BANANA STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE BITES

“Behind all your stories is always your mother's story. Because hers is where yours begin.”
― Mitch Albom, For One More Day

 

 

My mother recently pointed out that she'd had two kids by my age. While I don't have any plans to push any out in the near future, this lovely list of lessons from a mother to a daughter (read it here) inspired me to put together my own list of lessons learnt for any future female progeny.
 
1. If you can't figure out why someone is doing what they are - look at what they've done in the past.

2. Learn to play a team sport.

3. Wear nice shoes and take care of your feet.

4. You don't have to be a great cook but you need to be able to: (a) fend for yourself in the kitchen if there's not takeout available, (b) feed the ones you love once in a while, and (c) have a signature dish that you do amazingly well.

5. If you can help, do it.

6. Sunscreen is for everyone.

7. If s/he is telling you someone else's secrets then be sure they'll tell yours to someone else.

8. Marriage is not the solution. You are.

9. Find a shade of lipstick that works for you and wear it when in doubt.

10. Travel. A lot. Often.

11. Carbohydrates, gluten, men, women and/or math are not the enemy.

12. If you take their money they'll take your freedom.

13. Don't stop dreaming but nobody promised you a rose garden.

14. Make mistakes, everyone does. Just be honest about them.

15. There's nothing wrong with liking nice things but try to save atleast a little of your salary every month.

16. If he left someone for you, he will leave you for someone else.

17. There are some things we do for money and some things we do for love - know which is which and that both are valuable.

18. You should be able to wear/say/do what you want but the world is unfair. Make the most of what you've got. You're better off than most.

19. Value old things. Half your story is where you came from.

20. Pick your addictions, friends and fights well.

21. Cleanse, exfoliate, condition, moisturize. That's pretty much all of it. Don't let beauty magazines tell you there's more.

22. Don't change for a man and don't expect a man to change for you.

23. You need to be able to pay for your existence by 24.

24. Massages, bath products, great food, books and live performances are always worth it.

25. Diet pills, fairness products and cheap shoes are not.

26. Don't believe everything you read.   

27. Don't believe everything you hear.

28. Don't believe everything you see.

29. You don't have to pick a signature scent.

30. Hydrate.

31. Call me if you're in trouble. Any trouble.

32. Worry about the environment.

33. You have every right to pick your job, husband, religion, politics and wardrobe. Just remember all choices come with consequences.

34. Move abroad, if you like, it's probably a better life but I'd like if you made a difference here.

35. Don't worry about making people angry.

36. Life is only ever going to get busier. Learn to make lists.  

37. Hobbies are necessary.

38. Vote.

39. Sometimes the smartest thing to do is get out.

40. When you feel overwhelmed, walk away, drink a glass of water and wash your face.

41. Your surroundings reflect who you are and who you want to be.

42. Keep a journal.

43. The curative properties of a hot bath are greater than those of alcohol.

44. If you have an option, choose handmade.

45. Do not sideline your friends for a relationship. This has never worked out for anyone.

46. Know the difference between how you look in crepe, chiffon, georgette and silk.

47. You don't have to get along with your gossipy aunt, busybody cousin or chauvinistic uncle but you have to be polite to them.

48. Mentor someone.

49. Donate. Many in our country have very little.

50. There is a middle ground between what your heart says and what your mother says. Look for it.

51. Be kind to those who work for you, children and animals.

52. Learn how to tie a sari.

53. Your boss will lie to you. It's part of the job description.

54. Everyone needs a good dentist, tailor, gynecologist, dry cleaner, financial advisor, dermatologist and mentor.

55. Firsts are overrated. This first love/job/apartment drama is a scam - some people only get it right in their 35th try and there's nothing wrong with that.  

56. "This is how things have always been," "this is not our culture," "what will people say," are not valid arguments.
 
57. Don't put up with anyone who makes you feel bad about yourself.

58. This too shall pass.

59. Be ambitious.

60. Call your friends home often.

 

About 15 – 20 bites

Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows

 

What you’ll need:

3-4 bananas

Handful of strawberries
½ cup of chocolate (melted)
¼ cup of chopped almonds/ walnuts/ shredded coconut (whatever you have on hand)

How to:

1. Chop up the bananas and strawberries into the same number of pieces and make little skewers of strawberries and bananas.

2. Put together an assembly line to avoid getting melted chocolate and nuts all over the place with the bowl of chocolate first and then the bowl of chopped nuts.

