Last night, we hit Tost to hear Picoso - a high energy local band playing fun latin music that make your feet go *tap* *tap*! I was a little leery about being able to dance at Tost - such a small space and somehow never seemed conducive to shaking it. But this time was fun, the beats were great, crowd was totally into the music and it was one big party!
And it looks like they're @ Nectar in a couple of weeks.
*yay*! Seattle finally has a decent salsa music scene :)
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Chiso - so good!
We hit Chiso in Fremont last night for some yummy sushi. And some yummy cocktails -they have a great ginger-pear martini and a killer mojito. We also sampled some decent sake - the nigori is the first unfiltered sake I've ever had - it was milky and reminded us of ouzo (which made us go 'Opa!' as we drank it, much to the amusement of people around us :))
We started with a large order of edamame - it was a seriously large bowlful and took us some effort to finish it off :) *so* good!
Obviously, we had to eat the spicy tuna roll - very good. The tuna was super tender and very flavorful. The negihama (yellowtail and green onions) was great - a first for me, I really want to try the yellowtail nigiri now! The futo maki was delicious - the gourd was a lot tastier than I expected. Apparently, the maguro and spider rolls were pretty happy too.
I just checked out the menu and they seem to have a pretty large non-sushi menu too. Can't wait to head back!
We started with a large order of edamame - it was a seriously large bowlful and took us some effort to finish it off :) *so* good!
Obviously, we had to eat the spicy tuna roll - very good. The tuna was super tender and very flavorful. The negihama (yellowtail and green onions) was great - a first for me, I really want to try the yellowtail nigiri now! The futo maki was delicious - the gourd was a lot tastier than I expected. Apparently, the maguro and spider rolls were pretty happy too.
I just checked out the menu and they seem to have a pretty large non-sushi menu too. Can't wait to head back!
Friday, April 20, 2007
Keep those Bloody Marys comin'!
So, apparently fruity cocktails qualify as health food now. Guess I should start spiking my smoothies with a shot of rum to make sure I get *all* the goodness :)
Hmm ... maybe Happy Hour needs to become Healthy Hour?
Hmm ... maybe Happy Hour needs to become Healthy Hour?
Cute, cute Vodka!
I rediscovered this pic of Vodka - taken when he was 3-4 months old. *so* cute! :)
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Mega desi food night
So, apparently it was the day for many left knees to get injured. Vodka's in sick bay, his left knee is possibly sprained (I hope that's all it is and not a damaged ligament :( ). So, I made him a whole bunch of oatmeal apple cookies, he was quite happy!
My mum hurt her knee and is hobbling around! So, I did a desi food cookout for her, pretty fun!
Gobi & Broccoli Jalfrezi
====================
One of my fave desi cookbooks has an awesome recipe for Gobi Jalfrezi, I added some broccoli to this and it definitely enhanced the flavors. I pureed some roma tomatoes and garlic along with freshly ground spices (cloves, bay leaves, coriander, cinnamon, kalonji) - this made for a great gravy base. It tasted much, much better than using tomato paste and regular garam masala!
Baingan Bartha
==============
I love BB - one of the first edible dishes I cooked when I came to the U.S. (lifted off the amazing S.O.A.R. - desis often called it Bangin' Bart!) So, I made this a little differently - I used a giant eggplant as well as yellow squashes -cut them in halves lengthwise and broiled them for about 20 minutes. The sauce was minced red onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies and coconut (that was a definite twist, BB never has coconut). It turned out decent, the only thing that went wrong is that I didn't peel the eggplant and the peel was somewhat bitter. So, I had to enhance the flavors with a sweet'n'sour mix (a spoon of brown sugar + white vinegar + lemon juice). It did the trick, but next time, I'll remove the peel :)
Dal
====
Nothing like good ole tuvar dal cooked up with sauteed bell peppers and onions. Perfect comfort food.
Rice Pilaf
=========
I cooked up this wild rice mix from PCC - it took forever to cook, but tasted yummy - some bits were juicy and chewy, others were soft, we loved it! Amma had the great idea of seasoning it with some roasted cumin, mustard, julienned ginger and red chillies. We threw in a ton of chopped cilantro and it tasted great!
*burp* :)
My mum hurt her knee and is hobbling around! So, I did a desi food cookout for her, pretty fun!
