Author: Antara Sinha

I love coffee’s pleasantly bitter flavor and its malty chocolate notes: I adore creamy coffee ice cream, tiramisu with espresso-soaked ladyfingers, and rich coffee-infused chocolate ganache sandwiched between macarons. Though I actually don't drink much coffee, I still yearn for its enticing aroma each morning, and this bittersweet coffee granola is the answer to that. After rounds of testing, I've perfected a recipe for coffee-infused granola that's super crunchy and satisfies my coffee craving without having to commit to a whole cup. Read on for my tips for making the best homemade granola and the full recipe. 

5 Tips for Making Granola

Use instant coffee granules. Moisture is the enemy of crunchy granola, and instant coffee granules bring bold, concentrated flavor without introducing too much liquid to the granola mixture.

Make sure your instant coffee granules are properly dissolved. This granola gets its deep flavor from a mix of agave syrup, instant coffee, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. It’s extremely simple, but it’s crucial you dissolve the instant coffee with hot water (the hottest water that comes out of your tap should be fine) before preparing the syrup and adding the oil. Because oil doesn’t mix well with water, the coffee granules may clump with the oil if they aren’t adequately dissolved in the water first.

Choose rolled oats. Rolled oats—also called old fashioned oats—are the ideal Goldilocks middle of oats. They’re steamed and flattened so they toast quicker than steel cut, but not as processed as quick cooking oats, which lack the heft of rolled oats and fall apart easily. Rolled oats are just thick enough and have the best flavor and texture after a lengthy bake in the oven.

Use a liquid sweetener. I use agave syrup for its mostly neutral flavor. Feel free to substitute with other liquid sweeteners like maple syrup or honey, but keep in mind: they will impart their flavors to the granola. Do not substitute with brown sugar or granulated sugar, as you’ll end up with a powdery mixture that won’t evenly coat the granola.

Go low and slow. To ensure crispness, many granola recipes instruct cooks to coat the grains and nuts in egg whites or to frequently stir the granola as it bakes. There’s no need for either in my recipe below, which is inspired by a technique cookbook author Ali Slagle employs in her granola recipe by cookbook. Instead of mixing the granola mid-bake, you bake it undisturbed so that the granola bakes into one even sheet, then allow it to fully cool in the oven before breaking it apart into large, satisfying clusters. Not stirring your granola may be counterintuitive, but trust the process. If you’re afraid the granola might burn, have no fear: Baking the granola at a low temperature ensures that it won’t singe or get too dark.

Feel free to riff on the recipe. Like many granolas, this recipe is easily customizable. Want a granola that evokes the flavors of a maple or honey latte instead? Swap maple syrup or honey in for the agave syrup. Don’t have untoasted almonds? Use those pecans and pistachios sitting in your pantry. And if prunes,dried cherries, and apricots aren’t your favorite dried fruits, try currants, raisins, or dried blueberries—they will be just as delicious.

How to Serve the Granola

Make a big batch on Sunday evening, and you’re all set for easy snacking throughout the week. Enjoy the granola with yogurt and sliced fruit, on top of your smoothie or açaí bowl, or eat it by the handful. And if you’re a dessert person like me, sprinkle some on top of ice cream for a satisfying crunch.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 300ºF (150ºC) degrees. Line a 9- by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk agave syrup, dissolved instant coffee, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt to combine. Whisk in melted coconut oil to combine. (The coconut oil may separate a bit from the coffee syrup—this is OK.)

Add oats, almonds, pepitas, and chia seeds to agave and coffee mixture. Using a flexible spatula, toss to evenly coat ingredients in syrup. Transfer granola onto prepared baking sheet, and, using the same spatula, spread into an even layer. Transfer to oven and bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until fragrant, toasted, golden brown, and mostly dry to the touch, about 40 minutes.

Turn oven off, and leave the granola in the warm oven to cool completely, about 2 hours. Remove granola from oven and, using your hands, break granola into small clumps and toss with dried fruit in the sheet pan. Transfer granola to an airtight container and store at room temperature.

Special Equipment

9- by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet, parchment paper, flexible spatula

Notes

I use agave syrup for its mostly neutral flavor. You can substitute with other liquid sweeteners like maple syrup or honey, but they will impart their flavors to the granola. (Maple or honey latte granola, anyone?) Do not substitute with brown sugar or granulated sugar—you’ll end up with powdery and unpleasantly dry granola. 

