Hobbies

Crispy Butterfly Shrimp

aarathi — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:56:00 GMT

Crispy Butterfly Shrimp

Ingredients
500g prawns ( fresh/frozen)
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Curry leaves (chopped)
2 eggs
3 tbsp cornflour
Bread crumbs
Oil for frying
Method
Shell, devein and wash prawns using salt and turmeric.
It you want to make butterflies, leave the tail.
With a sharp knife cut upto the tail,wide open with your hands & flat them on a plate.
Mix first 4 ingredients & keep in the refrigerator for 5 hours.
Beat eggs along with cornflour & chopped curry leaves.
Take a shrimp, dip in beaten egg & roll in bread crumbs.
Dip once more in egg & roll in crumbs.
Repeat the same with other prawns
Deep fry them in a pan or in deep fryer.
Remove using a slotted spoon & drain on a kitchen paper.
Serve these crispy shrimps as a starter with a dipping sauce.

Geneva's Flower Clock / Horloge Fleuri.

aarathi — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:29:00 GMT

Flower Clock

Geneva is famous for it's watch industry. Some of the famous manufacturers are Patek Phillipe,Mont Blanc, Tissot, Jaeger Le Coultre, Breitling, Tag Heuer etc.

Flower clock / Horloge Fleuri is located in the heart of Geneva town since 1955 ie in between the Mont Blanc bridge & the Jardin Anglais. The seconds hand of this clock is 2.5m long & it's the longest second hand in the world.

Pork Vindaloo - A Goan Dish

aarathi — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:44:00 GMT

Pork Vindaloo

Ingredients
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 cloves
1/2 tsp black pepper corns
***
4 garlic cloves
A piece of ginger
1 tbsp vineger
***
1/2 kg pork (cut in cubes)
1 tsp kashmir chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
***
2 onions (chopped)
2 potatoes (cubed)
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
A piece of cinnamon
Oil for frying
Coriander leaves / Curry leaves
Method

Dry roast first three ingredients & grind to a fine powder.
Mix the cubed pork with tumeric, chilli & salt.
Cover & refrigerate for 1 hour.
Blend garlic,ginger & vinegar in a mini food processor.
Warm the oil in a casserole . Add cinnamon stick & a bay leaf.
Add shredded onions.
When it turns light golden brown, add pork.
Fry for a while & add blended mixture (ginger+garlic) along with tomato sauce.
Stir for a while & add water .
Cover & cook for 30mn, stirring from time to time.
When half cooked, add potatoes.
If the pork & the potatoes are thoroughly cooked, add the blended powders.
Remove from heat & garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with Baguette/Vellappam / Rice / Naan.

"Vindaloo" is the only curry in which we use vinegar as an ingredient.
This is the famous curry of Goan Christians. Instead of Vinegar they use Feni. Goa was a former portuguese colony . Portuguese prepare this for christmas and is known as "Carne de Vinha d' Alhos" / Pork in vinegar & garlic. It's "Pickled Pork" for Americans & "Garlic Pork" for Trinidadians.

Water Fountain / Le Jet d' Eau - Geneva, Switzerland

aarathi — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:43:00 GMT

Water Fountain

This water fountain is the symbol of Geneva. Originally it was just a security valve at the Coulouvrenière hydraulic factory. Later in 1891, it was trasferred to the "Rade". This water jet popularly known as " Jet d' Eau", shoots 500 litres of water to 150m at a speed of 200 km/hr. In the evening, eight projectors light this majestic fountain. The Lake of Geneva / Lac Léman with Alps background is magnificent. Wide range of cruises are available near this lake.

Le Jet d' Eau
Quai Du Général-Guisan
Geneva

Caribbean Cake / Cake Antillais

aarathi — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:53:00 GMT

Caribbean Cake

Ingredients
50g sultana raisins
50g raisins
50g rum
1 tbsp water
***
125g butter
125g sugar
160g flour
3 eggs
3 tbsp dessicated coconut
A banana (mashed)
2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Almonds/walnuts (optional)

Method
Soak the raisins overnight in a little rum.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
In a bowl beat butter & sugar.
Then add beaten eggs.
Sieve the flour and baking powder together and fold into the cake mixture.
Add allthe spices mashed banana & vanilla essence.
Pour the batter into the greased cake pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 35-40 mn.
Drizzle the rum over the cake, while it's still hot.
Serve this spicy cake for tea.

If you are not using rum, just mix both the raisins with a little flour & add to cake mixture.

