Vendakka khichdi (Okra in curd)

This is an absolute favourite of my husband. I can serve just this one dish and rice and still ensure that he is happy..

For myself, I prefer bitter gourd / pavakka made similarly.

Lady's finger/okra - 1/2 kg (washed, cut round into 1/2 inch-long pieces)

Take
chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Mix these together and coat the okra well. Leave for 5 minutes so that the okra absorbs the flavours.

Shallow fry in about 1 tbsp oil till slightly brown and keep aside. There will still be oil left over for tempering.Beat a cup of curd and add the fried okra to it.
Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves and chopped green chillies .

Great with rice and pickles.

If okra is substituted with bitter gourd or paavakka, this dish becomes Paavakka khichdi, which is an item we often make for Vishu or Onam.

Mutton fry

I made this fry in this particular way to get some stock for soup. this way, all the fat would go into the stock, and hopefully into my daughter who is looking decidedly skinny.

Also I hoped, by doing this, it would keep my husband and I from consuming that much less fat.......yeah FAT chance!!

Mutton - 1 kg
Garlic - 1 pod (peeled and lightly crushed)
pepper corns - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

Pressure cook all of the above with 1/4 cup water . Wait for 4 whistles and take off the stove.
Wait for the steam to release.Separate the liquid and the meat pieces...all the garlic and peppercorns maybe taken with the meat.

Heat a kadai/ wok, and add in the same order

Oil - 1 tbsp
Onions - 2 (chopped into cubes)
Curry leaves - As much as you like
Green chillies - 2 (slit)
Dried red chillies - 5-6 (broken into pieces)
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Saute well till the raw smell is gone. Now add

Steak sauce - 2 tsp (or more according to choice)
Garam masala powder (I powdered mine fresh)

Add the mutton pieces to ths till the masala is coated well, add salt to taste, since only 1 tsp was added .Put the lid and wait for 10 minutes, now add some sliced tomatoes(optional) and put off the stove.

Garnish with more curry leaves and/or coriander leaves.

View from my kitchen window - # 2

This one was taken around 7 pm, some days back, it is just starting to be dark,(being summer) there are lights here and there in the opposite buildings, lights in the horizon , lots of people returning home from work, families getting down from cars,

And me, cooking in my kitchen, while my daughter is holding fast to my legs.......life as normal at this time of the day.

The simplest Curd Rice -(Thair saadam)

Until I went to coimbatore for my post-graduation, I never liked curd. I loved moru (buttermilk) or sambhaaram(spicy version of buttermilk), but I hated curd.

But once one joins a hostel, sometimes a person leans to exist on whatever is available, and we girls were really resourceful....we would get boiled eggs, slices of tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, salt and pepper powder from the mess and make sandwiches, and pickles were often used as fillings....

Curd was provided during the meals in plent, and though they used to serve curd rice too, I never liked the sticky, thick type they made...instead, my roomy and I used to make our own curd rice and have it with onion pickle, mango thokku or a variety of others we always kept ready in our rooms.

This one is in memory of all those special meals..

I have had many types of curd rices with garnishes of grapes, pomogranates and a ot of other things and I have to say I never acquired a taste for those..

This is my recipe for curd rice.

Cook a cup of rice (pachari) do not cook it too much or the end result will be sticky.

Take
curd - 1 cup
ginger - /2 tsp finely grated
lemon rind - grated, a pinch
salt - to taste
water - 1/4 cup

mix all the ingredients well till smooth.

Temper with
mustard seeds 1 tsp,
green chillies - 2, finely chopped
dried red chillies 2, broken to pieces

garish with
Coriander leaves- a bunch, finely chopped

Now refrigerate for half an hour before serving. Great during summers...

Mommyfest is over

My first-ever online blog party is over...I really enjoyed meeting the moms from all the different parts of the world...I hope that we will continue to keep in touch...

I have added the links a few of the great blogs to mine, but there are so many more I could add, i just did not get the time...

A great big thank you to Marie oF Blogamama for initiating such a fun event..it was a great experience.

Kaaliyamardanam

Many of the very special people I have met while blog-hopping have asked me to put up more of my art/craft projects..

