Its been a long time since I have penned down a recipe. And today I decided to do something about it. As always, it is quick and easy, as well as sweet. I had nothing to do in the afternoon and taking a nap did not appeal me. So I tried out something that was on my mind for quite sometime - Apple pie. The usual apple pies are full of butter and lots of white flour, definitely not my kind of wholesome food, other than the apples. My version tastes as good as the real thing, with minimal butter and flour.
Pie in a Pocket (Recipe) :
Makes 6 pockets.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. sugar
1 cinnamon stick 1"
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
2 tsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. corn flour
6 spring roll pastry sheets approx. 8.5"
1 sheet grease proof paper
Method :
1. Peel and core the apples, quarter and slice them.
2. In a pan place the apples, 2tbsp. sugar, cinnamon stick,1 tsp. butter and lemon juice.
Heat on a low flame until done (there will be some liquid remaining). Add the corn flour
and mix well. Remove the cinnamon stick and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.
4. Grease the pastry sheets with a little butter and place a tbsp of cooked apple mixture
near one corner of the sheet. Fold it over and tuck in the sides, and roll the pastry like
a spring roll, but not too tight. Repeat the same to make 6 pockets. Grease the top of
each pocket.
5. Mix the remaining 1tbsp. sugar with cinnamon powder, and sprinkle on top of the
pockets.
6. Place greaseproof paper in a baking tray, slightly oil and arrange the apple pockets on the tray. Bake for 10-15 mins or until golden.
7. Serve warm ...Yumm!!!
Enjoy the lighter version of apple pie, I am sure you will like it.
This past weekend was one of the best and most memorable to me. The Jakarta Cricket Association held its dinner along with the closure of its current seasons cricket league. The guest of honor was Mr. Syed Kirmani, who had come down all the way from India to give away the awards. And being the secretary of JCA hubby dear and myself were fortunate enough to know Mr. Kirmani and Mrs. Habiba Kirmani closely.
We did not know what to expect before meeting them. A cricketing legend, who was the best wicket-keeper in the '83 World Cup and a key member of the '83 World Cup winning squad. But we were in for a pleasant surprise. Despite being celebrity, both of them preferred not to behave like one. In fact they were so kind -they made us feel like we were long lost friends, though we had just met. There was not an ounce of pride in their words and actions throughout the three days. It takes a lot to remain grounded even after achieving so much fame and fortune. And this quality has been excelled by the couple. In their eyes everyone is equal, and to think first class cricketers around the world are their bosom buddies.
We had a great time with them - did some shopping, sightseeing and watched the JCA League final match. It was all very exciting for us and I sincerely hope they had a good time too. The reason I am writing almost two days late is because I needed sometime to sum up what I felt and put it into words. Though I still think I have not done justice. No doubt, earlier we respected Mr. Kirmani for his experience and achievements. Something which most of us can only dream of. But after meeting him and Mrs.Habiba in person and knowing them, we have been awed by their humility. We got to learn a lot from them in a short period of time about sportsmanship, companionship, positive thinking and being thankful of whatever life has to offer us.
I do not know how to end this post, I have so much to say... All I can say is , thank you Mr.and Mrs. Kirmani for inspiring us to lead a simple life , which is indeed the most foolproof way to live happily ever after...Thank You.
Its been a long time since I have posted something. This is because I have been living in an alternate world these days - the world of daily soaps. They are not my cup of tea, but mom-in-law is a fan so I keep company. Truly speaking they are more interesting if there is someone to discuss the plots with. And we have had our share of discussions.
Pretty ladies in full make-up, beautiful sarees and fine jewellery - that would put a real-life bride to shame, plot and plan. The men on the other hand simply nod their heads to whatever their mothers/wives/girlfriends have to say. Go! Woman Power Go! The daily soaps are addictive, just a week in and I am hooked. Cannot help but wonder what is Rano up to next or how will Suhana cope with her new life. Besides getting a peek at the latest fashion trends back home is another plus.
Almost all of these soaps have women protagonists. None of them are happy, despite being the ideal woman. While the vamps are always having a good time, enjoying the other persons misery. So what message do these soaps convey, I wonder.
Message or not, but the title songs and music are catchy and hummable. It is no surprise then, that little princess keeps humming Bidaaiii ...bidaaiii and many more.
Ciao.
