Weekend crafting

November 14 cooking

2009-11-15T11:28:00.001-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals. For an index of recipes, click here.

Biscuit woke me up at the unearthly hour of 8 on Saturday morning*, so I dragged myself into the kitchen, and got to work. I cooked chickpeas for use through the week, and I also cooked 3 kinds of Indonesian sambal.

Now, I have many Life Theories. One of them is that while we might eat in a multi-ethnic manner, for breakfast, we need food similar to the food we grew up eating.

(This is true for me. Your mileage may vary.)

I'm not a big breakfast eater, but I grew up eating savory stuff for breakfast, not sweet. Which is why, I will happily eat cereal for dinner, but cannot abide it for breakfast. I prefer scrambled eggs to pancakes, and I normally eat toast and hash browns at a diner.

Which might explain my very peculiar breakfast. All savory, all delicious.

Breakfast - November 12. From top left to bottom right - Spicy peanut sambal, Sambal tomat (Hot tomato sambal) and Chili sambal, from the book. served with pan-fried tofu and steamed broccoli.

I went out to grab drinks with friends in the evening, and came back home at 2.00am. As is typical for me, I needed a post-drink snack.

My best post-drinking snacks are always potatoes, fried with red chili powder. However, that had the potential to set off the fire-alarm (it was post-drinking, after all) and therefore, I settled for quickly making a yogurt, potato and chickpea snack. Potatoes cooked in the microwave for 12 minutes while I got the rest of the ingredients together.

Post-drinking snack - Yogurt with potatoes and chickpeas in the Delhi style

While it didn't hit the spot quite the same way as fried potatoes, it was nonetheless tasty. My potatoes were a bit rubbery though, and I wonder if that's because of the microwave.

Post-script.

If you are reading this and thinking - this is all great and everything, Reethi, but where the heck is the sewing? - no fear, I'm sewing. I'm currently making an October BWOF dress in a grey fabric for work. (I desperately need chic winter-appropriate, work wear.) I followed Ann's excellent advice, and proceeded to spend a few hours yesterday morning sewing the lining. I love the way the lining fits, (Yay!) and can now proceed to cutting my main fabric and sewing the actual dress.

Here's Biscuit supervising the sewing.

*Although tempting, I did not strangle Biscuit for waking me up at 8. She remains unharmed, and continues to run my life.

Soy Milk, Bean Curd and Wheat Gluten

2009-11-13T21:47:00.001-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals. For an index of recipes, click here.

Soy Milk, Bean Curd and Wheat Gluten

Soy Milk
Making your own bean curd
Udofu (Simmering bean curd with seasonings)
Bean curd with watercress
Korean-style bean curd in a hot water bath
Hiya-yakko (Chilled bean curd)
Bean curd with chinese parsley
Bean curd with broccoli
Cabbage cooked with bean curd
Bean curd with a deliciously spicy sauce
Carrots and beans with a bean-curd dressing
Bean curd, mushrooms and peanuts in hoisin sauce
Sauteed bean curd
Tofu dengaku (Toasted bean curd with a miso topping)
Fried bean curd cubes
Soy-bean sprouts sauteed with fried bean curd
Fried bean curd with a sweet and sour sauce
Fried bean curd cakes with a mustard surprise
Inari-zushi (Bags of fried bean curd, stuffed with sushi rice)
Pressed bean curd with cabbage
Salad of pressed bean curd, mung bean sprouts and agar agar
How to make fried and baked wheat gluten balls
Stew of baked wheat gluten, potato, turnip, carrot and cabbage rolls
Fried wheat gluten with broccoli, carrot and mushrooms
Fried wheat gluten and potato stew
Shredded wheat gluten and cabbage with fennel seeds
Buddha's delight (a mixed Chinese stew)

Eggs

2009-11-13T21:46:00.001-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals. For an index of recipes, click here.
Eggs

Chawanmushi (Steamed savory custards)
Chawanmushi with bean curd, fresh mushroom and spinach
Chawanmushi with shiitake mushrooms, water chesnuts and snow peas
Odamakimushi (Savory custard with noodles)
Scrambled eggs with cabbage
Scrambled eggs with Chinese chives
Scrambled eggs with spicy tomatoes
Omelette with a spicy tomato stuffing
Omelette with bean curd
Egg fu yung
Datemaki (Japanese rolled omelette)
Nigiri-zushi (Sushi rice with datemaki)
Kookoo with cauliflower and parsley
Kookoo with zucchini, dill and raisins
Kookoo with potatoes
Kookoo made with spicy Indian-style tomatoes
Kookoo with roasted eggplant
Egg strands
Egg bundles
Parsi-style eggs with okra
Soy-sauce eggs
Hard-boiled eggs with straw mushrooms
Eggs, potatoes and cauliflower
Eggs pulusu
Hard-boiled eggs in a spicy almond sauce

Milk products

2009-11-13T21:29:00.000-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals. For an index of recipes, click here.

