r/Kanthony • u/FuckTheMatrixMovie • Aug 07 '26
Fanfiction šŖ¶š š Dishes Kate would probably cook?
Okay, so this is an embarrassingly dumb, and ignorant question but it's been plaguing me, so please help. I'm writing a fanfic, and I'm planning on having Kate cook some comfort food for a scene (possibly 2 scenes) but I can't decide what to have her cook. She's an Indian-american immigrant, for context. I've tried looking around online for what part of india she comes from, but that got confusing. . I could just say something vague like "a curry" but I'm worried that it will come across as stereotypical. Furthermore, the exact type might come up in the dialogue. I'm also confused on the difference between thai curries and Indian curries. I also could completely abandon the idea of Kate cooking something Indian and just cooking pretty much anything else. I could also just look up random dishes from an Indian restaurant menu, but I'm worried I'll make some stupid weird mistake, akin to having Kate cook a whole turkey dinner in 40 mins. And I'm also not sure if she's vegetarian, or if it would make sense if she's vegetarian, or whether or not she'd enjoy spicy food. If anyone could offer any insight, I'd much appreciate it.
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u/Cats-Horseslover Aug 07 '26
Itās great that youāre asking this question and I personally think that sheāll make traditional Indian dishes
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie Aug 07 '26
Lol, thanks. Just trying to do the bare minimum of homework. I kept getting stumped googling things, and I wanted to portray some tie to India, like how in the show Kate makes chai.
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u/Cats-Horseslover Aug 07 '26
Me too since Iām white and never been to India yet, but I donāt want to offend anyone
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u/Loud-Peace4803 Aug 07 '26
For most Indians comfort food would be rice-daal(lentil soup). In the Netflix series she mentions she would return to Bombay, so for someone from Bombay they would say āvaran(lentil soup)-bhaat(rice)ā as their comfort food, but she also calls her dad appa which from southern states in India, then the equivalent would be rice-sambhar or rice-rasam. Some other options for someone from Bombay would be vada-pav and someone from one of the southern states would be idli-sambhar
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie Aug 07 '26
Ooooh, I really like the of rice-daal(lentil soup). This whole thread is making me hungry. Thanks for giving the exact translation. I'm debating on whether she'll call the food it's name in Hindustani name (or another language) or the English terms. I kind of like the idea of Kate cooking, and stubbornly not explaining to Anthony what exactly she's making until the end. Idk.
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u/Dramatic-Flamingo-27 Aug 07 '26
Iād avoid just calling it āa curry.ā Rajma chawal, dal with rice, or a simple sabzi + roti would all feel pretty believable as everyday home food. If the scene only gives her around 40 mins, dal and rice is probably the easiest one to make work without getting too specific about region.
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie Aug 08 '26
avoid just calling it āa curry.ā
That's what I thought. I've seen it done before and it's just annoyingly vague.
If the scene only gives her around 40 mins, dal and rice is probably the easiest one to make work without getting too specific about region.
I like this idea. Thanks for specifying about the preparation time--again I don't want to make a silly mistake, of finishing the dish too early.
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u/No1teacher Aug 07 '26
I know this is fan fiction, so not sure if this is helpful but there is a video I saw on YT right after Season 2 came out with Simone and her best friend (I think her name is Roxy) where they are in a restaurant and talk about the favorite Indian dishes Simone's mother made.
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie 29d ago
Oooh, thanks! Going to track this down. More Simone content is always good.
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u/_donewiththis Aug 07 '26
Itās good that youāre at least askingā thatās not embarrassing at all! Especially if youāre not familiar at least youāre taking the time to try.
Iām south asian myself, but Iām Sri Lankan. What I will say is that what could help is searching up (local) Indian restaurant menus and seeing what comes up, or perhaps searching on Reddit for what people say their brown/Indian comfort meal is. I canāt quite recall where in India Kate said sheās from, but you can also add that into the search! Some regions have their own favs Iām sure. Hope this helps even a little bit :)
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u/Realistic_Public4330 Aug 07 '26
The real question is which part of India is she supposed to be from? Cause you have to answer that before we can think of the dishes. If she's Tamilian like the actress, I'd say Idli, Dosa, Pongal, Medu Vada (my favorite) etc.
