Surajkund Mela (fair)

This weekend we went to the annual Mela in Surajkund. We were supposed to go last year, but our plans had to be cancelled.. so this year we were quite determined to go.. It was a two hour drive from our home..

It was very sunny, so we came away fast.. there were a lot of nice things being sold. There were stalls from Egypt, Thailand, Thajikistan etc , but there were so many people surrounding those stalls, that we could not even get a peek in.. !!!

A lot of VIPs like Shahnaz Hussain had come, and there were an abundance of foreign nationals...The atmosphere was festive and colourful with lots of performances like puppet shows, folk dances etc.., and lots of yummy food from different states.......

Am sharing a few snaps here

Blue Pottery from jaipur

High wire act ..!!!
Puppet show - my daughter's favourite

Irresistible Pottery - works of art

Loved the colours

Warli painting - acrylic on paper

Warli art is said to have originated in Thane - Maharashtra, of India a couple of centuries ago. It is said that the villagers, especially the women folk used this type of art to decorate the walls of their houses . Most homes had thatched roofs and mud walls. So Warli paintings originally had a mud brown background, and they used to paint with a mixture of rice paste and water.

It is a very interesting form of art and can be completed in very little time. Also, even people who cannot draw very well can do this . I did this painting today, in about 50 minutes...!!!

It is a great way of depicting day to day events, festivals , marriages or other occasions...

There is no need for symmetry and the figures are very easy to draw.. with a few bent limbs, it is so easy to denote movement ....

Try it out and have a great time

Fish and chips

Whenever we went to our parents during vacations, our dad used to take us to his company club and this was one of my favorite items on their menu. When hit with a fierce bout of nostalgia, I just had to have this . I had no idea about the original recipe, so I winged it and I am sure I will definitely make this again....

This is not the traditional fish and chips recipe.

Fish Fillets - 500 gms (I used King/Surmai fish)

Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Few drops of oil

Marinate the fish in all the ingredients and keep for atleast 20 minutes. Dust the pieces with 1 tsp of plain flour/ corn flour just a minute before frying.

Shallow fry the fish. Since the fish was very very fresh, I did not overpower it with too much seasoning.

I also blanched some broccoli and peas, sauteed in butter and made french fries. A few slices of tomatoes.

I also made a dip

Mix mayonnaise and curd in the ratio 1:2. A pinch of salt, a spring onion finely diced and a few drops of tomato ketchup.

Toast some bread and voila...a very nice dinner is ready!!!!

Chicken in fried and ground coconut gravy (Kozhi varutharachathu)

The taste of Kerala.... that best describes this particular preparation....

It had been a while since I had prepared chicken this way. This is also a great way to prepare any red meat, crabs, prawns, peas or even mushroom....

During my grandma's days, the coconut paste was ground on the stone and all the spices were added whole. But now, this recipe is the shortcut version, maybe not as spectacular, but can come really close...

Most households in Kerala would have their own version of this recipe, and this is mine...

Grated coconut - 1 cup

Shallots/ cheriya ulli - 5 to 6 nos.

Pepper corns - 1/2 tsp

Cumin/ small jeera - 1/4 tsp

Saunf/ perum jeerakom - 1/4 tsp

Garlic - 3 cloves

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Dry roast the grated coconut till it is lightly brown, keep stirring continuously, making sure it does not burn. Add the shallots and the pepper corns, both the jeeras and garlic, fry till golden. Add the coriander powder and the chilli powder at last as the stove is being switched off. Otherwise there will be a fierce bout of sneezing and watering eyes...

Let this cool and then grind well, adding about 1/2 glass of water. Keep aside.

Now, the curry

Chicken - 1 kg (cleaned and cut into small pieces)

Whole spices - 3 each of cloves, cardamom,1 inch cinnamon

Onion - 2 nos (sliced fine)

Green chillies - 3 (slit)

Ginger - 1 inch piece (sliced thin)

Curry leaves - 2 stalks (separate leaves)

Tomato - 2 (sliced thin)

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Heat oil in a kadai, preferably coconut oil to make the taste as authentic 'Kerala' as possible. when hot, add the whole spices, then the onions, green chillies and ginger and saute till onions are golden brown.

Now add half of the curry leaves and the turmeric powder. Add the tomatoes and saute till the oil comes on top and the tomatoes disintegrate.

Add the prepared coconut paste. Add water according to how loose or thick you want the gravy. Add the salt now.

When the gravy is near boil, add the chicken pieces and bring to a boil. Now adjust the flame to medium or low for about 30 minutes or till the chicken is fully cooked.

Add the garam masala powder, 1 tsp of oil, and the remaining curry leaves.

A great combination with rice, chappatis, appam etc.

Broccoli, carrots and sausage pasta

This is what I made for our dinner yesterday. Simple, delicious and satisfactory.

Onion - 1 (sliced thin)

Carrot - sliced into slivers

Broccoli florets - sliced lengthwise - about 1 cup

Sausages - cut into bite sized pieces

pasta - 2 cups (cooked according to package instructions)

(These are the basic things that went into the dish. You may change or add veggies and meat according to your will. Also needed are some crushed black pepper, olive oil, butter,oregano,salt and a bit of soy/oyster sauce.... again, quantity of all these can be according to your liking...)

I made a thin white sauce with

Flour - 1 tbsp

Butter - 1/2 tsp

olive oil - a little

Milk - 1 and 1/2 cups

Cheese - 1/4 cup grated

Lightly saute the flour in the butter and olive oil (never let it turn brown, add the milk little by little so as to smooth out any lumps, take off fire, stir all the time and add the cheese .

Blanch broccoli and carrots in salted water, drain and keep aside. In a hot pan , add some olive oil and butter and saute the onions. Now add the sausages and fry.Add the broccoli and carrots and saute well. Add crushed pepper, salt and sauces. Toss in the pasta.

You can either mix the white sauce with the pasta or pour it on individual servings according to choice. Dive in before it goes cold.

Am entering this one for Foodie Friday.

Knitted head band, crocheted flower

This is the headband I crocheted this weekend, simple and very basic garter stitch. I crocheted the ends close. My little one was more interested in the pink yarn I had, so I crocheted a flower and decorated the band with it...

Both of us were pleased with it :)

My Dad turned 60..!!!

My parents in Doha - 2009

Doha - 1987. With our sister Sunitha

Dukhan 1981 - near the tennis courts. My brother Sunil and I

It was a busy week for my family, in different parts of the world.

While my own contributions were not that big, here in Gurgaon, I completed knitting the scarf I had been working on, knitted a head band for my daughter and crocheted a 'pink' flower for decorating it.

My sister and husband travelled from Pune to attend the very special Sankranthi function for newly-weds at her in-law's place in Aurangabad.

Meanwhile in Doha, my brother,his wife , and our mom were busy arranging a party for our dad on Jan 16th, for his 60th birthday. They had called about 40 to 50 people and cooked themselves. It is old hat for my mom who used to cook by herself for all of our birthdays, and wedding anniversaries...!!

They made mutton curry, fish curry, fried rice , chicken fry, channa masala, Vegetable korma, raita, pickles, pappads .They ordered some romali rotis from an Indian restaurant.All four of them pitched in to do the cooking, including my dad. Amma is a great cook and my dad and brother are both accomplished cooks too, but only cook when the mood strikes them, which is not often. My brother's wife is a superb cook too. Mom told me that there were no leftovers... a sure sign that ' too many cooks' did not spoil the party...!!!

A bit sad we missed the fun, but I guess I am used to missing special events in the lives of my loved ones by now... wishing a very happy and long life to a very special dad and one of the most genuine people I know....