desi dinner

This weekend I decided to dabble in some authentic Indian cooking. This can sometimes be an undertaking of sorts, as many complain that some Indian spices are not as readily available here. Some vegetarians say it's equally difficult being here on the island as they are not afforded the variety of vegetarian Indian food as they would be back in Toronto or India. And to them the produce is a huge letdown, as it encompasses none of the Indian vegetables that would ordinarily be available in the Chinatown or Indian grocers in Toronto or like at any regular grocers in India.

Yes, I have to admit that the choices are next to nothing when one's an Indian vegetarian. I cannot imagine myself being one, although the term Vegetarian means so many different things to so many different people. At a Toronto dinner a couple of years ago, one of my so called vegetarian friends reached for some Chicken Biryani. "STOP", I said. "It's got chicken".
"Oh, but I eat chicken", says the friend.
"But I thought you said you were a vegetarian", says I.
"Oh I am", she says. (!?!?!?!)
"Oh I see, you're a chicken eating vegetarian. Yeah, I don't think you can call yourself a vegetarian!"
And she shouldn't. It brings about un necessary confusion.

As a rule, I dislike hosting vegetarian dinner parties here in Bermuda. It's a bit of a challenge for me, as when I host I like to cook Indian food. For one thing, it's not something I cook very often & for another it's a cuisine that most love & most look forward to having. This past weekend we hosted an Indian dinner for some of our non-Indian friends. While Hubby was not sure how inclined they were to Indian food, he asked me not to make the dinner a 'hardcore' Indian one (hardcore indeed!). Well, much to his chagrin, our friends, emailed me a list of the Indian dishes they would like to have (apparently they are quite well versed with Indian cuisine, naming dishes that I didn't think existed & I partly grew up in India!). Well, I may be good, but I'm not that good. Attached is a sample of the few that I did end up making & it was a huge hit, especially desert which was a Papaya & Jackfruit Salad (especially this was their first time with the jackfruit). Well, don't let your mouth water too much!