Friday, September 28, 2012

Thai Green Curry

I love Thai food especially the 'coconut' based dishes - curries, fried shrimp, ice-creams. Coconut milk/flakes take the dish to another level, the special taste that coconut brings out is delicious. So today I am sharing with you one of the Thai curries I have tried at home - Green thai curry with veggies.

The best part of this curry is of course the coconut milk but, yeah, I do love it 'cause its loaded with veggies and that it makes it so colorful. You can try it out with chicken or shrimp and I am sure it will just taste as yummy!

I adapted this recipe from one of 'Sanjeev Kapoor's' recipes (He is one of the well-known chefs in India). The heart of the recipe is the green curry paste; once that's ready and the veggies are cut, the whole process does not take more than 30 mins.

Ingredients
•Orange carrot 1 medium
•Red capsicum 1/2 medium
•Green capsicum 1/2 medium
•Yellow capsicum 1/2 medium
•French beans 6
•Potato 1 medium
•Baby corn 6
•Broccoli florets 6-8
•Mushrooms 6-8
Tip -  In general, you can add any veggies/tofu/paneer/meat you like. 
•Lemon grass stalk 5 (you will get it in the herbs section of your grocery store)
•Lemon juice 1 teaspoon
•Salt  to taste
•Fresh basil leaves 2-3 (if I don't have fresh basil leaves on hand, I substitute them with dried basil leaves)
•Fresh coconut milk 3/4 cup (I used canned Coconut milk)
•Oil 1 tablespoons
Green curry paste
•Galangal 1 inch piece (You will find it in the herb section of your grocery store, if you don't then use Ginger)
•Garlic 2-3 large cloves
•Green chillies 5-6 (adjust them as per your taste)
•Coriander seeds 2 teaspoons
•Lemon rind ,grated 1/4 teaspoons
•Cumin seeds 2 teaspoons
•Shallots 3 (You can substitute regular onions for shallots)
•Coriander roots a small bunch
•Fresh coriander leaves a handful

Steps
1) Cut galangal into strips and diagonally slice the bottom part of the lemon grass stalks. Heat sufficient water in a deep non-stick pan. Add the top part of lemon grass stalks and let the water boil. This is to make the galangal flavored stock.
2) For the green curry paste, grind together sliced lemon grass, galangal, garlic, green chillies, coriander seeds, lemon rind, cumin seeds, shallots, broken coriander roots and coriander leaves with sufficient water into a fine paste.
3) Halve carrot vertically and then cut into 1 inch pieces (juliennes - thin long strips). Separate broccoli into small florets. Cut all three capsicum into juliennes too. Cut French beans into 1 inch pieces. Cube potato. Wash, dry and thinly slice mushrooms. Slice baby corn vertically. Basically cut the veggie/meat/tofu in small pieces so that they cook faster and absorb the curry flavor.
4) Add potato and carrot to lemon grass stock, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes or till the vegetables are slightly soft and have a bite to them. Remove the lemon grass and add broccoli and beans and cook for 2-3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables into a bowl.
5) Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the green curry paste and sauté for 2 minutes. Add salt, mix well and cook for a minute.
6) Add the cooked vegetables and mix well.
7) Add coconut milk and stir to mix. At this point, add the three different capsicums and mix well.
8) Add lemon juice and torn basil leaves and mix well.
9) Cook till the potatoes are done.

Yummy Green Thai curry is ready to serve with plain rice or noodles!!

Now that the weather is getting cooler, the Thai curry makes for a perfect Saturday/Sunday lunch with your beloved and a nice movie. Aah, the weekend just got better :)


Do you love Thai food too? Which is your favorite Thai cuisine dish?

Thursday, September 20, 2012

NYC and InFB Blogger meet

*This post has been delayed by a week*
One balmy Friday evening the bloggers from InFB (Indian Fashion Bloggers) met, and what a whale of a time did they have!
Thanks to Tanvi for this initiative for the meet-up, else I would never have met such wonderful people (who I have always known from their blogs and tweets). Its such a revelation, when you meet the people behind the blogs - they are real people, beautiful, chirpy personalities. 

I had everything planned for the meetup day, outfit, shoes, jewelry, makeup, confidence - check and check! The hitch just was the long drive from DC to NYC - well and as luck (??!) would have it we left late, got stuck in traffic, lost our way and..hmm. I think that was about it to make me late for the meetup. 
I met with with Renu from Renew-it at the NJ PATH station before heading to the meetup - but the time we reached both of us were huffing and puffing from the walk from the subway station. 
The rooftop bar was picture-perfect with a backdrop of the majestic Empire State Building and the hip NYC crowd. I am glad I was in time to meet with the lovely Jyoti from Style Delights, Tanvi from The Fabulous life of not-so-rich and infamous, Dhruvi from Stilettos & Sequins, Nisha from Love Laugh and Mirch, Richa from Urban Mantra, Prutha from Dont Shoe Me and Ashlene. 