3. Dip the skewer first in the chocolate and then quickly coat the melted chocolate with the nuts/coconut. 

 

4. Sit the skewers in cupcake liners and stick them in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes.

 

 

i-PROBONO AND A NUTELLA CAPPUCCINO

“While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary.”
― Chinua Achebe, Anthills of the Savannah

 

I know a lot of corporate lawyers who are looking for a chance to help out but aren't sure where to start. i-Probono is a great way to dip your toes into the pro bono world.

"i-Probono is a non-profit online network connecting organisations in need of legal assistance with lawyers and students who want to use their legal skills for the public good. The network's global outreach enables people to engage in projects from around the world and allows organisations to source assistance across jurisdictions. This is the first website of its kind for the international pro bono community, bringing people and projects together to give organisations the support they need and volunteers the experience they want. Organisations working for the public good, such as charities, social enterprises, NGOs and advocacy groups often need help with legal matters, but legal expertise is an expensive resource that often requires pro bono assistance." (From the i-Probono website).

The process is simple, just sign up and create a profile setting out your practice areas/ areas of expertise and they'll match you up with organizations that require your services. Check out their website here (http://www.i-probono.com/).

The perfect start to any work day, pro bono or billable, is this decadent chocolate-coffee blended Nutella Cappuccino.  
 

Serves 2

Recipe adapted from Alyssa and Carla

 

What you’ll need:

2 cups of milk

3 -4 tbsp Nutella (put more in if you like)
½ tbsp espresso powder (or more if you want it stronger)

 How to:

1. Pop milk into a saucepan and let it simmer.

2. Pour milk into a blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend. Pour most of the drink into cups.  

3. Blend the remaining milk at high to froth it up and top up your mugs with the froth.

 

INCREDIBLE IDIA AND A BOWL OF PEA SOUP

 

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”

― Martin Luther King Jr.  

 

The idea of IDIA (Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access) was started by Shamnad Basheer (ex-Professor of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS)) as a movement to eliminate inequities in access to higher education. Statistics show there's a shocking dearth of diversity amongst the students clearing entrance tests for most national law universities, the IDIA team was set up to help change these statistics. Their main aim is to provide access to resources required to crack the CLAT to students from marginalized communities and regions, who wouldn't be able to get through the exam otherwise.

 

Local IDIA Chapters have been set up across the country which have started an intensive training programme for students who are interested in pursuing law as a career. IDIA also selects students for the training program through its exam called IDIA National Aptitude Test which is held every year in several centres across the country. Contact Diptoshree Basu (INAT Coordinator) at dbasu3@gmail.com to find out how you can contribute, that is through donations, volunteering or maybe even mentoring some of the students that IDIA is trying to help.

 

 

I thought an appropriate pairing for the inspiring work being done by IDIA was this nourishing but simple Pea Soup - they're both good for you and good for your soul.

 

Serves 2

 

Recipe Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

What you’ll need:

 

1 cup shelled peas

 

2 onions (sliced)

 

2.5 cups vegetable stock

Note: I usually melt Maggi cubes into hot water for this but I’ve heard they may contain MSG. Explore other brands of stock cubes to find one you like.

2 tbsp olive oil

 

1 tsp salt

 

1 lemon (juiced)

 

Red chilli powder to taste

 

Oregano/Thyme/ Rosemary/ Parsley or whatever seasoning you prefer

 

 

How to:

 

1. Pop olive oil into the container you’ll be using. Heat the oil a bit and then add the onions, stir while they soften and caramelize.

 

2. Add the peas and stir till soft. Add the stock and the rest of the ingredients (except the lemon juice) and let cook for about 15 – 20 mins.

 

3. Puree the mix and check the seasoning. Adjust as per taste.

 

4. Add a squirt or two of lemon juice and serve.  



RESTAURANT RIP OFF: BIG CHILL'S PEAR, WALNUT, BLUE CHEESE AND SUN DRIED TOMATO SALAD

If you're afraid of butter use cream.

- Julia Child

So far I've banged on and on about the value of having an outlet and the joy that having a hobby adds to our stressed, hyper extended lives. You can read about it along with a recipe for Moroccan Cauliflower and Almond Soup here. I stand by what I've said but I suppose nothing's ever that simple. Over the last two years, a lot of people have come up to me and said kind things about this silly little blog and each little pat on the back is exciting and motivates me to keep cooking, writing and posting. There's also been a lot of sarcasm and judgment that I still don't completely understand.
 
I've been accused of being anti-feminist for choosing to write about food. I've been congratulated on coming up with such a clever way of appearing eligible. Some snidely decide for me that this is a foundation an alternate career despite the fact that I've put 5 years of my sweat and tears into being a corporate lawyer. Not much sweat (we have very effective central air-conditioning in my office) but there have been instances where of sobbing into a set of board resolutions but that's another post.
 
