Tipi Stube is a cozy alpine hut located amidst the Ski Slopes of Klewenalp. Skiers stop by here for a respite and Coffee with or without Schnapps and a slice of Käsekuchen to recharge their batteries. Every so often, Silbi invites a guest to cook their speciality at his Bar/Restaurant. For the Easter-Saturday party, he's invited me to cook Indian homestyle food... He estimates, we can cook for about 50 people. Instead of an exotic meal, we plan on a simple menu with easily available ingredients. It's the first time i will be cooking for such a large group & that too in a makeshift kitchen, so the butterflies end up making their way to my stomach.

It's a rainy Friday afternoon as we make our way to the Klewenalp Gondola. It's snowing, windy & Brrr Cold when we arrive up at Klewenalp. Just the perfect ingredients to dampen my spirit, nevertheless my excitement gets the better of me. As we climb up Silbi's Ski-Doo, he advises me to keep my eyes closed. The sharp pieces of snow are known to cause swollen eyes. We stop at a restaurant for Karfreitag (Good Friday) Stubete (local musicians performing Ländlermusik). By 7PM, the restaurant is crowded, with hardly any elbow space at the tables and many more standing outside in the cold. These musicians must be really popular! Edelweiss swiss shirts in shades of Blue & Red are ubiquitous as are the drinks and meat on the tables. I can hear different Swiss-German dialects.. not that i can understand them yet. This is as Swiss as it gets. Will they have something veggie, I wonder as i open the menu.. Yippee Rösti .. I shall not starve tonight!! 

I wake up to light streaming in from the windows and some blue skies.. Armed with my morning cuppa & a jacket, i step outside to breathe in some fresh alpine air. Today is a sharp contrast from yesterday's grey skies. Silbi is already up & about setting up the benches. It's going to be a warm, sunny day & he's expecting a lot of visitors.

We look for the right pots/pans and tools to get going. We have our task cut out for us: First Raita, then Daal, followed by Vegetable (Alu-Gobi-Matar) and finally Rice to be ready by 11:30AM. 

I realise that the twin electric plates take a longtime to heat & the flame of the big gas stove can't be set low enough to simmer the soup or cook the vegetable.. Hmmmm... this is going to be FUN!! We end up doing part of cooking & chopping in Silbi's kitchen. By 9AM, earlybird skiers are already stopping by for coffee & Nussgipfel. Curious eyes follow me as I run back and forth between our makeshift kitchen and Silbi's kitchen with tall pots. Soon i have the daal simmering on the electric plate, the Alu-Gobi sizzling in the giant wok on the gas stove and the Tadka for the daal in Silbi's kitchen. I sure wish i were an octopus, so i could stir all these pots at the same time. All this running back & forth is takes up precious time & soon we're racing against the clock!! A few curious skiers stop by to watch me stir the vegetable with two ladles...

Finally we're ready by Noon just as Jolanda stops by for the first plate..  We serve her Rice, Vegetable, Daal & Raita. Lukas reminds me not to forget the fresh cilantro garnish on the top. A few more guests are brave enough to try Indian food. One lady visiting from Basel, wants it extra HOT. I make a fresh Tadka of Ghee-Cumin-Ginger & Red Chillies and give her a big Bowl of the Daal. Later she tells me that she absolutely loved it.. and that i should open a restaurant, if i don't have one already. Ahem!!! Hmmm.. i wonder what was so special about it?? I just made a simple meal.. perhaps the secret ingredient "Love" made all the difference.

A bunch of folks are hardline meat eaters and the concept of vegetarian food is foreign to them, but they're brave enough to try. Much to my surprise, they say they actually loved it.. or perhaps they were just being nice

It's a gorgeous afternoon with Sun, Snow & music. I find my eyes begin to droop as i sip Häxler Tea on the swing... Ummm.. A siesta would be a perfect way to enjoy this beautiful sunshine.. but a couple of skiers want to try the food. It's 4:15PM now and the last of the skiers are making their way down as the ski-lifts close at 4:30PM. We close the Indian kitchen and go around Silbi's Tipi for a li'l walk. I had misplaced my cell and Lukas was busy chopping vegetables all morning, so we couldn't take any pictures while cooking. To make up, we take a couple in the afternoon Sun. I'll take Sunshine to Kitchen anyday ..

It's 6PM & we're all inside the cozy Tipi-Stube now. I serve Indian masala tea (with Ginger, cloves, black pepper)....  Almost everyone is having it for the first time and they like the warmth it generates in their throats & stomach. Nonen, the sweet 10 year old daughter of a guest staying overnight asks for a second helping. I'd made about 10 big cups and unfortunately we were out of it. I ask her to stop by my home & i would teach her how to make it.

We have Indian food for dinner along with the kitchen crew and Silbi. Angy's 13 year old who didn't like Blumenkohl (Cauliflower) takes a second helping of the vegetable.. much to the surprise of his mom. The food actually still tastes good. Must be the fresh alpine air..

At 8PM, the Ski PistenBullys are already out, preparing the slopes for the next day. Angy asks me if i would like to ride one. But of course!! We put on our jackets, hats & gloves and rush outside. Nonen & Mel, the li'l girls not wanting to miss out on this ride, join us as well. As we climb up the slope from Silbi's Tipi, we spy the Pistenbully in the distance. Angy whistles loudly and finally he turns back. I look up and see thousands of stars against the inky black sky. A starry sky above and silent snowy slopes under our feet.

As we drive up & down some really steep ski slopes with ~50% gradients & make u-turns at the very edge of slopes, I realise this is more fun than a six-flags ride. We arrive back at 9:30, just in time to head back. Our cable car from Klewenalp is at 10:05. We bid goodbye to the crew and the overnight guests and Silbi drives us back in his Ski-Doo. It almost feels sinful to drive around in gas guzzlers amidst this serene beauty. As we bid goodbye to Silbi, he gives me a 100Frank note as a token of my efforts. Yippeeeee my first earning in Switzerland!!!!

A handful of other skiers join us in the Gondola. On the ride back down, i reflect on the day's events & my feelings: a li'l rushed while cooking, the joy when hardliner meat eaters complimented the food, the hugs from Nonen & Mel, my first earning.. I hope Silbi atleast broke even.. We had cooked 50 portions and sold about 30.. I hope he will be able to sell it as Lentil soup tomorrow..

But now, my thoughts turn to the cats we had left alone at home and i wonder what kind of greeting we will get when we get back..