Lobster - fresh

I can tell you that this recipe is totally my own, Though the ingredients are familiar with everyone who knows Indian cuisine.
In Kerala, I have seen only lobster cooked the traditional way . With roasted and ground coconut and a variety of spices, which is also another way we make prawns and crab.

This is one way , I thought the flavor of the lobster would really be enhanced, and also would suit people who would like the lobster meat lightly spiced.

A very easy preparation, and I am sure would be great for crabs as well.

Lobster - 1 kg (  remove the shell of the head portion and leave that of the tail intact. Then split each lobster lengthwise.)

Onion - 1 large (peel, wash and cut in 4)
Ginger - 1 inch piece (peeled and halved)
Garlic - 1 pod ( peeled)
green chillies - 2 large (cut off the stalk)
Curry leaves - of one stalk

Coarsely grind the above ingredients. (3 pulses in a grinder )

In a wok, heat 1 tsp of olive oil and a tsp of butter.(can add more or less butter according to choice.)
Add the ground ingredients and saute till the smell is mellow.do not let the onions brown.

Add the lobster,flame on medium, put a lid on, and toss twice to make sure the paste mixed well. After about 5 minutes, open the lid and the shell should have changed colour.

Now add

Lemon juice - 1 tbs
Crushed pepper - 2 tsp (or more )
Salt to taste.  ( it is always better to add less salt than more)

Keep the lid back on, And wait for another 7 minutes. These lobsters are comparatively tiny, so about 12 to 15 minutes are ample time for them to cook through . Also , they have been halved, so cooking time is even less.

Take off the stove, remove to a serving plate, add more lemon juice and crushed pepper and ENJOY.

A little clay craft, and a Triple strand necklace.

It all started with a dear friend, who asked me to make a necklace with a clay pendant. At first , the idea was to just make a pendant to match the colours of a Saree, she wanted to wear for an occasion.  Then I decided that I could try and duplicate the paisley type print on the saree to give it that 'custom' design feel.

Then it became a triple strand, and since there was black on the saree, we decided that black crystals would really give added glam rather than just try and match the colours of the saree..

 After the sanding, painting, polishing, sanding again and painting, applying some gold and bronze dust, the varnish and finally adding the stones AND making the necklace, the end result was this ....

I also made earrings with huge black crystals,hanging on gold coloured rings. Just so, they would not clash with the busy necklace, but would still be the perfect compliment to it.

And finally, it reached it's rightful place. This is the biggest piece that I have worked on so far. 

My friend has given me permission to use her picture. I am absolutely thrilled to show her off as I think that the necklace was made for her ( as indeed it was ..!!) 

But what I am trying to tell is, it just seemed to suit her to a T. And it was a pleasure to behold. 

So without more boring talk ... my friend, and her adoring hubby.... :)

Tangy mint marinade for Chicken

This is a very fresh tasting marinade with a tangy touch. I made some chicken and veggies in one pan . Somehow the easy to make dishes taste great .

I had about 350 gms of chicken thighs.  I used 2 potatoes and one carrot cut into roughly the same size too.

For the marinade , grind or mince

Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves peeled
Green chilly - 1 or 2
Pepper corns - 6 to 8
Mint leaves - a bunch
Coriander leaves - 1 bunch
I added a few flakes of sea salt to crush everything well.

to this, Add..

Curd - 1/2 cup
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp or more

Mix well, add more salt of needed and marinate the chicken in it for half an hour or more.

I used a flat pan , heated olive oil and shook the pieces out one by one and placed it on the pan. Once the chicken changes colour, turn on the other side. after about 5 minutes, add the veggies agter tossing them also in the left over marinade.

when the chicken and veggies are well cooked and the oil in the pan shows, switch off the stove, add 1 thinly tomato , keep the lid on for 5 minutes .

Serve hot. I made kaboos and a dip to go with it.

The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of the Nagas

I love books on Hindu mythology . I read a lot of other Genre too, but for each and every book that I enjoy, the thing that makes me enjoy a book most is not even a great plot, but the narration.

