In The Kitchen With Vinita, Part 2 of 2

Happy Onam! And, thank you for the great feedback and comments on In The Kitchen With Vinita, Part 1!

One of the things I really like about Vinita is that she's always ready for a cup of chai no matter how hot it is, indoors or outdoors. Yes, rather like me!

breaking bread

Vinita was brought up in the steel city of Jamshedpur but her roots go back to the Palakkad District of Kerala. The traditional ishtu or stew from this region is a simpler version of the Kerala Ishtu that Asha Gomez had made at my workshop, Culinary India, in June. This Palakkad ishtu is one of Vinita's father's favorite dishes, she explained as she quickly peeled the boiled potatoes. Onam sadya was considered incomplete without this vegetarian potato stew.

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In The Kitchen With Vinita, Part 1 of 2

You have to smile right back!

Vinita has an infectious smile and a charming extroverted personality. I am lucky to be able to call her a dear friend. Not just because she personifies exuberance but because she's beyond amazing. Vinita is an audiologist by profession but a food entrepreneur by choice. She is the mastermind behind Thing with a Zing, where she creates, bottles and sells Indian chutneys. These are not anything like British chutneys in which vinegar plays a key role in the flavor profile. As she puts it, her chutneys are a bold flavor for your senses in the true sense of the word. Her chutneys can be found in several stores in the Denver-Boulder area, like Whole Foods, Alfalfa's, and a couple of other natural grocery stores.

Under development

One of the privileges of having a friend who jars tradition with a unique twist into an edible treat, is being able to taste her creations before they hit the market. I love pineapple, I love mango, I love the combination of spices in this chutney and now, I have a problem. I don't know which of her chutneys I like best. This will be her third chutney, the second one being That Sweet Zing which is a cranberry-ginger chutney. All of them are truly excellent. Furthermore, since Vinita adheres to food safety guidelines, I never have to worry about the quality of her product, including the seal on her chutney jars.

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In The Kitchen With Dawn

After two consecutive hot and dry months, we gladly take precipitation in any form. The clouds opened up yesterday to shower us with rain and by the time I arrived at my friend Dawn's house in Boulder, the tiny hail bouncing off my car quickly turned into a snow shower.

Snow in May, not unusual. And we like it!

There was no better day to fry some pakodas, soak them in steaming hot kadhi and warm our insides as we watched the snow come down steadily for a couple of hours. The snow did not stick — which is a good thing — as the parched ground, too, got its fix.

chopped ginger and serranos

My friend, Dawn, learned this kadhi from her husband, who in turn was trained by his mother. Her in-laws hail from a small village called Shergarh in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

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In The Kitchen With Lisa and Zarah

It's not everyday that you get invited over to make Pho. That may be partly because authentic Pho is not made at home as often anymore. It's a day-long process—one that involves chopping, toasting, grilling, simmering, with a healthy dose of patience. It could be turned into a day of laughter, sharing and bonding. And that's exactly what we did.

Back in August, when my friend Zarah offered to teach us the Art of Making Pho, my lovely neighbor Lisa and I signed up instantly. We were already hooked onto the Vietnamese shrimp rolls with dipping sauce, both of which Zarah makes effortlessly. Born in the Philippines, Zarah married into a traditional Vietnamese family, where her mother-in-law trained her to cook homestyle Vietnamese food. Zarah is a woman of many talents, apart from being very hard-working. She used to own and manage an ethnic Asian grocery store, working long hours to sustain her family. Today she is a successful real estate agent in Boulder County. As charming as she is funny, there's never a dull moment when Zarah is around!

Lisa is an angel. She's also my neighbor. If I had to describe Lisa in a few words, I would simply say this: Lisa embraces. She casts a supportive net and welcomes you into her clan. I am particularly in awe of her parenting skills. Her three children, each very different from the other, stand testimony to the sheer breadth of her skills.

Lisa and Zarah, two awesome women

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In The Kitchen With Anita & Kumari

To say that Anita's kitchen is bustling with activity would be the gross understatement of the year. If she's not cooking, she's whipping up a delicious snack or her cook, Kumari, is busy prepping for the next meal. Fresh vegetables from the market jostle with fruits from her mother's garden on Anita's counters. There's some kind of green everywhere. And if she were writing this, she would not hesitate to add that that includes her compost pit, as well!

Green

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