Prawns cooked in Thai red curry paste... :)

This one gets done in a jiffy! Serves well with tangy rice or rice noodles. Plain ol' steamed rice should also do! :)
If you are inquisitive, here is a peek into what a thai red curry paste is usually made up of. You could make your own paste too - i couldn't get there since i couldn't find a source for galangal.
Served them with a tangy rice. :)
You need:
250gm prawns - cleaned & de-veined
(my version - prawns preferably marinated in salt,chilly powder & turmeric for 10min)
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp Thai red curry paste - i used the store bought one
1 cup fresh coconut ground into a really fine paste with 1 cup water
2 tsp brown sugar/jaggery
fresh corriander/cilantro roots - a handful, finely chopped
1 fresh red chilly - finely sliced
salt to taste

How to:
Heat the oil in a wok. Add the red curry paste, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes or until aromatic. Add in the prawns & mix well. Add the brown sugar/jaggery, finely ground coconut paste, chilly & salt. Simmer till the prawns are cooked. Add the corriander roots about 5min before you turn off the flame.

Pointers:
>> I added the corriander roots since my store bought mix did not show them in the ingredients list & Thai red curry paste recipes called for them. The roots did add a good texture too.
>> Originally, the curry calls for coconut milk. Since i ground fresh coconut into a really fine paste, i didn't bother sieving through.

Spiced brinjal circles (aubergine/eggplant)... :)

T came over when i was frying these & his first reaction was - "i know whom u learnt this from!!!"... & yeah, he did get it right - Sonali again!!!! :D :D You need:
brinjal/aubergine/eggplant - the bigger variety
---according to taste---
salt, chilly powder/flakes, turmeric, garam masala
How to:
Cut the brinjal horizontally in circles - about 0.5cm thickness or a little more should do. Marinate them in the above ingredients & let it rest for sometime. I had marinated it the previous day. So all i had to do was take it out of the fridge & start frying them when i wanted to.
Once the circles are marinated, shallow fry them in a little oil. Drain on a paper towel & serve. :)
Pointers:
Make sure you pick a young fruit so that you don't end up with a seedy circle. The seeds that you see in the pik are from the chilly flakes. :)
You need to cook this on a medium~low flame till the firmness gives way & the skin starts to shrink. This could take some time during which you need to ensure that it does not burn.

Banana Choco-chip muffins... :)

Our neighbor's mom sent over some yummy home-made goodies.. Looked around for something to send back in the box & found bananas staring at me.. so made some muffins... :) I just grabbed stuff & din't really measure since i was running late(alwaysss!!! ;)).. luckily, they turned out good enough to go in the box that i was returning.. ;)
Posting the pick 'coz i really LUV the cartooned muffin cup! :D The choco-chips on top melted when i tried to get some browning on the muffins.. :)

SuNdAy BrUnCh!... :)

Sunday lunch at home is like a blue moon - thatz our weekly off from the kitchen! ;) Herez what we tossed in this Sunday when we ran late & had to satiate our rumbling tummies... :)

a handful of shredded spinach leaves
a handful of croutons - fried
about 2tbsp of raw mango - shredded
2 small bell peppers - red & yellow
a few chicken nuggets - fried
carrots - sliced
a few olives & lemon wedges
cottage cheese (paneer) doused in lime
a drizzle of olive oil, salt & pepper... DoNe!!!! :D

Cashew nut Cookies... :)

Adapted from Nita Mehta's Cakes & Cookies...

Prawns Masala...a basic prawn prep but yumm! :)

Diamond Cuts... :)

I walked over to a neighbor's place with some cookies & their mum who was visiting told me that she was frying something. I couldn't really place the local name & when she offered to show me what it was, i readily nodded along.. ;) Turns out they were diamond cuts (named so 'coz of the shape) made with wheat flour. It does involve frying but then, she was using wheat flour instead of AP flour. Yaaay!!! :) They turned out to be addictive... made some today so that T could take them to work & munch on.

You need:
1 cup wheat flour(atta)
2 tsps semolina (rava) - optional
1/2 to 3/4 cup powdered sugar - according to taste
2-3 tsp butter or clarified butter(ghee)
1/4 cup or more or warm water for kneading

How to:
Mix the wheat flour, semolina & sugar together. Add the butter & mix thoroughly. Using the warm water, knead to make a pliable dough.
Roll into chapatis and cut into desired shapes. These chapatis could be thicker.
Deep fry in oil on a medium flame. Drain on a paper towel when they are golden brown.
These are soft when just drained & will harden as they cool down after which you could devour them or store them in air tight containers. :)