I noticed only recently that there was no ‘seafood’ category here which was quite strange as we do eat fish and other seafood once in a while. Maybe it was down to the fact that I never really created anything worth sharing here.
Having said that, my first seafood related post is nothing above the ordinary but I thought it was a great idea for a quick mid week supper. Not to mention the fact that I wanted to share my very first attempt at cooking fresh white asparagus.
We are in Paris for the month of June. During the first couple of days of exploring the city, we happened to be around the Indian quarter – a vibrant part of town choc-a-bloc with Indian eateries and stores rubbing shoulders with Middle Eastern and African joints reflecting the true cosmopolitan nature of this lovely city. While looking around a well stocked spice store, I couldn’t resist getting a few Indian spices and some okra. Okra or any other seasonal vegetable cooked with onions and spices are staple dishes back home. A simple and reliable side dish – something I’ve missed for a very long time.
That’s how the first meal I cooked here in our little rental apartment’s kitchen turned out to be one with Indian flavours. And I can now fully appreciate the challenges of working in a tiny Parisian kitchen!
I’ve been away from the kitchen for the last few days. We were in the Netherlands for a close friend’s wedding and spent some time visiting family while we were there.
The weather has not been kind lately. Instead of glorious sunny spring days, we’ve been having a lot of rain with temperatures completely wrong for this time of the year. Yesterday was an exception though. The sun was shining and the skies were bright. I took this as a sign to make something nice after what’s been a long enough break.
Last Tuesday we had a barbecue. It was a warm day with temperatures reaching over 20C, a pleasant change from the rain and gloom that has pervaded these early spring days. It was a short lived dose of sunshine though as it began drizzling once again even before we could fully wrap up our meal.
I do cook Indian meals quite frequently (although this may not be reflected in the number of ‘Indian Food’ posts here). A hot meal of dal, roti and rice with maybe an additional side dish or meat curry has become a staple in our household.
India is a large country with very distinct cultures and cuisines in its different regions. This means that I still follow recipes once in a while when I feel like doing something different. A few days ago, when there was a request to make an Indian dinner for some family guests, I turned to the internet to look up some inspiration. What I found was a lovely recipe for ‘gosht dopiaza’ or meat with lots of onions – a very popular dish back home in restaurants. I thought I’d give it a try, of course, with heavy customisation. Once you’re comfortable making a curry of any sort, customising recipes to suit your tastes and what’s available becomes second nature.
