A thick, pea soup like fog has descended on Delhi trapping in the pollution. I can almost see the little pollution particles taking refuge in my pores in the absence of anywhere better to go. Like a good brownie I am prepared, armed with cotton wool soaked in rubbing alcohol which I brandish at the smallest opportunity. Does this herald the end of warm, summer days? For all my complaining about the heat, I hope not.
Last night we went to qawwali at Nizamuddin's tomb to watch the Sufis dancing and singing. Sufi devotional songs called qawwali are performed every Thursday evening in the open air in front of the 16th century marble shrine of Sufism's greatest saints, Nizamuddin Auliya. It's an unforgettable experience. Last night was especially festive as it was an Eid celebration. I was secretly hoping I would get to see a dervish whirl but alas there was no whirling to be had.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Kitchen antics
So the other night I decided to attempt a couple of the recipes I learnt in my cooking course in Udaipur. My logic was that I should try it at least once before cooking for others and the ultimate acid test, other Indians. So I started with a basic korma. I threw the onions and whole spices into the hot pan and looked at the recipe to see what to do next. Add the garlic, ginger and onion paste. Paste? I didn't remember making a paste at the cooking course.
And this ladies and gentlemen is why cooking courses continue to be so successful by giving people the (not necessarily true) impression that they can cook a dish when in fact they (the chefs/cooks) do a lot of the pre-preparation behind the scenes. I hurriedly did a search of the kitchen. I was in luck - there was a hand held blender in the bottom drawer. I plugged it in and plunged it into the ingredients to smoosh them into the required paste. The pieces of ginger, garlic and onion stubbornly remained in the same roughly chopped shapes in which they had entered the bowl. Oh well I reasoned, it's obviously because it is such a small amount. So I took them out and laboriously chopped them into finer pieces.
Right, next. Add the tomato and onion paste. What! Another paste! Ha ha. Well this time I will be able to use the blender because the tomato is a far more smooshable ingredient. Once again I plunge in the blender. Nothing. I add a little water to facilitate the process. Reality slowly dawns on me as I watch the water bubble. I am trying to blend food with a milk frother!!! Oh the embarrassment. Mental note: we have a milk frother for cappucinos!
Despite this my korma came out quite well and my biryani was quite delicious if I dare so myself. I still have not put them to the ultimate acid test but I think that I will leave that for another day.
PS. Last night I was looking for something in the fridge and what do you think I saw innocently sitting in the fridge door? Yip, a big jar of garlic, ginger and onion paste!
And this ladies and gentlemen is why cooking courses continue to be so successful by giving people the (not necessarily true) impression that they can cook a dish when in fact they (the chefs/cooks) do a lot of the pre-preparation behind the scenes. I hurriedly did a search of the kitchen. I was in luck - there was a hand held blender in the bottom drawer. I plugged it in and plunged it into the ingredients to smoosh them into the required paste. The pieces of ginger, garlic and onion stubbornly remained in the same roughly chopped shapes in which they had entered the bowl. Oh well I reasoned, it's obviously because it is such a small amount. So I took them out and laboriously chopped them into finer pieces.
Right, next. Add the tomato and onion paste. What! Another paste! Ha ha. Well this time I will be able to use the blender because the tomato is a far more smooshable ingredient. Once again I plunge in the blender. Nothing. I add a little water to facilitate the process. Reality slowly dawns on me as I watch the water bubble. I am trying to blend food with a milk frother!!! Oh the embarrassment. Mental note: we have a milk frother for cappucinos!
Despite this my korma came out quite well and my biryani was quite delicious if I dare so myself. I still have not put them to the ultimate acid test but I think that I will leave that for another day.
PS. Last night I was looking for something in the fridge and what do you think I saw innocently sitting in the fridge door? Yip, a big jar of garlic, ginger and onion paste!
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Mystic Pizza
Indian culture is shrouded in superstitions and folklore based on both religion and customs being passed down from generation to generation. As in a lot of Asia, luck and good fortune are highly sought after.
Astrology is also a HUGE part of every day culture here. It is taken very seriously and regarded
as an arm of physics. Before a marriage is agreed upon, horoscopes are carefully consulted to ensure that there is a match. Noone will dare to get married on any day other than the few deemed auspicious by the astrologer. As a result, hundreds of thousands of couples will get married on the same day – and we thought we had issues with wedding venues!
The guy that sits next to me at work helped me to put a list together of just some of the more bizarre customs and folklore (he even admitted that he doesn’t know why some of these things are done):
Astrology is also a HUGE part of every day culture here. It is taken very seriously and regarded
as an arm of physics. Before a marriage is agreed upon, horoscopes are carefully consulted to ensure that there is a match. Noone will dare to get married on any day other than the few deemed auspicious by the astrologer. As a result, hundreds of thousands of couples will get married on the same day – and we thought we had issues with wedding venues!The guy that sits next to me at work helped me to put a list together of just some of the more bizarre customs and folklore (he even admitted that he doesn’t know why some of these things are done):
- Add a one to every price for luck. For instance, if you are bargaining with someone (particularly in the smaller towns), you will end up paying 101 rupees for an item rather than 100.
