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Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Blogging on the go: jasmine memories


Handful of tea leaves, one cup of green tea with an incredibly poetic name - green pond reflecting the falling star - from the Sichuan region of China. Powerful enough to stir up 23 years of memories from Jamshedpur, India.

No, I haven't been drinking Chinese green tea for most of my life. It was the bold fragrance of the tiny jasmine flowers released by the addition of hot water. Those tiny flowers floating serenely above the forest of green triggered a part of  my memory box that I rarely visit.

Vivid rushes of excitedly collecting raat ki rani while waiting to go to school at 7am; observing snails manouvre the garden path littered with jasmine; my grandfather slowly walking down the steps to walk in the jasmine garden; studying on the steps while intermittently staring at the garden and the world beyond the boundary wall; playing with friends, running up and down the verandah; nights spent staring at the moon from the bedroom window; looking up from a book to see my then crush (now husband) riding by on his golden Saffire right when I was thinking of him. 

Jasmine, the background fragrance of my growing up years.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Prawn rice: a recipe

I cook so infrequently that I actually feel a great and deep sense of accomplishment on occasions I have managed to cook for two days in a row. So imagine my sense of pride when I realised this is my 8th straight day of cooking regularly. And that means - 1) I've been eating right, 2) I've been sleeping well and 3) I've been spending less. Yay! 

As they say, "success breeds success" and I am so encouraged by these positive changes that I want hope it leads to a lifestyle change! Anyway, this morning my lunch options were last night's dal chawal or bread omelette. Craving for something interesting, I decided to put the leftover rice to use, made super yummy prawn fried rice in less than 20 minutes and skipped off to work. The contents of my lunch box helped me smile through what would have been a morning full of grimaces!

Ingredients
  1. Boiled rice, fluffed
  2. 1/2 big capsicum cut in cubes
  3. 1 small onion, diced
  4. 1 spoon olive oil
  5. 6-7 peeled prawns, defrosted if frozen
  6. Salt
  7. Pepper
  8. Soya sauce
Prep
Heat the oil for a minute or so on a low flame
On a medium flame, add diced onions and cook till slightly translucent, stir frequently
Add the capsicum and while stirring frequently, make sure it cooks through while staying slightly crunchy
Add the defrosted prawns and mix well 
Add salt and pepper as per your liking
Once prawns are cooked (they cook real fast), add the rice and mix very well
Once every grain seems coated with the oil and seasoning, top off with soya sauce
Mix well and, serve. Or in my case, pack!
Happy, skippy lunch is ready to go :)

Morning rush = no pictures. The only picture was sneaked in under the rather bemused expression of my senior colleague!

What was in your lunch box today? Let me know and I'll try it :)

Monday, March 2, 2015

Poha in a mug

Poha and I go back a long, long way.

From tiffin box lunches in school, to being the favourite 'hot' breakfast in LSR and SIMC canteens, to the sev laden 8am poha from aluminium drums provided by the enterprising ladies of *beep* Bombay Mumbai, to the legendary Indori poha jalebi, to Kavita didi's fantastic nimbu heavy poha, to MTR's ready-to-eat 3 minute poha version. Phew!

Today, the easy-to-make-tasty-to-eat poha makes for one of my favourite breakfasts on days I have time to make it in the morning. Only now-a-days, it's poha in a mug!



What is your favourite go-to 'hot' breakfast? Let me know, and I'll try it! :)

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