Curried Shrimp in Coconut Milk ..... And the Give Away Winner !!

No no.....there was no Food World, Reliance Fresh or Spencers.I went with Baba riding on his green Bajaj scooter to the sabzi mandi ..... Once upon a time !

As far as my memory goes only few of the big garment shops or gold shops had a climate controlled environment ..... in simple words A.C.

And it was definitely a big deal and a status symbol to buy things from a shop like that ... Yes you paid a price to sit in the 'thanda' room and for those glittering LED lights .... few extra bucks !!

And who in the world would have imagined that a day would come when big names like Reliance would engage in selling Sabzi in air conditioned shops ..... ok ok Retail Marketing or Food Mall. Hope I am technically correct.

Buying vegetables and grocery is so much easier ... provided you secure a place to park your car. Thanks to the proactive ICICI Car loan agents, there is at least one car in every household !! After all who would want to go to a sabzi mandi in the blaring hot sun.

And there is no such word as 'Bargaining'. Did you say 'cheapo'. Indeed that is why the modern marketing guru's have abolished that word and also it's synonyms. Life is easy ... no more engaging in arguments over an extra bunch of dhaniya patta or few green chilies.

In other words 'India Shining' ... quoted by the NDA government. Before you tag me with being associated with BJP, RSS etc I am also going to write what the current UPA govt says ...'Ho Raha Bharat Nirmaan'

But what about the developed West from where we imitated this culture. Why do they fancy the 'Farmer's Market','Grow your own herb' movement etc ?? Why so much importance on buying food directly from the farmers or even growing your own. Well I am sure we all know the answer ...don't we ??

Are any of the Retail Marketing Gurus' listening ??

Preparation Time - 40 minutes

Serves - 2

Ingredients

Medium size Shrimp/ Prawn - 12

Onion - 1/2 (medium size)

Garlic Cloves - 2

Ginger - 1/2 inch

Cinnamon - 1 inch

Cumin - 1/2 tsp

Coriander - 1/2 tsp

Tomato paste - 1 tsp

Mustard - 1/3 tsp

Chili (Fresh or Green) - 4 (per taste)

Curry Leaves - few

Coconut Milk - 1 cup

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Salt per taste

Method of Preparation

1. Grind onion, ginger,garlic,cumin,coriander,chilies,cinnamon to make a smooth paste.

2. Marinate the shrimp with little turmeric and salt and keep aside for 10 minutes.

3. Heat oil in a pan and fry the shrimp just for few minutes so that they turn opaque. Refrain from over frying else the shrimps would be rubbery.

4. In a wok add some more oil. When the oil is hot temper it with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the groundmasala and salt and fry till the masala is cooked well and there is no raw smell. Add tomato paste.

5. Add the coconut milk and simmer. Add some water if needed to adjust the consistency. Add the shrimps and simmer for 2 minutes before turning off the heat.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with rice.

I would like to thank everyone for their constant encouragement and for the love they show towards me and my blog and for participating in the give away.I wish I could give one book to each.

I promise to come up with another give away very soon .....

So J helped me with picking up a random winner. And the winner of this give away is

6 Bittersweets - Big falafel-lover here and yours look perfect!

Congratulations !! Please email me your name and address @ satrupa.dash@gmail.com to mail you the cook book.I would surely recommend all of you to visit her blog for her flawless clicks and awesome cupcakes.

Falafel and a Cookbook Giveaway .....

Birthdays Then ........

The Birthday Boy/Girl is excited and begins the countdown months ahead. The father goes to the nearby grocery store and picks up a packet of hard boiled candy the day before. The packet is opened .... the birthday kid and the siblings gather around with sparking eyes. Father counts the candies and puts them in a plastic bag ...... enough for the classmates and the teachers. Remaining is shared or rather fought over to be shared by the siblings.

On the birthday morning ......... the birthday kid gets special attention, is also pampered by the parents and grandparents. Wears a new dress, goes to temple with his father's riding on their faithful Bajaj Scooter. A special puja is performed by the temple Pujari(priest). Comes back home, distributes the prasad and seeks the blessings of the elderly.

Again the candies are counted one last time before leaving for school. Friends and teachers at school sing the 'Happy Birthday'song. The Birthday kid goes around distributing the candies ....... tries to save some for his special friends.

Mean while ...... a cake is being baked at home. There is a little hustle bustle in the kitchen. The menu for the birthday is decided on the fly. Aunts and women from the neighborhood gather and deep fry Poori's, also a special curry is prepared to go as a side dish .... mostly it's alu, chanaa or chole and not to forget the kheer. The halwai at the street corner caters to the samosa which are served as snacks.