We drank, chit-chatted, shared our experiences and background - basically everything other than our blogs! Of course we took a lot of pics too! So I will stop yapping now and let you enjoy the lovely (Instagrammed!) memories from that evening. I would highly recommend such blogger meets - at least twice in a year, and even better if more. It just helps to get together our community and spread some blogger love, don't you think?

Unfortunately, in all the hurry to get to the event, I did not get to click any outfit pics! I got ready in a record time of 10 mins. and rushed out the door, completely skipping on my fav thing to do - Take outfit pics. 

Well, you can get a sneak-peek of my outfit in the pics below and this is What I Wore
Leopard-print dress - Express; Black Bolero - Macys; Peep-toes pumps: Bandolino @ DSW;
Accessories - JC Penney; Bag - Aldo; Watch - Michael Kors Womens Chronograph (Gift from parents)

InFB Bloggers!/ One parting pic/ Renu, Richa and me/ 4 gals and a random dude! 

With Richa / Renu / Tanvi 
Gorgeous view from our table/ All of us!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Vancouver Fashion Week!!



I am so excited to share that I got invited to attend the Vancouver Fashion Week. Its a super exciting moment for me!! When I started this blog, I just meant it to be an extension of my artsy-self: a medium to express my creative side in Fashion, Food and Every day life. So as a newbie lifestyle blogger, getting an invitation from one of the West Coast's premier Fashion Week, is an exhilarating moment for sure! Too much of excitement and happiness!! I know it would be even more exciting to attend the Fashion Week but sadly, I wont be able to attend it (Darn, travel logistics!). But still I wanted to share with you the details of this event.

The Vancouver Fashion Week is a semi-annual event and is entering in its 10th year! The Fashion Week kicked off today with pompous celebrations and will continue until Sept 23 mainly showcasing the Spring/Summer 2013 collections. 
If you are in the area, don't miss a chance to attend this event!

For more information, schedule, and to get tickets, visit: www.vanfashionweek.com
For real-time updates, click on to: https://twitter.com/VanFashionWeek

I would like to than the organizers and PR teams for choosing my blog to be a part of this event. Thank you so much guys for this opportunity!

Monday, September 17, 2012

Date evening in Georgetown

One of my favorite things, after moving to DC area, has been going on a stroll in Georgetown; especially sitting by the Potomac river and enjoying a cuppa coffee - very romantic I say! It reminds me of my days in Mumbai - Marine Drive to be specific..where you can sit for hours staring at the vast blue waters and enjoy the cool breeze; and if you have a cutting chai in hand, nothing like it!

Cut to present, last month we went to Georgetown on our way to a friend's house. This time though we had a plan in mind - definitely get in line for the famous 'Georgetown cupcakes' and then savor them with coffee while sitting by the river. Oh and did I mention! this was going to be my first long drive after I got my licence!

When we reached there, the weather was perfect - cloudy and not-so-hot. The line at the cupcakes shop was moving slow but we made it to the store in say 30 mins or so. The cupcakes were delish, but I am not sure I would wait for so much time in the line! Apart from cupcakes, Georgetown is also famous for boutique shops, restaurants, pubs/bars and in general a youthful vibe. I would definitely recommend making it a part of your itinerary on your next trip to Washington, DC.

This is what I wore on a date evening to Georgetown - 'Maxi dress as a skirt'. I loved remixing this closet piece and wearing it in a different way - I would suggest you to give it a try too! I think remixing closet pieces just helps to get the most value from your regular wear.
I took out my cutsey-bow flats out on a spin in Georgetown, I love that they are neon pink n orange n look very trendy!



What I am wearing: Maxi dress as a skirt - Old Navy; Top - Alfani @ Macys; Denim vest - Levis Factory Outlet; Bag - Calvin Klein; Neon pink flats - Kelly & Katie @ DSW; Jewelry and Ring - Old Navy; Watch - Fossil (Gift from J)






Mr. J/ In da long line for d famous Georgetown cupcakes/ my cutesy neon flats/ Finally! got hold of the cupcakes - Red Velvet & Chocolate Ganache!

