Patterns - An Academy Story

Garam Masala - Part 1

                  

Sang's POV

After putting on our aprons and washing our hands, we stepped up to the counter where there were two trays of ingredients set out. The first tray held bowls of spices that perfumed the air. It already smelled amazing in the kitchen and we hadn't even started cooking yet. 

Karam turned on one of the gas burners and placed a heavy pan over it. "The first dish we will make today is quick butter chicken that is easy for a home cook to prepare, and it doesn't need to marinate overnight. But before we get to that, we need to make our garam masala, which is the spice blend we will be using to make the chicken. Garam means 'hot' or 'heat' and masala means 'blend of spices.' The spices we will use are coriander seeds, cumin seeds, whole black peppercorns, black cumin seeds, black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, and dry ginger."

(http://punjabi-recipes.com/punjabi-garam-masala/)

                  

She handed each of us a list of ingredients and the amounts needed for each spice. "You need to dry roast the spices before you blend them. Sang, could you please measure out the spices. Luke, you can toast them in the pan, stirring lightly so that they don't scorch. The ginger is the only thing that we won't be toasting. That will get added at the end."

I took the measuring spoons and cups off of the tray and began portioning out the different spices and passing them to Luke. I tried not to gawk at him while he stirred the spices in the pan, the muscles in his forearms moving and shifting. I found the play of light over the cords in his arms was mesmerizing. If 'garam' meant hot, so did 'Luke' I thought to myself.  I stole a quick look at his face only to see him looking back at me. He grinned and gave me a wink.  I could feel my face turn pink. Oh great. He just caught me staring at his arms.

"Do you smell how the spices have gotten more fragrant?" Karam asked us both, interrupting my train of thought. "This means that they are done and are ready to grind." She reached under the counter and brought out a coffee grinder. "This is the best way to grind the spices quickly, but don't mistake your coffee grinder for your spice grinder" she laughed. "You won't appreciate how your coffee tastes if you do that."

Luke carefully tipped the small cast iron skillet, pouring the spices in to the coffee grinder.

Karam added the spoonful of dry ginger to the rest of the spices in the well of the grinder. "Sang, if you will do the honors." I placed the lid on the grinder, pressing it down. I buzzed the spices for a minute until they were powdered.

Luke and I moved back to the counter. Karam placed a tray with chicken, butter, tomato puree and several other ingredients in front of us. She directed us to trim the chicken and cut in to bite sized pieces. 

"So, Sang, do you have Indian food often?" Luke asked, looking down at me. His voice was a smooth baritone with a slight drawl. It reminded me of melted chocolate.

"Um, not very often" I replied. "I like it, but I haven't had the occasion to have it very much." Not very often at all, I thought. Because I had had to stay off the radar for several years, we didn't risk going to places where I might be seen.  It was safe now, but I still had a tendency to keep to myself. If I wasn't working, I was usually by myself reading, running or keeping up with my training.  I reached to get another piece of chicken off of the tray and my arm brushed his. He was close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off of the arm that was next to me. His proximity was giving me butterflies. 

When we were done with the chicken we washed our hands, and Karam asked us to bring the chicken and the other ingredients from the tray over to the large stove. She directed me to pour a bit of oil into the large pan. "When you see the oil shimmer" she said "it will be time to put in the chicken pieces to brown."

"Luke, while Sang browns the chicken pieces, please thinly slice the onion that will be part of the sauce."

I was a little disappointed to have him move away from my side. What is with me, I wondered. Why am I all of a sudden thinking like this about guys I'd never met before? First the stunning man with the silvery grey eyes at the office, whose name I didn't even know and would likely never see again, and now Luke, who I could picture wearing board shorts and carrying a surfboard. If I still lived at the compound, Lily would probably chuckle and say her little girl was growing up. Liam and the guys would probably have a shotgun by the door, I thought wryly. I haven't really felt like a little girl since before I was brought to them six years earlier, when I was 15.

The sound of sniffling made me look up. Luke's eyes were tearing from the onion. I couldn't help it, but I started giggling at the look on his face. He started at the sound.

"I'm sorry," I gasped. "I don't mean to laugh at you!"

He scooped up the onion slices with a bench scraper and dumped them in to the pan that Karam set on the stove, stirring them in the butter that was melting in the pan. "Ha ha. I will have the last laugh; you get to slice the next onion, Cupcake." He leaned down and whispered in my ear "besides, you don't want me to tell you about a world famous Doctor's cure for giggles, do you?"

My jaw dropped. Cupcake?

A/N:

This is my version of quick and easy butter chicken. I'm hungry for curry now.

http://kyratx-afoodiegetsfit.blogspot.com/2015/04/butter-chicken-easy-way.html