Category: Friends

Food and Drinks, Friends, Life, Recipes

Dahi Vada and Potluck

nainadg

I am becoming rather proud of culinary skills lately. I have graduated from just cooking for J and my family to now cooking for big groups of people. Last Sunday DS and Y hosted a Potluck in their backyard and I cooked up a big batch of dahi vada and people actually enjoyed it.

In fact I overheard this conversation between DS and Y

DS: This is great, Did X make this ?

Y: No , this is the dish N and J brought

DS: N made this , really , wow!

The setting was really fun, they had set up a long picnic bench and it felt like this big family meal outdoors. There were Italian dishes, tapas, mac and cheese, shortbread cookies and Tempeh and also DS’s homebrew. After dinner Y and I watched her wedding video and the boys made fun of us.  Also I got an email from DS saying that they will be hosting every sunday , so it will become a summer tradition.

Anyway to celebrate the summer season, I am posting a recipe for Dahi Vada( Dough balls in Yoghurt): A yummy, chilled summer snack

Dahi Vada ( Makes 6 small portions)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 cups Urad Daal without skin (black lentils)
  • Salt to taste
  • 2″ piece of ginger grated
  • 2 green chillies chopped very fine
  • Vegetable/ canola/ sunflower oil for deep frying
  • 3 cups thick fresh yoghurt (should not be sour)
  • Red chilli powder to taste
  • 1 tbsp chaat masala
  • 2 tsps cumin seeds roasted gently and ground into a fine powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp sugar
  • Chopped corainder leaves to garnish

Preparation

  • Soak the urad daal in a bowl of water overnight. Grind it into a paste the next morning. Do not add any water while grinding.
  • Add the green chillies and ginger to this paste.
  • Mix 1 cup of yoghurt with 2 cups of water and salt to taste
  • Keep aside.
  • In another bowl mix the remaining yoghurt with the red chilli powder, chaat masala, cumin powder, sugar and salt to taste. Mix well. Keep aside.
  • Heat oil for deep frying on a medium flame. Grease your palms with oil and put 1 tbsp of the lentil mix in your palm. Make into a donut shape (these are the vadas).
  • Slide each vada into the hot oil and fry till light golden. Drain and put immediately into the yoghurt/water mix. Allow to soak for 2-3 minutes.
  • Remove from the yoghurt/water mix and press gently between your palms. Arrange these vadas in a deep platter as you prepare them.
  • When all urad daal paste is used up and the the vadas are done as above and in the platter, pour the thick yoghurt mix over them to cover completely.
  • Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
  • To serve, put 1 or 2 Dahi Vadas in a plate and garnish with Tamarind Chutney and green Mint-coriander Chutney. (optional)

    • Friends, Life, Travel

    Bittersweet!

    nainadg

     

    Well this post would have been titled just Sweet, had it not been for a certain law enforcement officer being a jerk. But I will not ruin the ending.

    Thursday night Me, J, Y and DS had a planning session at their house. We weren’t sure if we wanted to go at all this weekend because the weateher forecast said it would rain on saturday and that it would really cold on sunday. These did not sound like ideal conditions to go camping, so we decided to rent a camping cabin which is a very rustic cabin and just chance the weather.  Our destination was the village of Frisco on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks. Our planning session lasted long into the night with us making extensive lists of stuff we were going to take with us.

    Friday, we got a late start becasue DS ‘s meeting ran late , but we finally started our adventure. On the way, we nearly ran out of gas b/d J kept taking exits that did not have gas stations, but we did make it into Frisco without too much more adventure. It was weird to drive on the Outer Banks in the dark and we had no idea what the view around us was really like.  Our camping cabin turned out to be very cool, it had a two rustic platform beds and a table and an air conditioner. The air conditioner which seemed like a luxury at first was actually a necessity in the humid sea air.  That night, Y and I went to bed while the boys stayed up smoking cigars on the porch.

