The return of the prodigal....

Hello!!! A year and a half later and I find myself back to scribbling....going through the previous posts...laughing at some:) time seems to have flown by....a few highs and more than a few lows....but the show has gone on....
Lost my cat on December 16th last year....like a blow to my system....u never really get over a loss like that...the grief steals into a corner of your heart and resides there forever...but on a brighter note, taking a year off to write has brought out the ardent cook,film buff and reader in me even more....and the glorious gift of  a 40L oven from my parents has been the brightest spark of all! Smells of pies,tarts,biscuits,quiches,breads and cakes have filled my life with a decadent euphoria:) so without further fuss lets dive head on into it....going to rant about my last few endeavours....my goldfish memory can't go back toooo far....btw few of my previous recipes were a surprise to me....have the same memory to thank for that;)

So for my Space Cadets -  Malibu!!my most favourite drink in this big bad world....any given time,day or night....if you want a sip of heaven this is where the full stop exists!
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Malibu
Orange/Pineapple juice (the former is my ooh-la-la concoction)
Lemon wedges
Orange/Pineapple/Strawberrie slices for garnish

Pour desired amount of Malibu into a chilled glass 3/4 full of ice and top with juice.add a squeeze of lemon,stir and serve with fruit slice....only warning I have to give....it's addictive and deceptively intoxicating!

For my Watchers- If you haven't already seen A Separation by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, get it pronto!It is a gem, full of moments that will win your heart,raw emotion and stunningly blatant characters...much like his next The Past....it makes me wonder how easily someone can see through the bullshit and bring out pure intensity....do it...take a trip into this genius' world...you will be blown away....
For the Readers- I discovered Manto this year during my stay in the States...the man honestly flouted every conventional limit put on writing...his reality was so different from mine that it was like watching Avatar, another dimension so far removed from this....brash,intense characters;skank,dismal  atmospheres and unputdownable stories....The Insult is my pick of the collection...

Now for the Cookers - I want to start with what initially set me off on my culinary quest...the dish that won The International Bakery Carnival in Kolkata years back...still one of my house favourites ( feeling exceptionally generous after my long absence...giving out my top secret stuff!) and the best part is its a microwave dish so not having an oven is still cool!
Spinach Cheesecake
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90gms butter
1+1/2 cup crushed cheese biscuits ( cheeselings do it for me)
I bunch spinach
250gms cream cheese
125gms  mixed cheese( I use a combination of Cheddar,Edam,Amul,Gouda and at times blue cheese)
300ml sour cream ( hung curd if you need a way out)
4 eggs,beaten
1 diced onion

Melt butter in a pan and add crushed biscuits.Stir till lightly brown.Remove from pan and press  1 cup firmly onto the base of a greased 8" dish (I used my round glass one).Refrigerate for half hour.Now chop spinach and cook in the micro for 6 minutes on high or in a pan over stovetop.Drain thoroughly and set aside.Preheat micro to 160C. Beat cheeses in a bowl and slowly add sour cream n eggs.mix well.Add spinach and shallots.Pour mix into chilled base,sprinkle with remaining cheese crumbs and grate some cheese over it.Cook for 35 minutes at 160C. Check centre for firmness, if required cook for a further 5 minutes.I've served this both cold and hot and both have been gone in a few seconds of being on the table.Also just for my oven freaks you can do this at 160C on baking function for 25 mins and just for fun on the toaster for 2mins more to melt that cheese on top.The masterpiece is ready!Enjoy the glory:)

For the Chocoholics I leave you with the damning deliciousness of Chocolate Covered Strawberries.You can actually get your kids to help though I recommend donning them in aprons or soon to be disposed clothes!
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A box of fresh strawberries
250gms of chocolate (I'm partial to dark but with kids at home you can do milk or a mix of both)
Your choice of decorations ( Got these unbelievable sets at Natures Basket)

Clean, dry strawberries. You can take the stalk off or leave them on.Chop the chocolate and put in a small saucepan. Heat a bigger pan half full of water till it is close to boiling.Now reduce the heat and hold pan with chocolate over the water,.Try and avoid constantly touching the base of the smaller pan to the water.Stir as the chocolate melts completely.Remove from heat.Line a plate with butter paper and tip out your decorations on another.Spread them out evenly.Dip strawberries in melted chocolate and roll them in the decorations before setting them on the butter paper.When the whole lot is done, sprinkle some icing sugar on them,cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.When I tell you that these are sinful, don't take my word for it....try them and send me a high five,post!

