Maalpua!!

Easy recipe + simple everyday ingredients + desperate craving is what pushed me to making this.

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup maida
1 cup khoya
5-6 tbsp desi ghee (for frying the maalpuas)
warm water (to make the batter)

Make a thick sugar syrup by boiling the sugar in little water. keep stirring continuously and keep aside.

Add water to the maida and make a thick batter. Grate / powder the khoya and mix well with warm water to make a slightly thin batter. Mix both the batters and keep aside for about 15 minutes.

Heat the ghee in a deep vessel on low flame. Put scoops of batter in the ghee and fry till they turn golden brown on both sides.

Remove the golden maalpuas and strain the excess oil. Put them into the sugar syrup.

Place them on a plate and garnish with pistachios, almond and saffron. Serve hot!

Credits: Chef Marut Sikka for the simple recipe.
http://cooks.ndtv.com/listrecipesbyanc.asp?chef=Marut%20Sikka&pg=recipes

Chat Evening!

Bored of the regular fare of rice, rasam, rotis and subzi, Mom and I decided to cook up something different for dinner. And since all of us were craving for some street-style chats, chat it had to be! On the menu was Papdi chat and Pani puri.

We bought some puris for the pani puri, and papdis, thin (nylon) sev, chat masala and kala namak (black salt) from the local farsan store. Maa always has a stock of frozen green chutney and the marwadi sweet chutney which just has to be thawed and sufficient amount of water added.

Recipes for both the chutneys in my next post. Some pics for now :)

Boiled moong sprouts to make the snack healthier. This along with boiled potatoes 

(mixed with salt and chat masala was the filling for the pani puri and topping for the papdi chat)

Green chutney mixed with water and kala namak for the 'pani'

Papdi's neatly laid out on a plate with the boiled alu topping 

Now add the moong sprouts, finely chopped raw onions and a dash of green chutney 

Topping it with just a bit of meetha chutney

And finally the Sev!

The chat stall is all ready and loooksss soooo welcoming!

Kadhi (the kinds you eat with Dal khichadi)

This was for lunch yesterday..to satisfy one of my random cravings. And it got done in 5 minutes..not exaggerating.

Ingredients (for 2 people):
- Besan 2 tbsp
- curd or buttermilk 1 cup
- water 2 cups
- ginger & green chilli paste
- Dhania-jeera powder 1 tsp
- Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp
- salt and sugar to taste
- Oil, mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves for seasoning

Mix the besan and curd together and ensure there are no knots. Add the water and mix well. Heat oil in a pan and prepare the seasoning. Add the ginger and green chilli paste and sauté for a minute. Add the besan+curd+water mixutre to it. Then add the DJ and RC powder, salt and sugar. Keep stirring. Switch off after 2 boils and serve steaming hot.

Bhakarwadi

One of my favourite snacks...typically Maharashtrian and a great blend of flavours.

Some random cookery show on a Kannada channel showed the recipe last afternoon. The list of ingredients that goes into the stuffing is endless! And by the time I could make note, they moved on to a new recipe :(

So much for being ambitious and wanted to try making the wadis at home. Am going to stick to the expert-made ones available in Prashant.

Layered Krackjack Pudding

I remember first eating this when i was about 3 or 4 years old made by one aunt of mine. Then Amma used to make it quite often. After 22 years, for the first time, I tried it and it turned out just the way I've always known it to be :D Thanks Maa for the Telephonic support!!!! (bear hug)

What you need:
- 1 litre of fresh milk
- 4 tbsp custard powder (vanilla flavour)
- 6-8 tbsp sugar
- 2 packets krackjack biscuits. You can use any biscuits you like!
- A deep bowl for setting the pudding
- a refrigerator
and of course hungry people who are watching you make it and can't wait to eat it!!! :D


In a bowl, add 4 tbsp custard powder, sugar and add enough milk to make it into a thin paste. Ensure that there are no lumps. Boil 1 litre of milk in a deep vessel and as the milk starts to boil, add the custard-sugar-milk paste (acc. to my mom's instructions: pour the mixture into the boiling milk with your left hand while continuously stirring the milk with your right to ensure that it gets mixed well and there are no lumps.) Then bring to a boil, still continuing to stir. Set the custard to cool. Once completely cooled, take a deep dry bowl and pour a 1 inch layer of custard as the base layer. The arrange whole biscuits on the first layer of custard. the continue to alternate with layers of custard and biscuits. Ensure that the final, topmost layer has custard (I don't know why, but this is as per instructions in krackjack-pudding-expert mom).

