Sweet!

How many of you watched the inauguration without a tear in their eye or hope in their heart? It was a fabulous moment in history when Barack Obama was sworn in as President of the United States. Our local schools turned on their classroom TVs to let the children build their own memories. Medha tells me that after the crowd started shouting "No More Bush", her class had their own chant:
No more Bush,
Only Trees

What a great day, yes?!

There were more highlights to the day. The Daily Tiffin was nominated as one of the best group blogs on food! Voting is open until Saturday, January 24th at 8 pm EST. So hurry on over and cast your vote if you think since you know we are doing a good job at The Daily Tiffin.

Vote for The Daily Tiffin

Also, Jen's Use Real Butter has been nominated as one of the Best Food Blogs - Overall. How cool is that?! Jen's photography is mind blowing and her recipes are fantastic. She has a wicked sense of humor and is a real sweetheart. Plus she gives warm genuine hugs. So while you're over at Well Fed feeding their polls, please take a moment to stop by the Best Food Blog category and vote for Jen!

Vote for Use Real Butter

I thought that would be all I would need to make you wonderful readers do but there's one more clickety-click that I found about just now! Aimee of the hilarious and well-written Greeble Monkey holds a monthly Greeblepix competition where she gives away $250 in photo rentals from a local Denver photo shop. This is the first month that one of my pictures is in the top 10 finalists. Voting ends Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 at midnight Mountain time so please go take a look and vote for the best picture from those 10 inspiring images.

I want to be free

And when you're done voting, please come back here to celebrate with my version of Saffron Hut's Coconut Burfi. This has been a hit every time I have made, once I mastered the art of making it, that is. My version is richer and creamier as that was the only solution to get the burfi to 'set'.

Coconut Burfi

Picture courtesy Jen of Use Real Butter

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup frozen unsweetened grated coconut, thawed
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream (1 pint)
  
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 tbsp sliced almonds
  

1. Combine sugar, cream and coconut and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.
   
2. Reduce heat to simmer.
3. Cook until the coconut mixture comes together and is very thick. This takes about an hour for me at this altitude.
   
4. Grease an 8x8 inch tray with melted butter.
5. Transfer the coconut mixture to this tray and sprinkle with cardamom powder and sliced almonds.
   
6. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours.
   
7. Cut into 1 inch diamonds or squares and serve as dessert with vanilla ice-cream or by itself.

Notes:

• The original recipe calls for 1 cup of milk which I have substituted with heavy cream. No matter what I did, the burfi just would not set when I used milk. Also, I was usually left staring at half a carton of heavy whipping cream, wondering what to do with it especially since I do not make butter chicken as often as I make this burfi. Remember that 1 pint is about 2 cups so that little pint carton of heavy whipping cream is the right size to buy.
• Sometimes I cook the coconut mixture a few minutes too long. That results in a very firmly set burfi. In this case, warm it gently in a microwave for 20-30 seconds or leave it out on the counter for 15-20 minutes before serving it.
• This coconut burfi is different from the traditional Indian coconut burfi as it is more fudge-like in its texture and very moist.
  

I hope you enjoy my version of this Coconut Burfi as much as we do!

I went out for a bike ride yesterday - yes! On January 20, 2009! In winter! We had glorious weather - just as we do today with temps almost touching 70F. So I had to make another Obamicon to commemorate just what a great day it was yesterday.



I will leave you on that Obama-high and hope that the new President is able to help fix all that has been undone in the past eight years.

Swept Away

That's how I have been feeling ever since the year began. Swept away and spun around.
But before I get to the unnecessary details that I sometimes share through my posts on Indian Food Rocks, only to have those esteemed hecklers show up and say "where's the recipe", I do want to say a huge Thank You to all the wonderful feedback and terrific support for my entry for Click: Liquids in January. And, to Nupur, for letting me use a phrase from her comment as the title for the image: A tsunami in a martini glass. And, to Jai and Bee, for all the excitement they bring with each post, especially the event Click.

I raise a toast to you all! In Martini glasses, of course!


The winning image was this photo of a lemon splashing into a martini glass:


It won the following awards:




Yay! Yay! Yay! And one more Yay!

Many of you wanted to know how I managed this. It can be rocket science but I managed it with a worse-than-amateur setup. A detailed post is on my Inner Lens for your perusal.

I apologize for the delay in writing that post as I simply did not have the energy to do so. You see, I was hit with - no! not writer's block - but some really nasty looking numbers in my blood work. Together with my BMI, and my age, there was only one thing to do: get serious about becoming active. I had a session with a lovely personal trainer way back in October but no matter what I did, I just couldn't get excited about working on those machines three times a week. Come November, my resolve dissipated like a fast vanishing point in a clever photo. My sister - remember her? the one who memorizes recipes? - suggested that I try a new fitness rage that has been sweeping the nation. One that she herself was hooked onto. She's never one for fads and I am so glad I took her word for it and found drop-in classes in my 'hood. I now go to Zumba fitness classes twice a week and have a blast moving to throbbing Latino beats and working out all the muscles in my body. It's not just Shakira's hips that don't lie anymore...