Now I'm guessing that I've begun to make up for my disappearance...can't promise I won't ever do it again but not for a bit....will put down more gibberish soon....stay happy( if you can or at least too busy to think that through) and let your heart fill up with hope...the New Year is not so far...Christmas comes before that....Celebrate the beauty of another chance:)

The rains are round the corner and i find myself soaring at the feel of the very first drops on my face...there is no way to define the sensation or the joy that surges through my being! India I love you....and I love your monsoons:)
Speaking of which Goa is the dream destination in the rains! Cut out the partying,the crowds and the insistent buzz...n there she lies,green,refreshed,bordered by the tempestuous seas...all you need is a bike (which I will one day learn to ride) and a book..that my friend is paradise... though the view from my window comes a close second....
Its been a couple of months of parties,get togethers,family and fun complimented by long streaks of complete focus on work...not to forget love and hate playing mind games with a heart that does not know how to think!What a bummer that even though the IQ is high enough,the EQ kills its prospects ;)

"All I can do is be me,whoever that is"
                                                             Bob Dylan

Is there anything better?Than being able to completely be yourself?Stupid,angry,selfish,mundane or sunny,honest,caring ....no is only one thing...we are a bundle of contradictions and entwined hormones,instincts,emotions and beliefs....so what better than being true to whatever it is we are at that very moment.? In contrast please do watch The Invention Of Lying....a crazy film for a crazy world!

Now how about some gob wetters? A stock of things for u...
For the Space Cadets- Sangria:) No better way to refresh yourself than intoxicating fruits!Sit with a glass of this on a lazy Sunday afternoon and await the rains:)
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1bottle of good red wine
1orange cut into wedges
1 lemon cut into wedges
1/2 cup strawberries chopped roughly
1/2 cup peach diced
1/2 cup kiwi diced
1 cup orange soda
1/2 cup sugar                                
2 shots of black rum/brandy

Pour the wine into a pitcher.squeeze the lemon wedges into it.add the fruits,shots,sugar and mix.Chill for at least 2 hours.Add the soda just before serving.IMP- please remove seeds from the fruits or there will be a lot of curses flying around!

For the Watchers- Invention of Lying like I said earlier...cannot underestimate the power of a simple fib!Can bring down governments or build up marriages...make you cry or put a ridiculous smile on your face...I say its underrated....our politicians would agree! Also another must watch is Nobel Chor in bengali...Tagore's stolen nobel prize and Mithunda...trust me it is a treat...the man can pull off all things bright and beautiful or simple and dismal... And hey just for an adrenaline rush watch The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo...Daniel Craig is the dish of the decade!Someone once said he looks like a Russian mobster...I say he looks like Bond..James Bond!
For the Readers- The Alexander Trilogy by Valerio Massimo Manfredi.....spend a few days in another dimension, another world altogether...a master storyteller,equipped with glorious history and a remarkable control over language...this is a must read.Closer to home Ashok Banker is his able counterpart...the man can really keep you turning pages of epics that seemed so onerous and now are pleasurable reads.

