Cumin for kids
I am teaching my children curry. They don't go to nursery so I figure I should make their time at home count for something. Today Abijah, 3, holds the handle of a cheese knife and I press down on the tip as we cut through a block of paneer. He watches as I slice the onions and eats more than I had planned so I am glad I'm not following any written recipe. Grams carry no weight here. Then, to stop him and his little sister swinging on the pull-out spice shelves, I give them what they're interested in, the cumin seeds. "If you're going to spit them out, spit them in the bin." I turn on the spotlight over the hob. I want to see this in full colour. Oil, cumin seeds, chilis and onions on a big black pan start sizzling, singing. Most other stuff I do is coping but this quarter to five moment is me creating. This is perfume, this is memoir, this is travel, this is bollywood. This is why I don't talk much when the heat is high. Then mummy thinks about the onse...