Milk products
Making your own yogurt
Yogurt with dill
Yogurt with garlic
Yogurt with cucumber, raisins and almonds
Yogurt with fresh mint, raisins and walnuts
Yogurt with cucumber and crushed mustard seeds - September 3, 2009
Yogurt with cucumber and mint
Yogurt with roasted eggplant
Celery root with yogurt
Yogurt with spinach and parsley
Yogurt with banana in the Gujarati style - November 12, 2009
Cauliflower and peas with yogurt
Yogurt with potatoes and chickpeas in the Delhi style - November 14, 2009
Yogurt with chickpeas and tomatoes
Yogurt with fried okra
Yogurt with white radish
Yogurt with zucchini
Dahi-baras (Dal patties in yogurt)
Yogurt with green beans and navy beans
Spiced, heated yogurt
Stuffed zucchini in a hot yogurt sauce
Aalan ka saag (Karhi with spinach)
Plain Gujarati karhi
Gujarati Karhi with okra
Spiced buttermilk to eat with Indian rice dishes
Spiced buttermilk with tomato - November 13, 2009
Spiced buttermilk with coconut and shallots
How to make soft yogurt cheese
Soft yogurt cheese with dill
Soft yogurt cheese with chinese parsley and scallions Gujarati style
Soft yogurt cheese with crushed black pepper
Soft yogurt cheese with chives and parsley
Soft yogurt cheese with paprika and olive oil
Soft yogurt cheese with fresh tarragon
Shrikhand (Sweet soft yogurt cheese with saffron)
Paneer (fresh cheese)
Matar paneer (peas with paneer)
Saag paneer (spinach with paneer)
Bhapa doi (steamed yogurt, Bengali style)

Little salads, appetizers, snacks and drinks

2009-11-13T21:16:00.000-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals. For an index of recipes, click here.

Little salads, appetizers, snacks and drinks

Carrot and white radish salad
Sawsawang kamatis (Filipino tomato salad)
Japanese cucumber salad
Watercress salad with sesame seeds
Celery, carrot and cucumber salad
Korean-style cucumber salad
Cucumber and dried shiitake mushroom salad
Gujarati carrot salad
Gujarati cucumber and peanut salad
Fresh peach salad
Fried, munchable mung dal
Fried, munchable soy beans
Peanuts, fried and roasted
Papadum (dal wafers)
Green plantain wafers
Roaster laver
Roasted monukka raisins
Khari poori (Savory cookies with peppercorns)
Mutthries (Savory cookies with ajwain seeds)
Samosas (Stuffed savory deep-fried pastry cones)
Cheewra (a melange of nuts, grains, dried fruit and spices)
Potato sev (Snack noodle)
Cold Chinese-style eggplant
Cold eggplant, dressed with yogurt
Baba ghanoush (creamed eggplant with tahini)
Chickpeas with tahini
Navy bean puree with pomegranate juice
Artichoke hearts and potatoes cooked in oil and lemon
Potato patties stuffed with spicy peas
Potato and tempeh patties
Filo pastries
Dolma (stuffed grape leaves)
Salabat (Ginger tea)
Fresh ginger-flavoured limeade
Indian-style hot tea with fresh mint
Hot tea with cardomom and cinnamon
Anise tea
Ocha (Japanese green tea)
Ginseng tea
Rice tea
Bori cha (Barley tea)
Tamarind sharbat (tamarind syrup)
Strawberry and lemon sharbat (Strawberry and lemon syrup)
Qahwah (Turkish coffee)
Buttermilk
Sweet lassi (sweet yogurt drink)
Salty lassi (salty yogurt drink)
Doogh (Persian-style yogurt drink, flavored with mint)
Thandai (A milk and almond drink)
Milk with saffron and nuts

Soups

2009-11-13T21:04:00.000-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals. For an index of recipes, click here.
Soups

Dashi
Japanese stock
Delicious stock made with soy-bean sprouts
Vegetable stock
Cacik (Cold yoghurt soup in a Turkish style)
Persian-style cold yoghurt soup
Naeng myon (Cold noodle soup)
Cold yogurt soup with barley
Tan abour (Cold yogurt soup with chickpeas and wheat)
Clear soup with enok mushrooms, bean curd skins and spinach
Clear soup with soft bean curd and celery cabbage
Swee corn and egg soup
White radish soup
Clear soup with cucumber, cooked with Thai seasonings
Chinese-style noodle soup
Thai noodle soup
Hot-and-sour soup
Quail-egg soup
Beet and tomato soup
My cream of tomato soup
Caldo verde
Miso soup with bean curd
Miso soup with carrots and mushrooms
Rasam (A tomato, tamarind and dal broth)
Masoor dal soup
Red bean soup
Cream of lentil soup
Navy bean and celery root soup
Chickpea soup
Chickpea, cabbage and dill soup

Noodles, pancakes and breads

2009-11-13T20:54:00.000-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals. For an index of recipes, click here.

