More Food Photography (paratha, "Punjabi" dal, fruits and veg)

I think it's all about the lighting; maybe about the angle. You can see the steam coming off of the dal, the crispness of the apples, and the reflection on the teacup--without any photoshopping.

Compare this to yesterday's photo, which had to be photoshopped into scurity:

Actually, it doesn't look that bad either... but I had to work to get each individual pea to look like an individual pea.

Don't those paratha slices look delicious? I love having them in the freezer and available for reheating. I also love the way they transform my meals from "pile of goo, piece of fruit" into something that looks like a proper dinner.

The dal is Jaffrey's "Urad Dal cooked in the Punjabi Style," except it isn't really because she meant "cooked in a tomato-cream sauce" and I was all "um... how 'bout cooked in a tomato-yogurt sauce instead?" And I have to say that as nice as it turned out it still wasn't as good as when I made it last month and followed the recipe more closely.

Oh, and the cheese: Farmers' Market cheddar, which tastes nothing like store cheddar. There's no oil in this cheese. Like really good chocolate, a few bites are completely satisfying.

I know I am over-pleased with myself, but I look at these dinners and think "I am so lucky to have the Farmers' Market and to have learned cooking well enough to make and eat this."

I guess the next thing is for me to have a dinner party or something. ^__^