Truth Personified

It feels like a century since I last visited and I’m back to make up for all the lost time. Of late, I’ve been crushing on Boba… The chewy little sweet balls soaking at the bottom of a refreshing cold milk tea really bring add a twist to the concept of tea. For someone like me, who is a recovering chai addict, when I say chai I mean the heavy Indian adrak and elaichi chai. Boba was almost like adding a whole new dimension to the concept of tea. Drinking cold tea without actually dipping biscuits in it was so completely alien. So after having a ton of that from the local truck I decided it was time to make some at home.I’ve had Boba at 3 different places and the best yet was at the LA County fair.

I looked up on Amazon for some good Boba but then found out that there is a store really close by where I could get some really good quality Boba for a lot cheaper! Here, I’m sharing the recipe I made while really trying to match the taste from memory. I also learned some valuable lessons about storing these cute little chewy honey soaked balls.

This is great for a hot summer day or these even hotter fall days. Make all the ingredients in advance and welcome guests with a glass and you are sure to be remembered!

So let’s get right into it:

You will need:

1) Time to make the Boba - About 60 minutes in total

2) Jumbo Tapioca pearls - 1/2 cup

3) Filtered water to boil the Boba - 4 Cups

4) Black tea(Skip the black tea if you are using Almond milk)

5) 1 Cup water for the tea

6) Milk - Whole/fatfree milk (Whatever you like). You can even substitute it with Soy/Almond milk to make it Vegan

7) Honey - 1 Tbsp (Use sugar syrup to make it Vegan. You can also use a mix of the two for a slightly different taste.)

8) Ice cubes

That’s about it.

How to go about it:

• Bring the water to boil and add the tapioca pearls
• Boil for about 2-3 minutes till the pearls rise to the surface
• Reduce the heat to a low and let cook for about 25-30 minutes. makse sure to stir every few minutes.
• After cooking for about 30 minutes, turn off heat and cover and let rest for about another 30 minutes.
• Strain and wash under cold running water. Transfer to another bowl.
• Add the honey to the boba and let soak for about 15 minutes.
• Boil 1 cup water and add the black tea to it and let soak for about 10 minutes. Strain and let cool.
• In a glass add the tea decoction and the milk to it.
• Add the soaked boba and the ice and enjoy.

Tips:

> Start the Boba and the tea making at the same time so it gives the tea to cool down a bit.

> The boba is going to harden even if you leave it out so I cant stress enough on the making ‘just enough’ part.

> Make just enough so you don’t have to end up storing it in the fridge. But if you must, you can reheat and use at a later point in time. I did not however enjoy the texture as much as I did the fresh boba.

> Add more sugar/honey if you need to.

> The boba are delicate little beings before you cook them so be gentle, stir gently during the prep process.

> Add a bit of vanilla to the boba to for a twist to the taste

> Last but not least, please have it in moderation.

The sugar syrup soaked boba are actually nice to eat as a dessert.

I didn’t get the jumbo straws but you can get them online.

Places I took help from:

• thekitchn
• foodyear
• econerdfood

Voila our homemade Ganesha this year.

It’s that time of the year, when I put on my ‘artist’ cap and have some fun. Honestly, this is something I started in 2010 right after I got married, for no particular reason but to be able to create something from clay. Earlier I was hooked to Tanjore painting and was frustrated because of the lack of materials out here. More on that later.

Toying with the idea, I got myself some clay from Michael’s and well a lot of other stuff that wasn’t really part of the original plan(you know how one can get lost at Michael’s). I played with it, watched a video on you-tube and made the first one. It was simplistic(still is) and the end result made me immensely happy. I got a lot of compliments(read facebook comments) and some emails asking me for the procedure I followed. I want to thank you for that encouragement. Although it was as crude and rough as it was, it made me happy to see that people appreciated it.

I remember the first time, trying to make the left ear look like the right one and wondering if I’d ever be able to get it. On that note I still can’t get both ears to look alike.

