Carrot Pickle

Carrot Pickle reminds me so much of my School Lunchbox which were lovingly packed by my Mum. I always preferred  a dry meal to be carried however the side had to be something interesting and the interesting side was something that made me glee with pride made me look forward to the lunch break.

It is absolutely quick and easy to make and it takes only a few ingredients and gets done in a Jiffy.

Ingredients:

3 medium carrots
A few slices of Ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon roasted mustard seeds coarsely ground 
1/2 teaspoon roasted Methi seeds coarsely ground
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Asafoetida a pinch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon olive oil

Method:
Peel the carrots and ginger and thinly slice them.
Ensure that the carrots and ginger have no moisture pat them dry to be sure.
Dry Roast the Mustard and Methi seeds until the seeds slightly change color and coarsely grind them.
Heat the Olive oil and add the coarsely ground Mustard seeds,Methi seeds,turmeric and asafoetida add it to the carrots and ginger with salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients together and add the lemon juice.
The Pickle is ready. You could choose to eat it immediately or after a couple of hours or it tastes best the next day.

This pickle is highly irresistible.You could also add sliced green chilis for added color.

Variation: Try adding this instant pickle to your salads the mustard give it a very distinctive taste along with the carrots giving it a great crunch.

Navarathri Nostalgia

...Written on the 17th of Oct 2012

They say the world in itself is a big city. It celebrates festivals of all hues. There are more than 10 billion souls cramped in here,but at this time of the year  I feel alone. Its a time of togetherness,bonding....and here in this metropolis all faces seem unfamiliar to me. With whom shall I share my excitement? To whom shall I narrate my loneliness?

Its that time of the year when Godess Durga embarks on her annual vacation, family,friends and pets in tow. A thousand miles away from home,in a land somewhat alien I cant smell the festivities in the air and the drumbeats reverberate in the nostalgic realm...
..Mahalaya, the day of invocation of goddess Durga in her Mahisasurmardini form.,the beginning of the ten days of festivity. Amma you used to wake me up the crack of dawn to listen to Birendra Krishna on All India Radio that was boradcasted in Bengal., saying that it was something that you did listen to growing up .. i made it a point to find it on youtube two days ago to continue with the tradition ( tho it wasnt 4am! )  it feels incomplete without listening to "ya devi sarva butheshu.." not for religious reasons but more for nostalgic ones.

I yearn for the doe-eyed beauties un and easy in crisp sarees and the many visits of Golu,Sundal,the list seems to be endless may be i should start with the padi building and the kalasam placement and the decor that goes with it and now My ears search for the strains of songs in the tongue I called my own.Lets not forget the Aarathi thats taken towards the end of the day.Ohh, the smell of fresh flowers, incense sticks, turmeric...
It is of course a religious occasion, but it's not the gods that I miss, it is the people and the atmosphere. They might celebrate it here, but I don't feel at home. Memories that I'll cherish forever.

Last year, I made myself a promise I'll be home when the drums start to beat. A promise broken, making another.

Good bye Belgium

..Written on 28/03/2013

Today I'm saying goodbye to my Home well almost... - Belgium & our Home here. It doesn't know if I'll ever see it again — it has no idea that this will be the last time I'll walk within its walls. It doesn't even recognize the sheer volume of memories it holds; how many tears and smiles and adventures it has seen, "Thank you for the Memories." 

It's time to move on; it's time for a new  start and a new life in the place we are so familiar with....LONDON

Feta and Chillies Tingle

There are days when we haven’t had much of a chance to come up with anything earth shattering.My channel changing escapades led me to watch 'Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers'.  Nigel cooked a simple recipe of chillies and feta, which initially I wasn't that excited by.  However when he lifted a piece of bread and stuffed it with chillies and the melty feta to his mouth,I immediately said 'I want to eat that!'

Perfect for a Monday evening,I think this is one of those dishes which will definitely hit the spot.

