Straight from Dee's Kitchen!

I had just got home from work and I was in one of my cookie-cookie moods. Yes, the days when I find cooking therapeutic. I just love cooking. Although, I will be more human and confess that sometimes, when you're tired out of your senses, obviously cooking for yourself is a pain.

As always my mind was on a hunt for palatable quick-fix recipes. I remembered having boiled chickpea (black chana) in the morning. But, I was in no mood for a run-of-the-mill chana curry (bleeeeh!). I would give a limb for a lip smacking chaat though. Quite on the contrary, I agree. Ah, I miss mum.

Nevertheless, here is what I made!

1. Throw in the boiled chickpea, jeera, ginger-garlic paste, salt, green chillies, dhaniya powder,pinch of garam masala.

Chef's tip: Add 2 spoons of bread crumbs or rice powder for more crunchy outcome. :*

2.Heat up a non-stick pan and smear a little bit of oil on it.

3. Make small cutlets out of this chickpea dough.

4. Place them on the pan on slow heat and toss them periodically for uniform browning.

Taaa-daaaa...

Much more healthier than the usual aloo tikki and when you have it with a dash of ketchup or salsa sauce, you're guaranteed to go yummy in the tummy!

Bon Appetite!

Do away with the bitterness.. :)

My nose would twist in utter disappointment when Mom would make Karela (Bitter Gourd). Although I must agree, even back then, it would smell heavenly. But, I should be excused since children and bitterness don't really go together.

Today, I love Karela. Not the kind of love I would express by consuming it every day of my life. But, yes, I have definitely come to appreciate its taste and more so, the health conscious part of me loves its natural bitterness for its God-gifted healing powers.

Thus, today I decided to put up a simple recipe for all Karela-haters out there, just to give it a second chance. And for those who love it already, another lip smacking way to savor this

vegetable that definitely finds place in grandma's household remedies.

Here you go;

Ingredients: Bittergourd, Jeera (Cumin seeds, optional), Amchoor (Dry mango powder), Chat masala (for the tang), Vinegar/ Fresh Lemon, salt to taste.

1. Chop the bitter gourd finely. I usually skip the seeds (this is more because someone once compared them to lizard eggs and I couldn't ever get that notion out of my head).

There's no restriction to sizes, just that smaller pieces always cook faster!

2. Mix these with the Amchoor and set them off into the microwave for about 5 mins. ( Don't fret if you don't have a microwave at disposal, just skip to next step, you'll just need to give it more time on the stove).

3. Heat about 2 spoons of oil in the pan. Add Jeera and let it splutter. Toss the semi-cooked bitter-gourd into it. Add the salt, chat masala and sprinkle the vinegar / lemon juice over it. Cover it with a lid and give it a minute.

Don't forget to absorb the aroma when you remove the lid!

Relish this crunchy side-dish with your regular meal. Tell me if you still hate it.

Bon appetite!

DHIN-CHUCK- NUNCHUCK

Thrilled is an understatement of my feelings when my aerobics instructor told us today that we'd be doing Nunchucks!
Don't know what that is? Don't fret.

Nunchucks (ヌンチャク, Nunchaku^?) are a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope. Still clueless what that is (that's ok, some in my class were as well).

Peek into the images running in my head!??

Oh-W.O.W. :D
Do you have any idea how much serious damage those two little pieces of sticks can do. Brutal. .

Ok, only problem is. That's Brucelee. The Brucelee.
Here, it was just me. So, you see, watching myself in the mirror wasn't as impressive as the images my brain was creating. I agree, I have earlier trained in martial arts weapon, but any weapon, has to be learnt and mastered on its own. Besides, I never got that far with the weapons ( :( ).

The routine started in an unexpectedly hilarious manner, with an absolutely butt-clenching squat posture. :\ I have no issues with squatting as long as the entire routine is not based on it. So how this goes is, Nunchucks basics involve A-Z routines that you must practice and memorize...all this in almost squat position (although I won't say we were doing perfect squats by end of the routine, it was more like posture-attending-nature's-call). So, we began with 'A'.

After five minutes of smacking the sticks on my head, arms, back and almost breaking my frontal teeth; the routine ended. I had hurt two nails, my ribs, my arm pits ( yes, you need to lock that stupid stick under your armpit and all I could do is knock myself with it).
After about five rounds of practice, I wasn't that bad! :D Maybe, someday I might improvise a lot and be female Brucelee. No pain no gain. Ain't it?

Ain't it?

The crazy confusing emotion called Love.. :)

Love, is such a strong emotion. I read a beautiful phrase in a book, "...enough to justify one's existence". Also, at the same time its the most confusing emotion in the world. It makes you mature, caring, loving yet go bananas and act like a child, at the same time.

I was just viewing this cute advertisement on television last night about Johnson & Johnson celebrating their 100 years of cuddling and hugging. Mother and child. A relation no one else can define. The pain a mother undergoes to bear her child can only be understood by her. Yet, she awaits that pain...eagerly so.

I wonder sometimes wouldn't a mother want to punish her child for that painful experience for no fault of hers. Maybe, maybe not. The child was barely aware of it as it came kicking alive into this world. But what about all those times when a child has pee-d or poo-poo-d on her mother's expensive outfit. Or, the times it called names or spat as a mere medium of leisure, while the mother sometimes embraced, sometimes enraged would just withstand it.

Isn't that what love is about, you are so much in it that you don't even realize what is good and what's bad, its just your interpretation of love.

Do children ever realize what all has gone in from bringing them up from a uni-cellular organism to this complete human being? Not just children, it can be any living being who is loved.
Your pet, your siblings, your friends, your lover, your father, your mother, your teacher...the list is endless.
We all love them, we can't live without them, but how many of us express it out loud? They all become hygiene factors of our life...things we miss only when they go missing. How many of us hug them for no reason and plant a big wet kiss as a expression of our gratitude to their presence in our lives. (Of course, that doesn't apply to your love for your teacher :) )

Lucky are those few, who appreciate and value what they have. I hope I hug them close to me until they suffocate. Because, most of us realize it when its too late.