I was initially surprised that an amateur blog with a recipe a week (at best) can generate so much negativity. There are two kinds of snarks - the first who need to believe that every effort has an elaborate concealed agenda behind it. And that the agenda is to somehow belittle them. And the other who is frightened into a reflexive state of defensive contempt at the tiniest expression of individualism.
 
I have a job and I have hobbies too. Sometimes I work very hard to get it all together. Sometimes (like this week) I get absolutely nothing done and sleep at 7:30 pm. Let's all cut each other some slack.  
 
I'm celebrating my first angry post with a recipe for this simple but AMAZING salad I always order when I go to Big Chill. When I realized I had blue cheese at home, I realized it was really easy to recreate at home!
 

 

Serves 2

Adapted from Big Chill Cafe

What you’ll need: 

Handful of Lettuce leaves (torn into shreds)

2 pears (chopped into bite size pieces)

2 -3 tbsp of blue cheese (or as much as you can handle – I put way more into my salad)
2 -3 tbsp of sundried tomatoes (sliced into slivers)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar (I used white but you can use whatever you have on hand. The darker the vinegar, the tangier and more pungent it is so if youre using apple cider vinegar or something like that you may want to try a smaller quantity first)
Salt to taste
Handful of walnuts (chopped roughly)
1 lemon (juiced)

How to:

 

1. Combine the lettuce, pears, blue cheese, tomatoes and walnuts in a salad bowl.

2. In a small bowl add the vinegar, lime juice, olive oil and salt. Mix well.

3. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, check the seasoning, adjust it if you need to and serve immediately.

SUPER HEALTHY CAULIFLOWER HUMMUS

He is no lawyer who cannot take two sides. - Charles Lamb

 

Ten Thoughts Corporate Lawyers Regularly Have

1. You did not just send me the mark up at 9:00 pm on a Friday night! &*F%^@!

2. Done with the email at 7:00 pm. I think I'll go home and send it out by 10:00 pm.

3. Maybe if I don't mark my partner on my cover up email s/he won't realize I've dropped the ball.

4. To start the email with "dear" or not? "Regards," "kind regards" or "warm regards"?

5. I wonder how may billable hours s/he racked up on that deal.

6. I took a day off last month. I wonder when is the soonest I can ask for the next day off?

7. Of course, the printer will jam when I'm trying to print on stamp paper.

8. Shit, how many days do I have left to file the Form FC-TRS/GPR.

9. When are the partners going to go home/ go on holiday/ go out for lunch?

10. One more hour till I can leave. Facebook/ instagram/ twitter/ pinterest time!

Unlike the sharp and useless thoughts of most corporate lawyers, this cauliflower hummus is crazy wholesome. Did you know cauliflowers are packed with an insane quantity of Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Manganese? The vegetable also has antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties and some studies link its consumption to cancer prevention. Unfortunately it's a particularly boring vegetable and hard to make appetizing - its bland, mushy texture plays well in this hummus recipe though. This is much easier to get together than traditional chickpea hummus and tastes (okay, fine I'll be honest, almost) as good.

Serves 4

Recipe adapted from Our Fifth House

What you’ll need:

1 head of cauliflower (steamed)

1 lemon (juiced)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp garlic paste
Red chilli powder
Salt

How to:

Throw everything into a grinder and puree. Check for seasoning and adjust as per taste.

JUST ANOTHER EXCUSE TO PARTY: PIZZA NIGHTS

There’s very little in my world that a foot massage and a thin-crust, everything-on-it pizza won’t set right. 

 - G.A. McKevett

 

I don't like pizza. It reminds me of days spent in boxy conference rooms discussing shareholders' agreements or nights when there's absolutely no other option but to order in. When I moved to Delhi I was shocked to realize so many people close to me, including my brother and father, love that ridiculous flat bread with cheese on top. Since they do I started experimenting with pizzas at home and found that if you're not making the crust yourself this is possibly the EASIEST food to put together at home. Also the easiest to jazz up.  

What you'll need:

Pizza bases (whole wheat if you want to make the healthier choice)

Sauces

1. Pesto (I used store bought) -  you can try the Basil Pesto by Wingreen:

2. Tomato -

2 tomatoes (chopped)
1 pack tomato puree
2 -3 tbsp garlic (as much as you like)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 -3 tbsp Oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings

Be as creative as you like but here are a few options for inspiration -

Mushrooms/ Potatoes/ Capsicum/ Pineapple/ Spinach
Bocconcini/ Cheese (any kind that suits your fancy)
Pepperoni/ Bacon/ Sausage
Basil/ Parsley/ Oregano
Eggs

If you feel like, put together different themes like Thai, French, Indian by using different ingredients.

