I Can Cook -- SO can YOU

Hi All

Am Back with my cooking expedition for last week. Am sure my bro has picked on blogging about cooking on a daily basis. If you are not getting his blog, become my follower on my blog and you can access him as well.

So what's Cooking or got Cooked last weekend. 

GOBI Manchurian -- am not kidding, it came out absolutely brilliantly. Its extremely easy to make, easy on the tummy and trust me please grind the spices -- don't use the Ginger Garlic paste.

Have tried to link you to the website from where I picked the recipe --

http://www.recipesindian.com/indian_recipes/indian_vegetarian_recipes/Gobi-Manchurian.html

Tips from Chef Priyesh -- Please deep fry the GOBI and add enough water if you want more gravy or use a medium GOBI to the contents mentioned in the recipe.

The second try was a disaster -- The all favourite Iyengar Aaruchutte Sambhar

Took the main ingredients from mom over the phone. Take Dhania, Red Chillies and Groundnut Dal and fry in oil till they are red -- Not Black (It tastes ok when black too :) ). The let it cool and grind it to powder in your mixie. 

Then follow the usual way of making sambhar and when you add the standard dal to the sambhar add the powder as well. The cue I missed is to add grated coconut to the powder and whip a bit to mix it before adding, instead added the grated coconut to the sambhar directly. What a sham -- coconut floating on the top. Then I forget I did not have rice flour at home to add to the sambhar to make it thick, So we landed having Aaruchutte Rasam.

I Pity my wife. But then by the evening I got the the rice flour and reinvented the sambhar and it was great. Mom i can take you on now to make great sambhar.

Keep watching this space. Probably no inventions for a few days as I am on the verge to take on the GM diet.

Lean, mean and a better chef.

IPL and BPL

Am back to one of my more interested domains in this blog -- International Sport.

To begin with, the latest new's breaker in all channels, apart from the general elections in India is the Indian Premier League. As all of us now know that it has been decided that the IPL is moving to South Africa for its second edition, I would like to place my view points and raise a few questions about the politics and money behind this sport in India.

My initial view is that the league must continue for the design, the fans and the sport as a whole. But is it right for us to have it outside India, when the inaugural edition was created on the hype that the format itself is based on city loyalty and the franchisee mode which is replicated from the Barclay's Premier League -- BPL -- The English football league (Am gonna write about the title race after this). Who can forget Dhoni doing the Rajnikanth tricks for the franchisee advertisement -- Enna Rascala or SRK singing in Bengali. Where is it all disappeared.

Is the IPL getting politicised because of the money involved in it or because Sharad Pawar the Head of BCCI is not in tune with the other congress led states like AP and Maharashtra. The schedule of the IPL was listed much earlier than the dates of the election and isn't the government aware of the same, not taking anything away that the general elections is of paramount importance than a sport or any event in India. But is cricket just a sport?, when we, a billion Indians, feel it to be a religion -- one of the few factors, for which the country unites and comes to a standstill. To be really honest, i have not seen scores of janta standing in front of a electronic's retailer selling TV's watching the results of the elections dealt immaculately by Prannoy Roy or any other channel than that of a Sehwag or a Sachin sizzling away. Its cricket all the way my dear readers.

Whats the reason that the IPL has been dealt so shabbily by the home ministry or is it the end of Lalit Modi's dominance on cricket ???

Now moving onto the BPL.

Its been a fantastic fortnight for the Mersey side, Liverpool, first a drubbing of Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, than a rout of the Red Devils, Manchester United at Old Trafford -- not many teams have done that in the past and will do in the future (Am a hardcore, Man U fan) and to close all, a killer against Aston Villa with a 5 Nil score line. 13 Goals in 3 games -- is this the beginning of their peak form this season or is it the end of the gun powder they possess.

Its a one point lead for Man U now with a game in hand and only Man U can lose the title this year. A fantastic finish to the best football league in the world awaits all of us.

Adios for now, Keep Watching this space.

I can Cook -- So can You

Hi All

This blog is all about the weekend and the two dishes i tried. You may be wondering why am cooking especially on the weekends, when am just married. The reasons are simple and few, one I Love to cook, second its an unconditional understanding that I put my hand's on cooking in the weekend, giving Rekha a bit of rest.

So here I am -- Saturday cooked the all easy -- Iyengar style Paruppu Sambhar, the old Grandmother's Recipe. Am not specifying the way to cook this as its extremely easy. The second dish i really cooked was the ever famous Paneer Butter Masala. Took the recipe from a website, but used my style to it and took the tough part to cook it. For all the men, trust me its easy to make, you kill time on the weekend and cooking helps you to get a bit away from drinking as well :).

So here you with the recipe.

1 - 2 Onion's based on the size

4 - 5 Tomatoes based on the size

1 fresh or dried Ginger

10 pieces of Garlic

Lavang Patte

Cloves

Jeera

Method:

Crush the garlic, ginger, lavang patte and cloves by hand and keep grinding it till it becomes a paste or alternatively ginger garlic paste (I prefer grinding it by hand). Take some butter and place in a pan. As the butter melts add the paste and the cut onions and fry it on low flame, till the onions are light brown. Now add the cut tomatoes in the pan and continue frying till the onions become a little more browner. Switch of the pan and allow the ingredients to cool for 15 minutes. Then move the ingredients to a mixie and add water to the mix till it becomes a little consistent. Now place the liquid into the same pan and keep stirring for 20 Minutes on sim / low flame. Remember the paneer needs to be added before you start to stir.

I prefer to mod the paneer and add it to the mix, if you wish, you can fry the paneer in oil earlier and add it to the mix. Add salt to your taste while stirring. 

Your Paneer Butter Masala is ready to eat.

Now a bit of cricket as well. I have started to believe that this cricket team now has the impetus to become the No.1 Side in world cricket after their dissemination of the Black Caps.

Adios for now, keep watching this space.

Getting Started

Its been 8 years since i last blogged and i have given my self umpteen reasons for not blogging. As I start the journey to blogging today, again, I endeavor to publish my thoughts, feelings and emotions day in and day out, I thank you (the reader) for taking the pain to go through my writing, some of which may be debatable, non-sensical, absolute rubbish or you would just love it, that you come back for more, everyday - that's what I want as well.