Noodles, pancakes and breads

Cold noodles with sesame sauce
Cold noodles with peanut sauce
Hot or cold noodles with soy sauce dressing
Cold summer noodles
Noodles with a hot-and-sour bean sauce
Thick noodles in a winter stew
Noodles with Tempura vegetables
Crisp-soft noodles with a broccoli, mushroom and zucchini topping
Noodles with spinach and mung-bean sprouts
Vegetarian mee krob (Crisp noodles with pressed bean curd and eggs)
Noodles with quail eggs, mushroomms, spinach and yuba
Vegetable lo mein
Chapchae (Cellophane noodles with vegetables)
Bibingka (Sweet rice pancake)
Lumpia (Vegetables wrapped in pancakes)
Chaura na poora (Black-eyed pea pancakes) - November 11, 2009
Mung dal na poora (Savory mung dal pancakes with onions)
Chickpea flour pancakes
South Indian dosas
Rice-flour dosas with mustard seeds and black pepper
Semolina dosas with cumin seeds
Bindaetuk (Mung bean pancakes)
Hoppers (yeast pancakes)
Egg hoppers (yeast pancakes with eggs)
Steamed buns
Roti (flat, whole-wheat bread)
Paratha (whole-wheat griddle bread)
Stuffed paratha (Stuffed whole-wheat griddle bread)
Wonderful, flaky paratha (flat griddle bread)
Naan
Pita bread
Putu (Ground rice muffins)
Cream of wheat idlis (Savory cakes)
Mung dal dhokla (Savory cakes made with mung dal)
Yow bing (fried bread with scallions)
Pooris (deep-fried breads)
Banana pooris
Potato pooris
Bhaturas (deep-fried leavened breads)

Condiments, Dips, Chutneys and Relishes

2009-11-13T20:39:00.000-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals. For an index of recipes, click here.

Condiments, Dips, Chutneys and Relishes

Salt and pepper, Indian-style
Salt and pepper, Chinese-style
Goma shio (Black sesame seeds and salt)
Dry North Indian Dip
Maulka pori (Dry South Indian chutney)
Tempura dipping sauce
Chinese dipping sauce
Japanese dipping sauce
Filipino dipping sauce
Korean dipping sauce 1
Korean dipping sauce 2
Korean dipping sauce 3
Simple Korean sauce
Spicy Korean sauce
Tahini dipping sauce
Wasabi (Horseradish)
Crisply fried onions
Hot oil
Tomato sauce
Chili sambal - November 14, 2009
Sambal tomat (Hot tomato sambal) - November 14, 2009
Spicy peanut sambal - November 14, 2009
Hot and spicy Hyderabadi tomato chutney
Fresh chinese parsley and mint chutney
Tamarind-mint chutney for snack foods
South-Indian coconut chutney
Sweet tomato chutney
Apricot chutney with raisins and currants
Goan cabbage salad - October 20, 2009
Pickled green chilies - September 7, 2009
Sour lime pickle
Cauliflower and white radish picked in water
Carrot and turnip pickle
Sweet and sour lime pickle
Atjar kuning (Yellow mixed pickle)
Onions pickled in vinegar
Cauliflower pickled with dill
Cabbage tsukemono (Salted cabbage pickle)
Kombu relish
Quick-salted white radish pickle
Shoyu daikon (white radish pickled in soy sauce)
Ginger quick-pickled in soy sauce
Quick-salted cucumber pickle
Tomato, cucumber and onion relish
Aomidaikon (Quick-pickled small white radishes)
White radish preserve
Cabbage kimchee (Cabbage pickle)
Kakdooki (Pickle made with cubes of white radish)
Stuffed cucumber kimchee
Dong chimi (White radish water kimchee)
Spicy turnip pickle
Pickled garlic

Desserts and sweetmeats

2009-11-13T20:27:00.000-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals. For an index of recipes, click here.

Desserts and sweetmeats

Banana fritters in tempura batter
Mangoes with glutinous rice
Stewed dried fruit
Leche flan (Coconut custard)
Firnee
Peanut taffy
Sesame seed taffy
Shakkar-paara (deep-fried cookies)
Zucchini halwa
Whole-wheat halwa
Baklava (filo pastry stuffed with nuts)
Besan barfee (Chickpea fudge)
Rava na ghugra (sweet, stuffed pastry)
Carrot cake with an Indian flavor
Bibingka kamoteng kahoy (Filipino-style cassava cake with raisins)
Cassava suman
Sweet walnut soup - a contemporary Hong Kong version
Sweet red bean soup
Green snow (Green tea syrup and sweet beans on shaved ice)
Chinese-style jellied bean curd sweetmeat with a peanut topping
Chinese-style jellied whole mung-bean sweetmeat
Jellied sweet azuki-bean squares
Chumchum and dilbahar (Chhena diamonds and hearts)
Rasgullas (Chhena balls in syrup)
Rasmalai
Sheer korma (an Indian vermicelli milk dessert)

Rice and other grains

2009-11-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals. For an index of recipes, click here.