Ingredients

3 large chillies
2 large spring onions or 1 small red onion
a little olive oil
Some thyme, leaves only
A block of feta cheese
soft bread, to serve


Method

Slice the chillies  and  cut them into thin slices. Thinly slice the spring onions.
Warm the olive oil in a frying pan then add the chillies and spring onions. Let them sizzle briefly,you want them to be soft but not browned.
Add a little thyme to the pan then lower in the block of feta. 
Let the cheese soften slightly then serve with the chillies and some soft fresh bread.


The feta offers a salty, lip-tingling hit.Its  great as a starter or nibbles at a dinner party where you could try serving them as canapés.

Cauliflower Soup

When nights are chilly and tootsies are cold, nothing is better than a warm bowl of soup.
Cauliflower isn't exactly the most exciting vegetable in the world. It’s colorless, it does have much of a smell, and if boiled or steamed it has a very bland flavor.When James Martin announced that he was going to make Cauliflower soup on Saturday Kitchen et voilà my solution to the large head of Cauliflower that was sitting on my Kitchen Counter.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of  milk

1 teaspoon butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 head of cauliflower made into florets or  roughly chopped

1 liter of vegetable stock or 2 Stock cubes

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp coriander cress or  garlic chives

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method :


Melt the butter and the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Add the chopped onion,garlic and cook until nearly transparent. Add the cauliflower and roast a bit. Add the stock or a liter of water with stock cubes and bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are soft.

Puree the soup until smooth.I like to use my hand blender right in the pot. You can also puree the soup in batches in a regular blender. Return the mixture to the pot.

Stir in the milk and whisk over low heat until the soup is heated through. Do not let it boil  Add some freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.

Serve in warm bowls garnished with freshly snipped coriander cress or chives,  and  a drizzle Balsamic vinegar if desired. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

And oh., Christmas is fast approaching and if you do not have an immersion blender, put one on your Christmas list. They work so much better than putting hot soup into a blender!

Melting Moments Biscuits

Rachel Allen is one of my favorite celebrity chefs known for her work on Television and as a writer.This recipe of her's i just love baking over and over again.Melting moments was a compelling try as an amateur baker.


Melting moments really do live up to their name: they melt in the mouth. The reason for their extra special crumbliness is the addition of cornflour.Here is how i went about Baking them:

Ingredients:
175g self raising flour
125g corn flour
50g icing sugar
225g butter, cut into pieces
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

1.Preheat the oven to 160C.
2.Put all the ingredients into the food processor and blitz until just combined and forming a dough.
3.Make 40 small balls the size of a large marble and place onto baking trays.Line the trays. Flatten down each ball with a fork – only a little bit though.
4.Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until still very pale in colour but slightly firm.


5.Remove the biscuits from the tray carefully because they’re really fragile, and cool.



Tip: Use Fresh and the Best Butter available in the market as the flavor of the Butter comes through in these Melting Biscuits.

Caramelized Onions & Pumpkin Soup

Summer has almost come to an end and Pumpkins are finding their way to the Markets... -Good Bye Summer.. Hello Autumn/ Fall.

Here is something warm and hearty for the windy/chill evenings.

Ingredients

3 cups of Pumpkin

125g Butter or 3 table spoons Olive oil

1 medium Onion, finely chopped

1 Cinnamon stick

Freshly grated Nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground Black pepper

2 cups of Water or Vegetable stock

1 cup of Whole milk

3 table spoons of Cream

Preparation method

Cut the top off the pumpkin and Scoop out the seeds and fibres from the middle and discard.

Using a sharp knife and a spoon, carefully hollow out the pumpkin, removing the flesh and setting aside.

Roughly chop the scooped-out pumpkin flesh.

Melt the butter/olive oil in a large pan with a lid over a low heat and add the onions. Cook the onions gently for 10-15 minutes, until they are softened and golden-brown.

Add the pumpkin flesh, the cinnamon and nutmeg, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Increase the heat to medium and cover with the lid. Cook for 40minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the base from burning, until the pumpkin is cooked through.

( or Pressure cook the Pumpkin with water and a little salt )

Add the water or stock and bring to the boil.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer the soup to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Return the soup to the pan and bring to a low simmer and cook for a further half an hour with 1 cup of Whole milk and 1.5 table spoons of Cream.

Ladle into bowls and serve topping it off with some cream/olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper.