Garlic soup update

I’ve been back for more than a week now and just thought I’d add some footnotes here.

I haven’t done very much in that time, not that is worth mentioning here anyway, but I have actually been reasonably busy doing not very much. My leg is getting better, after a course of antibiotics and dressing. Tomorrow I’m going through to Edinburgh for the Leonard Cohen concert at the Castle esplanade, something I am looking forward to very much - not to mention the reunion there with my long-lost cousin Janet.

Chuda has been busy at the Namuna Mahila school in Nepal and I have a backlog of documents to edit for him.

The main news, though, is that I tried making some Nepalese garlic soup the other night – according to the recipe that I noted here in the blog, and as witnessed in a Nepal mountain kitchen. Somehow or other it didn’t quite work out as intended. I think, in retrospect, I probably put in too much of everything (except water), and I had to compromise on the masala element. In Nepal I saw them use what they called red masala and then white masala, and I assumed that it would be straightforward to get these here, if not in Tesco then at an Asian shop on Great Western Road. All they seem to sell here is something called garam masala, which is a green/brown colour. This is what I used in my soup. I have now found some red stuff in an Asian shop, but they say they don’t know what I mean by white masala.

Maybe it isn’t important, except as a disclaimer in case I get any complaints from people who have tried the recipe from here. Personally I enjoyed the product of my efforts, on its own as well as using the large surplus as an added ingredient to mix with other soups. Emina (who is here till the end of July) didn’t share my views though and had to open most of the windows. Come to think of it the street has been emptier than usual these last few days.

Sorry I didn't take a photo of the soup, but you can have one of Glasgow's Botanic Gardens the other day. I don't have my own garden here but this one is near enough and I am a regular visitor.