Dinner with Vas - home made indian food and yoghurt

Vas swung by my cube on the way home (we were both working quite late) to say hi. I'd been meaning to ask him about an Indian restaurant he'd recommended before. Instead he asked me to dinner at his house the next week, when I said I'd be on vacation he said, "how about now?"

So, I had some great indian food at Vas' house, including Okra, chickpeas, pickles, chaptis (I think) and home made yoghurt. I was fascinated to learn about how he'd made the yoghurt. He starts with some regular stuff from the store and uses just a teaspoon full of it to start the next batch. Boil some milk, add the teaspoon of yoghurt (culture), allow to cool enough so you can touch the pot, and then put it in the fridge to cool. The next week, use a teaspoon of that yoghurt to start off the next one. After a couple of cycles you lose the gloopy consistency of commercial yoghurt and end up with some more natural and runny stuff.

A Lassi is just this kind of yoghurt 50/50 with water. And a mango one has some liquidised mango in it.

Someone once called me a 'knit your own yoghurt' sort of person and I have to admit that making my own yoghurt has some serios appeal. Making my own mango lassie is something I really will need to practice!

Had a really nice evening of fresh indian food and good conversation. Very nice indeed. I just wish we had a better repetoire of typical british foods to cook in return - sadly chicken tikka masala seems to be one of the big things in the uk now. What else is there? Roast beef and yorkshire puds? Fish and Chips (proper chips!); Lava Bread in Wales; Cream Teas and Scones and stuff; Haggis perhaps; jellied eels??? Ideas welcomed!