Rice and other grains

Plain boiled rice
Plain baked rice 1
Plain baked rice 2
Plain basmati rice
Kateh (Plain boiled rice with a crust)
Plain brown long-grain rice
Brown rice with spinach
Plain glutinous rice cooked in a double-boiler
Azuki meshi (Glutinous rice cooked with azuki beans)
Plain Japanese rice
Sushi rice
Norimake-zushi (sushi rice rolled in dark laver)
Chirashi-zushi (sushi rice with vegetable topping)
Persian-style steamed rice
Steamed rice with lentils
Plain unseasoned congee
Congee with chinese cabbage and scallions
Ghains (congee with yoghurt)
Geeli khichri (wet khichri)
Saag vali khichri
Guinataan with rice and mung beans (rice porridge with mung beans)
Kongnamul bab (Rice with soy-bean sprouts)
Honsik bab (Rice with barley)
Rice with bean sprouts, spinach and laver
Rice with millet
Rice with spinach
Bibimbab (Korean rice with egg and vegetable topping)
Rice with garlic
Rice with tomatoes
Rice with sauteed onions and mushrooms
Rice with coconut milk
Nasi kuning (Yellow turmeric rice cooked with coconut milk)
Rice with fresh herbs and baby lima beans
Rice with paneer and peas
Basmati rice cooked with chana dal and dill
Ek handi na dal chaval (Rice and dal, cooked in one pot)
Vangi bhat (Rice and eggplant, cooked in the Maharashtrian style)
Kashmiri-style gucchi pullao
Vegetable pullao
Spiced rice with cashews - September 3, 2009
Spiced rice with nuts and raisins
Fried rice with egg and vegetable
Thai fried rice
Sweet rice with orange rind
Zarda pullao (Sweet saffron rice)
Bulgar wheat with scallions and mushrooms
Pilaf of bulgar wheat and red lentils
Bulgar wheat with chickpeas and tomatoes
Tabouleh (Bulgar wheat and parsley salad)
Whole hulled millet cooked with carrots and onion
Whole hulled millet cooked with yellow split peas
Uppama

Beans and dried peas

2009-11-13T19:53:00.001-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals. For an index of recipes, click here.

Beans and dried peas
Chana dal with cucumber
Chickpea salad
Chickpea and green bean salad
Chickpeas with garlic, tomatoes and green chilies
Chickpea and tomato stew
Very spicy, delicious chickpeas
Falafel (Chickpea patties)
Besan (A savory, chickpea flour quiche)
Fresh fava beans with thyme
Fresh fava beans with straw mushrooms
Dried fava bean and green bell pepper salad
Lobio (Red kidney bean salad with a walnut dressing)
Red beans cooked with garlic and ginger
Lentils with garlic and tomatoes
Lentil salad
Lentils with spinach
Candied dried lima beans
Frozen lima beans braised with swiss chard and dill
Lima beans with raisins
Mung or masoor dal
Roasted mung dal
Mongo (Mung beans with spinach and tomatoes)
Dry mung dal
How to sprout your own mung beans
Soy bean sprouts
Stir-fried mung-bean sprouts, carrots and cabbage
Salad of mung-bean sprouts and egg strands
Sprouted mung beans cooked with mustard seeds
Sprouted mung beans with spinach
Salad of sprouted mung beans
Soy-bean and mung-bean sprouts seasoned with sesame oil
Navy bean salad
Kacang asin (Salted peanuts with garlic)
Spinach with raw peanuts
Peanuts with long green beans
Fried tempeh
Fried, preseasoned tempeh
Sambal goreng tempeh kering (Sweet and sour tempeh)
Tempeh cooked in coconut milk
Oily toovar dal with cloves
Oily toovar dal with green beans and tomatoes
Sambar (South Indian dal with vegetables)

The first meal...

2009-11-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals. For an index of recipes, click here.

Was cooked on September 3, 2009. After that, I have cooked about 10 recipes, but haven't taken photos. I'm stating that these don't count, and will therefore have to cook these again.

Dinner - September 3, 2009: Green beans with sesame paste and garlic, Spiced rice with cashews, yogurt with cucumber and crushed mustard seeds.

Notes:

- This green bean recipe rules. I had it at my cousin's house, and I went and bought the cookbook. Enough said.
- The crushed mustard seeds in a raita was new to me. It was different, and took a bit of getting used to, but I liked it after a bit.
- The rice took forever to make. Soak. Cook on stovetop for 20 minutes. Then bake in over for 40 minutes. I started cooking at 7.30pm or thereabouts - I ate at 10. However, I took some of the rice to a party at my mom's, and everyone there loved it. I therefore surmise that it was worth it.

Vegetables

2009-11-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals.

