Happy Cooks, Happy Couples

Our new friends, Abhi and Arvind

Kyle and I made our first new friends as a married couple! Abhi and Arvind are our neighbors here in Minneapolis. We were invited to a "simple Indian dinner," as Abhi put it, at their home last night. In this simplicity, I found comfort and surprise.

I had the privilege of watching Abhi and Arvind create this delicious meal together.  As Abhi toasted the methi roti on the stovetop, by her side, Arvind sauteed the potato and capsicum sauced with a tomato and cashew gravy. Their coordination in the kitchen was as effortless and poised as a ballroom dancing couple.  They didn't burn a single ingredient even with me paparazziing about with my many questions and fluttering camera shutter. I found out that the most trying obstacle Abhi and Arvind face when cooking traditional Indian food here in the United States is a lack of accessibility to certain ingredients they would have otherwise found easily in India. In fact, it was the first time in her six years of living in various regions of the United States that Abhi was able to find methi greens at a farmer's stand to mix into her roti. The farmer from whom they bought the methi was a Chinese grower from northern Wisconsin, where the climate is more suitable for the delicate, leafy crop.  

Rolling out the Methi Roti

What Abhi and Arvind found simple or common about their food, Kyle and I found new and surprising. The tomato gravy was rich and creamy and yet, had no cream in it at all; Abhi and Arvind were raised vegetarians and have not yet "crossed over," as they say, though they watch copious amounts of Anthony Bourdain whose hearty appetite for big hunks of meat defines carnivory. "How do you make the tomato gravy creamy without using any cream," I wanted to know. Answering together, Abhi and Arvind replied, "actually, the [crushed] cashew nuts give a thicker texture and lighter color" to what would have otherwise been a tomato puree.

Roti (L) and Potatoes and Capsicum in a tomato, cashew gravy (R)

Over dinner, we discussed the loss of independent craftsmanship to large corporations in the United States.  In both India and China, skilled craftsmen still exist and can turn a customer's imaginative designs for cabinetry into exquisite works of real, functional art. I thought of my friend Nicki, whose grandfather once made a living crafting signs here in the United States. Nicki inherited this same tactile, artistic talent, but is doubtful she could survive this day in age on pure talent alone. Eventually, Nicki's grandfather had to retire as he could not compete with companies whose machines could spit out signage cheaply. When did talent become unaffordable?

Arvind, Abhi, Kyle, and I are glad to see local farmers' markets thriving in Minneapolis, a city which spends most of the year blanketed in snow. A single bite of a white nectarine from The Produce Exchange at the Midtown Global Market convinced me that buying local and organic is just plain right. Like individual craftsmanship, sacrifices have been made in the food industry for the sake of "bigger," "more," and longer shelf life. A change is a-coming, though.

Thank you Abhi and Arvind for inviting us to a "simple" dinner and reminding us that simple is better.

Fresh Vegetables