The year after that, (R)oomie insisted that I make one. That year I didn’t have the right colors and I was slightly disappointed with the end result but I decided to not try to change too much. After all an elephant IS grey in color! And blue doesn’t necessarily mean jeans.

So well this year I created Ganesha from memory, no videos, no references, nothing. I used 2 boxes of clay instead of one so that I didn’t need to restrict myself.Maybe next year I will use 3 or 4 or more. Oh, the possibilities!

Happy Ganesh Chathurthi in advance peepal! Have a safe and peaceful year. Keeping near and dear ones in my prayers for now.

P.S: More on this festival on or after 19th Sep!

My first experience with Sushi wasn’t the best. And I’m talking vegetarian sushi here. It was from what they call the Mc Donalds for Sushi (Sushiboy) and we couldn’t stand the smell! Recently when I was out I decided to go ahead and try the vegetarian sushi at A CA SHI sushi. I had even watched a video on Chow.com on how to eat sushi the right way.

So all prepped up I ordered the egg sushi and the vegetarian sushi rolls. I fell in love with the seaweed salad sushi and the pickled radish and lotus root ones. The avacado, broccoli and asparagus I could easily skip. I didn’t see one with tofu but the idea struck me only later.

The egg sushi is more on the sweeter side but i really liked it! Especially the way he presented it. He was also making other orders, I was pleased that my order did not have any other smell and he made sure that he washed his hands after each order. It was amazing to see how quiet he was while making it all.

I also tried the vegetarian sushi rolls which had a mix of all the toppings I had. I realized later that I shouldnt have. I also had sake and for the first time had it warm. Again from my past experiences, I’d say warm is the way to go! I guess it depends on the type of sake you have but I definitely enjoyed it warm.

It’s also been a long weekend and some fun times. Celebrated (R)oomie’s birthday and our cake size reduced drastically this time and it was also not home made which makes me wonder where my baking days are headed. Huppy Buday ol (R)oomie! Kanpai to more fun times ahead!!!

⇧ taken at noodles and company enroute to a Haunted house. That story is for another day though.

I’ll cut to the chase this time and give you the recipe right away and you can decide if you want to hang around a lil bit longer.

Pesto Pasta with Veggie dogs

Boiled and drained pasta of your choice 2 Cups
Basil Pesto - 1 Cup (Directions below)
Veggie Dog - 1 (Directions below)

For the Pasta:
It’s good to keep a close eye on the pasta to make sure they don’t get overcooked. Once cooked drain the pasta and run it through cold water to retain it’s firmness.

Basil Pesto:

Fresh basil - 2 loose cups
Pine Nuts - 1 Cup
Parmigiano-Reggiano - Freshly grated - 1/4 cup
Olive oil - 1/2 Cup
Lime juice - 2 Tbsp
Pink Salt - to taste

We got a box of fresh basil from Wholefoods just the other evening and the aroma was tantalizing and calling out to me. I don’t have very many recipes to make with Basil - pizza and pesto are the most likely choices I’d make - observe how much i lean towards Italian cuisine. It must have something to do with my previous life.

Run the leaves through cold water and separate the leaves from the stem and discard the thick stems.
Heat a non stick pan and dry roast the pine nuts making sure they brown slightly and evenly. Pine nuts are expensive so yea don’t let it go to waste.
Btw we discovered pink salt about a month ago and I’ve been using it in a lot of salads this time around I decided to experiment it in the pesto. You are free to use regular salt.
In a blender combine the all the ingredients and blend to a consistency of your choice. Your pesto is ready!

Veggie Dog:

Olive oil - 1 Tsp
Veggie dogs - sliced about 5 mm thick (Thats probably too much detail :D, i meant slice so that it holds not too thin and not too thick)
Low sodium soy sauce - 1 Tsp

Heat some oil in the skillet and add the veggie dog slices. Brown evenly on both sides for about 2 min. Add the soy sauce and let cook on both side for about 2 minutes. Turn off heat.
**I went slow on soy sauce since the veggie dogs had salt content already.

Bringing it all together:

Add the pesto to the boiled pasta and garnish with the sauteed veggie dog slices.
Enjoy!