Kids from the neighborhood are invited a day before, may be some friends and cousins from the same city .....

Hanging of balloons and streamers is an optional affair ..... Kids gather during the eve. Birthday fella blows the candle and cuts the home made cake. Friends give gifts to the Birthday boy/ girl ..... They mostly were pencils, Diary Milk/ 5 Star Chocolates/ Amul Chocolates (Yah once upon a time people considered them as gifts), pencil boxes, lunch boxes .... sometimes one or two toys and books.

Mats and bedsheets are spread on the floor. Kids are served on steel plates with Poori and sabji. And in the end kheer is served as dessert.

The kids play and parents chit chat before they call it a day !! Simple isn't it .....

Birthdays Now .........

The Birthday Kid is excited and the parents are tensed. Budget is discussed. Search for restaurant / banquet hall begins months in advance. Parents squabble over choosing the venue and pay a fat cheque to book it. Menu is decided days ahead and it has to be better than the neighbor's or colleagues ..... least at par ! A birthday theme is decided and shopping is in full spree.

Parents buy clothes to complement with the kids ..... may be the color of the balloons too !! An Evite invitation is sent weeks ahead .....

And yes .... I forgot to mention about the cake. This time Mom doesn't spend time in baking one. She is given some concession as she has many more things to bother about .... but yes she does spend a lot more time browsing and gawking photos of expensive cakes .... Cinderella, Winne the Pooh, Spiderman, Dora ... It's an encyclopedia. You tell me.

Well this era is about 'Return Gifts'. Weren't we taught in our childhood about 'Give and Take' .... I am sure this makes the other kids equally excited as the Birthday one. Fair enough !

Gifts are bought and packed in fancy colorful packets to be given away. It has also become a trend to play games at the party .... oh I am not just talking about the kids. The older ones too are roped into it ! Some of them play it even more seriously than what it takes to prepare for the IIT's OR MIT .... the bait - a gift wrapped in a glossy paper.Well I don't deny that it's fun too .....

Food is no more served .... Come on I must be kidding !! You serve it for yourself. Thanks to the buffet system ..... Eat all you want and what you want.

Well time changes and so have we ..... for the better or for the worst !!

So I did celebrate a virtual blog birthday ..... You remember na ? Didn't I treat you all with stuffed bell peppers.

What ?? 'Return Gift' .... Yah Yah I have something.

A book on Mediterranean Cooking.

You will be amazed to know that it has quite a lot in common with Indian Cuisine.

I will be giving away this book as a gesture to thank you all for motivating/ criticizing and helping me come all the way.

The Meditterenean Cook Book for the Give Away .....

Here's the deal ......

You can do anyone or

All of these to participate in this Give Away !!

1) Follow my Blog by clicking the 'Follow' button. You must follow Publicly.

2) 'Like' or 'Follow' 'Food for Thought' on Facebook.

3) Leave a comment on my blog and tell me what you like most about my space. Is it the write up, the photographs or the recipe that draws you to 'Food for Thought'.

4) You can also participate if you are a non blogger. Just leave a comment with your email id and name so that I can hunt you down.

This time the give away is just for US residents. I will be selecting a winner randomly. To increase your chances to get this fabulous Mediterranean cook book you can do all the above.

The Give Away is open till ...... June 14th 2011.

Here is the recipe of Falafel from this book .... I tweaked it a bit though !!

Preparation Time - 40 minutes

Makes - 14 small Falafel

Ingredients

Dry chickpeas - 1/2 cup (soaked overnight or at least 10 hours (will be about 1 cup when soaked through)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp (per taste)
Garlic - 4-5 cloves
Chopped Cilantro/Coriander - 1 cup
Onion - 1/3 cup chopped fine
Freshly squeezed lemon juice - 1-2 tbsp
Bread Crumbs of 1-2 bread

Salt per taste

You may also add chopped green chili to make it more spicy

Oil to deep fry

Method of Preparation

1. Drain the soaked Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans/ Chole in a colander till the water is completely drained.

2. Add the garlic cloves,cumin seeds and chickpeas and grind in a food processor to make a coarse paste. Do not add any water. If at all needed add very little.

3. Remove to a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

4. Pinch out small balls, roll them between your palms and then slightly press them to give it a desired shape.

5. Heat Oil in a Kadhai/ Wok and deep fry them on medium heat on both sides till golden brown.

6. Remove on a paper towel.

Where are the sparrows ?? Also a recipe for Banana Bread

The sudden appearance of twigs, old cotton balls and wool in our dining room puzzled us until we looked up. Mr and Mrs Sparrow had found a safe abode in the hustle bustle of the town to build their nest. Maa would sweep away the twigs, dry grass,cotton and feathers every day that would fall off the skylight......

