July 2008 HealthyLife.Net Listener Newsletter

The Backstage
Gourmet CyberCafe

Ginger Potatoes with Onions
By Anoushka Shankar

o 2 lbs potatoes
o Onions (12 oz; any kind)
o 2 cloves fresh garlic
o 1" piece of fresh ginger root
o 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
o ¼ tsp turmeric powder
o Oil (enough for frying)
o Salt (to taste)

Peel and coarsely chop potatoes and onions. Crush garlic and finely mince ginger. Fry garlic, ginger, ground cumin seeds, and turmeric in oil for five minutes. Add onions and fry for five more minutes. Add potatoes and salt and cook until potatoes are soft. Serve with Indian bread or pita bread and yogurt.
"I've always loved potatoes and this recipe is one of my favorite ways to prepare them."

Born in London and raised in California and India, Anoushka Shankar is an award-winning, gifted, critically-acclaimed classical pianist with a wide range of interests, but her special devotion to the sitar is unmistakable. She has been playing and studying the sitar with her father-legendary sitar virtuoso and composer Ravi Shankar-since she was nine, and at age thirteen she made her performing debut in New Delhi, India. Her talent and tutelage of her father have already led her into an extensive performing career. She and Ravi have performed throughout India, Europe, Asia, and the United States, and she joined him in London for a historic performance of his "Concerto No. 1 for Sitar and Orchestra" with Zubin Mehta conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. At age 15, Anoushka played with her father and his friend and frequent colleague, George Harrison, on the critically acclaimed Angel/EMI release, "Chants of India." She also performed with her father in a concert at New York's Town Hall that brought them together with Alice Coltrane, widow of jazz great John Coltrane, and her son Ravi Coltrane, who was named after Ravi Shankar. As well, Anoushka has performed with her father at Peter Gabriel's WOMAD Festival and at Carnegie Hall. In 1998, the British Parliment presented her-at age 17-with a House of Commons Shield in recognition of her artistry and musicianship. Anoushka is the youngest as well as the sole female recipient of that top honor. She became the first woman to perform at The Ramakrishna Centre in Calcutta in February 2000. The Indian Television Academy, Asmi and India Times chose her as one of four Women of the Year in India in 2003. In 2004, Anoushka was chosen as one of twenty Asian heroes by the Asia edition of Time magazine. In 1998, her first solo recording, Anoushka, was released to tremendous critical acclaim. Two albums followed: Anourag in 2000 and Live at Carnegie Hall in 2001. The latter was nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best World Music Album" category, making her the youngest ever nominee in that category. She also played sitar on her father's Grammy Award-winning album Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000, and has appeared as a sitarist on several other CD's, including Sting's Sacred Love. The year 2002 saw the release of Bapi: The Love of My Life, a biography she wrote on her father, and Anoushka has also contributed as a writer to several other books. The next year she acted in her first film, Dance Like a Man. Anoushka made her conducting debut at 19 in New Delhi, conducting a 22-member orchestra premiering a new composition of her father's titled "Kalyan." She later conducted again at the historic Concert for George in November 2002. The new composition of her father's, "Arpan," featured a guitar solo by Eric Clapton and performances by 43 musicians playing Indian and Western intruments. Before conducting, she also played a sitar solo and performed "The Inner Light" with Jeff Lyne. Anoushka has shared the stage with many of the world's top celebrities, including Sting, Madonna, Nina Simone, Anjelique Kidjo, Herbie Hancock, Elton John, Peter Gabriel and James Taylor, and had the fortune to perform in front of such personalities as Ray Charles and Prince Charles. Anoushka spends much of the year giving solo performances in Europe, America and Asia, and continues touring the world with her father's ensemble. Web site: www.anoushkashankar.com

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CyberCafe Side Dish…
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