Soul-nourishing in the Time of Coronavirus

“Is the Lord among us, or not?” That was the question. The people of God had about had enough. They had been traveling for a long time in the wilderness, and they had no water. They were thirsty, and they wanted to go back to Egypt. They complain to Moses, who cries to the Lord, “What am I supposed to do with these people?”

But God gets right on the problem – he tells Moses to gather the elders, take your staff, strike the rock, and there will be water. Now the people can drink. God has spoken to the people’s question: “Is the Lord among us, or not?”

These days we are surely asking, where is God? Are things going to get a lot worse before they get better? Who knows if the Lord is among us, or not?

Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton (of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) suggests that our Lenten fast may actually be a fast from physical touch, and she says, “Absence makes the presence of God more profound.” Now that’s profound, isn’t it? And we are still together, even if not in the same physical space! We are meeting by video, we are texting, we are talking on the phone again. And, as Bishop Eaton points out, Jesus has said, “Remember I am with you, to the end of age.” That is – the Lord is among us.

And we have to eat. We are thankful and blessed to have enough in the fridge, in the freezer, in the pantry, to keep us going with occasional forays and deliveries. We have more squirreled away than many folks, I imagine, based on my penchant for accumulating pantry staples, freezer supplies, and quirky ingredients. My son has told me, “You are so Little-House-on-the-Prairie!” because I make bread, pasta, yogurt, stock, and all sorts of things. So now we are making our way through the reserves.

So in this challenging time, let our souls (and bodies) be nourished! Let’s use up our leftovers, the things that are teetering on the brink of expiration, the bits and pieces we thought we didn’t need. In these desperate times, we may learn new tricks. We may learn innovative techniques from the experts and discover unusual (to us) new tastes.

One thing that has been uniquely gratifying has been to try to think creatively about what under other circumstances I might have tossed. A rather limp quarter of an uncooked cabbage, shredded, plus some chopped scallions and celery, those last two carrots diced up, a can of artichoke hearts, half a jar of roasted peppers, and some capers (and garlic, of course) can become a rather delicious marinated vegetable salad. (It is indeed a blessing to have garlic and onions on board, as well as some canned beans, veggies, and pickles – certainly a priority to keep in mind for the future!)

So for the next few weeks (or as long as we are discouraged from going anywhere and we have the ingredients), I’ll be posting some recipes that arose out of nothing, from what was in the back of the fridge or the cabinet or the bottom of the freezer. Only a couple of things needed to be purchased. #whatsinthefridge

I had some homemade yogurt, a couple of weeks old, that looked ok but had a VERY tangy taste – really a bit too sour for comfort. I searched for recipes using “sour yogurt” and found this great recipe for Yogurt Curry on saffrontrail.com. Here it is, adapted somewhat. Of course, the yogurt wouldn’t have to be sour for it to be really good!

Gujarati Kadhi (Yogurt Curry)

1-1 ½ cups sour plain yogurt (or not sour; I used whole milk yogurt)
2 cups water
2-3 tablespoons flour (the recipe called for chickpea flour, but you could also use regular flour; I used teff flour)
½ teaspoon mild chili powder (such as ancho or chipotle)
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon garam masala
¾ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar

Tadka (“tempering” spices in oil or ghee to release their flavors)
3 tablespoons ghee (or coconut oil)
¼ cup chopped onion
Pinch of asafetida
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ cumin seeds
4 whole cloves
2 jalapeños, seeded and sliced
Cilantro to garnish

Whisk 2 tablespoons yogurt with the flour. Whisk in the rest of the yogurt, water, spices, salt, and sugar. Heat in a saucepan over medium-low heat; simmer 6-7 minutes, whisking so the yogurt doesn’t break, till thickened. Remove from heat.

Make tadka: Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onion until beginning to brown. Add asafetida and seeds. After seeds pop, add jalapeños and cloves, and cook one minute. Mix into yogurt mixture, simmer 5 minutes.

Serve with rice, garnished with chopped cilantro.