Keep the bowl in the freezer for exactly 10 minutes and then move it into the refrigerator till it sets completely. You can garnish with dry fruits / cherries or powdered biscuit / jam / cream...just about anything you like.

Serve (small portions) cold. Small portions just so that it doesn't get polished off instantly and you can slyly have a midnight helping when no one else is watching ;)

Carrot Halwa

Yes...i gave in to my craving and indulged in some delicious piping hot carrot halwa. It took me about half an hour to make it and less than 5 minutes to finish off what I'd made!! :D Try it out..it's much simpler than you think.

Ingredients

• 1 kg carrots - peeled and grated
• Milk - just enough to cook the carrots in
• 2.5 cups of sugar (Again, you may decide the quantity depending on how sweet you'd like it to be)
• 2 tsp ghee
• Cashews and raisins

Pressure cook the grated carrots in the milk for 3 whistles. Transfer the cooked carrots into a deep vessel, add sugar and keep stirring continuously till the sugar melts and any additional milk is absorbed by the carrots. The halwal should become thick. Roast the cashews and raisins in ghee and use it as garnish.

Then, buy a tub of vanilla ice cream and treat yourself to some steaming hot halwa with vanilla ice cream! :)

Yummy food am craving for

Some things that have been on my 'Dying to Eat' list for a while now

- Carrot Halwa (have made up my mind to make this at home tonight but the one I ate in a dhaba in Haryana is the best Carrot halwa I've ever tasted!0

- Bisi Bele Bath made by dear mother-in-law
- Chilli Cheese Toast (as chilli-ee as it can get!)
- Poha Samosa - something I've eaten at only one place in Bombay.
- Rajma Chawal
- Hakka Noodles the way mom makes it
- Cauliflower Subzi with Aloo, Tomato and Green Peas. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
- KrackJack Pudding
- Sattii made Pasta with his special sauce
- Baingan ka bhartha
- Sweet Potato Chat (a Delhi speciality)
- Delicious stuffed paranthas from Paranthe wali gali or that dhaba in Haryana where they add in heaps of butter with every paratha!
- Garlic Pickle
- Thick creamy curd with sugar
- Mixed Dal curry
- Etc Etc Etc Etc Etc Etc :D

Drumstick Gravy - a variation

Tried this last night. It was different from the usual one because we'd run out of onions at home!

What I used:
- 3 Drumsticks cut into 1 inch long pieces
- 2 Potatoes diced into 1 inch cubes
- 2 or 3 Tomatoes
- grated coconut 1 cup
- 1 tsp rasam powder
- an inch of ginger
- Jaggery
- Salt to taste
- Seasoning

Pressure cook the drumsticks and potatoes for 4-5 minutes. In the meanwhile grind together the tomatoes, grated coconut, rasam powder, jaggery and ginger and keep aside. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and prepare the seasoning (mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves and a pinch of hing). Add the tomato paste and the cooked drumsticks and potatoes, salt to taste and mix well. Bring to 1 or 2 boils and serve hot with rice or rotis.

Gongura Dal

Gongura (Sorrel leaves) comes in two varieties, green stemmed leaf and red stemmed. The red stemmed variety is more sour than the green stemmed variety. Gongura is popular in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a very rich source of Iron, vitamins, folic acid and anti-oxidants and is highly recommended for diabetes and heart patients to maintain their diet.

Last night I tried a hybrid version of the Gongura Pappu (dal) with my grand mom's recipe. The quantities used here make a dal that serves 6 people. Adjust quantities according to the number of people you are making it for.

- Gongura leaves 3 cups (chopped and thoroughly cleaned)
- 1.5 small cups chana dal and 1/2 cup toor dal (soaked in hot water for 30 mins before cooking)
- 3 slit green chillies
- 2 tomatoes (finely chopped)
- 3 onions (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp sambhar powder
- Seasoning (mustard, jeera, turmeric, curry leaves)
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt to taste

Pressure cook the soaked dal and gongura leaves with a little salt for 5-8 minutes, drain out all the water and set aside. In the meanwhile, heat oil in a deep pan, add the mustard seeds. once it stops spluttering, add jeera, haldi and the slit green chillies. Saute the onions till they turn transparent. Then add the chopped tomatoes and allow to cook for a while. Once completely cooked, add the gongura dal and mix well. Add the red chilli powder, sambhar powder, some more salt, sugar and mix well. Bring to a boil and cover it with a lid to trap the flavours.As it is a thick dal, can be had with phulkas / rotis or even hot rice.

Thanks for the recipe ajji!!!

Drumstick Gravy (Nuggekayi Gojju)

This one's from Deepti's family. Again simple, quick and easy to make.What also helps is that Drumsticks are a great source of Iron and the tender ones are especially succulent.

Ingredients:

4 Tender drumsticks cut into inch long pieces and pressure cooked
3 Thinly sliced onions
2 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup grated fresh coconut
1 small cup Tamarind water (soak tamarind in a cup of water and squeeze till the ater becomes a thick sauce. Dispose the tamarind)
1 inch cube of Jaggery
Curry leaves
Seasoning (jeera, mustard seeds and hing)
Salt to taste

Heat about 2 tsp oil in a deep pan and add mustard seeds. Once they stop crackling, add jeera, hing and turmeric powder. Add the sliced onions and saute till cooked. In the meanwhile you cna grind together the grated coconut and red chilli powder to make a chutney. Once the onions are cooked, add the red chilli powder chutney to it. Add tamarind water, jaggery cooked drumsticks and curry leaves. bring it to a boil and keep stirring continuously. Add salt to taste and mix well.

This goes well with both phulkas and rice.

What I've cooked since last week

- Palak Paneer (home made Paneer :D)
- Chana sprouts curry
- Carrot / Onion Parantha
- Drumstick curry
- Aloo Matar

And tonight's special: Gulaab Jamoon!!!! :D

Recipes for each of the above will follow.

Cucumber - Mint juice

Desperate for something cold and tasty on a hot summer afternoon?! Try this:

- 4 large, tender cucumbers, diced and de-seeded
- A cup of mint leaves (thoroughly cleaned)
- Jaljeera powder - 3 tsp
- 1 green chilli
- 1/2 an inch of Ginger
- Salt to taste

Blend all the ingredients together in a juicer. Strain and serve with ice cubes.

Simple Potato Subzi

This is the simplest of it's kind and probably one of the quickest too. It takes about 20 mins in all (including preparation time). This is one of the favourites at home and I can eat this subzi every day!

Ingredients (for 4 people)
- 6 large potatoes, cut into small, thin squares (so that it gets cooked quickly). Unpeeled potatoes taste better.
- a pinch of turmeric
- Mustard seeds and Jeera
- Red Chilli Powder
- Chat Masala
- Salt to taste
- Oil for cooking.

Heat oil in a pan and put mustard seeds. Once it stops spluttering, add the jeera and turmeric. After a few seconds, add the chopped potatoes into the pan and stir once. Cover with a lid and leave for 5 minutes. Once the potatoes are slightly soft, add salt and red chilli powder and stir well. Allow it to cook for another 5 minutes. Once they are completely cooked, Sprinkle (generously) chat masala, mix well and switch off the stove. You may add chopped coriancer and curry leaves if you like. Serve hot with Chapatis / Phulkas.

If it's quite oily, you can even mix it with rice to make a quick fix Potato rice. :)

Eggplant with roasted peanuts and sweet sauce

This is something that Amma makes very very well. I just tried it out yesterday and it wasn't too bad. Has a tangy-sweet flavour to it. You can make it with a thick gravy or dry...whichever way you like it. Goes well with rotis and rice.

