you eat what you were

soup kitchen

2011-10-04T04:20:00.000-07:00

i felt like vegging today, literally, remembering the story where someone makes a stone soup.

i had some carrots, corn and of two types of pumpkins i added one to the soup and the other i steamed with a sweet potato on top of the boil. i added lotus seeds and the Chinese wolfberries helped to sweeten the flavour. no salt or seasoning and i didnt feel like sauces today.. so i think the stone part is right.

the first image is of my improv stone soup and second is the steamed potato and pumpkin.

Easter somethins

2010-04-02T23:25:00.000-07:00

Easter cooking, traditionally, as I know it never schemes up to be elaborate as Christmas roasts. But if there is one thing that I can associate it with is Hot Cross Buns!!!

Though essentially eaten on Good Friday in this part of the world, Friday is the Sabbath of the Middle East. As a child, these roundsome delights were the treat of Maundy Thursdays back home(Bahrain) with zooming up to Eastern Bakery in the Souq at the end of the Mass. Hot Cross Buns, in the UK, are available everywhere as something to be consumed as evening pleasure. However, I'm not so sure I can say the same for Helsinki, Finland. I really didn't go looking for these at some commercial or industrial storefront, for the simple reason of trying to keep it special.

If there is any kind of cooking that gives me any kind of joy, it is baking. Something about building it all up, I guess. So, the current 'buildup' is my way of commemorating the Christian/Pagan Phoenix.

Why Vegan and Gluten-free?? Well, it has to do with a Saturday night dinner with lovely people who adhere to such diets. Replacement in the recipe for flour was gluten-free flour. But you can also use rice flour, quinoa flour, potato flour etc- or simply a mix for these. Margarine and watery cornstarch took the place of butter and egg. The fluid base was soya milk. Helsinki is, truly, a paradise!!

Its such pleasure to work with cake yeast, available here. The batter has the consistency of cake mix, which is normal considering that the gluten is mixing. I added more flour to get it a bit tough and it seems to have worked fine.

;) Well, here you go...my first very post!!!

http://www.channel4.com/food/how-to/how-to-make-hot-cross-buns_p_1.html

Sup for Sunfeast 10k

2010-04-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

Begun training for a run. It's at the end of May so got 2 months time to eat / not to eat. Of course am gonna.
Not my thing to give up on fried / meat / ghee etc. Ahem. At least doing fish and chicken mostly. Hehe!

Up pic has day one lunch set.
Fresh cucumbers with sea salt and oregano.
Dal
Mutton curry (haha!)
Fried fish.

Pretty kicked with the mackerel recipe tried for the first time here. Was a simple one:
Slit fish and rubbed with sea salt. Kept aside for about half hour and rinsed off the salt. Then lightly pan-fried it and splashed say a table spoon of Light Soy sauce before taking off the pan. Ooh! So simple and the yummiest on the set.

Cant see what ha? Sowwy not the clearest pic. Pretty flowers on the dish-cover were of note.
- Puris (hahaha!)
- Braised Chicken w potatoes
- Carrot raitha
- Mint Chutney (yum yum)

The Chicken w Potatoes is a childhood fav! Mum always made this quick one and I make it often. It's sooooo simple.
Stir fry chopped chillies and garlic. Toss in the chicken and add potatoes. Salt and Light Soy sauce as per taste. Then with just enough water to braise with; cover and cook in say 20 mins. Granish with coriander leaves. mmmmmm smells good.
[The stir frying had cooked it partly so 20 mins more than enough to cover and cook after adding water. Also the chicken pieces are ummmm say bite sized. Teeny tiny but with bone. And preferably baby potatoes.]

Did a rep of this one quite a few times over the past couple weeks.
Steamed Sliced Fish with Fermented Black Beans, Light Soy Sauce and a dash of oil. Ten mins of steaming and I topped it with fine juliennes of ginger and sliced green chillies. Poured Hot oil over it and Voila!

Works best with Plain Steamed rice.
I like a bit of sauce on the side, always.

accra and volta

2007-11-25T07:07:00.000-08:00

first meal upon landing in accra, capital city of ghana in west africa is the omnipresent and most popular jollof rice with fried chicken. bought from a chop bar, wooden kiosk housing a lady who dolls it out into styrofoam packs from plastic containers filled from her kitchen. chop = pidgin english for grub, chow, food. jollof rice is mildly spicy and tastes like pulao with more tomatoes in it.

waakye (watch + yay) is rice and beans, served here with chili and boiled egg. this is breakfast on 3rd day from another chop bar.
fufu and fish stew. the spoon is a spoiler that this plate is being eaten by a non-west african and a very spoilt indian. i can do the finger slurping action, but post lunch interaction with work colleagues has me playing cold with my fingers. fufu is boiled and pounded yams, plantain and maize. its sticky puddingy texture can only be accompanied with a thick soup of meat and/or fish. never ask a west african kitchen to make you vegetarian fufu, you won't hear the end of it.
fried yams with grated tomatoes. i could not finish my plate. starchy and heavy on a sunny sunday afternoon up a hill village in the volta region. meal companion, an american volunteer, called it the country version of french fries and ketchup.

sisko's go veggie sawed in half

2007-10-18T10:24:00.001-07:00

so i just heard the news on day 6 that my dear sisko in crime had quit the 10 day veggie scene on day 2 itself. + my partner felt let down that i had foregone the flesh. reassured him that i would be back on day 11. have reserved table for 2 at 1 star michelin for a 7 course meal. prolly the worst way to get back because the stomach feels so light - me having not pummeled it with red meat this week.