There are already a lot of reviews on these two books and I liked this review by Sundari Venkatraman on her blog called Flaming Sun 

Set in 1900, the language was really out of place , but as I read on, (that is a compulsion with me... I almost always finish a book even if it gives me a head ache. Am totally intolerant with movies in that respect, though...)

But the characters, the plot... and the language just grows on you.  The author makes that journey or transition of Shiva from a 'barbarian' to the Savior really interesting.... and I noticed that in the sequel, the language is not as rustic either. Does it indicate the change in stature of the central character , or is it just an effect of the reviews that called for more refinement in the language ???- I do not know...

All I can say is that I am glad that I could pounce on the second book as soon as I finished the first ... that abrupt end really worked  ... !! And I could have turned my nose up at some of the language, but it just would not be fair to such a brilliant story.



And it is interesting to note that there is mention of snakes, yet, the Nagas don't just mean snakes....!!
I am absolutely looking forward to the third of the trilogy and really really hope with all the selfishness of a book worm, that it will be a fitting end to these absolutely good books ...

Memo board - 1st post in 2012

Wow... one of my resolutions involved posting more frequently on my blog ..and before I know it, it is already 9 days into Jan when I post for the New Year !!!

This is one project that has been on my mind for some time...  a Memo board... of course, I looked into a few that I could buy, but the crafter  in me, could not resist making one , especially since I saw this tutorial. 


I found some more sites with tutorials...
 Like this one on Little Miss Momma 

Mainly , mine was an attempt at recycling.

I used a cardboard that came with a  artist's drawing pad . I had some left over rolls of sponge sheets from over a decade. The maroon cloth is a dupatta that had seen better days .

The only new things are the ribbons and the pins . at the back I glued the ribbons and also stitched them on to the fabric .

So one ticked off from the 'try to make' list ...!! Only thousands more to go...!!

Adieu to 2011

2011
It has been an eventful year for us and in a big way, for me personally...

We moved into our nicely renovated home.
Celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary
Discovered air -dry clay
I started my Jewelry and Craft line, and though it has a loooong way to go, I finally know that this is the way forward.
Made some great friends .

As a summation, it is just a few lines... but totaling all the ups and downs, I feel that the 'ups' win ..!!

I did not bother to set any goals. Can't say it was dogged determination. Just took each day as it came. Did what I could. The main thing was that, I did not agonize over a lost hour or so, doing nothing (there were a lot of those.... !!!) but just forged on and did what I could in the coming hours.

I can say that I have learned a few new things this year. And that lifts my spirits a lot.

For 2012 ...

I need to pay more attention to my blog.

Make sure I tick off every single item on my DIY list. (which covers nearly everything ..!!)

And for my friends and Family..

I wish you all the very best of Health, Wealth and Happiness....

A very Happy New Year to each and everyone ....

Holiday craft - Paper Birdcage

I was inspired from the blog post on The Bride's Cafe. There are step by step instructions, Here is the link.

Spending a day inside is very difficult for my restless daughter and when it is raining, AND the cable is out, there are some surprisingly nice results.

Since my dad had gifted her some bird stamps earlier this year, it was easy to keep her occupied by asking her to stamp and colour them for the cage.

Saved me having to draw ... and I could get on with making the cage.

Notice how she has discarded most of the colours while neatly arranging those of her choice beside her . See how closely they match the colours of her outfit  ... !!!


Even the parrot is coloured purple and pink. She informed me that a real parrot is green with a red beak, but since this one is made by her, it can be her favourite colours ...

So ...the sparrow and the pigeon are also varying shades of pink, purple and yellow. Of course, the finished product here may not have any resemblance to those in the article of  our inspiration. Ichu decided that the cage needs more 'decoration' so she HAD to decorate the pink strip on the cage after everything was fixed. So naturally, the yellow strips got a bit bent .. AND she did not let me take the time to glue the bottom bit and the spokes, so i finally stapled it together !! 

And so there it is, ... slightly bent, yet still.....looking good.