On Wendy's birthday, the birthday delegation (Wendy, Rick, Mike, Ali, Wes, Kelly, Preston, Ben, and Saedra) caravaned to Kalachandji's (the local Hare Krishna temple) for a vegetarian Indian cooking lesson. Knowing absolutely NOTHING about Indian cooking, we were a completely blank canvas. We learned about the basic Indian spice box, some basic ingredients, and recipes for a full meal. Our teacher was funny, and she made it look easy, or if not easy, at least doable. There were a some groans of dissent from Rick when she insisted that, as part of an Aruvedic diet, we should refrain from eating any onions or Garlic, as these foods in the "mode of passion" would inflame the senses and bring on disease. And at the end, we all had a delicious meal. A great birthday party by all accounts.
On the menu:
Panir Manchurian (with homemade panir)
Sarsong Ka Shag (Mustard Greens with Daikon Radish)
Bhakari (flatbread)
Kulfi (Indian ice cream)
The real challenge came the next week. Could we duplicate the recipe and create what we'd learned?
It was a tall order. Panir making involves turning boiling milk into cheese. Not something we do everyday at home. And the spices. Lots of them. It would be fun.
Following a big, and not just a little bit confusing, trip to the Indian market, we had everything we needed. We divvied up the jobs, and the following Thursday, recreated our meal. Alison and Wendy made the Panir ahead of time, Wendy fried the cauliflower and cheese, Saedra chopped the veg, Kelly made the flatbread, Alison made the sauce, and Mike was the pinch hitter, running to the store for the forgotten ingredients.
In the end, a complete success. We are geniuses.
In lieu of retyping, a scanned copy of the recipe will soon be posted.
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