Kurma

You may by now have heard about the horrible attack on the Hare Krishna Temple in Imphal, Manipur (far North-western India) 2 days ago. Here is some information...

"Terror strikes Imphal ISKCON temple: Four including child killed; over 50 injured; foreign devotees injured, one seriously.

The Imphal Free Press

IMPHAL, Aug 16: Krishna Janma celebrations at the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON campus at Sangaiprou, Imphal ended in blood and gore this evening after unidentified persons hurled a hand grenade into a crowded mandap where a ras leela performance was taking place.

The blast killed at least four people, including two children, and injured nearly 50 others. The injured include at least two foreigners, one of whom is stated to be in serious condition... more... condemnation over bombings pour in...

With the luggage-losing nightmare a fading memory, and the two biggest festival days on the Hare Krishna calendar behind me, I am back in my groove. Yesterday and the day before I taught cookery classes to 12 eager attendees.

Both groups were a mix of local Slovenians, along with those that commuted from Zagreb, Croatia, (a two-hour drive) and from Vienna, Austria (a four-hour drive) especially for the course.

Here's our team sitting down for lunch on Friday.

This is what we cooked.

Saturday's team watch intently as Jayanti from Zagreb shallow-fries the cauliflowerettes for the Bengali vegetable curry.

This is our delectable Ekadasi (grain-free) lunch:

Succulent Gujarati Pumpkin Curry
Eggplant, Potato and Panir Cheese (“A Meat-Eater’s Delight”)
Crisp Ekadasi Cauliflower Fritters (Pakoras)
Buckwheat Poories (best ever)
Saffron Mashed Potatoes
Hot & Spicy Apple Chutney
Savoury Fresh Cheese Balls in Creamy Tomato Sauce (Malai Kofta)
Creamy Cardamom-infused Yogurt Dessert with Pistachios (Shrikhand)
North Indian Carrot Halava
Hot Spiced Tea (Masala Chai)

Gaura Chandranana Devi, like all the crew, had a healthy appetite.