storing the refrigerator with veggies requires some rearrangement. i've got roots (carrots, potatos, gralic, ginger...) in one crisper, liquidies (melon, gourds, tomatoes ...) in another and leaves (chinese cabbage, mustard leaves, chards ...) in a separate container. this is more for me to remember what i have in those supermarket plastic bags rather than any quality saving tactics. because when it comes to veggies, i tend to want to try combining them with new mates.

ajwain flavoured moong dal with tofu and karela in a jeera stir fry

in a rush between tasks, so i pick up a falafel roll at the central railway station. 6 customers, all of whom order shawarmas, get their order served at the quick - the chef is not ready to dish up a veggie roll at peak lunch hour!

i have not got the afternoon slumps since day 1, caused by intake of high level of sugars (like in white bread) because i've discovered spelt (ancient grain which is a cousin of the wheat with better protein figures). above is spelt pasta with feta, olives and ruccola.

some flavours that will never go out of fashion with me, with flesh or without, is a quick stir fry with tofu, button mushroom and mustard leaves in light soya. top with black pepper and sesame oil.

had veggie friends over. barbaresco, a north italian red, drowns the oyster mushroom risotto and olive feta ruccola salad with croutons toasted in olive oil. yes the spelt pasta above was made from the remains of this salad!

sunday brunch at the local bakery, i pay the same as the regular brunch plate even after the service staff has removed the sausage, ham, bacon and other carcass on my request and served me the remaining. since even the veggiefied version is quite a fullness in itself, i did not complain. left all those cheese slices though. they had no drama in them.

late home from work, quick boil of peas, mushrooms, carrots and dunk in an egg. filling soup.

stumbled upon this quaint organic foods cafe. potato leek soup, spinach mash with pinenuts and spelt bread. soulful wholeful. beetroot cafe, elmegade, norrebro, copenhagen.

day 3 saturday starts slow

2007-10-13T02:55:00.001-07:00

peanut butter and butter toasted bread slice

day 2 go veggie days

2007-10-13T02:45:00.000-07:00

hearty start (no pic): omlette, fried mushrooms and cherry tomatoes with spelt bread
warming lunch: windy weather and back from swim, brothed fried tofu with udon and mustard greens
oops evening: work break sandwich array at botanical garden copenhagen did not have veggie choice, extracted bacon from curry flavoured rosemary roll. the oops was the shredded chicken embedded with the shredded veggies. not much removal possible there. do i have to start counting from day 1 again?

day 1 lazy veg lunch + dinner

2007-10-13T02:43:00.000-07:00

carrot peas pulao for lunch and dinner

wontonwarrior conscious nutrition - day 1 lunch

2007-10-11T03:32:00.000-07:00

-nutty bread-
rustica loaf w walnuts n raisins.

-bittersweet harmony-
potatoes in rice wine and ginger w sugar.

-monk's soup-
Chinese herbs, plums, ginseng, cherry tomatoes et al.

N.B.
can add maize, leeks to soup next time. when i move my it to the store!

sisko's go veggie DAY 1 breakfast

2007-10-11T01:06:00.000-07:00

meal 1 day 1 of sisko's go veggie is breakfast of oatmeal porridge with milk, pomegranate and palm sugar

Gingerbread Cookies

2007-06-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

Gingerbread Cookies
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77

A recipe from Aquavit's pastry chef Carina Ahlin.

I found this recipe on Yahoo, while reading up an article about Aquavit (From the phrase Aqua Vitae meaning water of life), a Scandinavian restuarant in NYC. Carina joined Aquavit as Pastry Chef in 2005, and apparently compiled her first recipe book at age 10.

The Gingerbread cookies were sumptous - the perfect combination of bread, cookie and ginger.

Aquavit showcases the culinary creations of rising star Chef Marcus Samuelsson, born in Ethiopia and raised in Sweden.

For more info on Aquavit visit http://www.aquavit.org

Bistro Beef Steak

2007-06-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

Bistro Beef
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77

I am always on the lookout for recipe books, and I've found some pretty interesting ones along the way. I recently picked up a little recipe booklet by the American Heart Association called "Fast and Flavorful Beef - Heart Healthy Recipes".

Yeah, I know what you're thinking - Beef and heart healthy?????

Well apparently beef in America is 20% leaner than it was just 14 years ago, and at least 19 cuts of beef meet government guidelines for lean, meaning each cut has less than 10g of total fat, 4.5 g or less of saturated fat, and less than 95 mg of cholestrol per 3oz serving.

For this particular dish I used boneless beef top sirloin steak. It was so simple, and yet quite "flavourful". I cut out all visible fat from the steaks and then cut up the steak lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick strips. I marinated the steak in parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Then I cooked it on medium high heat til it was no longer pink on the outside and served it on a bed of sauteed onions.

Side-dishes included some steamed veggies seasoned with just salt and pepper, and potatoes tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary. Since I didn't have a loaf of french bread, i took some regular whole grain bread, cut each slice into triangles, brushed them with olive oil and toasted them. Mixed up some fresh crushed garlic in some butter to spread over the toated bread, and we were all set to chow down.