Gobi & Broccoli Jalfrezi
====================
One of my fave desi cookbooks has an awesome recipe for Gobi Jalfrezi, I added some broccoli to this and it definitely enhanced the flavors. I pureed some roma tomatoes and garlic along with freshly ground spices (cloves, bay leaves, coriander, cinnamon, kalonji) - this made for a great gravy base. It tasted much, much better than using tomato paste and regular garam masala!
Baingan Bartha
==============
I love BB - one of the first edible dishes I cooked when I came to the U.S. (lifted off the amazing S.O.A.R. - desis often called it Bangin' Bart!) So, I made this a little differently - I used a giant eggplant as well as yellow squashes -cut them in halves lengthwise and broiled them for about 20 minutes. The sauce was minced red onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies and coconut (that was a definite twist, BB never has coconut). It turned out decent, the only thing that went wrong is that I didn't peel the eggplant and the peel was somewhat bitter. So, I had to enhance the flavors with a sweet'n'sour mix (a spoon of brown sugar + white vinegar + lemon juice). It did the trick, but next time, I'll remove the peel :)
Dal
====
Nothing like good ole tuvar dal cooked up with sauteed bell peppers and onions. Perfect comfort food.
Rice Pilaf
=========
I cooked up this wild rice mix from PCC - it took forever to cook, but tasted yummy - some bits were juicy and chewy, others were soft, we loved it! Amma had the great idea of seasoning it with some roasted cumin, mustard, julienned ginger and red chillies. We threw in a ton of chopped cilantro and it tasted great!
*burp* :)
Yummy local produce
Over the weekend, we hit a farmers' market for the first time this season - the Ballard market (open year around) is awesome - we picked up crisp asparagus, carrots and this amazingly creamy jalapeno-habanero cheese from there.
So, this has gotten us thinking about possibly getting local produce delivered regularly. I was reading about community-supported agriculture (CSA) which lets us pay upfront for a regular delivery of in-season fruits/veggies/meats - I like the surprise factor here, seems like a great way to experiment with produce that we often overlook when we hit the market (Not sure if Pupp would agree with this :)) Except, according to this harvest schedule, we'll have to eat potatoes and potatoes alone all through April. :) Maybe we'll try it out anyway, April could just be our carbo-load month!
We're considering getting the Pioneer Organics delivery, but I'm also tempted to just stick with regular visits to the farmers markets - there is something incredibly satisfying about feeling, smelling and choosing the produce.
So, this has gotten us thinking about possibly getting local produce delivered regularly. I was reading about community-supported agriculture (CSA) which lets us pay upfront for a regular delivery of in-season fruits/veggies/meats - I like the surprise factor here, seems like a great way to experiment with produce that we often overlook when we hit the market (Not sure if Pupp would agree with this :)) Except, according to this harvest schedule, we'll have to eat potatoes and potatoes alone all through April. :) Maybe we'll try it out anyway, April could just be our carbo-load month!
We're considering getting the Pioneer Organics delivery, but I'm also tempted to just stick with regular visits to the farmers markets - there is something incredibly satisfying about feeling, smelling and choosing the produce.
First visit to Safeco in 2007
Felix was pitching. And Don is visiting. *so* exciting. We headed off to Safeco last night to watch our King perform against the Twins. I had all these visions in my head of another shutout. I had finally got around to watching Felix's last game - the first b'ball game I've watched in a looong time) and he is quite astounding! We had fabulous seats (139, row 14!!), it was a great night, there were really entertaining people sitting around us (especially Robert next to me who had an opinion about everything under the sun!) and King Felix was on the mound!
*so* much of fun. Hmm ... maybe? Ball, ball, maybe a strike, many more balls. Hmm ... what happened to our phenom?!! And soon, after 24 pitches, still well in the first inning, the King walked off his throne :( "Tightness in the elbow"!!! No! That was the end of Felix for the night :( The game eventually got much better, the Ms really fought it out, we almost tied the game, and we had a blast!
Yay for baseball!
*so* much of fun. Hmm ... maybe? Ball, ball, maybe a strike, many more balls. Hmm ... what happened to our phenom?!! And soon, after 24 pitches, still well in the first inning, the King walked off his throne :( "Tightness in the elbow"!!! No! That was the end of Felix for the night :( The game eventually got much better, the Ms really fought it out, we almost tied the game, and we had a blast!
