Long week end...

So the long weekend (4 days) is over and I haven't stepped out of the house...save one trip to Tescos as I ran out of food...

Yes, I'm quite capable of shutting myself in my house with nothing but books and food for company, if I don't see a soul for a month I wouldn't complain... not a chance...

Its not to say that I don't like getting out at all, I'm an avid traveler, and love to explore but I love my solitude even more and for a long time I've looked forward to spending time with only I, me and myself for company.

I did want to see atleast a couple of plays but thanks to the tumble in the tub as I like to call it now, I had to stay at home on Saturday and everything was closed on Easter Sunday and today I couldn't be bothered to step out...

The little voice in my head that nags the life out of me on normal days, went into overdrive from Friday itself... it wanted me to get up at 5.30 in the morning and go for a run... then it wanted me to go shopping... then it wanted me to go watch a play .... then it wanted me to cook...I mean do something... anything other than this shutting myself away from other humans and cozy up with a book... and I kept fighting and as it always happens with me and even though I really enjoyed the time I spent shacked up with books, one part of me was guitly... my mind kept bothering me that I should be out there... meeting new people and making friends...

I try to reason I don't want to meet new people, I don't enjoy putting myself out there, I'm quite content with my life the way it is.... with not even a cat to complicate matters.... so as a peace offering I've decided to take up a hobby, I've decided that every day starting today, I will cook a dish, something that I haven't made in a long time from scratch.... that will put my conscience off my back for a bit... hopefully...

Weekly roundup

Its been a crazy week where my colleague has already started match-making for me and I've managed to lock myself in the office bldg. at 9 in the night with the bank holiday weekend staring me in the face, then I fell in the tub and got this humongous bump on my right leg and shocked my new office colleagues when they found out how ancient I really way....

 

Lets start in chronological order, A new joiner in another team was being introduced to my team and some how that topic that I have been with my India company for 8 years before I moved here came up... I thought I heard a sound like someone gagging and I put it down to my overactive imagination.

 

No sooner had the others left than L pounced on me and was like '8 years!!! you serious, you been working that long???, I don't even remember what I was doing 8 years ago, must have been an university, I think"

 

I told yes I had 8 years with the India subsidiary and a few more before that in other set-up and then I told her how old I was and she almost faints... 'D, I'm in shock, you with your baby face, and baby voice, I thought you were in your early twenties ...late twenties at the max, wow, you maintain yourself very well, I hope I look so well when I'm your age'

 

Then L goes on a tangent,

 

'D, how is it that you are still single, its not right, is that why you are running away from India???...

Do you have a boyfriend, do you want a boyfriend??'

 

and I calmly look at her and say, 'I like my life the way it is, uncomplicated, and btw, I'm not gay, but why do you ask,  someone you know wants the job of my boyfriend??'

 

Shamefaced she goes, 'I don't know why I asked you that ??, but I'm positive you will meet someone, you know, when you go for your opera'.

 

My love for the musicals and plays is well known so I go, 'We shall see'.

 

This long weekend I planned to watch a few plays, but as luck would have it as I was stepping out of tub this morning after my shower, I slipped and fell with a sickening thud, banging my right leg on the edge of the tub.

 

I felt the pain and staggered to the living room, a look at my leg confirmed that I had hurt my leg real bad as big bump was already in place where I hit my leg and just looking it made me feel faint. I collapsed on the floor for a few minutes and then gingerly got up and shifted my weight on each leg to check whether it was as bad as it looked. Thankfully it was only a bump and there seemed to be no other repercussions, I thanked God, that it was my leg that was hurt and not hand or worse my head.

 

But the pain put paid to any plans I had for going out and I had to be content with sitting at home reading a book, not that I feel sorry, I enjoyed every moment :)

 

Next I have to tell you about how I managed to lock myself in office on Thursday night. I was working late as it was the monthend and next week we would have more responsibilities and were working with one staff on leave. Sometime after the last of my colleagues left, the maintenance guy walked in to check that all was well. When he tried to go out, the door wouldn't open for him and he asked me to please let him out. I did that and conveniently forgot to re-swipe myself in, as a result when it was time for me to leave, that door wouldn't budge. I began to panic as I sit on the 8th floor with the only security in the office on the ground floor and I didn't know the emergency numbers to contact any of them!!!

 

My mind was in total panic mode and at last I remembered I could call DJ, hopefully he could help me out. Accordingly I put through a call to him and told him my predicament and he burst out into laughter. 'Sorry D, I know I shouldn't laugh, but you sure you don't want to live in office, sure you haven't got a sleeping bag, stashed somewhere under you desk'

 

He always chided me about the time I put in at office, and I wasn't at all surprised at the reception. Finally he went off the phone promising to call me back in a few minutes when he had sorted this mess. At that time I had a brain wave, when I had my security induction a few weeks ago, they gave me a pamphlet with all emergency contact numbers'. A quick glance through the list and I had the number I was looking for and within 5 minutes I was outside the building, breathing the cold but welcome London air...

My reputation is dented...

My friend returns to India tomorrow and in true blue Indian style decided to pack up all the left over cooking ingredients and pass them on to me. She knows I'm crazy about cooking and every bit of it will be used up, so she was leaving it in good hands so to speak.

 

But the bag she used to pack these bits and pieces have made me something of a sensation at office... to be honest people barely know me, what with me being here only two weeks... but after today no doubt I'll be known as the playboy bunny...