Don't know if the meal ended being heart healthy, but it certainly was " hearty".

spring sundays

2007-04-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

vee baked chevre on toast with blueberry quash.
zee flipped omelette with gruyere, an ode to the last sunday breakfast she had with her kaerste (above, he topped it with smoked salmon).
riri steeped the oolong.

meal at parisienne friend's

2007-04-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

red. white. clear. desert. green.
with poached fish, apple vinegar dressed salad leaves plucked in france, dill sauce, fennel saute, cheeseboard, choco mousse.

what crawls in my pie

2007-04-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

snails. restaurant food garden, viking line, helsinki-stockholm.

dragunera nero

2007-04-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

and never forget that name. a wine i will hunt down to the ends of the earth. offered as house wine in cafe carpe diem, gamla stan, stockholm

spring leftovers

2007-04-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

beansprouts. raw tuna. baby spinach. mussel risotto. cherry tomatoes. leftovers from yesterday.

kok a duudal duu

2007-04-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

5 of us at the easter sunday table. painted eggs with wax, hibiscus tea and berry juice.
1 wanted to eat it,
1 wanted to roll his down a rock into the sea,
1 wanted to see what the others did first,
1 wanted to hide it and
1 wanted to play whose egg can crack the other's.

black stuff. mammi. finnish rye porridge.

sab chalta hai

2007-03-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

Living in another country – I automatically tend to fuse the two cuisines – but Oz being quite multicultural here is what I came up with one hungry evening.
Chicken tenderloins marinated in Malaysian sambal n malai (the indian touch) grilled , served with stir fried veggies heaps of yummy broccoli n buk-choy n grilled frozen wedges - n tasted pretty good too !!!

home in vienna

2007-01-14T08:04:00.000-08:00

at my uncle's in vienna last august, he knew it had been a long time since i last visited home in bangalore. he asked, 'so what do you want your aunt to make for you?' i said, 'oh anything, whatever she is happy making.' she made, bhetki with black beans, pork with karela, tofu in chilli-soya dip. my aunt is from another part of china than my grandad, so her hitting right on the ball the stuff i am used to at home, sure made me one happy puppy. many thanks aunt!

nu yr w sol met

2007-01-14T07:14:00.000-08:00

nu yr eve was a day of slow cooking. he outlined the meal and asked me to accompany. when i heard his list i went, 'are you serious you want me to add to THAT menu' i offered to do dessert instead. here's the nu yr course:

pink bubbly
lobster bisque (i was crying when all that juicy goodness went into the trash because the stock had taken all it needed from the shelly carcass)
poached fish with buttered lobster
pigeon flambed in cognac with savoy cabbage, and pomegranate
sago in coconut milk (i made this, was a failure coz it was like eating a lumpy mass of white mucus)
rambutan (these saved the day, coz all i had to do was unwrap the packaging)
sauterne for a sweet ending
sköl!

xmas 06

2007-01-13T23:42:00.000-08:00

the xmas orgy is now hajam (digested) and i can report with utmost glee what i had for xmas 06.
location: a close friend's ancestral home in north copenhagen
fellow diners: extended family of close friend comprising danish gustatory connoisseurs
orgy: above you see smoked eel on rye slice with dill, and rice porridge with amaretto cherries.
there is a lot left unsaid because whats digested is well ... khaana hajam, baat khatam.

labane

2007-01-07T01:13:00.000-08:00

2 eggs made to order,
israeli salad, avocado salad (more like a paste this one was)
labane
juice/tea/coffee
served with pita bread

Labane is a hung mixture of curd (more), milk (less), lime (to taste), salt(to taste). covered with olive oil.
it can be preserved cold with olive oil.

halwa is black

2006-11-14T15:37:00.000-08:00

tried it for breakfast. was stuffed. could not finish the 50 ml cup. he did not sell tea to wash it down with. choice was either doogh or ice water. hmmph. next to shrine of sheikh saif-od-din, ardabil, west iran.

pistachios are pink

2006-11-14T15:34:00.000-08:00

before they dry, they have skin like an apricot, shell like cartilage, and nuttin nutty in the inside.

sweet steam

2006-11-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

sugar beets steamed and hawked on the streets of ardabil, west iran. cross between pear, potato and beetroot, all boiled.

start a brand new day

2006-11-14T14:52:00.000-08:00

honey, fresh cream, lavash (flat bread), tea. the sugarcubes go between your front teeth to stream the sweetness past your palate as you sip. teashop, kandovan, west iran.

answer the call of nature

2006-11-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

misleading name that. is doogh, yoghurt mineralised. shake bottle, wait for fizz to settle, gurgle away. chalus, west iran.

health discs

2006-11-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

crackerjacks these birdseed laden discs of fiber. bakery, gisha street, tehran, iran.

dizzy

2006-11-14T14:38:00.000-08:00

abgusht or dizi is poor man's meal. chickpea, veg, meat casserole with big lump of lamb fat cooked ideally for ages in a tandoor in a dizi pot.

how to eat: mush fat with fat musher. dunk soup into mushed fat. tear bread and soak in fat mush soup. get dizzy wid it. sofre khane sofia sangalag, park e-shahr, tehran, iran.

zuppe a la whey

2006-11-14T14:26:00.000-08:00

aash-e-reshtey, chickpea and lentil soup with thick whey. ardabil, west iran.

bloody fresh

2006-11-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

skewered lamb fat and kidney, so fresh the sap still runs. tabriz, west iran.

egyptian starter

2006-11-14T14:01:00.000-08:00

bread, hummus, salad, salt before your ordered meal. every roadside eatery, cairo.

pigeon wishbone

2006-11-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

stuffed pigeon outside sayida zeinab mosque, cairo - hajj destination for the those who can't make it to mecca.

tv dinner - 2

2006-09-24T05:11:00.000-07:00

on fine days i eat on a prettily laid table. last night was a regular dinner laid over the day's newspaper (can replace with previous day's or as required)

Pork and balsam pear in black bean sauce
combine pork chops and diced pork belly [with skin, fat and meat layers intact;) . first sauté with chopped chillies and garlic and black bean paste. you can buy black bean paste ready made else just mash black beans with some water to make paste, this works just the same and is what i did. next, i turned it over into pressure cooker.
after pork is well cooked add boiled diced balsam pear which is pretty name for bitter gourd aka karela]. boiling the balsam pear separately in salt water helps to kill some bitterness.

