Hello from Allergy-land

I received some emails asking if regular sausage or red meat could be substituted for Goan sausage. Thought I should add a note here. If you use un-marinated meat or sausage, do not forget to add garam masala, meat powders, and an extra dose of vinegar. A google search for Indian meat recipes should help with regard to quantities, spices, etc.



Meet my two new best friends. I have the worst seasonal allergies--all clogged up with the cold, and have terribly itchy, watery eyes. Resident doctor aka Suketu says that it will pass soon and hey, I am waiting. Been waiting for the past TWO weeks. Still waiting. Tick, tick.

There has been good news during this wait. For me, postal mail is very great news. I love postal mail--in my mind, it is real mail. I remember my Dad and I used to spend most of December writing holiday cards to our family, friends, and his business contacts. It seemed so real, so personal, so us.


This is what I received from yarny-blogger friend, Leslie. Thanks much! I really appreciate that you thought of me.

Then came along a big package all the way from Sweden from Christina, my swap partner at Fair Square, a cross-stitch exchange. This is what she stitched for me.


The square also has my initials and location. How cool is that. How thoughtful is that. When Christina asked me what I would like, I requested if something local/indigenous would be possible. Christina says that the pattern in the center is a reworked pattern from an old weaving technique called "opphamata". It was used around Sweden as far back as the 16th century. Christina: Thank you! This is so perfect.


Christina also collects vintage items...and she sent me three things from her collection. The linen tea-towel is handwoven in a old technique, "angle brackets"; the potholder is in a "nordic" pattern, and since I like buttons, she sent me some. Bliss.

Thank you again, Christina.

A little bit of Goan food

An update on the last post: Umesh and Roopa just had a beautiful little girl. Woooho! Thanks much for the baby gift appreciation...the proud parents liked them too!



Last week, knit-friends Katrice, Bitsy, and Shweta were over for lots of knitting and some food. Thank you for a wonderful evening. A big thank you to Shweta—I now own a handknit, designer hat (!). She designed it and the pattern will soon be available online on a new website.

What was for dinner? Dessert first (if you are like me, your primary interest is the "dessert situation”). Sorry for the bad pictures, but those are Chocolate Brownie Cookies—I made enough for the knitting party and as a birthday present for Suketu’s brother. At the knitting dinner, we had warm cookies with vanilla ice-cream, blueberries, and strawberries. I am no baking expert, but I must say that they turned out very good.


Recipe: Chocolate Brownie Cookies from Williams Sonoma Food Made Easy, Baking
Modifications: The recipe calls for chopped walnuts—I chopped half of the walnuts and finely grinded the other half. The ground walnuts lend a subtle, overall nutty flavor to the cookies.

Dinner. I decided it was high time I made the Goan sausages I brought back from my recent India trip. Here is a picture. Goan sausages are made of uncooked pork; the meat is marinated with spices and vinegar and packed into tight “balls”. In Goan markets, a hundred of such balls (which make up a string) cost 200 rupees. I am not sure how long they stay good without refrigeration; I have seen my parents freeze them within a month of buying them.

Recipe for Goan Sausage with Potato and Onions


Notes:
- There are many interesting ways of cooking Goan sausage, and this is just one way my family likes it. I am not sure if this is a Mangalorean take on cooking Goan sausage (?)
- There is no sugar coating this. Goan sausage is NOT made of lean pork…you get my point of how this becomes a greasy dish. I hardly eat or cook meat anymore and strongly dislike greasy food. However this dish is a rare treat especially if you just cannot walk around the corner and land up in a Goan market!
- For this specific recipe, do not add spices like garam masala and meat powders. They might mask the yummy flavor of the sausage.

Ingredients:
- 2.5 strings Goan sausage (this is usually made up of 150 balls). Remove the sausage covering, and put the meat into a bowl.
- 5 medium-sized onions, cut into large cubes
- 5 medium-sized potatoes, boiled, skinned, and cut into large cubes
- 2 tablespoons of ginger-garlic paste
- 2 teaspoons chilli powder
- 4 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder
- A pinch of tumeric powder
- 3 teaspoons vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt to taste

Directions:
1. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan under medium flame. Under low heat, add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for about eight minutes (the point being, cook until you lose the “raw” flavor and odor of the paste). Be careful not to burn the paste, as this can happen quite easily. Unfortunately, for this not to happen, the only remedy is to add more oil. Once done, keep aside in a bowl.

2. Heat one tablespoon of oil in the pan under medium flame. Sautee the onions until light yellowish-brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, and turmeric powder and fry for about 30 seconds. Add the meat and two cups of water and cook until the meat is tender. Don’t let the meat dry up while cooking; you will have to keep adding water. I prefer a thick gravy, so I closely moderate the water content so that it will cook the meat but not water-down the dish.
3. The meat has a strong tangy aroma in its uncooked form and this tanginess is the uniqueness of this meat. If you feel some of the tanginess has been lost during the cooking process, add some vinegar half way through step 2.
4. Turn off heat and add potatoes to the meat. Add salt to taste (add with caution—sometimes salt might not be necessary because of the pre-marinated nature of the sausage).
5. Proudly serve with dhal and rice.

