The Lantern Shop

Technically not all lanterns, but this little antique shop in Jew Town, Cochin, India did sell a variety of antique lights, knick-knacks, lanterns, tinsels, jewelry boxes, glasses and bottles…..I just couldn’t resist the prettiness of it all….

7 Things that Nobody Knows About Me….

Well, I’m just as dirty and slimy and bitchy as the next person….and here are some things (not all…ahem) about me that most people don’t know….until now, that is.

Call them secrets if you will…well, uh….not anymore:

1. I wash my hands ten times a day – this is borderline compulsive behavior which has oddly not affected any of my other characteristics and habits. Anyway, I actually count whenever I wash my hands, and make sure the number comes up to 10 a day.

Sometimes, its more than 10…but never less.

2. Sometimes when I’m famished after work, I order for two from the local deli…

and then sit and finish it all by myself.

3. I haven’t drank tea in three years.

Not even iced tea.

4. Everybody thinks I’ve given up chocolates…..because that’s what I tell them.

I have three dark chocolate bars in my refrigerator right now.

5. I have a crush on my new neighbor, who is all of 30 years. So I told him I’m 27.

I’m actually 23.

6. I lie to my yoga instructor everyday. Everyday. About eating fried chicken, mayonnaise and chocolate tarts from Bread & More.

I know I’m probably gonna die of a heart attack! Oh well….

7. Our neighbor’s Black Retriever has given birth to five plump puppies. I go over to feed them protein punched milk everyday and I give none to the mother. Then I come back home and feel guilty about it all day.

The next day, I repeat the same thing.

Of Burnt Mistakes and Grilled Goodness

“What the fuck?! What happened to your Vietnamese uh…uh…something something…?”

Hijas’s irritation was totally called for considering the fact that I had promised all my friends an all-Asian brunch.

“She’s off Asian food for now…..remember the pad-Thai incident?” Shreya replied for me, giving me a sly glance.

Well, I’ve always been good at stir frying food. Always. And the only time I was let down was last week when my so-called creative side compelled me to try and experiment with pad-Thai. I love that dish. The sweetness and sourness of it, the twang of red chili and the slight pungency of the dried shrimps.

POSITIVELY YUM!

And I ended up burning the damn thing on my last try. Yep. I just stood there hopelessly in my smoky kitchen and watched the noodles turn a deep-shade of burgundy, right there in my wok.

And as if that wasn’t enough, it came out too salty, given that I had emptied almost half the bottle of soy sauce for the “sauce”. And hence, this has led to a temporary quasi-phobia of using soy sauce and noodles in any dish.

Instead, for brunch today, we just walked to Bread & More, and gorged on grilled sandwiches, chicken buns and chocolate puffs. All the grilled and baked goodness.

The recipe below is my Mum’s…something I tried a month back and have been waiting for chance to post.

What’s in there?

From top to bottom:

- brown bread slice cut diagonally, smothered in butter

- 1 slice of cheese

- smoked chicken, mixed with mayonnaise, salt and pepper

- another piece of buttered bread

- Sweet-n-Sour Tomato ketchup

- smoked chicken-mayo mixture

- ice-berg lettuce leaves

- the last piece of butter bread

Just assemble the sandwich and pop it in a sandwich-maker. OR, grill it for about 5 minutes on each side, while flattening it constantly.
This one rates an all time 9/10 on my “Comfort Food” list.

Proof That I’m a Geek

What do you get when you put together an overweight chocoholic, sans any trace of makeup, wild, out-of -control hair, baggy clothes and a dehydrated, sleep-deprived disposition?

Well yeah…me.

I just wish technology comes up with something that would instantly airbrush our faces and bodies, like the magazines do for their cover shots. Instant zit removal and blackhead smoothening….(sigh)!
The other day Sydney peeped over my shoulder into the computer screen to take a look at this particular photograph. His reaction? A big guffaw!

“Could you be more nerdy?” He asked, suppressing laughter.

“Excuse me? I was always a nerd….I was just having a bad hair day…,” the rudeness just spilled out of me.

“Whatever,” said he, “Is that kurta made of upholstery?”

Aarrgh! I hate him! I love that kurta. And why can’t I have a geeky snap? I believe, each and every individual, apart from true geeks, should have a geeky snap…..and all the Sydneys can go to hell….

Dinner with the Lieutenant

Well, if you can call it that. It sucks that he’s a 1000 miles away (literally…no kidding).

Being the dedicated carnivore that I am, I actually had a simple tomato soup with garlic bread for dinner today. Much to his shock and uh, disbelief, given the fact that he’s a dedicated herbivore and has taken endless shots at turning me into one too.

Its insulting really. Its not like I hate vegetables, its just that I prefer a high-protein diet. Now, that reminds me of his honey-chocolatey voice over the phone lecturing me, “You can get proteins from lentils and beans and milk and eggs and so and so and so…” Oh well.

Anyway, today’s dinner was special, because I ate it at the same time he was having his. A friendly-phone-date, call it if you will.

Tomato Soup with Egg Droppings:

What You Need:

- 2 medium sized tomatoes…chopped

- 1 medium sized onion…chopped

- 1 egg…beaten

- 4 cloves of garlic…chopped (alternatively use 1 teaspoon of garlic paste)

- 1 teaspoon of butter (unsalted is preferred….if you’re using salted, try to adjust the amount of salt)

- 1 teaspoon of dry basil

- 2 cups of water

- salt and pepper to taste

Now Do This:

- Combine all the ingredients except the egg in a boiling pan.

- Cover and boil the mixture on medium heat for 15 minutes.

- Drizzle the beaten egg slowly into the cooking soup mixture and keep stirring, till the egg droppings appear on the surface. Don’t let the foam boil over. Skim it off the surface with a spoon.

- Take it off the heat and serve hot with garlic bread!