More from Pushkar

This is what I do each day: I get up early and everything is closed, so I have to read or walk until the first shop opens to get a chai or a coffee. I usually sit there for a while, then move to the fruit stand, which makes a delicious bowl of mixed fruit, granola, coconut yogurt and honey. I end up sitting there for a while as well, then at some point in the day I move to another street cafe to get Indian food, and sit there for a while as well.

The fruit stand for breakfast

Papu's street cafe for Indian food

The street stand gang: Ting for Taiwan, Martin from Germany, Gabi from Germany, Helen from Scotland, Papu the cook, and some unidentified traveler. Ting, Martin and Gabi I see every day.

I took a four-hour cooking class yesterday. We learned to make vegetable biriyana, chick pea massala, 3-lentil dahl, and chapatis. This is Hila from Israel and Hament, our Indian cooking class teacher.

Me with my three-lentil dahl and chapati

Recipes (today - Vegetable and rice biriyana. Later - Chick pea massala and 3-Lentil dahl)

Vegetable and rice biriyani (for 4 people)

500 grams of basmati rice (about 1 pound)

1 small cauliflower

4 small potatoes

4 small tomatoes

2 small red onions

1/2 cup peas

1/2 carrot

2 black cardamom seeds

2 cinnamon sticks

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

salt to taste

4 tablespoons oil (not olive oil)

1/2 teaspoon light cumin seed

1/2 teaspoon black cumin seed

1/2 teaspoon dried mango powder

cilantro as a relish

1) Soak rice, minimum of 20 minutes

2) Cut vegetables large, except tomatoes - chop finely

3) heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in pot, then add light cumin seed

4) When brown (just a few seconds), add rice and mix

5) Whatever amount of rice you used, add two times that amount with water, cover and let cook for 15 minutes (water should be about an inch over the rice)

6) In another pot, heat the rest of the oil

7) Add all the dry herbs, but not the powders, and cook for a few seconds

8) Add onion, cook until soft but not brown

9) Add all the powders

10) Add tomatoes, then 1/2 cup of water, cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, until water evaporates

11) In a third pot, add rest of vegetables and boil until almost cooked

12) Add vegetables (without water) to tomato sauce

13) Add a little water, cook covered for about 5 minutes until water gone

14) Mix well then cook covered for another 5 minutes

You can mix with rice or serve on top of rice, with cilantro garnish