Khana Khazaana

A big part of any culture is naturally the culinary delights it has to offer. In the spirit of exploring this area of diversity in our varied cultures as well, some of my classmates decided to organise monthly dinner parties, where people from a particular region of the world cook food from their country.

Given the popularity of Indian food in the UK, the first of these events was an Indian Dinner hosted by me and two other Indian girls in early October. The guest list included about 12 people, most of whom have eaten the typical Indian food available at restaurants in the UK – which (as is the case in most cultures) is very different from the authentic way in which those dishes are made in homes on a daily basis. I was responsible for starters, accompaniments and dessert which were Bhajiyas / Pakoras with Pudina (mint) chutney, Raita and Rice Kheer respectively. The rest of the menu included Pulao Rice, Chicken Tikka Gravy, Chana (chick peas) South Indian style and Paneer (which Indian dinner is ever complete without it?!).

Since the kitchen in my flat is apparently the biggest one we had access to, it was decided as the venue for the evening. Unlike some of my flatmates who don’t normally inform us when they have lots of people over (causing immense inconvenience sometimes), I thankfully remembered to put up a notice in the kitchen – saving myself a lot of embarrassment as they had yet again planned a party with more than 10 people which then had to be shifted elsewhere. The joys of shared accommodation.. sigh!

My mother used to always say that half your work is done when you know what it is you are planning to cook. However, given the logistics of using a an electric stove with a hob instead of flame, limited utensils and other people who require access to the kitchen when you are cooking such large quantities, I couldn’t disagree more! After borrowing pots and pans, I laboriously spent 3 hours in the kitchen stirring and boiling my precious kheer on very low heat in fear of it getting stuck to the bottom of the thickest bottomed pan I could find. Ironically, it still did get stuck and slightly burnt, but was kind of edible nonetheless. :( Two months of cooking here and its still next to impossible to get judgement of the right amount of heating on these hobs that don’t change temperature when reduced / increased as effectively as gas burners!
The rest of the food was well appreciated and enjoyed – albeit a bit too spicy for some people to handle (in offering yogurt that was actually in the form a masala raita as saving grace from the spice, we didn't actually do them any good.. but o well..). Having to explain the nuances of the cooking in your own culture to people who are completely unfamiliar with it helps to develop a whole new appreciation of the art of cooking – especially of things we do with our food instinctively without really putting much thought into it. For example, something as basic as the way in which most Indian cooking involves a tadka of a particular kind (depending on the dish) before the vegetables are added was actually a new and fascinating way of cooking for some people and the most basic and common Indian snack of masala peanuts with onion and lime was among the things that was most appreciated in the meal!

It was an enjoyable cross cultural evening that had an authentic ambience created by Hindi and Punjabi music on the one hand, and beer, wine and paper cups and plates with plastic cutlery on the other hand. It was a welcome relief to be hosting a meal for people who ensure that they help clean up after the meal is done, instead of expecting you to do everything by yourself. The 3 boys (ok men…) graciously offered to do the dishes; only to horrifyingly discover that University accommodation does not provide dishwashers… :) … they still kept their word and did do the dishes.. though I must admit that that is the fastest I have ever seen a sink full of oily, greasy pots and pans get cleared! :)

Keeping in tradition with the city we all now call home, the meal was followed by a night out for a few drinks and a bit of dancing… like they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans.

The Indian dinner was followed by a party hosted by a Russian classmate 2 weeks later. While the focus of this party was primarily on alcohol, more specifically authentic Russian Vodka, there was also an interesting spread of salads that was provided.

The next dinner is planned for sometime this month and is most likely to be a traditional English / British and Irish meal. As I continue to try my best to cook and eat simple healthy food, while also discovering the joys and pains of frozen food. pizzas, soup and salad meals and wholemeal pita bread (instead of rotis), I enjoy and and am really looking forward to the welcome change of such meals.