Linking the post to #YOLO Linkups at Molly's, do check out other blogs at the link up. 

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

San Diego and Striped Dress



San Diego is a bright sunny happy place and we got to spend two whole days in this place!!Day one was spent at the La Jolla Cove and chit-chatting and enjoying a drink with bunch of friends as you have seen here.
Day two was spent well at the beach and the zoo! yes - A zoo - The world-famous San Diego Zoo!

We kicked off the day with some time at the serene Coronado Beach. Coronado is on the other side of SD, and has a historic importance to it. You will see locals strolling and enjoying life, tourists admiring the place and many a US navy officers in the vicinity! yep, that was the shining glory for me - men in uniforms, who doesn't admire that now!
The Coronado hotel and resort is a sight to behold, old world charm and what not. The beach is open to public and also the small shack that sells refreshing but expensive margaritas. We got one and headed for the beach - it was filled with happy families, children prancing around in water and building sand castles. ooh and did I tell ya, we spotted a F-16 jets on a routine - they have a navy base near-by and guess it was my lucky day :)

After some quiet time we headed for the San Diego Zoo around mid afternoon.
Time for Travel Tip - we should have actually done the reverse - visit the Zoo early am when the animals are awake and energetic. by mid afternoon they are all lazy and hiding away in their caves from the throngs of visitors.

Nevertheless, I don't think I missed seeing any one in particular..they were pretty much all visible. The zoo was buzzing with crowd - old and young - all excited alike. Its def a must-visit place if in SD, the star attraction being the huge but cutey cute Pandas, the vibrant flamingos, humongous hippos, giraffes - all so close by you could touch them almost. The zoo has buses, escalators and cable car rides for convenience but I would say reserve at least 4-5 hours for a complete tour.

One last tip - I felt chilly in some parts of the zoo, so better take that jacket/cardigan with you. 

This is what I wore on a fun-tastic day in SD - my tangerine striped dress. I got it from Aeropostale 3 years back and have wore it only once on a trip to Orlando. Its and eye-catcher and screams fun for sure! what better place than So-Cal to don it, right?
This time I paired it with contrasting turquoise beaded jewelry and my comfy leather boat shoes (my trusted-walking companions). I love how the tangerine and turquoise look like a match made in fashion-heaven :)



What I am wearing - Dress: Aeropostale (2009); Boat shoes: Aldo; Purse: Coach;
beaded necklace: JC Penney; Earrings: India; 
Ring: India; Beaded bracelet: Puerto Rico street shopping;  Aviators: Tory Burch;
Watch: Michael Kors Womens Chronograph (Gift from Parents); iphone case: Kate Spade


Senorita with her Margarita!

The Zoo's superstars!
Momma Giraffe n her cutee baby/Kung-Fu Panda munching away/Flamin-Go/Chillaxing Kangaroo

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Desi twist

This month's challenge at Indian Fashion Blogger (InFB) was Indian Fusion - inducing 'Indian-ness' in your western wear/everyday wear. Basically, adding a 'Desi' twist to your outfit. Well, I had this kurta/tunic sitting on my wardrobe shelf for almost 8 months now, so this was going to be my item of experimentation for this challenge. I wore this cute desi ('Indian') kurta as a 'dress' - inspired from one of many Tanvi's innovative tricks to dress!

I got this kurta on my last trip to India and its actually a product of street-shopping in Mumbai (Thane station road to be precise). I have a long list of what I love about this dress - the unusual hem-line, empire cut, organic aka cotton fabric, puff sleeves and the cute green 'boottis' hanging from the side. This was a cute n comfy summer outfit for a coffee date with hubby :)
Well who says you need to stock up on summer dresses..there are other ways to 'dress up' too. So tell me, would try this trick and wear a Indian kurta as a dress ?

Linking this post for InFB Remix challenge, What I Wore Wednesday and Transatlantic blonde.

P.S.: This is my first outfit post after my hair-cut. I know, I have been cheating, posting flash backs for almost a month now. But kya kare...I have a backlog of outfit posts especially from my travels. So, you are gonna be seeing more flashbacks here n there :) hey, do let me know how you like the new look?? I know I loved it tooo much, it reminds me of my college days :)



What I am wearing: Kurta/Tunic: Street shopping, Mumbai; Necklace: JC Penney; Earrings: random boutique in Provincetown, MA; Black peep-toe pumps: Bandolino at DSW; Bag, Ring n Sunglasses: Aldo; Necklace 'worn as' bracelet: H&M











That's my 'Fall-color' inspired manicure - Hunter green! 

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