Last but not the least my Cookers-- Asian Rice Paper rolls and Vermicelli and coconut Milk Pudding.
Asian Rice Paper Rolls
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2 chicken breasts boneless diced to 11/2 " cubes.
2 eggs
2tbsp oyster sauce
2tbsp fish sauce
2tbsp light soya sauce
1tsp garlic powder
2tsp palm sugar dissolved in water to syrup consistency
Rice paper (available in all supermarkets)
1 cucumber (pulp removed and cut in 11/2" strips)
1 carrot cut in 1 1/2" strips
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes cut in halves
chopped coriander
mint leaves
3 chopped green chiilies
oil
water
salt and pepper.
Marinate chicken cubes with sauces,palm sugar,garlic powder,salt and pepper for an 1/2 ans hour.Heat oil in a pan and saute chicken till tender,Set aside to cool.In another pan make an omlette with the 2 eggs and a dash of chopped coriander and the green chillies.When firm,remove and let cool.Once cool cut into 11/2 " cubes.Fill a large deep bowl with water.Soak a sheet of rice paper for a minute till it softens,remove and place gently on a clean cloth napkin to drain excess water.Now spread on a dry surface(If it has rolled up carefully open it).Place a strip of both carrot and cucumber on the sheet.Add a cube of chicken,2 halves of the cherry tomato,a bit of coriander and couple of leaves of mint.Top it off with a cube of the omlette.Now roll one half of the sheet over the filling,then the other.It will look like a mini wrap.Bring together the other two ends and seal them closed with damp fingers.Finally looks like a little envelope.(If you prefer to keep the top end open, its cool)Rice paper rolls are ready!Serve cold with your favourite Asian sauce. Below are two easy and great ones,one thick and sweet and the other light and zippy.

Black dip.
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1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 tsbp rice vinegar
2 cloves crushed garlic
2tbsp roasted peanuts chopped
Mix all the ingredients, add a dash of pepper and its done.

Tangy Asian Dip
1/2 cup fish sauce
1 clove crushed garlic
1tbsp water
grated rind of half an orange
Minced red chillies(thai/piri piri/bird)
Mix all the ingredients,add a dash of lemon juice.

Now for what was the desert of the month.
Vemicelli and coconut milk pudding.
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1 cup vermicelli
400ml coconut milk
2" ginger minced
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 cup mixed diced fruit(orange,pomegranate,strawberries,bananas,mangoes)
5 almonds
1tsp cardamon powder
Water
Toast the almonds on a dry pan and cut into fine slivers. Warm water in a pan and soak vermicelli for 20 minutes or til soft.In another pan heat the Coconut milk and ginger.once the flavour is infused add the sugar.Mix. Now add the vermicelli and cook for 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool. In a desert bowl( I prefer smaller individual pudding bowls)spread a layer of the pudding.add fruits and a pinch of cardamon powder.Now add another layer of the creamy pudding and once again cover with fruits.Another pinch of cardamon powder and top with almond slivers.Refrigerate before serving.
That is one rich but refreshing dessert and after a stomach full of spicy asian cuisine this was one big upper:)

 I think if I could easily divide my day between the kitchen( where i rustle up endless concoctions) and the pot (nowhere on earth is there a better place to ponder,deliberate,reflect or even dream) but then my cat inspires me to take to the bed,the swing or the couch!That is kismat!Straight from the dumpster into lazing heaven....next life we interchange roles...I wish!

So gonna leave you with this thought...beautifully put and the essence of what is the toughest but most gratifying of all....LIVING!

"Your daily life is your temple and your religion.When you enter into it,take with you your all."
                                                                                                            Khalil Gibran.

Til next time my friends...keep well and eat even better:)











the first 

the brilliance of a unstrung mind

Spent the majority of the day berating the physical pains of being a woman while reading Khushwant Singh's
'Women,sex,love and lust'...quite an antidote to be truthful!The man clearly knows what he's talking about though the cynics of the world may disagree.I laughed out loud each time I re read these words;

'In work an ayah,in the kitchen a cook,in business a bania,in bed a courtesan.If you have all in one person,you do not have to be polygamous-you have a one-woman harem.'

