Now well into our second month working together, Pushpa and I have reached cruising altitude. Sure there are still moments of misunderstanding, but when she shows up on her daily rounds and asks, "kyaa khaoge" (what will you eat) I no longer look at her like a deer in the headlights. At first I defaulted to the familiar, which typically meant asking for some type of stuffed paratha (potato, onion, or both). But a fresh batch of paratha, while delicious, will only take you so far in this world. With time, I've gained a sense of what she likes to cook, based on what ingredients she can find, and started to accumulate a list of staples.
As with anything there was a learning curve, heightened in this case by the fact that some of the vegetables she procures don't have American equivalents. I already knew the basics, including bhindi (okra) and baingan (eggplant)--both of which I enjoy--but when Pushpa first showed up with the likes of parval and ghiya I didn't even know where to start. Now they are two of my favorites. The parval masala and ghiya kofte pictured both fall squarely into the category of "dishes you will never find at an Indian restaurant," at least in North America. Pushpa's inclination is to make all food exceedingly spicy, a tendency she tempers when Kyle is around (sometimes by making us two separate versions), but when he's away in Rajasthan I encourage her to let loose with the masala. The results are quite pleasing.
At the request of our landlords, Pushpa continues to cook only vegetarian fare in the house, though on occasion she sneaks in non-veg offerings cooked at home and delivered in discrete packaging. This week she brought a container of Kashmiri-style palak ghost (spinach and mutton), which I devoured in a single sitting. She generally arrives to cook and clean in the late morning and her daily labors thus provide substantial lunches. With Kyle away I can usually stretch each batch of food into two or three meals. Needless to say, having Pushpa around has taken a big chunk out of my food delivery expenses, even factoring in her monthly salary. While I resisted the present arrangement, primarily out of frustration with the way our landlords thrust it upon us (and the anti-Muslim overtones of their actions), I'll be the first to admit that having someone show up to cook for you upon request is not without its charms.
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