What do Yoga, Khichdi, Swiss and Friday Evening have in common one may wonder?? S (my brazilian friend) is bringing along three other women for an evening of Yoga and Ayurvedic cooking.
It's 4:15PM and I'm desperately trying to memorize my thoughts on Yoga and Indian Philosophy in German (Danke Schön to Lukas for the translations) and fervently hoping that they're late. But oh-no.. these Swiss are punctual to the Tee.. at 4:30PM the doorbell rings and here they are. During introductions, i learn that they're all fluent in English and actually prefer that i speak in English.. Whew!!!
We talk a bit (correction: I talk and they Listen) about what Yoga means to me, about Indian Spirituality and healing through Ayurveda.
We begin the Yoga session with Pranayama (breathing exercises) in the balcony.. We bask in the glorious Sunshine and admire the calm views of the lake and the mountains while panting like a dog, Hissing like a Snake and growling like a Lion.
The neighbours are probably calling '112' (aka 911 in US) wondering what beasts this wild Indian girl next-door has in her apartment. We're having too much fun awakening our inner child and playing out the animal poses to keep track of time.
Before we realise it, it's already 6PM.. we're a full 30 mins over!!
We drink Vepambu Rasam (a blood cleansing sour, spicy, bitter but addictive Soup made from Neem-flowers) as we go over Indian spices and Khichdi recipe. I'm pleasantly surprised to find that my guests relish the Rasam as much as I do. I thought it had an acquired taste, but apparently the Swiss do like spicy stuff too, and not just cheese & chocolates!
Together as a team, we chop veggies, wash daal & rice and soon the pot of Khichdi is bubbling away. Perfect time to make the accompaniments: We make Raita (Yogurt Dip) and rolls out of freshly roasted Papads. The guests are captivated with the spice scents from the Tadka and enjoy the sizzling sound it makes as it's poured on top of the Khichdi.
Tadka is the soul of Indian Cuisine, altering a few spices can change the character of the dish completely - I explain. But the main ingredient is always Love 
As my guests dig into their first bite, i encourage them to let go of the silverware and relish Khichdi with their fingers. "It's even more delicious" remarks one as she licks her fingers. "I enjoy the fact that there's no taste of metal in the mouth" remarks another brave Soul. The third guest uses Papad as a little scoop...
Khichdi, Papad, Green Chutney, Homemade Yogurt, Raita, Ghee .. and a lot of Smiles!!!
Yoga, Khichdi and Swiss do make Friday Evenings more interesting...
