CityView Magazine

CityViewNC .com | 19 by Clayton Britt & Sons 3703 Bragg Blvd., Fayetteville, NC 28303 910.868.8319 | customercare@spaandpoolworld.com Personalized service from our team of professionals Traditional funeral services Cremation funeral services Cremations performed in our on-site crematory Chapel seating for over 200 people Pre-arrangement of funeral plans Family owned and operated Highland Funeral Service & Crematory SULLIVAN'S 910.484.8108 | 610 Ramsey Street | Fayetteville, NC T he cauliflower was sizzling in a large pot in Liza Shah's kitchen stove one recent aernoon. A tempting aroma waed from the heap of florets. What exactly was comprising that aroma? Something nutty? Maybe. Definitely something spicy … even exotic. And whatever that fragrant something was, it was certain to be delicious. "Food is central to our culture," said Shah, a longtime Fayetteville resident who was born in Bombay, India. "I know you're supposed to eat to live, but I think we live to eat. "If I tell my mom we're coming to Atlanta to visit," Shah said, "the first thing she'll ask is, 'What do you want to eat?'" Comfort food, Indian style, was on the menu on this day. e cauliflower was sharing the spicy spotlight with dal, or lentil soup, along with basmati rice, which is studded with star of anise and other spices, and roti, a wheat-flour flatbread. "When we come back from a vacation, this is the meal we want," Shah said, putting friend and volunteer sous chef Serriah Ciccone to work chopping, stirring and adding spices. It all started with a request for ideas from another friend, Megan Mannell, who claimed that, because her household includes one vegetarian, one carnivore and one gluten-free diet, dinner-planning is oen tricky. She had already been through the usual list of go-tos – tacos, quesadillas, pasta, pizza. ose are all fine, but wouldn't it be nice to try something different? Shah had the answer, graciously offering to give everyone a demonstration of how her native Indian cuisine could fit most diets and satisfy even picky eaters. Aer all, she's had years of practice cooking almost daily for husband Sanjay, a physician, son Rohun, 23, and daughter Preeya, 21. Many Indians are vegetarians, Shah said. And who needs meat when the lentils are so rich in protein and the combination of spices are so intriguing? Ciccone was using one of Shah's favorite finds – a handy and purely American Vidalia onion chopper – to become really adept at reducing the lovely heads of cauliflower into equally lovely florets. ese went into a large pot lightly coated with olive oil. Eventually, Shah would direct Ciccone to add turmeric,

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