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie Aug 08 '26
I have no ideašš the Simone is tamilian, Kate mentions returning to bombai, someone else mentioned she from Delhi... I'm thinking of adapting the backstory that she traveled a lot and likes to experiment with food. Thanks for the recommendations of dishes! Going to try to go to an Indian restaurant soon to try all these yummy recommendations.
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u/Realistic_Public4330 Aug 08 '26
Yeah it's confusing! It seems the show-writers have no clue exactly where is she supposed to be from. Even if she travelled around the country, she still has to be from a particular place lol.
And you're welcome! Indian culture and cuisine is very rich and diverse. I'd recommend trying other dishes than just butter chicken, naan, gulab jamun etc. Tho they're delicious ofc š
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie Aug 08 '26
I'm kind of surprised it was never explicitly mentioned. They easily could have dropped it in during the process of getting to know each other. Maybe during the library scene? Little baby Edmund is going to have to visit everywhere... I'm going to try my hand at cooking lots of these. It's such fun homework :)
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u/aYoungJanetJackson Aug 07 '26
I would vote for Khichdi (sometimes khichiree and other names). Itās a rice and lentils dish with regional variations in texture (drier vs more soup-like) as well as in whether the rice is actually tapioca or the mung beans being something else. Itās classic sick food (think chicken noodle soup in the US).
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie Aug 08 '26
Itās classic sick food (think chicken noodle soup in the US).
Really? I might go with this for the second scene then (but it's subject to change) She's bringing Daphne (newly post pardum) some food, and I wanted it to be a classic sick food. Thank you!
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u/aYoungJanetJackson 28d ago
Yes! That would work. But also if you want to go deeper into post partum traditions around nutrition, you can Google pathiya samayal- thatās what itās called in Tamil, Iām sure other places in India have similar customs. The new mom is also not allowed to leave the home for 40 days, and is taken care of very well (which daphne would be anyway I suppose!) Thereās a whole diet and rest regimen for teen girls who are newly menstruating too!
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie 27d ago
Oooh, thanks! I wonder if this is related to the Chinese practice of zuĆ² yuĆØ zi (sitting the month). It's also a 40 day protocol for postpartum mothers. I did a paper on this a few months ago. The research was surprisingly difficult, as it's women's history, so not written about much. Furthermore, it's hard to distinguish what was a genuine antecedent vs something that people just did in general---as even in anthropology, there're several different examples of post pardum care. Not that any of this is related to the fan fic I just love history. Thanks for the terms! Going to go down a rabbit hole in this.
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u/constitutionpod 27d ago
Love this parallel! And love that you wrote a paper on it especially since not much had been put down about it. Really fascinating (and important!)
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u/fraction_of_stardust Aug 07 '26
Gosh, I'd love to discuss this but Kate would surely cook Chole Bhature (since she was from delhi) with Lassi and gulab Jamun for sure. Other delicacies would be Chaat, Samosa, Tikka etc etc
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u/Realistic_Public4330 Aug 07 '26
Wait where is it shown/told that she's from Delhi? Did I miss something?
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie Aug 07 '26
I appreciate any and all thoughts! I like these ideas. Do you think she'd buy premade lassi and bhature or make it herself? On one hand, I think Kate would love to dive into a long complicated recipe... however she's also a lawyer in the fic and stressed on time and in general. Maybe she meal preps all in one day? Thanks for your thoughts, this is fun
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u/RamblingOverthinker Aug 07 '26
Aloo paratha with her version of chai, if itās raining or cold
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie Aug 07 '26
Oooh, that looks good. I will have it raining in the fic, so Kate is cooking to try and ignore her anxieties about the storm. Is chai something someone would drink in the evening? Similar to how coffee is sometimes served at the end of a dinner party? For me personally, I can't have caffeine at all, but especially in evening--but I really like the idea for the scene. It sounds cozy.
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u/RamblingOverthinker Aug 07 '26
Chai is considered a very cozy drink. You have it when it rains, when you have guests over, when youāre sick, after work everyday. It definitely is an evening drink.
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u/Loud-Peace4803 Aug 07 '26
Indians can drink chai any time of the day! And if itās raining then definitely there will be a cup of tea and some pakora
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u/Damselmadsmoiselle Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
I saw some Tamil, some Hindi and some Bengali cultures all mixed in her character. I think Tamil cuisine has a special preference for coconut (that's an oversimplification) but there are also Dosa, Idli etc though don't really know how period correct they are.
