Tejal Family and Pani Puris

Well, tonight we made the trip up to Thornton, and stopped by our favorite Indian store, Tejal. We truly love going there! Jacob and Molly are the owners, and such wonderful, friendly people. They were happy to see us, and shared pictures of their daughter's Indian wedding with us. I might say, very beautiful indeed! David even said that his heart "leapt" at seeing the Indian people and such. We were invited, but since airfare to India is over $1000/person, we could not make the trip. Spending time with Molly & Jacob is always a treat for us. It's fun to interact with the people that God has placed in our hearts to reach with the gospel. Molly & Jacob are already believers in Jesus, so it's even more like visiting family when we go. While there, we also purchased some spices and other trinkets. I decided to buy a pani puri package, which included some chutneys to use with them. Pani puri are like chips in texture, but are hollow balls, that you fill with various items. Of course, we know that the ones fresh from Juhu Beach or Chowpatty Beach must be so much better, but we liked them none-the-less. It's always fun to try something new that is both Indian, and not American. Looking forward to the day we can actually walk those beaches, see those people, experience the real thing. Hopefully October will be the time this year! Unless God has other immediate plans for us. :)

Aloo Gobi and Missionaries

Well, after such a busy holiday time, I'm glad to be back in the saddle of "normal" again. The husband is back to work, the kids and I are back to homeschooling, and maybe, I'll get back to the normal routines of life. Over the holidays, we had a chance to go to lunch with some friends of ours that were missionaries in India. They then pastored locally for a year, and now have gone back to their mother church to await the next plan God has for them. We went to lunch at a local Indian/Nepalese buffet, and really enjoyed ourselves. During conversation, we were discussing our favorite Indian recipes, and promised to email the recipes to each other. Since I had a couple minutes today, I decided to do just that. And, I thought I would share with anybody else who may be interested. This is a pretty good recipe that I think is pretty accurate, and hopefully not as "Americanized" as many other recipes I've tried. Enjoy!

1 lb potatoes, cut into 1 in. chunks
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped (I actually use ½ and remove seeds)
1 lb cauliflower, broken into florets
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp salt
Chopped fresh coriander (cilantro), to garnish

1. Par-cook the potatoes ion a large pan of boiling water for about 10 mins. Drain well and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy pan. Add the cumin seeds and fry them for 2 minutes until they begin to splutter. Add the chilli and fry for a further 1 minute.
3. Add the cauliflower florets and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes.
4. Add the potatoes and the ground spices and salt and cookf or a further 7-10 minutes, or until both the vegetables are tender. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve.