A HAPPY MEAL-IN-ONE

Those of us who like to entertain friends at home rather than in restaurants are always on the look out for dishes that can feed a crowd without too much trouble in the kitchen. Bakes and biriyanis are always a good idea coz the whole meal can revolve around just one dish. And once you hav that assembled you are ready to enjoy the evening without fretting with last minute cooking.

But if you want to stir up something that's slightly unusual, then think of serving "KHAU SWEY" the burmese dish of noodles and curry with an array of zesty toppings. All you need to do just before ur guests sit down to eat is to cook the noodles if the garnishes are prepared already!

Ingredients:

• 1 packet noodles
• 500 gm boneless chicken
• 1 onion grated
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• 2 tbsp oil

Method:

Cut the chicken into neat dices. Heat the oil in a heavy pan, put in the ginger-garlic paste and the grated onion. Saute over a low flame till the raw smell disappears. Now put in the cumin and chilli powder, stir a bit and add the chicken. Saute the chicken for five minuts or so till the dices are coated with the spices. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and allow it to simmer away till the chicken is tender. Finish with the coconut milk and set aside.

To serve, cook the noodles according to the instructions below. Place in bowls , ladle the curry sauce over the noodles and allow guests to garnish with the following:

• finely chopped onions fried to crisp
• fried noodles
• fish sauce
• lemon wedges
• chilli flakes
• chopped hard boiled eggs
• chopped green coriander

Prepare the garnishes ahead and serve in small bowls.

So here's a new recipe for the chicken lovers....how do u like it?

MEALS THAT HEAL.......!

SOUP SO SPECIAL....

Hello people...i am here with another recipe today and i'm sure this is going to be something that you wouldn't hav tried before! It is called the "PEARS AND CELERIAC SOUP"

Read more to know what and how it is made!

INGREDIENTS:

• Celeriac, peeled and chopped - 400 gm
• onion chopped - 50gm
• garlic - 30gm
• olive oil - 15ml
• ripe pears, thinly sliced - 2
• bay leaf - 5gm
• salt and pepper to taste
• cream - 50 gm
• chives - 50gm

METHOD:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Fry the onion and garlic until they turn translucent. Add the celeriac to the pan and cook for further five mins stirring occasionally.

Add some vegetable stock, pear slices and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and blend the soup in a food processor. Return it to the pan and heat it gently. Season and stir in a little cream to taste. Sprinkle chopped chives and serve!

MORE ON CELERIAC:

Well, most of you would not have heard this veggie called celeriac. Or rather, i actually didn't know that there was something like this until i googled about it. So i though it wud be an informative post along with the recipe :)

Celeriac is a vegetable that is a member of the celery family, however only its root is used for cooking purposes. Also known as celery root, knob celery, and turnip rooted celery, it tastes similar to a blend of celery and parsely.

It has a tough furrowed outer surface, usually sliced off before use as it is too rough to peel. It is often used as a flavouring in soups and stews and can also be used in baked dishes.

Celeriac contains no cholestral or fat and provides an excellent source of dietery fibre. Because of its taste and consistency, it is a flavourful addition to low calorie meals.

So pals, hope this post was really informative and interesting!

CHEERS!

PINEAPPLE, ANYONE?

It may look intimidating but once you get past its prickly exterior, you'll be hooked!

The words nana and ananaboth mean "excellent fruit"in the language of the tupi indians of Brazil, where the pineapple originated. And sir Walter Raleigh called it the "Princess of fruits" but when sailors returning to Europe managed to grow pineapples and presented one to Charles V , "he refused it with characteristic hesitency to touch it".

Well it does look like an intimidating creature, and peeling and cutting one is so daunting that i rarely do.

