Melting Moments And Still Studying

This promises to be another short and sweet post. I guess that is going to be the case till March 30th. And then Sweet Sweet Freedom!!!!! Freedom from nagging. Nagging, not getting nagged. At least I have that on my side. I am the Nagger. My poor son is on the other side. He is the Nagged. We have completely stopped having any sort of conversation leave alone having a pleasant conversation. Our exchange of words these days are restricted to - from my side - Study, don't waste time, open your books, don't waste time, we don't have much time left, study, don't waste time, look at so and so studying, it is your last chance, it is your life... the list goes on. From his side it is either a sullen silence or just a quick pretence to devoting his time to studies. Half hour goes by and then the cycle starts again. I can almost see a bunch of Board Exam Moms nodding their heads very sagely knowing exactly what I am talking about. Anyway I console myself with the fact that this too shall pass..

To take my mind off, here is something deliciously yummy. Melting Moments. The name itself says it all, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, that is not the case. These cookies certainly don’t melt in the mouth. They are crisp and have just the right amount of bite to it. Very simple to make but I have to warn you, require loads of butter. I made them for a recent bloggers meet. I loved them and I am sure you will too. Try it out....

Ingredients:

85 grams All Purpose Flour

25 grams Cornflour

85 grams Butter

115 grams Icing Sugar

Method:

Sift the flour and the cornflour together till well mixed.

Cream the butter and sugar till light and creamy.

Add in the flours into the butter & sugar mixture.

Mix well. Add in a teaspoon of milk if you feel it is too stiff.

Make into small marble sized balls and place on an ungreased tray. Leave plenty of room between the cookies for spreading while baking.

Bake at 180 deg C for about 10 minutes. Watch very carefully as they can go from golden brown to burnt in a couple of minutes.

ENJOY!!!!!!!

Eggs With Green Masala

This is going to be a real quick post as I am studying very hard for my sons exams and don't have much time for a long write up. Well I am all stressed out over here, but he for sure is a real cool cucumber about it. The much dreaded Boards are here, but does he seem to worry about it? Oh no... never. Why worry when there are so many exciting other things to plan, friends' birthday parties...jam sessions to practise for... so many friends to talk to on the phone... and then the ultimate distraction, Facebook.... Well I try to do the best I can.. like I say - I can take this horse to the water. Now whether he wants to drink is his problem...

This particular recipe was brought to our house by our cook lady. She learnt it in the previous house she worked in. One day she made it just on a whim on a Sunday afternoon for lunch and since then it has become a staple.

It tastes really good and it is something very different from the usual. The colours are also very attractive and the contrast of the green and the white of the eggs looks good.

Though, ours is a vegetarian household, I am open to eggs being cooked at home as I consider it a good source of proteins for the kids.

Now for the recipe

INGREDIENTS:

6 Eggs hardboiled and sliced in half lengthwise.

2-3 tablespoons Oil

Masala Paste:

1/2 cup coriander leaves

2 green chillies

2 tablespoons roasted Bengal gram (roasted chana dal)

5-6 black peppercorns

2 Cloves of Garlic

salt to taste

METHOD:

Grind the masala paste ingredients till finely ground in the blender. The paste will be a little thickish.

Apply the paste onto the cut side of the egg.

Put a frying pan on a medium flame and add a little oil to it.

Fry the egg, cut side down (masala paste side) till it is slightly brown.

Fry the other side till it gets a bit brown.

Serve hot.

ENJOY!!!!!!!

Tomato Rasam And School Reunions

Reunions are something that everyone has a different opinion on. Some look forward to it and some are anxious. I wonder why? These are people you have grown up with. But I think it is also because you want to impress them the most, no? It is fun to go back in time,see the kids you knew way back then, and find out what happened to whom...

My school friends and I had a mini reunion in Bombay a few years ago. It was so much fun to go back and meet them even though it was a small group. We had a great time chatting and catching up.

This post was supposed to be out more than a year and a half ago from that mini reunion. I promised this friend that I would put up a post on rasam so that he could learn (or make his wife learn?) and its taken me this long. There is no excuse for delaying this much and I apologise sincerely to V. For something that we make on a daily basis at home, to take this long to put it up..!!! Very Bad, Kamini.

Rasam is the ultimate comfort food. Feeling feverish, or have a cold, or heavy head? Rasam rice is a staple in such situations. It has a piquant taste which gets the appetite going when you are down.

Rasam powder can be made in larger quantities and stored for up to 6 months.

Now for the recipe...

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tomatoes diced finely

2 cloves Garlic roughly chopped

10 curry leaves

1 tablespoon Coriander leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon Oil

1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida

2 heaped teaspoons Rasam Powder ( recipe follows)

1 lime sized ball of tamarind

2-3 tablespoons Toor dal

METHOD:

Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of water till soft and extract all the juice. Keep aside.

Boil the toor dal in water till it is cooked soft. Keep aside.

Heat oil. When medium hot, fry the mustard seeds till they crackle.

Now add the garlic and fry till golden.

Add the tomatoes and cook till mushy.

Add the Rasam powder and fry for a bit till the raw smell disappears.

Add the tamarind water and the dal and cook on high heat till it comes to a boil.

In the meantime, in the serving dish, put chopped coriander leaves, chopped curry leaves and the asafoetida

Pour the boiling rasam over it and cover with a lid.

Serve hot with rice and ghee. You can also enjoy it as it is in a cup like a soup without any accompaniments.

ENJOY!!!!!

Rasam Powder

Ingredients:

200 grams Coriander seeds

100 grams Red Chillies

3 tablespoons Jeera (cumin)

3 tablespoons Toor Dal

2 tablespoons Peppercorns

2 teaspoons Mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds

Method:

Roast all the ingredients till fragrant.

Powder coarsely.

Store in an airtight jar for up to a year.

ENJOY!!!!!