We have been a long time away. Since our last post, we have experienced loss in the family, some gains and moved to a new home. During the away time, we found ourselves in a deep and abiding funk. Depression often comes with loss and I must say that we have experienced our share of it. Personally, I have only recently felt like I was really coming out of the depression, like a great spring thaw. I am starting to enjoy my new home and starting to enjoy cooking in it. A house cannot be "home" without an active hearth. We now have that beginning.
Diwali celebrations are in full swing in the Hindu cultures of the world. Being a festival of lights, it is similar in tradition to ancient Solstice celebrations in northern Europe and even the more recent Christmas celebrations are a nod in that direction with our fascination with lights at this time of year. I am lucky enough to work for a wonderful company that helps us thrive in our appreciation of the diversity of our workforce. Recently, we have added many great folks from the wonderful country of India. We are enjoying a great deal of cultural exchange. One point where we can all come together is the table. Folks at my workplace love food. Who doesn't. We also use food as a way to share our cultures and to tell our coworkers that we care about their traditions and cultures. Every year, since I've joined, we have had a Diwali feast. This year's was the best yet.
We had lovely decorations that were hand made by our staff and many of us brought food to share for the occasion. Most of it was made by Indian cooks, so we had some of the tastiest and most authentic food you can get. Some of us European rooted folks made things that belonged on a traditional American table. Others, such as myself, thought that we should try to get into the spirit and make some food from India. I was nervous about serving a food to folks who grew up with it, but it all turned out just fine. I'm pleased to say that my Chana Masala (Chickpeas in a masala curry) turned out pretty good. I now have some refinements that I would make for my table, but overall, it was a good attempt at a basic dish.
I used the recipe from AllRecipes.com. It is for a drier version of the dish, which I thought would be nice. I tripled the recipe, since I knew I needed a bigger batch. That basically meant I was winging it through the multiplication of the spices. Tripling the peas to 3 cans was easy. The spice list was pretty standard, so I felt like I was up to the task.
I made some changes in that I added more of the spices than the recipe called for. I especially added more of the pepper flakes and used a few varieties. I used our standard American red pepper flakes along with some Paprika for a sweetness. I then added in a couple heaping teaspoons of Korean chili powder for good measure. I like the way the Korean pepper doesn't hit you in the face but comes as a slow building burn in the back of your mouth and blooms like some fiery flower in your mouth. I also used ground cumin instead of cumin seeds. Although the seeds are much more traditional, I think that the powder gives you a better mouth feel so you don't wind up with little seeds sticking in your teeth and gums. Finally, I upped the ante on the onion. I added one and a half onions but instead of chopping them, I pureed them. Making the onion paste is a bit more like the methods used in a lot of Indian kitchens and it magnifies the onion flavor while not adding a lot to the volume of the food. I liked doing the paste and it is called for in the recipe. Don't skip the puree. It is what really makes the sauce cook quickly and come together well.
Best of all, this is a one pot meal and cleanup was a breeze. I liked that I wasn't in the kitchen for hours cooking and cleaning for this one. I was done in about an hour. Nice.
Finally, I did get some compliments from the folks at the party. I sincerely hope they were not "just being nice". I don't think that was the case, as I liked the dish pretty well myself and it was all gone by the end of the lunch.
I wish I had some pictures to share with you, but I don't. I do have some Diwali wishes to share. May the light of love and family shine every brightly on you and your family.
It's good to be back.
Lisa.
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