Tera Hone Laga Hoon

aarathi — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:45:00 GMT

Movie : Ajab prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009)
Actors : Ranbir Kapoor & Katrina Kaif
Song : Tera Hone Laga Hoon by Atif Aslam & Alisha Chinoy

Arikadukka /Stuffed Mussels - Spicy Snack of Malabar

aarathi — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:47:00 GMT

Arikadukka

Ingredients
1 cup dessicated coconut / freshly grated coconut
5 shallots ( chopped)
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 green chilli
A piece of ginger
Curry leaves
***
20 fresh mussels (medium size)
3 cups rice powder
Salt to taste
1 1/2 cup warm water
For frying
1 tsp chilli powder
1/s tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Method
Coarsely grind first six ingredients in a mini food processor.
Dilute salt in water & add to the rice powder..
Then add blended mixture & mix with a wooden spatule .
Cover the bowl with a damp cloth & keep aside for an hour.

Preparing Mussels

Shells must be scrubbed in water with a stiff brush to remove any barnacles & sand.
With a knife open the shell, cut off the beard & wash.
Take a prepared dough ball & stuff the mussels.
Repeat the process with all the mussels.
Steam cook the stuffed mussels for 20-25 mn.
Keep aside to cool.
Scoop out the mussels out of their shells.
Make a spicy mixture using chilli powder,turmeric powder & salt.
Dip each stuffed mussel in this spicy mixture & fry.
Serve this spicy snack for tea or as a starter.

Arikadukka is the speciality of the Malabar Region ( Côte du Malabar).
I'll never return from my homeland without having this favourite snack :)

Doi Maach /Bengali Fish Curry

aarathi — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:07:00 GMT

Bengali Fish Curry

Ingredients

500 g salmon or any other fish
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
***
A bay leaf
3 Shallots (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic
A small piece of ginger
Coriander leaves
1/2 cup curd (whipped)
Salt to taste

Bengali Masala
2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
2 green cardomoms
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Method

Dry roast all the masala ingredients & then grind to fine powder.
Marinate fish with chili -tumeric & salt & keep aside for one hour.
Shallow fry & keep them aside
Heat oil & fry bay leaf.
Add chopped onions & fry till light golden brown.
Add garlic-ginger paste & fry again.
Then add the bengali masala mix .
Stir in water.Cover & cook for 5 min.
Then add fried fish pieces. Simmer & cook for another 5mn.
Remove from fire & add whipped curd.
Keep on medium heat to avoid curdling.
Garnish with coriander leaves (discard the bay leaf)

Colombo Chicken Curry / Colombo de Poulet

aarathi — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:11:00 GMT

Colombo Chicken Curry

Ingredients
1 kg chicken
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 onions finely sliced
1scotch bonnet pepper (asura parangi)
1 tsp ginger + garlic paste
3 potatoes (cubed)
1 courgette (cubed)
2 bay leaves
2 dried springs of thyme

Colombo Masala
2 cloves
1 tsp malabar black peppercorns
1 tsp musturd seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp coriander seeds
Method

Dry roast all the masala ingredients & then grind to fine powder.
Dunk chicken pieces in flour & fry till light golden brown.
Warm the oil in a casserole . Add bay leaves & thyme.
Then add finely sliced onions.
When it turns golden brown, add ginger-garlic paste.
Then add fried chicken & colombo masala.
Stir for a while & add water .
Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 25min, stirring from time to time.
When half cooked, add potatoes & courgettes.
When the chicken is cooked thoroughly, remove from fire.
Add lime juice & just swirl the casserole.
Garnish with freshy chopped parsely & serve with rice / any type of bread.

Colombo Curry is the speciality of French Islands - Martinique & Gaudeloupe. Colombo Curry powder / Poudre de colombo is French Caribbean Curry powder. Readymade ones are available in supermarkets. But I prefer freshly ground curry powder.

Butter Cake

aarathi — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:56:00 GMT

Butter Cake

Ingredients
100 g flour
30g custurd powder ( vanilla flavoured)
100 g sugar
125 g butter
4 eggs
3 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp condensed milk
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
A pinch of salt

Method
Dilute custurd powder in luke warm milk.
In another bowl beat eggs & sugar.
Sieve the flour and baking powder together and fold into the cake mixture.
Add diluted custurd powder, condensed milk & mix well.
Pour the batter into the greased cake pan.
Bake for 40 mn - Th 180°C .