Mops, Socks, and Chardonnay: February 2009 Archives

As a bit of an addendum to the post on Indian side dishes, one essential part of the whole Indian dining experience, at least in our house, is a plate of naan. Naan is a flat bread common to some of the many different Indian cuisines that we find is a must for mopping up those last few molecules of lamb korma. There's a variety that we've been known to use from Tandoor Chef that can be found at Whole Foods. Family members also speak well of a naan sold by Trader Joes but since we live in a wasteland, a benighted area, inhabited only by the undead and the therapeutically challenged, we have no Trader Joes here so we cannot sample the exotic offerings therein.

The Whole Food's supplied naan isn't as good as fresh baked but for those like I, cursed with clinical laziness, it's an acceptable substitute. Especially if you get the garlic naan and brush it with melted butter right out of the oven. Pay no attention to the instructions on the box that have you baking the stuff for like 90 seconds. It really takes more like 2-3 minutes. Still it's quick and easy. Mary says that she has made naan from scratch on a pizza stone but I haven't taken up that particular challenge yet.

Mary found a superb deal recently on Amazon, of all places, for Indian food. I know, I know, so many questions come to mind. Like what is she doing surfing Amazon when there's site updates pending for Mousesavers? I asked that too, and now I have to clean the kitchen for a week in addition to preparing the three course dinners that are expected of me.

Some time ago, we tried a couple of these packaged Indian side dishes from Tasty Bite and then more recently, Kitchens of India. Now, I have been experimenting a bit and I think I can whip up a pretty decent Aloo Gobi or a goat curry (oh, come on, it wasn't like it was anyone's favorite pet or anything, really). But side dishes for Indian cuisine, well, I mean I can sit there in an Indian restaurant and eat paneers and dals till the cows come home. Which in India of course, they are all too likely to do, especially if you leave the door open. Which means this entry is going in a direction that I did not originally intend.