This has been the strangest year, weather-wise. The temperature has veered from the 40s to the low teens, without any particular rhyme or reason. One day I’m in a Sophie Loren-esque red sun dress and sandals licking gelati by the beach and the next day I’m in my black skinny jeans, long-sleeved Ts and trench coat, with both hands wrapped around a mug of hot chocolate.
All this unpredictability plays havoc with my cooking. I spot some lovely watermelon at the markets and decide to make a watermelon, mint, fetta & black olive salad but when the time comes to eat it the skies are grey and a brutal wind is shaking the trees. Who wants to eat a salad then? Not me. I’m craving slow-cooked casseroles, spicy curries and steaming hot noodle soups to warm me up from the inside.
Today was such a day. I had a day of writing and cooking planned and got straight into the writing part. But after two hours of fairly solid work I was chilled to the bone.
So I decided to warm myself up by cooking a spicy red lentil dahl. After a few minutes chopping and then frying the garlic, onion and ginger, I added some turmeric. The minute the golden spice hit the pan, the glorious fragrance filled the kitchen and instantly the house seemed infused with its warmth. I added lentils, tomatoes and garam masala before leaving the dahl to simmer while I heated up some rice and unhurriedly fried some pappodams.
