fish egg omelette

fish eggs-fresh
onion-1 medium size-chopped into tiny pieces
green chillies-2 to 3-chopped
grated coconut-1/2 cup
salt
oil

wash fish eggs in a bit of water,take care not to break it up.Saute onion.till golden brown,add green chillies and toss for a minute.Remove from heat and add to the fish eggs,along with grated coconut.Mash everything together till its a smooth mix.Add salt to taste.Heat a tava to high and coat with a bit of oil (use coconut oil).Press the mixture down into a dosa like state with a spoon.Turn down heat and let it cook for a while.Turn it over and cook on the other side.When both sides are slightly brown,remover from heat and serve hot.
Do not overcook the eggs.It needs to be a bit soft in the centre of the omelette

banana stem pickle

banana stem tender -cut into small bits and par boiled
garlic pods-as many as you like
green chillies-5-cut into bit size pieces
mustard-whole
ginger fresh-julienned
sugar
salt
oil
vinegar

par boil the banana stem and keep aside.Hear oil,splutter mustard,add garlic,green chillies and ginger,and toss for a minute.switch off flame.Add sugar and salt,banana stem and mix well.pour vinegar to cover mixture and bottle.

Dinners for when your lost for ideas

Because I was ill and didn't feel like eating what the cook made,the only choice was to order out to dish up something for myself.Ordering out was junked as it would be the same old stuff,I know most of the regular menus backwards and also it leaves me feeling heavy and full when all I ve had is a little bit.So the fridge was searched and what I had was some iceberg lettuce,tomato,some dried herbs,an avocado that I had forgotten about but which was only just starting to go bad.There were also come yellow and red peppers,some bacon and mushrooms.I thought that was a pretty big haul so dinner ended up being garlic bread,salad and topping.

Garlic Bread
Whole wheat bread (any bread will do if your not too bothered about health but I have this agenda against white bread)
garlic paste (I use the stuff from the bottle)
butter-(salted butter is fine)

melt butter in microwave for 30 sec and add garlic paste,blend and spread on bread and toast to a lovely brown both sides (i do this on a hot girdle)

Salad
iceberg lettuce
tomato
avocado
white wine vinegar
pepper
salt
dried herbs

shred iceberg lettuce into bits,chop tomato's into 4 or six pieces,chop avocado into bits.Toss in a big bowl with salt,pepper,vinegar and herbs and serve at once to get that crisp bite to the salad.

Topping
bacon-cut into small pieces
peppers(yellow,red,green) into squared
mushrooms-diced
Heat a saucepan to high and add bacon and stir till all the fat melts,add mushrooms and continue stirring till the water evaporates,add peppers last,with some ground black pepper and herbs.keep tossing until the peppers are a bit charred.remove from heat and top on garlic bread.To add a bit of zing I add some balsamic vinegar to bring out the flavours.For some romance add a bit of shredded cheese to the topping and eat hot.

essential appliances/utensils in kitchen

Sauce pan-small and large
rice cooker
wire whisk
wooden spoons
slotted spoons
iron girdle
some good knives
chopping board
motor and pestle
grater

Must Haves in Kitchen

cheese-as many varieties as possible
frozen peas
frozen corn
milk
butter
olive oil
soy sauce
sweet chili sauce
oyster sauce
Spices that must be stored
black pepper corns
cardamom
cinnamon sticks
mace
cumin seeds
fennel seeds
cloves
bay leaf
ginger(fresh)
garlic (fresh)
chili power
coriander power
turmeric
salt
dried herbs
stock (vegetable or meat)

breakfast

bacon rashers-as many as one wants
peppers-orange,red,yellow and green
mushrooms-around 5 to 6
zucchini-1/2
Bread-sliced
method
pre-heat oven for 5 minutes.Arrange bacon rashers on baking tray and layer with mushrooms,peppers and zucchini.drizzle with olive oil.Roast in oven for around 15 minutes until peppers are charred and the sweetness is out.
Spread layer of creme cheese on bread slices and layer the roasted ingredients on to the slices.
top with a little pepper and salt and eat like an open sandwich.

rice in under 10 minutes

fried rice with leftovers
carrots-diced
beans-diced
mushrooms-diced
any vegetable in small quantity that's not enough to make a regular side dish
bacon rashers-a couple(optional)
olive oil-1 tablespoon
egg-1
method
heat vessel (any size will do as long as its not too small)throw in bacon rashers cut into bit size pieces.stir and toss around till the fat has melted.All on high heat.Toss in the carrots,beans,mushrooms and continue to stir fry for a couple of minutes.Push the vegetables to a side and break an egg into the pan,scramble.Add a dash of thick soy sauce,a dash of oyster sauce and continue to stir.Break up the rice.(ideally use rice that's been in the fridge for a day,its easier to handle).Put rice into the mixture and lower the flame to a simmer.Fold in all the ingredients till the rice is well coated.switch off flame and drizzle with olive oil.Serve hot garnished with herbs.
No need to add salt as the sauces already have salt and it could go overboard,unless one love a salty dish

soups

Mushroom soup

button mushrooms-around 10
butter-as little as you can use
onion-1 small one
herbs-any type chopped fine
chicken stock.
salt to taste
pepper -depends on how spicy you want it.

chop the mushrooms into fine or rough pieces.Heat butter,add onions and fry till transparent,add mushrooms,salt and pepper.Saute for around 2 minutes and add chicken stock.Simmer for a while,garnish with herbs and drink away.
I don't care for cornflower but if you prefer a thick soup,add a bit of cornflower and whisk to avoid lumps and simmer for a couple of minutes more.

quicky rice

long grained rice-1 cup
chicken or beef stock-2 cups
onions-fine slices-1 large
mushrooms (optional)
cardamom,cloves,Cinnamon sticks,black pepper (crushed)
parsley/or any herb
sugar
salt
olive oil-large glug

Method.
Heat olive oil and saute onions till golden brown,add sugar to caramelise add mushrooms and cook till water from them dries up.Add crushed spices and rice and continue to fry for a minute.Add salt to taste and the stock.Cover and cook till the rice is tender but not soggy.Garnish with herbs and serve hot.

munchkins obsessions

My obsession with food started while I was very young.My first love was frozen amul butter in a piece of bread.The feeling of biting into frozen butter was sheer heaven.I modified it later to frozen salted butter in a bed of hot steamed rice and the effect was the same.
The next big discovery was mussels.Green black shells that split open when steamed.Lovely salt sea aroma wafted through my mothers kitchen and I waited patiently till it cooled.The excuse to help my mother was just that...an excuse.Half the steamed mussels went directly into my mouth.The flavour brings vivid images of crashing waves and black rocks and salty air.My mother would then add the garlic,large pods of it,along with chilli powder,turmeric and salt.Deep fried mussels tasted even better and finally what was left went into pickle.What did mussel pickle taste like a week into creation?.I never found out.We finished it even before the masalas soaked into the mussels.This was a food fit for the gods and there really was no point in keeping it.
Food keeps me going,my imagination is fired by food.Every situation,person and thing can be related to food.
If food be the music of life....play on