Eating in New Zealand

Somewhere back in February, I went see a friend before he left for study in Melbourne, Australia at his farewell party - and it turns out there was going to be a lot of traditional Indian home-cooked goodness! As a lover of Indian food, I got pretty excited and ended up eating all the time while not taking enough pictures of the food! It was a delicious cycle of eating, more eating, making room to eat more, and continuing to eat… haha…having said that, I’ll try to describe the food to the best of my abilities!

[Cake made by Nigel’s sister]

The cake was like a spongecake except with a harder crust, not too sweet and is too soft to crumble much. A nice treat and definitely a good sign of more delicious food to come!

[From the left: Fried rice, milky sago/pearls, garlic bread, butter chicken, vegie patties]

The fried rice was spiced lightly with Indian spice that my limited knowledge couldn’t identify, but tasted quite nice and goes well with the butter chicken, which was more soupy and tangy than the usual sweet creaminess that you’d get from the foodcourt stalls. As expected from a good home-meal, the level of oiliness is at its minimum and the flavors really down to earth - no fancy thickening and spices are used only as necessary. I particularly loved the vegie pattie which was filled with mashed potatoes, peas, chopped carrots and other things, all spiced exotically and pan-fried - it reminded me why I loved trading my lunch with my Indian friend during my university years! His mom makes the best aloo roti, which was the fuse that lit my string of subsequent experiences in Indian cuisine. The garlic bread was…just garlic bread, and I wasn’t too big a fan of the milky sago/pearls. But one thing that I forgot to take a picture of but had a healthy serving of, was the gulab jamun!

For those unacquainted with what exactly a gulab jamun is, a reference is provided courtesy of wiki because they do a better job explaining it. All you need to know is that it’s one of the most sweet, fattening, and satisfying dessert that I get my hands on when I get that sweet tooth craving for something that defies all my knowledge of healthy eating. The fact that Nigel’s family made it fresh so that the dough mix hasn’t had time to become drenched in the syrup gave me a chance to appreciate the flavors (as opposed to getting a full mouthful of the syrup). It’s a very aromatic dessert that fills your mouth with syrup, oil, and this flowery aroma (rosewater?). I managed to stop myself at two servings - not an easy feat!

As sad as the occasion goes to farewell my friend’s short stint in Australia, I’m sure he’ll have a great time getting along with the Aussies and learning in a new environment. I know he’s doing well currently at Melbourne university and I sure am hoping to see him again when he returns triumphantly with some good marks under his belt. All the best Nigel!

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