Still Me by Jojo Moyes is another installment of the (mis)adventures in the life of the heroine from the best seller Me Before You, Louisa Clark. This time we find Louisa newly arrived in New York City, ready to start a new chapter but confident that she will be able to keep her long distance romance with Ambulance Sam intact. From the beginning she is thrown into the world of an extremely wealthy couple; Louisa is employed by Leonard Gopnik as an assistant to his new wife Agnes. Louisa, determined to get the most out of the experience, immerses herself into her job and New York life within this privileged world. Things begin to get shaken up when Louisa must start keeping secrets-not all her own-while she is trying to navigate her new life and hold on to her old one.

This was a delightful story that I picked up for my book club. I enjoyed it; it was a nice light read. The writing in it is really manageable and the characters are quirky and cute, Louisa reminds of the lovely Bridget Jones at times and the story is light hearted and fun.

The food in this book is mostly what you would expect of the modern upper class, chicken in wine sauce, health food,and smoothies, but there was a mention of a dish that didn’t fall into this category. In the novel when Louisa goes to the library protest she mentions an Indian woman that was passing around pakoras to the protesters.

An Indian woman and her son walked across the road with large foil trays of hot pakoras and we dived on them, thanking her profusely. “You are doing important work,” she said. “We thank you.” My pakora was full of peas and potato, spicy enough to make me gasp and absolutely delicious. “They bring those out to us every week, God bless them,” said the old lady, brushing pastry crumbs from her scarf. -Still Me, Jojo Moyes

The pakoras represent the cultures of the city coming together, cooking for and feeding others as being part of a community and how wealth does not equate with doing the right thing.  This food marks a moment in the novel when Louisa is stepping outside the privelaged world that she is surrounded by with Agnes. It marks the first time in New York that she is with the real people of NYC ,the people that are all coming together, the people that care about others and the common good. The wealthy people in the novel are so far removed from the humanity of the city and the importance of the library which is why Louisa only experiences this when she is without Agnes.

It is also interesting to note that this is the only time in the novel that someone mentions Louisa, (or any of the building’s employees) doing “important work” and thanking them. It is interesting that it comes from a woman who is giving food to others and not from the actual employers of Louisa and Ashok. It is also interesting that this compliment comes when they are not actually doing their paid jobs. I think this is a great allusion to the characters of Agnes and Leonard, as well as the overall culture in the building.

After reading the lines about the pakoras I was intrigued; I had to eat one…as soon as I figured out what it was.  I did my research and discovered that pakoras are a type of fritter that is popular across the Indian subcontinent as well as other parts of the world.  They are made when one or two ingredients are dipped into a batter made from besan, a chickpea flour, and deep fried. Yum.

One of the most common types of pakora is made from onions or potatoes. They both sounded lovely to me so while I kept true to the novel with some potato/pea pakoras, I  also made a few onion ones to try. I used a plain yellow onion cut into half moons for those with the batter from the recipe below. For the potato/pea ones I used russets and frozen peas that I thawed out.

After boiling and mashing the potatoes, I mixed them with the peas, sliced chili pepper, cumin and coriander and rolled the mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball or walnut. I stuck them in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm them up and make them easier to handle.

I made the batter with the besan, red pepper flakes, salt and baking powder. I added the water slowly and mixed it with my hands. Don’t judge me, my hands were clean and it just felt right but you can use a wooden spoon if that sort of thing turns you off. Anyway the batter will be very thick. Upon firming up take the balls from the fridge, coat in the batter and fry until golden brown.

What I had come to find out is that besan is the most important ingredient in this otherwise simple dish. It really makes the flavor of the dish unique and delicious. However, it was difficult for me to find. You can probably get it online or at an international market. Besan is sometimes labeled as chickpea flour or as gram flour. I really liked these and snacked on them for the entire afternoon, I did not really enjoy them as much after they had cooled too long. Regardless, if you’re feeling a little brave like Louisa and looking for something different to try, I highly suggest these!

Pakoras

• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 green chili pepper, sliced
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1teaspoon coriander
• 2 cups Besan
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup luke-warm water
• Vegetable oil for deep frying

1. Heat enough oil in an 8 inch cast-iron skillet or other pot deep enough for frying.Mix the potatoes, peas, chili pepper, cumin, and coriander. Shape into walnut-sized balls, and chill for at least 30 minutes, until firm.

2.In a large bowl, mix together the besan, red chili flakes, salt, and baking powder. Slowly add in the water, while mixing with a wooden spoon or your hands. Vigorously mix for a couple of seconds. The batter should be thick.

3. Once the oil is heated, carefully place in heaping spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil. Try not to overcrowd the oil. Fry until the pakoras are a golden brown. Drain on a cooling rack placed over a cookie sheet. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.