Greenpoint Food Market Postponed

Photo by Kristin Luce for the New York Times

This week, the New York Times printed an article on the postponement of the Greenpoint Food Market (GFM) with a photo of me and Sabra selling our Masala Loca tacos at the last one. The original article by the Times on GFM stated that some of the vendors were not officially certified, resulting in sharp scrutiny of the market by city officials. The news is quite disheartening because what made this market really great was that it was undiscovered and was operating kind of in a gray zone - half a fundraiser for the church it was held in and half a marketplace for vendors making small batches of homemade foods you really couldn't find in any store or restaurant. It wasn't a surprise that the market got so popular, but the press that followed came at an expense.

Joann Kim, the market organizer, has been amazing about trying to find a solution for vendors to feasibly continue selling at the market. The main issue though is the cost of renting a commercial kitchen, buying insurance, and attaining permits and licenses from the city does not make it possible for many of the vendors to operate profitably as the quantities produced and sold are on such a small scale. For now the market is tentatively planned to reopen in September to give us vendors time to get paperwork in order and decide if we'd like to continue on this path.

In the meantime, Masala Loca will be working on an incubator kitchen project with GFM vendors and continue to sell our food at other small markets and events around the area. Will keep you posted on dates!

Tamarind Rice with Black Beans

Tamarind rice, also called puliogare (pully-oh-ga-ray), is a South Indian dish usually prepared with fried peanuts. Sabra and I came up with our own version of this rice by adding black beans, roasted pablano peppers, red onion and cotija cheese. So good!

Last weekend, we made this rice for the Think Tank Potluck, a meeting for Greenpoint Food Market vendors. The meeting was held to discuss the impact of the recent NY Times article press on the market. Although the article was favorable, it brought to light that many of us don't have permits, licenses or cook in commercial kitchens. The Greenpoint Food Market started as a small underground market where vendors could share homemade goods and test out recipes on the community in small quantities so this publicity kind of threw a wrench into the mix. As a result, the June market was cancelled and replaced by a panel of speakers from the Department of Health, City Council and owners of small food businesses.

What came about from the discussion was an idea for some of the vendors to open a cooperative incubator kitchen where we could offer cooking classes and sell some of our products in addition to having space in a commercial kitchen to prepare our foods. There was also talk of new legislation to make it easier and more affordable for vendors like us to sell at artisanal markets. It was encouraging to see individuals from different areas coming together to figure out how best to move forward, but it may take time for anything to change.

While you can't eat me and Sabra's tacos right now, make our rice! You could make your own puliogre mix, but MTR brand works just fine. It tastes really good and keeps for a while if you feel like making the rice from time to time.

Ingredients (serves 8):

2 cups basmati rice

MTR puliogare mix*

2 tablespoons oil

a pinch of red chili flakes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red onion, chopped

1 cup black beans

2 pablano peppers, roasted, char skinned off, chopped

cotija cheese, crumbled

salt to taste

Method:

Cook rice. Fry up MTR puliogre mix* according to directions and add cooked rice.

In separate pan, add oil and chili flakes and fry for a few seconds and then add and fry onion for 5 minutes under medium heat. Throw in and fry garlic for 30 seconds. Next add in the beans and peppers and fry for 5 minutes.

In a bowl combine rice with bean mixture. Add salt to taste.

Serve warm with cotija cheese and cilantro on top.

Also can add avocado or sour cream on top for a variation.

*MTR puliogare mix contains tamarind concentrate, sugar, salt, peanuts, coconut, coriander powder, red chili powder, curry leaves, sesame seeds, jaggery (sugarcane), black pepper, fenugreek powder, turmeric, chickpeas, blackgram, mustard, refined palm oil, asafoetida and cumin powder.