This May, we’re celebrating Mother’s Day by recognizing the contributions of mothers to the culinary careers of four Atlanta sons.
Executive chef Sayyid Muhammad of 5Church Midtown is the son of a Jamaican mother, Yatima Muhammad, and an American father, Abdul Muhammad. Growing up in Africa in a family of three girls and eight boys, Muhammad was the only boy who spent time in the kitchen. “My favorite time was Sunday afternoons when it would be just me and my mother in the kitchen.”
Muhammad describes his mother’s cooking style as West African with Jamaican flair and says her international fusion approach to food was a big influence on him. “Fish yassa became a staple in our household and I learned to prepare it from my mother and after I married, from my mother-in-law, Isatou Jallow, whose recipe goes back seven generations.”
Now on Sundays when his mother visits his home, he tells her he doesn’t want her in the kitchen working hard. “Still when it comes to fish yassa, that’s the one dish she has to cook for us.”
Executive chef Jean-Louis Sangare of Morningside restaurant Verdure Kitchen and Cocktails grew up in Ivory Coast in West Africa. Sangare is the oldest of 13 children with seven sisters and five brothers. Like the rest of his brothers, he only entered the kitchen to grab a snack or when called for a meal.
“My mother, Adele Adjo Kassi, never taught me how to cook because back in that day in Africa, men weren’t allowed to stay in the kitchen,” Sangare said. “It was only women and girls allowed in the kitchen. Men were supposed to stay in the field or do other activities to provide for the household.”
The family moved to the United States when Sangare was 22. “We would travel to France for vacation and I ended up taking a stage (an unpaid internship) at a kitchen there. The food was so completely different from what we ate at home and it made me curious. How could the same ingredients end up making completely different dishes?” He began to reach out to his mother for ideas and recipes.
The first recipe he requested was okra soup. The second was for seafood pepper soup. While he hasn’t yet put these on the menu at Verdure, the flavors of West Africa are on the menu in dishes of chicken yassa and kedjenou de moules (steamed mussels) inspired by the kedjenou chicken his mother made.
Brothers Neal and Samir Idnani of NaanStop — which bills itself as “Fast. Fresh. Indian.” — grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. When older brother Samir went off to college, Neal remembers doing homework at the kitchen table while their vegetarian mother, Poonam Idnani, prepared meals for the family. “She was an amazing cook, but terrible at following a recipe. She would say, ‘Neal, this is a recipe. You make it.’ That’s how I started to have fun in the kitchen, cooking alongside my mom,” Neal said.
“Mom is such a great cook,” added Samir. “In our cultural tradition, there is a potluck dinner party happening in someone’s home every single weekend. They always wanted the recipe for what she would bring. She would take the dish, but flat out refuse to share the recipe.”
When the brothers were living together in Los Angeles, they opened a food truck, using recipes they coaxed from their mother and scaling them to serve 400. When they moved to Atlanta, they opened their restaurants with a menu of their mother’s dishes but served as rice bowls, wraps and salads.
To this day, 12 years after leaving home, Neal will call his mom when he’s working on a new dish. “Hey, Mom, this isn’t coming out right. What do you put in it? We don’t put it on the menu until Mom comes to town and she gives us the final approval.”
RECIPES
Celebrate Mother’s Day with these recipes from four sons whose cooking was influenced by their mothers.
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Fish Yassa
Fish yassa will soon be on executive chef Sayyid Muhammad’s spring menu for 5Church Midtown. When he prepares this dish, he uses bronzini, which you can find at some fish markets. Snapper or sea bass can be substituted.
Fish yassa is traditionally served with rice and accompanied by steamed vegetables. In the photo, Muhammad has placed the fish on top of balls formed of cooked rice, accompanied the yassa with steamed vegetables and cherry tomatoes and garnished the fish with a mix of microgreens and lime supremes (peeled lime segments), dotting the plate with cilantro oil.
Juice of 4 limes
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Creole mustard
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for seasoning fillets and if needed for gravy
1 Thai or habanero chile pepper, finely chopped (or to taste)
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more for seasoning fillets and if needed for gravy
4 (4-ounce) 1-inch-thick skin-on fish fillets, such as bronzini, red snapper or sea bass
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for oiling grill, divided
2 large onions, thinly sliced
Cooked rice, for serving
Make marinade: In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, Champagne vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, Creole mustard, garlic, thyme, black pepper, chopped chile and 1 teaspoon salt.
Add the fish fillets to the marinade, making sure fillets are covered. Cover the bowl and let the fillets marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or overnight for best results.
When ready to cook, line a baking sheet with paper towels. Remove fillets from marinade and drain on prepared baking sheet, reserving marinade remaining in the bowl.
Heat grill to 350 degrees.