Ingredients

1. Purple brinjals - cut into thin, long pieces (you can cut it anyway you like..am just used to this :))
2. Jaggery and tamarind soaked in a cup of water.
3. Roasted and coarsely crushed peanuts
4. Jeera
5. Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
6. Red chilli powder - 1.5 tsp
7. Oil for cooking
8. Salt to taste

How to do it:

Heat about 2 - 3 tbsp oil in a deep pan and add jeera and turmeric powder. After a few seconds, add the cut brinjals and sautee till the brinjals become soft. Add a pinch of salt while sauteeing. You can multi-task and soak the tamarind and jaggery (a small piece of jaggery and about an inch of tamarind) and keep squishing the tamarind in the water till the jaggery dissolves completely and the water becomes thick and full of flavour. Add the tam-jag water and the roasted and crushed peanuts to the sauteed brinjals, add salt and let it simmer. If you want a thick gravy, you need to add more of the tam-jag water and the peanuts as well. Let it simmer for a few minutes till the brinjals soak in the flavour completely. Keep mixing well. You can garnish with finely chopped coriander and serve hot. :)

For those who like onions, you can also add finely chopped onions to the brinjals as a variation.

Rice can taste good too...

I've been at home in Bombay and since Amma isn't well, i'm completely incharge of the kitchen. I've been loving it :). Amma needs to eat very very bland food. And dad and I can't deal with bland, almost tasteless food for too long. So, here's what I've been experimenting with---

For Amma:

A cup of diced veggies (carrots, beans, corn  etc.) and 1/2 a measure of rice goes into a cooker. The water is usually a little extra so that the rice becomes soft and easy to swallow / digest. Salt to taste, a spoonful of ghee. Pressure cook for up to 2 / 3 whistles and switch off. The variations i've ben trying with this to ensure that she doesn't get bored with eating the same food:

Rice with chopped spinach leaves, tomatoes and finely chopped onions. In addition to the salt and ghee, a pinch of dhania jeera powder.. to activate the taste buds ;)

Rice, veggies and dal cooked together with the salt and ghee makes a TASTY khichadi which even dad and I couldn't resist. :)

What I do with the leftover rice

And with any rice that's left over from the afternoon, add a few sauteed veggies, some ground spices, a few pods of garlic, a bit of ginger and aquick-fix tasty rice delight is ready!I tried a few options with chopped tomatoes and onions (commonly known as Tomato Rice :); Spinach and corn kernels and Soy chunks and spring onions.

Pudina sandwich marinated in sweetened yoghurt

This was something new that I tasted over the weekend, at a friend's place. This was one of the starters. Apart from this, we had fried rice, rajma, white rice, some amazing rasam and buttermilk. Not to forget the fruit-biscuit custard pudding! Try this one out...It's very simple to make.

If you are inviting people over for a meal, you cna plan this as one of the starters. You can make all the preparations the previous night and just put it together about an hour before you wish to serve.

Here's what you need:

• A loaf of bread (this depends on how many people you want to serve)
• Pudina Chutney (grind fresh pudina, green chillies and some roasted jeera together with a little water to make this fresh-spicy chutney)
• Thick yoghurt
• Powdered sugar
• Some chat masala and a finely chopped fresh coriander for garnishing

Here's how you make it:
First, cut the crumbs off the bread slices. Apply a slightly thick layer (only if the chutney is not too spicy) of chutney on one slice of bread and place  another slice on it.
Make as many such sandwiches as you need. You can cut these sandwiches into any interesting shape you want to amke the presentating attractive- triangles / small squares / circles and other fancy shapes if you have cutters.
Place these mini cute-looking sandwiches neatly in serving dishes.
Now, add the powdered sugar into the yoghurt and blend well. Make sure that it is not too sweet or it'll take away from the actual flavour of the mint chutney.
Pour the sweetened yoghurt on the mini sandwiches with a ladle. Don't drown the sandwiches in yoghurt. Pour just enough to cover the sandwiches.
Refrigerate the preparation for about 20 - 30 mins before you want to serve it.
Just before you serve, sprinkle chat masala all over and garnish with finely chopped coriander. You can also be innovative with the garnishing and use grated carrots almond shavings etc. to add colour and flavour.

