The Newleyweds and Egg and Potato Curry

April got away from me, and then May has too.   Blogging has taken a back seat to other things, and I hope that soon my blogging focus will be reignited.  I am not sure of this exact cause of lagging blogging, but work has certainly been a big part of it.  I have working on one of those cases that is running on a fast track, so it has been intense so by the end of the day it takes a lot out of me.  I have also been in a bit of a reading rut, I have been working on Richard Ford's Canada for about a month now, and have refused to give up on it even though it hasn't really caught my attention, I am taking it on the plane with me today on a quick trip to New Orleans, and if I am not engrossed after the flight, I may just throw in the towel. [Note: that was several weeks ago, I did end up abandoning the book but hope to pick it up and try again]  A book which did catch my attention however was Nell Freudenberger's The Newleyweds.  The novel tells the story of a marriage born of the internet age  - a young Bangladeshi woman, Amina,  and almost middle aged IT guy from Rochester, George.  The two meet over the internet - through a website called AsianEuro.com.  Not a romantic start, and this is not a romantic novel.   The Newlyweds is an affecting portrait of a woman struggling between two cultures and trying to define her life's path for herself.   More after the jump.

The protagonist of Nell Freudenberger's The Newlyweds is Meena, a young woman from Bangladesh.  Meena lives with her parents, and her family has moved in and out of poverty her whole life.  Her mother is a constant worry er and her father is flighty and repeatedly throws himself into questionable business schemes.  Meena is the family's center and stabilizing force.   At some point it becomes clear to Meena that she needs to do something dramatic with her life and to help her parents to a more secure future.  Finding an American husband is how she sets to do this, through the cringeworthy website - AsianEuro.  On the site, Meena meets George a middle aged IT guy from Rochester.  The two have a brief internet courtship, and after a few bumps George comes to Bangladesh to meet Meena and eventually to ask her to marry him.  Meena says yes and assumes that once she is over in the states for a certain period of time, her parents will come and live with her and George.  This is also the assumption of her parents, but George, with his American viewpoint, does not necessarily see this in their future.  George is generally vague about the cultural things that are important to Meena - during their courtship, he assures her he will convert to Islam and they will have a Muslim wedding, but once Meena is in Rochester, George does not move forward on her conversion, and she does not push him and does not insist on a Muslim wedding.  Meena is on her own in Rochester, without any friends or family, and she works to become comfortable in her marriage, with George's small, strange family, and in her new American skin.  The newlyweds quiet, passionless marriage is thrown into turmoil when Meena makes a discovery about George's past relationship with his troubled, adopted cousin, and Meena returns to Bangladesh to secure her parents visa's for immigration to America.   When Meena's two week trip turns into something longer, she finds herself questioning her life choices when her feelings for an old crush are reignited.   Meena's time in Bangladesh is filled with a feeling of lurking danger - her father's family have a vendetta against him, the city, Dhaka, is always teeming with people, insects, cars and motorbikes.   It is during this time in Bangladesh that Meena must decide again what she wants for her future.  The Newlyweds is at its best when it is Bangladesh and focused on Meena and her efforts to resolve her issues with her family, her past loves, and her path forward in her marriage to George.  This both was both funny and touching, a great read.


Egg and Potato Curry, adapted from this recipe
One of the obvious struggles Meena went through after she married George is what to cook him.  While he did not heartily embrace her religion and other cultural behaviors, he seemed to bengingly accept at least her cooking.  One of the dishes she put together for him on a regular weeknight was an egg and potato curry.  This intrigued me, since I have never had it.  It seemed slightly strange, but a great way to make a rich and interesting dinner when all you have around is the basics (and of course some spices and cilantro).  I found this recipe by googling "Bangladeshi egg and potato curry."  There are lots of variations out there, but they all seem fairly similar.   This was a comforting but interesting dish.

Ingredients

6 eggs

3 - 4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into large pieces.

1/4 cup oil, plus 2 tablespoons

1 large onion, sliced

1/2 tbsp grated ginger

1/2 tbsp minced garlic

2 large tomatoes, chopped (you can also use 2 cups canned diced tomatoes)

2-3 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 cardamom pod

1/2 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp salt (Or to taste)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

 3/4 tbsp red chili powder

  1 1/2 tbsp coriander powder

1 cup water

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

    chopped cilantro to taste           

Directions:

1. Hard boil the eggs, cool and peel (my method is to put the eggs in a saucepan, cover with water.   Cover and bring to a boil.  As soon as water is boiling, remove from heat, keep covered and let sit for 10 minutes).
2. Heat the 1/4 cup of oil in a dutch oven or another high sided pan.  Heat the oil until just smoking.  Fry the eggs until golden on all sides.
3. Remove the eggs and drain on a paper towel.
4. Heat the two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet.  Fry the onions until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove onions from skillet, keep oil in the pan.
5. In a blender, combine the tomatoes, fried onions and cumin seeds.  Blend until smooth.
6. Heat the oil again, add the garlic and ginger paste, the cloves, the cinnamon, the cardamom.  Add the tomato mixture and stir.
7. Add the salt, turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder and water and stir.
8. Simmer this mixture on medium low heat for 15 minutes, until it is drier.
9. Add the potatoes, stir to coat them with spice mixture, add another cup of water (enough so that potatoes are covered).  Cover the pan and cook on medium heat until potatoes are tender.
10. If the curry is dry, add some more water to create a gravy.
11. Add garam masala and cilantro and eggs, stir.  Serve with more cilantro.