There is no recipe without a story! So here's the story of a love filled recipe of Shrimp Lasanyu Masala courtesy, Khushi's Uncle, in his words and in Khushi's. 

"It all begins with a call from Virkein who took it upon herself to explain everything 'sundooq' in detail one evening. By then, I was in isolation peak with the pandemic and had gotten sick of making myself DIY things to eat with zero free time and absolutely no sense of quantities (cooking for one is the most diificult task imo). After I tried the kit by sundooq for the first time, I relayed the experience to my uncles on both sides of the spectrum - those who love cooking and eating, and those who only love eating and do not cook that often. 

After 2 vaccinations and a booster, my uncle decided to come to India after three years. He lives in the Silicon Valley and apart from the typical chicken tikka masala and a few Indian restaurants (who primarily focus on north Indian dishes) memories of authentic tastes from back home were going to slowly fade away. We were all reminiscing the horrible times of isolation and covid, and he said that he, too, had started making a few dishes off and on. My uncle isn't too fond of extremely spicy food (and my aunt is!!) but it was his love for the Indian tastes/dishes that got me to think of Sundooq as a gift to give him to take back with him, to enjoy with the family and experiment with it according to their liking.

As luck would have it, I got covid towards the tail end of his trip (was isolating and couldn't see him off properly), but within the brainfog, I remembered the tastes of sundooq and we managed to pack a kit of sundooq for him to take back. He's tried a few, and he sent me a description of his most recent experiment."

- Khushi

Image: Khushi's Uncle and his Shrimp Lasanyu Masala (courtesy Khushi)

This comes in from the silicon valley where cooking a meal together with the family once a week is more luxurious than the place itself. So comfort food is what we aim for. The recipe for this preparation is more from the soul, and definitely for the soul. Make it with an open heart and change it up as per your vibes in the moment !!

Chopping vegetables is the first step: 

- Onions(1 big one, or two small ones), 

- Potatoes (2 or 3 depending on how much love you share for potatoes as a family) and 

- Tomatoes (a little more than one but less than two, andaaz apna apna!). 

- A dash of oil only if you really want to,

- Keep ready the lasanyu masala because it has 'everything' you need,

and

- Cleaned Shrimp (the ones you know how to cook, nothing special).

In a pan, adding very little oil, first go in the onion like how we all begin any dish. Next, dump in the tomatoes and potatoes sautéed with 'Lasanyu masala by Sundooq' till potatoes are cooked. We all check this by breaking the potato in half, and if it breaks easily, it's time. Dont forget to add salt and pepper at this stage if needed by the designated taster in the family, because things tend to speed up from here on and we dont want to forget the fundamentals now, do we !! 

Finally, on low flame now, dump the clean shrimp and cook all together for 3-4 mins. Garnish with dhaniya (coriander) if you have some fresh leaves growing, don't worry too much if G for garnish is not G for green. We do what we can !! Enjoy with the whole family, eat with rice, some yummy bread or rotis - it's your choice !!

Lots of love to Sundooq

- Khushi's Uncle

All I can think of is picking up a packet of Lasanyu to follow Uncle's recipe, not just for dinner tonight but in the kitchen of life. And gratitude for stories of Sundooq that you share with us. Keep em coming..

If you have thoughts, or would like to share a perspective, we would love to hear from you. As usual, you can simply hit reply to this email to share your thoughts, conundrums, or just to say no more khhats please. 

With love and curiosity,

The KHHAT is a medium to share our ideas, explorations and discoveries, while connecting you to mysterious experiences, obscure places, and gifted people, in the form of a letter that reaches your inbox once a month. You can just hit reply to tell me what you liked or not in The Khhat, ask a question you wouldn't ask google or bing, tell us you want to be in our next one, or just to say no more khhats please!

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We have to share this blast from the past- Aiye Re Aiye Re Khushi

*Remember to mask up, sanitize often and celebrate, but carefully. Eat well, stay healthy.