PS:

The (R)oomie and I are hooked ever since I got home these smart veggie dogs. These are treats that are high in protein content, are vegetarian AND taste delish at the same time. All it needs is a few minutes of saute on your favourite cast iron skillet, or a few minutes baking time wrapped in an american biscuit.
What ever you choose I can promise you that your taste buds are going to be happy. Now from some feedback I received on my previous post, I realized that a lot of vegetarians do not enjoy soy based products. I still cannot eat soy chunks and do not enjoy the taste. But the (R)oomie loves it and so I end up making it or eating it more often than I’d like to.

Disclaimer:

I am not being paid for any of the products I put up on my blog. It’s my personal opinion and I respect that your opinion might be very different.

This post is in continuation with my earlier post on food from different restaurants that I seem to visit pretty frequently these days!

A very interesting albeit salt free Vegetable Florentine at Four n 20. A place I pass by every day for the last 6 months and I haven’t ever noticed. That’s not really new to me. I hardly observe things around me when I travel. Having a very short term memory doesn’t help either.

A boysenberry pie. The reason why we went to Four n 20 in the first place was that I had NEVER had a pie till then. I’ve seen them in stores but never dared or cared to order one. I seen and read tons of recipes but again never dared to try one out. Having finally tried this out I now know the texture of the pie crust and could probably muster the courage to make one meself.

Its a friday tradition to stop by at Gelsons and I picked this one up. This was my lunch - and nothing else. Pretty good and I’d say have it cold!

It’s summer time and people do crazy things with ice cream. My first try at a ice-cream sandwich cookie. Not very fun to eat given that ice-cream tends to melt and I like to eat a lil slowly. This is something I’d suggest you serve in a bowl. By the way, that was edible paper - which i did not eat.

The tree that gives me shade :D I love palm trees - I have memories of drawing them since forever. This one especially protects me from the crazy morning sun.

I love how the colors seem to burst right out!

The might I made pie for the first time! It was midnight and the 4th of July. I used a simple ratio that I had heard on the radio channel KCRW. But I’m not a huge fan of apple pie and so maybe i’ll make another one, some other crazy midnight.

By now, pasta is an old topic here :) Lunch one lazy Sunday spinach pesto with some Italian veggie sausages.

I hope you are enjoying a fun summer! I’ve been a little busy of late, with life and the consequences… I still try to stop and sniff the air around :)

Peace.

About 2 years back, a friend of mine shared this link on facebook. I bookmarked it for later waiting to get my hands on some saffron. I finally did, very recently and have been using it since. I love the saffron flavor, aroma and the color it gives to the dishes it favors.

I used my favorite skillet as you can see and I just can’t seem to have enough of it! The bread came out sweet and flavorful just as I hoped it would so I have no complaints. I also made it a little rich(read fattening) by using some homemade ghee.

Source: The fresh loaf

Ingredients:

Maida - 1 Cup + a lil extra 

Sugar - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tsp for the yeast

Yeast - 1 Tsp

Warm water - 1/4 Cup

Milk - 1 Cup + a lil extra for the glaze

Saffron - 1 pinch

Raisins - a handful

Ghee - 1/2 Tbsp

In a glass bowl mix the all purpose flour and sugar. In a cup add the warm water, sugar and instant yeast and keep aside for about 5-10 minutes and let the yeast do its work.

In another bowl heat some milk and add the saffron strands and mix well. Let rest for a bit so that the saffron flavor and color come to life! If you wish to add the raisins, just add it to the warm milk.

Now add the yeast and the milk to the dry ingredients and mix well to form a dough consistency. At this point the dough will be pretty sticky and you might need that lil extra flour. Use as needed. Add the ghee at this point and knead well. Cover with a well cloth and keep in a warm place for about an hour.

After about an hour visit the dough and punch it down. Make it into the shape you like and place it in your baking dish and make sure you give enough space for expansion. Cover up and place in the warm place for about another hour.

Preheat your oven to 400 F. When the dough has risen(when you push at its surface the dough should bounce back - kinda :)) brush some milk on the surface and bake for about 11-12 minutes or till the top has browned.

