Good afternoon and welcome.

It has been declared both meet and proper to create a bit of a web presence for this fall’s cooking classes, and if you’re reading this on the Internets or in your mailbox, it means you have expressed some interest in joining. There should be a link at the bottom to unsubscribe if you are not interested in getting these sorts of emails in the future. If that doesn’t work, please let me know personally by sending an email to

ankurbhai@mangolandia.org

expressing your categorical displeasure. For the remainder of the fall season, I expect to be sending out two messages per week, one giving a heady foretaste of the upcoming week’s class (with a crass marketing intention) and the other recapping the previous week’s class and providing recipes to those who were unable — due to time, space, or other obstructive factors — to attend.

Those are the expectations. There will also be — enshallah — a website providing upcoming menus for the fall’s classes, as well as answering frequently asked questions. I entreaty you to bear with me in this process with the digital world, a river whose frigid waters I am toeing into after many years baking in the hot sun of naked earth.

Try http://www.mangolandia.org

Well, to start with then –

**

Tomorrow’s class, the first official instance of “Mangoland Cooks!” (don’t forget the exclamation point), will feature some culinary delights from southern India. I had toyed around with various dishes and combinations and have settled, finally, on the field of possibility centered around the DOSA.

Dosa, generally speaking, is a think savory pancake made from a heretofore secret combination of rice and lentil flours. All that is hidden, as the man says, shall be revealed tomorrow. Of course. There are dosa of different thicknesses and textures depending on the province you travel through, as well as a thicker, richer, version called Uttapam.

In addition to the secrets of Dosa and Uttapam, we will assemble the traditional South India lentil soup: Sambar, which features more spices than you have fingers to count and a wide selection of seasonal vegetables.

We will be enjoying a few different chutneys along the way, based on the seasoning model employed in the typical coconut chutney of the region.

And finally, for real satisfaction, we will be making a type of “Payasum”, a dessert dish based on whole green gram (also known as “mung beans”), raw jaggery sugar, and raisins.

**

At each class, participants will find detailed recipes for all the dishes, and will also have the opportunity to purchase exotic ingredients they might otherwise not encounter. Copies of my cookbook will also be offered, given I can remember to bring them!

I’ll be sending out an email on Thursday regarding details on future classes, but so far this much is clear:

September 16: A meal centered around a red mole from southern Oaxaca, employing three differents of chiles.
September 23: A selection of Lebanese mezze (appetizing appetizers)
September 30: Salvador “papusas”, Argentine “empanadas”, Indian “samosas”, and stuffed flatbreads “in general”

For all of you who registered for tomorrow’s class, I look forward to seeing you soon! For everyone else, please register on the sooner side to ensure you get a spot — the demand for classes has far surpassed any expectations I might have entertained!

You can call 360 683 5398 or email ankurbhai@mangolandia.org

Peace,
Love,
and
Coconut Milk –

ankurbhai