Food looks extremely delicious … and that crazy gorgeous table covering … wow
1 Like
Not to mention the neighbours who drop off food!
3 Likes
Your over the hump. It’s all good from here 
Congrats 
3 Likes
Wow! A feast
Happy Ramadan! Spreads looks delicious!
2 Likes
For Phreddy…
1 Like
Met my wife in 1959 in kindergarden…married in 1979, she passed away in 2012…
51 years of amazing joy… I wish you the same if not more!
13 Likes
what a fantastic spread!
and that chicken… drool…
1 Like
Butter chicken made yesterday, raita, jasmine rice, and the BF’s puris. Inspiration for the butter chicken was this groundnut chaat brought back by my friend from India. wonderful! ground up nuts in a masala. added flavor and thickness to the butter chicken sauce.
BF’s puris didn’t puff as much as he would have liked, but they were great as usual.
14 Likes
What a spread! Puris look really good! As kids, we would sneak the flat puris (from oil still coming to temp) while the rest were being fried 
I love these chutney powders with plain dal and rice too, in place of pickle - perks up the meal! Though they’re meant to be reconstituted with water or oil (sometimes yogurt if they’re very spicy).
3 Likes
oh, interesting! i had no idea… this one wasn’t very spicy, though. I’m hoping i can find some at the Indian grocery stores in Berkeley.
i also have a packet of stuffed pickled chili peppers to try that my friend brought back for me…
A feast last night for the finale of GOT. Homemade paneer, tomato and chilli loaf (Chetna Makan recipe) and a few TJ apps - spanakopita, mini chicken tacos, and truffled mushroom flatbread. Dinner later - takeout pasta with vodka sauce and chicken piccata.
.
.
For dessert, caramel custard / flan. A richer recipe (NYT) than my usual (aka mom’s) as I was taking it for company.
.
.
Tonight, lemongrass and ginger brined chicken, pan-grilled this time instead of baked (I preferred it the other way, low temp roasted in the oven). Over the rest of the cauliflower purée from scallopalooza. Shades of cream and beige.
.
.
Also watermelon with fresh mozzarella and a sprinkle of chaat masala.
.
.
Also, who am I kidding with that tiny helping… I ate almost half the watermelon plain… first watermelon of the season, and very sweet
.
.
14 Likes
I picked up a few when I was there last - the dehydrated ones didn’t used to be available at Indian stores here because they were originally made for travel, but there are plenty of wet chutneys and pickles though (indian, not cucumber 
)
.
.
(Chaat is a category of street food - highly addictive!)
What a great idea, though - I never thought to bring back something like that for gifts.
6 Likes
yep, we have a few Chaat places here in the Bay Area.
looks like mine didn’t require the addition of water… it was so tasty!
1 Like
Delicious, your Indian meal!
2 Likes
That looks moist and wonderful!
Last night’s meal was salmon with asparagus, both pan fried with butter. The flower of chive was edible but not especially tasty.
Followed by some pasta, with anchovy, asparagus stem and burrata.
15 Likes
Oooh, chive blossoms in springtime.
If you happen to have another, you could try sort of crumbling the blossom between your fingers to release the tiny petals. Delightful sprinkled over foods where you’d like to add a light flavor of green onion. Do this immediately before serving.
Sometimes I’ll put a whole chive blossom on each plate so we can crumble petals on our own portions at will. Potato salad is a favorite use.
Note that I have only done this with chive blossoms plucked directly from the garden, so I am unsure if the flavor would be as nice if the chives come from a market.
Chives are the only herb we can grow because bunnies and other critters chomp everything else.
5 Likes
I will try crumbling the next time.
Mine are my own plants. So I wished there weren’t insects hiding. 
Normally I get rid of all the flowers, I heard some chefs’ advice that never let the herb go flowering: flowers and seeds would tire the whole plant of the plant, leaves won’t be as aromatic. But I find them quite lovely and keep them this year. They taste better when the flowers aren’t opened. Yesterday was a bit bitter.
1 Like
