it doesn't count unless there's rice...

i love "Alu chorka" - Potato mix...like mashed potatoes...only so different than ours.

potato (and sometimes veggies) are boiled with rice. then you pull out the potatoes and peel them.

you take some chili's, and squish them up...and add salt...and mustard oil.
then you mix in some onions...and finally mix in the potato.

then you eat it with your rice (it's carb-fest...but it tastes so good).

i'm figuring out that alu chorka is a "winter" food here...the ladies don't eat it much in the hot season...but during the winter someone is making alu chorka everyday.

often they share with me :)
its always a bit forceful (but full of love!)

yesterday i brought my lunch. some lentils and rolls to eat with them
this was not good enough according to the ladies.
"eat some rice"
"please eat some rice"

then they gave me a plate full of rice...and complained when i made them take some back...and then they kept trying to sneak more on my plate.
"what?!?! you're going to eat so little?!?!?"
i pointed out that i'd already eaten a lot...but it wasn't rice...so it didn't count.

Today i brought rice, and lentils, and egg curry.
but they were leftovers...so they weren't warm.

"A" was totally annoyed that i'd brought cold rice and was going to eat it.
"Ugh...your rice is cold...and hard...who cooked this rice?!?! don't eat it. eat this hot rice"

and it didn't matter that i had lentils and eggs and rice of my own...i also got a generous helping of hot rice...and Alu Chorka (full of chilis to clear out my sinuses...which was actually really nice...cause i have a cold).

i love lunch time at Sari Bari.
i love alu chorka :)