Biryani of Guilt.

The big day is here! Today will be my last handling of meat, and I'm excited. Actually, the whole thing is slightly weird, but here's the condensed version of an uninteresting story. Have y'alls heard of Biryani? I hadn't, until I moved to Rochester, and met Manne and Afooi. (Of course, Manne is the wife- names changed to protect the innocent.) Biryani is hard to pin down, because it is a dish that shows up in the cuisines of just about all central Asian cuisines, from Iran to Malaysia. For those not in the know, biryani is basically a rice dish made with whatever protein desired, infused with saffron and other aromatics, and potatoes and caramelized onions. If you enjoy the greater Indian flavor palette in any capacity, this dish is a sure-fire win, when capably prepared. 

Afooi happens to be of Indian ancestry, so being a friend of the family, we frequently trade our Puerto Rican food services for his Indian. It is a great partnership because both Manne and Afooi are good, clean cooks, so I really feel that I'm getting a good education in Indian home cooking. Back when I started the long ignored "Cuca's PR Kitchen" I thought biryani should make a guest appearance as an important non-Boricua food delight. So I asked my "Hindu friends" (that is a Simpsons reference, and an ignorant one, because Afooi in a non-practicing Muslim and Manne is a white American, lol) to give me a biryani tutorial. After months of conflicting schedules, earlier this week a class in biryani was offered, and I gladly accepted. Then I promptly decided to become a radical vegetarian. Of course, before I could send a declaration of war to the Hindus, they went out and bought everything to make the biryani, which is a considerable expense in saffron alone, as they will cook for about ten of us.

So, while I've been on a vegetarian diet for two days now (canon explodes) tonight I will at the very least be involved in some meat cookery. The cool thing is that we'll be cooking it all on a charcoal grill, which is an exercise in temperature mastery, for sure. Cooking rice indoors can be tricky enough for some people (although my boricua-ness prevents me from being in their number) Not sure if I'll eat it or not, but either way, the biryani won't go to waste. My niece and nephew can eat grown-sized portions of any food, and fortunately, their parents have been great at exposing them to all sorts of cuisines, so they are about to throw down on Indian grub.

Accompanying the meal will be a great raita, samosas and hopefully some cumin pappadums.

As for my two days meat-free, I feel good. However, I attribute this (physically) more to the absence of great amounts of sugar. In an ethical sense, I know I'll be feeling great next week, after tonight's biryani with a side of guilt has long been pooped away.

In other news, let's talk about Latin music. I've been swearing up and down for about two weeks that I was going to sign up for salsa classes as a means of non-gym exercise. I've yet to do it, but at my sister-in-law's graduation party last week, I was responsible for the music, and I put together a killer set of salsa with some bachata and merengue thrown in. We danced and it was great. Today, after dinner, I'll be getting some lessons from my sister-in-law. I know how to salsa by myself, but the second you put a partner with me, I'm a hot mess. Isn't that so crazy?

Anyway, last night, after hours of watching YouTube clips of people dancing to salsa, cumbia and even Norteno and Duranguense, I'm going to start throwing fun songs and video clips on this blog for everyone's enjoyment. As much as I can, I'll make the tracks downloadable, so that you too can join in the Hispanic Fun. First- I've got to do some research, so I make sure that I'm properly informed.

In the meantime, holler.