    Saturday morning , I was the first one to wake up and I decided to explore the campground. It was a beautiful morning with warm temperatures and a pleasant sea breeze. Right as I stepped out of the cabin I reaized we were only a few feet away from the Pamlico sound . The sound is just beautiful and teeming with life, I saw a cottonmouth(water moccasin) and all sorts of really cool birds. After breakfast we wandered around Hatteras Island and checked out the talled Lighthouse in America -Hatteras Lighthouse and wandered along the beach. The thing that impressed me about Hatteras Island was the fact that most of tha seashore was protected and undeveloped, which is very unusual for coasts in the east. On the beach, we saw plovers, sea cucumbers, tons of crabs, skate eggs , different types of sea anemones and a horse shoe crabs. We also ate a delicious lunch of She Crab soup and calamari and Y made us a special mexican beer cocktail.

    Saturday afternoon we checked out the little villages on the island and went to the Pea Island Wildlife refuge. We saw different species of turtles and some river otters  and also some ospreys. That night we made a yummy camp dinner of steak and potatoes and chilled on our porch.

    Sunday, the weather did indeed get really bad. We spent the morning exploring the southern end of Hatteras Island and then headed north to Kitty Hawk and Kill Devils Hills. At Kitty Hawk we checked out the the famous Wright Brothers memorial and saw the spot where they launched into flight for the first time. It was really neat to see  how scientific they were in constructing their glider and their flyer.

    The weather was getting really bad now, so we just grabbed lunch at the Pier House restaurant of fresh seafood and Bloody Marys and headed back home. On the way….here comes the bitter part… we passed a cop who had pulled soemone over and J had to veer out into oncoming traffic to not run into him and we nearly ran into the oncoming car. But a few miles later the same cop pulled us over because we had not pulled into the other lane far enough and we were apparently “endangering the cops life” according to NC law. So J got a ticket for $ 36o  and our great trip had to end on a sour note.

    Despite the ticket, I had a great beach weekend and it was fun to celebrate the end of my semester by a quick getaway.

    Dress, Friends, Life, Wedding

    BBQ

    nainadg

    I had a very relaxing weekend after a very hectic week. It hit the right balance between socializing and zoning out on the couch.  Friday afternoon, I did crazy weight training, I don’t know if it helped but I am still sore. J and I also went to a friend’s house for a BBQ and I took my summer corn salad.  One of our friends had set up a Wii so we played Wii most of the night. Although I had started out weak, by the end of night I was a major contender. J and I ended the night by meeting up some friends and playing pool.

    Saturday, J and I went to register at Macy’s because my mom’s friends think I should register there. They actually have a pretty good registry program and they have nice discounts for registry completion as well! While we were there  J found a suit that he loved and we ended up buying his wedding suit as well. His suit is a greyish brown color; an artsy name for it would be “slate”.  I’m happy he found a suit and that he is actually excited to wear it. Sat night we had to go to another BBQ/Baby shower and I made another batch of my corn salad, only this time it was a huge hit and some people didn’t event get to try it.

    I also had a cucumber/vodka drink that was amazing. According to the drink’s creator, it has Vodka, cucumber juice, lime juice, mint and ginger and I’m determined to recreate this soon. We also played Bocci in the dark and our hosts had set up their Wii on the lawn and a giant screen, so we played even more Wii.  Wheeeeee

    Sunday, I relaxed and studied a little for a test and I also bought a cute brown dress. Overall, it was a fantastic weekend. Now its back to the grind of work and stressing for school.

    Friends, Life

    Interview

    nainadg

    It was my last week at work so JJ and I decided to ask each other dumb questions, Some are good, some are just dorky, but worth remembering….