Yay for baseball!
Mmm ... black cod :)
I *do* like fish (I *do* feel bad eating it, but obviously not enough to not be eating it :) ).
So, we went on this major cooking mission for our friends who came over to see Monty on tuesday. It was actually the first time that we cooked black cod, took a lot longer to prepare and assemble (we were doing it for 9 people!).
I often have this image (replete with sights, sounds and smells :)) in my head of how I envision a recipe to turn out, so it is obviously a good thing when I recognize the flavors and texture I expected. But it gets even better when I notice unexpected flavors that I like. So, that was the story with Mr.Black Cod (atleast for me) - the lemon-caper sauce worked really well with the delicate fish and dill added the right amount of flavor (I think a stronger herb like oregano or thyme would have made Mr.Cod unhappy). But the surprise flavor here seemed to be the mustard - I liked the earthy smell that freshly crushed brown mustard added to the fish (very different from adding yellow mustard powder) - I would go with an even stronger mustard flavor next time - maybe a rubbing of coarsely crushed mustard and peppercorns?
The other lesson for next time - we could have easily cut the baketime by 10 minutes. Cod seems even more delicate than rockfish, it definitely does not need an hour in the oven!
The puy lentil salad was decent - not as amazing as I'd have liked it to be, mostly because I cooked the lentils perfectly, but forgot to rinse them out and add a little oil, so they got all sticky. And I made too much of it, so it got really hard to toss the lentils with the tomatoes and pineapple. And it did not help that all these monkeys ate up the pineapple! *unbelievable* :)
And my poor shallots could not lend flavor because of the lentil overdose. *sigh*
The asparagus was happy. (Special order for the Abster - our resident almost-vegetarian who loves the bacon and hates half the veggies in the world!)
Fun times. Especially with Montster around :)
So, we went on this major cooking mission for our friends who came over to see Monty on tuesday. It was actually the first time that we cooked black cod, took a lot longer to prepare and assemble (we were doing it for 9 people!).
I often have this image (replete with sights, sounds and smells :)) in my head of how I envision a recipe to turn out, so it is obviously a good thing when I recognize the flavors and texture I expected. But it gets even better when I notice unexpected flavors that I like. So, that was the story with Mr.Black Cod (atleast for me) - the lemon-caper sauce worked really well with the delicate fish and dill added the right amount of flavor (I think a stronger herb like oregano or thyme would have made Mr.Cod unhappy). But the surprise flavor here seemed to be the mustard - I liked the earthy smell that freshly crushed brown mustard added to the fish (very different from adding yellow mustard powder) - I would go with an even stronger mustard flavor next time - maybe a rubbing of coarsely crushed mustard and peppercorns?
The other lesson for next time - we could have easily cut the baketime by 10 minutes. Cod seems even more delicate than rockfish, it definitely does not need an hour in the oven!
The puy lentil salad was decent - not as amazing as I'd have liked it to be, mostly because I cooked the lentils perfectly, but forgot to rinse them out and add a little oil, so they got all sticky. And I made too much of it, so it got really hard to toss the lentils with the tomatoes and pineapple. And it did not help that all these monkeys ate up the pineapple! *unbelievable* :)
And my poor shallots could not lend flavor because of the lentil overdose. *sigh*
The asparagus was happy. (Special order for the Abster - our resident almost-vegetarian who loves the bacon and hates half the veggies in the world!)
Fun times. Especially with Montster around :)
Monday, April 16, 2007
Yay for Yoga!
After much procrastination, I restarted yoga last week. And it was blissful! The class I attended was definitely not traditional or hot yoga, but more a core yoga class that focused on developing the energy that we draw from our core. Sounds esoteric, eh? Well, it was pretty good. But not intense enough for me. Plus, the class was only an hour long.
After doing much hatha yoga growing up, I always thought I would find Bikram yoga too faddish. But I was hooked from the day I started it. I find the repetitive aspect (every class consists of 26 asanas plus 2 breathing exercises) of hot yoga incredibly soothing. Hatha yoga is still my fave, but I've found that a combination of both works wonders.
