She made me wait

Seriously, she did.

She wasn't there with garlands. There was no Bollywood music playing. No-one was dancing. My life wasn't moving in slow motion. This was for real.

So I took pictures of this Indian Army soldier instead.

Army jawan at Delhi Airport

But, ha! I found out why Alice was late getting to the airport. She was busy chopping cabbage because she was afraid of the Rabbit with the Stopwatch (and the video camera.) How else could she continue to claim to decimate a large head of cabbage into angelhair slaw in less than 90 seconds?

spot the chopped cabbage

Not just that, she canceled the picnic in the park, too! What?! Did I end up with Dorothy in Kansas instead of The Mad Tea Party?

My revenge? I arrived in true NRI style, with bags full of dirty laundry, leaving no room for candy chocolates, and a host of very reasonable conditions: water must be boiled and then simmered for at least 10 minutes, all food must be thoroughly cooked (no raw veggies, including cilantro), a mosquito net over our bed, and bottomless cups of tea. She didn't make any compromises and delivered on all fronts but if you think she didn't complain or laugh at me, you're wrong! So very wrong. In fact, she had saved this article, just for me.

So we are.

Oh! It was such a treat to hug my dearest friend, Anita, for the first time! She is everything and more than what I thought she would be. A human dynamo, she's constantly doing something and often, several things all at once.

four years and three months later

The picnic may have been canceled but the party was still on! And this is the point at which you can totally start getting jealous!

Out came the labneh

while the nenya kaliya cooked on the stove

lest I say anything more, the cabbage thoran was quickly tossed together, while I showered

our lovely host, Anita, set the table

gorgeous Raji arrived soon thereafter

bearing brinji, drumstick (saragawa) sambar and

Christmas Cake and wine

the entire spread!

Anita taunted me with mujj chatin and kept the cilantro separately, as if to humor me. Huh? The radish wasn't cooked so what was the point? I don't think she noticed but I ate it anyway.

What a fantastic time we had, laughing and sharing stories!

 
Three food bloggers

and men of much patience

The food was incredible and deeply satisfying. The company was invigorating. Such smart and intelligent people, quick to the draw with information and opinions. I must admit to being a little quiet as jetlag was slowly engulfing me and taking me for a brief spins in the world of zzz's.

After much animated discussion, we bid Raji and her family farewell, promising to try to meet again after our jaunt to Agra and Jaipur. I was ready to retire but Anita had other plans for us. She made us walk a good 15 minutes, threw us into the impressive Delhi metro and took us to Dilli Haat.

Before I ramble on about that (ahem, it's fodder for my next post, what did you think?!), here are all the recipes for the amazing potluck that Anita and Raji put together, each dish rivaling the other in terms of flavor, texture and stories. We're all food bloggers! How can we forget the stories!

• labneh
• mujj chatin (recipe #2)
• drumstick (saragawa) sambar (the recipe is for radish sambar; use saragawa instead. Raji recommends Sakthi Sambar Powder or any other good brand or you could make her homemade sambar powder.)
• brinji
• cabbage thoran
• aloo matar
• nenya kaliya (the recipe is for tchaman kaliya, not nenya kaliya which Anita had made)
• steamed rice
• methi parathas
• Christmas cake

Anita's husband provided an endless flow of libations from his well-stocked bar.

Yes, my India trip was off to a good start, thanks to my wonderful friends who welcomed us into their home with open arms.