cooking in cochin

so i decided to stay in cochin while kristen and katie head for the hills. i have been fortunate enough to land an amazing teacher named leena--she has been teaching me traditional kerela-style indian food. it's very different from the indian food we're used to in the states, in fact it's nothing like it. most indian restaurants in the u.s. serve northern indian mulgai or punjab food. maybe it's because quite a few punjab people were displaced during and after of partition, and they became part of the indian diaspora and opened restaurants. whatever the reasons, when we think of indian food we think of palak paneer, (spinach and cheese), dal makhani, (rich lentil-bean curry), tandoori chicken, and nan, (buttery, garlicky flat breads cooked in the tandoor oven). i love northern indian cuisine, it is delicious, but it is also very rich, by contrast, kerela food is a little lighter, with coconut oil replacing the ghee, (clarified butter), and shredded coconut or coconut milk replacing the milk and cheese, and fermented rice pancakes; idlis, utthapam, and dosas replacing the nan bread.
at only $10 per class i really couldn't afford to leave without learning everything i could.
i have also made a friend rachel, who referred me to her dentist here, so we've been spending time getting dental work done, writing in cafes, and cooking dinners with her friend and ex-sister-in-law anuja. it's great practice for me. cochin has been really warm and welcoming. i am afraid i never want to leave.