Financial Gazette (Harare)
Charlotte Malakoff
8 May 2008
Harare — MOST visitors to the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) last week left home equipped with folding chairs and cooler boxes filled with snacks and drinks. Opera fans picnicked in style with cold beef, Dijon mustard and rocket sandwiches chased down with a bottle of red wine.
Followers of the Afro-fusion band, Freshlyground, contented themselves with beers and slices of pizza.
Away from the main stage and picnic area, I strolled through the National Gallery, admiring the collective vision of some of Zimbabwe's leading artists, as they explored the Art of Determination, theme of this year's festival.
A large canvas by Bulawayo artist Rashid Jogee, entitled "What's Cooking, with Love", caught my eye.
Painted in shades of deep russet and red, with a flash of cobalt blue, it summoned up visions of a tasty curry with a crisp poppadum on the side, rather than an impression of the state of the nation.
Reminded that I had a ticket for a lunch time performance of Curry Tales, written and performed by the red hot mama of stage and kitchen, Rani Moorthy, I sped off to the Presbyterian Church theatre in time to squeeze into the last available seat.
The heady aromas of black pepper, cinnamon and cumin hung in the air, while a video with a sizzling and chopping sound track showed snippets of stir-fries and roasting spices.
In a series of monologues, Rani portrayed a variety of characters, all of whom used their culinary skills as a source of identity and power.
Appearing first as the Delhi socialite Dimple Melwani, to whose dinner table flocked the most famous Bollywood stars, she mingled with the audience.
Beautifully attired in a blue and gold sari and wearing full make-up, Dimple described her troubled marriage to the faithless Sonny Melwani, who was frequently away from home, eating biriyani in another socialite's house.
Advised by her mother to improve her cooking skills to retain her man, Dimple eventually decided on catching another one of the "many good fish in the sea", covering him in masala, and "eating him alive!"
In between chatting to members of the audience and relating spicy tales of Delhi society, Rani cooked up a delicious dish of chicken, chilli, garlic and coconut milk, which she served in small bowls to the appreciative crowd.
A variety of character sketches followed, each humorous or touching in different ways.
Live-feed close up cameras allowed the audience to follow the cooking process of several dishes, such as Malaysian Laksa curry prepared by Mrs Wong, who grew up in China, and egg curry, made for her white in-laws, by Kalvinder, a young British Asian.
Later that evening, fired up by Rani Moorthy's "tasting menu", George, Elise and I decided to visit Dehli Palace in Greystone Park, to indulge in a full-scale Indian meal. After starters of bhajias, vegetable samoosas and chicken wings, pappadums and pickles, we ordered rich and spicy Lamb Karhai and a generous portion of Tandoori prawns, fresh from Mozambique.
Served in a potje and garnished with fresh red and green chillis, the lamb remained hot and steaming throughout the meal, while the succulent prawns provided a veritable feast.
Rani Moorthy claims to "put the tan back into Tandoori, the balls into Balti and the wind into Vindaloo".
Before continuing the Curry Tales tour, this talented actress should visit Dehli Palace and enjoy some delightful Indian dishes she hasn't had to cook for herself.
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