations of her immigrant family. Anjalie's father runs a Trinidadian roti shop and throughout the story you see him, Anjalie and her grandmother working in the kitchen and the shop. Cooking is their world, yet he wants more for his children -- a universal want that will resonate with all parents.

Kudos to Ganeshram for skillfully resolving the conflict, making the family recognize that cooking for Anjalie isn't just work but a passion. One of my favorite things about the book is the close relationship between the heroine and her grandmother, Deema. Being a foodie, I also appreciated all the wonderful recipes --both traditional and innovative --sprinkled throughout the story.

Stir It Up!was a fun, fast-paced read that magically transported this reader to Little Trinidad --Richmond Hills in Queens -- in New York City. I could almost smell the spices flying about the kitchens...and it left me hungry for curry...so I made Deema's Easy Curry Chicken.


AND, here's a bit of good news: Scholastic Press, the publisher, kindly offered to giveaway a copy of Stir It Up! So leave a comment with your email or twitter handle for contact. The randomly chosen winner will be announced Tuesday, August 9, 2011.

Deema's Easy Curry Chicken from Stir It Up!

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh shado beni or cilatro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 Tablespoons Trinidad curry powder
2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 medium yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut milk

Directions:

1. Marinate the chicken by mixing the onions, garlic, shado beni/cilantro, cumin and 2 teaspoons of the curry powder. Set aside in refrigerator for at least 20 minutes or overnight.

2. Heat oil in a deep saucepan and add the chicken mixture. Add the remaining curry and mix well. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add chicken stock, potatoes and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes and continue to cook until the sauce thickens, for about 5 minutes more.

4. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 3 minutes more. (Note: I had some peppers from the garden, so a sliced them up and added them at the end for color) Taste to adjust seasonings. Serve with rice or rotis.

Makes 4 servings.

13 comments:

  1. What a fascinating book! Thanks for the excellent review, and bringing it to my attention, Rashda. My soon-to-be-13 year old son has a passion to be a chef as well. I'm adding this title to our "to be read" pile and can't wait to make Deema's Easy Chicken Curry with my son. Yum!
    Thanks,
    Tracy

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  2. Thanks so much for visiting Tracy! Glad you liked the review enough to add this to your TBR pile. Remember, comments with e-mail adds or Twitter handles (so I can contact you if you win) are going to be part of the giveaway!

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  3. Love, love, love the idea of this book! It isn't easy to find Middle-grade books that have multicultural characters or stories. Picture books, yes and YA novels are really taking off, but as the mom of a fourth grader, I'm always looking for age-appropriate stories that feature Asian characters. Glad I found your blog!

    @HapaMamaGrace

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  4. What a great idea for a story. I love the multi-cultural books. And I'm excited to try the recipe for Ramadan. Please count me in on the drawing if I'm not too late. clarissasouthwick (at) yahoo (dot)com.

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  5. @HapaMama -- yes, it really is hard finding age-appropriate multi-cultural stories for fourth-graders. Now you know why I was so excited to find this book! Thanks for visiting!

    @Clarissa --Not too late :) The giveaway will be going on until Tuesday, Aug. 9! Good luck!

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  6. I am going to try the recipe you shared. Thanks! I am a high school English teacher, always looking for a good read
    mariacgarza@hotmail.com

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  7. Thanks for this review and recipe! I'm an author that happened to grow up in South East Asia. I was dropped off at university...talk about culture shock. Whew! I now live in the States, but am always in the kitchen taking "trips" with what I create for dinner.
    This book sounds great and I'll love reading it. Ciao from a fellow Texan.

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  8. One of my favorite things to do is take "trips" in my kitchen, makes daily dinners so much more fun :)

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  9. I love the the idea behind this book. I came from Portugal when I was 5 and look forward to reading this great book.
    My love for food, cooking and culture are still with me from the days living on a farm and vineyard in Portugal. @familyfoodie

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  10. Thanks all for checking out this great book and visiting my blog :) I should have a winner announcement in a bit...Good luck!

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  11. Interesting. Hopefully this book is not endorsing a child's disobedience and keeping secrets from parents? I would hate to think that we would be trying to encourage children to disobey and deceive their parents because the have a "passion" for something. I too am a Trinidadian.

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  12. Hi,

    I think the book illustrates beautifully how important honest, loving communication is between people who care for one another, between parents and children. I hope you enjoy the read.

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