INVITATION: Make Curry and Drink a Lassi with #thebookclubcookbookCC

This post launches us into a year-long journey to explore - and cook from - The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp.*

This team of eleven bloggers takes turns selecting a recipe from the cookbook - reading the actual book is welcome, but completely optional - and during that month we cook and post our variations and adaptations. At the end of the month, the hostess posts a round-up of the recipes and gives away a copy of the book!

Judy, Vicki, and their publisher, Tarcher-Penguin, have provided the hosting bloggers with copies of the book plus copies to giveaway each month of the project. Woohoo. Incredibly generous.

Follow this project on social media with the hashtag #thebookclubcookbookCC. We'll be posting all of our creations to our Pinterest board. Here's the team, in alphabetical order with links to their homepages.

A Day in the Life on the Farm      

Adventures in All Things Food    

Cheese Curd In Paradise               

Culinary Adventures with Camilla             

Life on Food       

Mostly Food and Crafts 

The Pajama Chef              

The Spiffy Cookie             

Things I Make (for Dinner)           

Tortillas and Honey         

ZooeySuff           

I'm the first hostess.... While there are eleven of us hosting this series, any blogger can join the fun! You're invited to make curry and drink a lassi! I've selected Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. **

How to Participate

1. Draw inspiration from the chosen recipe(s).

2. Blog about it! It doesn't have to be a lengthy post. Just share your dish.

3. Include a link back to the hosting blog (that's me!) - Culinary Adventures with Camilla - somewhere in your post. 
4. Include a link back to this invitation.

5. Your post must be current (during July 2015). And, of course,we don't mind if your post is linked to other events. The more, the merrier.

6. Email your entries to me at: constantmotioncamilla[at]gmail[dot]com and include: 

• Your name
• Your blog's name and URL
• The name of your dish and the permalink to the specific post you're submitting
• Attach a photo of any size (or just give me permission to"pull" one from your post)
• Indicate #thebookclubcookbookCC in the subject line

Deadline for submission is: Monday, July 27th. Watch for the roundup to be posted shortly after this deadline...along with the winner of the cookbook.

This Month's Selection

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (Houghton Mifflin, 1999), pg. 198 - The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp

Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies is a compilation of nine short stories. The protagonists are all individuals whose identities straddle two cultures. Cultural assimilation and food are resonating themes. As a child of immigrant parents myself, I find myself drawn into these experiences.

This Month's Recipe(s)

When I mentioned to Judy which excerpt I had chosen, she cautioned me: "Oh boy. That's a tricky one. ...Have you tasted this dish? It's an acquired taste!" Duly warned, I have opted to post two recipes for your inspiration this month. Feel free to make either Mrs. Lahiri's Hard-Boiled Egg Curry in Mustard Sauce or the Mango Lassi or both. Or, if you're feeling creative, post your favorite Indian recipe! Also, feel free to adapt these recipes based on your tastes and preferences. I'd love to see how you personalize these dishes.

Mrs. Lahiri's Hard-Boiled Egg Curry in Mustard Sauce

reproduced with permission

Ingredients

• 2 T whole mustard seed
• 2 T corn oil
• 9 hard-cooked eggs, cooled and peeled
• 1 t turmeric
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 t salt
• mustard oil, optional

Procedure
In a small bowl, soak the mustard seed in a little water to cover, about 20 minutes. Rinse the seeds in fresh water, then blend them with some of the water in a blender until thick, pale, and creamy. This will take a few minutes. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the eggs and fry until reddish brown in color - don't move the eggs around too much, but do try to get an even color on all sides. Transfer the eggs to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the excess oil.

Mix the turmeric and cayenne with a bit of water to make a paste. Add this to the remaining oil in the skillet. Return the eggs and cover them generously with the mustard paste.

Add salt and simmer, covered, over very low heat until all the oil rises to the top, and the sauce has reduced until it thickly coats the eggs but is not dry-looking. Remove to a serving dish and top the eggs with a drizzle of mustard oil, if desired. Serve with white rice.

Mango Lassi

reproduced with permission

developed by Shikha Kapoor for Masala Art

Ingredients

• 3/4 C plain yogurt
• 1-1/4 C cold water
• 1 C prepared mango pulp
• 1 T sugar
• 8 ice cubes, crushed (approximately 3/4 C)
• 1 t rosewater
• crushed pistachios for garnish

Procedure
In a blender, combine the yogurt, water, and mango pulp. Puree until smooth. Add the sugar and crushed ice cubes and blend again.

Add the rosewater and serve chilled in a tall glass with pistachios over the top, if desired.

Other Possibilities

If neither of those appeal to you, don't limit yourself to these two recipes. Other dishes that might interest you: samosas, masala dosas, dal, shahi paneer or an assortment of Indian breads. I know that I'm going to have a tough time deciding. I might just have to do an entire dinner to decide. My taste-testers won't argue with that decision.

Giveaway

And to kick-off the event, enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish! 

One of our lucky readers - US and Canada only! - can enter to win a copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from July 1st till July 31st at 6 o'clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club's Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp to use in this year-long project plus the opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are my own. I received no further compensation for my post.

**I've included an affiliate link below for a copy of the anthology itself...if you would like to read that. If you are uncomfortable using the link, feel free to go to amazon and search "Interpreter of Maladies" on your own!