Part Two: La Paz, Bolivia

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Images below are thumbnails. Click on them to see a larger version.

We rushed around a bit more, completed our shopping, and drove up and down some hitherto unseen quarters of La Paz. Set up at the convention centre on Av. Arce with hours to spare. Puffed and panted up the 5 flights of stairs (damn that altitude!) Getting into the routine of the classes. Tonight’s menu was another success:

• Sopa agridulce con Vegetales
  (Sweet & Sour Chana dal Soup with Vegetables)
  
  
• Zapallo Gujarati simple y sublime
  (Simple and Sublime Gujarati Pumpkin)
  
  
• Bollos de Curry (Malaysian Curry Puffs)
  
  
• Fritos de Maiz crocantes de Indonesia
  (Indonesian Corn Fritters - Perkedel Jagung)
  
  
• Bocadillo Javanes de Locoto picante
  (Spicy Javanese chili Pickle - Sambal Bajak)
  
  
• Bolitas de leche en polvo remojadas en almíbar con esencia de rosas (Succulent Milk Fudge Cakes in Rose-scented syrup - Gulab Jamuns)
  

It was a wonderful experience to transform the pumpkin, generally considered to be rather ordinary vegetable, into something sublime. This was an especially revealing recipe for our students as well. With the addition of aromatic spices such as fenugreek, turmeric and asafetida, the subtle garnish of cilantro (fresh coriander leaves), and a final sprinkle of a local raw sugar called chancaca and a squeeze of lemon, the transformation was complete. Such is the magic of cooking with the gifts of our Mother Earth.

Equally remarkable was the transformation of ordinary ingredients - milk, sugar and butter - into a stunning dessert - gulab jamuns. By combining powdered milk, a little cardamom, a sprinkle of flour and a splash of warm milk, we made a soft dough which we rolled into little balls and slowly fried in ghee, clarified butter. When golden brown and swollen, we plunged them into rose scented sugar syrup. One of the best desserts from the classic cuisine of India!

Day Seven

Caught up with my e-mail. Had 83 letters waiting to be answered! A lot of them detailed plans for the rest of this tour. Concerned letters from the ladies in Argentina who were trying to track down kitchen exotica in Buenos Aires, my friends in Brazil with final itineraries, requests from my translators in Chile to send the recipes soon, and a disturbing letter from my media host in Lima.

He wrote informing me that due to personal problems he was unable to set me up with the numerous media contacts he had promised. Oh well, I thought, I guess this was a blessing in disguise. I would be so exhausted by the time I reached Peru that I would be glad to have a more relaxed schedule to finish up my tour.

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