Kurma

A Folk Tale

Once upon a time a talkative turtle overheard two hunters say that they were planning to catch turtles the very next day. When the hunters left, the turtle asked two cranes to help him escape. "Beautiful white birds," he said, "if you hold a long stick between your beaks, I'll close my mouth tightly in the middle of it, and then you can fly up and carry me to safety."

"Good idea," said the cranes. "But, for the plan to succeed, you will have to keep your mouth closed tightly on the stick and you must not say a word!" The turtle agreed and biting on the middle of a stick held in the beaks of two birds, off he was carried.

When the birds were high in the air with the turtle dangling down from the stick, some people on the ground looked up at the strange sight in the sky and said, "What clever birds! They figured out how to carry a turtle!"

The proud, talkative turtle cried out, "It was my idea!" and fell tumbling down to earth.

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My fifteenth class at Canberra's Cooking Co-ordinates was another memorable one.

The day before, I snuggled down for a very comfy, non-stop double-decker bus trip. In my opinion, three-and-a-half pleasant hours on the highway was a superior and vastly cheaper choice to an overcrowded airport gefuffle, then being crammed into a plane at an ungodly, pressurised altitude.

I popped on my Bose QuietComfort Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones, turned on my music, sat back, and was immediately transported to another, transcendent realm.

It was mighty dry out there. Australian Capital Territory, including Canberra itself, has been without rain for a very long time.

Demonstration classes (I cook, they watch) are a lot more demanding (for me) than a hands-on class where we all share the cooking.

Staff-members Laura, Cass and Sharon dry-roasted some pappadams before the class began.

This is what we rustled up:

Vegetarian Curries of the Subcontinent

Mixed Vegetables in Creamy Gujarati-style Karhi Sauce served with flaky Paratha Breads
Simple & Sublime Fenugreek-scented Gujarati Pumpkin Curry with flame-toasted Pappadams
Karachi-style Masoor Dal & Potato Curry with Middle Eastern Breads
Bengali Panir, Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry served with Basmati Rice
Breakfast-time Cashew-Studded Sooji Curry (Upma) with Sourdough Toast, Fresh Yogurt and Chutney
Saffron Rice Pudding (Kheer)

Three hours of entertaining, educating, communicating, and of course quality cooking of 5 tastings for 40, all with non-stop-banter, requires the utmost concentration and professionalism. I think I did pretty well. My dedicated crew of staff made it all possible.

I didn't have time to stop and take any photos of what I cooked. It was all delicious, though you'll have to take my word for it.

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