BTW, this pic (from wikipedia) cracks me up. I cannot conceive of a woman wearing a leotard and doing yoga outside a temple in India! :)
After doing much hatha yoga growing up, I always thought I would find Bikram yoga too faddish. But I was hooked from the day I started it. I find the repetitive aspect (every class consists of 26 asanas plus 2 breathing exercises) of hot yoga incredibly soothing. Hatha yoga is still my fave, but I've found that a combination of both works wonders.
BTW, this pic (from wikipedia) cracks me up. I cannot conceive of a woman wearing a leotard and doing yoga outside a temple in India! :)
Chole makes life *so* much bettah!
Tonight, I ate what seemed like the *best* chole I've had in a loooonnngg time! *so* good! The red onions, ginger and garlic worked wonders with the garbanzo beans. Seriously, Trader Joe's has the best canned garbanzo on this planet (the organic ones taste *much* better than the regular). I added an extra dash of fennel like my mom always does, and it seemed to kick up the flavors quite a bit. Instead of making chapathis, I just ate this with TJ's flatbread. Food always tastes so much better after running!
Aww ... now I'm all nostalgic for that fabulous bombay street food. *sigh*
Aww ... now I'm all nostalgic for that fabulous bombay street food. *sigh*
Those damn Aussies
Unbelievable! Truly unbelievable! The Aussies are on a 20-match winning streak in the World Cup. *grr*.
I was really hoping that SL would beat them today, in spite of their skeleton team. Apparently not. The aussies are almost invincible. SL really really needed the mojo of Muttiah and Malinga today. And they needed a better score to defend that 226 - that is a totally defendable score against most teams, but not AUS who ended up with a 7 wicket victory. Wow.
Some folks think that SL played its cards well by resting players and masking their strategy. *so* exciting! Can't wait for the semi finals now :)
I was really hoping that SL would beat them today, in spite of their skeleton team. Apparently not. The aussies are almost invincible. SL really really needed the mojo of Muttiah and Malinga today. And they needed a better score to defend that 226 - that is a totally defendable score against most teams, but not AUS who ended up with a 7 wicket victory. Wow.
Some folks think that SL played its cards well by resting players and masking their strategy. *so* exciting! Can't wait for the semi finals now :)
Sunday, April 15, 2007
5 Spot disappoints!
So, we hit our familiar haunt for a late dindin on friday. I was starving (like always!) and the Tacos special looked really appetizing. Maybe I was sold on the grandeur of the name 'Rio Bravo Del Norte Tacos' - any food from the northern brave river ought to taste yummy, right? :)
Well ... no. It was mediocre. And I was disappointed. The guajillo salsa on the tacos was heavy and overwhelming, the rice'n'bean cakes were too dry. I couldn't really taste the flavors of the red chard :(. The jicama salsa however was a hit, crunchy and flavorful. Pupp seemed to like the potato soup ok (but isn't it quite hard to go wrong with tater soup?).
Oh well!
Well ... no. It was mediocre. And I was disappointed. The guajillo salsa on the tacos was heavy and overwhelming, the rice'n'bean cakes were too dry. I couldn't really taste the flavors of the red chard :(. The jicama salsa however was a hit, crunchy and flavorful. Pupp seemed to like the potato soup ok (but isn't it quite hard to go wrong with tater soup?).
Oh well!
Olive dosas?!! Woo Hoo!
So, I felt like dosas for dindin, but wanted something different. So, I decided to season the dosas with an olive tapenade. I had to use makings from my fridge, so this is what went into my tapenade:
* A handful of finely chopped green olives
* 1/2 chopped tomato
* 8-10 chopped capers
* A lil vinegar
* One chopped pickled jalapeno
* A dash of olive oil (first press)
* salt'n'freshly ground peppa
I loved the slightly pungent flavor that the olives lent to the dosas! I made this chutney to go with the dosas:
* Roast a handful of peanuts with 2-3 red chillies and a couple of diced up carrots. Grind these up with some cilantro. Add 1-2 T lemon juice to this chutney. *yum*! A variation on the peanut chutney that Kimo used to make for me as a kid.
