“If they can't raise my interest then I have to let them be; Coz every body’s….”

Monday, December 10, 2007

Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl

It feels odd to be back in the MD/DC area again since pretty much all of last week I was in NJ. All the road trips back and forth have lead to lots of cd collections…and this weekend’s drive down included Madonna’s all time hits…hence the blog song ;o)
In more news my parents got back from India this past weekend and brought back tons of goodies like Indian snacks and desserts, clothing (for all the weddings I have to attend next year) and lots of old school Hindi dvds and cds. Yay for trips to the mother land! My folks have already got back into the groove of life….they unpacked, cooked huge meals and pretty much are back at work like they never left. I wonder if I’ll have as much energy as they do at any point of my life. I mean after driving 3 hours for NJ…all I wanna do is lay on my bed and wind down. Ahh I guess I’m ok with my lazy right now :o)
As I have mentioned in my previous posts that this winter is too cold too soon. It snowed a bit last week and the temperatures have been low since the start of Nov. With the arrival for winter not only do we dress accordingly but we also start to cook and eat accordingly. Soups, hot drinks, hot and spicy entrees and sides are just some of the many dishes I crave…so last week I made piping cauliflower pakoras or as us konkani’s call it, cauliflower bajho (fritters). Along with tea this appetizer is sure to be a pleaser during the short winter days. Here is my recipe for Cauliflower fritters:

Ingredients:
A small head of cauliflower
1 cup of besan
1 tbl spn of corn flour
½ tbl spn of green chilli paste
2 tbl spn of garlic & ginger paste
1/3 – ½ cup of Canola oil
Salt to taste
Water as needed

To Make:
Make a paste of the besan, corn flour and salt using water. Make sure this paste is not too thick or too thin. If it is either just add more water or besan. Add the 2 tbl spn of ginger and garlic paste and mix well. Add the green chilli paste and more water if needed. Mix well and set aside. Break the cauliflower head into smaller florets (you can make these as small or big as you’d like) In a deep frying pan heat the 1/3 to ½ cup of oil. Dip the florets into the besan paste and fry till browned well. You will have to work in batches and make sure the oil does not splatter while you drop the florets into the hot oil. Serve hot with hot and sweet sauce and tea :o)

This is perfect for the winter weather and a great snack for a day of movie marathon, cuddling with your better half under the blanket. Maybe winter isn’t such a bad time after all ;o) Until the next blog entry…anticipate the holidays!