J's thoughts

This recipe was taken from Vanitha magazine (forgot which edition though). I had put my name for a cooking competition held by one of the associations in Kuwait and guess what, this pudding won the third prize :) :) :).  Thanks to Vanitha and the author of this recipe. Here is how it is prepared: INGREDIENTS: First Layer: 1. Apricots – 20 2. Water – 3 cup 3. Sugar – 1 cup Second Layer: 4. China grass – 8gm      Water – 1 ½ cup 5. Condensed milk – 1 tin      Milk – 5 cups      Sugar – 5 tbsp 6. Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp Third Layer: 7. China grass – 7gm     Water – 1 ½ cup 8. Fresh Orange juice – 3 cups     Lemon juice – a little     Sugar – as required METHOD: 1. De-seed the apricots and cook it with water. Add the sugar after the apricots are        cooked well and mix it well. 2. Once the above sauce is ready, let it cool and pour it into a glass dish. 3. To prepare the second layer, soak the china grass in wat

INGREDIENTS     1.     Basmati rice - 500gm (soaked and drained)     2.     Onion - 6 big     3.     Carrot - 2 big (julienne)     4.     Beans - 2 cups     5.     Cauliflower - ½ cauliflower     6.     Tomato - 2     7.     Chana dal - 3 tbsp     8.     Ghee - a lot     9.     Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp     10. Green chilli - 3 or 4     11. Cashews - ½ cup     12. Raisins - ½ cup     13. Coriander leaves     14. Rambha leaves     15. Chilli powder - 1 tsp     16. Coriander powder - 1 tsp     17. Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp     18. Cashew nut paste - 4 tbsp Garam masala 1.     Fennel seeds - 1 tsp 2.     Cloves - 8 3.     Black pepper corns - ¼ tsp 4.     Cardamom - 6 5.     Cinnamon- 1 small piece 6.     Khus khus - 1 tsp 7.     Star anise - 2 METHOD Add 4 tbsp ghee to a hot pan. Add 2 pieces of cinnamon, 4 cardamom, 2 star anise, 4 cloves (to give a flavor to the rice). Next add the soaked and drained rice and fry i

This is one of those perfect ‘cheat day’ options. The tiny packet costs .050 fils and is the size of the palm of your hand. Considering the fact that most chips packet is filled 3/4 th with air (:p), one would end up eating only a few chips; just enough to curb the cravings. [Well if you buy a lot of those tiny packets and end up eating all, then don’t blame me]

Lemon and honey in lukewarm water is touted all over the net as the miracle drink to loose weight. Drink it up first thing in the morning and all the fat will just melt off! Seriously!!! How can a drink make you thin????????????? Well I am not discouraging ya. Just thinking loud. Some people add a pinch of cinnamon or cayenne pepper to the drink. My take on the drink: 1. Its rich in Vitamin C. So you don't fall ill often if you drink this regularly 2. It is an excellent detox drink 3. It gives you that boost of energy in the morning because of the honey added to the drink. This drink can be had for health reasons; and not for loosing weight!  Period.

So now I am the proud owner of a lipstick shade which has been in the market since the 1950's.  The shade number is 440 and it is a creme based lipstick and comes in a classic black and gold packaging. As you can see from the pic above, the lipstick bullet can be seen from the top because of the transparent top part of the cap. But then one cannot get a good view of the lipstick shade through the cap; just a peek. It is not a bulky packaging and the cylindrical shape ensures travel friendliness :) The lipstick is very creamy and easily glides on the lips. The colour is an awesome raspberry shade or majenta with blue undertones. It is really really pigmented and can brighten up the face. Since its a bold shade, I prefer to keep the face and eye makeup minimal when using this lipstick. It suits all skin tones. The lipstick lasts on the lips for a good 4 hours (using a lip liner can add to the longevity of the lipstick on the lips). The creamines

When Boots has a buy 2 get one free offer ; and you end up wondering what is the third product to buy to avail this offer, the sales assistant leads me to this liquid eyeliner. Now my favourite eyeliner is from Bourjois (click here to read review). I thought, why not! Let me try a new one.  The Maybelline master ink liquid eyeliner comes in a black and white packaging. The cap is long and slender and body is black. It is available in satin and matte finishes. I bought the satin one in luminous black.  The product does have a chemical smell.  The brush is sturdy and pointy. You can get a thin line close to the eyelashes with this brush (now that requires a bit of practice). The product is very pigmented and gives a satiny finish (a bit shiny;not too much). The eyeliner stays put on the eyes without smudging till I take it off.  I prefer a matte finish when it comes to eyeliner and a flexible brush rather than a sturdy one; that is just a personal preference. Ov

Annies Kitchen is a cookery cum chat show that airs on Amtita TV and is hosted by actress Annie. There is a simplicity and cuteness in her presentation which makes it worth a watch. But sadly one has to listen and write down the ingredients and method. I wish the producers of the show could list it out in the description section of the video. By the way, all her shows are available on Youtube. Now this is the first recipe that I tried. And my verdict - I have never before tasted such lipsmacking, flavorful, aromatic and tasty chicken biriyani. Oh the aroma that fills up the room...mmmmm.... One might feel that the quantity of garam masala that she dumps into the chicken biriyani is way tooo much but oh boy...the end result is simply awesome. This is a very rich dish which uses a lot of ghee, but what say , you can indulge once in a while na. So here I am taking the liberty to write down the recipe on my blog. :) Click here for the link to the video. CHICKEN BIRIYANI (A

INGREDIENTS Watermelon - 3 cups Milk - 2 cups Dates - 4 [soaked for two hours] or dates syrup - 2 tbsp[according to taste] METHOD: Blend all of the above with 1/2 cup of water and enjoy a filling, refreshing drink. You can add more or less water according to the consistency that you want. Also you can use cold milk instead of milk at room temperature. Variation: Watermelon - 3 cups Milk - 2 cups/milkpowder - 4 tbsp Condensed milk - 2 tbsp Sugar - as per taste

Foodles is from the brand horlicks and they claim that there is no artificial colors or preservatives in it and that it is fortified with iron and calcium. This time around I wanted to try making it the 'Desi' style.  The big packet has two set of noodles and two taste maker packets. INGREDIENTS Foodles Packet - 1       Sunflower Oil - 2 tbsp       Cumin Seeds - ½ tsp       Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp       Red Onion - 1 Large       Green Chili - 3       Tomato-1 Large      Ginger garlic paste - 1/4 tsp       Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp       Coriander Powder-1/2 tsp       Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp       Garam Masala Powder - 1/4 tsp       Salt- To Taste       Coriander Leaves - to garnish       Carrot - ¼ cup [diced]       Beans - ¼ cup [chopped]      Capsicum - 1/2 [chopped] [optional] METHOD In a pan, add the oil, let it heat and add the mustard seeds. When it crackles add the cumin seeds.