On our first evening here, I struck up a conversation at the pavilion with Andy, who is currently traveling the bay islands on his friend’s sailboat. He grew up in India, and we began to talk extensively about Indian cuisine (which Scott and I have come to love). Andy explained that food prepared by families in India is much different than what is found in stores and restaurants outside of the country. At the end of the night, Andy offered to come onboard and cook us a meal. As usual, I jumped at the chance for someone else to prepare our dinner!

Yesterday was our lucky night. Andy planned to prepare beef korma, lentils and some vegetables for us. At the local store, we shopped for spices, produce, rice and meat. What spices we couldn’t find, Andy brought with him, along with some lentils that he had pre soaked.

Compared to the sailboat he’s living on, our galley offered much more room, but the counters were soon full of peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes and many spices. Andy and I danced quite well together, as we both chopped ingredients and started things heating on the stove top.

The pile of sliced peppers and onions, along with the strong smell of spices in hot oil sent poor Howard running from the room. The poor guy spent the better part of 30 minutes with his eyes closed as they watered. I relocated him to our bed, away from the “fumes,” and he eventually settled back to sleep with his feet up in the air.

Since our meal preparation would be lengthy, we grilled some fish and a lobster tail that Scott had caught earlier in the day. It was a nice starter to nibble on as Andy continued to prepare dinner.

We chatted about our respective travels (mostly Andy’s, as he  has many more under his belt than us), music, and life on a boat. Soon, all three burners on the stove were working on dinner. Under Andy’s watchful eye, the lentils simmered, the beginnings of our vegetables began to soften and the korma came together.

The onions and spices cooking with the beef reduced into a wonderfully smelling sauce.

Andy finished up by cooking some rice, and then our wait as over. It was time eat, and the delicious smells that had filled the boat for hours were now served up onto our plates. We happily dug in.

We made quick work of Andy’s amazing cooking, stuffing ourselves with the spicy goodness. I hope to be able to replicate some of what he made on my own. It was great fun spending the evening with Andy, and our dinner was amazing. Cheers to our new friend, and personal chef!

“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”