True Story: Dream Weaver

Last weekend, I went out for amazing Indian food with some amazing people.

I mean, seriously. These people work to save lives and look at body parts all day long that my weak stomach can't handle.

But Indian food?

Oh yeah. My stomach can definitely handle that.

Unfortunately, Indian food is twice as much as I want to pay for a dinner for two. Especially after Mike's comment, "I actually think your curry is better."

But even when you try to make it at home, it can be a little pricey. Basmati rice? Like $6 for a two pound bag at Kroger. And good luck finding garam masala in the spice section.

For the second week in a row, I was craving Indian food and was determined to make a delicious meal.

The menu:

- Chicken curry (chicken in a tomato based sauce with an obscene number of spices)

- Palak paneer (cottage cheese chillin' in some spinach puree, again with the spices)

- Naan (Jesus bread of life bread. Like a sweet, handsome cousin of pizza crust)

- Basmati rice (the best rice ever)

So yesterday, I went down to the Krishna Grocery, an Indian grocery store only about 15 minutes from my house. It was very reminiscent of Turkey grocery stores in that there were a lot of things on the shelf that I had no idea what they were. They also had strange produce in the back you just don't see anywhere else, like turmeric root and dates.

But the rice. Oh, the rice. I bought a 20 pound bag of Basmati for $19. That's less than $1 a pound, son. When I got home, I set it on the counter and I hugged it. It had such a nice weight to it, and it smelled wonderful. Don't knock cuddling with rice until you've tried it.

And the spices. Oh, the spices. A whole aisle just dedicated to spices. They're sold in these efficient little airtight bags. I bought curry (of course), cardamom, and garam masala. When I got home, I transferred them all to jars which was an experience in itself. The fragrance from these potent spices are unlike anything I've ever imagined. My hands STILL smell delicious. And the best part was the price. At Kroger, you can buy a small 1.62 oz container of curry powder between $3 and $4. I bought a 14 oz bag for $3.49.

90% PRICE SAVINGS. WHAT.

I had been living my life all wrong. Why didn't I go to this place sooner?

I also bought paneer, yogurt, dry kidney beans, urad dal (like lentils but not), and tea, which was also a great deal (100 very strong tea bags for $4).

Cooking Indian food is a lot of work. I always work up an appetite doing it. It's such a great weekend activity, though, and the resulting food is so rewarding and then you have leftovers for days that only get better with time because of the spice permeation.

Allow me to walk you through my two hour cooking adventure.