India

On Friday, we had the incredible good fortune to cook with a good friend's mother who is from India. Having anticipated some delicious cooking, we were not disappointed. In fact, it was by far the best meal we've cooked (or in this case, participated in) thus far. Many thanks!

Here is a picture of our friend's mother's really cool spice holder. It was very convenient and very pretty!


We made samosas, chicken curry, green bean curry and a cucumber and tomato salad.

The salad was the easiest and most refreshing salad that I have ever had. As we approach summer, I cannot recommend this salad enough. Just cut English cucumber and tomatoes (about 4-5 medium tomatoes for every cucumber) into cubes. Add a generous bit of cilantro for extra freshness and some lemon pepper to taste. Mix it all together and you have a delightful summer salad. Yum. Yummy yum yum yum. I didn't take a picture of just that salad, but you will be able to see it in the picture of my plate later on.

Next we made samosas which were really fun. You make the dough (it reminded me of the flatbread with some variations) and then roll it into small balls. Roll the balls out with an Indian rolling pin (they are smaller and much thinner than the rolling pins we are used to-it reminded our percussionist of a drum stick). Put the filling (made of potatoes, various spices, onions, ginger) onto the thinly rolled dough and fold it into a little pocket using water to seal the edges. Cook in oil (canola, definitely not olive oil which as too much flavor). They are both delicious and adorable.

This picture, of an Indian rolling pin, is taken off the internet, the next picture, of samosas is what we made.


The chicken curry was also fabulous, though I don't remember the exact recipe. The really cool thing about cooking with our friend's mother is that she can tell by sight and smell which spices she wants to include and in what quantity. While making the curry, she would check on the color and adjust the level of spices accordingly. The result was breathtaking. We used dark meat chicken for the curry because dark meat is more moist than light meat (because of the extra fat). Once again, there was some serious deliciousness going on.


The green bean curry, though less soupy than the chicken curry, was no less delicious. As a great lover of vegetables and green beans in particular, I enjoyed this immensely. The flavors of this meal were just amazing, and this dish was certainly no exception.


Here is a picture of my amazing lunch. It was yummy. Yummy yummy. In fact, it was probably one of the best meals I've had ever. Thanks again Mrs. L!

Oh, and I can't forget, Mrs. L also served some amazing ice cream. It had saffron in it which made it a lovely pale yellow and gave it an exotic and delicious flavor. It was probably the best ice cream I've ever had.