Cooking up a storm

Bonnie told me about the cookery course she did over dinner one evening in Varanasi and since then the idea had been playing on my mind. It's practically impossible to get decent Indian food in Paris and those of you that know me know I'm not that nifty in the kitchen so I only really eat Indian when I'm back in the UK, or rare visits to NY.

Bonnie told of how she'd had a 1-on-1 lesson in a family home and not only learnt to make a wide range of dishes but also got to see how a middle class family lives and of course the opportunity to converse with the mother. Needless to saying signing up for a lesson was the first thing I did when I got to Udaipur.

Encouraged to start giving lessons by her husband, Kamini has been welcoming curious cooks into her kitchen for 3 years now and has the knack of making you quickly feel at ease and able to learn. From a long list I chose 8 stock standard Indian dishes to learn that I hoped would give me a solid culinary base; masala chai, veg pakora, palak paneer (my favourite!), veg curry, jerra rice, veg raita, chapati & halva for desert.

Veggie pakora. Bad for the hips, great for the soul ;-)

The secrets in making a good paste...

Within minutes of walking through the door I was in the kitchen with Kamini was explaining how to blend the spices and flour to make pakora whilst the oil gently heated and her 7-yr old son popped in and out, curious to see who'd come to visit the house today. "Slip the slices in gently from the side" she explained, "it makes the batter even and stops you getting burnt" as the hot oil spluttered and the air filled with the smell of cumin and chili.

...and slipping in the pakora from the side of the pan.

The time flew by as we chopped and stirred and whilst I noted recipes and snapped photos Kamini took time to explain a little more about the spices, how they make pickles when the fruits are in season, grind their own flour and what dishes are eaten when for special occasions.

Palek Panner - the real thing made from scratch! Check out her pan handle/pliers!

I learnt that 'masala' actually means 'spice' and does not refer to a particular blend of spice, that 'jerra' means 'tumeric' and how to lightly press down and 'spin' a chapati whilst it's cooking to make it puff up!

Make the chiapatti flat and even

Then it'll puff up beautifull

Teaching and cooking both come naturally to Kamini and I think the most important thing I took away from my time with her was confidence to try these dishes at home. To buy and blend my own spices to make fresh curry paste rather than buying packets and how quick and easy it is to whip up a tasty dish with just a few simple ingredients, when you know how!

Halva - doesn't look like much at this stage but it'll be yummy later ;-)

The only regret I have is that the time passed so quickly. Having cooked up a storm and eaten most of what we prepared I left Kaimni's home on a culinary high and walked straight to the market to buy all I'd need to relive the experience back in Paris. No longer will I have to wait until I'm next in London or NY for great Indian food and I can now confidently invite you over for dinner sometime. Just let me know when you're free :-)

The end result! Bon app

Kamini - a truely wonderful teacher