AT THE TABLE Cooking and dining for hours. AD Haagsche Courant joins fellow locals every week for a snack, a drink and a good conversation. This week with Varsha Gerritsen (30) from The Hague, for whom Indian food is not only tasty, she also needs it. Her body responds better to turmeric and lentils than to Dutch dairy.
The smells that haunt Varsha Gerritsen's hall already reveal the type of cuisine she is serving this evening: Indian. A mix of garlic, ginger and slivers of onion is simmering in a pan on a separate burner in her student room in The Hague.
Chili peppers "Garlic and ginger are kind of my basic ingredients," says 30-year-old Varsha. "I use them for almost every Indian dish. Not that it is the same everywhere in India. That differs per region. But in the In the region where my roots are located, garlic, turmeric, ginger and chili peppers are common. As a result, they are used for many different dishes. You carry something like that with you from your youth."
Varsha came to the Netherlands at the age of 2. A new country with a completely different food culture. “Lots of dairy. Something that Dutch people experience as healthy. But for me this was not always the case. My body is not built for the large amounts of dairy that are used here."
Curry Varsha couldn't get used to the Dutch way of cooking. It was therefore soon time for her to take up the cooking utensils herself and delve into flavors and products that her body wanted: ginger, garlic and those chopped onions. Her interest in Indian cuisine was sparked.
Tarka dahl
Ingredients for 2 people • 150 g red split lentils • 50 g mung dhal • 500 ml of water • 1 tsp grated ginger • 1 tsp grated garlic • 1/4 tsp ground turmeric • 1 tsp ground chili powder • 1.5 tsp salt • 2 tbsp oil • 1 onion in cubes • 1/4 tsp mustard seeds • 1.5 tsp salt • 1 tomato in cubes • 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
Preparation: Boil the red lentils, mung dahl, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chili powder and salt in the water for 20 minutes, with the lid on the pan. Mash the mixture until it is a creamy soup. Add salt. Put oil in another pan and fry the onion with the mustard seeds and tomato for 2 minutes. Pour the tarka over the lentils and garnish with coriander.
“I think I was six when I made my first curry. That's quite young. That reveals how much I actually wanted it." Since then, she has been experimenting in the kitchen. With cookbook recipes: which she then tries to give her own twist. Or by giving her mind free rein. But also with pre-packed sauces or mixes from the supermarket.
“Yes, caught. I also sometimes use packages from the supermarket that are now known as 'bad'. And I also sometimes just take away, like any other person. But I don't do it for convenience. I use them to get to know the flavors. What creates a factory? And I try to recreate that in my own way or give it my own twist with fresh products."
Own cookbook All in the context of a kind of self-study. Of course, this also includes visits to India. “I still have family living in central India. A warm, dry area. One where less meat is generally eaten and more vegetables and fruit. I have become more aware of that myself. You don't always have to eat meat. It can also be done without it. Indian cuisine offers dishes that are just as tasty without meat as with."
Varsha knew that. She is now the favorite cook for vegetarian friends. “I love cooking for friends. I live alone, so I usually cook for myself. But when others come over, I can have fun. I can get them to try new flavors. Self-created that is. I am always very curious about their reaction. That's why I think it would be fun to write a cookbook one day. So that I can introduce others to these new flavors. Not that I've written anything down yet. I still think I'm a bit too inexperienced for that. But you can dream, right?"
If I'm looking for something special, I often go to a store. You can find things there that you would also find in India
Varsha Gerritsen
Meanwhile, Varsha continues to focus on the pan in front of her. She makes a dahl: a dish with legumes: lentils in this case. The accompanying rice is prepared in a rice cooker. "I often just cook rice, too. But a rice cooker like this makes it a bit easier. This means you pay more attention to what is happening in the pan with the dahl." She carefully tastes the dish. She looks doubtful. "Something is missing," she mumbles. "I can't quite put my finger on it yet." She has a critical tongue. "I think it lacks some salt. Oh well, better luck next time."
Italian Real Indian cooking in a city like The Hague. Is that possible? "Yes, you really have everything here," says Varsha. "You can easily get a lot of spices at Albert Heijn. If I'm looking for something special, I often go to a store. You can find stuff there. , which you also find in India." The only thing she sees a clear difference in is the vegetables. "For example, I find tomatoes in India much tastier. In the Netherlands they are very watery."
Varsha prefers Indian cuisine over Dutch stews. But there is one European cuisine style that can wake her up at night: "Italian." Those pasta sauces are delicious."
