Tandoori Thanksgiving

Our friends Adam and April moved to Florida in August. Because of Adam's work schedule, among other things, they knew they wouldn't be coming "home" for Thanksgiving so they invited us to visit them.

It really was a no-brainer, accepting the invitation, once I heard that there would be cooking involved. I trudged up the attic stairs in search of old Bon Appetit November back issues, drooling over possible herbs to encrust the bird with and pondering exotic sides with which to surround its golden-baked carcass.

Joan and April burned precious cell minutes planning the menu before Joan announced one day that we were having Indian food for Thanksgiving.

Well, duh. There were Indians at the first Thanksgiving. And they brought food. Corn, potatoes, berries, pemmican, etc. Indian food.

Only Joan wasn't talking Indian as in Squanto and Massasoit. More like Shashi and Mujibar.

It was an intriguing idea. I love Indian food. One of our favorite restaurants is Taj India here in Birmingham. I've had some great meals there. I just don't know how to pronounce most of the stuff and I especially don't know what goes into it.

Also, I'm not so stuck on traditional Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my all-time favorite holiday, but Joan and I once caught the stomach virus from hell on a Thanksgiving weekend so for several years we did anything but traditional. We did burgers one year, barbecue the next. Anything but turkey and cranberry sauce. That's all I have to say about that.

So following an uneventful 9-hour drive to central Florida, we were barely in the door when Joan began parsing out recipe printouts and little plastic bowls of spices. Without further adieu, here is the complete menu and the responsible chef:

• Papaya Chutney (April)


• Walnut Chutney (Brian)


• Sheer Kurma (Joan)


• Chana Masala (Brian)


• Navratna Korma (April)


• Palak Paneer (Brian)


• Curry Chicken (April, recipe from a neighbor)


• Rice Roti (Joan)

Sparing you the details of what goes on in a frantic Indian kitchen, this feast ROCKED! Absolutely rocked. Not a dud dish in the bunch. I can't speak for the others, but some notes on the dishes I was responsible for:

• The masala in Chana Masala is a base of tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and onions that would have made a pretty good salsa were we doing a Mexican Thanksgiving. However, it is fried in oil until it becomes a paste, and then it is brought to boil just before the chana (chickpeas) are added. This base would be excellent with some lamb in it.


• The paneer in Palak Paneer is milk curds. I used this recipe, and quite honestly, this was the most frustrating part of the whole process. I wasn't sure what I was after and couldn't tell whether I was doing the right thing, though I did an awful lot of stirring. I believe paneer is Sanskrit for "much patience required."

This was truly one of the best Thanksgiving experiences of my life. The food, the fellowship, the challenge, and the end result were a recipe for success.

Shashi and Mujibar would be proud.