Indian Dinner with Sujata
I wanted to cook Indian dinner for a while. Not just some dinner, but to cook it with a friend from India, who makes Indian food all the time, who knows how and who knows it all. We have a few Indian friends, but arranging such dinners together always turns out to be quite complicated. There are always some schedule conflicts, or daily routine conflicts, then there are jobs, and kids, and busy weekends, and other stuff that makes our lives so unadaptable and stiff. But, despite all that, I was pursuing this idea of homecooked Indian meal, nevertheless. And here we have it – it finally happened! A good friend agreed to come to my house, to demonstrate and to cook some true and authentic Indian food. Sujata, my teammate’s Surya’s wife and a good friend, came to my kitchen one wintry Saturday afternoon and cooked us an amazing, homey, delicious vegetarian Indian dinner, while I was annoyingly clicking my camera and asking ton of equally annoying questions.
Cooking with a friend is so much nicer than cooking without a friend. We learn from each other, we help each other, we have extra pair of hands, we talk, and we laugh, and we drink chai. Sujata did not need recipes, she just cooked it all, fluently and gracefully, with hardly any measuring involved, with a natural skill, as if she has been cooking these dishes forever. Needless to say, it all came out absolutely delicious. My kids loved it. I loved it. Loved having her over, loved someone cooking for me, loved smells in my kitchen, and having some company. I loved it all. Thank you, Sujata! That was a blast. We should definitely do this again, hopefully soon.
Also, on the same note, if anyone would like to cook with me, share a recipe or two and make an appearance in my blog, I would love to have you over in my kitchen. Or I could come to your place, with my camera in tow. I promise to provide a helpful pair of hands that could be used for prepping, or cleanup, or both; I can provide all the ingredients, if you give me a list, and I am also good at mixing drinks, boozy or not, or pouring wine, to make our cooking experience even more blissful. So, if you are ever in a mood to have a cooking session with yours truly, or just to cook a meal together, or maybe bake something sweet, please talk to me; I am sure we can arrange something fun and productive.
Have a wonderful weekend, y’all!
Ausra
Sauteed Paneer with Spinach
Briefly wilt spinach in a large qualtinty of salted boiling water. Drain. Blend wilted spinach, two-three small green chili peppers and a handful of chopped cilantro, until uniform. Set aside.
Set large saute pan on medium heat, add couple tablespoons olive oil. When oil is hot, add cubed paneer in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until paneer is lightly golden on all sides. Add blended spinach, mix well to coat the cheese with spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Serve right away.
Sauteed Okra
Make spice mix by mixing equal parts of ground turmeric, ground cumin and garam masala, add some salt.
Trim okra, cut halfway lengthwise. Rub outside and inside with spice mixture. Set aside.
In a large saute pan with a little bit of olive oil cook chopped onions and chopped tomatoes until slightly softened. Add okra and cook, stirring occasionally, until okra is softenend, about 15-20 minuntes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve right away.
Dal
(Golden Lentil Soup)
Soak golden lentils with plenty of water, at least 30 minutes, or longer.
In a large pot heat couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add chopped tomatoes, sliced garlic, one small green chili, spilt lengthwise, and 1 tablespoon of whole mustard seeds. Cook 2-3 minutes, until garlic is fragrant and slightly softened. Add lentils and all soaking liquid. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 1 hour, until lentils are very soft and falling apart. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add a handful of chopped cilantro. Serve right away.
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