Tip:
Prepare this just about an hour before you intend to serve it. You can keep all the ingredients ready well in advance so that your actual preparation time is reduced drastically. If the sandwihes are left too long with the curd marinate, they tend to become soggy and difficult to eat.

Most people will relish this and so it's better to make some extra, so that you don't fall short of it in the last moment. :)

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Acknowledgements: Thanks Pallavika for this new tasty treat!!!

Sabudana Khichadi - Dry disaster :(

Tried the Sabudana Khichadi without my mom's supervision this morning.  It looked good and tasted good. Just that it was not soft enough. The Sabudana was still very hard. I guess I drained out ALL the water when i soaked it last night. Maybe should have left just a bit of water - enough to soften the little white beads overnight. And added enough oil to cook it in as well. :(

Hope it turns out to be better and more edible the next time.

Experiment: Quick fix Peanut Onion chutney

 An experiment. A tasty one.

Late last evening, I was hungry and had to fend for myself. the in-laws had duties relating to their son's wedding which they had to attend to. Expecting them to return and then cook is unfair. Also, it was a chance for me to try out something new. We had some batter for dry rice rotis which my mom-in-law would have for dinner. Made some hot rice for the others. With rice, we had only rasam and no vegetables.

Quick idea: a chutney which can be mixed with rice and will also taste good with the rotis. Checked for the veggies and supplies readily available at home to mae it as simple and quick a preparation as possible.

Took a cup of peanuts and put them in the mocrowave to roast. 3 sessions of 1 min each and put it aside to cool. took about 5 onions and cut them into thich slices. Sauteed them in oil for just a bit, with green chillies and allowed it to cool.

Put the onions, chillies, peanuts, salt and an inch of tamarind into the mixer. After a minute of grinding, added some water. Figured it was tooooooooooooo salty (i can never get the proportions right with rock salt). So, chopped 2 more onions and put it into the mixie (without sauteing, this time, as i was in a hurry). This neautralized the saltiness. Also added a handful of roasted chana dal for taste. Ran all these in the mixie for one more minute till it became a thick fine paste. for those who want it liquidy, just add more water.

Garnished it with the regular seasoning (oil, mustard seeds, jeera, and asafoetida and a few curry leaves). This took me less than 10 minutes to make. My dad-in-law and sathys thoroughly enjoyed the chutney.

It's quite tasty when eaten with piping hot rice. Am thinking it'll also serve as a tasty dip with crudites / crackers.  

Sabudana Khichadi

Sabudana = Sago (Eng) = sabakki / seeme akki (Kan)

The Sabudana Khichadi is a typical Maharashtrian dish prepared either for breakfast or evening snacks. Considering that my family has a very strong Maharashtrian influence anf also that I've lived in Mumbai for most of my life, i've been feasting on this ever since I remember. It takes some planning and preparation but otherwise, it's a simple and easy to make breakfast.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Sabudana - soaked overnight / for 12 hours (would serve 3 people)
• 1 cup diced potatoes (you can leave the skin on but make sure that the potatoes have been washed very well before cutting)
• 3-4 green chillies - finely chopped
• 2 tbsb roasted and coarsely ground peanuts (roast and grind with the skin)For the seasoning - Curry leaves (whole or chopped), Jeera / cumin seeds, Finely chopped coriander 
• Oil for cooking
• Salt to taste.

Method  

Put Sabudana in a large vessel and fill with water. Just mix gently once and drain out the excess water. Leave the moistened sabudana in the vessel (covered) for 12 hours.

Heat enough cooking oil in a  deep pan. Add jeera and finely chopped green chillies. Once the chillies are done with spluttering, add the curry leaves. Put in the diced potatoes and allow them to cook well. Then, add the sabudana into the pan and mix well. Close the pan and allow it to cook till the sabudana becomes transluscent. Ensure that the sabudana is not sticky or it'll make the khichadi rubbery. Once cooked, add the peanut powder (roasted and coarsely ground) and mix well. Allow to cook for one or 2 mins more.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot. One of my favourite accompaniments for this khichadi is curd with sugar!

