The power of Comfort food!

Erm. . . Where do I start? My last session of penning down my thoughts was a little heavy to digest. It had philosophical thoughts about life and the variables that shape it. So I was planning to write something on a lighter note. I had so much in my mind, I could write this and that. . .

And then my mobile screen blinked with a notification from WhatsApp.

Tell me, how do you respond to that??

My friend just had a miscarriage! She was too emotional to call, so she just sent me her ultrasound scan report after she had already gone through the procedure. I immediately called her, but there was an awkward silence — Finding the right words was challenging. She had just lost something very precious!

So, I told her I was coming to the hospital to meet her in person, as I believed being there for her would be better.

We talked for about two hours, mostly about other things.

When I returned home late in the evening, my heart felt heavy and I couldn't shake off the feeling of being down.

So, the next day, I woke up early and resolved to prepare lunch for her, considering her favorite dishes. I've known her for over a year now.

So basically, below, I'll share my kitchen experience of that day. It's a sort of food diary. Writing this now, I feel a sense of peace. Preparing her comfort food was, in a way, therapeutic for me.

I cooked a few dishes for her.

The first one was aloo Gosht, a traditional South Asian dish that translates to 'Potato Meat Curry' in English. It typically consists of meat (often lamb or goat) and potatoes cooked together in a flavorful and aromatic sauce.

_{Lamb meat cooked and now in curry stage}

_{Aloo gosht curry (I used minimum spices, the colour is due to caramelised onions that are a must for curry)}

Then I made brown rice as staple food to compliment curry.

_{Take a look at the size and shape of these grains. They're almost cooked to perfection!}

She is a fan of my cutlets, so how could I miss those! 😊

_{Potato cutlets 🥔🥔🥔}

To round it off, I made banana bread using my mother's classic recipe, which my friend has admired multiple times. I was cooking all of this simultaneously, as you can see from the timestamps in my pictures.

_{If only you could smell the aroma of this bread!
The scent of this banana bread is nostalgic. It reminds me of my childhood, my ami (mother) and, it has the feeling of autumn 🍁}

_{Ps. This white thing on top is extra butter on the warm bread. She definitely needs her strength!}

The picture of the final tray doesn't look good due to steam being trapped in the cling wrap, but I wanted to share it. I was able to get it delivered just in time for her return from the hospital.

My Love package for her when words fell short!

Never underestimate the power of comfort food!!!