Birthday speech : "Speech as i would like to call it, though it's more of a write up"...So, for all those who didn't know, 25th November was my birthday! I was lucky enough to be kept busy with phone calls and messages from my family and friends wishing the best for me, and while a lot were happy that i was spending my day at home with the furries and keeping the Cafe open, a few did mention that I should have taken the day off and gone out partying or somewhere.
So, here's my question to you all : Should a person do what one loves to do on his/her birthday or should he/she just follow the norm of going out, drinking and partying with friends?
I, for always, would go with the former. I decided to take bookings for my petsitting services as I WANTED to be amongst the "four's" for my birthday. I decided to keep the Cafe open as I LOVE being in the kitchen. And what more, when during all this I had my loving husband and a supportive family by my side. Spending a day like this made me much happier than going out to a restaurant and spending a few thousands over beer and food. Doing what you love is so IMPORTANT. We might earn a little less but are the happiest. That way, niether do we lose sleep worrying about the black money in the cupboard ( The DE-MO effect ) nor do we have to wake up to meet the targets.
I decided to make Mushroom rice and Babycorn Jalfrezi for the birthday dinner. I shall post the rice recipe in next post as the combination tastes wonderful. But meanwhile, here is the recipe of Babycorn Jalfrezi that you can make and serve with roti, paratha or naan.
This dish is popular in Indian restaurants and i would always order it as a child. This is the first time i tried making it. You can skip babycorn and add vegetables to make Vegetable Jalfrezi or even paneer to make Paneer Jalfrezi. The dish gets ready very soon as the basic method of cooking is stir fry.
Ingredients:
Babycorn - 200 gms
Capsicum - 1
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1 small
Tomato puree - 1/2 cup ( I made at home by boiling tomatoes, removing skin and pureeing it but you can buy readymade )
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste
Corriander leaves - to garnish
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Kitchen king masala - 1/4 tsp ( You can also use Garam masala instead )
Red chillies ( dry ) - 2
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Vinegar - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Butter - 2 tbsp ( can also use oil... i went a little overboard not worrying about calories ;))
Method :
Cut the babycorn horizontally into bite-size pieces. You can cut them in any shape as you like.
Slice the onion and capsicum lengthwise.
Chop the tomato
Boil water in a pan, add a pinch of salt and then add the chopped babycorn to it. Cover and let it rest for a while. This process is known as blanching. Drain the water.
In a wok/kadhai, add butter. Put in the red chillies and then add the sliced onions and saute till they are translucent. Now, add the ginger garlic paste and let the raw smell go away.
Add the chopped tomato and salt. Let it cook till the tomatoes turn soft. Now add all the masalas ( turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, corriander powder and kitchen king masala ). If adding garam masala, then don't add now. Add rest of the masalas.
Add the sliced capsicum and let it all cook till oil starts leaving the sides. Now add the blanced babycorn and saute for 2-3 mins.
Pour in the tomato puree. If you don't have a puree, use tomato ketchup.
After about a minute or two, add vinegar, sugar and garam masala ( if adding ).
Mix it all well and put off the flame after about a minute or two.
Garnish with corriander leaves.
If you want a little gravy, add water if it gets too dry after adding the puree.
Enjoy this tangy, sweet and spicy dish with roti or rice. Here's how i served it :
Happy Cooking :)