Simple Salads

Beetroot Green Apple Salad: just enough for 2 generous helpings

Take a cup of grated beetroot, half a cup of Pomegranate, and half a cup of peeled and diced crunchy green Apples. Mix all of these well, add salt and a pinch of chat masala powder for taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Tastes great when served cold.

Carrot Raisin Salad:

A fer carrots, peeled and grated. A handful of raisins, roasted sesame seeds and a dash of fresh lime juice for seasoning.

Mix the grated carrots and raising, add salt to taste and the seasoning. If you plan to refrigerate, then add the seasoning just before you serve. 

Another tasty seasoning with this one is roasted and coarsely ground peanuts.

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Thanks Maa for this healthy treat!!

Masala Majjige

'Masala Majjige' - Kannada for spiced buttermilk- is an all-time favourite with my family. Especially post-dinner. Try out these different varieties of the simple buttermilk and let me know how you liked it. Any more variations are welcome!

To make buttermilk: Blend thick curd (make sure the curd is fresh and hasn't turned sour. If slightly sour, add some milk to neutralise) with water (1 cup of curd : 2.5 to 3 cups of water) and stir well. If you want it to be thick and creamy, you can reduce the amount of water and run it in the mixer once.

Just buttermilk with salt tastes great. The flavours are good if you want to try out some variety.

The Simplest flavouring
Add salt, dry mango - amchur powder (if you like it tangy) and a teaspoon of fresh seasoning (tadka - a drop of ghee with mustard seeds, cumin seeds-jeera and asafoetida-hing ). Mix well and serve in a tall, clear glass. You can use chopped fresh coriander (hara dhaniya) / fresh mint (Pudina) leaves for seasoning.


Spicy buttermilk
Slit a few green chillies (2 chillies are good for 4-5 cups) vertically and crush an inch of ginger well.  Put it into the vessel containing buttermilk, add salt and stir well. Leave this for at least an hour. Strain out the chillies and ginger before you serve. Garnish either with fresh coriander or mint leaves. This tastes better without the mustard - jeera- hing seasoning.

Fresh Mint Lassi
Crush a handful of fresh Mint leaves and roasted jeera in a mortar and pistle (the flavour is better when done this way) / run it in the mixie if it is more convenient. Add the paste to the buttermilk, andd salt to taste. Garnish with mint leaves. You may add half a chilli while grinding, if you want it to be spicy.

Jaljeera flavour
Add readymade Jaljeera powder to buttermilk and stir well. Garnish with crisp boondi and mint leaves.

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You can also try out the sweeter version of buttermilk - Lassi by substituting salt with sugar

and use flavours such as fresh mango pulp  / rose syrup / Cardomom - elaichi etc.

Mango Lassi:

Rose Lassi

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Birthday celebrations at Jamavar

I wanted to make the day special for my husband. I asked my colleagues to help me choose a great place for a fancy, romantic dinner. One of the suggestions was Jamavar at Leela Palace Kempenski.

The name instantly struck a chord and I had made my decision. I looked up the internet to get their numbers. Made a reservation a day in advance. Since his b'day fell on Saturday, I didn't want to take any chances or make him wait for a meal. I was in touch with Franklin at the hotel. He said they could help with arrangements and i was only too happy to take all the help they were giving. We had our discussions about the arrangements and the 'shoo-shaa' that I wanted. He even called me back after checking with his colleagues, just to confirm that 'it would all be taken care of'.

On 23rd evening, we landed up at Jamavar. We were taken to a lovely table in the outdoors, separate from the rest, facing the lawns and elegantly decorated. The gentle Indian instrumental music playing in the background added to the beauty of the place. I couldn't help noticing the lovely lanterns that adorned the walls and the bespoke silver cutlery that was laid out on the table. This was just the beginning of a beautiful evening, i thought. We ordered our drink, and some starters.  The food was good. Not bad, but not excellent either. Just good. We had some grilled vegetables for starters, a mocktail, rotis and  kulchas and Dum Aloo Kashmiri. The Dum aloo kashmiri was not at all up to the mark. It was just boiled potatoes in tomato gravy. As the helpings were generous, we didn't bother to order rice. But we didn't mind it much. The excellent hospitality and non-intrusive, thoughtful service more than made up for it.

