Spicy memories #2: Banana leaf lunch at our wedding

© M. Zien

In February of this year (2010), my husband and I got married in a “big fat Indian wedding” held at the MGM Beach Resort, south of Chennai in India. We chose to get married in India because we wanted all of our family and friends to experience the joy, color, tumult, noise and sensory extravaganza that mark an Indian wedding. When we think back to those three days of festivities and the time immediately prior, we remember the endless shopping excursions, family parties, welcoming friends, time spent with tailors and beauticians, negotiating with photographers and of course all the mix of emotions that any bride and groom go through. One thing that we sadly don’t remember much of though is the food!

Passe-moi le piment, s'il te plaît!

It goes without saying that being from India and having grown up in Texas, chili peppers have always been a part of my life! In Indian cuisine, chilies show up in all forms. There are the fresh, green chilies (generally called Anaheim chilies in the States), the dry red chilies that are toasted and ground into fresh spice powders, the red-hot chili powder that flavors just about everything. In South India, the famous mulagapodi (a special, made-from-scratch chili powder using dried red chilies, various dried lentils, poppy and sesame seeds) is mixed with oil and used as a condiment for idlis (fermented rice cakes typically eaten for breakfast) and many other dishes. In Texas, where the influence of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine is ubiquitous, chili peppers show up in many preparations, including salsas, guacamole, hot pepper sauce (Texas Pete, Cholula and El Yucateco were always my favorite brands), chili rellenos, you name it!