.the salad is a toss up of
blanched brocolli, cherry tomatoes, button mushrooms (or your pick of mushrooms) with many coloured bell peppers in balsamic vinegar.

.added fibre with plain salad lettuce.

.extra meat on the side fer meeee :D

tv dinner

2006-08-30T01:06:00.000-07:00

zee would whip up the most creative meals for hafeez and me while we'd potato the couch and stay glued to the tv. once she made peanut butter gravy with carrot rice which we labeled 'the swamp thing' and ate heartily.

tonight i felt like: an ode to zee

macaroni with cheese was hardly the main course. i boiled and mashed yam with butter. grated beetroot with no seasoning at all and it's great that way. the tuna fish i mixed with mayo and finely chopped carrots and parsley. to fuel my need for the hot stuff i made salsa with exxxtra green chillies.

*sniffle*

Paani Paani re

2006-07-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

Living way from india – I crave for authentic indian food – since I am just an average cook – I have no other option but to opt for indian restaurants – lets say I am one of the lucky few – as Sydney has a few Chaat joints – but the only hitch is due to health and safety laws – one cannot dunk the puri into the pani –

And pani puri is not pani –puri if u have to pour the pani into the puri out of a paper glass – the paani then becomes paper flavoured

But then beggars cant be choosers can they - ??

say freeze

2006-07-02T05:47:00.000-07:00

patraani machi was on my mind when my friends organised a summer picnic in the park. the closest i got to collecting the required ingredients in helsinki food stores was frozen black pomfret and banana leaves. frozen since 2004. i felt like i was defrosting sid the sloth from ice age.

muffin flop

2006-07-02T05:31:00.000-07:00

blueberry muffins spread on the tray like wasted sluts. rise honeys rise! no they won't. so we ate them like the flat cookies they were.

pyttipannu

2006-07-02T05:10:00.000-07:00

pyttipannu is 'pan fried leftovers'. in finland, its diced potatoes and ham. usually served by carb heavy late night grilli kioskis to alcohol drenched guts. i tried the version served by trendy restaurant tori who features it in their summer menu with fried egg, gherkins and chopped parsley. a lot like the midnite hog mash we make at home when returning from a spin at spinn?

soaked gherkins

2006-07-02T05:02:00.000-07:00

russian sours in a local supermarket in st. petersburg. gherkins soaked in vinegar. reminds me of fat waif's dad's personal concoction of ginger, chilli and root veggies in vinegar.

squishy balls

2006-07-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

salmon roe, cucumber and 9% fat salmon spread on rye makes for an ocean fresh breakfast.

fried? no, baked.

2006-06-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

borrowed from their georgian neighbours, midnite snack at bar novus across the hermitage, is this bun in the oven with an indian sounding name - khachapuri. crusty with a breadlike texture, khachapuri comes with a thick slice of cow's milk cheese.

prunes n celery

2006-06-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

russian salad. far from the potato-carrot-pea in mayo goo we get back home - here is array of unexpected but pleasant pairings, albeit with the mayo. my favourite was prunes with celery. this pic mostly shows appetizers though.

blinis vs nizaam's rolls

2006-06-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

blinis would be a nearer cousin of nizaam's rolls (kolkotta) if they had some slices of lightly sauteed onions with a squeeze of fresh lime. and more liberal with the grease.

soviet rations

2006-06-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

lunch at an ex-soviet canteen for engineering students near peter and paul fortress, st, petersburg, russia. chicken potato stew with salad and brown bread. i remembered the masur daal khichdi splatted on my aluminium lunch bowl during school days when i was mistakenly enrolled into the free school section for children of poor families in the second grade. the brown liquid in the glass is dried plum in warm water. good for digestion.

creepy crawlies

2006-06-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

them be can of squids picked up from me mom's kitchen on recent trip home. mixed wid sliced mushrooms for quick meal.

From Russia with love

2006-05-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

I got a little taste of Russia without having to travel all the way there. Having returned from a recent trip, a friend gave me this slab of Russian sweetness.

Unlikely Ingredient

2006-05-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

PIC00070
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77

I love trying new dishes, and well Rachael Ray is the "go to" chef for "different".

