Table of Contents: From Breakfast With Anita Diamant to Dessert With James Patterson - a Generous Helping of Recipes, Writings and Insights From Today's Bestselling Authors (40 page)

1
In a large bowl, combine the puffed rice, sev, puris, onion, potatoes, cilantro, and red chili powder, if desired.

2
Add enough chutney so the dry ingredients are moist and flavorful, but not soggy.

3
Sprinkle lime juice to taste, and serve immediately in small bowls.

SELECTED WOEKS

Cutting for Stone
(2009)

The Tennis Partner
(1998)

My Own Country: A Doctor's Story
(1995)

Inspiration
The desire to understand what I am thinking is what inspires the writing. The act is mysterious, and it emerges only in the process of writing.

Readers Should Know that writing is really all about revision and the finished book in the reader's hand represents one tiny fraction of the pages generated. Hundreds of pages, good pages, gone in the service of not boring the reader.

Readers Frequently Ask
Is
Cutting for Stone
autobiographical?

And the answer is no, I was not a twin, or born to doctors, or raised in a missionary hospital. That said, I did use the geography I knew well and I was born in Ethiopia and came to America about the time that Marion does in
Cutting for Stone.

Influences on My Writing

Günter Grasse's
The Tin Drum
. I loved this novel for its daring point of view, for its acrobatics, for the way it shows how a novel can tell the truth about our world in a manner even more convincing than a factual account.

Gabriel García Márquez's
Love in the Time of Cholera
. For the delicious language, which I regret I am reading only in translation.

John Irving's
The World According to Garp
. For the sheer ambition of that book, the wonderful, complete, complex world that he creates.

All three of these recipes are originally from my mother, Mariam Verghese, perfected by her through countless repetitions and passed on to us. The first two are South Indian dishes. The scenes I describe in Cutting for Stone of Marion being carried on Almaz's hip while onion is frying and mustard seeds are popping reflect memories of my own childhood in my mother's kitchen, where the Ethiopian maids taught by my (Indian) mother were adept at making these Indian dishes. My mother both taught us how to prepare and helped me write these recipes.

Makes 4 servings

This dish is not only a typical dish from Kerala, but also one that I associate with my mother. No one else makes it better than her. It's a typical South Indian meat dish, the kind of thing that Hema, a Brahmin and a vegetarian character in Cutting for Stone would not eat in India but enjoys and craves in Ethiopia, and which Almaz the cook is adept at making. It is served with rice or bread.

Note:
You may substitute 4 tablespoons meat masala for the pepper and coriander mixture.

Mariam Verghese adds that by the time you fry the meat, the pepper has lost its intensely spicy quality. However, you might want to add less pepper for a milder dish. She offers some options for finishing the dish: “In Kerala, we add fried coconut slices now (after the dish has cooked). Some folks add a little butter and stir over a low heat for some more time.”

1
Place pepper and coriander in a small bowl, and add a small amount of water to make a paste. Place beef pieces into a medium bowl and stir paste into the meat pieces. Set aside for a few hours if there is no hurry to prepare.

2
Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the mustard seeds, and heat until they sputter. Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, and cardamom seeds (if desired). Stir, and then add onion, garlic, and ginger. Continue to stir over low heat until the onions begin to turn brown. Add the beef, and stir-fry for a few minutes.

3
Dissolve the ½ bouillon cube in hot water. Add to skillet, stir, cover, and simmer until the water is nearly gone. Test beef for tenderness and add salt if desired. If satisfactory, remove cover, keep stirring occasionally until the water is completely gone. Add a small amount of butter and/or coconut slices, if desired.

Makes 3–4 servings

This would be a typical breakfast dish that Ghosh and Hema and the twins Marion and Shiva (from
Cutting for Stone
) would eat, either with an egg curry or by mashing in some bananas and sugar as something sweet.

Upma is also the sort of simple dish that Sister Mary Joseph Praise, a character central to
Cutting for Stone
, would have learned to make in her mother's kitchen. Upma was probably the first thing she made, and since she joined the convent at a very young age, it might have been the only thing she learned to make.

Note:
You can add julienned cooked vegetables to the upma if you like.

You may use commercial ginger paste, found in specialty stores, or make your own. To make ginger paste: Place 1/8 pound peeled and coarsely chopped gingerroot and ¼ cup water in a blender and purée.

Wear plastic or rubber gloves while handling the chiles to protect your skin from the oil in them. Avoid direct contact with your eyes, and wash your hands thoroughly after handling.

1
In a medium flat shallow skillet, roast the cereal over low heat, stirring often, until golden in color, approximately 2 minutes.

2
In another medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, add the mustard seeds, and heat until they sputter. Add the onion, chiles, ginger paste, and curry leaves, if desired. Continue to stir over medium heat until the onions begin to turn brown at the edges.

3
Add water and butter and stir. Add salt and lemon juice to taste. When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat and slowly add the cereal, stirring continuously and breaking up any lumps. Turn off the heat.

4
Sprinkle the cashew nuts on top. Cover the dish for a few minutes before serving.