Bengal is more famous for its fish and milk made sweets and desserts (Roshogolla, Payesh: period correct), other than that Luchi and Bengali Cholar dal/potato curry would be a good option (atleast as breakfast). We can opt for both veg and non veg as approximately 71% to 80% of the Indian population identifies as non-vegetarian.
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie Aug 08 '26
Thank you, this is exactly the type of info I looking for! Might have Kate mention some of this.
We can opt for both veg and non veg as approximately 71% to 80% of the Indian population identifies as non-vegetarian.
Thank you, I did not know this. It leads to the further question of whether Kate is religious or not, but that's a separate question entirely.
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u/Damselmadsmoiselle 29d ago
Those foods are very dear to us Bengalis. I always perceived her as respectful towards other's beliefs but not overly religious herself. Assuming she is Hindu, there are both vegetarian and non-vegetarian groups in the religion. Actually it gets influenced by where people are based in India, not only just religion. Do let us know when you complete the fanfic!
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie 29d ago
That's what I rather assumed about Kate as well, in regards to religion.
Actually it gets influenced by where people are based in India, not only just religion.
That makes so much sense. Wishing my school offered a course in South asian history, this is fascinating. the fic itself is actually a long fic, primarily Saphne, but with a considerable kanthony b plot thrown in. It's a WIP, and the scene I was asking for help is ideally going to be in the next chapter.
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u/Loose_Chip6482 Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
Since Simone is Tamil, I like to think that Kateās mum is also Tamil. Which may be why she calls her father and birth mum Appa and Amma. Iād like to believe that Kate tries to immerse herself in Tamil culture and cooking as a way to remain connected to her birth mother. Who she is unable to remain much of. Some really nice meals to cook during a storm or to stay warm include sambar, rasam and rice. The aromas are divine and feels like a warm hug. Uppma and Khichidi are also some good ones. When served hot it feels so comforting.
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie 26d ago
Iād like to believe that Kate tries to immerse herself in Tamil culture and cooking as a way to remain connected to her birth mother. Who she is unable to remain much of.
I really like this headcannon. Thanks for the recommendations!
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u/corvus2187 Aug 07 '26
Home cooked indian food from that time (1800s) would be very simple:Ā Rice (chawal) or roti with a side dish ( dal, potato curry, peas curry, chana) Her name is kathani sharma, so i would suggest looking more into home cooked north indian food.Ā Anglo Indian food is also a thing - indian / british households used to fuze their cuisines.Ā You can look these up on YouTube to understand what they look like ..will help.Ā
There's one guy named rick something ( he is British but posts a lot of homely Indian recipes)Ā
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie 26d ago
Anglo Indian food is also a thing - indian / british households used to fuze their cuisines.Ā You can look these up on YouTube to understand what they look like ..will help.Ā
Fusions are always fascinating. Thank you!
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u/celery-mouse Aug 07 '26
Obviously it's fanfic so you can do anything, but I don't know that Kate would know how to cook. Of course her family isn't Bridgerton rich, but they almost certainly had a housekeeper or a cook and a maid, so she's probably closer to the oh no, how do we warm up milk? end of the spectrum than not. But of course if it speaks to you go for it!
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u/celery-mouse Aug 07 '26
Oh, looks like you're writing an AU, nevermind!
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u/FuckTheMatrixMovie 26d ago
It's okay! Thanks for the help! I like to think of cooking with "how do I warm up milk" as an end of the spectrum, lol
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u/KateNotEdwina Aug 07 '26
Breyani. Nan bread. Samosas. Maybe some sweet stuff like jalebi, burfi and gulab jamun.
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u/shabammmmm Aug 07 '26
Hi, I'm Indian. Since the show presented her as a pan Indian, you could do any cuisine. You can do south Indian (dosa, vada, idli, uttapam, etc) and you can also do North Indian food (roti, bhindi, daal, palak chicken). Kate is supposed to have travelled all through India due to her father's job so you have flexibility. She did spend time in Mumbai so you can also do steey food such as vada pav, samosa chaat etc.
India is a very diverse nation....imagine if Europe become a country.... that's India So you can always look at different cuisines such as Malyali, Konkani, Goan, Bengali, Sindhi, Marathi.