This post is about a small easy recipe with the princess of fruits as its main ingredient..check it out :)

PINEAPPLE CHILLI SALSA

(make about two cups)

• 2 cups pineapple, peeled cored and coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh pineapple juice
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp gur or sugar dissolved in a spoon of water
• 3 spring onions finely chopped
• 2 green chillies chopped
• 2 tsp chopped fresh corriander
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Toss all these ingredients together in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes to blend flavours. Salsa can be made a day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.

yummy......isnt it? :)

hello people :)

Hi to every one reading this !

This blog of mine was created long back but i din't do much to keep it updated, Though i call it my FIRST BLOG :)

I hav recently started writing posts on different recipies that i come accross, in one of my other blogs! So i just thought that this blog space cud be utilized for foodies and other eat-out related posts thereby making it active!

Hope u guyz will like it! I would be glad if u leave ur comments wen ever u drop in! thank u!

CHEERS!

one of my all time favourites...

I consider this vedio a very special one, not only because it is the NATIONAL ANTHEM of our country, but my Guru Smt.D.K.Pattammal would have sung a few lines in this album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77i8kH-Iw8Q

Harmonies from the homeland

Indian music transcends the boundaries of meaningless entertainment and serves a greater purpose. It is a source of religious inspiration and cultural expression. Most ancient Indian religions give importance to music as a vital part of prayer. This is because Indian music has the intoxicating quality of completely hypnotising the individual and transporting him into a trance-like state.

The Indian music is as vast and diverse as India itself. The music of India has a history spanning millenia, developed over several eras and includes innumerable varieties of folk, pop and classical music. The two main traditions of classical music are carnatic music, found predominently in the peninsular regions, and hindusthani music found in the northern and central parts.

Although the roots of Indian music lie in the Indian traditions, it bears proof of foreign influences. Alongside 1distinctly sub-continental forms, there are major influences of persian, Arabic, Turkish and British music.

Indian genres like filmi and bhangra have become popular through out the United Kingdom, America, Asia and around the world. Indian pop stars now sell records in many countries, while world music fans are lapping up everything with an Indian stamp on it.It has come to a point where the west is trying to ape Indian culture.

"Now that's something to be proud of!"

my musical journey

Becoming a famous singer has always been my dream, rather my mum's wish i wud say. and now that i hav given quite a few performances on stage, i am happy that i hav set my path towards my dream. As every singer says, my first guru was none other than my mum. yea, i still remember running around the house, blindly repeating the lines sung by her, in my own childish voice..little did she realise that i wud become the proud disciple of the gr8 living legend "smt.D.K.Pattammal" but then it didnt happen that soon. we shifted from mumbai to chennai, for my parents rightly thought it was always better to bring up a child under the luv and care of elders(especially the grand parents). and there began my real musical journey. i was in my 2nd std wen i attended my first formal music class and my teacher was ms.Ashwathi(disciple of smt.D.K.Pattammal). startin from the basics of carnatic music...SA RE GA MA....my learning process continued successfully for about 6 yrs under her teaching. one fine day, my teacher felt that it was the right time fr me to take up music a bit more seriously, in the sense..to persue it as my future career. and today i am really thankful to her for being so kind and pushing me a step forward in my musical journey. yea! she was the one who introduced me to my present guru , a gr8 celebrity whom i wud'nt hav even imagined of just meeting her in person, if not fr her.

its been a grrrrrrrr8 honour to learn from such a gr8 woman! but i was too young to realise her gr8ness wen i was a beginner. and she used to be such a loving and wonderful teacher, (i am too small to talk about her anyways, so i restrict myself for it wud be highly childish to comment on a legendary person). since then, i hav cum a loooong way in music and today, my parents feel really happy for their right decision at the rite time. the bombay life wud hav been more enjoyable but i wud'nt hav got this opportunity unless i was here...

though its been a real long way, as my guru always quotes "sangeetha saagaram" which means music is a never ending ocean and its a never ending learning process....i hav a long way to achieve atleast a very small part of wat my guru has done... for which i realize the amount of hard work to be done, and i'm sure i will live up to their(amma, appa and my guru) expectations and make my mum's wish cum true, very soon!