Green blog project

LG's green blog project... When she first blogged about it, I said sorry, I won't be able to join. Sim(b)ly because, I am a serial plant killer. The only plant that ever escaped was my money plant, that too because I put in a vase with water not soil!..

Although everyone in my family knows about my condition..and never let me go anywhere near their garden, my kids never give up.
My youngest got 3 bean seeds for me on mother's day, she planted them, watered(flooded the pot) every day. They were so keen that they lifted the plants out of the pot each day to see how long the roots have grown.. Two beans gave up their fight for survival. This one in the photo.. is a fighter..she is not giving up. She wants to be part of the green blogger project. So far there are three beans.. and I should make a dish with that!!!!!!!!!.. now that is going to be fun.

Further detail about the project or want to chew LG's brain.. contact her at
greenblogproject AT gmail DOT com

Mango Curry

During the summer months, we always had this curry at my home. My grandmother had a special mango tree, behind the cattle shed. Only the mangoes from that tree would be used to make this curry. She refused to share the seeds of that mango tree with anyone. That tree was her pride and joy. I would pester Kutten( out farm help) to climb the tree and pluck mangoes for me, when ever Ammachi goes to the market. Unripe ones, I ate them with salt and chilli powder. The ripe ones.. ah there was a joy in eating a pazhutha nadan manga.. without peeling and cutting it.. Just like Mowgli used to do..in the jungle book...

Mangoes:2 big ones. preferably semi ripe. Peeled, and cut in to cubes
Green Chillies:6 split in to 2
water: 1 cup
Boil the mango pieces with the green chillies in 1 cup of water.

Mean while Grind the following in to a fine paste

Coconut: 1 cup freshly grated
Cumin powder: 1/2 t spn
Garlic: 1 clove
Turmeric: 1/2 t spn
Shallots: 2( can substitute with 1 tbl spn of onion)
Seeds from 2 dried red chilli.

When the mango is cooked, add the ground masala along with another 1/2 cup water. Cook for 10 mints on low fire. Remove from fire and pour the tadka over it.

Tadka
Coconut oil: 1 tbl spn
mustard: 1/4 t spn
Shallots(onion) sliced fine: 1 tbl spn
Dried red chilli: 2 broken in to one inch pieces
Curry leaves: 1 sprig.
Heat oil in a wok, add the mustard, when it finished spluttering add the shallots, when the shallots brown lightly add the dried chilli and curry leaves and fry for another minute. Pour over the curry. Serve with Rice..

Butter Prawns

Most of you who have read my blog would know I am extremely allergic to prawns.. but the mysteries of life is such that, I would give birth to a son, who would stop in the sea food section of the market and won't budge an inch till I buy, prawns and crabs of all kinds. He says 'if only girls were like prawns'.. What he meant by that, I never tried to find out.. Ignorance is a bliss, especially if you are a Malayalee mother, who is forever in a confused state as to how to raise a Malaysian, malayalee son in Canada.

Here is an easy simple, fattening recipe, that makes my son's eyes go all dreamy. It takes 5 mints to prepare and 5 mints to cook.

Ingredients

Prawns( bigger the better!!!) : 150 gm( cleaned and deveined)

Ginger and garlic paste: 1 t spn each

Butter: 1 tbl spn

pepper powder: 1/2 tspn
oyster sauce:1 t spn
soy sauce:1 tspn
Chicken stock granules:1 t spn
Corn flour: 1 t spn
water: 3/4 cup.

Dissolve the chicken stock, oyster sauce,soy sauce and corn flour in the water.

Heat a wok and add the butter, when it melts add the ginger garlic paste and stir fry for a minute till it is lightly browned, add the prawns, stir continuously, when the prawns are turning to pink colour add the water with all the sauce mixed. Keep stirring..When the sauce is thick, sprinkle the pepper powder. Take it off from fire and serve hot with rice.

Note: I do add a bit of extra butter(2 tbl spn) when I cook for my son..( love the look on his face, when he eats the buttery buttery yummy prawns!!)