    Read JJ’s answers here

    Q:mustard or mayo?
    GG:mayo
    Q:chocolate or vanilla?
    GG: Chocolate
    Q: fave tv show as a kid?
    GG:He-man and small wonder
    Q;favorite grade?
    GG:9th
    Q:The competition you were most happy to win?
    GG:a singing competion in first grade, i was so nervous and excited for it and i couldn’t believe i won.yeah,my prize was a book of russian fairy tales
    Q: what would you do if you had found $15?
    GG:a long lunch and a second hand book
    Q:
    GG:Going somewhere exotic, and immersing myself in the culture, like living/vacationing in one place for 3 months maybe, so I can know all the secrets and like you said, eat all the good food that the place has to offer.i love the idea of being able to go to another country and living there for a long time and not have to work and just hang out
    Q: would you rather be a stay at home mom, or have your partner be a stay at home dad. and you had to choose
    GG:
    if i had to choose, i ‘d rather be the one staying home too, but yeah, in the real world, it would be working part time and staying home part time
    Q:what is your favoirte thing about thanksgiving?
    GG:The food, and all the different types of food. its a total excuse to pig out
    Q:fave christmas present ever?
    GG:my leather jacket
    Q:what would you do if you had two months to yourself?,no work/ family/ bf?
    GG:okay, then travel, read, take interesting pictures, make myself write, take a dance class, really experiment with recipes and make weird dishes and take a long bath atleast 2 times a week
    Q:your fave outfit (that you own, or might want to buy) that you think makes you look super sexy, and confident and hot
    GG:my black chiffon dress, my hair looking hot(w/out frizz) and this long dangly earrings and my high heeled sandals
    Q:favorite childhood game?
    GG:i used to have this board game called memory, cuz i kicked everyone’s ass, and pretending to be a bookseller
    Q:your favorite summer activity?
    GG:BBQ’s ,lazing around and going hiking. Also i love hot summer afternoons when i can read and drink some super tasty drink
    Q:fave lunch food?
    GG:quiznos soup

    Food and Drinks, Friends

    Top 10 Cuisines I loooooooooove

    nainadg

    So JJ and I have decided to do Top 10 foods we love. Why you ask, because its friday and we are hungry and not much is happening at work. Anyway, get ready to salivate

    1) Indian: Okay, so its not hard to guess that my fave is Indian, I love all dishes indian, northern, southern, bengali, gujrati , whatever. My fave dishes though would have to be : Tandoori Chicken, Palak Paneer, Garlic Naan, Biriyani and my grandma’s Lamb in dry curry.
    Best restaurant- Sitar India, Bombay house and any restaurant in artesia LA

    2) Thai: I love the spicy coconut curries of thai, fave dishes are: Green curry chicken, Tom Kha soup, Divine Rice from Me Kong Cafe in SLC,
    Fave restaurants: Taste of THai, MeKong Cafe

    3) Mexican: Mexican is cheap and super tasty for eating out. I love getting the combo plates with cheese enchiladas, beans and rice. I also love Taco Truck Tacos
    Fave Restaurants: El Torreros, Cafe Rio, Taco Truck, Baja Burrito. I also like the Station in logan and their chicken in spicy cream sauce

    4) Sushi: Oh I could wax the poetic about Sushi, I love it sooo much! But my tastes in Sushi often tends to run towards the more pedestrian, cuz I often like the more common rolls than the gourmet rolls. Faves are Spicy Tuna, Philly roll, yellow tail and anything with salmon.I also like the fried rolls every once in a while.
    Fave Restaurants: Kanki’s, Mikado,

    5) Malaysian: I have only had this a couple of times, but i loved it. Its like the love child of Indian and Thai. I love Roti Parata with chicken curry and red curry soup with noodles.
    Fave restaurants: I have only had Malaysian a couple of time, so i don’t think i have a fave yet

    6) Middle Eastern/Greek:yummmmm….falafel and hummus. my life would be incomplete without them.
    Fave restaurant:International Delights, Babaghanouj

    7) Chinese: I like regular chinese fine, but what I really love is Indian style chinese, which is available in very few places in the US. My faves are: Chicken Fried Rice, Chow mein, and Chilli Chicken
    Fave Restaurant: Fredricks in Toronto, Shanghai , Japan express( it is basically chinese takeout),they have this sweet and spicy white sauce thats just incredible.

