Mala and her husband Rajnish will welcome you into their warm and beautiful home, which is decorated with plants, lights and Mala’s art work. If you visit during the evening hours you will also meet her children. You will share a traditional Punjabi meal which may include dishes such as rajma chawal (red kidney bean curry served with rice), dal makhni (slow cooked lentils), chicken masala, mutton curry, aloo methi (fenugreek leaves combined with potatoes) and will end with either rice pudding or a home made kulfi (frozen dessert made with milk).
After you sip on your jaljeera (a refreshing appetizer made with water and cumin seed powder) and get to know the family, Mala will take you to the Sarojini Nagar market, a one-stop destination for all of your home needs. This is Mala’s favourite place to shop in for the freshest fruits and vegetables at a reasonable price.
You can expect to learn from your host Mala how to make 2-3 of the dishes you will be eating. She may teach you how to make palak paneer (spinach and fresh cheese), roti (flat bread) and raita (spiced yoghurt) or puri aloo (spicy potato gravy served with puffed, deep fried Indian bread). You can expect to be cooking for 1 hour before you share the meal you helped prepare over conversation with your host.
This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
Mala is married to an armed forces officer and hence has been cooking and hosting formal and informal parties at home for as long as she can remember. Being part of the armed forces she has travelled to many cities in India, giving her an exposure to varied Indian cuisines. However, Mala is originally from Punjab, in the north of India, which is known for its rich, buttery flavors due to the extensive use of dairy products like cream, desi ghee, and butter. Punjabi cuisine is also well known for their tandoori cooking style.
Mala lives with her husband and two children in the family home where she grew up. Having been part of the army for many years has made them the consummate entertainers who excel in caring for their guests. Before settling in Delhi, they have lived in many small cities across India where ready-made ingredients were not available and so Mala learnt how to cook everything from scratch. Their extensive traveling also piqued her interest in learning about out new dishes from different parts of India.
