Strawberry & Honey Quickie

Really i couldn't resist the name i gave this ;)....i'm not sure how this will sound and i'm not making this blog a gap to peek into my life...but really... i came across this recipe when i was looking for aphrodisiac foods ;)...

childishly simple n' easy to make....but then again i guess if you are making this with a particular purpose in mind...the simpler the better....eh?...so here we go...

Ingredients

1.Strawberries : 300gms

2. Orange: 1no

3. Honey: 2 tsps

4. Black Peppercorn: a pinch (crushed)

Method

Step 1: Wash the strawberries and gently pat them dry with a paper kitchen towel.

Step 2: Slice the strawberries very thin lengthwise and arrange them flat on a plate in a circular direction, do not overlap them. The resulting pattern would resemble a flower.

Step 3: Cut the orange in half, discard the seeds and squeeze the juice over the sliced strawberries.

Step 4: Drizzle the honey and crush the peppercorns in a pepper mill and very lightly sprinkle this over the sliced berries.

Refrigerate and serve chilled. I had sprinkle a little caster sugar too as the strawberries were a little sour...

Prawns Chili Fry or Prawns Ullarthiyathu

This has to be one of the simplest, easiest n’ tastiest way of eating prawns. But it still doesn’t compare to the best dish of prawns we have ever had. I still remember clearly how we had some prawns chili fry from a shack in the Goan beach during our honey moon….i had never before or since have eaten prawns that tasty…..n’ my mom’s lobster fry, hands down, is the best I have ever had in my life…my father used to buy it just for me (even though it was expensive)….coz I loved it so much….n’ amma used to make it so spicy that I could feel like I’m breathing out n’ taking in fire….:) after eating it…Even my cousins who doesn’t eat as spicy food as us…could never resist my mom’s lobster dish…I don’t know if I will ever be able to make them that well…but for the time being I satisfy myself with this simple prawns preparation. My personal favourite way of eating dish is with some nice hot Sambar n’ white rice. :D

Ingredients:
1. Prawns: 300gms
2. Small Onion (aka Sambar onions): 10-12nos (Sliced)
3. Ginger: ½ tsp (chopped)
4. Garlic: ½ tsp (chopped)
5. Chili Powder: 1tsp (reduce if you don’t want it to be spicy)
6. Turmeric Powder: ½ tsp
7. Coconut : 2tsp (Sliced)
8. Kodam Pulli (Gambogea ): 1-2 pods (soaked in water)
9. Salt: as per taste
10. Oil- 2tbsp (add 3tbsp if you like)
11. Mustard Seeds: 1tsp
12. Curry Leaves: 10-12nos

Method:
Step 1: Wash, clean n’ devein the prawns.

Step 2: Mix the sliced small onions, ginger, garlic, Kodam Pulli along with the water, chili powder, turmeric powder, coconut slices n’ salt with the prawns. Cook this without adding any additional water to this. Prawns cooks really fast, so you can actually make this on high flame, the liquid which oozes out of the prawns will evaporate quickly. (I use a mud vessel that’s commonly used for making fish in Kerala for this. But it’s up to you what dish/pan you want to use to cook these prawns.)

Step 3: To fry the prawns, heat oil, add mustard seeds (wait for it to splutter) n’ add curry leaves n’ once it changes color add the cooked prawns with the thick gravy into this n’ fry it well. Again don’t overcook otherwise the prawns the softer they are the juicier they are. :) Add a pinch or 2 of crushed black pepper before taking it off the fire n’ mix it…adds a wild zing…:D

Bangle Tangle

I managed to complete an idea i have had in my mind since some time....I had started this blog with every intention not to restrict it to cooking n' recipes....I wanted it to reflect my interests in arts n' crafts as well. This is one of the first successful projects of mine...I don't exactly know where I had gotten the idea from...but the last time I had been to Commercial Street in Bangalore, I had bought some bangles I didn't have any intention to wear....n hence didn't spend too much money on it. I wish, I had more with me...but I had gotten only around 6 dozen of what I wanted....I color coordinated it a little with the existing theme I have in my living room...it's kinda really simple...

I have just interconnected the bangles with a thick thread, winding the thread twice around each corner. I had got some small round mirrors from india as well (wasn't sure what i wanted with them when i got them) used a quick fix to stick the mirrors on the thread passing within the circle of the bangle and it's ready. It's hung on a wall key hook I had found at a fair in Bhopal...if you have done something similar or if this inspires you to do something do let me know, would love to see it!...:)