We were invited to spend Memorial Day with some friends and I offered to bring dessert. So I tried out this recipe for "Chocolate Snackin' Cake" from the July Issue of Everyday With Rachael Ray. The secret ingredient that made this recipe special was MAYONNAISE. And, FYI if you want people to try this dessert, tell them about the Mayo after they've tried it. Really people, the mayo does add. Don't dish it till you try it :)

breaking the ice... with food and wine

2006-05-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

friday evening presented the perfect opportunity for my first meal dissection. warm familiar indian smells filled our apartment by the chilly thames, even leaking out into the corridor outside.
the menu: basmati and wild rice onion pulao, spicy yellow dal, cucumber raita made with hung curd, dwarf beans sabzi and chicken curry. the last one made by a visiting chef and guest for the evening. it's not as bad as it sounds - inviting people for dinner and then making them bring their ingredients and cook!
funny how the evening was the perfect blend of comfort food, home food, and then something new just to push the boundaries, however tamely. back home, there wouldn't have been any 'chicken curry' because my kitchen was always vegetarian. no black rice. and yes capsicum instead of 'red peppers'.
oh yeah and then there's the issue of the accompanying white wine. "what desis we are!" someone remarked! drinking white wine with well-loved turmeric, ginger, chilli infused desi food. i couldn't agree more.

kids, Dont try this at home

2006-05-05T01:39:00.000-07:00

i remembered eco meals from my trainee days in france. one time we'd 'borrowed' some aubergine and cheese bake from the student's mess. for carbs we'd boiled, drained some fusilli (it was inexpensive there) and... fried it with cumin powder, chilli powder and camembert cheese.
memories revived, i cooked up the same meal. this time at home. we started the evening with crunchy fish chips and jello shots for giggles.
photos courtesy Dee

2006-04-30T05:49:00.000-07:00

been away for a month. friends decided i needed a welcome back. fixed this surprise makkara-grilli, a typical Finnish outdoors pastime. the apple-cinnamon buns with fazer chocolate are catherine's idea of sinful dessert.

2006-04-30T05:44:00.000-07:00

a colleague flew in fresh to india from beijing carrying ingredients for whole meals because he was mislead into believing that he would have to cook his own food during the stay. good for us! heres a meal he dished up - rice pudding with chicken sausages. all readymade and dunked into boiling water. slurpy fast food.

2006-04-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

this little lambie bleated in the lush oases of the dubai desert before it was halalled, roasted whole and wrapped in paper thin crepes on a table fit for royalty. my fingers sunk in neat into its agreeing epidermis.

2006-04-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

kingfisher del-blr. swagatham appuswamy saar. hope you enjoyed your masala dosai, vadai sambaar and croysant saar.

2006-04-30T05:32:00.000-07:00

chai and 'barota' at a malayalee tea shop at the blue souk, dubai. wanted a taste of shopkeepers' working meal, was dissapointed with the lower kadak chai. even more when my teeth bit into of all things in an egg paratha roll - mayonnaise! whatever happened to good old greasy oil.

My first attempt at baking cupcakes

2006-03-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

PIC00001
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77

I'm thinking so much about food these days, that everything I have a hankering for I cook or bake immediately - or atleast I try to. Also, living in this country, a recipe that seems involved really doesn't have to be.
I found a pack of Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Mix in the cupboard, whipped it up with some eggs, oil, water, ground walnuts and chocolate chip morsels, and I had my batter all ready to go.

The cupcakes were moist and very delicious, but I can' t take all the credit. Way to go Duncan!

The two-minute noodle

2006-03-08T16:35:00.000-08:00

PIC00084
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

When i was a grad student almost 6 years ago in Manipal, it was tough to get a good hearty meal at the end of the day. We worked 7 days week, most often till 1am in the morning, when the computer lab shut for the night. The only place to get anything at all to eat at that time of the night, was the BQ (Bachelor's Quarters) Mess. My staple was Maggi noodles with a fried egg (sunny side up) and Maggi hot sauce drizzled along the side.
That's just what i had for lunch today, for ol' times sake.Only i subsituted the Maggi two-minute noodle for Top Ramen, and the Maggi hot sauce for Heinz Ketchup. I must say though, in the last 6 years, this BQ mess original, has become one of my favourite comfort foods.

Note: The BQ Mess was attached to the BQ hostel. However, it no longer housed bachelors, but bachelorrettes from the Medical and Communication colleges. The BQ was my home for the first year of grad school.

Beef & Scallion Stir Fry

2006-03-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

PIC00086
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

I'm beginning to like my new wok more and more with each passing day. Martha Stewart dot com provided tonight's dinner special - Beef & Scallion Stir Fry. This is a fairly simple recipe that includes hoison sauce,rice wine vinegar ( i used regular white vinegar), cornstarch, red pepper flakes, and garlic cloves. Served over some plain white rice, this makes a fairly simple, but delectable dish.

Mocha Crinkles

2006-03-07T01:09:00.000-08:00

PIC00085
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

It's a little past 1 am, and i'm still up baking Mocha Crinkles. It's a kind of cookie that gets all crinkly when you bake it, as you can see in the picture.

I made the dough a few hours ago and then realised, it had to be refrigerated for 4 hours, before it could be baked. So, i just stayed up and waited. They're all done now. Will wait a bit for it to cool before i put them away and hit the sack.

Oh and i got the recipe from The Cookie Bible. I actually bought the book for a friend and couldn't help but thumb through it. I found the Mocha Crinkle recipe and just had to try it. I hope she won't mind. I'm pretty sure she won't. She loves to bake as much as i do, and what's little recipe borrowing between friendly bakers? ;)

End Cuts

2006-03-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

PIC00083
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

End cuts are the end slices of ham & cheese blocks that you find in the deli section of the grocery store. They may not seem appealing, but they taste just fine, and more importantly are a lot cheaper and regular ham & cheese.
This was our Saturday late morning brunch treat. I made a creamy sauce, spread it over some brown bread, topped it with the ham, some spicy mustard, and cheese. Then baked it for a bit and it was scrum-delicious. Serve hot with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Breaking in the Wok

2006-03-03T21:40:00.000-08:00

PIC00080
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

I am so happy with my new Wok. To inaugurate and break it in, i cooked some fried rice and it turned out better than any other time i have tried to make this dish. I added in some sliced bacon and egg, and i loved it, loved it, LOVED IT.

