Friday, September 21, 2012

Chickpeas curry

Since morning I’ve been very busy. We are going to Disneyland to celebrate our little one’s birthday. He is turning four on 23rd September. I’m doing lots of jobs simultaneously. From cleaning, packing to baking cake, everything I’ve to finish within 11:30. We are departing home at 12 o’clock. Yesterday, my hubby asked about my plan for today’s lunch. I told him that, I would cook at home. Today morning, I have been scratching my head, until I remember that some boiled chickpeas are already available in my fridge. So, I readily cook that chickpeas. Now I’m going to dump everything in the suitcase. I need to pay more attention, while packing, because every time I forget something. Not only that, again I forget something to pack when I come back from any tour. By this way, I’ve already lost many things. Now I’m sharing my quick recipe for chickpeas.
Ingredients:
Serving size: 2
1 medium size potato
1 medium size onion
1 medium size tomato
2 thick clove of garlic
¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam mashala powder
½ tsp kasuri methi
Pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
For tampering
2 dry red chili
1 bay leaf
½ tsp cumin seeds
Method:
Soak the chickpeas overnight. Boil the chickpeas in pressure cooker. Cut the potato in small cubes. Finely chop the tomato, onion, and garlic. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a heavy bottom wok. Add red chili, bay leaf, and cumin seeds into the oil. When the cumin seeds start crackling add potato, onion, tomato, and garlic, and coriander leaves, sauté for few minutes. Add all the spices and sauté again for few minutes, constantly stirring.  Add the chickpeas and bring it into boil. If you need, add one cup of water. Boil it until the potato becomes tender. Serve with roti or paratha.

Also I’ve to bake a cake for little one right now. Bye.
Happy weekend!!!


Thursday, September 20, 2012

Stuffed pancake


I don’t know the actual name of this dish. One day, I’d just switched on the TV amid a pile of works. I saw Lucinda of the program ‘Mad Hungry’. I love to watch this very program. Anyway, she was cooking something like pancake. However, after making the normal pancake she started adding some more things. Out of curiosity I sat down to watch the show, without caring that the time was passing by. As a result, I came to know a very tasty recipe. Till date I only knew that pancake was sweet, but stuffing with some delicious thing, that could be made as a lips smacking dish. As I watched it from halfway, I couldn’t come to know the name. So, I decided to put some name that suits with the dish. Though her recipe was much more delicious, I changed according to the availability of items in my kitchen.

 

Monday, September 17, 2012

An hour in Starbucks

I always longed for one simple thing, to sit alone in a Starbucks coffee shop and spent some time with myself . One may frown, but I never done it so far. I have always been there with my family. One day I told about my desire to my hubby. He told me that I could easily do that, when my son is in school. That was true. Actually, I had been thinking for a few months, but I never went there, though it was very convenient to me, because there was one Starbucks near to his school. So, I could go there and spent some time before picking him from school, but somehow I never got around doing it.
Since past few days my legs had been paining intolerably .so, when my hubby suggested going there on previous day ,I did not have the strength. In the morning my hubby again told me to go there. After both of them left home, I gave a little thought. First I thought to drop my plan to go, but later I decided to go. It was already 10:30, and my son’s school was going to be over at 12:30. So there was not much time in my hand, still I decided to go. Around 11:15 I reached there. I took one cold café-mocha and sat at a corner table. When I entered there, as usual, all the tables were full. Somehow I managed to get one table, but the place was very nice. I could see the road from there. Anyway, I took my journal and a book with me. Past few days I didn’t write . So I decided to pen down all the stored up thoughts. Truly there was mystery in the environment. When I write something at home, I often cannot find words, but here words flowed in. I didn’t stumble anywhere in my writing. After finishing my journal, I started reading the book. It was so easy to concentrate there. I always face difficulty to concentrate in reading at home. Now I could understand why people go to Starbucks to study. Previously I used to think,’ why do these people sit here? Don’t they have place at home to study? Is it really easy to concentrate? ‘What was the magic behind? I wondered. Anyway, it was already 12:30; my hubby picked him from school and called me to get ready for home. Thus ended a beautiful outing to Starbucks .I enjoyed the special ME time to the fullest.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Avocado-smoothie




Suddenly many guests arrive at your home, and you don’t want to cook anything. Or you want to have something cool right now, without giving much effort. Do you have avocado at you home? Then there is no problem you have to give a little effort to make a delicious smoothie. 

 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Today's Lunch

What you have cooked for today’s lunch? I don’t like to take any pain to cook any difficult dish on weekdays. But without pain, cooking tasty food is yet another challenge. Today I’ve opted for snow peas fry with prawn and spinach-chicken.


Friday, September 7, 2012

Rice noodles with shrimp

The other day I was reading Sayantani’s blog and I found an interesting recipe for rice noodle.  While I was going through the ingredients, I found that most of them were not available at my home. However, I was desperate to cook rice noodles. Then one idea clicked my mind. I had one Thai curry paste whose ingredients had little bit similarities with the sauce, which was used in the noodle. Anyway, in the evening I went to market to buy shrimp and other two sauces. But, I didn’t find fish sauce and dark say sauce in the market. I was in hurry, on the top of that I was not feeling well, so I gave up searching the sauce, and came back home with shrimp and rice noodles. I knew that I was not going to get the same taste like the recipe, but I was confident that, what I was going to cook would taste good. I was not wrong. I really taste good.

Ingredients:
I cooked for 2 people. So, I’m giving here the amount according to that.
2 tbsp yellow Thai curry paste
1 tbsp coconut paste.( if you are using coconut milk, then ¼ cup of coconut milk)
3 tbsp soy sauce
One large onion
10-12 shrimp
6-7 thick garlic cloves
1 bunch of spring onion
Salt to taste
Red chili powder according to the heat you want
4-5 tbsp oil ( I use olive oil)
Method:
Thinly slice ½ of the garlic cloves and ½ chop finely. Finely chop the onion. Fry the onion and finely chopped garlic with salt and chili powder in 2 tbsp oil. Set it aside. Mix the soy sauce, Thai curry paste, and coconut milk together. Cook the rice noodle according to the instruction in the packet. Keep handy everything while cooking the noodle. You have to cook in high flame (as Sayatani told). Heat 3 tbsp of oil add finely chopped onion. Add the shrimp; as soon as the shrimp change color add the sauce. Cook for few second. Add the noodles. Here I add to ½ cup water. Reduce the flame and stir continuously. When the water starts reducing put out of flame and serve hot


N.B. The original recipe: http://www.ahomemakersdiary.com/2012/08/char-kway-teow-malaysian-stir-fried.html

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Crochet bag

Few months back I created this one. I bought the crochet thread long back. However, I couldn't find anything to make. At last I decided to make bag. As the thread was too thin, it took long time to make. I couldn't keep my patience for a long. So, I made the bag small. :)