spice girls

on new year’s day, nadiya, naveed, bikey and i made new year’s resolutions for each other. naveed and bikey’s resolutions are private so i won’t disclose them but mine was to share my chocolate with everyone and nadiya’s was to cook at least one meal for us. i think amongst all of us, i'm the only one who's kept her resolution. i share my chocolate all the time...except the times i hide in my room and eat it by myself.

several weeks ago, i was cooking something and nadiya came into the kitchen and said, ‘teach me to cook.’ so i said to her, ‘desi cooking is very simple. allz you gotta do is fry some onions and then put in the basic spices that go into practically every single indian dish....mirchi, adrak laison, haldi and namak....’ (chili powder, garlic-ginger paste, tumeric and salt). of course, other spices can be added as well to add flavor.

so today was the big debut for nadiya. she bought some chicken breasts and potatoes. she also had an assistant...naba. while they were in the kitchen, i happened to peak in to see how the progress was going. nadiya picked up a container of chili powder and asked me what it was. that made me a little nervous. then she continued to ask me to explain all the spices in the cabinet even though they were labeled. oh boy! i thought. not sure if i can trust someone to prepare my meals if they don’t know what they’re putting in my food.

anyway, i went back to my room and left the chef in the kitchen with her assistant. i heard some screaming a bit later but didn’t bother checking. found out that nadiya had set the stove knob on fire. that’s pretty dangerous...especially since we have a tank of gas right next to the stove...enough to bring the whole building down, i think. but alhamdulillah, naba blew out the fire.

so the food was ready. presented on the table were the following: white rice; chopped fried potatoes spiced up a bit; a veggie medley flavored with desi spices; chicken curry, and yogurt with onions, tomatoes and cucumbers. i must say everything was delicious! masha’Allah, nadiya and naba! job well done. can’t wait till you guys cook again.