The good news is that I will probably live a little bit longer as my numbers are normal again. And, no, it wasn't my cholesterol - that is like out of a text-book or whatever those medical tomes are called. Maybe it was a lab error. Maybe it was taking becoming active more seriously. Maybe it was eating smaller portions and drinking lots more water. Maybe it was all of the above. I don't know. At this point, I really don't care either as what matters is that this was a huge wake-up call for me and thanks to my good fortune, I found a fitness activity that I enjoy so much that I am ready to drop everything and rush off for the class. Excuses are a thing of the past.

The lesson to take away from this: don't wait for a wake up call. Find something you enjoy first, the motivation will follow. But become active as soon as possible. It only gets worse as the years roll by. Zumba, to me, takes aerobics and jazzercize to a new level. I get to shake my body with abandon and it's perfectly fine to have my hands go up when everyone else's are going down. Or to do a swirl when everyone is just doing a half turn. The instructor can make or break the class. I am lucky. I found Helene.

My other woes included a leaky roof. Luckily it didn't leak inside the house but over the front door. Every roofer we called told us the same thing; that the roof should have been replaced about 5 years ago. And this, for a roof, that was given flying colors - "excellent condition," I have it in writing - during the home inspection a little over 2 years ago. The drip edges probably vaporized, the tarp must have shrunk and the shingles magically nailed in since that fabulous report. All the roofs in our neighborhood had been replaced after a huge hailstorm hit Louisville 4 years ago. All but ours. It's hard to believe that our house, which was not ours then, escaped unscathed. We had no clue.

Replacing a roof is not a small job. We had contractors streaming through our house and then there were decisions: 30, 40 or 50 year shingles? What type of shingle? What color? What about ice and water shields? What about the ventilation? How much more for covered valleys? What about heat tape in specific areas? It was endless. Once this hammering on the head stopped, the real hammering began. But the good news is that we now have a new roof, with new ridge-vents instead of the old box vents. We also have soffit vents, which we didn't earlier.

The roof was installed but the gutters couldn't be because of high winds that were harbingers of a major storm that was headed our way. We were all very stressed and we have no idea how the winds let up, how the contractor - the gutter-walas as I called them - managed to be here that early in the morning and installed them within that short time frame. I literally had no nails left and I would have started pulling out my hair if all this had not fallen into place, just like that!

The lesson to take away from this is, of course, don't fret about what you cannot control and deal with the consequences, if any. The larger lesson being: get up on that roof with the inspector during the home inspection. We couldn't as we were over a 1000 miles away. Also look up past weather reports in the area to see if any major emergencies had been declared for your city, area, neighborhood: a severe hailstorm, a tornado, flash floods, anything. And find out the effect it had on your new home to-be.

In a way, it's all ended well for us. We now have a roof of our choice. One that is well ventilated and has quality shingles that meet code. I can sleep well at night. Especially tonight, when we have a high wind warning and wind gusts of up to 80 mph.

Through all of this, food took a back-seat to the extent that we were eating healthy meals but they were put together quickly and were nothing to rave about on this blog. Well, at least I didn't think so till I saw khichadi and kadhi doing the rounds. I'm sorry that I have no recipe yet again. Life is still a roller-coaster ride and there are new situations every day. But for every situation, there is a solution and then dawns a new day.

And with this, I am going to announce another NaBlo event, close on the heels of NaBloWriMo and NaBloPoMo. It really blows! It's called NaBloSiMo and I made it up! National Blog Silence Month.

It's totally rad! The rules are like no other event ever. Here's the low-down:

1. This event can begin whenever you want it to begin and it can end whenever you want it to end. It says month but it could be a week, two weeks, a month, a year...you get the picture!
2. You don't have to link back to this post. OMG. Imagine that! No need for linky-love.
   
3. You don't have to use the logo.
4. When you join this event, you stop posting for a specified or unspecified length of time.
5. Going on vacation? Sign up for NaBloSiMo.
6. Feeling burned out? Sign up for NaBloSiMo.
7. Bored of blogging? Sign up for NaBloSiMo
8. Got a writer's block? Sign up for NaBloSiMo.

It's a great event and it's one I am signing up for right now!

So, my friends, Indian Food Rocks is going NaBloSiMo. See you all next month! And don't forget to enjoy that extra day in February.

