8.8.08

Opening Ceremony pictures from the BBC.



Fireworks in the Bird's Nest

Confucian homage.

Wish I had a TV.

White Tiger review

Verve magazine published my book review of 'White Tiger' last month. Check it out here!

One thing I didn't mention in the review is how much I love the cover design of this book.

Things have been a little slow on the cooking front since arriving in New York for the summer. Enjoying the honeymoon with the city while it lasts!

Enlighten Up!

Here's to all those who thought I was joking about helping out with a documentary film about yoga (for a few months in 2005 while finishing the PhD) - the film is out and looks fantastic! My friend Priya (Assoc Prod) and Kate (Prod) hired me as an intern to watch swamis speak about enlightenment - excellent.

Check it out at Enlighten Up! A must-see for anyone interested in yoga, it features every yoga master you've ever heard of, including B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, Rodney Yee, Sharon Gannon, David Life and other gurus galore.

Filmmaker Kate Churchill was recently in Maui for its premiere, and the film was featured on CBS! It will play at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston soon. I'll keep you posted, never fear!

Book Review published!

Verve magazine in India published a modified version of a book review I wrote in May of Jhumpa Lahiri's new book. I'm still undecided about her writing - there are things I love, and things that I'm ambivalent about, like her style. While I'm always moved by her stories and enjoy reading them, I'm somehow left with the impression that I'm reading a work in progress. But who am I to argue with the millions who connect to her writing in a way that other writers can only dream of? Very curious about her next book and still stunned by the ridiculously large audiences that waited to hear her read in Boston in April. Star power, for sure!

Back from Japan!

Some pictures from the food and drink fest in Tokyo and Kyoto...

First uni experience!!!!

Sashimi with a view in Tokyo here

Tsukiji fish market at 5am - way more overwhelming than I could ever imagine. More pics to come...

Tuna orange onion situation... why did I ever leave!?

More details on the trip soon. Really miss this food loving country!

Low tech but ultra modern

The BBC's day in pictures site is a favourite of mine. Listening to NPR as the only source of news leaves me a bit deprived on the visual front and I love the photographic selection of the day's events.

This picture of Bombay's dabbawalas waving their lunchboxes a few weeks ago made me think of my school days when we had lunch delivered in a multi-story stainless steel 'tiffin box'; but it also brought to mind the fact that their efficiency has been appreciated the world over, and modeled in a business school case. Tradition and modernity all rolled up in one - that's Bombay for you!

News Radio India

My friend Piya moved back to Delhi from New York last year and started an independent radio production company with her friend Chhavi. Check out their amazing stories here. The cinemawallah Salim story really took me back to the first time I watched Cinema Paradiso, another story of a different time and place, such innocence. The $12 multiplex experience just cannot provide what these projectionists do to their viewers.

So... no recipes in today's post, but who knows? Maybe they'll have a food-related story soon!

Malvani shrimp

One of my three closest friends in school, Priya was the one who always exchanged her lunchbox with me when I had the much loathed cabbage. Patta gobi with matar (cabbage with green peas) just never made any sense to me, and frankly, still doesn’t, so I’ll spare you recipes of the stuff. Now Priya’s family always made delicious seafood curries, and this is her recipe for a shrimp dish that she made when we visited her and her amazing daughter Niteeka in Texas.

The shrimp was so good I ate heaps of it and begged her for the recipe. I’ve now made it several times and although it’s somewhat different from hers, I still love it. The cilantro and coconut give it a fresh taste that I love and the ease of using frozen shrimp make this a week day standard.

The recipe is from Kerala, where her husband Mahesh is from, and calls for Kokum, which is an ingredient I’ve only seen in Indian grocery stores. But another souring agent like amchur powder or lime juice should do if you don’t have kokum handy.

I usually add green peas or corn from the freezer if I feel like it. These can be added as the final step. They add a nice colour and extra vegetables never hurt anyone.


(Photos courtesy Philippa- thanks!)
Priya’s shrimp (or scallop) curry

3 lbs shrimp (or scallops)
8-10 pieces Kokum (to prepare, pour boiling water over them, soak for 5 min)
Garam masala (optional – there is usually enough heat from the chilies to skip this)

Blend following 4 in mixer:
¾ to 1 cup shredded coconut (frozen or dried)
3 cloves garlic
1 green chili (or more if you can stand it!)
5-6 stems of cilantro (this should just be leaves, but it’s ok to include some stems)

Add some oil to pan – heat to medium (keep flame low-medium)

Add these if you have them handy, but they’re optional for me:
2 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp haldi
1 tsp chili powder

Then add blended mix of cilantro/coconut– stir and fry for 1-2 mins, do not brown (shouldn’t be burnt)

Add shrimp, brown it, until cooked

Then add water, very little (shrimp will release water)

Cook about 5 min

Add kokum with its water (the kokum isn’t usually eaten)

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook until ready.

Postcards from India