Serve warm with some jelly or just bite right into it.

Ever felt like a grain of sand in the desert? Most likely the answer to that question is ‘Yes, at some point in time’. What do you do when that feeling overcomes you and then you become that feeling? Do you drown? Do you feel helpless like a stranger in a foreign land or a fish out of water? Do you wish you could go back in time and huddle in your favourite place? Or, do you look around, seek familiarity in the foreignness, initiate a conversation even if it’s with a shy smile?

Saffron buns: <Recipe here> A recipe I’ve waited almost two years to try out. Well worth the wait, I must say.

     For sometime now I’ve been feeling a little helpless, a little fearful of losing the things I love the most. I thought about it, tried making a list of things that I care about, about people, actions, faiths and the list kept growing longer and longer with each deep breath I took and I grew frustrated. I intended to keep the things that mattered small so I could grab hold it in my arms when the time came. It was so hard to let go of anything, to strike even a single item off that list and I realized that I was literally making a mountain out of nothing. I wouldn’t have to hold on to anything if I didn’t fear losing it.

I love how vegetables add so much colour to a dish. Chop up some greens, reds and yellows add some spicesand you’re ready to go!

It’s not about not having attachments, I do have attachments and they make my life a sweet place to live in. But fear is the price tag of any attachment. Take it off but you know its value and you know you paid for it. I’m teaching myself to acknowledge its presence and then walk past it with a smile. Make it feel like a stranger in a foreign land…

     I’m not going anywhere with this post. I’m not going to preach for I don’t believe in preaching. I do believe in humanity and that we are in someway connected(except those that I don’t feel connected to) and that connection will lead us on in this life to the next(if there is any such thing).

Adios. <Insert skid sound effect>

Holy Cow! Was I not supposed to be writing a food post? Isn’t this a food blog? I was going to write up about my new favourite kitchen utensil - the Cast Iron Skillet. I totally adore how well the food made in a skillet tastes - well so so good. I’m probably exaggerating here but I do feel the need to emphasize on the taste factor so you can go and get yourself one and help the Cast Iron Skillet industry!!!

Oookay the tinsy winsy details: For a while now I have been looking it up amazon, Sur la table and many other stores and finally bought it from Surfas which is a great store for gourmet food lovers. Amazon would have been a less expensive option but honestly I love the Surfas store and so I don’t have regrets paying a little more.

After all that joy I put into buying a skillet (I know, some of you might just be rotflyao, or not) I needed to put it to test. I had already heard about how it was a pain to maintain(Yay I’m getting all poetic here, food makes me wanna do that!) so I had all the tools handy to make sure it survives the next century! I started easy, make some fried potatoes, okra and then moved on to putting it in the oven making some saffron buns(I’d do anything so get some real saffron and not go broke) and finally decided to make some Egg curry.

This dish is so versatile, that to make it Vegan, all you need to do is replace the eggs with -peas or pan fried tofu works really well too. I have a picture with the step by step procedure so I want to try and avoid putting the recipe given that this post is pretty wordy already.

Try it out and let me know if you have any trouble. I’m here to help in any way possible - that includes inviting you home and showing you how to make it - anything that involves using my cast iron skillet.

My (R)oomie is easily pleased. A simple Indian dinner, a slice of mango, makes him plenty happy. What I’ve noticed is that it’s the attitude he gets it with that makes him all the more happy. That child like glee is something I’ve seen in very few people.

My Mom too, is easily pleased - genuineness is the easiest way to get to her. She lives in the details and then cares about the big picture anything in between and you’ve lost. Although these two people mostly very different I see some similarities that make me happy.

They both are true and fair minded people - they love to give, they never care about themselves as much as they should(I keep telling them both this often), they both love me loads(which is the best part) and I love them both loads and loads albeit we rarely need a reason to start a war discussion…

Well, why this mushy post, you ask? Because I don’t want to wait a year(for special days) to say ‘i love you’ to the special people in my life. Each day is special(in its own weird twisted discussion filled way) because I have you in it.