 I'm genuinely worried about all those women out there who can't cook,have no head for numbers,won't lift a finger except to press the remote,phone or calling bell and last but not the least the poor souls out there who have no idea that they have a part to play in bedding activities...are they bound to a life of suffering and infidelity?are their inabilities and ignorance responsible for their men being ever ready pant dropping enthu cutlets?At the end of it as usual the onus is somehow ended up with us..They should teach us women ,'How to be a one-woman harem' and balance it by teaching men,'What is a one-woman harem.'All this going through my head when 'my man' tells me oh so cheerfully that he's off for dinner at Hooters...irony at its best huh?
Another birthday last week...a profusion of Ariens in my life...headstrong,passionate,idealistic and CRAZY bunch of people...

'O, how this spring of love resembleth
The uncertain glory of an April day;
Which now shows all the beauty of the sun,
And by and by a cloud takes all away'


Love them,hate them,love them some more:)Sitting in the clammy city of Roshogollas and Dada (take your pick: Bappida.Mithunda,Sourabhda) and Didi (only Ms Bannerjee unless you want to be banned!),I've got sum new stuff for the list.

To the Watchers: A gem of a small french film called The Choir'....brings so many smiles to your face and you're hooked...left me wondering for the nth time why the largest film producing country in the world (that's us in case you're still clueless) is barely called upon when the best cinema in the world is discussed.If you're in for a intense experience go back to Shiva and be prepared to once again wowed by the phenomena that was RGV and the hotness that is Nag!On a lower note,Housefull 2 collections are blowing my mind...what exactly are we watching?

To the Space cadets: Just some meditation today and if your mind is calling out for that state of nothing, listen to Osho 'From Sex to Super-consciousness'...quite the mastermind.

To the Cookers: Meatballs in Spicy Black Bean Sauce- easy to make finger food that has everyone reaching  for an already empty bowl!
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mince(keema)-250gms
half cup finely chopped onion
1tbsp finely chopped ginger
1tbsp finely chopped garlic
1tbsp finely chopped green chilli
half tsp chinese five spice powder
1 egg
3 tbsp spicy black bean sauce
1tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
half cup stock
1tsp honey
half cup chopped spring onion(only the greens)
oil
salt and pepper.
drain the mince of water.now combine mince,onions,chilli and ginger,garlic.add five spice powder and salt.break the egg into it and mix well.make small balls out of it about the size of a table tennis ball(or golf if that works for you!) and set aside.Now in a saucepan add the black bean sauce and saute for a 2 minutes,add the other 2 sauces and mix well.lower the flame and add the stock.let the sauce reduce to the thick consistency before adding the honey.remove from heat.in a deep pan heat the oil till smoking and deep fry the meatballs.drain on tissue and put into your serving bowl.add the spring onions to your sauce and drizzle it generously over the meatballs.Serve hot.

Since summer is kind of bumming my trip here's one more just to beat the heat: Fresh fruit with jelly.
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1 pkt jelly mix (there are at least ten flavours available)
1 cup finely chopped red/green apple,pear,pomegranates,strawberries.
prepare the jelly as per the instructions on the packet.pour fruits into a bowl and add the jelly mix to it.Now chill til ready.Yum yum and super cooling.

My dog is waiting for her dose of attention and I must oblige.Did I forget to mention I gifted my best friend a star for his birthday!Yes we mere mortals can do that now....til I itch to write again...be happy:)

A weekend that seemed to end before it began...inconsequential sequence of time...muddled in a haze of intoxication...and gluttony!a feast designed through careful and then impulsive compulsion...the Basa fish is ruling the roost!ooh laaalaa and all that...the spicy meatballs too though it was the devilled eggs that disappeared minutes after appearing!all in all the Super Shireen punch, kind of made everything so much easier to swallow:) tips for summer parties: go easy on the alcohol and heavy food ...minimises heat radiation and controls kill joy snoozers!

a tattoo of a cat consumed Sunday!pizzas followed!the advice taken from the Disco Dancer resulted in the ownership of the equipment of the month...the Electric Tandoor!Can take the difficulty out of perfection and the grease out of the food...my mans crispy base pizzas are a finger snap away!Alas he's been away too:(

work looming in the foreground..the backgrounds too dark to decipher right now...i'm losing myself in dreams and words... stubbornly making my way towards who knows what?for now the cat and me have a lazy night planned...that my friends is bliss!

