Yellow Roses and Chilis

Of late, I have had this desire of something alive growing in our home instead of the fake greens that dot our home. Up on the 3rd floor with a 50 sq ft outdoor balcony there is not exactly tmuch space to grow a garden but a few containers are definitely a possibility. So I started my search on craigslist for a few grown plants. I really have not ever tried my hands at gardening , so I was a little skeptical about growing plants from seeds or saplings. I found this nice couple who were moving and had a dozen plants they needed to sell rather than abandon them. That evening, the plants found a new home ...ours. Now they are lined out nicely along the balcony wall bringing life to the entire space. Now I mostly keep the curtains drawn open to get a view of our little new garden. I have put a terracota dish full of water on the sill and it is slowly becoming a popular watering hole frequented by the little winged friends of our community.

Today, the first yellow rose bloomed on the rose plant. The concrete space has found its life.

Chipped Glass Craft.

A minor chip along the glass rim thanks to a brush against the sink faucet and this glass found its place on the top shelf of the kitchen cupboard where I keep stuff that I think I will do something with one day. And then one day, I wanted something to hold a few silk flowers to liven up the corner between the walls against which my desk was placed. The colorful Sunday newspaper ads waiting for their turn to go to the recycle bin. All I needed. I cut out the pieces of color scattered between deals , price cuts and shopping-urge creating images. Some help from modge podge and the chipped glass was chipped no more. My desk now holds some of my favorite orange.

Stir fried Jicama and Spring Onions

Many a times I remember having seen this tuberous vegetable at grocery stores. I finally picked one small one last week after having googled about it. Also called Mexican Potato, it tastes somewhere in between an apple and a potato and can be eaten raw in salads or cooked. After almost a week lying in the refrigerator while I decided what I should try out first. Stir-fried won over salad today. After I finished cutting it to small dices, I tasted one . Crisp, mildly sweet , a little like apple and some like water chestnut. I am sure going to try some salad with this vegetable. Stir fried these neat little dices over high heat for a couple of minutes and then added some chopped spring onions and some red onions. A minute later, some chili sauce , vinegar, soy sauce cooked up the aroma I just love. A spoonful of cornstarch diluted in a cup of water and all the ingredients were brought together nicely in a few minutes. A garnish of chopped green onion tops and some steamed rice . The crunch of the new found jicama against the softness of steamed rice enveloped in the flavor of the appetizing sauce and lunch was a treat.

flowers

There is something about flowers that makes ones happy. Simple as they might be , they brighten up the space they become a part of .

Moong Bean Kebabs

Another afternoon waiting to be spent. There are days when the kitchen beckons me with ideas waiting to be tried out. I walk into the kitchen not knowing what I will cook. Then I browse throught the shelves and the refrigerator looking for ingredients which will make up my recipe idea. Moong beans, I decide. Healthy , great protein source and filling. I do not feel like making the usual dal or the moong bean salad. Tasty treat , that is what I am thinking. I decide on kebabs. I begin with boiling the moong beans ( 1 cup) till they are just cooked and drain them . I also boil 1 medium sized peeled potato which will act as the binding starch for the kebabs. Out comes the food processor and in go a 1" piece of ginger root , a few leaves of cilantro and mint and quarter of a red onion. Having minced them I add the moong beans ,the boiled potato, salt , chili powder and some curry powder. These need to be minced nicely till they form a thick mixture. All that remains to be done is to fry them. I transfer the mixture to a bowl , cover it and put it into the refrigerator till dinner time. Just before dinner time , I make little balls of the mixture, slightly flatten them and deep fry them on high heat till they are nicely browned on both sides. Some salad on the plate with the kebabs and they are a pretty picture . The good thing , they ended up tasting as good as they looked