Archive for the ‘food’ Category

improvised indian SUPERCURREH and some more food action

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

Jassi Fidhu feat. Aman Hayer – Ki Kehne (i do try to pick relevant tunage lol)

Christ, I love food.

I never realized  how much I love food the past 4 years in college because I was smoking a pack a day of these babies and eating the same friggin sandwich every day twice a day (if you’re still at davidson, get chicken salad, muenster, lettuce/tomato/pickles, plus honey mustard on pumpernickle at the union.. it’ll get you through the day). However now that I’m all healthy and whatnot, holy shit I can actually TASTE THINGS. Every raw vegetable has a delicious subtle flavor, not even talking about mad indian spices.

So, in the spirit of the resurrection of my taste buds, I’ve been making all kinds of fun foods. Last night for instance I really wanted some indian, so guess what I dun made some. And prep time only took about 30 minutes (though not counting all the dishwashing after.. but I know yall americans just pile everything in yalls fancy dishwashers and still manage to complain abt it. note: we do have a dishwasher at our house, but we’re principally opposed to it)

spicyyyyyyy

spicyyyyyyy

gatta have my cucumber (plus mango chutney omgg)

gatta have my cucumber (plus mango chutney omgg)

In any case, the curry I made can be called the Cauliflower, Potato, and Eggplant Spicy Curry in Tomato Gravy.

That sounds really awkward and long, but wtf I don’t know what else to call it. Suggestions?

HOW TO MAKE (or how I made it, rather..obv you can improvise to suit your own prefs)

(more…)

Posted in food, recipes | 3 Comments »

creepy thin people series, plus a preview of my love letter to jerusalem restaurant post (to come)

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

Boy Crisis – Dressed to Digress (Nero Remix)

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been doing small drawings in blue ink, or ink and a splash of watercolor. I’m branching off into slightly unfamiliar territory here, which is great. I’m experimenting with patterns and photoshop more. Also, drawing in ink on white paper is forcing me to pay closer attention to my lines, since there are no do-overs.

qmarkdudeINKsmallbracketgirlsinksmallI’m not sure what came first, the idea to do a series of blue ink drawings, or the creepy thin people who decided to take over the series. Watevs. Here are the two I’ve made so far:

I used these to practice manipulating images in PS. You can see the results at my DeviantArt gallery here and here.

I’m thinking about doing a post on Jerusalem Restaurant. This is hands down my favorite spot in Charlotte to relax, smoke some hook with friends, not to mention the amazing and cheappp gulf grub. I feel like doing a small tribute to the place. Like Stairway to Love cafe in Beijing, Jerusalem Restaurant is my haunt, my sanctuary, and my escape when I’m in Charlotte. I’ll miss it dearly next year.

I remember discovering it sometime back in 2006, when it had only just opened. Bored to tears at Davidson and starved for a dose of authentic culture, my friends and I were in constant search of hole-in-the-wall food spots with real character.

Before there was Jerusalem Restaurant, there was Jerusalem Cafe on Independence. It was a cheap middle-eastern joint with kabobs, wraps and hookah that cropped up inside one of those old house-shaped restaurant venues; the place looked like a decrepit “old-fashioned southern home-cooking” diner. It was also right next to an ugly car dealership (what can ya do, you’re on Independence Blvd). Service was proper un-american, surly and impatient – proper bad you could say (but we loved it). One time we got a scary big arab dude with a shaved head and a droopy, mean gaze that seemed to say  “I’d kill you, but right now I’m too tired” as  our waiter; he refused to give us menus when we asked (”No menus. You want kabob sandwich or you want mixed grill?”) then snarled angrily when we asked why our order was taking long (”I told it was coming soon no!?”). Despite the food being very good, the place was always empty and eventually closed down. We’re hoping they didnt actually go out of business, but had just been laundering money or fronting a contraband operation, because it’d be really sad if they did.

Thankfully, we soon discovered Jerusalem Restaurant, just a few minutes down the road. Hookah was only $6 then, now $9.99 – but this is still fair, compared to the rest of hookah places in Charlotte where it costs at least $15 to smoke. It’s been great to watch the place gradually gain the popularity it deserves. Hooray Jerusalem! A more detailed picture post coming soon.

Posted in art, charlotte nc, davidson, food | No Comments »

The Only Way to Be Decadent

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

It’s 9 p.m. on a Sunday night. I’m behind the kitchen bar, cutting parsley and tapping my foot to a reggae tune by The Groove Armada. Ayesha is next to me watching over the couscous and dal on the stove. The smell of boiling chickpeas floods the kitchen – warm and sweet like freshly baked bread. A whiff of parsley – cool and slightly bitter – arrives at my nostrils as I slice up the brilliant green herb.

Tonight’s stir-fry: tomatoes, carrots, radishes, sweet peas, yellow bell peppers, eggplant, coriander, and a little bit of every spice and sauce in the house. Another day it might have been red cabbage, cucumber, squash, mushrooms, broccoli, and lemon juice. The combination is different every day.

We take time to wash and cut all of the fresh vegetables carefully, make certain everything is just so. Procrastination meets efficiency. We’ve perfected our cooking routine: dal cooks the longest, therefore it’s the first on the stove; next is couscous or rice; finally we cut up the stir-fry and sauté the vegetables in the biggest pan. While everything simmers to perfection, we lay bread, cheese, carrots, and hummus out on a plate, set the table, and pour wine.

Few things bring such thorough satisfaction as cooking a first class meal and consuming it in a cozy atmosphere. We eat unhurriedly in silence, savoring every bite, thinking about the music.

I dip a piece of bread into the bright yellow dal in a half-circle motion and take a bite. I lick my fingers. Then I sink my fork into the colorful mound of vegetables on my plate. The spice is heady and makes me reach over for the wine glass. The couscous and dal together are like a warm hug. Ayesha and I exchange smiles and little moans of pleasure across the table. Expensive hummus. Expensive bread. Expensive cheese. This is the only way to be decadent.

We finish eating, clean the table and wash the dishes. We take several minutes on the couch to enjoy the food-coma-afterglow. If we hadn’t quit last week, we’d be smoking.

It is now after 10 p.m. Both of us have colossal backlogs of homework to take care of. We could have wolfed down a sandwich and maximized study time, but instead we chose to spend the precious hours making food. But who really gives a fuck about what Philip H. Pollock III has to say on Bivariate Regression? Time enjoyed is never time wasted.

Posted in food, photos, random | No Comments »