Be sure to use refined coconut oil, as unrefined oil will give the granola a strong coconut flavor. Any neutral oil (like vegetable or canola) can be substituted for coconut oil.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Granola can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

My family hails from the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, where baigan chokha—a dish of charred eggplant mashed with garlic, roasted tomatoes, lime juice, onions, and mustard oil— reigns supreme. It’s a side dish, a condiment, and the simplest, tastiest way to accidentally eat a whole eggplant in one sitting. For my family and me, there is no better way to prepare this summertime crop.

Biharis aren’t the only people who adore baigan chokha: The dish is beloved by many Indo-Caribbeans—members of the Indian diaspora who live in the Caribbean, including Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Barbados. (While Indians typically spell the dish “chokha,” Trinidadians often refer to it as “choka.”) Some Indo-Caribbean versions of baigan chokha may call for culantro instead of cilantro, spring onions instead of red onion, or scotch bonnet pepper instead of Thai chile. Because so many Indo-Caribbeans can trace their roots to the same northeastern region of India, there is a shared history and culture with those on the South Asian subcontinent. Today, many Indo-Caribbeans enjoy the same music, festivals, and foods—including baigan chokha—as their Indian brethren.    

4 Tips for Making Delicious Baigan Chokha

Cut slits into the eggplant—then stuff them with garlic. Though you can roast garlic on the side and then incorporate it into the dish later, the easiest way to imbue eggplant with garlic’s sweet flavor is to cook the garlic within the eggplant.  

Broil the eggplant until very tender. People often complain that eggplants are tannic when raw or only lightly cooked. But charring the eggplant—whether you’re using sweet, early-season Chinese eggplants or large, meaty globe eggplants—quells its bitterness and astringency. It also brings out the fruit’s natural sweet, savory flavors while softening its tough flesh. Err on the side of overcooked: The interior flesh should be tender, scoopable, and fall-apart tender, and the exterior should be charred and almost entirely burnt-looking all over.

Mash, don’t chop. For a smoother, more scoopable dip that resembles the texture of traditional baigan chokha, use a potato masher or your hands. It may be tempting to use a food processor, but it will blend the eggplant far too much, resulting in a purée, which is not what we’re going for.

To finish, reach for a bold olive oil. If you were to eat baigan chokha In India, you’d likely be hit with mustard oil’s pungent and nose-wrinkling heat. The ingredient is made from pressed mustard seeds and can be difficult to find in the US and Europe; if you can’t locate any mustard oil, do as I do and reach for the most assertive extra-virgin olive oil you have—the kind you’d enjoy raw, either as a drizzle or in a vinaigrette. While it’s not an exact replacement for mustard oil, its vegetal and mildly peppery notes are a closer approximation than any other oil. (Though if you have—or can find—mustard oil, this would be the place to use it.)

How to Serve Baigan Chokha

Scoop baigan chokha up with hot flatbread like roti or paratha, serve it as a zingy summer dip with assorted crackers, or enjoy it on its own. If you’re heating up the grill or broiler this summer and want a smoky, satisfying vegetarian side, baigan chokha is the answer. Enjoy it hot, room temperature, or—as I like to do when I have plenty of leftovers—cold from the fridge alongside fried eggs.

Preheat broiler and set oven rack to about 6 inches below broiler element. Using a sharp paring knife, poke six 1-inch deep and 1-inch long cuts into the eggplant. Stuff each slit with 1 garlic clove.

Place prepared eggplant on a rimmed baking sheet and broil on high until top of eggplant is wrinkly, tender, slightly charred, and beginning to smell toasty, 15 to 20 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip eggplant. Add tomato to rimmed baking sheet and broil until eggplant is charred all over and fall-apart tender, about 15 more minutes. (To check tenderness of eggplant, gently prick with a knife or fork.) The tomato should also be charred, juicy, and soft.

Remove eggplant and tomato from oven and allow to cool briefly, about 5 minutes. Working on the baking sheet, use 2 forks to pull apart the eggplant and scrape and remove flesh into a medium bowl. (Make sure to scrape up against the skin for the toasty bits—that’s the good stuff—and to make sure each garlic clove is accounted for and makes it into the bowl.) All that should be left behind is the charred skin. Add the whole tomato to the bowl. Using forks, a potato masher, or your hands (if mixture is cool enough to handle), mash the tomatoes, garlic, and eggplant until it is the consistency of a chunky salsa, about 3 minutes.

Add chopped onion, chopped cilantro, chopped chili (if using), olive oil, lime, and salt. Mix until well combined and season with additional salt or lime juice to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature with roti, paratha, or pita chips.