* A handful of finely chopped green olives
* 1/2 chopped tomato
* 8-10 chopped capers
* A lil vinegar
* One chopped pickled jalapeno
* A dash of olive oil (first press)
* salt'n'freshly ground peppa
I loved the slightly pungent flavor that the olives lent to the dosas! I made this chutney to go with the dosas:
* Roast a handful of peanuts with 2-3 red chillies and a couple of diced up carrots. Grind these up with some cilantro. Add 1-2 T lemon juice to this chutney. *yum*! A variation on the peanut chutney that Kimo used to make for me as a kid.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Those fabulous Sri Lankans!
A 6-wicket win! Weeee!
I'm hoping most folks got to watch SL's match against New Zealand yesterday. Muttiah and Vaas held the kiwis at bay and restricted their total to a modest 219 for 7. Pretty awesome given that SL was playing without Malinga! Styris was the lone fighter for NZ who scored 111*. And it just took some steady batting from the Lankans (Jayasuriya - 64, Sangakkara - 69*) to finish with 222-4.
Seriously, SL is the most entertaining team in the World Cup so far. They have high-energy fans, incredibly talented players, a WC title in their pocket, almost retired players who are still so incredibly passionate about the sport and they come from a beautiful, but highly troubled country that has had limited resources to spare for developing the sport. Mukul Kesavan says it all in his blog here.
Go Lankans!
I'm hoping most folks got to watch SL's match against New Zealand yesterday. Muttiah and Vaas held the kiwis at bay and restricted their total to a modest 219 for 7. Pretty awesome given that SL was playing without Malinga! Styris was the lone fighter for NZ who scored 111*. And it just took some steady batting from the Lankans (Jayasuriya - 64, Sangakkara - 69*) to finish with 222-4.
Seriously, SL is the most entertaining team in the World Cup so far. They have high-energy fans, incredibly talented players, a WC title in their pocket, almost retired players who are still so incredibly passionate about the sport and they come from a beautiful, but highly troubled country that has had limited resources to spare for developing the sport. Mukul Kesavan says it all in his blog here.
Go Lankans!
Aparna Sen excels again
Last night, I watched Mr. & Mrs.Iyer - probably one of the best indian movies I've watched recently. Aparna's last creation was Paromitar Ek Din - a great movie focusing on the relationship between a mother and her ex-daughter in law. And her latest does not disappoint. With a fabulous score by Zakir Hussain, the film is incredibly poignant and moving. Konkona SenSharma (as Mrs. Iyer) is amazing - her eyes speak a thousand words as her conservative sensitivities are confused by the communal conflict around her. Rahul Bose plays the charming wildlife photographer Raja who Meenakshi is drawn to in a time of need. The movie subtly exposes Meenakshi's social and emotional awakening as she and Raja try to escape the communal violence.
This masterful movie reminds me of another of my favorites - Before Sunset.
This masterful movie reminds me of another of my favorites - Before Sunset.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Mexican Minestrone - *yum*
Last night, we were ready for a *hot* sopa from the famous Great Bowls of Fire. Of course, we skipped the parsley in favor of loads of cilantro, and replacing the oregano with a dash of coriander seemed like the right thing to do.
*so* good!
Thanks Pupp! Thanks, GBF!
And our next Jay Solomon book is on its way.
*so* good!
Thanks Pupp! Thanks, GBF!
And our next Jay Solomon book is on its way.
Heroes! Heroes!
We've watched 10 episodes of the show so far and it totally rocks! I can't wait to watch more of it, especially of Hiro - got to love his teleporting :) Heroes seems like a much more human version of X-Men (*love* it!). It does have its moments of lassitude, but for the most part it seems really gripping. Niki's story seems the least interesting so far, and it is definitely not helped by the precocious kid of hers who has all the makings of a super superhero! *grr* :)
The diversity of the heroes and they way they seem to discover their talents (of sorts!) is really quirky - a definite plus for the show. A couple of episodes ago, it seemed like there was too much of character hopping, we were getting these fleeting glimpses of happenings across several heroes' lives - and it felt way too frantic. But the show seems to have settled down more now, with the story of Claire ostensibly holding a key to the unravelling story. And we're heading into Sylar's story too - *so* gripping!
I'm really dreading the end of the season and having to wait forever before the next season kicks in - this is why I hate watching current TV shows!
