25th Dreamling fanfic recipe post! ✨
Spiced chickpeas, turmeric rice, fried paneer, vegetable curry, samosas, and garlic naan from the new Chef!Hob fic by @chaosheadspace. Also from anon's ask and @gabessquishytum 's answer!
I am very excited about this because it's the first post of 2024, my 25th post, it's Indian food, and it's based on a fic by @chaosheadspace who made my first recipe--the Dreamling Cookies--and sent a picture of them almost a year ago! Chef!Hob is one of my favorites and this fic has everything--hot Hob, good food, stunned dream, and hopefully more!
I made these dishes based on how I traditionally make them. But I did seek clarification on the textures from the author. For the photos I also added some things I had lying around that are similar to Hob's tattoos like the lotus and elephant. Here are some excerpts from the fic!
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... a moment later Dream is handed a plate that is loaded to the point of overflowing, and some naan... He carefully perches the plate on his knees and inspects it. There’s turmeric rice and spiced chickpeas, fried paneer, golden and crispy, samosas, and of course the curry.
Dream takes the spoon and scoops up a chickpea, pops it into his mouth, rolls it around on his tongue. Turmeric and curry powder, he thinks, which is not surprising, and chilli, and smoked paprika. He eats another one. Something earthy and a little sharp. Hmm. Probably nutmeg, he decides. No onion, no coriander. Surprising, but not unwelcome.
[Normally I would add onions and coriander leaves too, but the fic said no, so I didn't! While I don't use curry powder, I have the individual spices that make up curry powder. This allows me to adjust the quantity of each component based on the type of dish I'm making. The powdered spices I added are turmeric, cumin, coriander seed, garam masala, chilli powder, paprika, nutmeg, dried mango, dried fenugreek, besides brewed black tea, lemon juice, ginger garlic paste, whole cumin seeds, green chillies, slivered ginger, and a bit of mashed potatoes to thicken the gravy.]
The samosas are still hot, so he leaves them be for now.
The rice is fluffy, and his stomach groans at the promise of carbohydrates.
The paneer is good, too (lemon, not vinegar, he realises with satisfaction), and will probably be better together with the curry, but Dream likes to taste things individually first, a habit so ingrained he’s not getting rid of it now.
He eats the chickpeas with his fingers, licks the spices off of them afterwards, he sops up the curry with the naan, stray rice grains falling off the plate and on the front of his turtleneck. Dream doesn't care.
His mouth and nose are filled with explosive flavours, with the dense richness of protein and starch, with the softness on the inside of the fried cheese, with the crisp-hot melt of fried dough and vegetables.
Dream does not dare call it simple. It comes from a food truck, yes, and it is, in his own, unkind words “comfort food”, but in no way is it simple. It is a celebration of being alive, joy and love in every touch, in every single ingredient.
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I hope 2024 brings you a lot of joy and love too!
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