Sometimes long drives end up being great places to pick up fresh fruits(like the apples in the picture above). One such drive got us a plethora of strawberries and mangoes. Coming from India, I miss mangoes the most during summer… All those summer vacations spent eating every variety of mango available in every possible form, trying to get a taste of the mango pickle without getting caught are some of my favorite memories.

Although strawberries never played a big role in my life as a kid I did get to taste it as a special treat once in a while and when I got a chance to play with so much of it I jumped at it. I’ve mostly made strawberry preserve/jam but more recently I’ve tried consuming some of it fresh or in a milkshake with some other seasonal berries. 

Having said that, the milkshake it a great way to consume this delicious fruit. Or just fresh, out of the box. 

I cannot have enough of these either… Except that I sometimes feel lazy to cut them up :)

Days like these all I want to do is sit on my papasan chair and drink some masala chai… And since the weather here is unpredictable such times are precious!

Lunch at Pitfire(North Hollywood) with the team… Although I went with the intention of trying their salads, I ended up ordering the only vegetarian option they had. I tasted leek for the first time ever and although I loved the roasted veggies I’d have preferred a little more spice. The verdict is that I would definitely go back for more!

Stinking Rose(Beverly Hills) with the (R)oomie… Let me warn you that this is definitely not a first date place. Since we love garlic and I’d been hearing about it a lot we decided to go ahead and give it a try. I wasn’t adventurous enough to try their garlic ice-cream but my order of Toothy Fruity(oh so awesome!), Arugula pesto pasta and (R)oomie’s order of Garlic pesto and Fontina pizza was super yumm! I was warned by my carpool buddy to visit this place on a friday so I could get the garlic off our systems over the weekend. Although I don’t feel the effect anymore I would definitely suggest that you not plan on attending a very important meeting at work the next day and plan on giving it sometime depending on your body type…

Coley’s a Jamaican restaurant with the team for lunch… Another interesting cuisine and I like that it’s a little walk from work… I again went for their vegetarian option but I honestly enjoyed every bit of it. I did order a strange drink called the Irish Moss - I quite don’t know how to explain the taste but I was told that it was made from sea weed! The lunch conversation as always is so interesting with the range of topics varying from the new time magazine cover, the weirdest tv shows to politics!

Veggie grill for lunch with (R)oomie after a visit to the Renaissance Faire! I rarely like vegan restaurants, unfortunately but this is favourite of the (R)oomie and so I find myself visiting this place more often than I’d have liked to until I tried their buffalo wings. Now this place is definitely on my to-go list.

Another Vegan place I would recommend is a place in San Jose called Loving Hut. I promise to update this post with more pictures of food from this place - unfortunately the food doesn’t last long enough for me to get my camera set up. We have tried their Lucky curry and Fried rice combo and the lucky curry more than once.

On another visit to San Jose a bunch of us met up at Il Fornaio(Palo Alto). I love Italian and when it’s authentic I love it all the more. (R)oomie is not a fan of all the cheese and pasta so he didn’t really enjoy the food fare. I tasted a couple of new wines and we shared a pizza. Everything tasted great right from the appetizers to the desert, the service in particular was genuinely nice.

Every friday my carpool buddy tries to make a stop at Gelson’s for his smoked salmon while I spend a few minutes gazing longingly at the wide variety of baked goods they have. As soon as you step inside Gelson’s you are greeted with a mix of aromas on your left which come from the famous Victor Benes bakery. I stayed away for a long time and finally gave it and got a few Florentines for the team(and me). I’m glad I shared but I could get lost in there I tell you.

This is an incomplete post and although I hate to leave it this way I promise to update it soon and I know I’ve neglected this space for a long time now!

Last but not least after all that fun food outside I’ll end this one with a pic of home made food and wish all you wonderful mommies out there a great today and everyday. I am not one to fall for marketing gimmicks and all I did was wish my Mom but you don’t really need a reason to buy your Mom something special, do ya? So go get her something, cook her special dish, take her to her favorite restaurant - whats more special than spending quality time with her when you can - be it today or any other day?!