Make spicy onion mustard gravy: While grill is heating, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium-low heat and add onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. Add reserved marinade to onions, simmer 5 minutes, and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed.
When grill is hot, pour small amount of vegetable oil on a paper towel and using tongs, rub oil on grill grates. Lightly sprinkle both side of fillets with salt and pepper and arrange fillets on the grill, skin side down. Grill the fillets, uncovered, 4 minutes or until skin is crisp, then turn fillets and grill until fish is white throughout, 5 or 6 minutes total.
Spoon rice onto serving platter. Arrange grilled fillets over rice and top with spicy onion mustard gravy. Garnish as desired. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
Per serving, including 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt for seasoning fillets: 308 calories (percent of calories from fat, 55), 24 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 19 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 42 milligrams cholesterol, 564 milligrams sodium.
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Seekh Kabob
This recipe for handmade Indian sausage was shared by Neal and Samir Idnani of NaanStop. At the restaurant, it’s one of the proteins available for a rice bowl, naan wrap or salad and is prepared with ground turkey. The Idnanis suggest it can also be made with ground chicken, lamb or beef.
1/4 cup diced onion
5 minced cloves garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon red chile powder or cayenne
1 pound 85/15 ground turkey
Vegetable oil for oiling grill
Rice, naan or salad greens, for serving
Raita, for serving (see recipe)
Make seasoning mixture: In a small bowl, stir together onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, salt, pepper and chile powder.
Heat grill to 350 degrees.
While grill is heating, put ground turkey in a large bowl and sprinkle with seasoning mixture. Using your hands, mix seasoning into turkey until it is evenly mixed. Form mixture into 4 oblong patties.
When grill is hot, pour small amount of vegetable oil on a paper towel and using tongs, rub oil on grill grates. Place patties on grill and cook 2 minutes per side, uncovered, or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees. Remove from grill and serve with Raita and rice, naan or salad greens.
Serves 4.
Per serving: 211 calories (percent of calories from fat, 52), 23 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, trace total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 12 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 78 milligrams cholesterol, 70 milligrams sodium.
Raita
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
In a medium bowl, stir together yogurt, cilantro, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Makes 1 cup.
Per tablespoon: 17 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 1 gram protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, trace fiber, 1 gram total fat (trace saturated), 2 milligrams cholesterol, 44 milligrams sodium.
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Credit: CHRIS HUNT
Seafood Pepper Soup
Pepper soups are common in Africa, and seafood pepper soups abound particularly along the Atlantic coast. This recipe from chef Jean-Louis Sangare of Verdure Kitchen and Cocktails can be modified to use any seafood you prefer. In the photo, he’s prepared the dish with head-on prawns, clams, mussels and catfish.
If you cannot find powdered vegetable bouillon, put vegetable bouillon cubes in a food-safe plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. Pepper soup seasoning comes in several varieties and can include coriander, cumin and thyme as well as a variety of traditional African peppers and nutmeg. It can be purchased online or at a market carrying African groceries. While your soup will be more authentic if you can find these seasonings, Sangare suggests you can substitute black pepper with a bit of cayenne to taste for the pepper soup seasoning. Ground dried crayfish can also be found online and at African groceries or Sangare suggests you can substitute ground dried shrimp paste, found at markets carrying Asian groceries.
1 tablespoon powdered vegetable bouillon, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon ground dried crayfish, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds skinless catfish or red snapper fillets
2 cups water, plus more if needed
2 plum tomatoes, cored and diced
1 large red bell pepper (or 1 small red and 1 small green pepper), stem removed and diced
2 small carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 habanero pepper, stem removed, seeds removed if desired, roughly chopped
1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons pepper soup seasoning
1 large bay leaf
1 pound mixed seafood such as shrimp and mussels
Handful of chopped basil or cilantro
Rice or focaccia, for serving
In a small bowl, combine powdered bouillon, ground crayfish, salt and pepper. Sprinkle mixture over both sides of fillets and set fillets aside while making soup base.
Make soup base: In a large saucepan, combine 2 cups water, tomatoes, bell pepper, carrots, habanero, ginger and garlic. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to the jar of a blender and puree until smooth. Return to saucepan.
Add fillets to soup base and add water to cover if needed. Add pepper soup seasoning and bay leaf. Cover pot and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat so mixture is simmering and cook, covered, 10 minutes. Remove cover and taste liquid, adding more powdered bouillon or ground dried crayfish if needed. Add mixed seafood, cover pan and simmer 5 minutes. If using mussels, cook until mussels open, discarding any that do not open. Remove from heat, discard bay leaf and stir in basil or cilantro. Divide between serving bowls and serve with rice or focaccia.
Serves 6.
Per serving: 213 calories (percent of calories from fat, 19), 31 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 4 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), 143 milligrams cholesterol, 840 milligrams sodium.
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