Cooking Adventures

Growing up, I had a friend whose parents were from India.  Her mom wore saris; she always had her hair pulled back and off the neck; she had a Hindu mark on her forehead.  She was a woman from India living in California.  My friend was an American girl with East Indian heritage.  She liked Indian food, but was just as happy with a hamburger.  She dressed and looked like a typical American girl.  My friend's house always smelled funny to me because her family ate authentic Indian food and the seasoning permeated the house 24/7.  I remember it, sometimes, smelling awful; most of the time, it just smelled different, exotic.  I've been on a big Indian food kick lately.  Today I started wondering if the aroma of Indian food has started to permeate my house.  I don't think I'd complain, but my boys probably would.  I just finished a bowl of Vegetable Korma.  It was simple and fast to make, but the seasoning needs tweaking.  It was moderately flavorful, but needs "more", so I need to think about how to "fix it" before I make it again.  Nolan and Jonathan would be happy if I never did though because the onion I pureed is burning their eyes.  I made another batch of Samosa filling this week.  Last week, I made full blown Samosas- the potato and peas mixture in the flaky crust.  I baked them instead of frying them and they were good.  However, I realized that I like the filling a lot-a lot and would be happy to eat the Samosa filling as a side dish.  So I did (and not having to wrap the filling was a time saving bonus as that is a real pain). 

I think it's really funny that I love Indian food.  My first exposure to Indian food didn't go so well.  One of our graduate school friends from India got married and he invited us to celebrate with him at an Indian restaurant.  I thought the food was weird-too many flavors.  I wasn't feeling well afterwards and when I got home, I threw it up.  Now, it's a favorite.