To go with the fried rice, i baked (yes baked) some chilli chicken. It was simple, quick and YUMMY. This was a good night ladies and gentlemen, a very good night indeed.

2006-03-03T07:16:00.000-08:00

see the flower in the spread? is cloudberry preserve - lakka hillo.
the white stuff is fresh cheese - rae justo - translates to 'hailstone cheese'

2006-03-03T07:14:00.001-08:00

seven leaves, lemme see, they were

lettuce
mustard leaf
chinese cabbage
spinach
coriander
spring onion
and anonymous

2006-03-03T07:14:00.000-08:00

rubytuesday, i copied your goli biryani recipe to the inch, except added rots and shrooms.

Alphabet Macaroni

2006-02-23T17:54:00.000-08:00

PIC00074
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

I had some leftover spaghetti sauce, but no spaghetti. So, I yanked out my last box of mac & cheese (this pack had little macaroni alphabets) from the kitchen cupboard, and since my husband didn't want to take any for his lunch, i made it mine. You're never too old to have fun with your ALPHABETS :)

Meatloaf with a twist

2006-02-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

PIC00069
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

The Everyday Food recipe section on the Martha Stewart website, has some really cool recipes or in this case, a "hot" & spicy one. Southwestern Meatloaf Burgers - you have to try this one.
I served it with some sweet corn niblets roasted with scallions and butter, and Porino's Sliced Hot Cherry Peppers in oil & Garlic.

My kind of TV Show - anything that involves good food

2006-02-13T20:52:00.000-08:00

My inspiration for today's meal came from Martha stewart. I was watching her show on TV this morning and decided to check out her website. I found a recipe for chicken in mustard sauce and another one for Rosemary potatoes that i decided to try. These were nice recipes, light on the taste buds, but flavourful nonetheless. I served it with plain white rice (a staple in my household, since it's a must-have for my husband everyday).

Asian meatballs

2006-02-10T19:05:00.000-08:00

Well since i'm hooked to Rachael Ray at the moment, you're going to be hearing a lot about her. Today I tried her recipe for Asian meatballs with spicy lime dipping sauce.
I especially like what went into the ground meat, before they were cooked. In a food processor, dunk in scallions, ginger, green bell pepper, red chilli flakes, garlic, soy sauce, cilantro leaves and lime zest. Doesn't that just tickle your taste buds. When the mixture is ground to a paste, add the ground meat to it and mix it up. The meat is then roll into walnut sized balls and deep fried. I baked them since it's just healthier and less of a hassle.

My guinea pigs were my husband and our Thai friend Vasin, and they gave this recipe their stamp of approval, as did i.

30-minute meal queen

2006-02-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

Rachael Ray is the queen of quick meals and for Christmas last year, my husband presented me with a year's subscription to her magazine "Every Day with Rachael Ray". In the very first issue, i found two recipes, Chandran's Chicken curry and Zucchini and yellow squash with mustard seeds. It seemed like a good combination alogn with some plain white rice. The chicken curry has unsweetened coconut milk in it (something else that i like in my food). My mother always sends me tons of maggi coconut milk powder from India, so i was happy to try out this chicken curry recipe. Zucchini i discovered after coming to Worcester and my husband likes it too, so all in all it this meal turned out pretty darn good. Thanks Rachael, or should is say thanks to Maya Kaimal, the author of the above recipes.

Pumpkin Pie

2006-02-05T18:03:00.000-08:00

I never really had a hankering for Pumpkin Pie (i mean it hardly looks appetising in this picture), till I had tasted it at a Thanksgiving dinner last November. I found a fairly simple recipe on verybestbaking.com and decided to give it a whirl. Nice warm pumpkin pie topped with some whipped cream, will warm you up nice and good on a cold February day.

Note: I didn't make the crust from scratch though. I cheated on that one and bought one ready made from the store.

Squiggy Cake

2006-02-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

The squiggy chocolate log as it is formally known ( i know, i know - i'm in one of those moods today), is one of my favourites. I'm pretty sure this recipe came from somewhere...but for me that somewhere is my family. It is rich & creamy, and filled with two favourite ingredients dark chocolate and whipped cream. It's also pretty simple to bake. The mousse cake is flourless, and the recipe has some people baffled as to how you can bake a flourless cake. But it can be done i tell you. The mousse cake is light and fluffy and has to be that way, so can fold it easily. It is layered with the melted dark chocolate mixture and whipped cream and rolled to look like a log of wood. It's the yummiest log of chocolate i have ever tasted.

Something sweet, something spicy...