The diversity of the heroes and they way they seem to discover their talents (of sorts!) is really quirky - a definite plus for the show. A couple of episodes ago, it seemed like there was too much of character hopping, we were getting these fleeting glimpses of happenings across several heroes' lives - and it felt way too frantic. But the show seems to have settled down more now, with the story of Claire ostensibly holding a key to the unravelling story. And we're heading into Sylar's story too - *so* gripping!
I'm really dreading the end of the season and having to wait forever before the next season kicks in - this is why I hate watching current TV shows!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
I love cabbage!
Seriously, cabbage rocks. And I have such great memories of it from growing up - cabbage curry, cabbage koottu, cabbage usili *yum*! And tonight, I was craving cabbage cooked indian style. So, I chopped it up (I *love* cutting cabbage) and made a curry with a seasoning of black mustard, urad dal, fresh ground red chillies and sea salt. I finally garnished it with lightly roasted coconut flakes and cilantro.
Brassica makes me very happy :)
Can't wait to try out this hungarian cabbage soup recipe that I found over the weekend. Obviously, I'll use veggie stock. Also, I'll probably use a red wine reduction or simmer the cabbage in red wine vinegar.
Brassica makes me very happy :)
Can't wait to try out this hungarian cabbage soup recipe that I found over the weekend. Obviously, I'll use veggie stock. Also, I'll probably use a red wine reduction or simmer the cabbage in red wine vinegar.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu
I watched Kamal's latest movie last week after hearing pretty much everyone rave about how great it was. And I liked it. Not one of his best movies (think Nayagan, Thevar Magan, Moondraam Pirai, I could go on!) , but it definitely was not bad. He went a little overboard with the gore, and there were one too many cliched dialogues, but overall, I thought it was pretty well done. I'm sure many non-desis will be quite amused that an ostensibly serious film about serial killers is a "musical". Branding any desi movie with songs (which is pretty much every desi movie :)) a musical sounds so odd to me, songs and dance are such an integral aspect of the desi film scene!
Anyway, VV was quite alright - a pleasant surprise after the mediocre trailers! Jyothika was cute but deserved a much stronger role, too bad she isn't acting anymore. And it was a pity that Prakash Raj had an almost cameo role in the movie.
Anyway, VV was quite alright - a pleasant surprise after the mediocre trailers! Jyothika was cute but deserved a much stronger role, too bad she isn't acting anymore. And it was a pity that Prakash Raj had an almost cameo role in the movie.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Monty is home!
We picked up "Montster" a.k.a. Monty from PAWS Cat City earlier today. He's had an eventful last couple of days - he came in as a stray to PAWS a couple of days ago, and was neutered and brought to Cat City just this morning. He's a 2 year old flame point siamese, cute as a button! Guess he was on the street for a bit, he's got several battle scars - a cut in his ear, scratches on his nose and tail, but he's none the worse for the wear and seems incredibly mellow and friendly. Annie's welcomed him with a hiss and a spit, but they seem to be getting used to each other.
*yay*! Pupp has a new kitty pal!
Our first pic of Monty (sitting in his box on the way home from Cat City)
*yay*! Pupp has a new kitty pal!
Our first pic of Monty (sitting in his box on the way home from Cat City)
Pad Ke Mao ... with a twist :)
Ok, so I was craving for my favorite drunken noodles today. So, off I went to PCC to get the makings. But PCC let me down, they had no wide rice noodles. And they do not carry veggie fish sauce either (and no, I have *no* idea how a non-fish fish sauce is made :)). Very disappointing. Oh well, time to improvise. I decided to go ahead with wide egg noodles instead. And I used a red curry paste (*so* spicy!) in combination with soy sauce, vinegar and sweet'n'sour sauce, finally topping it off with some sriracha. Not authentic, nevertheless quite tasty!
Some essentials (however much I want to improvise):
* lime leaves are critical for the flavor
* Canola, peanut or sesame oils seem to work well with thai recipes, but none of the others quite cut it (olive is too weirdly flavorful, safflower is too flat, coconut is too overwhelming)
* Sweet basil adds the punch for Pad Ke Mao, can't quite do without it
* Egg noodles were ok this time around, but I'll never want to substitute my favorite sen yai with anything else again!