Half way through, the surprises began: a large beautiful bouquet was brought to to our table. When I gave it to Satti, he was surprised. And happy. And excited. When it had sunk in, it was almost time for us to leave. Just before we left, the cake came... a huge, delicious chocolate cake with a happy birthday song from the guys... It was just awesome. I was grinning from ear to ear!

What I loved about the place was the wonderful coordination and the attitude - I didn't have to as much as make eye contact with the guys to remind them about the arrangements. And the timing and thoughtfulness as well - just perfect. They selected the table for us to ensure that the celebration was as private as it could get. Elegant decoration for our table came with compliments. When we leaving, 3 of the guys came and wished my husband a happy brithday!

I left a thank you note for Franklin and the others. They made the evening so special for us that we'll remember it for many years to come.

Pasta Party!

Well, this one was pending for a long long long time. Maybe ever since I got married. Or from even before! So, we decided on an impulse that we would have a Pasta Party at my place on the evening of 25 Jan. Invitees: Rashmi and Vivek only..and of course Satti and I were the hosts.

The Menu: Vegetable Penne Pasta, Grilled baby corn and Chocolatey Chocolate cake.

As it was a last-minute plan, I had to make do with whatever supplies I had and how much ever I had of them. I figured that we'dd fall shorf of the main ingredient - the penne pasta itself. So went shopping to buy a few more packs so that the servings could be generous. But, couldn't find in any store close to home. So, bought more veggies instead. Rushed back home and started cutting the vegetables. Here's what i used: Onions, potatoes, carrots and green bell peppers. Cut them into thick long sticks. While i was doing this, the husband enthusiastically offered to help so that we could be ready by the time our guests arrived. So he started getting the other ingredients out of the fridge: Shezwan sauce, cut black olives, Mayonnaise, Cheese, pepper powder, tomato ketchup and salt. We had very little tomato ketchup so diluted it with a few drops of water. Now, we were really running out of time.

So, on one side, we started boiling the pasta and i put the vegetables into the microwave (with a dash of olive oil and salt on it). 3 sessions of 2 mins each and my vggies were ready for use. The Pasta was also just right. Drained off all the water and quickly rinsed it in cold water so that it doesn't become sticky. Got the pan ready to mix 'em all up. The husband was thoughtful enough to have made the base sauce ready by then. He'd put in Olive oil, shezwan sauce, tomato ketchup and the sliced onlins and some secret ingredient which he wouldn't disclose to cook up the mouth-watering sauce. By then Rashu and Vivi were ther already, totally excited.

back to the cooking, into a heated pan went a dollop of butter (didn't care about the calories!), the magical base sauce (as my husband likes to call it), the pasta and all the vegetables. Added some more tomato sauce , and shezwan sauce to make spicier. sprinkled black pepper powder and salt before mixing it all well. We realised that it wasn't soupy enough and were worried that adding water would make the gravy very thin. Added milk with cream instead - thanks to a handy Tarla Dalal Recipe book.

The final stirring and mixing was when the aroma starting flowing out of the kitchen and made our guests impatient. So, delegated some work before we were finally ready to eat. Get the plates and forks ready. Pick the accompaniments: Cheese spread and Mayo with olives. Before taking the pasta off the stove, added a generous portion of chopped black olives, a quick stir and we were ready to go.

By then, the cake had also been cut, ready to be served immediately after the main course. Served the pasta with the accompaniments. Everyone was so hungry that no one bothered about the garnigh. we all hungrily and greedily ate up the delicious, pasta. THe pepper made it a tad bit spicy which thoroughly complimented the cold weather. Served HUGE pices of cake and the mother-in-law treated us to some fruit salad as well.

Needless to say, with 2 generous helpings each of Pasta, cake and fruit salad, we were all STUFFED and couldn't get ourselves to move..not even to put our plates away! I loved the feeling :D

And so ended our wonderful, fun, and tasty Pasta Party. Thanks to Rashu and Vivi. Special thanks to Sathya for cooking up the DELICIOUS magic base sauce and to my mom-in-law for the Fruit Salad dessert. :D