Tis the Night Before Christmas...

I wish I was at my old home to celebrate it with Rum plum cake and fake champagne and some Chinese food or pizza. That's how we would do it...no one would cook or if we did then we'd make time for cake and a small party just the four of us, my parents, sister and me.

This time, we're going to a wedding on the 25th and might drive around Nariman Point after the wedding lunch before we return home to a restful evening perhaps with a movie CD or two. I need to shop the day after for some readymade salwars so I can wear the kurtis I bought before the South East Asia trip to functions such as the one we're going to on Saturday. 27th is when my husband's old friend's visiting Bombay (lives in US) so we're all invited to a lunch party by his family. Hubby also wants to fit in a dental appointment in his schedule that day so we'll be rushing from one thing to another.

My mom's going today to her cottage in a village about 4 hours from Bombay. She will have a quiet Christmas with her dogs, just the way she wants it.

My sister's going to be busy with designing my dad's organisation's magazine cover. She's already busy so perhaps she'll just pause for a plum cake this Christmas.

My dad's going to have a one-day break probably and fit in work as well as rest in that day. Since mom's not around perhaps they might not have their own small party of three.

Hubby wanted to invite his cousins and open a brand new Johnny Walker and a Bailey's Irish caramel-flavoured cream. The plans thanks to a wedding and a lunch party that we've been invited to will not take off.

I want to scout around for a good Christmas cake. I might end up going to the only cake shop around here for an imperfect cake yet a plum one. We bought a Dundee cake from there a few days ago which was a total hash job. I'd grown up eating Dundee cake from wonderfully painted cake tins that were saved to hold sketch pens and stationery. Now, they're available in plastic-paper cake covers that are anything but saving-worthy.

Anyhow...a very Merry Christmas to all you bloggers! May you have a wonderful break from the usual and the mundane. Happy holidays!

Kheema Toasties

(Minced meat preparation scooped on to tiny, cocktail sized slices of bread and topped with cheese to grill for a few minutes until toasted)

My mom would top it off on pizzas too, so if you get smallish sized pizzas you can try this way out.

There are two steps to this.

Step 1: Kheema (Minced meat preparation)

Ingredients
1 large onion (peeled & grated/2 tablespoons of onion paste)

½ tbsp chopped green chillies (Could use red chilli powder - 1.5 to 2 teaspoons based on how spicy you like it)

1 tsp chopped ginger

1 tsp chopped garlic

2 large tomatoes (immersed in hot water for 5 minutes, drained, peeled & chopped)

500 grams minced meat

1 cup shelled green peas (I use frozen peas)

Cinnamon - 1 small stick

Cloves - 2-3

Bay leaves 1-2 leaves

½ tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp chilli powder (use only if you're using green chillies, else not)

1 cup water

½ tsp garam masala

¼ cup chopped coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Grind the following items to a paste in a mixer: green chillies (if you're using), chopped ginger and garlic.

2. Heat the oil. Add cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf. Then add the onion and fry till golden brown.

3. Add the ground paste and fry for a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook covered for 2 minutes. Mash lightly in the pan itself.

4. Add the minced meat and fry on a medium flame for about 5 minutes, stirring most of the time.

5. Add the green peas, turmeric powder, coriander powder and chilli powder (if you're using only chilli powder, add only at this stage not before). Stir.

6. Add the water enough to cook it and salt. Stir and simmer until meat is cooked and oil separates. Cook it until it is dry and moist enough so it can sit on top of a toastie.

7. Add the garam masala. Stir. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Step 2: Kheema Toasties!

1. Cut round slices of a long bread loaf or if you're using sliced bread, then cut each slice into half.

2. Butter it lightly, spoon the minced preparation (kheema) mixture on top and sprinkle grated cheese. Avoid adding the cloves, cinnamon or bay leaves when topping off the mince on toast.

3. Pop it into the microwave to grill for about 2-3 minutes (until the cheese slightly melts and the bread toasts lightly - dont toast it too long else it gets too hard to eat).

Enjoy!! This dish can also be part of the main course so if you have leftover kheema, you can eat it with rice/bread during your lunch. When we're eating kheema at home, we usually mix it with rice or eat it with a few paavs (Indian baked bread) fresh from the bakery.

We tried to make this dish with soy granules and it worked just as fine (only you dont get the flavour of meat). This option is great if you're vegetarian.

