The Spice of Life

These small plates taste like two homes, half a world apart.

Turmeric, cumin, chile, garlic, saffron. The air in Keya Wingfield’s kitchen is fragrant and thick with rich spices. Wingfield’s food is what she calls “Bombay street food, reinvented.” Her roots are Indian, and her training is Virginian. “I combine the two worlds through my food,” she says.

After both of Keya’s parents passed away, she began cooking Indian dishes and photographing her creations as a way of feeling connected to them—her mother was a “fabulous cook,” and her father was a photographer. She began incorporating fusion elements into her foods because it was the only way she could get her husband David, a native Virginian, to try them, she says.  

Visit the streets of Bombay (now known as Mumbai) from your own kitchen with chicken frankies—homemade flatbreads rolled with ginger and masala-laced meat and a fresh cilantro-mint mayo chutney. The crisp dough of chile-cheese garlic naan gives way to gooey indulgence. Delicate pastry tarts sate with aromatic spiced filling. Tender mango bread is moist with fresh fruit and crunchy with pistachios. And a golden milk latte with rosewater cardamom cream is both cozy and luxe. Enjoy these street foods as snacks or starters. 

Paneer Pockets

For the marinated paneer:

½-¾ cup whole fat plain yogurt

1 teaspoon ginger paste

3-4 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 tablespoon tandoori paste

¼ teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon red chile powder

1 to 2 teaspoons garam masala powder

salt

12 ounces paneer, cubed

In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients and salt to taste; mix thoroughly. Add the paneer and let marinate 15 to 30 minutes. 

For the filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

1 medium onion, finely diced

½ cup tomato sauce

1 large green pepper, finely diced 

1 large sprig of mint, chopped 

In a large pan, heat the olive oil. Add the cumin seeds, and let them temper until they sizzle. Add the onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the marinated paneer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the diced pepper and mint, adjust salt and spice to taste, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. 

For the pastry:

2 cups all purpose flour 

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup unsalted butter 

1 egg 

2 to 3 tablespoons milk 

ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Grate in the butter. Add egg and milk, and bind with ice water as needed. Divide the dough in two flat discs, and refrigerate for an hour. 

To assemble:

1 egg

2-3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the egg and milk to make an egg wash. Roll out one portion of the dough into a large rectangle, roughly 18 inches by 9 inches and ¹/₈-inch thick. Trim the edges, and cut the pastry into rectangles, depending on the size pockets you desire. Apply egg wash to the edges of the pastry rectangles, then place 2 to 3 teaspoons of filling in the centers of half of the rectangles. Cover with the unfilled rectangles, and seal. Crimp edges with a fork. Freeze for 10 minutes. Brush with egg wash, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. 

For the glaze:

4 ounces cream cheese

4 ounces milk

salt

2 teaspoons toasted cumin seeds 

Heat cream cheese just until it melts, about 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave. Add milk, and salt to taste. Whisk thoroughly and drizzle over baked pockets. Sprinkle with toasted cumin seeds. 

Makes 20-22 pockets

Mango Pistachio Bread

1 ½ cups all purpose flour 

¾ teaspoon salt

3-4 cardamom pods, peeled and ground 

2-3 saffron strands

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup oil

2 large eggs 

¾ cup fresh mango purée

¼ cup whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

¼ cup chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a standard loaf pan. Combine flour, salt, cardamom, saffron, and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, beat sugars and oil together until thoroughly combined. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in purée, milk, and vanilla; mix thoroughly. Gently fold in dry ingredients, then stir in the pistachios. Pour into the greased loaf pan and bake for 40 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, then slice and top with a dollop of salted butter and chopped pistachios to serve. 

Makes 1 loaf

Golden Milk Latte with Rosewater Cardamom Cream

2 ½ cups whole milk

2-3 whole black peppercorns

½ teaspoon ground turmeric 

1 tablespoon honey

3-4 cardamom pods, peeled and crushed 

1 pinch saffron strands 

⅛ teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons sugar

In a medium saucepan, combine milk, peppercorns, and turmeric. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Let simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to heat until it comes to a boil again. 

For the rosewater cardamom cream: 

¼ cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon rosewater 

2 cardamom pods, peeled and crushed 

1 dash vanilla 

½ tablespoon sugar 

Combine all ingredients and whip until soft peaks form. To serve, pour latte into mugs and top with rosewater cardamom cream. 

Serves 2

Chicken Frankies with Cilantro-Mint Mayo Chutney

For the cilantro-mint mayo chutney:

1 bunch cilantro

¼ bunch fresh mint (4 to 6 sprigs)

juice of 1 lime

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

salt and sugar to taste

2 tablespoons peanuts

1 green chile

¼-inch piece of ginger

2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 to 2 tablespoons water

Blend all ingredients together thoroughly, adjusting water as needed for consistency. Chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

For the dough:

1 ¾ cups maida (low protein flour)

¼ cup atta (whole wheat flour)

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon oil

water

butter

Stir together flours and salt, then pour in oil and mix. Add water as needed, and knead to make a soft dough. Cover with a damp towel, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Divide dough into 2-inch rounds. Heat a griddle or heavy-bottomed pan. Flatten a dough round, dip in flour, and roll into a 7-to-8-inch round. Place flatbread in the heated pan, and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Add butter to pan and continue cooking on each side until brown spots appear. Set aside.

For the chicken filling:

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons peanut or olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 small onion, finely diced

1 teaspoon ginger paste

2 cloves garlic, minced 

2 small tomatoes, diced

3 tablespoons frankie masala powder

1 tablespoon dried mango powder (aamchur)

½ teaspoon black salt

Cut chicken into small bite-sized pieces; wash, drain, and set aside. In a pan, heat the oil and add cumin seeds; cook until they sizzle. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent. Add tomato, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the spices, and stir. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken pieces, stir, and cook until chicken is cooked through. Adjust spices and salt as needed.

To assemble:

½ cup water

1 tablespoon frankie masala powder

1 small onion, finely diced

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Stir together water and frankie masala powder. Spread each cooked flatbread with chutney. Form a patty from ¼ cup of chicken filling and place in center of flatbread; sprinkle with onions, frankie masala-water mixture, and cheese. Roll flatbread tightly to serve.

Makes 30 frankies

Keya Wingfield

A Bombay native, Keya Wingfield moved to Richmond 15 years ago. She graduated from the pastry program at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, where she then began teaching. She and her husband, David, own Candy Valley Cake Company, and she launched Keya & Co. to offer Bombay street food “microdining experiences.” Past installments have included a Chai Chai Chai pop-up and a paneer making class. You can also find Wingfield’s food at the hot bar at Ellwood Thompson’s and at Nama restaurant, where she provides gulab jamun (a doughnut-like cake ball) for the dessert menu. KeyaAndCo.net

This article originally appeared in our April 2020 issue. For more recipes by Keya Wingfield, click here. For a how-to video and Keya’s recipe for Chile-Cheese Garlic Naan, click here.