Baby

Yesterday was a trip to one of our favourite places, Coldspring. It is a tiny town in Hudson Valley, NY--filled with unique stores and beautiful homes. We loved this one particular house, and Ami and her husband Nihar (who is visiting from Houston, while Ami works in NYC until October) looked all prettied up in front of it.

Ami and Nihar

I am especially in love with the red doors. Red is one of my favorite colors.

Then we heard some disappointing news. The really cool, fun yarn store in Coldspring, Knitting Smith, is going out of business. Sniff. I don't mean transition so quickly from sad news to sale news, but everything in the store (I mean everything...including buttons, books, notions, Addi Turbos!) is 50% off. Crazy or what!

Ami hogged up some serious yarn for a sweater for Nihar and a lace shrug for herself, while I caught Nihar petting some yarn (actually, I made him pose for the shot. He is a good model). He is so amused with Ami's new addiction.

This is what I bought.

For the past three days, Suketu has been thinking aloud (very aloud...actually, yelling aloud) about how much he would love a knitted tie. I am planning to make this (any other suggestions are very welcome), but he has been told that it aint going to happen in the next couple of months or so. The news does not make him happy, but the yarn purchase has temporarily calmed him down.

Another purchase.

I have been looking for a crochet hook case for the longest time. I did have big plans of making a felted holder, but it fell through the cracks of general crafting plans. This case was so pretty (and cheap), I had to get it.

Now for the real stuff. Baby stuff. Umesh, who has been working in my Dad's firm in India for many years, and his wife are expecting their first child anytime this week. I made these three little things for the baby. All of them were super easy, super quick--they have been my "one-the-move" projects for the past couple of days. I would have loved to make something more elaborate but I just had to tell myself that there will be no dearth of future opportunities.

Cow Baby Hat

I could have easily spent another hour at M&J Trimmings, trying to find the perfect accessory. I decided on the cow, and am totally happy with her. I love the little things about Ms.Cow, especially her nose and tail.

Pattern: Real Simple Swatch Cap; in-house pattern from Gotta Knit
Yarn: Tahki 'Baby'
Needle: US 13
Cow Accessory from M&J Trimmings, NYC

Peanut Baby

The green ribbon is an unexpected but pleasant choice. Though I did not have anything particular in mind, I didnt think I would pick green to go with the brown and cream.

Pattern: Single Crochet Beanie
Yarn: Acrylic, light-worsted yarn from a craft shop on Commercial Street, Bangalore, India
Crochet Hook: 4mm
Ribbon from M&J Trimmings, NYC
Modifications: About three rounds before binding off, I made eylets in one round (*one dc, one chain stitch, repeat from * throughout) for the ribbon.

Big Button Baby Bib

I like "larger than life" accessories, especially buttons, on little crafts. I am not crazy about the yarn though. After working on this bib (and currently finishing a poncho for a little niece of mine), I have decided not to use it again. I fear that it is pile a lot in the future and not hold up well.

Pattern: Simple Baby Bib
Yarn: Bernat's Satin
Needle: US 8
Button from M&J Trimmings, NYC
Modifications: Casted on 27 stitches instead of 25.

Cookie

Thank you very much for all your wonderful comments on my felting escapade. It motivates me to try to make more felted objects--any suggestions other than bags?


Long silence. That is because I have been cooking up something for you guys. Actually, I have been wrapped up with many WIPs...I cannot tell you how insane it has been at this end. More yarny news in the next post.

As for now, I am pleased to say that I am hereby inaugurating my cooking/food angle in blogland. I am a self-taught cookie, so I am sure some of the cooking "procedures" sound strange. They sound strange to me most of the time. If the recipe does not work out for you, leave a comment and lets talk about it.

Mom’s Masala Fish: my mother’s recipe and my twist on it.

Note:
- This is a spicy dish. Tweak the spice level to suit your taste buds.
- Everything is in approximation. If you want more masala, double the masala ingredients. The beauty of figuring food yourself!

Ingredients:
1. Six small sized pieces of fish of your choice, marinated for about 6-7 hours in salt and chilli powder to taste
2. One medium size onion, coarsely chopped
3. One large tomato, coarsely chopped
4. 4-5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
5. One teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
6. Two tablespoons of olive oil
7. One and a half teaspoons of chilli powder
8. One teaspoon of garam masala
9. One teaspoon of tamarind or lime juice
10. Salt to taste
11. Quarter cup coarsely chopped curry leaves
12. One-two finely chopped green chillies
13. Cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions:
1. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan (medium flame). Sautee onions until transparent. Add tomato, ginger, and garlic and continue frying for another minute. Cool this mixture and puree it in a blender.

2. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan (medium flame). Add the above mixture, tamarind/lime juice, salt, garam masala, and chilli powder. Fry for about 2 minutes. Add curry leaves and green chillies.
3. Remove 3/4 of the masala from the pan, and add 1/2 cup of water to the remaining masala. Place fish in the pan and, cook until done. Do not forget to turn the fish halfway through the cooking process and "swish" around the masala. Add more water if the pan looks dry. Otherwise, something is going to burn (!)
4. In a serving bowl, carefully mix the cooked fish and the 3/4 masala. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
5. Serve with rice or roti.

From Me to Aim: Granny Along Swap Package

The Yarn Harlot spoke in New York city last week. Oh yes, and I attended. I am in the seating area in the fourth picture in this Yarn Harlot post (It is a different story that I am unrecognizable, but hey, I am on on her blog). Just like at her blog, Stephanie was hilarious, thoughtful, and clever. I feel rejuvenated.

Granny Square Felted Basket

And now I can post Granny Along swap pictures. This is what I made for my swap partner, Aim (known in real life as Amy). It is a granny square felted basket....this is my first felted project. I have always been apprehensive about felting, and when I finally decided to travel into dark spaces, guess what! Living in NYC apartments usually has no in-house laundry privileges. I could not find a laundry machine that opened on top, so I felted this project by HAND. Was it fun or what. Wore a pair of kitchen gloves (I initially began bravely by putting my hands into super hot water. Smart move) and I was all set.

Strange object pre-felting: I was so sure that this was not going to work. I mean, just with some agitation, how can this become a functional object?

The drying process: waiting for this to happen.

It worked out. For real.
Pattern: Granny's Basket by Amy O-Neill Houck
Yarn: Caron's Felt-it in Evening Mist
Crochet Hook: 4.5mm
Modifications: Added a single crochet edging all around. I thought that the basket was turning in, so I added about 12 additional single crochets evenly in the edging.

This is the other stuff I sent Amy. I enjoyed putting this together, and getting to know Amy. I love swaps....especially when your partner appreciates your work. It feels all worth it. Amy: Thanks for the appreciation and enjoy!

Top Stories from the Weekend

The big highlight of the weekend was that Ami learnt how to knit.

Ridiculous. She is an architect, painter, home-improvement person, artist, crafter...all those creative talents of hers that annoy me. And now she knows how to knit. She picked it up in minutes. When Ami becomes a famous knitter, she better not forget who taught her yarnyness. You better remind her.

What can be more irritating than the fact that she has already set out to understand the intricacies of knitting (and it is only wednesday!).
How is knitted fabric constructed, what do all these loops really mean....

Ami and I volunteered at a medical camp on Sunday.

This camp was organized by medical students from SUNY Brooklyn at Queens, NY.

Medical student and Ami's elder brother, Samar, in doctor action

AND guess who received another Granny Along package! A big thank you to my swap partner, Catherine.

The package arrived early Monday morning and I still keep looking at my box, so pleased and happy. This is all the stuff that came in...

A letter. I love letters. Any kind, any form. A letter with my name on it.

I have never made or owned a doily. I have never owned a price winning item. I have never made anything with so much yellow happiness.

Granny Square earrings. How cool is that.

An embroidered piece! Wooohoooo!

Tea

Jasmine Tea

A house tea infuser! So cute!

Yarn

More yarn!

A crochet sample of the yarn which I am going to use as a bookmark.

A little crocheted trinklet

More Jewelery

I love this and it is already put to good use in my kitchen.

A cookbook for the cookie in me! This was purchased at Catherine's local yarn shop.

Beans. I am going to try out the recipe which came with the packet and post it soon.

A big thank you to Catherine for putting so much of thought into my package. Thank you for putting a bit of yourself and your region into the gifts. I really enjoyed the journey.

Back into the Groove

I am trying to get back to real life--real "clean your home" life, real "do your own laundry" life, real graduate student life (I think that has always managed to stick around), real "get the garbage out before it is too late" life.

It is not bad though. I love it (I do wish I did not have to do the dishes, but guess I have to now). Living with my parents is always "fantabulous", but it is very nice to be back to a space that I call mine. For instance, my own kitchen, where I know FOR SURE where the ingredients are. I love to cook and since I am a self-taught cookie, I am constantly into some or the other kind of experimentation. One of the recent dinners was Spicy (I think everything I made is usually spicy) Vegetable Pasta.

Tomato sauce in progress

The brown "stuff" in it are various Indian spices waiting to be stirred in. Strange but true and edible.

Spicy Vegetable Pasta

Tibetan dinner at Tsampa with knitters Geraldine, Katrice, and Gina
I had yummy veggie momos. Hmmm, but they were shaped like Chinese dumplings, and not the way I am used to seeing them.

"A lot of girl talk" dinner at Gusto with Shubh and Ami

I am currently trying to finish this crocheted peach stole
for my mom.

She picked the color and I picked the pattern. I have never tried a ripple pattern and I am loving it!

My mother saw this in progress and we both really like the "arrow" texture.

Do you think this stole is too plain Jane?
I am thinking of adding some beads on it...if I succeed in holding onto my ripple stole enthusiasm.