There is nothing comparable to fresh spices, sold at market, from a stall crammed with tubs and bins of all shapes and sizes. Holding so many treasures, you can lose yourself in the aisles and in your culinary musings. But then you regain your focus, and place tubs of garam masala, cayenne as bright as a blazing summer day, and earthy cumin seeds on the counter for weighing. Then on to the fresh ingredients. The trinity of ginger, garlic, and onions. A forest of spinach, vibrant Serrano chiles, and the mild squeak of paneer.  Lamb and chicken to marinate and braise to fragrant perfection.

My boyfriend and I spent a Sunday in the kitchen together not too long ago preparing a dinner party with these beautiful ingredients, giving me the chance to expand my home cooking horizons to South Asian cooking. I’m a huge fan of the flavors, as is he, and he makes a gorgeous Chicken Tikka Masala. A colleague gave me a modern Indian cookbook as a thoughtful holiday gift, knowing that I’d been wanting to try making some of the dishes myself. We added Lamb Korma, Saag Paneer, Onion Bhajis, homemade Naan, and a cake from the book that I put a few spins on to our menu – simmering blood oranges until tender, soaking saffron threads in warm milk until they infuse it with their golden color, and combining ground pistachios and almonds with egg yolks, sugar, and cardamom before folding in the soft peaky whites. We served the cake with pistachio ice cream – prompting a “mmmmmmmmm!” from our youngest diner! It was a wonderful way to try a number of dishes we love at home, and share them with friends.

None of the recipes were my own, so I have not shared them, but I am sharing a few pictures:

Saag Paneer:

Homemade Naan:

Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Korma: