Back to Normal
The weather is much cooler today, after yesterday's 100+ temperatures, and at long last, I also feel like I have recuperated from last week's Indian cooking extravaganza. The kitchen has finally been restored to order, although I still have a half-dozen jars of homemade chutney in my fridge. But since they keep for a good long time, I will no doubt have a chance to use them for other purposes.

And now that the weather is so much more pleasant, I can turn my attention to next month's Dinner & a Movie. It's always so hard to think about food when the heat robs me of my appetite. So, I'm already getting out the cookbooks to plan my next Adventure in Asian Food & Film.
04:20 PM PDT Permalink |

Happy Birthday Will!
My son Will turns 15 years old today. He was born in Tokyo while I was there teaching English. And since Japan is 17 hours ahead of Pacific Time, we celebrate his Japanese birthday the night before, and his actual birthday here in the Napa Valley on August 28.

For last night's dinner, I grilled two beautiful steaks of tuna and served them with a medley of stir fried vegetables, sweet steamed yams with butter, and plain white rice. It was so tempting just to eat the tuna raw, but since it wasn't sushi grade, I didn't want to risk it.

The temperature was over 100 degrees today, so it's way too hot to cook. We're having Chinese take-out instead.

So, Will darling...Otanjobi Omedeto Gozaimasu! (That's Happy Birthday in Japanese)
08:26 PM PDT Permalink |

Monsoon Wedding Film Review
At long last, I watched Monsoon Wedding and was delighted beyond all expectations. This cinematic extravaganza of Indian culture had me laughing and crying at the same time. The story and characters are captivating, the music is enchanting, and the sets and costumes are a feast for the eyes.

Here is a link to my review of Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding.

12:05 AM PDT Permalink |

Miscellaneous Ramblings on Indian Cuisine...
I learned a lot while planning and preparing my Monsoon Wedding curry dinner. For example, I discovered that the turmeric in curry powder will stain everything in your kitchen yellow: cookware, plasticware, wooden utensils, china, countertops, sinks, clothing and even fingernails. So if you're cooking with curry powder or turmeric by itself, wear an apron, avoid using plastic containers of any kind, and rinse or wipe any stray drippings immediately. And if something gets stained with turmeric, you can remove it with a solution of water and household bleach.

I also learned that the Portuguese introduced Vindaloo to India. Meat rations were stored aboard their trading ships in barrels of wine with garlic. When the Portuguese traders arrived in India, they used the native spices to season the meat they had brought with them. They called it Vin d'Ail, which means garlic wine, and the word evolved into the Indian language as Vindaloo.

Chutney Demystified: Chutney is defined in the dictionary as a mixture of chopped fruits or green tomatoes cooked in vinegar and sugar with ginger and spices, which leaves it wide open to individual interpretation. Therefore, chutney can be made with most any kind of fruit or vegetable, but it would seem that authentic chutney should be made with fruits and spices idigenous to India. Once the ingredients are decided, making chutney is unbelievably easy.
02:40 AM PDT Permalink |

Monsoon Wedding Dinner & a Movie Recipes and Photos
My Monsoon Wedding Dinner & a Movie was a fabulous curry feast. For the appetizer, I served Curry Infused Shrimp with Mango Chutney, followed by a delicious Mulligatawny Soup, and for the main course, Chicken Vindaloo, Curried Lamb Stew, Spiced Lentils, Jasmine Rice and Naan Bread, accompanied by six different kinds of fruit chutney.

Here is a link to the Monsoon Wedding Dinner & a Movie Photos and Recipes.
03:05 AM PDT Permalink |

A Tally of the Cost of Dinner (in U.S.$)
The cost of the ingredients for my Monsoon Wedding curry dinner are listed below. Keep in mind that the prices are based on buying everything new rather than using ingredients that I already had in my pantry. Of course there were lots of things left over for future meals, so the actual cost of the dinner based on the quantities of the ingredients used to make the dishes will be much lower than the grand total of stocking a pantry from scratch for preparing Indian cuisine.

Specialty Ingredients:

Coconut Milk - 3.38
Mustard Seeds - .99
Cumin - .99
Cardamom - 2.49
Cinnamon - .99
Corriander Seeds - .99
Garam Masala - 1.49
Mango Chutney - 5.95
Curry Powder - 1.99
Turmeric - 2.49

Fresh Ingredients:

Shrimp - 2.73
Chicken Breasts - 7.99
Lamb - 3.81
Onions - .48
Garlic - .98
Ginger - .95
Green Peppers – .54
Carrots - .53
Lemons – .50
Limes - 1.00
Tomatoes – 2.00
Cucumbers - 1.98
Leafy Lettuce - .99
Jalapenos – .24
Apples – 2.18
Peaches – 3.56
White Raisins – 1.99
Watermelon – 3.99
Lentils – .99
Yeast - 2.19
India Pale Ale - 6.99
Root Beer - 1.99

Basics:

Oil - 1.99
Vinegar - 1.98
Sugar - 1.99
Brown Sugar - 1.69
Flour - 1.99

Total - $76.79 ($US)

12:24 AM PDT Permalink |

All About the Dinner & a Movie: How Everything Turned Out
Yesterday was my Monsoon Wedding Dinner & a Movie day, so I spent most of Friday night and all day yesterday in the kitchen, although I did manage to watch a French movie (The Hairdresser's Husband) on the Sundance Channel during my prep work. The dinner was a feast as usual, however, not everything turned out perfectly. My Naan Bread didn't puff, I didn't care for the combination of spices in the Lamb Stew, and Rene didn't like the India Pale Ale, so he drank Corona instead. But other than those minor details, it was quite delicious, especially the Curry Infused Shrimp with Chutney, the Mulligatawny Soup, the Tomato Cucumber Raita and the Spiced Lentils. Will really liked the Chicken Vindaloo, and Rene helped himself to lots of the homemade chutney.

As always, I was a little over-amped when it came time to sit down to dinner, so I didn't eat much on the first go-round, but I did have a second helping of everything later in the evening. As a result, I woke up this morning with a mild reaction to the spices... slightly elevated heartbeat, a series of hot flashes, and a general feeling of heat in my digestive system. Maybe it was the cardamom and the chiles. I'm just not used to cooking with so many different spices. I love the way they smell and taste but I can never predict what effect they will have on me. An overdose of allspice almost put me in the hospital one time.

Of all the incongruous things, we watched Kill Bill 2 during dinner because Monsoon Wedding is subtitled and it's hard to eat and read subtitles at the same time. Rene and Will were keen to watch it, so I agreed. I had suffered through the first installment a few months ago and managed to find certain things to appreciate about it, but I have got to say that the sequel is one of the most self-indulgent pieces of cinematic rubbish I've ever seen. Rene and Will both agreed. I have never cared for Quentin Tarrantino's films and his two latest are certainly no exception.

After dinner, when it came time to watch Monsoon Wedding, after 15 or 20 minutes, Rene was having such a hard time keeping up with the heavy Indian accents and the speed of the subtitles flashing by that he wasn't enjoying the film. He usually loves movies, so it's rare to find one that he can't watch. Although he is remarkably fluent, English isn't his first language, so he sometimes struggles with fast-paced dialogue. Anyway, we stopped the movie and watched several episodes of Sex and the City instead. We're in the middle of the third season, and are enjoying it thoroughly. There is no sexual subject left unexamined and lampooned. At first, I thought it would be too 'girly' for us both, but I think we mostly appreciate the candor of the humor. I'm going to watch Monsoon Wedding by myself this evening.

The moral of the story: Stay flexible and adaptable, and always remember to enjoy the moment, no matter what unexpected surprises it may bring.
03:32 AM PDT Permalink |

Monsoon Wedding Dinner & a Movie
Today was the big day for my Monsoon Wedding Dinner & a Movie. And although I didn't make it out of the kitchen in under two hours as projected, doing so much of the prep work ahead of time made for a very relaxed afternoon of cooking. Unlike the delicate steamed and stir-fried dishes I've prepared for other Asian meals, or the exacting precision of traditional Japanese cuisine, Indian food is much heartier and durable. The stews, soup and legume dishes can easily be reheated without damaging texture or flavor, and therefore the timing isn't so crucial. But between cooking, enjoying the meal and the movie, and cleaning up afterwards, the project was an all day affair that has left me quite spent, so I'm going to leave the details 'til next time.
09:16 AM PDT Permalink |

Preparing the Kitchen and Prepping Dishes Ahead
This evening after my day's work and errands were done, I set about preparing the kitchen for tomorrow's Indian cooking extravaganza. I even parcooked the Curried Lamb Stew, the Chicken Vindaloo and the Muligatawny Soup. That way, all I have to do tomorrow is add the remaining fresh ingredients and finish simmering them. The only items left to prepare are the Lemon Pickles, the Curry Infused Shrimp, the Tomato-Cucumber Raita, the Jasmine Rice and the Naan Bread. With all that I've already done, I should be in and out of the kitchen in under two hours.
12:01 AM PDT Permalink |

Shopping for Fresh Ingredients
I finished up with the shopping for my Monsoon Wedding Dinner & a Movie. Since I had already bought my spices and meats, all I needed were a few fresh vegetables. And my refrigerator is full of homemade chutney. However, I still have to stop and pick up some beer. I couldn't find any Indian beer in town, although I have seen Kingfisher from time to time in years past. But Cost Plus has an India Pale Ale made in Oregon. I'm assuming that it's made in the style of the hearty brew that was shipped to India by the British during the colonial era. Several modern micro-breweries have recently revived the style, and I'm keen to try it. Although I am a little wary, since beers of that type sometimes put me right to sleep. A bottle of Sam Adams will knock me out for hours. I'm told it might be the extra hops used in the heartier recipes. Anyway, I don't want to fall asleep during the movie after I've waited so long to see it.

With all the ingredients on hand, tomorrow, I will prepare the kitchen and make my Curried Lamb Stew. Since I don't have a pressure cooker (those things scare the bejesus out of me) I'm going to simmer it in my crockpot. I may even make the Chicken Vindaloo ahead of time too.
02:35 PM PDT Permalink |

Beverages to Go With My Monsoon Wedding Curry Dinner
Indian cuisine includes a wide variety of both spirited and non-alcoholic beverages. Chai is a hot beverage made with black tea, milk, and sugar, spiced with cinnamon, cloves, ginger and cardamom. Lassi is a cold milk beverage, similar to buttermilk, and is sometimes mixed with the pulp of fresh mangoes. Shikanjami is fresh limeade, Kanji is a cold beverage made with fermented carrots, and Thandai is a milk beverage seasoned with various seeds and nuts.

India also produces beer, wine and whiskey. Beer was first introduced to India during the British colonial era, when a hearty variety called India Pale Ale was brought over from England in ships. Breweries were soon established all over India, with Lion Beer being its oldest commercial brand. Lion is still produced today, along with many other brands, including Kingfisher, Cobra, Guru, Indian Tiger, Kalyani, Khajuraho, and Taj Mahal. Rice beer is also produced in the northeastern regions.

Wine has been an integral part of Indian culture and cuisine for thousands of years, however, varietal wines similar to those of France, Italy, Germany and California, have not been produced in India until recently. Most wine produced in India is made from imported varietals such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with domestic grapes. The most common labels include Costa & Company, Grover Vineyards, Indage Group, Shaw Wallace, Sula Vineyards, Vinbros & Co., and Omar Khayam, a sparkling wine.
01:57 PM PDT Permalink |

About Indian Cuisine
As one of the world's largest countries, India has many distinctive regional cuisines, and the culinary style of each region is strongly influenced by its indigenous vegetation and wildlife. In the Himalayan region to the north, meats and grains are the primary ingredients and are often prepared using oil. Southern Indian cuisine is spicy, and is often steamed and served with rice. Along the coastlines, seafood is abundant, and is therefore a common ingredient in everyday meals. The northern plains regions, including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, are known for flatbreads such as roti, parantha, puri, and naan. And provinces such as Kashmir, Mughlai Bengal and Assam, which border continental Asia, are strongly influenced by Chinese and East Asian cuisine.

The jungles of India provide an abundance of tropical fruits such as mangoes, guava, papaya, bananas, and coconuts, which are used to make chutneys to serve as condiments for the main dish. The most common spices used in Indian food are corriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, mustard seed, cardamom, cloves, aniseed, asafoetida, tamarind, chili, ginger, and garlic.

Religion also plays a role in Indian cuisine. While the Muslim diet includes beef and lamb, the Hindu and Buddhist people maintain a strictly vegetarian diet that includes grains and legumes, as well as milk and milk products, such as yogurt, cheese, curds and ghee.

Historically, Indian food has been influenced by traders, invaders and immigrants from all over the world, including the Greeks, led by Alexander the Great in 326 B.C., Moghul invaders in the 16th century, Portuguese and Dutch traders, and the British, during the colonial era of the 18th and 19th centuries, all of which left their culinary mark on the cuisine.
01:25 PM PDT Permalink |

The History and Culture of India
India is one of the world's oldest civilizations, with evidence of human culture dating back to 7000 B.C. And although the subcontinent of India is located in close proximity to China, Tibet, Nepal, Myanmar, and Thailand, its people and its culture are vastly different from those of continental Asia.

Geography

With an area of 3,287,263 square kilometers and 7,000 miles of coastline, India is the world's seventh largest country. It is bounded to the north by the lofty Himalayas, the world's tallest mountain range, and several other ranges, including the Aghil Kunlun, Mustagh Ata, and Zaskar. The southern portion of the country is surrounded by water: the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Indian Ocean to the south and the Arabian Sea to the west. Its territories also include three major island groups, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the east, and the Lakshwadeep Islands to the west. The length of mainland of India measures 3214 kilometers, with the Tropic of Cancer passing through its central region, and its southern tip extending about halfway toward the equator. India is bordered to the north by China, Nepal and Bhutan, and in the northwest by Afganisthan and Pakistan. The Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Straits separate India from the island nation of Sri Lanka.

The topography of India forms four distinctive geographical regions: The Himalayas, which include Mt. Everest (8848m) , Mt. Kanchenjunga (8598m), Mt. Nanga Parbat (8126m), Mt. Nanda Devi (7817m), and Mt. Namcha Parbat (7756m); a great plain formed by the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra Rivers; an arid desert region, and a vast triangular plateau surrounded by a series of hills and ridges.

The nation of India is divided into 28 states and 7 union territories: the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The capital city is New Delhi, located in the north central region.

Climate and Wildlife

The climate of India is classified as tropical monsoon, with four seasons: Winter in January and February), summer from March to May, a rainy monsoon season from June through September, and a post-monsoon season from October through December.

The tropical climate of India features lush jungles, swampy marshes and both evergreen and deciduous forests, and is conducive to a rich variety of flora and fauna. Among its indigenous animals are elephants, monkeys, tigers, leopards, panthers, rhinos, several varieties of antelopes and deer, cattle, bison and buffalo, sloths, hyenas, wild pigs, jackals, foxes, wolves and wild dogs, mongooses, and giant squirrels. Reptiles include king cobras, pythons, crocodiles, freshwater tortoises and monitor lizards. Birds include peacocks, eagles, owls, pheasants, herons, ibises, storks, cranes, flamingos and pelicans. India is also known for many colorful varieties of butterflies.

Indigenous trees include pine, spruce and silver fir, birch, junipers, oaks, laurels, maples, rhododendrons, alder, dwarf willows, bamboos and tall grasses. Unfortunately, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, extensive hunting and poaching, deforestation for agriculture, pesticide use and overcrowding have had a profound impact on India's natural environment. Only 10% of the country is still covered with natural forests, however, in an effort to protect these remaining resources and their indigenous wildlife, the government has established more than 350 parks, sanctuaries and reserves.

Agriculture and Industry

The fertile Ganga plain is a rich agricultural region that supports crops such as wheat, sugarcane and rice. The humid regions produce important commercial crops, such as spices, coffee, tea, rubber, coconut, cashews, mangoes, guava, papaya, and bananas. India's economy includes both traditional village farming and modern agriculture, the manufacture of traditional handicrafts such as pottery, textiles and metal craft, as well as a vast number of modern industries. Natural resources include iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, and the world's fourth-largest coal reserves. Since its independence in 1947, India has become self-sufficient in agricultural production and is now the tenth industrialized nation in the world. India has recently become a major player in the world of technology and engineering. A growing segment of the population is well-educated, with many people fluent in the English language, which has enabled India to become a major producer and exporter of software programs and services.

Calendar & Time Zone

India uses a bewilderingly complex calendar system, based partially on the solar calendar, partially on the lunar calendar, and partially on the Gregorian calendar. In some places, a solar calendar, similar to the Zodiac, is used. Others use a lunar calendar, with each month beginning with either the new moon or the full moon, depending on the region. Many people even use a combination of the solar and lunar calendars simultaneously, which denotes the lunar day, the lunar month, the solar day, the solar midpoint, and the positions of the sun and moon relative to each other. The Gregorian calendar, preferred throughout much of the world, is also used in India for official purposes. The government introduced an Indian National calendar in 1957, a solar calendar with 365 or 366 days, leap years like those in the Gregorian calendar, but with the new year beginning on the vernal equinox. Years are numbered from the first year of the Saka era, 78 A.D. India is 13 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

Traditional Clothing

The most readily identifiable Indian woman's garment is the sari, a single length of cotton, silk or synthetic fabric, five to six yards in length, worn wrapped around the waist and shoulders. Sari styles, textures, patterns and colors vary from one region to another, and the way in which it is worn is indicative of a woman's social status, age, occupation, and religion. The sari is worn over a tightly-fitted, short-sleeved, midriff-length blouse called a choli.

Women in the province of Rajasthan wear another type of traditional garment called a ghagra or lehanga. This pleated skirt is fastened at the waist, leaving the back and midriff bare. A cotton shawl called an orhni or dupatta is worn to cover the head.

One of the most popular women's garments is the salwar-kameez, originally worn in the provinces of Kashmir and Punjab but now common to all regions of India. The salwar is a pair of pajama trousers tightly fitted at the waist and ankles. The kameez is a long and loose tunic, split at the side seams, worn over the salwar trousers. A variation of the salwar-kameez is the churidar, a tighter fitting trouser worn with a simple tunic called a kurta. The kurta, worn by both men and women is a loose-fitting, short-sleeved, knee-length tunic with a round neck, side-slits at the hem and a flared skirt. Another garment worn by both men and women is the lungi, a short length of fabric worn around the waist like a sarong.

Two traditional garment for men are dhotis and pajamas. A dhoti is a length of fabric wrapped around the hips, with an additional length of fabric pulled up between the legs and secured at the waist. The pajama-like trousers worn by men in the villages are known as lenga.

Over the last century, western clothing has gradually made its way into Indian culture, where many modern men and women now wear suits for everyday business attire.

Traditional Houses

Traditional Indian houses are multi-storied dwellings constructed of baked mud bricks, with a small central courtyard surrounded by rooms with no windows overlooking the streets and entries through adjoining alleyways. Even the earliest examples of residential architecture featured indoor plumbing with drains that flowed into covered sewers.

Language

Hindi is the national language, spoken by approximately 30% of the people. In addition, there are 14 other languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language. English is also widely spoken for national, political, and commercial communication.

Religion

India is one of the most religously diverse nations on earth. The religions of India include the indigenous Hindu religion, with its pantheon of powerful gods and goddesses. Buddhism also originated in India, with Prince Siddhartha's mission to gain understanding of human suffering and to forge a path toward enlightenment. Another ancient religion that is still practiced in India is Jainism, a sect founded as a revolt against Hinduism in the 6th century, and emphasizes asceticism, immortality and transcedence of the spirit, but does not acknowledge the existence of a supreme being. A more recently founded religion is Sikhism, which originated in the northwestern province of Punjab in the 16th century. Several non-native religions have also found their way into India, including Zoroastrianism, a Persian religion founded in the 6th century B.C.; Islam, introduced by the Muslims around the 8th century; Christianity, introduced by the apostle Thomas in the first century A.D.; and Catholicism, introduced by European colonists in the 15th century.

Education

Education has long been an integral part of Indian culture. In ancient times, scholars developed schools of philosophy, religion, medicine, literature, drama and arts, astrology, mathematics and sociology. Buddhist monastaries also provided excellent venues for higher learning, including those at Vikramshila, Takshashila, and Nalanda, which, at its height, had an enrollment of ten thousand students and teachers, including scholars from China, Sri Lanka and Korea.

Around the 11th century, Muslims established elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities in the major cities of Delhi, Lucknow and Allahabad, featuring courses in theology, philosophy, fine arts, architecture, mathematics, medicine and astronomy.

During British colonial rule, the educational system in India was further expanded, with colleges established in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. Thereafter, western education has made steady advances, until today, where India offers 226 universities, 428 Engineering colleges and technological institutes, more than a 100 medical colleges, dozens of agricultural and other specialized institutes of higher learning. Today, India offers its citizens one of the most highly developed educational systems of any nation in the world. Indian scholars consistently contribute to the world of science and technology, the arts and humanities, and in business and agriculture.

The primary and secondary systems are modeled after western schools, with elementary grades one through six, middle school grades seven through nine, and high school grades ten through twelve. The literacy rate in India is 52.21 per cent: 64.13 for males and 39.29 for females.

Art

Much of India's art is strongly influenced by religion, with many colorful works depicting the pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses, as well as the life of Buddha. Indian art also includes a vast array of traditional handicrafts including textile weaving, carpet making, intricate embroidery techniques, elaborate jewelry, leather work, metal crafts, painting, pottery, paper making, stone and wood carving.

The Flag of India

The national flag of India was officially adopted on July 22, 1947, when the Indian subcontinent was divided into India and Pakistan. It is composed of three horizontal stripes, orange on top, white in the center and green on the bottom. The orange represents courage and sacrifice, green stands for faith and chivalry, and white symbolizes peace and truth. A circular blue starburst design in the center of the flag represents the Buddhist chakra wheel.

Indian Mythology

According to Hindu tradition, the Universe was a single entity called Brahmin, which was later associated with the god Brahma, the creator of the Universe. A trinity of deities was formed by Brahma the Creator, Vishnu, the Protector, and Shiva, the Destroyer. India's mythology began during a period known as the Vedic Age, during the Harappan and Mohenjodaro civilizations around 2400 B.C. The Vedic Age is named for a collection of hymns called the Vedas.

The Hindu religion acknowledges the presences of a soul, called atama, which is transmigrated from one being to another. Sacrifice and penance were integral to Hindu worship. Penance in the form of isolation and deep meditation was rewarded by the Trinity in the form of protection from harm or even immortality.

Many of India's myths revolve around the ongoing conflict between the Deva gods and the Asura demons, and three of the most famous ancient texts on the subject are the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas.

The History of India

Indian civilization is among the oldest in the world, with archaeological evidence of its existence dating back as far as the Paleolitic Era, or the Stone Age, around 9,000 B.C. Recorded civilization dates back to 7,000 B.C. Known as the Harappan Civilization, it began in the valley of the Indus River, and reached its height around 2,600 B.C. when it flourished as an urban culture based on commerce and agricultural trade. It was among the largest of the Bronze Age civilizations, and encompassed a vast territory, from Afghanistan in the west to the Ganges plains in the east; and from Pamir in the north to the Rann of Kutch in the south. The Harappan Civilization began to decline between 1900 and 1700 B.C. and around 1500 B.C., Aryan tribes invaded from the northwest and assimilated themselves into the existing indigenous people.

The next important phase of Indian history is the period known as the Shishunaga Dynasty of the Magadha Empire in the Ganges Valley of northern India in the 6th century B.C. Until that time, the Brahaman religion had dominated the culture. However, around that time, Buddhism and Jainism both grew in strength, and the many texts associated with these two religious movements provide a wealth of historical information as well.

In 322 B.C., Chandragupta Maurya overthrew the oppressive ruler of Magadh and founded his own dynasty. His successor, the most famous of the Mauryas, Ashoka the Great, who reigned from 273 to 232 B.C., extended the boundaries of his empire from Kashmir and Peshawar in the north, to Mysore in the south, and Orissa in the east. After his impressive military conquests, Ashoka renounced war and dedicated the remaining years of his life to dhamma, or righteousness.

When Ashoka died in 232 B.C., the empire began to weaken, enabling Pushyamitra Shunga, a Brahmin general, to usurp the throne. Thereafter, India was governed by a weak federal system, during which it was invaded numerous times over the next four hundred years, until sovereignty was restored by the Gupta Dynasty, most notably Samudra Gupta, who reigned from 335 to 380 A.D., and his successor, Chandra Gupta II, who reigned from 380 to 412 A.D. It was Chandra Gupta II who defeated the Sakas, and re-established a strong central government, and it was during his reign that India reached the height of prosperity, culture, art, literature and science.

However, by 600 A.D., the Gupta Empire was already in decline, with feudal administrators waging civil rebellion and declaring independence. Trade and commerce were disrupted, and with it, the peace and prosperity India had enjoyed for nearly three hundred years.

Islam was introduced to India by the Muslims around the 8th century A.D., and spread across the Indian subcontinent over the next 1000 years. During the 10th and 11th centuries, Turkish and Afghan invaders established sultanates in Delhi; and in the early 16th century, tribes descended from Genghis Khan invaded India through the Khyber Pass and established the Mughal (Mogul) Dynasty, which lasted for 200 years.

Vasco da Gama's arrival in 1498 opened the gateway to European traders by way of his newly found sea route to the Indian subcontinent. Portuguese and Dutch traders were the first to arrive, establishing colonial territories at Travancore, Goa, Daman, Diu and Bombay. The first British colonists arrived in 1619 and established an outpost at Surat on the northwestern coast of India, and later, at Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta. The French arrived soon thereafter, with large colonial establishments in southern India, including Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanam, Mah, and Chandernagore.

British rule over India had originally been established by the East India Company, which by 1850, controlled most of country, which at the time, also included what are now Pakistan and Bangladesh. After an uprising of Indian militants in the northern territories, the commerical governing power that had once belonged to the East India Company was transferred to the British Crown. However, toward the end of the 19th century, still under British rule, a council of Indian advisors was appointed to aid the British Viceroy with the establishment of provincial governments. And by 1920, under the leadership of Mohandas Ghandi, a resistance movement had begun to end British colonial rule.

On August 15, 1947, India gained independence and joined the Commonwealth of Nations with Jawaharlal Nehru serving as Prime Minister. This event marked the beginning of turbulent times in India, with the Muslim northwest and northeast separated into the nation of Pakistan. A violent civil war ensued with clashes between Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs, followed by a two-year war between Pakistan and India over the province of Kashmir.

The Constitution of India was ratified on November 26, 1949, and India became a sovereign nation on January 26, 1950. Independent rule was carried out by the Congress Party, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, followed by his daughter Indira Ghandi, and later by his grandson, Rajiv Gandhi. Prime Minister Nehru governed the nation until his death in 1964.

