Ten reasons to love India

1. Persimmon Lassis

Sweet Jesus, could anything be more delicious than a persimmon lassi? Do persimmons even grow in India? Who knows? And who cares? All I know is that Dokebi Korean Restaurant in McLeod Ganj serves them fresh, in front of a roaring fire. Yum.

2. The Mumbai art scene

Mumbai is absolutely fucking fabulous. One can spend days wandering the new and established modern art galleries of Kala Ghoda, and balmy nights in Colaba antiquing or trying on Rs 25,000 dresses in restored lofted Raj-era buildings. Or at least, that's what I'm doing these days.

3. Kai's street photography




4. Indian Mithai: Kaju Burfi

To me, fresh homemade Indian sweets (mithai) are the most delicious sweets in the world. My colleague Shivani's mother-in-law, Prem-ji, taught me this recipe. It is a traditional mithai, often exchanged during Diwali, the Festival of Lights.

You can substitute pistachio or almond instead of cashew. Both require being soaked overnight and peeled the following morning, before beginning the process, and are equally as delicious. Burfi can also be enhanced with with subtle, aromatic masala, such as cardamom, saffron or a few drops of rosewater.

Ingredients
1 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup sugar, to taste
1/4 cup water

1. Finely grind the cashews to a powder, using a coffee grinder.
2. Mix the sugar and water in a wide saucepan.
3. Heat until small bubbles begin to appear on the surface.
4. Stir gently and let it come to a rolling boil.
5. Pour in the cashew powder and stir well to avoid lumps.
6. Keep stirring for a few minutes and you should notice the mixture getting a little thicker.
7. Put a drop on a chilled plate and test to see if it hardens slightly. You should be able to roll it into a loose ball.
8. If it does, switch off the heat and move the pan away from the hot surface.
9. Let it cool slightly and transfer mixture to countertop.
10. Knead well with your hands to make it smooth and glossy.
11. Roll out with a rolling pin into 1/4 inch thick sheet and cut into diamond shaped pieces.
12. Gather all the end bits and knead again and repeat the process.
13. Let cool and pack between sheets of waxed paper.
14. Optional: Garnish with grated pistachio and a dash of saffron water.
    
    
    
    
    5. Big sky, big mountains.
    
    
    
    6. Because Diwali in Jaipur is like Chanukah in Jerusalem.
    
    
    
    7. Shah Rukh Khan.
    
    
    
    8. Curious children.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    9. Spontaneous dancing. India: all music, all the time.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    10. Riding in auto rickshaws: how else to navigate the streets of India?