.: evil jungle prince :.

I totally suck when it comes to preparing Indian food, but I crave it so badly at times that I reconcile myself to mediocrity and just push ahead with it. After running across some extra potatoes last night and then spotting a picture of a masala dosa with sambar, I knew that's what I had to have.

This dosa pancake was made from a pre-prepared mix, so don't be overly impressed. It is stuffed with a spicy mixture of potatoes and spices.

This sambar soup was a big mix of leftovers -- canned tomatoes, carrots, jalapeno peppers from the garden, tamarind juice, curry leaves and a zillion other spices. The soup came out pretty well despite the fact I did not use fresh tomatoes.

The mango chutney was a good counterpoint, although I definitely prefer that smooth, coconut mixture that is normally served with this dish. (I have tried making it myself but not with good results.)

I love Indian food so much but it is such an impossibly difficult cuisine to prepare, requiring hours of preparation that most people in simply don't have available in their personal lives. I was first introduced to Indian food while living in London, but I did not try masala dosas until I was in college. It was then that a group of friends and I randomly walked into an Indian grocer and discovered an Indian family eating some delicious smelling food. We asked the proprietor where they had obtained it, and he mentioned with a smile that it had been cooked in the back of the store. Would we like some? And so began our weekly ritual of scarfing down $2.00 masala dosas and other treats cooked fresh in the back of a grocery store, sitting on a cafeteria bench and eating off paper plates. Those are magical memories for me.