It was a perfect day, last Sunday. We had a late night on Saturday as usual, and woke up early Sunday morning. Hubby dear was to play a cricket match on the Cibubur Grounds and we ladies were looking forward to spend the day outdoors. Clear skies and a cool breeze were the order of the day, a perfect day for cricket as well as a picnic.
I usually accompany hubby dear to his matches, been doing so since the time he started playing club cricket in Jakarta. I like to watch him play as much as I enjoy to spend sometime away from the city. Just idling away time in the near wilderness, watching little princess play her version of cricket on the practice pitch, while hubby dear sweats it out on the ground.
This time around my mom-in law also accompanied us since she is in town. It was great to cruise through the traffic free roads and actually enjoying the view outside. In no time we reached our destination, and thus began our picnic. The weather was cool and the sky cloudless, what else does one need. While we watched hubby dear play, little princess was already exploring the wilderness, and enjoying it too. We had packed our lunch, there was also an Indian stall serving samosa, tea and lassi - for those snack pangs. Of course we indulged. Usually at the Cibubur grounds I find my monthly stock of curry leaves, but unfortunately this time the tree was chopped off. That was disappointing indeed.
Besides us there were quite a few spectators, a few kids too. By the looks of it everybody was enjoying the surrounding as much as the game. The game itself was very exciting, the competitors giving each other a tough time. Hubby dears team defended well but not enough, a very good effort altogether, could not sustain it though. The opposition won, it was a well deserved win. The return journey was marked by silence - little princess was asleep and we were tired. We did not feel like discussing cricket either, no surprises there.
All in all we had a great day outdoors, something we we do not do always. Winning and losing is part of every competitive game and we too took it in our stride. Next year, I will be there again and hopefully write about an exciting win.
I know its been a long time, but I had no time to sit down to really put my thoughts into words. Not that I was on to something really important, still time just flies... . One day its a Monday and by the time you get a grip on the week ,its already Friday night. This time I did not even realize when March got converted into April. And then it struck me that I had not even visited my blog-site, much less added something new to it.
My weekend was great though, as is usually the case. Two back to back potlucks and a movie. It was the Easter weekend, we had Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So after attending the church for Good Friday we had an all vegetarian Chinese themed potluck. Saturdays theme was Indian and Easter Sunday we watched the movie Clash of the Titans. Thus my friends I was busy, the weekdays is another matter lets not go there.
There was Fried rice, Gobi Manchurian, Corn soup and we started with a Vegetable kebab served in Chinese style. I had prepared Vegetable Chow-mien and Paneer chili. Now I am really confused as to which recipe to share with you. Lets do Vegetable Chow-mien, its easy and a good way to make the kids eat their veggies.
Vegetable Chow-mien Recipe ( serves 4) :
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/4 cup diagonally sliced baby corn
1/2 cup cauliflower cut into bite sized florets
1/4 cup cabbage coarsely cut
1/4 cup snow peas or regular peas
1/2 cup french beans, sliced diagonally
1/4 cup mushrooms sliced( optional)
1/4 cup green bell peppers sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1/4 tsp ajinomoto
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 packets plain noodles
cornflour slurry - 2 tbsp corn flour mixed in 1/2 cup water
a few spring onion stalks finely cut
water to make the vegetable stock and boil the noodles
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
Please cut all the vegetables to approx. an inch in size.
1. In 3 cups of boiling salted water, add all the vegetables except the mushrooms,bell peppers.
2. Par boil the vegetables and drain. Reserve the liquid , this is the stock.
3. In a wok, heat 2 tbsp oil and add the ginger and garlic. Stir till fragrant and put in the mushrooms and bell peppers. Stir fry on high heat for 2 minutes.
4. Add the soy sauce, a pinch of ajinomoto salt and pepper.
5. Now put in the par boiled vegetables and stir fry until mixed well and almost cooked, cover and simmer for 5 more minutes.
6. Heat the stock, add the remaining ajinomoto and thicken with cornflour slurry. Bring it to boil and keep aside.
7. In a large pot roll boil water and put in the noodles, when done drain and slightly fry in 2 tbsp oil in a large wok, so that the noodles do not stick to each other.
8. Serve individually; place the noodles first, lay the vegetables and then pour the thickened stock on top. Garnish with spring onions.
The recipe is originally my mom-in-laws, I simply converted it the vegetarian version by excluding the chicken and adding a few extra veggies and maybe a few details here and there. In any case its worth a try.
Cheers.