    8) Fast Food: I know its not cool to like Fast food, but when a taco bell or Micky D’s craving hits me, nothing else can satisfy. MMMMM…cheese fries.
    Fave Restaurant: McDonalds, Training Table, Taco Bell, Wendys

    9) Southern/Country Style/Home Cooking:I guess it must have been moving to the south that did this for me, but i don’t know how i made it without Biscuits, Hush puppies, country gravy and fried fish. Bring on the cholestrol.
    Fave Restaurants: Bennetts, Wimpy’s , Cracker Barrell, The Q Shack

    10)Breakfast: I know this is n’t really a cuisine, but I love 99% of breakfast foods. Faves would have to be veggie ommlettes, breakfast burritos, pancakes, oh man, i could go on and on.
    Fave Restaurants: Graysons, IHOP, Dees, Gulgupf cafe

    Friends, Funny, Life

    The Name Game

    nainadg

    YOUR PORN STAR NAME: (name of first pet + street you live on): Kizzi Vesson

    2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandmother’s/father’s first name + favorite snack): Uma Hotwings

    3. YOUR FASHION DESIGNER NAME: (first word you see on your left + favorite restaurant): Speaker Kanki

    4. YOUR SOCIALITE NAME: (silliest childhood nickname + first place where you partied): Girlie Frat

    5. YOUR “FLY GIRL/GUY” NAME: (first initial + first three letters of your last name): A-pta

    6. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite animal + name of high school): Tiger Brighton

    7. YOUR BAR-FLY NAME: (last snack food you ate + your favorite drink): Snicker Vodka

    8. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name + street where you first lived): G. Keytala

    9. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (favorite candy + favorite musicians last name): KitKat White

    10. YOUR OPPOSITE SEX NAME: (name of [opposite sex] last friend that you commented + cell phone company you use): JJ Verizon

    11. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name+ last 3 letters of mothers middle name /+/ first 3 letters of your pets name + first 3 letters of the town you live): Dasray Laydur

    Friends, Life

    Hold Em

    nainadg

    Played poker last night! It was pretty fun, I think I’ll definitely repeat the experience. No big news other than J tore his ACL. Won’t know till tuesday what the deal is in terms or recovery, surgery, rehab, etc.

    So depending on whether he needs surgery or not, plans for the rest of the year are up in the air!

    Friends

    Maybe its me

    nainadg

    I know I have issues, I just don’t like being confronted with them.

    I need friends, who are just my friends. I mean, its okay if they eventually spill into my life, but if they spend more time with J than me, then they are really not *my* friends. I guess my issue is selfishness.

    I am not so concerned that J might like them more than me, more that they might like J more than me and then I don’t want them as my close friend, more as a group friend.

    Gawd! I am so immature and juveinille. I know Virginia Woolf said, every woman should have a room of her own, but she should have taken it further and made it mandatory to have one friend in town, who is solely the woman’s friends

    blog scream: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

    Friends, Life

    4th of July!

    nainadg

    Friday: Will wait for Internet installation, might go with RS to Wimpys and get me some biscuits. J is out cuz he gets a free lunch! Mooch 🙂

    Saturday: Eddie from Ohio at the Eno River Festival; also just hanging out and doing kid crafts. I love doing crafts at fairs and festivals,expecially the super easy ones. And now that I have a bare apt, it will be nice to have random shit

    Sunday: J and I are going on a date to see Batman Begins and eat some Food Court lunch. I think we are trying to relieve Junior High dating days.

    Monday: Maybe see fireworks at th Durham Bull’s stadium, but I have never paid for 4th of July fireworks before, so I don’t know how I feel about that. Maybe we can find another spot in Durham county thats free. I’m sure beer will be involved.

    I think Beer is the official drink of the USA. This is my realization about this country on yet another Independence Day.

    Friends, Life

    And another winner….

    nainadg

    Unless it turns out that this would need to be a Layla free weekend, I think J and I are committed to camping. We don’t the people very well, but I just want to get away from everything, be a tourist, take silly pics of friends and puppy and mountains, eat good food and come home drama free!

    Plenty of drama on ANTM last night though, with a runway walk off and live commercial. Naima won! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! I would have been pretty happy if Kahlen had won too, but Naima just seemed really special, not boring and as L says “didn’t say anything too annoying”. I hope she has a great career.

    Tyra has managed to keep me for one more season! Go Miss Tyra. I think Janice needs her own reality show. I know she will be on next season’s Surreal life, but I think they should just give her a cooler/bitchier version of ANTM. Sigh….wishful thinking.

    Hopefully apprentice finale will be decent. Haven’t really watched in a couple ofweeks. So don’t really care, who gets hired.