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:)
ing
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
ing
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.
ing
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.
ing
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
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:)
ing
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
ing
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.
ing
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.
ing
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
