Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 10 CUISINE June 6, 2025 Record Student Visa Denials Before Trump: 41 Percent Rejected In 2024 tion Act (FOIA) requests, US consulates in India were far more likely to deny students than US consulates in China before the pandemic. Indians accounted for a record 29 percent of all student visa issuances in 2023 and 21 percent of all issuances in 2024, so their higher denial rate could have affected the worldwide average more. According to FOIA data obtained by researchers at Shorelight, the difference in denial rates between India and China persisted through 2022 (though the denial rate in 2022 in China was higher than it was in 2015). But the researchers do not present exact numbers. The more significant issue here is how the Bureau of Consular Affairs handles visa interviews. The then-head of the Consular Affairs division in India is Don Heflin. He explained how student visa interviews work in April 2022: Bring [bank statements] just in case the vice consul asks, but we are looking at this less than we used to. We know Indian families usually find a way [to pay].… Mostly it’s about explain- ing why this school and this curriculum makes sense to you. It’s what in American English we call the elevator pitch. You’ll have a minute and a half to tell us why this [school] makes sense to you. Don’t walk up and recite something from memory about the campus, the student body, and how old the school is.… Listen, I have a lot of Indian friends. I know that your father may have told you where you were going to go to school and what you were going to study. That’s fine. Tell us what he told you. Show us that it makes sense for you. None of this information relates to the legal requirements for a student visa. This absurd method of adjudicating student visas explains why India has a much higher-than-average student visa refusal rate, even though Indian students are extremely successful in the United States. The United States should not pass on tens of billions of dollars in economic activity from these students because they memo- rized their “elevator pitch” on why they want to study computer science in Kansas. It’s totally irrelevant. With the Trump administration escalat- ing attacks on international students, the student visa denial rate will likely increase further. More importantly, fewer people will likely apply to study in the United States as the odds of acceptance fall. Never before has the US government so explicitly attempted to smash a hole in the skilled immigrant pipeline. Congress should act to protect student visas from these unjustified assaults. -(This article appeared on Cato.org May 30, 2025) - Continued From Page 9 This Homemade Vegan Cottage Cheese Is Quick And Protein-Rich M ake it or buy it?When it comes to food, the answer depends on so many variables, such as: How much time are you willing to spend? How much money?Will the homemade version be better than what you can buy? Or will you get enough satisfaction from the DIY process that none of the previous questions matter? The answer for cottage cheese used to be an easy one, at least for me. There was little reason to make it at home when I could get such high-quality versions in stores at reasonable prices. I’m not the only one making the calculation: Even now that the world’s protein obsession has made cottage cheese wildly popular, you still don’t hear of many people heating up gallons of milk, stirring in vinegar and letting it curdle, rest and drain. In my own attempts to increase my protein intake, cottage cheese has become a daily habit, particularly in that midafternoon window when I’m staving off hunger pangs. The rest of my diet is primarily plant-based, and cottage cheese has been one of my last dairy holdouts. As I’ve looked in vain for nondairy cottage cheese in stores, I’ve started reconsidering that make-it-or-buy-it calculation. How hard and/or time-consuming and/or expensive would it be to create one that I love – and that meets my protein needs – in my own kitchen? The answer to all of the above turned out to be: not very. I knew I’d start with firm tofu, which I’d crumble into a curd-like texture. But where would the “cream” surround- ing those curds come from? Coconut milk or cream? Not neutral enough in flavor. Soy milk? Too thin. I didn’t want to complicate things by cooking anything down over heat, so I decided to try silken tofu, blending it with miso, nutritional yeast and hemp seeds to get closer to the protein level of the dairy version. The only trial and error turned out to be the propor- tions; using a 14-ounce package of silken tofu in combi- nation with a pound of firm tofu resulted in something too loose. But when I switched to the smaller shelf-stable packages of silken tofu, everything clicked into place. The texture, especially once the mixture chilled for a bit, was spot-on, and I loved the flavor – not quite as clean of a slate as dairy cottage cheese, but delicious nonethe- less. I spread it on toast and topped with blueberries and agave one day, and the next I went savory, drizzling a small bowlful with tahini and sprinkling with crushed red pepper flakes and za’atar. Both times it hit the spot and scratched an itch. The best part of making it was the time, or lack of it – it took a mere 10 minutes. As to the nutrition: My version is lower in saturated fat, sodium and net carbs, and with a comparable amount (13 grams) of protein for ½ cup when compared to the whole-milk variety. What about the expense? That took me a little more to calculate, and to be honest, I was fully prepared to realize that I was spending considerably more to make my tofu cottage cheese than buying even the Good Culture brand I’ve grown accustomed to. But when I ran it through my spreadsheet, mine was actually a few cents less per serv- ing – $1.72 vs. $1.75. Given the fact that I can’t even buy a vegan cottage cheese (yet, anyway), I count all of this as a major win for one side of the equation. And now I can comfortably say it: Go ahead, make your own. TOFU COTTAGE CHEESE This vegan cottage cheese is made with two types of tofu, plus miso for flavor, and nutritional yeast and hemp seeds for more protein. Eat as a snack or appetizer with crackers and fruit, or use as the base of a main-course tartine, topping it with roasted or raw vegetables, salsa or berries. Servings: 6 (makes about 3 1/2 cups) Total time: 10 minutes Substitutions: Shelf-stable silken tofu >> refriger- ated silken tofu. (You will need to weigh out 10.8 ounces from a larger amount.) Hemp seeds >> pumpkin seeds (pepitas). Make ahead: The cottage cheese is fine when freshly made, but it gets even better – the flavors marry and the consistency thickens – after being refrigerated for at least 2 hours. Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Where to buy: Hulled hemp seeds can be found in nat- ural food stores, well-stocked supermarkets and online. INGREDIENTS • One (10.8-ounce) package shelf-stable silken tofu, such as Mori-Nu brand • 1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) • 1 tablespoon shiro (white) miso • 16 ounces firm tofu or extra-firm tofu, drained and crumbled • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed DIRECTIONS In a blender or food processor, combine the silken tofu, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and miso, and puree until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the crumbled firm tofu and salt, and stir until well combined. Taste, and season with more salt as needed. Serve right away or, for a thicker result, refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Nutritional information per serving (about 1/2 cup): 153 calories, 9 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 6 g carbohydrates, 211 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 13 g protein, 2 g fiber, 1 g sugar. This analysis is an estimate based on available ingre- dients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice. From Food and Dining editor Joe Yonan. -TheWashington Post By Joe Yonan PHOTO :Tom McCorkle/ForTheWashington Post PHOTO :Tom McCorkle/ForTheWashington Post Tofu Cottage Cheese can be used anywhere you would use the dairy equivalent, such as on toast with fruit and agave nectar. Tofu Cottage Cheese. IMMIGRATION