*yay*! Another culinary adventure :)
Some essentials (however much I want to improvise):
* lime leaves are critical for the flavor
* Canola, peanut or sesame oils seem to work well with thai recipes, but none of the others quite cut it (olive is too weirdly flavorful, safflower is too flat, coconut is too overwhelming)
* Sweet basil adds the punch for Pad Ke Mao, can't quite do without it
* Egg noodles were ok this time around, but I'll never want to substitute my favorite sen yai with anything else again!
*yay*! Another culinary adventure :)
Aussies - unbeaten!
Earlier today, Australia won (yet another) match in the Super 8 series - this time against England. Honestly, we thought it was going to be a much closer match. But the damn Aussies seem invincible! Ponting scored a solid 86 and Clarke stuck it out with 55*. I expected McGrath to be more of a force against England, but it was Shaun Tait whose mojo brought England down. Ponting's strategy was a stroke of genius - he delayed the final power play to the 27th over and soon the wickets came tumbling down!
Too bad that Pietersen's 104 didn't cut it for England. And I was a little disappointed that it was Roy who scored the 4 that clinched the match (typical flamboyance :) ) and not Clarke who was the steady bat all the way through.
P.S.: I have to agree with Bobbie: "Roy *so* looked like he had a hangover!" :)
Too bad that Pietersen's 104 didn't cut it for England. And I was a little disappointed that it was Roy who scored the 4 that clinched the match (typical flamboyance :) ) and not Clarke who was the steady bat all the way through.
P.S.: I have to agree with Bobbie: "Roy *so* looked like he had a hangover!" :)
Friday, April 6, 2007
Mmm ... sambar!
Last night, Em got her first taste of sambar (of sorts). We were originally going to bake black cod in a garlic caper sauce, but by the time we got to Madison Market their seafood section was closed! *grr* So, we settled for comfort food (MY comfort food!): potato curry, sambar and rice. I had to improvise on the sambar since MM does not seem to carry tuvar dal, so we had to make do with channa dal and masoor dal instead. It wasn't bad at all, just took much longer to cook. Instead of the traditional vengaya sambar, we settled for onion+carrots instead. I could totally taste the shortcuts in our cooking (tamcon instead of the real soaked tamarind water and the lack of fresh ground sambar podi) but it turned out quite yummy. Can't wait to make my original sambar soon :)
We diced up some potatoes and sauteed them with a light dressing of olive oil, mustard, cumin, turmeric, cayenne and sea salt. The curry was happy, very happy.
*burp*
We diced up some potatoes and sauteed them with a light dressing of olive oil, mustard, cumin, turmeric, cayenne and sea salt. The curry was happy, very happy.
*burp*
Go Sri Lanka!
Caveat Emptor: This is a rant/post by a rabid cricket fan :)
So, I've been meaning to write about the Cricket World Cup and the debacle of sorts that it has been on several fronts:
India crashed out in the first round. The 1983 champions (That final is still one of my favorite matches!), the 2003 finalists could not quite make it to the second round! They lost their opening match to Sri Lanka, an extremely talented and passionate team, but a team they had beated in an ODI series just a month ago! Then they proceeded to win their only match against Bermuda - a first time qualifier in the ICC World Cup. The third match was a debacle - we lost to Bangadesh! A team comprising of some of the greatest cricketeers ever lost their crunch match to a handful of newbies - talented and inspired, but rookies nevertheless. I (and over 1 billion fellow Indians) watched in horror as our World Cup dreams were dashed. I've been talking about the World Cup for over a year now, even considering going to the caribbean to watch a game or 2. Guess I'm glad I wasn't there to watch this disaster.
And then there is the whole Bob Woolmer story. Considered one of the most talented coaches ever, he was murdered in Jamaica right after the Pakistani team (1992 champions) ignominiously crashed out of the tournament. There were rumors of cancelling the World Cup, the Pakistani team was held back for investigations for a couple of days, conspiracies theories seemed to fly out of everywhere, but the investigation is still ongoing.
It seemed too painful to write about cricket all along, but I finally have a new team to champion - Sri Lanka! The team that was (for too long) treated as the poor stepchild from the indian subcontinent has been playing some beautiful cricket. Though they lost the match against South Africa, it was a thriller to the end. Malinga's fabulous bowling almost won the match for them, even after the Sri Lankan batting lineup failed to impress! But the last match against England ... o.m.g. It was fabulous! A real nailbiter to the end. And Fernando bowling out Bopara was the perfect end to the match. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
P.S.: Malinga's hair *rocks*!