Vegetables

Stir-fried asparagus flavored with sesame oil
Green beans with garlic and red pepper
Green beans with sesame paste and garlic - September 3, 2009
Green beans with onion, garlic and tomato
Green beans with soy sauce
Green beans with fresh coconut and sesame seeds
Green beans and peas with ginger
Green beans cooked with mustard seeds and red pepper
Green bell peppers cooked with chickpea flour
Stewed beets with tomatoes
Stir-fried bitter melon
Bitter melon with eggs
Brussels sprouts stir-fried with dried Chinese mushrooms
Cabbage with Carrot and scallions
Cabbage seasoned with umeboshi plums
Shredded cabbage with mustard seeds and fresh coconut
Cabbage with yoghurt
Cabbage and tomatoes cooked in mustard oil
Cabbage with miso
Carrots in batter
Carrots with raisins and dates
Carrots cooked in dashi
Cauliflower in a cashew and sesame seed sauce
Cauliflower with almonds and lima beans
Cauliflower and potatoes cooked with fenugreek and fennel seeds
Cauliflower steamed with whole spices
Cauliflower with zucchini
Tumis Sawi (Choy sum with shallots)
Haak (Collard greens)
Corn with coconut milk
Eggplant slices with white miso
Sweet and sour eggplant
Eggplant fans in batter
Cubed eggplant cooked with onions
Creamed eggplant
Eggplant and potato
Eggplant with tomatoes
Eggplant cooked with crushed mustard seeds and yoghurt
Katte baigan (Sour eggplants)
Spicy eggplant with onion
Patlican (Fried eggplant with a yoghurt sauce)
Pinakbet (Mixed vegetable stew with eggplant and long beans)
Sajur Lodeh (Eggplant and long beans stewed in coconut milk
Baghara baigan (Eggplant cooked in the Hyderabadi style)
Hijiki with shiitake mushrooms
Hijiki with sweet potatoes
Kohlrabi with chinese black mushrooms
Lotus root and tomatoes cooked with fennel and dried ginger
Lotus root with soy sauce dressing
Mushrooms cooked with aluminum foil
Mushrooms with onion, garlic and ginger
Sauced mushrooms with sesame seeds
Three aunties and three grandmothers (Three kinds of mushrooms and three kinds of vegetables)
Sweet and salty dried shiitake mushrooms
Stir-fried tree ear fungus and summer oyster mushrooms
Morel mushrooms with peas
Mustard greens or broccoli rabe, cooked in the Punjabi style)
Whole okra
Sweet and sour okra with chickpeas
Okra fried with onion and green chili
Okra with tomatoes
Peas with ginger
Peas with parsley and coconut
Potatoes and onions
Potatoes and tomatoes cooked with fresh coconut
Potatoes with chickpeas
Potato stew
Aloo achaar (Potato salad)
Dry potatoes cooked with mustard seeds
Dum aloo
Diced potatoes with spinach
Potatoes with whole spices and sesame seeds
Sambal goreng kentang kering (Spicy shoestring potatoes)
Potatoes cooked with garlic and sesame seeds
Fried potatoes
Yellow pumpkin cooked with soy sauce
Fresh soy beans, steamed
Snowpeas cooked in dashi
Oshitashi (Spinach with roasted sesame seeds)
Spinach with shallots
Spinach with fermented bean curd
Spinach with scallions, cooked in the Moghlai style - November 12, 2009
Spinach cooked in a Bihari style
Yellow squash with onions, tomato and cumin
Stuffed yellow squash
Tomatoes cooked in the Bengali style
Tomatoes cooked in the Delhi style
Tomatoes cooked in the Gujarati style
Tomatoes stuffed with potatoes and peas
Turnips cooked in dashi
Wakatake (Wakame seaweed and bamboo shoots)
Water chestnuts, plain and boiled
Zucchini stuffed with smoked eggplant
Zucchini stir-fried with garlic
Zucchini stuffed with fresh coconut and chinese parsley
Zucchini meatballs
Aviyal (Mixed vegetables)
Pecal (Vegetable salad with a spicy peanut sauce)
Yum Tavoy (Salad of cooked mixed vegetables)
Tempura
Ukoy
Vegetable pakoris (Vegetable fritters)

(Looking at how many recipes there are, I think I have my work cut out for me. Or I could be screwed. Take your pick.)

Madhur Jaffrey - World of the East - Index

2009-11-13T19:26:00.000-08:00

Read more here about the Madhur Jaffrey project - one of my 2010 goals.

The Chapters

1. Vegetables
2. Beans and dried peas
3. Rice and other grains
4. Soy milk, bean curd and wheat gluten
5. Eggs
6. Milk products
7. Noodles, pancakes and breads
8. Soups
9. Little salads, appetizers, snacks and drinks
10. Condiments, dips, chutneys and relishes
11. Desserts and sweetmeats

(Since I thought it would be useful to have a centralized link to all the recipes.)

Lunch-time cooking

2009-11-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

Read this if you are wondering why I'm posting pictures of food.

As an explanation, my apartment is 10 minutes away from work, which means I come home for lunch quite frequently. Also, this week, I've been cooking at lunch, and eating leftovers for dinner, instead of the other way around. (Usually, when I come back home in the evening, I'm starving, and having food ready prevents me from eating junk.)

Lunch Nov 12: Spinach with Scallions, Cooked in the Moghlai Style, Yoghurt with Banana in the Gujarati Style and Brown Rice

Lunch Nov 13 (today): Spiced Buttermilk with Tomato

Notes:

- I thought yoghurt and banana was the weirdest combination in the world (the recipe also calls for chopped green chili), but the result was surprisingly good.
- The spinach blew me away. I thought I knew how to cook spinach Indian-style - but this recipe opened my eyes.
- The buttermilk with tomatoes is really similar to a recipe I've eaten my entire life. How bizarre. (Ok, it does mention it is a South Indian dish, so, not really that bizarre.)

Sewing Pattern Review - McCall 5699

2009-11-12T17:20:00.000-08:00

Overcoming a massive sewing block, I finally finished this project yesterday. Almost 2 months to press and hem? We call that a complete, total lack of sewing mo-jo.

Or just a distinct lack of enthusiasm about how much fitting/fussing I needed to do to get this to look only partially like a sack, not totally like one; along with a certain skepticism that I'd ever wear the resulting dress.

Details:

Fabric: A mystery knit of some kind - found in WalMart's $1 section. It is a bit thin and see-through, but otherwise not terrible.

Pattern: McCalls 5699.

