To be honest I must confess I was prejudiced against Indian cuisine. Out of ignorance I thought Indian restaurants were dirty and their food only smelled of cumin.
A few months ago I was invited to an Indian restaurant called Masala and that is where a love story began, I had a “Poulet au beurre” which I guess translates to butter chicken. which was absolutely delicious and that is when I realized that Indian cuisine is very varied and full of spices. I knew that brits are fond of curries but was unsure of what they are.
I have since learned a bit more about it such as the meaning of garam masala which is a mix of spices used in many Indian dishes.
Yesterday I decided to make an Indian meal. I had fun gathering the ingredients: ginger, garlic, paprika, , hot green and red peppers, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander coconut milk, curcuma, curry powder, limes, sesame seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon…
The meat dish was a chicken tandoori Then I made three vegetable dishes: one was a green onion masala with coconut flakes, which was both colorful as tasty.
Next I made a vegetable curry flavored with coconut milk, curry powder and limes, which was a bit stronger than the green onion dish but much milder than the Aloo Gobi which is a fiery dish of cauliflower and potatoes with hot chilies.
I made a big bowl of basmati rice and got some “naam bread” to mop up the sauces.
As for dessert I made a very refreshing frozen mangoe Lassiala, which is a purée of frozen mangoes with yogurt and milk. I could not resist buying Lebanese pastries while I was shopping so I served those as well. I have yet to learn about Indian desserts but would not be surprised if they resembled middle eastern delicacies made of honey , nuts and dates.
I poured some Chai tea with dessert. As for drinks during the meal, besides water, I had a hard time finding a wine strong enough to hold up to the fiery spices. But I settled on a California wine that proved to be just what I needed a Fetzer fumé blanc.
This was a lot of fun and I hope to add more dishes to my repertoire soon. I might even add an ethnic section to the cookbook….