Picture Stories

I'm slowly getting hooked on to the idea of having photos alongside my posts. It's quite refreshing and exciting to read a story supported by photographs or sketches or some visual element. Every morning, as I read every blog on my blog list, I also visit some blogs I dont go to regularly.

Some of my favourite stories on blogs:

Homage to Jam (Paris Breakfasts)

Chocolate (House in the Woods)

Bring On the Parties (Cream Puffs in Venice)

Din Tai Fung (Trailing Spouse in Singapore)

Ok, I'm sure you see the connection now. I'm immensely partial to food posts :)

I do love posts that do not have pictures or food content; posts about life, people, friendships, relationships, parties, fun...everything that makes you live to the fullest through others if you're not particularly having fun in your own life. It also gives you a fresh perspective to your own life and makes your blog into a two-way window - through which you get a perspective of the world and others get a glimpse into yours.

Cheers to blogging!

Appetizer 1

Sukha Dahi Murg (Dry chicken cooked with curd, great as an appetiser or main course)

This recipe is from a Nita Mehta cook book - another favourite expert in the art of Indian cooking. At home, we usually tend to make her recipes for Sunday lunch.

Ingredients
1 chicken, approx. 800 grams- cut into pieces of your choice(You can also use boneless chicken)
2 capsicums- sliced thinly
2 cups skim milk curd (or any plain, unsweetened yogurt), preferably a day old
1 ½ tsp salt or to taste
1 ½ tsp black pepper, or to taste
1 small onion- grated or ground OR 2 tbsp onion paste
1 tbsp oil

Method
1. Beat curd well. Add salt, pepper, chicken and mix well. Marinate for 3-4 hours in the fridge.
2. Heat a non-stick pan. Add oil and heat. Add ground onion, cook till light brown.
3. Add chicken along with the marinade. Keep stirring till it boils.
4. Cover and lower heat. Cook till chicken turns tender, for about 7-8 minutes.
5. The curd being skim milk curd leaves a lot of water. When chicken becomes tender, increase the heat and when nearly dry, add capsicum. Do not overcook capsicum. Cook for 1-2 minutes and serve hot.

Serves 8 people, calories per serving- 149 (Sadly didnt have a photo of it)

Tomorrow, will post a recipe for Kheema (Minced mutton or chicken) toasties. In India, we usually eat Kheema (minced mutton dry curry) with paav (Indian baked bread) but this recipe's adapted for topping on toasted bread - to serve as an appetizer.

Warm and Refreshing

Maria gave me the idea to start posting recipes on the blog (maybe coz I talk a lot about food). Here's a drink that is very Indian and very easy to make. This drink is usually served during rituals when people are invited to be a part of the proceedings and is a very basic yet enjoyable drink. It's also served at stalls and some restaurants and dairies. I found a recipe for this drink on Sanjeev Kapoor's website (famous Indian celebrity chef whose cooking shows I used to enjoy during my school/college years).

Maria, I thought this could be a drink you could serve to your guests when they arrive home and relax a bit before starting to cook lunch. Or, if they arrive early, could be instantly made and served warm for them to drink as they cook or chat. Since it's winter, a warm drink would definitely be a good idea.

Badam Doodh (Saffron flavoured milk enriched with almonds and served warm)

Preparation Time : 20 mins

Ingredients
Almonds, blanched and roughly chopped 1/4 cup

(usually how they are served and are supposed to be gulped
down with milk but if it's easier to consume,
you can have them chopped or powdered finely)
Milk 4 cups
Green cardamom powder a pinch
Nutmeg powder a pinch
Honey 3-4 tablespoons
(You can use sugar as well but it's healthier to go with honey
and you can add as much as you like to make it sweet...
without the guilt)

Saffron a few strands (to sprinkle on top before serving)

Method
1. Heat milk in a thick-bottomed vessel and bring to a boil (you can use low-fat milk but the skin of cream that forms on boiling must be stirred well so it blends completely with the milk).

2. Reduce heat, add chopped almonds and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes.

3. Add green cardamom powder and nutmeg powder and continue to boil for another 2 minutes.

4. Remove from heat, add honey and stir.

5. Serve warm in individual glasses topping them off with a strand or two of saffron (Sanjeev Kapoor recommends earthenware glasses but any sort of cup or glass is fine).

Weekend's the best kind of fun

Especially when you have places to go and people to meet. New people for my hubby. We'd been asked to lunch by this aunt of mine who'd been asking us all last year and we'd been busy or they'd been swamped and we only made it this Sunday.