Pattern notes: This isn't complicated sewing, but a couple of things I did differently.

- I cut an 8 on top, 10 waist and below, and I was swimming in the resulting creation. The full sleeves don't help - I looked like a sack. To counter, I took atleast 1.5 inches off the sides, as well as the sleeves. The resulting dress is still somewhat sack-like, but in a cuter way.

- The instructions have you create a casing for the elastic for the ruching at the bust area. I skipped that - and sewed elastic directly on the dress. It is on the wrong side - and I'm not meticulous enough to create a casing so the wrong side looks nice.

- I didn't like the puffing at sleeve shoulder. I know the 80s are fashionable again, but please, no thanks. I transferred the gathers to the front and back of the shoulder instead, which I think is slightly better.

Time taken: In actual time, about 6 hours. In elapsed time, 2 months. Go figure.

The conclusion: Well, I did wear it to work today - with black tights and heels, it looked fairly ok. I like the loose/mock turtle-neck, and I dislike the lack of shaping (I enclose a picture of the side view as proof. I am not a sack.) All in all, not a go-to dress, but a perfect I'm-feeling-fat-or-too-lazy-to-care dress. Is that a good thing?

Early morning cooking

2009-11-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

Probably as a result of jet-lag, I woke up at the unheard-of time of 7.00am, which actually meant I had time to cook and eat breakfast before I left for work. (I am not a morning person - this is very unusual for me.)

Let me detour here for a bit.

One of my favorite cookbooks is Madhur Jaffrey's World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking. (To be precise, it is my second favorite cookbook. The top cookbook on the list - Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine from South India.

Anyway, as one of my 2010 goals (and yes, this is reasonably early to be thinking of it, I know), I'd like to cook every recipe in this cookbook. (And, ideally, take a photo, which I'll post here, with other commentary as necessary.)

Back to breakfast.

From the cookbook, I made Chaura na poora aka black-eyed pea pancakes. (The link provides a very similar recipe to the book.)

Soaked black-eyed peas...

are ground with spices to make a batter...

which is cooked on the stove-top...

making an appalling mess on the counter.

When done, (in about the same time it takes to restore a semblance of order to the counter-top)

it is plated and eaten. Yummy!

Chaura Na Poora, served with Goan Cabbage Salad and Green Chili Pickle (the reddish on the right.) All recipes from Madhur Jaffrey's World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking.

What I'm working on

2009-09-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

After a bunch of work travel (Vancouver, yay!) and other assorted life stuff, I finally had a free evening last night and I was determined to sew.

I'm making a dress that I just can't find on the McCalls website, and I don't remember the pattern number. That's helpful, isn't it? It has a turtleneck, long sleeves, and is semi-fitted. I'm making it with a somewhat-sheer black knit (I thought it was a bit thicker, ah well.)

What I have left - hemming. I hate hemming, and especially hemming a knit. I also have a bit more of fitting and pressing to do, since right now, without a belt, the dress looks like a mu-mu (I made my usual size 10! Sheesh.)

Anyway, some fixing is required.

Tonight, I'm going to try to stand in line for rush tickets to see this concert. Fingers crossed. I really want to see them, but I don't want to pay $45. (Side note: I used to have the world's biggest crush on Zakir Hussain as a kid.)

Since I had a blue zipper - McCalls 4444

2009-08-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

I have had other favorite dresses - here, here and here - but this one supplants all of them - this is my new absolutely-favorite dress.

I had cut this pattern out, but I didn't have enough of the fabric I wanted to make it in (the black fabric I used to make this skirt.) I therefore rooted around in the stash, found a blue invisible zipper, as well as this fabric I bought in Nigeria, and voila. Easy peasy.

Here's a review.

Fabric: This beautiful tie-dye. 100% medium weight cotton, bought at-least five years ago from a market in Lagos. I've hoarded it until now, but this is the perfect use for this fabric.

Pattern: McCalls 4444.

Pattern notes: This is a pretty easy sewing pattern. Stuff that's worthy of comment:

- I made a size 10 at the top, and 12 at the waist/hip. This has perfect ease, I love it.
- I thought the pattern adjusting lines were really convenient, since I always need to adjust the pattern anyway to petite-size it.
- The instructions call for the bodice to be self-lined. In my case, I used lining fabric to line the bodice instead, my fabric is medium-weight, and a double layer would have been too stiff.
- The back required a bit of pinning and adjustment to get the dress to fit right. Nothing major - the vertical pieces were shortened, and I pinned the neck piece in place until it felt secure.

(Picture of the back.)

Apart from that, this is a nice, beginner pattern - very easy sewing, though a ton of pieces. (It was a bit of a pain cutting out...)

Time taken: About 4-6 hours, split over three evenings. I'm a very slow sewer though - this is an easy pattern.

And there you have it - my new favorite dress. I feel very sexy in this - I love it!

My First Really Successful Clothing Reconstruction

2009-08-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

I’m sure I’ve mentioned that my parents used to live in Nigeria for 7 years, and I bought an unseemly amount of fabric during visits there.

One of the happy by-products of living in Nigeria is that people gave them clothes as gifts. These clothes are traditional African wear, and are typically sized generously, since they are designed to be loose and unconstricting.