Deep Fried Love

So some of you might have read that Anita's A Mad Tea Party is celebrating its first anniversary. If you haven't then you need to head on over and read two excellent posts where she rants writes about moderation and how we define ourselves by what the latest food and fashion trends are. Anita wants us all to make puri bhaji. Deep fried love. I will. I promise. It's just that I had plantains that were threatening to ripen and I really wanted to make tostones, with an Indian twist. And, it is deep fried!

Tostones (Plantain chips)

My Puerto Rican friend introduced me to tostones last year. Until then, I was clearly a plantain-hater. My exposure to plantains was fried ripe plantains and those, in my book, were simply awful. The only other thing that was more awful was cooked ripe bananas, kela nu shaak.

Plantains are larger than bananas and have a thicker and fibrous skin. The fruit at the very top in the picture below is a regular banana. Next is the green unripe plantain and then a ripe plantain. The plantains in my picture are a little smaller and slimmer than most.

• 2 unripe or underripe plantains
• oil to deep fry
• 2-3 cups of cold water
• salt to taste
• chaat masala to taste
• red chilli powder, optional

1. Heat oil in a kadhai on medium-high heat.
2. While it is heating, wash and peel the plantains under running water. This makes it easier to peel and ensures that your hands don't get stained.
3. Slice the plantain at about a 30 degree angle and about 1/4 inch in thickness. (For tostones, cut at a 45 degree angle to make long slices that are about an inch thick)
Deep fry the plantain slices , a few at a time, without crowding the oil. Fry both sides till it is just starts to brown.
4. Remove and press with the bottom of a plate or a round wooden paratha press. If the plantain chips are already crisp and start cracking when you press them, skip this step.
5. Drop them in cold water and drain properly on paper towels. Start frying your next batch at this point.
6. Sprinkle the soaked chips with salt and return to the oil. Fry each side till they are crisp and golden-brown.
7. Sprinkle with chaat masala and red chilli powder and serve as a yummy snack with hot tea.

I didn't get a chance to pour the tea. If I hadn't sneaked them to the patio, I might not have had a picture to show and tell. They were gone far too quickly. Next time, I will get bigger plantains, and fry them when certain people are in school.

So, Anita, while these are not puris, they certainly fit your deep fried theme and that's what I am bringing to the party! Whether you like it or not!

Awards

Who doesn't love awards?! I love them! So I was thrilled when Meeta of What's For Lunch, Honey? gave me not one, but two awards! Yay!

The Thoughtful Blogger Award is for "those who answer blog comments, emails, and make their visitors feel at home on their blogs. For the people who take others' feelings into consideration before speaking out and who are kind and courteous. Also for those bloggers who spend so much of their time helping other bloggers design, improve, and fix their sites. This award is for those generous bloggers who think of others."

I would like to pass this award to
Ashwini of Food for Thought
Roopa of Kitchen Aromas
Argus Lou of Argus World
Suganya of Tasty Palettes

The Power of Schmooze Award is for bloggers who "effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don't limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship."

Gini of Salt and Pepper
Roopa of My Chow Chow Bhath
TBC of The Budding Cook
TC of The Cooker

Cynthia of Tastes Like Home gave me this special rockin' award! I am overwhelmed!

Mythili of Vindu
ET of Evolving Tastes
Shankari of Stream of Consciousness
Kitt of The Kittalog

I could go on and on but most of you have already received these awards, acknowledged them and passed them on.

These awards are special to me in several ways. New and special friendships have been forged through virtual interactions on our respective blogs. I have learned so much about different types of world cuisines, and needless to say, regional Indian cuisine, too. All of you in your own special way contribute tremendously to make the Internet experience a healthy and happy one. I couldn't be happier. Thank you all very much!

It's the last week of summer before school starts next week. I am also getting busier at work, with more responsibilities and a new project that I can't stop thinking about. Posts are going to be fewer and in-between here on Indian Food Rocks until I have a more settled 4th grader and things have calmed down some at work. I will, of course, see you all on your blogs!

Update: It's raining awards in the blogosphere! Bee and Jai gave me The Thinking Blogger Award! I am flattered and yes, I do like to think once in a while!

So, to spread the love around, I am passing this award to
The tireless team at The Daily Tiffin
RP of My Workshop
Priya of Priya's Kitchen (so what if she likes deep fried ripe plantains?!)
Mandira of Ahaar
Sree of Sree's Canvas

It doesn't matter how long you have been blogging or if you burst onto the scene just yesterday. These awards are for who you are, how you have reached out to the community and made your presence felt in innumerable ways.

Congratulations to all of you and I wish you deep success in everything you do! Now, please go ahead and spread the love. And it must be deep fried! Just like this:

Happy Independence Day, India!