2006-02-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

PIC00027
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

All the way from Bangalore to ohio to my living roon in worcester. This mixture is amazing. The variety of flavours will knock your socks off. It has peanuts, dried coconut, raisans and all sorts of crunchy stuff. settle down with this scrumptious goody bag, a good book or a nice movie on a cold winter evening and you are good to go.Thank you Joe for generously giving me your stash of this crunchy delight!!:)

2006-02-01T04:25:00.000-08:00

what you see is half of the produce of a half night and a half days stovetop rave to recreate chinese new year table as experienced for every year of my multi-cultural life. mandarin fish, shitake with peas, wood ear with tofu, peanut noodles, ginger rice and tea eggs are what you see. the plate is ksenia's, russian classmate who arrived for lunch after a whole nights clubbing and tucked into the meal real good. not seen on ksenia's plate (but consumed in successive rounds) are pork with star anise, sweet corn soup with egg and mushroom and fresh orange juce. recipe for tea eggs: hard boil chicekn eggs with star anise for 15 minutes, remove eggs, crack shell lightly, place back in pan, add soya sauce and black tea leaf and boil for one hour. rescue eggs from dark mess, shell and serve hot or cold.

2006-02-01T04:14:00.000-08:00

michi and camilla brot over sweet gift sent by tomoko. pink and white semi-orbs signify two parts of one. sweets accompanied with a japanese poem about togetherness. horseshoes are lead to be melted for new year forecast (referred to as bleibgiesen in deutsch, dunno finnish) yas dis post made one whole month after new years.

Canned Concoctions

2006-01-31T19:32:00.000-08:00

PIC00024
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

The NDTV website came to my rescue againt today as well as a can of chickpeas. Add some potatoes to that and i've got a nice spicy side-dish. Here's to Chole Pindi.

Back to my roots...??

2006-01-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

PIC00022
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

The NDTV website has a recipe section and I often try out something. Today I found a recipe for Mangalorean chicken curry (Kori Gassi - Don't ask me what that means, i don't know). Anyway my mother used to cook something similar, so i tried it out and it turned out good, tasted nothing like what my mother ever made, but still good.
I also found a recipe for Tomato curry on the Kerala Curry website. I've tried this one before either and I must say I do like it. It's simple and quick. Although you might want to make it when to along with something dry rather than a another curry. I wasn't thinking, just eager to try two new recipes.

Something Greek

2006-01-26T22:22:00.000-08:00

PIC00010
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

There's a little Greek restaurant nearby that sells mostly pizzas, but you will also find traditional Greek fare like Baklava and Gyros.
Baklava is a dish made with thin layers of dough and chopped nuts. Believed to have been first made by Assyrians in the 8th Century, Baklava came to Athens with Greek seamen who had travelled East to Mesopotamia. Discovering the delightful taste of Baklava they brought it back with them to Athens.
I am still not ambitious enough to try making Baklava, but I gave the Gyros a shot.
Gyros is a Greek Pita sandwich with rotisseri meat, salads & sauces. The most common sauce being tzatziki sauce.
In Greece, the meat could either beef, pork, or chicken.

In the US it is often sliced lamb or minced beef. I used minced beef, baking two large patties and then slicing off bits for the sandwich.

The tzatziki sauce (sometimes also called a cucumber sauce), I made with yoghurt, olive oil, garlic, ground pepper, lemon juice and of course cucumbers.
The result was not bad at all. I really liked the subtle flavour of the meat. You can top of your sandwich with onions, tomatoes and even french fries. I just added tomatoes.

Goli Biryani

2006-01-22T21:34:00.000-08:00

PIC00007
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

When I was a kid, golis were little marbles that was used to collect and bargain, play for. Brings back great memories.
Goli Biryani, i suppose got it's name that way, minced meat is moulded into little marble sizes ( i made them a little bigger though). The recipes calls for frying them, but i baked them instead, then cooked them in some spices. Then it was layering with the goli preparation, rice, yoghurt mixed with a mint/coriander paste and saffron soaked in warm milk. I got atleast two layers of each.

I loved the final taste, and it was great fun to prepare.

Multipurpose Curry Paste

2006-01-20T19:37:00.000-08:00

PIC00003
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

For the lack of mutton in my freezer, I tried this paste on chicken instead. Not bad,but the chicken just didn't do it justice.

Some really nice Indian friends at school were going shopping at the local Indian grocery and offered to bring us back something. They brought back some very nice Kulcha Nan, that went well with our curry dish.

2006-01-20T02:06:00.000-08:00

would i have added chilli and haldi to zuchini in bangalore? nah. woulda sauted with herbs or baked with meat. not having much of a variety of vegetables to choose from in helsinki, i think of the zuchini as a parwal (pointed gourd) and make bhaaji out of it.

2006-01-20T02:03:00.000-08:00

mung sprouts - healthy option for the student budget. a 100 grams of dry mung beans will yield ... oh ... enough for many bowls of salad! like the dilli brothers say, 'cheap and best!'

2006-01-20T02:00:00.000-08:00

tiffin option for the busy student. rajma in daal or salad. soaked and boiled - keeps in fridge for a LONG time.

An extended Christmas

2006-01-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

PIC00026
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

Christmas goodies arrived from England today. Scottish shortbread biscuits...oh so buttery, mince pies...filled with spiced, wine-soaked fruits, and Thorntons chocolate truffles...the best i've ever tasted (apart from the truffles my mom makes of course).

Steak, rice, carrots & egg curry???

2006-01-18T20:42:00.000-08:00

PIC00034
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

That's an unusual combination of food I know. I had saved two pieces out of a gigantic fillet steak that my husband brought home one evening ( yes my husband does crazy things sometimes, and then grumbles when we don't stick to the budget). The rest of steak was chopped up and used for the meat & potatoes.
Anyway steak marinated and ready to go into the oven very soon, I wondered what we would eat it with and then quickly cooked up some ginger-garlic carrots.

