Life is like a Garden
Gail Misra moved to Canada at the age of 15 from Karachi, Pakistan. There were many tough adjustments, but the women of Gail’s family are strong. After her father died within a year of arriving in Canada, she postponed plans for higher education for five years to work in clerical jobs that helped to support her family. Gail sums up her wisdom with an analogy of her garden: “It’s like life. It’s absolutely a matter of trial and error and learning as you go.”
Vegetable Pakoras
1 cup/250 mL chickpea flour
a pinch of baking powder
1/2 tsp./2 mL salt
1/4 tsp./1 mL red chili powder
1 small eggplant (Chinese type), sliced thinly
1 cup/250 mL vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
1 cup/250 mL spinach, washed and patted dry
tamarind sauce* for dipping
To make the batter, mix the chickpea flour, baking powder, salt and red chili powder. Mix in enough cold water to form a thick paste.
Heat the oil in a deep pan (or use a deep fryer) until it is hot. To check if the oil is hot enough, place a drop of butter into the oil and it should start to brown. Dip the pieces of eggplant into the batter and place in batches in the oil. Fry until golden all over, about 1 or 2 minutes per side, and then remove and place on a paper towel to drain.
Mix the onion and spinach into the remaining batter and then fry by dropping tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the oil. Fry the items in batches.
Serve hot with an accompanying small bowl of tamarind sauce for dipping.
Note: Tamarind sauce is available at Indian grocery stores and some large grocery stores.