Friday I went to the mall, despite a high alert situation over all of the city's malls, to pick up my pre-ordered Tales of Beedle the Bard. I had to wait a half hour until the store opened; in my enthusiasm I'd walked in too early. After a brief snack at the CCD cafe, I went for a stroll in the supermarket and bought a cake mix, hakka noodles pack and a few soups for snack time. Finally picking up the book, I browsed for a moment and then headed home. All through this visit, although there were very few people around, guys in twos would spark my antennae and two characters seemed to be studying the mall's shops for some reason from one point, peering at every shop in turn. Before paranoia kicked in, I hurried off home.

On Saturday, we watched A Wednesday. What was unrealistic was the police-squad response to a bomb alert. If it had really been as efficient, we wouldnt be living with this threat of a sword hanging over our heads or rather a timed RDX explosive. Terrorists are fighting us with weapons we are well aware of and yet, we couldnt even shoot down those who were pumping bullets at innocents through AK 47 rifles - which is the weapon preferred by Z security forces who guard our ministers. Yet, the film had a final, positive note and made the point "We are resilient by force not by choice" much before the latest bomb attack exhausted the Mumbaikar's patience.

Sunday was the big lunch with family. Introductions led to the predictable small talk and looking through albums brought in by another aunt whose kids are in the States and then led to a big meal consisting of huge chicken sukka pieces and a huge biryani with raita on the side. The curd and biryani combination is famous and yesterday was even more special as my husband interacted with my aunts and uncles and was basically adored by everyone. We told stories of our South-east Asian trip and talked about living far from my old home. Different place, different people. Yet, wonderful. What made this a truly memorable visit was cajoling my cousin to strum a few tunes on his guitar and my husband to sing along with him. We finally did, to Hello and a few Metallica songs. My cousin had taken lessons and could play it really well if he wasnt too conscious of a gang of people looking on and giving it all their attention.

We had to end it early to get back before traffic delayed us on the road back home. My aunt, thoroughly impressed by my hubby, invited us to a musical evening at home that she's planning in the near future. More fun on the cards. Hubby's feeling a bit too much in the spotlight. I'm sure he can get used to stardom; he's always been a popular guy in any circle: friends or his own family or the workplace.

I'm looking forward to work that's just come in and two weddings towards the weekend. Socialising's gone up thanks to the wedding and festive season. Christmas this time promises to be busy unlike last year when we were just unwinding both during and after our honeymoon.

Solutions

Everyone's angry after the hijack situation in Bombay. There's a lot of finger pointing going on amongst the authorities all of whom failed the city that day when terrorists seemed to swarm south Bombay and hold everyone to ransom - even the ones watching the news from Wednesday till Saturday when it still seemed endless warfare. After the operations came the toll. And then came the stories of people both alive and dead. Now, come the reactions. And you dont expect it to be reasonable or rational, especially when everyone's fuming and heads of those "up there" are rolling.

Yesterday, almost the whole of Bombay gathered at the Gateway of India to hold a candlelight vigil. It was also a silent protest against governmental apathy and ineffectiveness. It was a protest against all those who let this happen and more so, against all forms of terrorism. At the same time, a debate was going on between Indian and Pakistani spokespersons, both of whom were engaged in pointing the finger at each other. The wars came up in the discussion and so did references to "facts" from a newspaper source. Pakistan is asking Indians for proof before extraditing anyone, including a gangster who is stated to know this city like the back of his hand. India came back saying that they had been sending evidence to Pakistan for quite a long time and no action was taken despite their warnings.

At such times when the world has been a witness to your inadequacies, you cannot just blame another country for your problems. The time has come to introspect and make your police and army and NSG force so strong that people will find it extremely difficult to attack you. Innocents who are both citizens and non-citizens of Bombay should not be massacred again.

The sad thing is, no one's talking about this. No politician is drawing concrete solutions or even looking at the disaster and assessing what needs to be strengthened and how they're going to do it. They have proved time and again to be ineffective and yet, they're the people who can do it. Every citizen must protest against their attitude and basic apathy towards the majority who are under constant threat. We've devised a system for navy patrol and control after the attacks but now, instead of concentrating on your forces on land, you want to hog the primetime limelight by blaming someone else for your mistakes.

That is how it looks to a lot of Indians. We definitely need investigation into all training camps that terrorists use in all the countries they have it in. But you neednt stop once your finger starts pointing at the opposite side of the table. Suggest solutions, dont put India at risk of another war once all diplomacy runs out and the situation turns hostile.