In 1961 India invaded and reclaimed the Portuguese colony of Goa on the west coast, and in 1971 India, regained the province of of Sikkim. In 1962 a conflict arose with China over the border in the Himalayas, and in 1965, India and Pakistan waged war again over the province of Kashmir. In 1971 the two nations fought yet again, resulting in the independence of East Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh.

In 1966, Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, began a ten-year term as Prime Minister, during which time she was faced with serious political and economic problems. She was defeated at the polls by Morarji Desai in 1977. However, two short years later, his rule was in decline, and an interim government headed by Charan Singh presided over India until Indira Gandhi's return to power in January 1980. On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated, and her son, Rajiv Gandhi, was chosen to take her place. His administration ended in 1989 due to controversy over corruption.

V.P. Singh succeded Rajiv Ghandi, followed in 1990 by Chandra Shekhar as Prime Minister. Yet another administrative collapse occurred under Chandra Shekhar's rule, calling for a national election in June 1991. Rajiv Ghandi remained active in Indian politics until he was assassinated by Sri Lankan Tamil extremists. In the elections, the Congress Party won 213 parliamentary seats and formed a coalition under the leadership of P.V. Narasimha Rao.

After many years of political upheaval, the Congress party government served a full 5-year term, during which a policy of economic reform was instituted, opening the Indian economy to global trade and investment. However, in the spring of 1996, India was once again in the throes of political upheaval due to corruption and scandal. A series of national elections were held in short succession, resulting in a procession of short-lived Prime Ministers, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, H.D. Deve Gowda, Inder Kumar Gujral, and Manmohan Singh.

Population: As of July 2004, the population of India is estimated to now exceed one billion people.

12:08 AM PDT Permalink |

A Little Background on the Film
For the daughter of an upper-middle class Indian family, an arranged marriage to a young Indian man living in Texas is the premise for Monsoon Wedding, directed by Mira Nair. Over the course of four days, relatives of the two families from all over the world converge on the city of New Delhi during monsoon season for the event. The film juxtaposes contemporary lifestyles with cultural traditions, as preparations are made, family dramas are played out, and the big day itself is fraught with complications. With its rich cinematography and lively music, critics loved the film and I can't wait to see it myself.
12:03 AM PDT Permalink |

Making Chutney
René brought home a whole watermelon a few days ago, and while carving it up, I got inspired to make a chutney out of the rinds. I always hate to throw them away, because growing up in the South, where watermelons are sweet and plentiful, some of the ladies in the neighborhood used to make pickles out of the rinds. With that as my inspiration, I went online, located a couple of enticing watermelon chutney recipes and tried them both. One of them called for both the flesh and the rind, seasoned with curry powder and sweetened with brown sugar. It turned out remarkably similar to a standard mango chutney, only not quite as sticky. The other recipe wanted the rinds only and was spiced with lots of ginger and hot chilis and sweetened with regular white sugar. The result was a much spicier, syrupy chutney. Of the two, it was definitely my favorite. It was so good that after I filled a jar to the rim with it, René and I ate the leftovers with a spoon.

Having had such satisfying success with my first foray into making my own chutney, I went right out and bought all the ingredients to try my hand at a few more recipes. My neighbor had given me some lovely vine-ripened tomatoes, so I made a red tomato chutney spiced with cumin and coriander that turned out rather like a thick, sweet ketchup. From the other fruits I made peach chutney spiced with garam masala, apple-raisin chutney spiced with curry powder, and pineapple chutney spiced with a pinch of garam masala and lots of fresh ginger root.

As always, I improvised the recipes, and seasoned them so that each has its own unique flavor. I didn't want them to taste too similar to each other. I was going for variety, and with all the ripe flavors of the fresh fruits and the different spices in each one, I think I have quite a lovely array of condiments to serve with my Curried Lamb Stew and Chicken Vindaloo.

So, after my abounding success in making six different kinds of chutney, you can bet your ghee and garam masala that I will never again pay seven bucks at the grocery store for a five ounce jar of Major Grey's.
02:56 AM PDT Permalink |