Then since my husband eats rice with everything, I went ahead and cooked some fried rice.

Then worrying that he wouldn't have much to take to lunch the next day, i cooked some egg curry (again with a recipe from Kerala Curry, that website is really a goldmine for Kerala cuisine). So that's how that unusual combination worked out.

Chilli Chicken

2006-01-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

PIC00030
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

There are a whole lot of ways to cook Chilli Chicken and I've tried a few. In this version I marinated the chicken with an onion/green chilli/ginger/garlic paste. I left in the marinade for about half an hour. Although you can marinade the chicken for upto two hours. I then friend the chicken in some butter (substitute for ghee, I didn't have any). Come to think of it, I haven't had any ghee since i've been here. My mom makes homemade ghee back home in Bangalore.
While the chicken was frying, I made another paste of cinnamon, cloves, chilli powder, coriander powder and a pinch of tumeric. Add that into the chicken along with some tomato puree. I left the chicken in till the water dried up enough to leave a wee bit of gravy.

2006-01-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

puolakka (finnish elderberry) yoghurt with wheat husk for breakfast. burp!

2006-01-16T05:28:00.000-08:00

cow, soya, rice and now they're milking oats. the carton says to add it in soups, juices and bakes. i like it neat. got oats?

2006-01-16T05:24:00.000-08:00

in international setting, will acquire eclectic tongue. this is a quick snack of cinnamon bread with cognac flavoured mustard spread. washed down with genmaicha (tea with roasted rice).

2006-01-16T05:21:00.000-08:00

i've been grocery shopping increasingly at the ethnic food stores, going through a bout of homesickness. stir-fried sliced bamboo shoot and diced tofu in black bean sauce.

Veggies & Giblets

2006-01-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

PIC00028
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

When you're on a budget, you can make a good, tasty meal out of anything, even chicken giblets. Lucky for me there were more gizzards than anything else in this package (because that's what i like). The Kerala Curry website had a another great recipe for Potato Curry to which i added some carrots, peas and green beans like the recipe suggested. Add some staple white rice to that and we had ourselves a pretty full meal (for two days i might add).

Necessity is the mother of invention

2006-01-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

PIC00026
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

Ok maybe craving a taco doesn't necessarily constitute a need, but hey...I wanted one and we didn't have any taco shells. So I just tossed some left over Chilli into whatever i could find in the house - Bread. Some Chilli between a slice of bread, shredded cheese on the top, sour cream smeared on the sides, and you get a (bread) Taco.

Cincinnati Chilli

2006-01-12T20:05:00.000-08:00

PIC00020
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

Went all the way to Cincinnati, Ohio for Christmas, but didn't get to taste the regional speciality, Chilli. I did however bring back a packet of Cincinnati Chilli mix(apparently the original Recipe. I must admit it was different from the recipe i usually use for Chilli, but it wasn't bad at all. I threw in some Dark red kidney beans and spooned it over some spaghetti with shredded mozarella cheese on top and it was good to go.

Meat & Potato Curry

2006-01-09T20:31:00.000-08:00

PIC00017
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

Another recipe from Kerala Curry. This one turned out a lot better than the Naadan Chicken Roast.

http://indulekhacurry.blogspot.com/2005/12/meat-potato-curry.html

Thank you ladies

2006-01-07T22:15:00.000-08:00

PIC00015
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

Thanks to a recipe book called Catch the Spirit of Cooking compiled by the Koramangala Methodist Church women's society for Christian Service, I found a great recipe for Moussaka, the national dish of the Aegean Sea (Greece & Turkey).
I'v never tried this dish before, so it was a lot of fun.
It's quite a process, what with preparing the ground meat, frying slices of brinjal and cooking up a white sauce. For the white sauce of course i followed my own recipe. Now i know there are some people who are not fans of brijal, but give this one a try, it's not bad at all.

Naadan Chicken

2006-01-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

PIC00010
Originally uploaded by RubyTuesday77.

There's a website or rather blog with some pretty good recipes straight out of Kerala. Here's one I tried today called Naadan Chicken Roast. For complete recipe check out
http://indulekhacurry.blogspot.com/2005/12/naadan-chicken-roast.html

2006-01-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

one more for the suggestive food list.

2006-01-04T06:32:00.000-08:00

...except for this quick shot of the xmas spread, the fish course.
. salted fresh salmon,
. cold smoked salmon,
. herring pickled in vinegar, mustard, all spice, peppercorns
. red finnish caviar (vendace, whitefish or burbot roe)
. rosolli (salad with beetroot, onion, carrot potatoes, gherkin)

not in pic, the meat course
. rutabaga casserole (the house favorite)
. carrot casserole
. liver pate (untouched)
. passsenger 57
. 57's juices

recipes here: http://virtual.finland.fi/xmas/?p=4&sub=8

2006-01-04T06:19:00.000-08:00

...and then passenger 57, weighing an enormous 7 kilos, squealed throughout the night in the warm wood heated oven. the lil roasted piggy went down very well on a slice of cinnamon toast. zoned out by my satiatedness, i did not take anymore photos that weekend.

2006-01-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

spent xmas weekend at the family home of riia, my finnish classmate. the decadent winter feast started with ginger cookies rolled and cut from supermarket frozen dough. riia's mom then baked some 'pulla', finnish coffee bread lightly spiced with ground cardamom.