Because of its size and the large number of historic sights to visit, it’s easy to feel like you are only scratching the surface of what Delhi has to offer. If you’re interested in experiencing true Indian hospitality first-hand, a home dinner tour is the perfect way to dive deeper into the country’s culture.
After being picked up at our hotel, we are taken straight to the doorstep of a family home in south Delhi. The family greets us at the door and invites us into their living room. Anu soon leads me into the kitchen, where it appears I have to earn my supper. We begin with a starter of onion and spinach pakora, mixing chick pea flour, vegetable oil and a medley of spices in with the vegetables before frying them in a pan. Anu also teaches me to make masala chai, combining just the right proportion of milk to water with a rich blend of tea leaves and spices, including cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom.
For dinner, I help Anu prepare dishes like aloo methi (potatoes with raw spinach), rice pulau with potatoes, onions, and peas, and dal, a traditional thick stew made with lentils. The highlight, though, is making roti(flour tortillas) from scratch. Anu demonstrates how to roll small balls of dough into flat tortillas before grilling them tandoori-style on the side of a cooker.
When I finally leave their house later that evening, it’s hard to believe we’ve only known each other for a few hours. From trying on my first sari to being christened with an Indian name, the cultural tour was the perfect way to not only try my hand at Indian cooking, but to feel at home in Delhi as well.
After being picked up at our hotel, we are taken straight to the doorstep of a family home in south Delhi. The family greets us at the door and invites us into their living room. Anu soon leads me into the kitchen, where it appears I have to earn my supper. We begin with a starter of onion and spinach pakora, mixing chick pea flour, vegetable oil and a medley of spices in with the vegetables before frying them in a pan. Anu also teaches me to make masala chai, combining just the right proportion of milk to water with a rich blend of tea leaves and spices, including cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom.
For dinner, I help Anu prepare dishes like aloo methi (potatoes with raw spinach), rice pulau with potatoes, onions, and peas, and dal, a traditional thick stew made with lentils. The highlight, though, is making roti(flour tortillas) from scratch. Anu demonstrates how to roll small balls of dough into flat tortillas before grilling them tandoori-style on the side of a cooker.
When I finally leave their house later that evening, it’s hard to believe we’ve only known each other for a few hours. From trying on my first sari to being christened with an Indian name, the cultural tour was the perfect way to not only try my hand at Indian cooking, but to feel at home in Delhi as well.
Posted in: Travel
