Simply East

My father's side of the family...epitome of Indian traditionality taken one step further. We were invited over for dinner last night. It was a get-together of sorts. Very informal and the food was oh so fine.

My father is descended from the original Bombay-ites or Mumbaikars as we call them out here. They didn't settle down here. They were born here. And Bombay being a port city, it reflects in the authentic cuisine that you find only in the Mumbaikar's home.

About the meal...I remember the main course best because it was so simple and yet such an interesting blend of contrasting flavors that it left a tang in the palette and a craving for more in the mind!

Pineapple and Coconut Cream Curry

Ingredients

250 ml coconut milk (or diluted coconut cream)
1 cup diced pineapples
1 large onion
2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. chickpea flour (cornflour or rice-flour works equally well)
salt to taste

Optional: 1/4 tsp. chilli powder
1/4 tsp. curry powder

Method

Chop the onion finely. Boil it with the pineapple slices, salt and sugar in a cup of water.

In a bowl mix the coconut milk, chickpea flour and chilli / curry powder. Add it to the boiling pot and continue to boil till the curry thickens. Remember to keep stirring continuously.

This curry is just so... multiusable (?!)...flexible's a better word. I mean it's got a subtle flavor of onions and pineapples that ebbs into the coconut cream and tickles the roof of your mouth. You can have it with steamed rice, or even as a soup. My aunt says it's even served chilled as desert sometimes!

We had the preparation with steamed rice. To complement it, there was:

Spicy Prawn Pickle

Ingredients

1 cup shelled prawns / shrimp
2 tsp. garlic paste
2-3 flakes of garlic for seasoning
1 tbsp. fenugreek seeds dry-roasted and powdered
1 large lemon
3/4 tsp. salt
1-3 tsp. chilli powder (depending on how much of a scorcher you want
2.5 tbsp. oil

Method

Apply the garlic paste, salt and lemon juice to the shelled prawns. Heat the oil in a pan. Reduce the flame and add chilli powder, fenugreek powder and two to three pods of crushed garlic. If you can't find fenugreek, feel free to substitue it with cumin seeds prepped the same way.

Add the prawns, cover the pan and cook for a minute. Just before the mind-blowing aroma knocks you cold, it's done! Prep time's under a minute!

Remember to eat till you drop, but leave just a teeny weeny bit of space for dessert.

Tropical Delite

Ingredients

500 ml coconut milk

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