This is something I did before my baby arrived on the scene...needless to say, now-a-days, my time just flies by..so I have no idea when I will get the time to produce more of it's kind.

I am really interested in Hindu mythology and most of my work has been based on this.

This is just acrylic on normal chart paper.

The scene is Kaaliyamardanam, depicting the defeat of the Serpent Kaaliya by lord Krishna.

Potluck Meme - Spicy Okra (Bhindi masala)

A few days back I bought these really tender, tiny fresh okras and I couldn't wait to cook them. Okra is a favourite vegetable in our family, but there are many who do not like them because they can turn a bit slimy if not prepared properly.

This may take a bit of time, but the result is worth the effort.

Since the okras I got were small, I washed them, wiped them with a towel and cut off their ends and slit them about 3/4 their length.

With the long okras, I usually cut them into three pieces.

For 300 grams of okra/bhindis,

Make a paste with :
coriander powder - 2 tsp
red chilli powder -1 tsp
turmeric pwder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

marinate the okras in the paste, I put a bit of the paste into the slits too.

In a non-stick pan, add 1 tsp oil and shallow-fry the okras till the okras darken. Keep aside.

Take
Cumin seeds -1 tsp
Onion - 1 sliced lengthwise
tomato - 1 big Blanched, peeled and chopped(can use tomato puree also)
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 bunch chopped fine

Take a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil, (or less), add the cumin seeda, once they splutter, add the onions, fry till golden brown then add the tomato,add the garam masala and wait till it boils. Once the oil comes on top, add the okras and wait till the gravy starts sticking to the okras. Check the salt and add more if needed .Switch off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves.

What I've learned since I became Mom-meme

I had always thought of myself as a caring and loving daughter, niece, sister, grand-daughter, wife etc...but till I held my baby for the first time, I never imagined that I was capable of this much love....

I know that more than being the most educated or well read or well-prepared mom, I need to be able to love and empathise.

A sticky kiss and sweet bear-hug can make a mom put away all the worries and feel on top of the world....

When my baby wakes up with a smile, I know my day will be good.

The smallest discomfort or pain that my baby experiences can hurt me no end, but I have to be strong and brave for her...

I became a mom and I have learned, nay, I KNOW that I am blessed!!!

5 things about this mom - meme

Hmmm..when it comes right down to it, this is kinda a difficult task....

okay,

1. I love to read, and if the ending of a book is sad, I absolutely HAVE to read another feel-good book immediately

2. Absolutely love to cook and experiment in the kitchen as much as I hate washing dishes

3. Am crazy about my family and they are my reason for living

4. I love to paint and try various craft, but am not very confident about their commercial worth...

5. I believe in God,love, friends and family.

Blog Party

I had posted the Blog Party button..but now it is missing ..so here goes.......

Mommy Fest is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The fifth annual Mommy Fest is here and I am sooo excited. I had put up the button ages ago...
Click on the link in this post to find out all about it.

It is an online party for Moms all over the world held from tomorrow May 12th to May 16th......

I am sure that this is loads of fun...I have never taken part in such an event, and can't wait.

Everyone, join in...

As my intro, I am Indian, native of Kerala, married to another Keralite,born and brought up in Tamil nadu, and now we are currently staying in Gurgaon(near Delhi), with our 1 year and 10 month-old daughter.

I am addicted to reading, cooking and I love to paint, craft..and create....
That is what my blog is about..cooking, crafting and blogging, cuddling, hugging and bragging (about my baby ).....life is fun, eventful and a non-stop conveyor of new experiences.

Hail motherhood!!!!!

Tomb raider T-Rex battle - Tuesday toot

Yay!!!!! I guess this is may not be something to toot about unless you happen to be soo computer (un)savvy like me!!

For the past 4 months I have been trying to get away from the jaws of the T-Rex, from the Lara croft Tomb raider anniversary edition game ,to no avail..

But today, I cracked it..after finally seeing the directions that appear simultaneously and not panicking and pressing all the buttons at once!!!!!!!!



My nearly two-year old, also realised that the lady did not get stuck between the bobo's (in her language) teeth and started jumping up and down, clapping.

SO, I am now stuck with the next part.

In case any of you want to know what i am talking about, check the link.