Mr & Mrs Sparrow would fly out of the window every now and then and come back with tiny twigs and grasses in their beaks. It was a lot of hard work for these small birds .... yah making a house is no joke after all ! Be it humans or birds. I and my sister were pretty amused seeing the upcoming nest. After days of hard work the birds had put their nest together. We knew something was happening up there. Maa told us that Mr & Mrs Sparrow were busy decking up a nursery and making a comfortable home before their bundle of joy hatched.

We waited as much as the sparrows and one morning we heard the babies chirp. The chirping was sharp and shrill and would continue from dawn to dusk. The hungry babies kept their parents on the toes. The mother sparrow would fly out of the window and come back with worms in her beak to feed her babies while the father would guard their nest.This was a regular affair for the sparrow family.

I and my sister would pull up a chair and take turns to climb on it to have a glimpse of the babies. They looked ugly without feathers and had small red beaks. Maa warned us from getting close to their nest and we would obediently stare at the babies from a safe distance.

It was not very long when the baby sparrows developed tiny wings and had feathers on them. They looked so similar that t was difficult to differentiate one from the other. It was time for flying lessons. The 'sparrow parents' would teach the babies to fly.

Phurrrr Phurrrrr , the feathered family would fly all over our house ... or rather their house. They would fearlessly perch every where .... on the wash basin mirror, the sink, on the fridge and table top.The dining room fan was not switched on to keep the family and it's babies safe during their flying sessions.

One day they flew out of the window and never came back...... I stared out of the window and waited for days for them to return but alas !! The nest was empty and the birds were gone.I was sad but life took it's course and the memories of the sparrow family faded.

Today after many years I saw sparrows playing in a puddle of water outside my house. I remembered the sparrow family which once made our house their home. And these birds which were once so common have become a rare sight.

So where have the sparrows gone ???

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour - 2 cups

Powdered Sugar - 1 cup

Flax Seed - 1 tbsp

Crushed Walnuts - 1/2 cup

Baking Powder - 1 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Ripe Banana - 3

Vegetable Oil/ Canola Oil - 1/4 cup

Milk - to adjust consistency

Method of Preparation

1 Mash the bananas with a fork. Add sugar and oil to the mashed bananas and mix well.

2 Add all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl (Flour + Salt + Baking Powder + Flax seeds + crushed walnuts). Mix these ingredients well.

3 Add the mashed banana mixture to these dry ingredients and mix well to make a batter. If needed add little milk to adjust the consistency.

4 Grease a loaf pan with little oil and add the batter to it.

5 Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 - 60 minutes depending on the oven.

6 Insert a tooth pick or skewer to check if the bread is baked through.

7 Remove to a cooling rack and cut into slices once the bread is cool.

Note

Cutting the bread before cooling it may break it. So allow the bread to cool down before slicing it.

Happy 1st Birthday 'Food for Thought' ..... letz start with Stuffed bell peppers

About 365 days back I was completely jobless and my favorite pass time was musing on useless things, and browsing online shopping sites, making trips to the neighborhood departmental store and napping in the afternoons.

Very soon I grew out of it. I wanted to do something ...... totally unsure of what that 'something' was.

I was afraid that I was having ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) .... I think I suffer from it big time. I start everything with a lot of enthu but never get to the end of it. The proof ..... incomplete oil paintings, craft works, half read books and many more. But there is one thing that I do everyday ... eat ! And cook too .....one of the many demerits of living in a servant less country.

After a long brainstorming session and few squabbles with J 'Food for Thought' was born .... a year ago.....

And I believe I have conquered ADD. For the first time I started something and I so love it till date. It has become a part of my everyday life.

This time there is a man behind this woman's success .... J of course. I owe it to him. Definitely to my family too who never gave up on me and encouraged me to put my thoughts into words.

Also to all those loving blog friends who have constantly encouraged me. I would definitely want to mention a line about those who criticized my work too. They just made me more determined to go ahead with an endeavor of doing it better everyday.

Thank you all for being a part of my First Birthday bash. Please enjoy the visual treat of stuffed bell peppers .

