with Mary Anne Mohanraj
Sri Lankan chicken curry — this one is just a staple. I probably ate it every week, growing up, and must have cooked it at least once a week for myself when I was in grad school.
For Kev and the kids, I cut most of the chicken thighs off the bones, but I throw the bones in to cook, because it adds immensely to the flavor.
Amma likes to crack the bones with her teeth and suck out the marrow; she’s hard-core. It’s her birthday today — thinking of her.
While I cook for my sci-fi lunch this morning, Stephanie Bailey is over here packing up and shipping out the Kickstarter and pre-orders of Vegan Serendib. Every once in a while she calls me over to personalize one — I’ve signed lots, but some people asked for special messages, which I’m happy to add.
This one is a Christmas present — I’m expecting we’ll get quite a few more holiday gifts in the next few weeks, and we’ll do our best to get them out in time, but do keep in mind that postal shipping has gotten weird, and ordering sooner is definitely safer. I’d definitely get in U.S. orders by December 7th for Christmas delivery, and international orders earlier! (Link to order in comments.)
Lots of these pre-orders have also asked for messages like “Enjoy your new culinary journey,” which I’m guessing is mostly referring to the vegan part — they’re being sent as gifts to friends and family members who have recently shifted to a plant-based diet, for health and/or other reasons. It’s cool.
Someone asked me recently if this was a heart-healthy cookbook, and you know, I’m not a nutritionist or a doctor, so I didn’t really feel like I could make any assurances in that regard. But I suspect generally transitioning to a more plant-based diet is likely to be good for your heart and health overall — as long as you don’t drown every single curry in coconut milk, anyway. 
(Yes, my signature is a scrawl. I did get a ‘C’ in handwriting back at Holy Cross, when the nuns were trying to teach us cursive. Can I blame my doctor father? Maybe messy signatures can be inherited…)
Making mango fluff; having lunch today with Kelly Robson, AM Dellamonica, Alec Nevala-Lee, Emmanuel Henderson, and Roshani Anandappa. Science fictional / fantastic lunch.
This is Kavi’s absolute favorite dessert in all the world.
I came home from World Fantasy and almost immediately made myself comfort food — beef and potato curry, the first thing I really learned to cook, with some indulgent short-grain white rice.
I usually try to make rice with a lower glycemic index, because I had gestational diabetes with Anand, so I try to be a little careful of my sugars. But sometimes, you just want to indulge.
Kavi and Kevin love this curry too — Anand still can’t handle anything spicy, poor munchkin. Sensitive tongue!
Kavi came home when I was packing up marshmallows for the Wonderland treat boxes, and asked if there were any bad ones she could eat, and I had to say no, because I’d made just enough this time.
Don’t feel too sorry for her, though; I’ll probably make another batch of passionfruit marshmallows in the next day or two, so she’ll get plenty, and those are her favorites.
Well, this is exciting. Vegan Serendib is #1 in IngramSpark’s “COOKING / Regional & Ethnic / Indian & South Asian” category!
Booksellers, please do feel free to place orders, and if you’d like me to do an event for you (virtual or in-person), let’s talk! Reviewers, let me know if you’d like a copy!
Official launch is November 15, which I’m just realizing is only 5 days away. Eep.
The Caterpillar says, “Won’t you try my marshmallows? They’ll have you seeing stars…”
Smoked & salted vanilla marshmallows three ways:
– dark chocolate with crumbled graham crackers
– ruby chocolate with a dizzying array of colored sprinkles
– white chocolate with green glitter and gold stars
Took ten minutes to make dessert; apples and sultanas sautéed in butter with cinnamon and jaggery, served over ice cream.
First copies boxed up! We’ll start shipping them out tomorrow!
Stephanie came by today and starting packing up Kickstarter copies of Vegan Serendib, woot!