Much like me, my parents sporadically try to declutter, and they were trying to get rid of some of these clothes that they just don’t wear.

Enter me.

I firmly told them that I get the right of first refusal at all fabric flowing through the house, and made off with this generously sized top.

(Yes, that is me hidden behind the top.)

I wanted to reconstruct this into a simple shirtdress, and combing through the pattern stash, I found Simplicity 2885 that had the clean lines I was looking for.

And here it is, the finished result. I finished this about two week s ago, and I’ve already worn it out at least 2 times. I’m very happy with it.

Pattern notes: Because this was a recon, there’s a few things I changed or just omitted.
- I left out the collar.

- I didn’t bother with cutting/sewing the placket or facings, since that was already done in the top. I just cut the front piece so as to keep the placket in the center.

- Since I was keeping the neck and back facings, I abutted the front and back pieces and cut as one piece. (The shoulder slopes on the Simplicity pattern, and I did cut the slope, but slightly away from the neck facing so as to keep the neck facing.)

- My sleeves are slightly weird, since I wanted to keep the existing sleeve’s finished hem edge, and the Simplicity pattern has a curved hem edge, while my top didn’t. It is a bit weird, but not too much so.

Due to all these changes, it is hard to review the pattern instructions very well (for example, I didn’t use the most complicated part – the placket.)

However, I’m very happy with the pattern drafting. I made a size 10 gradated to a 12 at waist and hip. It runs true to size, and went together with no difficulty at all.

(Picture of the back.)

Sewing pattern review - McCalls 5474

2009-08-08T11:13:00.001-07:00

After the last two projects, both of which are a bit unwearable, atleast to me, I decided I wanted to actually sew something useful that I could actually wear.

Enter McCalls 5474, which I've made before but have never reviewed.

Fabric: One meter of a black cotton, that my mom bought me from India atleast 2 years ago. This was bought before I started sewing clothes, hence the one-meter cuts. (I vaguely thought I'd make a bag with it, or something, I guess.) Anyhoo, I used up all of the fabric on this, but I love it as a skirt.

Pattern: McCalls 5474. View B. I've called this the Catholic school girl look before, but this is a great basic skirt pattern, once you add some length to it.

Pattern notes: This is a pretty easy sewing pattern, and I didn't make any adjustments to it at all. A couple of things worth commenting though:

- I made view B - where the pleats are sewn, which is a look I really like - since I get the fullness of the skirt, without the corresponding fullness at the hip (which I don't need at all.) The pleats are 3 inches long, but it might be worthwhile measuring where you want the fullness to end, and sewing it to that length. (For me, 3 inches worked ok, but I'm petite. I'd imagine that for a taller person, the pleats might end at the widest part of the hip, which might not be good.)

- Also on the pleats - it is worthwhile marking them reasonably carefully. Since there are 6 pleats in all, less than a quarter inch extra on each pleat will make a big impact to the finished skirt size. My skirt is a bit tight, and I think that's because I did my usual half-assed job of marking. (I don't really mark most things.)

- The border band in my fabric was part of the fabric, but it was originally attached horizontal to the stripes on the black, not vertical. Since I didn't want the stripes going horizontally on this, I cut the border out, and then re-attached it once I cut the skirt pattern out. It works fine, and I like the little extra touch the border brings - it makes this seem like a more expensive/finished skirt. (Bonus - the border is finished, so no hemming required.)

Apart from that, this is a nice, beginner pattern - very easy sewing, only 2 pattern pieces, etc.

Time taken: About 3 hours, split over two evenings.

Good things: Wearable & pretty, what's not to love?

Bad things: It is a bit tight, but that's just a reminder that I need to get my ass to the gym. It doesn't bother me too much though, since I never tuck in my skirts.

A little post-script:

A shot of my fabric closet (which to most normal people would be a linen closet.)

Notice anyone?

Yup. Evidently, I buy, fold and store fabric just for Biscuit to sleep on. She doesn't even bother to hide that she runs my life.

My space-age, Swiss-Milkmaid dress

2009-08-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

Every so often, I make something that I look at and say - what the heck?

This dress (that I affectionately call the space-age swiss-milkmaid dress) fits that bill. What a disaster! Everything about this dress was painful and flawed. Ah well. It will go straight to the back of my closet, where I'll never wear it, but at-least it was a muslin, and at-least I got to finish a UFO, started way back in March.

Let's review it, shall we?

Fabric: One yard of a yellow cotton, about $4ish.

Pattern: BWOF 04-2008-118.

Pattern notes: Ouch, this really, really stretched my sewing skills. First, all the curved seams in the bodice involved in setting the white band really challenged me. The skirt, with hidden welt pockets behind the a mock-welt pocket, and a inset-seam to get it all together, coupled with unclear pictures and typical BWOF instruction (I really was guessing at the assembly most of the time) - that was a disaster. Along the way -

- I realized the dress, cut in a size 38, but with no petite adjustments, didn't fit. I therefore had to rip the bodice and skirt apart, take an inch off the bodice bottom, rip out and re-sew the bust darts, cut an inch off the skirt top, and then put it all back.

- I sewed one of the pockets wrong, so it was upside down. It was bizarre. And there was no good way to adjust it, since it was already a welt-pocket. I adjusted by just cutting into the pocket fabric, and flipping it. Not pretty.