So, I've been meaning to write about the Cricket World Cup and the debacle of sorts that it has been on several fronts:
India crashed out in the first round. The 1983 champions (That final is still one of my favorite matches!), the 2003 finalists could not quite make it to the second round! They lost their opening match to Sri Lanka, an extremely talented and passionate team, but a team they had beated in an ODI series just a month ago! Then they proceeded to win their only match against Bermuda - a first time qualifier in the ICC World Cup. The third match was a debacle - we lost to Bangadesh! A team comprising of some of the greatest cricketeers ever lost their crunch match to a handful of newbies - talented and inspired, but rookies nevertheless. I (and over 1 billion fellow Indians) watched in horror as our World Cup dreams were dashed. I've been talking about the World Cup for over a year now, even considering going to the caribbean to watch a game or 2. Guess I'm glad I wasn't there to watch this disaster.
And then there is the whole Bob Woolmer story. Considered one of the most talented coaches ever, he was murdered in Jamaica right after the Pakistani team (1992 champions) ignominiously crashed out of the tournament. There were rumors of cancelling the World Cup, the Pakistani team was held back for investigations for a couple of days, conspiracies theories seemed to fly out of everywhere, but the investigation is still ongoing.
It seemed too painful to write about cricket all along, but I finally have a new team to champion - Sri Lanka! The team that was (for too long) treated as the poor stepchild from the indian subcontinent has been playing some beautiful cricket. Though they lost the match against South Africa, it was a thriller to the end. Malinga's fabulous bowling almost won the match for them, even after the Sri Lankan batting lineup failed to impress! But the last match against England ... o.m.g. It was fabulous! A real nailbiter to the end. And Fernando bowling out Bopara was the perfect end to the match. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
P.S.: Malinga's hair *rocks*!
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Sitka and Spruce - *drool*
We hit Sitka & Spruce for their community dinner this last sunday. It was *divine*, truly divine. Foodie that I am, I still find it really hard to rank meals (I often revel too much in the moment of an amazing meal), but this meal has got to have been in my top 10 fabulous meals. *ever*
We started off with this plate of cheese and carpacchio, I got anchovies instead - no one told me that anchovies rocked! :)
The next course was ... a celeriac salad! No! I abhor celery (it should be banished from the face of this planet. Really.) But celeriac is celery root, not celery. And apparently, the plant below the soil surface is a lot more appetizing than the part above! The celeriac was sliced thin with tuna - quite yummy.
Then I had a plate of absolutely divine gnocchi with homemade ricotta, while others dined on some liver and beans (they left the liver for Matt's dog!) and apparently to-die-for ravioli with beef, etc.
The turnips and beets that came along were yummy, we ended up sharing it with the folks sitting next to us (Yay for community dining).
And then ... (drumroll please!) - came the most amazing piece of peppered halibut ever cooked. It was *yummy*!
We finished off with this lemon icecream drizzled with a fabulous chocolate sauce. Perfect, perfect end to our meal.
Yes, I *love* food!
Read this earlier today - *yay* for Matt and S&S!
We started off with this plate of cheese and carpacchio, I got anchovies instead - no one told me that anchovies rocked! :)
The next course was ... a celeriac salad! No! I abhor celery (it should be banished from the face of this planet. Really.) But celeriac is celery root, not celery. And apparently, the plant below the soil surface is a lot more appetizing than the part above! The celeriac was sliced thin with tuna - quite yummy.
Then I had a plate of absolutely divine gnocchi with homemade ricotta, while others dined on some liver and beans (they left the liver for Matt's dog!) and apparently to-die-for ravioli with beef, etc.
The turnips and beets that came along were yummy, we ended up sharing it with the folks sitting next to us (Yay for community dining).
And then ... (drumroll please!) - came the most amazing piece of peppered halibut ever cooked. It was *yummy*!
We finished off with this lemon icecream drizzled with a fabulous chocolate sauce. Perfect, perfect end to our meal.
Yes, I *love* food!
Read this earlier today - *yay* for Matt and S&S!
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