Farm Fresh Tomatoes

Some photographs taken at the farmer's market at foggy bottom earlier this year.

 

Egg Curry

An easy curry you can cook in 15 minutes.

Ingredients
 

Boiled eggs

1 onion 

1 tomato

2 small Thai green chillies (optional)
A few pinches of turmeric powder 

Half a spoon of ginger and garlic paste 

Few table spoons of marinara sauce 

Cayenne pepper powder for spice 

Few dollops of coconut milk

Salt to taste

Cilantro to garnish
 

Procedure
 

Take a medium sized pot, fill water until, bring to a rolling boil, add 3-4 eggs and let to cook. 

Heat a medium sized sauce pan, add a table spoon of oil (I prefer sunflower oil for all curries, but you can use canola or olive oil.)
 

Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent, add and sauté the ginger and garlic paste until it smells fragrant and not raw. Add and sauté slit Thai green chillies, I like the heat and these chillies adds an extra thick to this curry, but this is optional if you don't think you can handle the spice, please exclude this from the recipe.

Add chopped tomatoes and sauté for a few minutes, pour few table spoons of marinara sauce of your choice, I usually pick the garlicky one from whole foods (the reason I use marinara along with fresh tomatoes is it gives a good consistency to the curry, and it is effortlessly great for a quick curry recipe.)

 

When the mixture is simmering, peel the shells off the boiled eggs and keep it ready.
 

Season the curry with a pinch of  turmeric powder (for color) and cayenne pepper (for spice) adjust the amount of cayenne according to your spice tolerance. Finally add the boiled eggs and coconut milk.  

The coconut milk can subdue the heat from cayenne, keep checking for salt and spice and adjust accordingly and let it simmer for a few minutes until you get the consistency of your choice ( I prefer my egg curry slightly thick.) 

When the curry is ready, remove from stove top, add chopped cilantro leaves, and serve with cooked rice or bread of your choice!

Egg Curry in 15 minutes.  

Hello again!

I have been on a long hiatus, but now that I am officially done with school, I am planning to break the hiatus and begin food blogging again! I have lots of recipes, photographs and adventures to share. Living in DC is like a beautiful dream, it's a quaint, idyllic and, scenic (if you travel away from the city traffic that is) I am thankful that I have the opportunity to live, study and work in DC... but I have to admit here that it leaves a massive dent on your savings account. Rent alone costs an arm and leg, and if you can pay rent and still afford food you have everything my friend.

One of the best ways to mitigate the expense of living in DC is to cook your meals and cut down the cost of eating out  regularly. Now, I know it will be tough to balance school, work/internships and  come home and cook dinner, the trick is to go the simple route and stick to minimalistic recipes. I personally like recipes that don't need a new list of ingredients but that can be prepared with the things you can find in your pantry. Don't waste your life's savings on groceries, stock up on seasonal produce, spices, and other basics. Even if the only grocery stores found near your are Whole foods and Trader Joes, you can shop smart without going broke. Look for locally sourced seasonal produce to help you cut down your grocery bill. I never miss an opportunity to visit farmer's markets whenever I can, I personally like the one at foggy bottom, it's the closest one to me. I will create a separate post about  farmers market and share pictures as well :) I will also share some new tips and tricks I learned over the past 2 years and much requested India vegan and vegetarian recipes. For now,  Adios Amigos! :) I will see you soon with new post, meanwhile feel free to comment and share what new or classic recipes you would like to see in the blog! Happy weekend!

This thanksgiving season please don't be that person

1. Who eats super-extra crunchy snacks and speaks loud on your mobile phone in the silent section  of the library, please be considerate of your fellow students cramming for their finals.

2. Who uses sarcasm and painful dark humour as a defence mechanism/when bored/to cope. We get it life is pretty rough... for everyone, so always be kinder than necessary.

3. Who is ill with a super contagious  flu but will take pride in sneezing on the fellow passengers on the metro/flight/bus. :(

4. Who cuts in front of a very long line (at grocery store, airport, metro) at the end of a really long day,  everyone there would have had a long day, just like you.

5. Who loves to hate other cultures, ideologies, personal preferences, just because you don't understand\appreciate something it doesn't mean you have to hate it.

6. Who gives unsolicited advice on really personal topics such as marriage and motherhood to someone who is single and still in school, or academic and career advice to moms on hiatus :-/ Now, that's just mean. Everyone has a different purpose and calling in life that might not align with yours.

7. Who always shares more criticism than compliments, but when you do compliment mean it with all your heart or don't say anything.

8. Who is fanatic about something - anything that would cause pain and distress to fellow human beings. Exhale only love!

9. Who shares hate messages, insensitive jokes and trolls the internet for arguments - 'think before u post' is the new 'think before you talk', your digital footprint is permanent, leave a lasting good impression.

10. Who sends random game requests, event invites, spam-like mail and signature petitions- *hint* if I live 5000 miles away from you chances are I would not be able to make it to you cat's birthday bash! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

RIP Chef Jacob

This is very disheartening, one of my favorite chefs and TV hosts Chef Jacob passed away last week due to cardiac arrest. A talented chef and avid food historian, he holds a world record for doing the longest barbeque, making 485 different types of Indian kababs in 24 hours.

Chef Jacob

My mom and I used to love watching his cookery show "Aaha Enna Rusi" every Saturday, you can find him cooking some amazing authentic food in the most unusual locations, once he was seated on top of cliff and another time in the middle of water fall, on top of a tree, and most usually in the middle of a field. Besides exploring the terrain and doing some out door cooking, he used to keep the audience engaged with his sense of humor.

In the second half of the show, he had about half dozen kids who he used to teach how to cook by giving them each their own counter and ingredients and demonstrating with a simple a step by step procedure. I loved this part of the show the most.

I pray God gives strength to his grieving family and friends, he will be fondly missed by thousands of his fans and food lovers.

RIP Chef Jacob,  I highly doubt if South India will ever get a food historian and an amazing chef half as good as you.

Post Script:  I have been on a hiatus for about few months now, moving to a new country, going back to Grad school, breaking my leg (literally) and limping around on crutches for about 2 months, I never got the opportunity to post anything but this news moved me so much I just had share my thoughts. 

Images Courtesy
Crimson Chakra http://www.crimsonchakra.in/page/crimson-chakra---chef-jacob