How to:

1. For the tomato sauce, sauté the garlic in the olive oil till it browns. Add the tomato chunks and tomato puree and stir for 2 -3 minutes. Add the seasonings. Taste and adjust to suit your taste.

 2. Spread the pesto/ tomato sauce on the pizza bases, anoint with toppings of your choice. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

3. If you're making multiple pizzas prep 3 - 4 at one go and pop them into the oven one after the other so you have one coming out every 20 minutes. Don't bake them all at one go in advance because the pizza will get soggy if you don't serve it immediately.

4. If using an egg, make a little wreath with the other toppings to keep the white in and then break the egg in the circle.

5.  Don't be shy with the cheese! The more you use the better it will be!

6. Don't sprinkle dry herbs on top of the pizza, if you're using dried oregano or parsley then mix it in the ingredients. Dry herbs will burn in the oven. If you're planning to make more than a couple of pizzas or are calling company over then it'll be worth it to buy fresh basil and oregano.
 
7. If you're using fresh Parsley it isn't to be baked like the basil/ oregano leaves. Use it as a garnish once you have the pizza out of the oven.

8. While you can use any cheese you like, drier, harder cheeses tend to have very high melting points, that is, you might not end up with that "dripping cheese" experience you'd like if you're using them on your pizza. If you want that texture, mix a dry/ hard cheese with a softer one.

 

THE GOOD PEOPLE AT GOONJ AND MEXICAN MOCHA CRINKLE COOKIES

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”
― Anne Frank, diary of Anne Frank

 

I think we all want to do good. I believe most people would like to leave the world a better place than they found it. Sometimes this life we're trying to better gets in the way of our efforts at improvement. Our good intentions can get buried under smaller but more numerous daily distractions. Unfortunately the world we live in makes ordering pajamas from a different country easier than helping the one we live in. Thankfully, people like the ones behind Goonj can inspire and remind us to do better.

Instead of throwing out your old stuff check out the Goonj website for the donations they accept and considering passing these things on to the people who need it more. They do excellent work reusing old clothes through their donation and Cloth For Work programs. They're also working to collect relief material for those struck by floods in Assam, Bihar and West Bengal and trying to forge long term strategic relationships between well off urban schools and rural schools. You can read more about their exceptional work at their website (http://goonj.org/).

Whether you just want to donate some things or some money, do reach out to this outstanding organization to see how you can help. One of the easiest but most effective things to do is organize a clothes drive to collect old clothes from our friends and acquaintances - me and my friend have tried this with enormous success.

Remind yourself of how much good we can all do if we put our minds to it and bake yourself these celebratory cookies once you're done. They're lovely, crunchy, sticky, spicy and chocolatey all at the same time and very, very easy to make.

 

Makes about 20 fat cookies

Recipe adapted from A Spicy Perspective

What you’ll need:

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
1 ¼ granulated sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp instant coffee granules
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla essence
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 pinch red chilli powder

How to:

1. Whisk together the cocoa, granulated sugar, coffee, cinnamon, red chilli powder, baking powder and salt. Add the oil and mix together.

2. Add the vanilla and eggs - beating the batter till smooth. Refrigerate for an hour or 2 to firm up the batter.

3. Preheat the oven to about 170°C. Pull out 1 or 1 ½ inch balls of the batter, roll into balls and then roll the balls in a plate of powdered sugar.

Note: This rolling into balls business is not going to be as easy as it seems. This is the problem with most recipes. People just write stuff like “roll into cookies and bake” like it’s simple without telling you that this is going to be a fudgy mess that refuses to hold any kind of shape and destroys your manicure. So the best way to go about it will be to flour your hands lightly, use a spoon to scoop out the quantity you want (a heaping teaspoon is about right) and to use your fingers to scrape the batter off the teaspoon and into the powdered sugar. At this point use the sugar to give you traction and roll the dough into a ball.

4. Plonk on a greased baking tray and bake for 10 mins. Let the cookies cool completely before trying to scrape them off or eat them.

WORLD'S EASIEST COLD SOUP

“God, it was hot! Forget about frying an egg on the sidewalk; this kind of heat would fry an egg inside the chicken.”
― Rachel Caine
 

I put this recipe together last year in July and kind of forgot about it. It's 42 degrees in Delhi today and everything I've written below is ringing true again so I think this is the right time to start talking about cold soups:
 

You may have noticed there haven't been many recipes up of late. I could give you a lot of reasonable answers - work's been hectic, a lot of old friends are in town this summer, I suck at time management. All these are true but none of them are really why I've been keeping away from the kitchen.

It's the weather.