Special Equipment

Broiler, paring knife, rimmed baking sheet, potato masher

An extremely underappreciated food category is dust. The nacho cheese dust you lick off your fingers after you polish off a bag of Doritos. The cinnamon-sugar dust that coats the pads of your thumbs after you’ve enjoyed some mall pretzel bites. In college, when I was craving homemade Indian food, my friend would serve me up dosas with her mom's homemade gunpowder, or podi—a dry powder made from lentils and spices—that you could sprinkle with abandon over just about anything.   

If you’re a dust-lover like I am, might I suggest trying out Caesar dust at home? The tangy-savory craveability of our favorite salad is begging to meet the finger licking–good quality of our favorite snack foods. This recipe for Caesar dust accomplishes just this. Plus it comes together in just a few minutes with only six main ingredients that, if not in your pantry already, are available at most large supermarkets. 

Each ingredient does some serious heavy lifting in standing in for the flavor pillars of a classic Caesar dressing. They're all also shelf-stable, pantry-friendly ingredients that make the wonders of Caesar dust available to you any time the craving strikes. Some are obvious: Garlic powder and mustard powder stand in for raw garlic and prepared mustard. But in the pursuit of a shelf-stable Caesar, some ingredients are creative interpretations (that are pretty spot-on flavor-wise). Here's a look at some of the key ingredients that make up this culinary dust:

• Seaweed snacks: Instead of anchovies, seaweed snacks are blitzed in a spice grinder to bring that same hit of salinity and umami. A small 10-gram snack-size package with pre-cut sheets is what we’re looking for, but if you can’t find it, one whole sheet of toasted seaweed cut into squares—roughly 3-x3-inches, just small enough to fit into your spice grinder—will work just as well. It’s important to take the time to blitz your seaweed snacks in a spice grinder. You don’t need a fine powder, but because the snacks often have quite a bit of oil, it may clump and stick to the walls of your spice grinder. Work in batches—three seems to do the trick—thoroughly scraping out the inside of the spice grinder when you’re done for any residual flakes. Visible flecks (the pulverized seaweed should be somewhere between the size of sesame seeds and oats) of sparkly seaweed in the blend are actually what we’re going for. Think of the speckles of green as a little nod to the absent romaine of a classic Caesar salad. 
• Parmesan cheese powder and nutritional yeast: Shelf-stable Parmesan cheese, like the kind you can find in shakers at your favorite pizza joint, makes this Caesar dust hold up at room temperature for up to two weeks. (Look for it in the pasta aisle at your grocery store; Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese is one widely available brand). While using both Parmesan and nutritional yeast may seem like a redundancy—both the cheese and nooch provide a savory, cheesy backbone to the Caesar powder—here, nooch brings an additional malty, almost fatty savoriness that accomplishes what egg yolks do in a classic Caesar dressing.
• Lemon pepper seasoning: Store-bought, prepared lemon pepper spice blend—the wild card—brings a citrusy tang, thanks to its dehydrated lemon zest and citric acid that mimics the flavor and acidity of lemon juice. 

The possibilities for this dust are limitless: Sprinkle over popcorn or hard-boiled eggs. Pour into a bag of kettle chips and give it a shake. Toss sturdy veggies like potatoes, peppers, or squash with oil and a sprinkling of Caesar dust before roasting. Season rice or buttered noodles. Or, go meta: crisp up Caesar dust–coated chickpeas in the oven or air fryer to use as a crunchy topping for your next Caesar salad. You’ll find that once you have a stockpile of Caesar dust, you’ll look for an excuse to add it to just about anything—and lick your fingers afterward.

Open package of seaweed snacks, and cut the sheets in half. In three batches, blend the seaweed in an electric spice grinder until they are small flakes. Pour into a small bowl.

To the small bowl, add Parmesan cheese powder, nutritional yeast, lemon pepper seasoning, garlic powder, and mustard powder. Mix well, using a fork. Use the tines of the fork to break up clumps, and fluff until the powder is well-combined and the texture of coarse sand. Taste and adjust salt, as needed. 

Special Equipment

Spice Grinder

Notes

1 teaspoon (4g) anchovy powder can be substituted for the seaweed snacks. If using the anchovy powder, omit the salt. Note the total yield when substituting with anchovy powder will be reduced by about half.

When purchasing seaweed snacks, make sure to buy plain, toasted, and salted seaweed—stay away from strong flavors like wasabi or sesame.

This recipe can be easily halved, or doubled as needed.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Caesar Dust can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for two weeks, or two months in the freezer.