Curious to see if I could create something other than salads or sandwiches, I begged my friend Ahmad for his mother’s recipe for dry curried chicken.  While most stores now sell pre-mixed Indian spice blends like garam masala or prepared curry, Ahmad’s mother custom blends her own sweet spice mix.  After picking up some spices that I did not previously have in my cupboard, I began ‘tweaking’ the process, beginning with a dry spice coating before the spiced yogurt coating. Marinated for  24 hours instead of 3. Fry onions, then coat the chicken in the onion mixture. Then added extra yogurt and spices on top and baked for about 25 minutes.  Plate.

      But that’s just meat.

      Meat on a plate.

      All alone.

      It needs company.

Part of the fun of planning the menu was looking up recipes for possible side dishes.  I decided to look beyond the usual recipe sites and peruse sites written in India by Indians, for Indians. (B.I.F.I.).  I encountered unusual instructions and ingredients, such as “take numbers of 3 to 6 ingredient and vigorous stir first, then add to pan and cock together.”

But I digress. (I should warn everyone right now that my idea of a satisfying quickie is to indulge in 8 hours of heavy petting first).

The side dish was a blend of basmati and wild rice blended with a vegetable curry I made the night before. The texture and consistency of the veggie curry was that of a thick soup, so it mixed well with the rice. The rice’s flavor was not as complex as the chicken curry, but delivered a pleasant kick of heat that balanced well with the rich sweetness of the chicken coating.

I decided to whip up some hummus (the night before so the flavor was well blended) with fresh veggies and the ever delish Stacy’s Pita Chips to nibble on while I finished cooking, and falquan was kind enough to keep me well hydrated with champagne.

Things that make you go hummus

Finally, we get to eat!

Hurry, hurry; eat some curry!
I cocked it just for you.

I had brought some lemon Moravian crisps for desert, but Falquan had something else in mind. Something decadent.

Maceration. Heh. You said ‘tion’

Honey, lemon, and the rest of his Cointreau. Awwww yeaaaah! Wait – there’s more? Baked biscuit, sauteed strawberries, yogurt. Oven.

Beware. Here there be decadence.

     Several glasses of wine later…

1 fork. 1 knife. 2 mouths. Sticky fingers.

Needless to say, the kitchen was a cornucopia of knives, pans, wine glasses, champagne flutes, and stickiness. I started wiping up the counter and  Falquan admitted he needed someone to help him clean up occasionally, and I suggested he get a concubine. . .

“Concubines don’t do dishes! They are only good for sex!

What use do I have for a concubine!”

Falquan, truer words have never been spoken.