Indian Chef Wanna-Be
Thali plate from a restaurant in Hampi, India
Last week, I was perusing the cookbook aisle of a fabulous bookstore in the Chinatown neighborhood of Seattle. The bookstore, Kinokuniya, is attached to Uwajimaya, an international grocery store where, although a bit high-priced, has an amazing array of spices and yummy ingredients for the international cook.
As I was reading through a cookbook by Madhur Jaffery published by the BBC (sadly I can’t find the book on Amazon but all the more reason to shop at your neighborhood bookstore - Amazon apparently doesn’t have everything), I made a commitment to becoming a better cook, and a better cook of Indian food at that.
As serendipity would have it, when I went to the Oregon coast this weekend, my host, Meredith, had this same cookbook I had been pining over. She and her friend, Sarah, whipped up some amazing meals using this and a Moroccan cookbook. I was in heaven all weekend and am now completely inspired.
With curries and sambars swirling in my head, I decided to take a look at some of the photos I took of Indian food on my most recent trips to the subcontinent as well as a meal that an Indian friend prepared for Jon and I.
A simple meal of parathas, rice, veggies and sauce on a typical Indian table.
Fish stew being prepared in Pune.
A sambar sauce being prepared in my own kitchen by a friend.
Idli, sambar, vegetables and rice
I’ll be sure to continue posting photos as I put my own chef’s hat on and start making my way through my own spice rack. In the meantime…
Travel (and eat) Well!
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