Chef for 40 (Part II)
So, as I promised I needed to finish the second part of my travels with Jasdeep! As we returned from Rourkela on Sunday, we had two days to spend in Sooch. We arrived in Ranchi and boy, talk about testing your patience.
After having very little sleep and spending the morning battling the crowds at the train station, we headed to downtown Ranchi to pickup some notice boards (tack boards) for all the cottages at Sooch. It took roughly 45 minutes for them to get 15 boards. They said they had to go up to the fourth floor to get them, uh huh-maybe 4 blocks away. We also needed to get two ink cartridges for the printer back at Sooch. Again, another 45 minutes of waiting. Apparently the storeowner had to call another store to bring over the ink. Oy! Add that that mega traffic, constant honking and lack of sleep- I was extremely pleased to reach Sooch.
So, as I’ve mentioned in a former blog, I’ve have been playing around with the idea of making food for all the house moms and staff. Not having a clue how to cook for 40, Jasdeep and I created a wonderful menu to accommodate a delicious dinner for the massive crowd. Forgot to mention, Jasdeep is quite the foodie….we probably talked recipes 80% of the day and wine the other 20%. Just my type of conversation! She explained that there are noodles called “Maggie Noodles” that were an Indian version of Ramen….but much better. So, there we had it. A great way to cook for 40. Along with some Paneer (amazing Indian cheese) and some vegetables, we had a gourmet pasta dish! We ran by a sweet shop and got a Punjabi dessert that was pretty much a donut-tasting ball in a sweet syrup. Looks kind of strange- tastes like heaven (or at least the first sugar filled bite- or two).
Around 7pm, Jasdeep and I started our cooking. It was quite a feat. Imagine this: one small kitchen with two gas stoves, one semi sharp knife, no measuring bowls (or spoons) and a cutting board that was about 2 inch by 6 inch. Yes, that would be where we cooked for 40 people. A little music and some kitchen dancing later- we could have started our own cooking show! I forgot to mention, the moms didn’t know we were doing this. They were just told to meet at that cottage at 8. So, in came the first wave. Oh. My. Gosh. Talk about grateful. They were even using forks! It was great. SO great. Around 10 pm Jasdeep and I finally served our last group. At that point we ate as well but with so many “sample tastes,” I was pretty full.
So yes, it was a magical night to say the least. It is definitely the little things here- Maggie Noodles and all.
Much love from India,
Katelyn
