Victoria's Kitchen

On Saturday John and Jude spent some time with Victoria in her kitchen. This is what they found out....

We often cook Indian cuisine ourselves, so it was a golden opportunity to watch some authentic Indian cooking in progress. Victoria has prepared some wonderful meals, and for us her cooking is definitely one of the high spots of the visit to Amala. 

When we arrived at 3.30pm Victoria was preparing the cauliflower tikka. She mixed the spices in with the florettes of cauliflower and then left the mixture to marinade for at least an hour before deep frying in ghee later. 

Assisted by her helpers, Victoria was constantly on the go. Next up was a chicken dish; spices were stirred vigorously in a large pan before the chicken pieces were added. Large amounts of coconut paste gave this dish its distinctive flavour. Earlier we had helped break open the coconut husks, and then watched two Amala girls grinding out the coconut from the shells; fresh coconut - delicious!

Victoria combined the ingredients of a pea pilau rice using much more liquid than we would have used at home, but that seems to be the style of South Indian cooking. The sambar and dahl sauces,or stews, are essential features in all meals.

Food for the Amala children and staff and the twenty-six English visitors is prepared on an external wood fire, two calor gas rings and one electric hob. Victoria does have a pressure cooker, and the contrast between wood fire and pressure cooker very much reflects the contrasts of an ox cart and mobile phone economy that makes this visit so fascinating.

We left Victoria's kitchen full of admiration for her imagination, skills, and industry in producing a variety of wonderful food every day. 


Written by John and Jude Haslam.