I've never thought about the weather as much as I do in Delhi. Every season seems to be competing to debilitate you. Now that the scorching, dry heat of summer seems to have faded I'm drowning in what feels like 100% humidity. My hair has taken to doing a fantastic Lion King impression and even a couple of minutes out in the sauna that is this city leaves me crying for air conditioning. Or a de-humidifier. None of this is conducive to toiling before a stove. So here's a recipe that doesn't need you to.

Lovely, cool, minty cucumber soup that you can drink by the gallon in this icky. sticky heat.

 

Serves 2

Adapted from the NYTimes

 

What you’ll need:

1 large cucumber (peeled and cut into chunks)

1 cup yoghurt
Handful of mint leaves (stripped off the stalk)
Black pepper to taste
Juice from 1 lime lemon

How to:

1. Throw everything into a mixer and mix till it’s a paste. Add water or milk if you want the mix to be more watery.

2. If you want it really smooth you can pass the soup through a sieve but I really like the texture of the little bits of mint.

3. Chill and serve garnished with mint leaves.

  

So I was looking through my notes and saw that I've done a cucumber soup before (and forgotten all about it). If you want a variation of this soup or just want to laugh at one of the first posts I put up on this blog, you can take a look here. I don't know whether to laugh or cry, it's ridden with typos and frankly just embarrassing but I guess there's a little bit of pride on how far this blog has come. Maybe next year I'll get to be embarrassed by this post.

DEVILS ON HORSEBACK

"Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon." Doug Larson

 

2014 is going to have to be a year of paring down. Not so much because I'm evolving to be less materialistic but because I realize the amount I've saved after 4 years of working is embarrassingly small. I have somehow managed to spend most of the last 4 years in a cubicle and all I have to show for it is a lot of mismatched junk jewelry and a vitamin D deficiency.

 

Since turning 27 without owning a single, saleable asset is absolutely shameful I'm going to try to mend my ways and be more frugal. This process will be difficult because I'm prone to be over the top with everything I'm involved in. I tend to get carried away. It's a personality type.

 

But from 2014 restraint and simplicity are going to be my watch words. I'm starting early with this incredible classic appetizer. I love the name, the perfect opposite of flavor profiles - sharply, salty bacon with sweet, rich prunes and the fact that you only need 2 ingredients. I dare you to eat just one.  

 

Serves 3

Adapted from Martha Stewart

 

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

8 slices bacon

8 prunes

HOW TO:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Wrap the prunes with a strip of bacon. Secure with toothpick.

 

 

3. Dunk on to a baking tray and stick in the oven for 15 mins.

 

4. Flip it in the middle so the bacon cooks evenly.

RITU DALMIA'S CARROT CAKE

"Patience is the secret to good food."

Gail Simmons

 

If the world seems too noisy, if there are too many people asking too much me, if things just aren't going my way, I retreat to stationery and art supply stores. They're usually quiet places and the staff know not to be pushy. How much can you push water colors anyway? There isn't any of that annoying "Madam, try new style from Faber Castell - we have one plus one offer" nonsense. Filled with thousands of tiny implements designed to feed your creativity, help you make things from scratch, or make things more beautiful - only good things come out of art stores. Hundreds and thousands of brightly colored, good things filled with potential, waiting for you to make them your own so you can make something wonderful.

 

Wonderful things come out of your kitchen also, like this unvarnished, plain but pretty carrot cake - gorgeous ochre sponge filled with soft, wholesome carrot-y goodness with a playful sprinkle of confectioner's sugar.

 

This cake recipe from Ritu Dalmia's Travelling Diva is superb, and this is restaurant quality cake. I've reduced the sugar though and upped the cinnamon. Add nutmeg also if you like. Or chocolate chips. Or cream cheese frosting. Dress it up anyway you like but it's pretty spectacular just the way it is.

 

I poured the batter into mini-bundt pans and filled the gap in the middle with raisins to make a little carrot cake nest.

 

Serves 6

Recipe adapted from Ritu Dalmia's Travelling Diva

 

What you’ll need:

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

¼ cup cooking oil

2 eggs

1 ¼ cup flour

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp cinnamon powder

1 cup grated carrots

¼ cup chopped raisins

¼ cup chopped almonds/walnuts

2 -3 tbsp milk

How to:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Beat the butter, sugar and oil together till well mixed. Add eggs one at a time and keep mixing.

3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add to the butter mixture and mix.

4. Add the carrots, raisins, nuts and milk and mix fold together. When well mixed pour into a greased tin.

5. Bake till the cake passes the toothpick test. Should be about 30 minutes. Serve warm with a sprinkling of icing sugar.