Day 110 - Cooking With Lolita

I heard through the backpacker grapevine that it was possible to take a one-day cooking course and learn how to do the basics of most Indian dishes. The course took place in the private home of Lolita, a plump, charming Indian lady. It was loads of fun, but rather than try to give a blow-by-blow account, here is something of far more worth. A recipe!

Bhaigan Bharta

Small-Medium Eggplant
6-ish cloves garlic, slivered
2-ish cloves, minced
Small Chunk Ginger, peeled and slivered
1 Medium tomato
Small Onion, chopped
Olive Oil
Lemon
Salt
Pepper

Stab the eggplant all over with a big knife
Stuff the slits with the garlic and ginger
Coat the eggplant with oil (vegetable or olive)
Roast the eggplant and the tomato whole over a hot grill, open flame, or broiler until the skin is charred and the flesh is very tender
Pick off the charred skin from the tomato and eggplant
Mash together with the onion, minced garlic, salt and pepper
Add a drizzle of mustard or olive oil and a nice squeeze of fresh lemon juice


Cz did not feel the lure of cooking class, and instead opted to spend the day in Haridwar with the British and American Haridwar is one of the holiest sites on the Ganges (After Varanassi) He snapped this picture at one of the Ghats (a public bathing area) by the river. People come from all over India to wash themselves (and sometimes their cows) at this sacred site.