Vegetable Manchurian for #SundaySupper

Have you ever been so in love with a certain cuisine since your childhood only to harshly discover later on in life that what you thought was authentic is actually not? Ok, I wouldn't put it so dramatically as 'harshly' but, it was big news to me when I tasted the real stuff.

I'm talking about the Chinese food I was head over heels for when I was a kid. Growing up in India, we had our own version of Chinese food, just like the rest of the world. I know the Chinese are shaking their heads at us as we continue to indulge in those but, it's hard to let go of dishes that were your favorites as a kid. I ain't giving up my version of Chinese food anytime soon!

My earliest memories are of when I was around 10-11 and we had these family friends (who're actually like family to us) who were patrons of this little Chinese restaurant in the city of Hyderabad called Nanking. For special occasions, Nanking was the one we turned to. It was like going to the fair for me. THE event. I didn't care what the others ordered but, I had to have my Chinese Chopsuey, Vegetable or Cauliflower Manchurian and Lemon Chicken. I was ready to cry murder if my wishes weren't granted. Somewhat along the lines of Sheldon and his chinese food. But, lucky for me, the Uncle (in India, everyone's an Uncle or an Aunty if they're much older than you, even if you're not related to them AT ALL) always asked me what I wanted and made sure I got it. They also had a home I loved to visit because I would stare in wonder and awe at all the things they had. I always laugh at kids who do that nowadays, but, when I remember the exact same thing I used to do, the laughter dies down a bit.

Pork Stew in Red Chile Sauce by Diana Kennedy

(Part of a weekly series by a group of bloggers, featuring Gourmet Live's 50 Women Game Changers in Food - see end of post for list of bloggers participating & their blogs)

Like many grand dames and queens of various cuisines we've featured in the 50 Women Game Changers in Food series, we have one such person at #45 with prestigious honors in Mexican cuisine - Diana Kennedy. She is a firecracker, for sure, giving even the Jalapeno chile a run for its money. Not one to suffer fools, Diana does not pay any attention to hospitality or little niceties, like many journalists/interviewers who've witnessed it first hand will tell you. Food is of the essence. A correspondent for AP wrote in an article, "The queen of mexican cuisine is scolding me with a wooden spoon." She apparently wasn't very happy with the way he was handling ingredients. 

Source: Edible Austin

She's a perfectionist and anyone who's eaten her food will attest to that. She's a strong supporter of the local food movement and the preservation of local and cultural richness of true Mexican cuisine. She has an expansive garden at her home in Mexico, where she grows her own fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, coffee and just about anything under the sun, including a few almost-forgotten edible plants from the old days in Mexico. 

Diana was born in England in 1923. She emigrated to Canada in 1953 and four years after her stay there, she was headed back to the UK via the Caribbean to visit a friend in Jamaica. On her way, she visited Port Au Prince, where she met her husband, Paul Kennedy, whom she married within a year. Paul was a New York Times correspondent and they moved to Mexico in 1957. That is when her love affair with Mexican cuisine began. Taught by her maids, friends and their families, Diana grew more and more interested in discovering the real flavors and ingredients of food in Mexico. 

Fruit & Nut Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches

"No."

That's a word that doesn't exist in my vocabulary when people ask me for favors or if someone's asking me to help. Not that it's voluntary. There are so many times when I've been asked to help with something I have no intention or interest in and I don't know how to say "No". In my mind, I'm flailing my arms in the air and yelling, "no way in hell am I doing that", but in reality, I'm standing there with the biggest encouraging smile on my face eagerly agreeing to help. 

And when I'm faced with the really pushy and persuasive people, even the tiny defense I'm able to muster up gets reduced to the level of crumbs under our table that my puppy destroys in a matter of nano-seconds. 

So, after that, I'm left muttering and grumbling to myself, spending days wanting to hide under my bed just so I don't have to do whatever I've been asked to do. 

Does that ever happen to you?

And then there are times when I willfully undertake something I know I will make a mess of because I don't think things through in my excitement. The party my thoughts are having in my head drown out the voice of reason meekly trying to make some sense.