Purple Rain and Purple Curry

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April 21st, 2016 was devastating for me. It was the day Minnesota's heart broke with the death of our Prince.

It's almost a month since that day and I may or may not still be mourning the tragic loss of Minnesota's, (and the rest of the world), but mostly Minnesota's beloved Prince Rogers Nelson. His passing was a tragic loss to the world and our community, but what made it bearable was the amazing amount of love, music, art, and other inspirations that were born from this tragedy. I was lucky enough to be able to witness and be a part of the thousands of Minnesotans gathering at 1st Avenue in downtown MPLS the night he died, and be surrounded by all the love and purple energy radiating from everyone’s hearts. It was magic. Purple magic.

After weeks of incessantly listening to Prince’s music and watching his videos I decided I needed to say goodbye and have some closure by doing something to pay tribute. Some people wrote stories about the time they met him, and some people wrote letters, poems, songs, and created works of art in a variety of forms. I knew whatever I do as tribute must come from my heart, so I made the one thing I knew my heart was filled with. Curry!  Purple curry and purple Paratha Roti to be exact.

Photo taken by Polly Photography 

I used purple potatoes in my curry and it was amazing! It had a slight sweetness that complimented the curry well. For the Roti, I just added a few drops of purple dye. I predict that purple potatoes will be all the rage in the twin cities food scene soon.

Photo taken by Polly Photography 

The Purple Curry and Roti was my way of paying tribute and saying goodbye to Prince, and it really did help me find closure. It also tasted amazing because purple love went into making it.

 Rest in Purple and Power Prince!

Love

Amanda Khan

I was given Lemons, and I made Chutney!

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Title inspired by Beyoncé’s Album Lemonade.

 In listening to and watching Beyoncé’s album Lemonade, I found the story she shared about her grandmother turning the lemons in her life into lemonade really resonated with me. I feel the same way to a certain degree about life giving me lemons except for instead of lemonade, I made Chutneys!......literally.

I have often found that there are sometimes hidden gems in bad situations, and we can either accept things are bad, or find opportunities to grow and learn. I started this blog and homemade food business from a combination of very specific wants and needs that desperately needed to be fulfilled. I needed to make more money, I wanted to be happy with my work, and I didn’t want to ingest corporate life and culture while doing it. I wanted to give back to the community while doing something I am passionate about, all while being part of influencing and cultivating new ways to do business. I was able to create and tailor my business to help fulfill my needs and thus Cooking with Miss Khan was born.  

Some girls have dreams of marriage and shoes, but I have always dreamt of being part of the X-Men, meeting Leonardo DiCaprio (*sigh, Oh Leo), and selling my mother’s wonderful food and goods; so when William- Sonoma reached out to me inviting me into their store as an artisan to host a tasting, I knew this was my opportunity to turn at least one of my dreams into reality.  

I am excited to officially announce that I am cooking up homemade Chutneys that are now available for purchase!

There are three flavors available. Tomato Cilantro, Cucumber Lime, and Mango Habanero. All ingredients used are fresh, organic and from local farmers.  Click on SHOP for more information.