To the Watchers: give Desi Boyz a miss...made a mad mistake of pushing myself through it!PAIN,PAIN!if it was'nt for Mika's voice echoing in  my brain saying 'bas ek raat ke liye' there'd be no justification for my action...Untouchables on the other hand was a riot!drooled all over Kevin Costner...where did he go?

To the space cadets:a refreshing yet damaging concoction

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mix of juices-i used half carton of each- peach,cranberry.mixed berry,pineapple and freshly made orange(the pulp is a big plus).

half cup of lemon squash 

half cup of strawberry crush

half cup of raw mango crush

300ml peach schnappes

300ml malibu rum

300ml midori

500ml mandarin vodka

ice

in a punch bowl mix all juices.add alcohol and stir.now add ice and let it steep for 20 minutes.Super shireen punch is ready for knock out:)

To the Cookers: make the devilled eggs..dimer devil in bong...one word...MAGIC!

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6 hard boiled eggs

250 gms keema(mince)

half pkt tomato puree

1 cup chopped bellpeppers

1 cup chopped mushrooms

1 cup chopped onions

4 cloves garlic chopped

2tsp Worcestershire sauce  

half cup stock(maggi cube will do)

mixed herbs.

chilli flakes

2 cubes cheese

1 egg beaten

2 cups breadcrumbs

5 boiled potatoes

oil

salt

add onions and garlic in oil,saute till translucent.add veg and saute for 5-7 minutes.add herbs.in a bowl mix w sauce with half the pkt of puree.add this to the mix.cook for a further 10 minutes.add mince.now add chilli flakes and fry on high heat for 3 minutes then slowly add stock and salt,reducing the flame.cover and let cook for a further 15 minutes or til liquid is nearly dry.grate cheese and as it melts,turn off the flame.set aside.cut the hard boiled eggs in half and remove yolks.mash the potatoes,add salt and a bit of your favourite spice...i do a mix of jeera,chaat and garam masala..mix thoroughly.now stuff the keema into the empty yolk pockets.be generous.cover the entire half with mashed potato..it will look like a potato bomb or bonda!make sure that the egg is invisible or it will burst when fried.take a tray and pour breadcrumbs onto it and spread.soak the potato covered eggs in the beaten egg,coat well and roll on the tray til they are covered on all sides.heat oil in a deep pan till smoking hot.gently easy the eggs in two or three at a time.deep fry till angry brown.remove and drain on tissue.Serve hot and crispy.

I served this with sour cream(doritos) and trust me it was the hero of the party!

The Idiot Box beckons...its an undeniable call...so im off.....til the purple bug bites again...keep happy:)

   

the first step..

hey this is exciting...can go on blabbing n no one to beg me 2 stop! so its going to be a fun ride i think...thats actually it..fish,film, food, family, friends.......fun:) so when i go nuts n write for days til I can't sit up or cook like I'm on fire or when I spend the day cleaning after my pet peeves or role playing with the eye(the camera for future ref)...I can blab!! I'll wander in bits too, can't help it...love tangents..trust me its more interesting than the beaten paths( robert frost told us remember?) was watching the sunset in a pals place...myriad colours sinking into shaded seas...natures the ultimate creative high..besides people!! two labs(they're dogs u know!) cavorting in the sand first then the water!! they chased each other for quite awhile and people like us just stood and watched(envious inside)..they were carefree, uninhibited and happy...blissfully unaware of their recently deposited poop floating around them! We couldn't draw ourselves away...don't know who coined the phrase "a dogs life"...they seemed pleased as punch!! Wonder how many of us feel that way about ourselves for even two minutes in a day...ok beating down time over...feeling a mellow yellow...til next time then...