- The yellow - too thin. I wanted to line it, but at the end of the day, I was done. It was all I could do to finish it. (In the pictures, I'm wearing a slip.)

Also, my skirt - disaster. If you look at it, it puckers like crazy - at the side mock-welt-pockets, at the front, and pretty much everywhere else.

Actually, who am I kidding? The bodice is a disaster as well. It is all a disaster, honestly.

Time taken: Clearly, forever. I had to keep putting this away, I was getting so frustrated with it. Let's go with about a week of work?

Good things: It was a muslin. I didn't ruin my good cloth.

Bad things: Where do I start? It isn't just that I made a ton of mistakes with this. At the end of the day, I learned a lot, and that was worth-while. No, what frustrates me most of all is that this looks pretty horrible on me, for all that work. Either yellow isn't really my color, the pattern isn't really my pattern, or more likely, all of the above.

Question for everyone - the pink & orange fabric still exists. Should I make a version of this dress, keeping the bodice, and using a plain skirt? Or, should I just call this a dismal failure, and move on?

Finishing UFOs

2009-08-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

This quilt top has been half-finished for at least a year, and I was determined to get to it this week. All that was needed was cutting the setting triangles, sewing the rows together, and adding borders.

I'm loosely thinking of actually quilting it myself, even though such efforts ALWAYS end in swearing, annoyance and deep hatred of my sewing machine, the quilt, and anything/anyone unfortunate enough to get in my way.

But... I should learn to do quilt properly, shouldn't I?

Sewing pattern review - BWOF 07-2009-120

2009-07-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

I'm not actually sure why I made this dress. Let's see - Tany's top was very inspirational. I was looking for a quick, easy project, which this was (sort of.) Also helping was the fact that I had the fabric handy. Finally, I definitely have a personal style that's sort of boring, and I thought this dress would jolt me out of it.

All of which remain true.

But then, I look at this dress and ask - where would I wear it, really? (Blog readers, if you exist. Please comment! Should this dress be worn at all? And if so, where?)

Anyway, all of that aside, construction details.

Fabric: A gift from my mom's friend. She went to India, and got me two saris to cut up. (I think my mom is getting heartily sick of me going into her closet and stroking her saris covetously.) This was a bit of one of them.

It is a polyester chiffon-like fabric, a giant PIA to work with. Slipped like crazy, so it is a good thing this pattern will tolerate that kind of thing. I lined it with a solid green rayon-ish fabric. (Which I happened to have lying around, score!)

Pattern: BWOF 07-2009-120. A weird mix of views A & B. I wanted a dress, but with short sleeves.

Pattern adjustments: A fair bit. When I first made this up, in a size 38, it was huge on me, and perfectly shapeless. I took 2-3 inches off the sides, to get it to present shape. I followed their instructions about adding elastic, since I really needed it. My sleeves aren't also as much off-the-shoulder as the patterns, because I took inches off the side, which ended up shortening the sleeves.

Also, since I lined it, I didn't bother with bias strips at the neck, I just sewed the lining together with the fabric at the neck, right sides together, flipped, and top-stitched.

Time taken: This is generally quick, but it took me a couple of evenings because I was fiddling around with it, trying to avoid the shapeless effect, and doing things to prevent the fabric from fraying like the devil (FrayStitch.)

Good things: Well, it does take me outside my clothing rut. Also, sewing a BWOF pattern the same month? Haven't done that in about a year, I think. This pattern is also pretty easy to put together, which is good.

Bad things: Where do I wear this? Really? Where? My life needs more martini-drinking with girlfriends, I think.

Post-script: I'm loosely tempted to make this again, in a sheer black. I won't, since I own about 10 black dresses. But I am tempted.

Also, I do realize I'm wearing it off the wrong shoulder. Who knew? I've never worn an off-the-shoulder anything before.

Pattern review - Simplicity 2933

2009-07-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

It honestly doesn't get easier than this. This dress has no sleeves, minimal fitting - it went together like a breeze, and I really like it.

Let's see - a bit more detail.

Fabric: A gift from my aunt. (People who have figured out that the best gift to get me is fabric - those people are awesome. Well, fabric & beer.) She bought it in India, it is a synthetic with really nice drape. I figured it would fray like crazy, and accordingly took precautions - my side seams are French seams.

Pattern: Simplicity 2933 - view A.

Pattern adjustments: This has the potential to be a bit mu-mu-ish, so I cut a size 8, and it fits pretty well. To give context, my normal Simplicity size is 8-10 on top, and 10-12 at the bottom. I took an inch off at the torso, and inches off the hem to get it to hit above the knee.

Time taken: Not long. This was pretty straightforward. An evening's worth? Spread over several, my life is crazy.

Good things: The fabric - I love it!!!! Plus, honestly, while I think it avoids looking mu-mu-ish, it is really easy-fitting, so remarkably comfortable.

Bad things: A tiny little thing, and something that happens to me in RTW as well - there's a bit of excess fabric in the underarm area. If I wanted to bother, it would be an easy enough fix, but honestly, I'm too lazy.

Overall though - I really like this dress, it feels easy and effortless, and that fits perfectly into my life.