Layla Siddiqui (notasdevoted) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2019-12-14 10:49:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !log, ~2019 december, ~25 points, ~~layla siddiqui (notasdevoted), ~~zari tomaz (history_hacker) |
Who: Zari Tomaz and Layla Siddiqui
What: Cooking for Food Club
Where: Zari's place
When: Friday evening
Warning: Low
Status: Closed, incomplete gdoc
Zari enjoyed cooking with Layla. It was kind of their little ways to bond. It was also a way for Zari to remember her mother. Everything Zari knew about cooking was from her mother. It was one of the things that kept her going when everything around them was falling apart. She was happy to pass on her knowledge to Layla.
Now, they were attempting to make something for this month's Food Club. Zari always tried to bring something from her culture. People tended to enjoy the things she made. This time, she asked Layla if she wanted to help her make something. Zari was pleased that she agreed. It'd be fun, she hoped.
"So, we usually make desserts," Zari began as she was still preparing the kitchen. "How do you feel about branching out to an entree?"
Her tone was encouraging, though not forceful. She would let Layla decide what she was more comfortable with.
***
Layla was down for anything that got her out of Amaar's hair, but she could easily admit that she liked spending time with Zari, especially while they were cooking. She wanted to get better at it, to be able to contribute a bit more to the little household she and Amaar were making for themselves. He was many things, but a good cook? Not so much. So the idea of making an entree with Zari was exciting.
"Yes please! I keep not wanting to even try actual meals, but Amaar and I are both missing Fatima's cooking. I really wish a portal would open up so you could meet her and taste her food for yourself. It's the best," Layla gushed. It was one of those things where she really hadn't been able to appreciate it until it had been completely cut out of her life.
Since it was just the two of them, in Zari's apartment, Layla didn't bother with her hijab. She just pulled her hair back into a ponytail so that it wouldn't get into the food or anything and then she pushed up her sleeves. "Okay, so what are we making and where do we start?"
***
Zari couldn't help smiling. Layla was enthusiastic and it was infectious. Considering Zari was more on the cynical side of things, that was a pretty big deal. She was glad the younger woman was into cooking with her, though. She was definitely reminded of the days she spent in the kitchen with her mother. It was a nice feeling, and really, she could not imagine being a mentor in the kitchen to anyone other than Layla.
"Hey, if Fatima shows up, I definitely want to meet her. And eat whatever she cooks," she said sincerely. She'd heard so much about this woman. If her food was as good as everyone said, she definitely wanted some of it for herself. Zari was all about food, after all.
"So I thought we'd try biryani. We can do vegetarian, chicken, or beef. I could eat all of them."
If Layla was partial to one of those, Zari would be happy to go with it.
***
"You'll be third in line at least," she promised. Layla'd make sure that all of them got to have first dibs on Fatima's cooking and then everyone else if they wanted. She and Amaar would definitely be right there at the front of the line, though.
"Oh, nice. Maybe chicken? That would be really good and hearty for the way the weather's getting colder." It wasn't freezing, not by any means, since she was used to it being much colder in Saskatchewan. "We can do the vegetable one in the spring maybe? Once more stuff is in season." If they were both still in Madison, anyway. Layla kind of assumed she was stuck forever and she wasn't mad about it, so she didn't think twice about making plans like that.
"That starts with...rice, right?" It was a layered dish, but she wasn't one hundred percent sure about which layer was which. Hopefully she'd remembered correctly.
***
Zari would never take such a thing from Amaar and Layla. If Fatima did arrive, it would only be fair for them to get first dibs on her food or even just to see her. It was always a nice thing when people from home arrived. She wished more of her own friends or family arrived.
"Chicken sounds good," she said, already reaching for some ingredients. She had already gotten them all together along with the various cookware needed.
"We should start with the chicken marinade and the rice, " she continued, gathering some spices. She had a laptop set up on a table nearby, open to a recipe.
"I can start on the marinade if you want to start on the rice?" This was definitely a recipe that could move faster with two people working on it.
***
"Marinade and rice, okay." She nodded as she committed it to memory. Layla knew she could look at the recipe if she really wanted, but she would always be respectful of Zari's personal property. Preparing rice was something she absolutely knew how to do, so it was easy enough to get it going. It gave her time to watch a little bit of how her friend put together the marinade. Everyone personalized it a bit, after all.
The cooking time also gave them a chance to catch up with one another. "I'll probably have to either be late to food club or leave early," Layla let her friend know. "Amaar wants to watch curling." There was a slight roll of her eyes when she said it, but it was all in good time. "He's kind of a dork, but I love it. What have you been up to lately?"