Hey fellow adventurers! I made some popular Indian Dishes for my husband Ethan and a friend Karl. First, I’ll talk about the etiquette of being invited over to someone’s house and then I’ll share the recipes I tried.
In India, they have a traditional saying “Atithi Devo Bhava“ which means “The Guest is God!” Indians love entertaining guests, so unless you have an exceptional excuse as to why you can’t go, you’ll offend the person who invited you by saying no. Etiquette begins before you even arrive at their house. It’s customary in India to arrive later than the time stated. You might even upset your host by showing up on time. Before you eat the meal though, you’ll have a few drinks with the host, and maybe a snack or two, while you talk.
It’s almost time to eat but first you need to wash your hands. Apart from rural India, most Indians eat at tables now a day. Generally, you’ll be served a glass of water with your meal. Although it’s not looked down upon in most of India to eat with utensils, most Indians prefer to eat with their right hand. They eat with their hand because eating is considered a sensual activity, and touch is part of the experience along with the taste, aroma and presentation of the food. Use the tips of your fingers to grab the food and try to put it in your mouth without putting your fingers in your mouth.
Whether you eat with utensils or your hand, DON’T EAT WITH YOUR LEFT HAND! It’s considered rude and unhygienic to eat with your left hand because the left hand is considered unclean. In India, they wipe their butt with a stream of water and their left hand. You’re shitting on someone by touching them with your left hand. Also, never touch someone else’s “contaminated” food. Food is considered “contaminated” once it comes in touch with saliva or something that touched saliva. If your host pushes you to eat more, it’s considered rude to refuse them because how much you eat is considered an indication of your enjoyment of the meal. Most meals end with dessert and a digestive treat. And don’t forget to compliment the chef!
For dinner, I made mango lassi, bhindi masala, chickpea curry, white rice, plain naan (the frozen kind from Trader Joe’s – it’s AMAZING!) and kheer. To begin the meal, Ethan, Karl and I talked while sipping on our mango lassis (sorry I forgot to take a picture but just imagine mango smoothies since it looked like that), and later beer. After a little over an hour of chit chat, we washed our hands and sat down on my floor cushions to eat dinner. Yes, I have floor cushions. I know that’s strange for an American to own. Also, we did eat with our right hand and enjoyed it. It heightens the experience of eating, and although I won’t do it with every meal, I’m going to start doing it more often.
The chickpea curry recipe is from a vegetarian crockpot recipe book that my grandmother gave me. I love the convenience of just throwing everything into a pot and letting it do its own thing! It was sweeter than the curry that I’m used to but still very delicious! I would never have thought to pair raisins with lentils and vegetables before I tried this dish. This dish pairs best with either rice or couscous.
Also for dinner I made a mock bhindi masala. Unfortunately, I went to 3 different stores and couldn’t find okra so I used green beans instead. One day, okra! One day! I used the same recipe I would have used had I found okra but with green beans and it was amazing! If you like your food super spicy, add more spice. I don’t so it was perfect for me! I was worried the tomatoes would ruin it for me since I don’t like mushy tomatoes but even those were tasty in this dish! This dish pairs best with naan or a similar type of bread.
And lastly, for dessert, I made kheer which is a type of rice pudding. Unfortunately, I’m allergic to almonds which is a common ingredient in kheer though so I doubled the number of cashews I used instead. It tasted phenomenal! The sweetness and the spices worked together really well! The raisins and cashews gave it a nice texture, plus the raisins added to the sweetness. 10/10 I recommend this dish and will definitely have it again!
Here are the recipes in case you want to try making your own:
Mango Lassi: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/mango_lassi/
Bhindi Masala: http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/bhindi-masala/
Kheer: http://www.spiceupthecurry.com/rice-kheer-rice-pudding/#wprm-recipe-container-28365
And if you want to learn more about Indian traditions, check out this site: http://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/a-bite-at-a-time-foods-traditions-from-ancient-india-1206447
Thank you so much for reading my blog! Please, comment below what your favorite Indian dish to make is. I would love to know! Maybe I’ll even try making it myself someday! Until our next adventure!