Thanksgiving in Delhi

It was cold and dark for our morning run. Running in Delhi can be a bit hazardous. The sidewalks are in very poor condition. In the dark you have to avoid the holes, the street lamps - typically placed right in the middle - and electrical wires and pipes that have no origin or destination. So you have to run in the street. Out there, most people are already walking against the traffic, which fortunately at 6:30a.m, is light. In the road, however, you have to avoid the dogs. They are like little speed bumps - they lay in the road and move for nothing; not for cars, tuks or motorcycles.


After our run and still early in the morning, we took Joshua out to INA to pick up some spices. At 9am, the shops were just opening up. The coolies were hanging out waiting for shoppers; chicken cages and iced fish were getting unloaded and put into place.




Here in the States you can already find Indian spices at any grocery store. They're just more expensive. At the INA you can get 2gs of Saffron for 180Rs (< $5), which isn't cheap by Indian standards, but much cheaper than here at home. Coriander powder in the U.S. is $10/bottle; much cheaper in Asia at a buck or two for 100gs. Yet, some spices just have a different quality to them. For example spice mixes : Garam Masala, Chaat Masala, Curry - are better from Asia, because they have all of the individual spice components that are typically left out when produced in the U.S. So, sometimes when you cook Indian food at home, it's not the technique - everyone can cook rice and chicken - it's the quality of the spices that add to the dish and make it taste authentic. Mango Chutney in the states ? disgusting.


Okay - it's not always just mixing stuff together. When we got back from the market, Mary started one of several cooking classes for Heather and I. Today she showed us how to make Samosas. It's the little things that make the difference - like how you form the funnel to full the dough - or using the colder counter top instead of the chapati board. She then showed us how to make Chutney, Paneer Pakora, Lassi and Biryani. Most of the recipes were out of a cookbook she very kindly gave us. To burn off a few calories between the cooking classes and the T-day dinner, we walked to the post office to deliver postcards. The post master was very friendly. There was a guy behind the counter with a motorcycle helmet (the deliverer ?) that picked up the mail and rushed off.


On the way back we found a house under construction..... I'm sure a lot of the buildings are build with the wood scaffolding, however, I wouldn't want to be around until the floor set... and how do they make it level ???



So with turkey, sweet potatoes (we think that's what they were), rolls, and mashed potatoes - we had a few Indian dishes added for the T-day feast. Joshua helped too by peeling potatoes.