Shredded chicken and cabbage

This is a great way to use left over chicken from a roast, a curry or even simply boiled chicken.

If curried, just wipe away the remnants of the gravy and shred it.

Onion - 1 (sliced)

Green chillies - 2 (slit)

Cabbage - 2 cups (shredded)

Celery stalk with leaves - 1 small (diced fine)

Cooked chicken - about 100 gms or a half cup (minimum)

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Soy sauce - 1/2 tsp

Butter - 1/2 t

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

In a non-stick pan, put the butter and a few drops of oil so that the butter won't brown. Add the sliced onions and saute till golden. Now add the cabbage,green chillies, turmeric and chilly powder. Add salt to taste at this point since the chicken will already have salt. Now add the chicken, soy sauce and pepper. Finally garnish with the celery.

If mixed with a bit of mayonnaise, it can be used as a salad or as a filling for bread rolls, in a tortilla or chapati. Add bit of relish or pickled gherkins and spread on toasted bread slices for a superb sandwich.

Crochet cap - instructions

These are the instructions to crochet the cap I had posted here. The other day, i just clicked on the link for the video, all i got was the site. I could not find the video in there. Then finally, I searched one whole day until I found the video again. This time, I decided that it is better to record it here since I will definitely be making this cap again.

Please note that the instructions are written down in a language that makes sense to me, and should be easy to understand by anyone. Experts in crochet kindly excuse ...!!!

Materials specified

Yarn - 2 (103 yards long) there will be yarn leftover.

Crochet hook - size 10.5

Step 1: Tie a knot with a slip stitch and make 8 chain stitches.Connect both ends to make a tiny ring.

Step 2: 2 single crochet stitches in each stitch (so there will be 16 stitches now)

Step 3: Single crochet stitches in 1st, 2nd and 3rd stitches and 2 single crochets in every 4th stitch.

Step 4: Single crochet all around

Step 5: 2 Single crochet stitches all around

Step 6 : Single crochet stitch in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th stitches and 2 single crochets in every 5th stitch

Step 7: Single crochet all around

Step 8 : Single crochet stitch in 1st, 2nd, 3rd,4th and 5th stitches and 2 single crochets in every 6th stitch

Step 9: Single crochet all around

Step 10: 2 Single crochet stitches in every 7th stitch

Step 11: 2 Single crochet stitches in every 8th stitch

Step 12: 2 Single crochet stitches in every 9th stitch

Step 13: 2 Single crochet stitches in every 10th stitch

Step 14: 2 Single crochet stitches in every 11th stitch

Step 15: 2 Single crochet stitches in every 12th stitch

Step 16: 2 Single crochet stitches in every 13th stitch.

Step 17: After the step 16, counting is not required for a while. Single crochet every stitch for many rows till you get the depth that is required to fit over the head. At this point, the edges of the cap should slightly curl inwards, which means you are doing everything right ...

Step 18: Single crochet 1st, 2nd and third stitches and skip every 4th stitch.

Step 19: Single crochet 1st, 2nd and third stitches and skip every 4th and 5th stitch.

Step 20:To close the end, take a big loop, tie a knot, cut, then tuck the hanging ends neatly into the cap with the crochet needle.

The cap is ready...!!!

The instruction were given in a video by Threadbangers and they called it chrochet hat. So google it and you may just be lucky enough to find it.

An update...

My parents are coming down for a brief visit... so I am a bit busy with trying to organize my pantry, cupboards and also a few places that may have so far not know a human presence :)

Meanwhile the little one is busy broadcasting the news to one and all, acting smart even before the grandparents are here to spoil her rotten and undo all the good manners that we have inculcated with the greatest difficulty( It takes just minutes in the play school to undo a year's good habits !!!!)

The icing on the cake is that her Suni chitta (my sis) and husband will also join us for the weekend. When I explained that they would be here for a few days and that we could visit them later, she is all set to pack her bags and go with them ... And when we went out for our weekly shopping trip today, she was disappointed that we were not going by plane...

Can't blame her...most of her favourite people can only reached by plane and I guess she has had enough of seeing just boring mom and dad...!!!

We are planning some trips to nearby fun spots the next week. Hope to have new places and things to post about.

Free Kitchen tips for New Cooks

These are a few tips that I have been compiling for some time, and have come from my own trial and error and a few of my friends' too. I thought I would share these tips with others and may come in handy for those who are starting out as cooks.. Experienced cooks, please ignore this....

Let me know whether you agree or not ..:)

• The taste of any dal preparation (lentils) is enhanced with a few drops of lemon juice. Please note that a few drops mean just that, and not spoonfuls....

• Once rice is boiled, switch off, cover with a lid and leave it for 10 minutes...most rice like basmati, raw rice etc cook with that . In case it needs more cooking, a few more minutes should do. If you leave the rice boiling for a long time, more than likely it would overcook.

• Cook pasta and rice with atleast 1/2 tsp of salt to stop it sticking...

• Soaking dried pulses overnight will reduce cooking time more than half.

• Wash brinjal, lady's finger etc before cutting so they won't turn mushy when cooked.

• When frying fish, always add a bit of lemon juice to the marinade for better taste and smell.

• Try not to empty the mixer before switching it off. (Someone I know of, did this !!!)

• When making spicy curry, add a pinch of sugar to enhance the taste.

• Brown onions while cooking meat ....instead of just turning it soft and yellow...to get the dish taste it's best.

• Add at least 1 green chilli to dishes to increase the flavour.

• When preparing mutton, add 1/2 tsp of jeera (cumin) powder for better taste.

Will post more of these depending on your opinions...

An eventful weekend..

Caught a flight to Mumbai on Saturday.

A wedding, meeting up with my sister and brother-in-law who drove down from Pune, a couple of drives around Mumbai, meeting up with some dear college mates and their better halves and kids, shopping, the reception...

And a flight back on Sunday

It was short, yet we all enjoyed the trip a lot. Of course, with gifts like a Barbie and a smart new dress, our daughter could have stretched it out a week or a month...she also tried to bring her new friends home,(children of our friends) by promising to eat rice...!!!for her, that is the ultimate sacrifice!!!

It is amazing, the rapport we never lost with our friends, and that we had with their partners... seems like we were all linked in another life... it was a wrench to say goodbye to them and my sister and Nikhil, but we came back recharged and happy that we had this weekend with them.

Mushroom, sausages and mashed potatoes

This felt more like an assembly job than actual cooking and it was very very tasty.

Onion - 1 (sliced thin)

Mushrooms - 200 gms (quartered)

Sausages - 400 gms (sliced across into bite sized pieces)

Green capsicum - 1 medium (sliced thin)

Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Oyster sauce - 1/2 tsp

oregano -dried - 1/4 tsp

Potato mash flakes - 1 cup

Eggs - 2

Grated cheese - 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Crushed pepper

Saute the onions, then mushrooms, sausages and the green pepper .Add the oyster sauce and the chilli powder. Salt to taste.

Now lightly sprinkle the potato flakes with a bit of water, keep aside. dont let them become very soggy,just to make them lightly moist.

Beat the eggs, add a pinch of salt, the grated cheese, oregano and crushed pepper.

In a greased baking dish, add the sautéed onion, mushrooms, sausages etc first. Now add the mashed potato flakes on top. The eggs and cheese go on top.

Bake at 180 C for 15 minutes till the egg is cooked and cheese is melted..or you may extend the time five more minutes to get the crust a bit brown.

Serve with pita, lebanese or crusty bread.