- Don’t buy anything metal on a Saturday including jewellery. My colleague wanted to buy a new car. The weekend was the obvious time to do it but his parents insisted that although he paid for it on the Saturday, he could not pick it up until the following day
- Don’t cut your nails after sunset (???). Also, grow your baby nail REALLY long for good luck.
- Don’t wear black, especially to weddings and other celebrations
- Don’t go out if somebody sneezed (I pity the person with hayfever!)
- Hang a shoe/sandal off the rear bumper of your car to ward off the bad spirits
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
How many consultants does it take to read a map?
Definitely more than two if it is Chanda and I reading the map. The other night we set off to join our friends Elodie and Lize at the Indian Dance Festival at the Old Fort. We asked the rickshaw driver to take us there but all we got from him was a very blank look (in hindsight we realised we probably should have known the Hindi name Purana Qila).
“It’s near Connaught Place” we confidently told him having both carefully examined the map. To be completely honest, I confidently told him this but Chanda did confidently support me.
We were running a bit late to start with and got stuck in some traffic on the way. By the time we got there we were seriously late but quickly discovered that the Old Fort was nowhere near Connaught Place but was in fact near the zoo and India Gate which we had passed about 5 minutes into our journey! Fortunately the concert was on India time (often worse than African time if you can believe this) and we made it just as the concert was starting.
Needless to say we whipped the maps out as soon as we could only to see to our great embarrassment that we were very much mistaken. In our defence though, it was quite a large picture of the fort on a very small map so it was kind of understandable.
“It’s near Connaught Place” we confidently told him having both carefully examined the map. To be completely honest, I confidently told him this but Chanda did confidently support me.
We were running a bit late to start with and got stuck in some traffic on the way. By the time we got there we were seriously late but quickly discovered that the Old Fort was nowhere near Connaught Place but was in fact near the zoo and India Gate which we had passed about 5 minutes into our journey! Fortunately the concert was on India time (often worse than African time if you can believe this) and we made it just as the concert was starting.
Needless to say we whipped the maps out as soon as we could only to see to our great embarrassment that we were very much mistaken. In our defence though, it was quite a large picture of the fort on a very small map so it was kind of understandable.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Diwali - the festival of light
World War II veterans and domestic pets alike cowered in corners on Saturday night as Delhi simultaneously exploded with Diwali fireworks. We 
sat on the terrace awe struck as all around us the night lit up with the most phenomenal, continuous, 360 degree, 8 hour display of fireworks. Every single family came into the streets and lit an array of fireworks. Hotels vied to outdo each other in the magnitude of their displays. I was completely and utterly blown away (sorry, I couldn’t resist). We even put on our own display of rockets, flowers and the most gigantic sparklers you have ever seen. By about 10pm, a thick blanket of smoke blanketed the city from all the festivities. Unbelievably there were fewer fireworks this year than they have been for the last three years. I can’t imagine how there could possible have been any more!
For the last week the streets glittered with vendors selling diwali boxes and shops windows screamed out their Diwali specials as everyone geared up to celebrate the festival of light. Every corner of every household was lit up by candles this weekend to ensure that Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth felt welcome to
enter. Even at work we had a Pandit in who did a puja (blessing) over the accounting books of the company to ensure wealth and prosperity for the upcoming year. For many smaller companies, the financial year ends at Diwali because it is considered the most auspicious time to start a business. Nuts, sweet meats (not actually meat strangely) and dried fruits abound and Bengali sweet shops double their turnover for the year. Diwali, like Christmas, is a family time. In the absence of family a whole lot of us expats joined together for a huge potluck lunch followed by a massive party.
sat on the terrace awe struck as all around us the night lit up with the most phenomenal, continuous, 360 degree, 8 hour display of fireworks. Every single family came into the streets and lit an array of fireworks. Hotels vied to outdo each other in the magnitude of their displays. I was completely and utterly blown away (sorry, I couldn’t resist). We even put on our own display of rockets, flowers and the most gigantic sparklers you have ever seen. By about 10pm, a thick blanket of smoke blanketed the city from all the festivities. Unbelievably there were fewer fireworks this year than they have been for the last three years. I can’t imagine how there could possible have been any more!
For the last week the streets glittered with vendors selling diwali boxes and shops windows screamed out their Diwali specials as everyone geared up to celebrate the festival of light. Every corner of every household was lit up by candles this weekend to ensure that Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth felt welcome to
enter. Even at work we had a Pandit in who did a puja (blessing) over the accounting books of the company to ensure wealth and prosperity for the upcoming year. For many smaller companies, the financial year ends at Diwali because it is considered the most auspicious time to start a business. Nuts, sweet meats (not actually meat strangely) and dried fruits abound and Bengali sweet shops double their turnover for the year. Diwali, like Christmas, is a family time. In the absence of family a whole lot of us expats joined together for a huge potluck lunch followed by a massive party.
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