 

My friend the crazy woman, decided that the only good bags she had were the ones from the Playboy store and packed the stuff in not one but two Playboy store bags and delivered it to my office .... and I had to bring it to the floor and endure some of the weirdest looks of my life...

 

Thankfully just last week I had transported my shoes to office in a large Dmart bag... yes, I wear flats while travelling and change to my beloved three plus inch heels the minute I arrive at office... I keep three pairs in my drawer, so at any given time I have a range of shoes to choose from ...but I digress... so thankfully I had a large bag where I could banish the offending playboy store bags and breathe easy.

Starting off a brand new way...

Ok, lets start from the beginning shall we...  Last year this time I was so fed up with my life in general that I decided that something had to change... call it mid-life crisis if you will but I decided enough is enough... and to bring about the change I took the easiest way out... I quit my job ... my reasoning at the time, if you don't do it, one of these days you will be found dead at your desk... the fact that my parents decided to move cities too... just gave me the necessary push....

 

Also at that particular point in time, if someone told me that its all going to be OK, next year this time you will be sitting in London (incidentally, my favorite city) after having landed your dream job, I would have laughed in his face...

 

But I quit, spent the next few months travelling and when my bank balance was finally in the red I started looking for another job ... and out of the blue this London opportunity came up... after that it was a whirlwind of activity, as they say, before I knew it I was in London... fairytales do come true and here I'm sitting in my apartment by the river...watching the beautiful London skyline... listening to the sounds of the city as life goes on ...

 

I've been in the city for two weeks and other that a few trips to the theatre and a trip to the Cotswolds, I have made no new friends... but no regrets on that count... everything happens for the best, and now that I've all this time to myself, I can finally figure out what I really want...

After reading e-book after e-book, something stirred inside me today...a small voice said... why don't you blog again, its been years since you actively wrote anything... meaningful or otherwise... don't you remember... its what made you feel funny and creative and last but not the least gave you happiness and peace of mind...

They say to write/ blog is good as it help you heal and move on with your life... not that I need much moving on ... don't get me wrong... I'm living my dream ...
 

Now that I've started blogging again I intend to write regularly, hopefully a post every day...we shall see!

Pineapple Menaskai

This is a South Indian recipe, slightly sweet and is served as a side dish with rice and vegetable curry. It usually calls for freshly roasted and ground spices, but I substituted whole spices with powdered spices which I quickly roasted. This worked for me as all the spice powders I used were home made and we roast the spices before powdering. The only one I needed to work on was the fenugreek seeds.

4 slices of pineapple (I used the tinned variety)
8-9 fenugreek seeds (roasted and powdered)
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 inch piece of jaggery (crushed)
1 tsp sugar
Water
 For Tempering:
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Curry leaves
Oil

Method:

1) In a small pan, mix the coriander powder, chilly powder and cumin powder and lightly roast it.
2) Chop the pineapple slices into small pieces.
3) Boil the pineapple pieces with a little water, ensure not to over cook.
4) Now add all the powders (cumin, coriander, fenugreek seeds and chilly), mix well and cook for a while.
5) Add the jaggery and sugar and keep stirring.
6) In a seperate pan, heat a little oil and add mustard seeds.
7) Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Fry for a bit and then pour over the pineapple pieces.
8) Serve hot or cold, tastes good both ways.

Tomato and Carrot Bisque

This is my version of bisque and at the risk of falling into the blow-my-own-trumpet category, I'll state that it tastes superb... hand on heart its tasted amazing for the few ingredients that went into it!!!

This is a low fat vegetarian version (I've eliminated cream) and all the ingredients, spices and herbs are easily found in an Indian kitchen!!!

The end result is an aromatic soup, that is both nutritious and perfect for a rainy or cold winter day, when all you want to do is sit at home ...read a book and eat a cup of wonderful soup!!!

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Ripe Tomatoes (diced)
200 gms Carrots (diced)
2 cloves of garlic (peeled and roughy chopped)
1 small Onion (peeled and roughly chopped)
Black Pepper (Powdered)... I like the flavor so tend to use it liberally
A handful of Coriander leaves and stem (roughly chopped)
2 heaped tsps of Rice Powder
1/2 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
4-5 cups of water
Oil

Method:

1) In a large pan heat the oil and add the onion and garlic.
2) As the onion starts to soften and brown a bit, add the carrot pieces and salt.
3) While the carrot is cooking we start adding the pepper powder
4) The carrot will cook in about 5-10 mins, at this point add the tomatoes and 2 cups of water
5) Another 10 mins of cooking and the tomatoes will soften
6) Add the Rice powder and mix well.
7) Keep cooking till the tomatoes are completely mushy.
8) Add the chopped coriander and sugar and mix well.
9) Cool and pass through a blender. Ensure that the whole lot from the pan is blitzed (including the burnt bits if any that are stuck to the pan, this helps amplify the flavor. I normally use the same pan for cooking the bisque, so this also helps ready the pan for when the mush is blitzed).
10) Return the paste to the pan and add more water.
11) Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.
12) Bisque is ready to be enjoyed as it is or with a toasted cheese sandwich :)

Sweet Chutney

15-20 Boiled Dates,
1/2 cup Tamrind Pulp
1/2 cup Jaggery
1 tsp Chilly Powder
1 tsp roasted and powdered Cumin Seeds
1/4 tsp Black Salt
Salt to Taste

1) Grind the dates to a pulp
2) Add the tamrind pulp and jaggery
3) Bring this mix to a boil
4) Add the chilly powder, cumin seeds, salt and black salt.
5) Keep boiling till it thickens
6) Cool
7) Sweet Chutney is ready for use