Chasing Light

So, it is not only Kalki who loves to chase the reflection off of my laptop and cell phone. When the reflection gets near the cage, Pepper also wants to catch it. But not to play with it though. For her, everything is a pepper-eating monster, including the light that bounces around on the wall, her cage and on Nikko :)

The Complaints Continue...

And this week, Pepper also joined in with Nikko on his weekly rants when dad gets back home. And he didnt care what time it was and continued his weekly news at 11.55 PM!!!

Pa Jun ~ Korean scallion pancake

Nupur from One Hot Stove started her post on Korean Pancakes that it will take just minutes to whip them up. How true! I made these pancakes for the first time last week, for lunch with a couple of friends, along with the Thai Green Papaya salad. My first thought when I tasted these was - I have been missing out all along!

For the pancakes, I whisked together - 1/2 cup rice flour, 1 cup all-purpose flour, one egg, few splashes of tamari soy sauce, salt and cold water. To this batter, In added chopped scallions and julienned carrots. Proceed to cook on a girdle, like regular pancakes or dosas. I diluted my batter to be more like a dosa and less like a pancake.

For the sauce to top the pancakes, I used the Maggi chili masala sauce, mixed with rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and a sorghum bourbon syrup. Hearty lunch!

Something to Chase

One of our friends in Kansas had a dog that would get pretty excited and chase the tiny red light from a laser pointer. We tried that with Amy, but she didn't care about it. But now Kalki is super excited about spots of light that can move. I discovered this when I was working from my couch and he started jumping around, after the reflection from my laptop screen on the ceiling. Now anytime I sit down to work, he gets excited about the reflection from the laptop or the phone. Its actually quite funny to see him riled up about the reflection!

Kolam on Canvas

Here is the latest I have tried art-wise. I was thinking about doing Rangoli on glass, but since I started experimenting with acrylic on canvas, Kolam on canvas seemed like a pretty good idea. As many of us don't put kolams in front of the house as we do back in India, I thought hanging them on the wall could be a nice touch. And I love how they are turning out! The bigger one is with Brooke Stansberry, Grand Island. I do know I have to work a lot to improve my brush strokes, but this is not bad for a rookie, right?

Kalki @ Indian Lake

I think every pet parent has a moment when they realize how naughty their kids are. My moment with Kalki was when I took him hiking with a couple of friends to Indian Lake last fall, soon after we had brought him home. He managed to chew the retractable leash between the house and the park and I had to knot the two pieces together into a workable leash. When I was looking at a map, in a gap of a few seconds he managed to chew it again, without any cord left for a knot. I was able to barely attach the handle on his harness and he was happy to be running around by himself. I think grabbing the handle in his mouth made him feel proud, like he is doing my work for me! Doesn't he look like he has accomplished something?

Green Papaya salad from Thailand

For today's lunch, I made salad - the first one I have ever made. I do eat salads, but I have never been a fan. I am usually picky about eating 'raw' leaves - carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and avocados are cool, but no-no to raw spinach and lettuce! Anyways, Shankar bought a green papaya from St. Louis this week, and inspired by my friend Carolyn, I decided to give this salad a try and it turned out yummy!

I shredded the green papaya and a couple of carrots in my food processor, transferred them to a bowl. Again in the processor, I blended together a clove of garlic, some scallions, mint leaves, red chili in oil, two tablespoons of peanut sauce, soy sauce, a little salt, a little brown sugar and a lot of lime juice. I tossed the dressing with the papaya & carrots and let it sit for an hour for the flavors to blend. Chopped some peanuts to garnish and it was good.

Gozinaki from the Republic of Georgia

Our friend Emilie had a Georgian themed dinner tonight, and for my part, I made dessert. Gozinaki (Gozinaqi), is a simple walnut based sweet, much like the peanut burfi from India. Traditional recipes include only walnuts and honey!

I adapted this basic recipe and added more ingredients for a slightly more complex taste. Basically toast the walnuts, hull them (which was a lengthier process than I thought it was), coarsely chop them. I used a little bit of jaggery, that I boiled with a spoonful of water, and ginger honey. When the mixture is frothy, add the walnuts and cook for a few minutes stirring continuously. Pour on parchment paper over a dish, let cool and slice. As they cooled, I topped them with a toasted coconut spread and sprinkled lemon-ginger dark chocolate. One of the guests took a bite and went "Wow" :)