Preparation Time 60 minutes

Serves - 4

Ingredients

Minced Boneless Chicken - 1/2 pound

Small Bell Pepper - 8

Grated Cheese - 1/2 cup

Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp

Finely Chopped Garlic - 1 tbsp

Finely Chopped Ginger - 1/2 tbsp

Chili Garlic Sauce - 1 tbsp

Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Salt per taste

Oil for cooking

Method of Preparation

1 Cut Bell Peppers, remove seeds and brush them with little oil. Keep aside.

2 Drizzle some oil in a pan. Add chopped onions and saute till they are brown. Add the ginger and garlic and mix well. Fry for 2 minutes.

3 Add the minced meat and stir in with the fried onions, garlic and ginger. Add salt, red chili powder. Mix it well with the minced chicken and fry till the chicken is cooked.

3 Add cumin powder and chili garlic paste and fry for 2-3 minutes.

4 Remove from heat and add some lime juice to it.

5 Preheat the oven at 400 degree F.

6 Stuff the bell pepper with this minced meat. Sprinkle cheese on it. (I added less but if you like cheese you can add more too)

7 Put it in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes till the cheese starts melting.

Serving Tips

Serve as an appetizer at room temperature.

Women in Power ... Letz celebrate with Matar Paneer

It's the victory of Woman Power and the entire nation is celebrating it in grandeur. And I too included myself in the celebration uninvited and am basking in the glory of these successful women across the globe. No I am not into politics or anything but I am a woman and I don't need any bigger reason than this.

Women are in the limelight everywhere .... be it S.Divyadarshini or Sweta Mohanty who topped the Civil Services Exam or even Mamta Banerjee who created history in West Bengal. The entire media is watching these women like a hawk. And so am I listening to their interviews ....

And do I have the right to judge these women ? Yes I do !! Not that I always judge people but definitely them. They are no ordinary woman like you and me. They will be the ones who would be deciding where my tax money would go and would be responsible for taking my country on the path of progress.Hence answerable to everyone.

Mamta Di is definitely not a new face to the media. I have had heard Mamta Banerjee several times before as she had been in the media for reasons right and wrong. And neither am I a big admirer of her Trinumul Congress or for that matter any political party. So I just over heard the interview of Mamta Di. Didi spoke confidently in her funny Bengali English accent during her interview with Barkha Dutt ( Another woman in power). I heard it and it faded from my memory within hours .... after all she is a politician and it is her profession to make a 'Speech' for her living if I may say so.

Well irrespective of her wrong English and her funny accent she spoke confidently. And that is one thing that I must admire in this woman who is ready to make changes to the crippled West Bengal.

BUT I sat down to listen to Divyadarshini the new face of Indian youth who has been basking in the glory of being the topper of the most prestigious and powerful position of India, the Civil Services. She was on Vinod Dua live on NDTV and I was all ears to her.

I am still unable to ignore the amateurish answers that this 24 year old topper gave. And it is not pardonable as she is no ordinary woman ! When asked 'What does the position of being an IAS officer mean to her .... is it just power and fame or something beyond that', Divyadarshini didn't give any definitive answer and it clearly reflected of her low confidence level .... which is unacceptable !!

She is the role model of thousands now and more importantly she would be taking the reigns of reforming the country and making decisions that's not confined to her.

Is she just another high grade brainless pawn that our politicians would be using for their own benefit.

Not to forget the fact that she doesn't know 'Hindi', which is the official language of India. I hope she is aware that she may have to read documents that will be only available in Hindi !! And there is no excuse to this ...... no matter what one argues. Tamil Nadu in not outside India and if you are in the Indian Civil Services, girl you better start taking Hindi tuition's !!

However I thought of still going ahead and celebrating the victory of these women in my own style, in my kitchen !! And on the menu was Roti and Matar Paneer. Nothing Fancy !!

My best wishes to these ladies, especially Divyadarshini.

May the hand which rocks the cradle rule the world. Amen !

Serves - 2

Preparation Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

Onion - 1/2 cup

Ginger - 1/2 inch

Garlic - 2 cloves

Whole Coriander seeds - 2 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Tomato - 2 (small)

Paneer - 1 cup (cubed)

Green Peas - 1/2 cup

Garam Masala Powder - 1/3 tsp

Milk -1/2 cup

Turmeric - 1/3 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil for cooking

Method of Preparation

1. Grind onion, garlic, ginger, cumin and coriander seeds into a paste.

2. Drizzle a pan with little oil and fry the panner till golden brown and keep aside.

3. Heat about 3tbsp of oil in a wok. Add the masala paste and stir fry. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt and saute till it leaves oil from the side and there is no raw masala smell.

4 Add milk to the masala and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

5 Mix the paneer and the green peas and mix well. Add little water to adjust the consistency if required.

6 Add the garam masala on top and let it simmer for a minute before removing from heat.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with any flat bread, pulao, rice.