Saturday, May 24, 2008

Dearest DH's Birthday

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Happy Birthday Dear! With each year I'll love you more. Remember that your best years are still ahead of you and I'll be there for every up down and in between.
It takes only a few seconds to say I love you but it will take me an entire lifetime to show you how much.It's not important that this day is your birthday.
It's important that everyday is your day and you are mine!Happy Birthday love!





Happy Birthday to cousin Trishtan who shares the same Birthday as well :) i hope your party goes great and you have a really memorable birthday with loads of pressies!Come to think of it most of my best memories are of my childhood birthdays
i still remember the presents i got... the attention, the cake cutting and all...Trishtan you have a blast!Happy Birthday!!!

I definitely wanted to make it an extra special one...Well in a way it is really special cuz we're expecting!!!and i tried my best to get a Ultrasound to be done on his Birthday but Saturdays, they dont operate so the next best one is on Monday! He's so excited abt it!!

I was glad his birthday was falling on a saturday, i was going to have an entire day with him but well there is gonna be a family day organised by the company and so i had to change my plans. But on a more positive note, I'm sure its gonna be really fun! I'm looking forward to it!

I wanted to cook him a good indian meal. i know he has been cravin for one for a while now... we heard there is a New indian Eatery in town and we were both excited to try it.Cant tell u how deprived we are ;)He went to sample the food during lunch on Thursday but came home pretty disappointed...so on Thursday evening, i decided to surprise him. I cooked him Dum Briyani...A Briyani dish cooked solely on Steam.

It was not really simple. but once the ingredient prep was over,it was a breeze and the results were fantabulous!Really i mean i know its like self praise but i will say that it turned out so good, he was all praise for it!

=) as accompaniment, i fried some papadums and made raita :)
check out my final product! Dum Chicken Briyani

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

At 16 weeks

I'm into the 16th week of my pregnancy.

Babyhere.com

Holiday Birth Announcements

Get your free online pregnancy calendar from WhatToExpect.com

My umbilical cord is attached to the lower part of baby's body.


Fetal development in pregnancy week 16:fetus in fourth month Over the past three weeks our astounding growing baby has managed to stretch yet another 2 full inches (totaling about 4.5 inches) and weighs around 3.5 ounces. Yessireee, that’s some pretty serious growth... and with it comes several physical developments! For starters, their head to body ratio is finally starting to even out a bit as the rest of the body is actually growing faster than the head at this point. Yes, our little light bulb is not so top-heavy. His/Her adorable little limbs have lengthened, almost reaching their normal proportions which they will have at birth. His/Her eyes are still closed but moving
We'll be having another our 2nd Ultrasound soon...many doctors recommend mum to be's to have one at about this time, we may even see our little one sucking on a thumb, not to mention the necessary signifiers to let us know whether we’ve got a wee lad or lassie... That for us is not of much importance :) what is important is that we have a beautiful and healthy child!


Although the Pregnancy Bible and many sites state that first time mum's might not feel their baby move at this point of pregnancy,
I do! I feel my baby move every now and then :) its pretty distinguishable but of course for DH to feel it, its gonna take a couple of weeks, he will be able to feel it once baby's bones are harder

Ginger Prawn fried Rice

I was cracking my head on what to cook for dinner one day and came across this simple recipe...
Minimum work required but surprisingly yields a yummy dish in almost no time
So here is the recipe, if you're interested in trying it :)


Ingredients:
4 cups cooked rice, refrigerated for 2-3 hours. For best results, overnight.
2 tbsp. ginger, grated
2 eggs, whisked
1 cup prawns, shelled and cleaned
½ cup spring onion leaves
1 tsp. red chilli paste
3 tbsp. oil
salt to taste.

Method:
Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a wok and saute ginger for 20 seconds.
Add prawns and saute for 2 mins.
Add egg and stir vigorously to scramble. Remove from pan.
Heat 1 tbsp. of oil in the pan and add the red chilli paste, and salt.
Stir in the rice and saute for a minute.
Add the prawn egg mixture and the spring onion leaves. Saute for 30 seconds
You're ready to feast! Serve hot!

* you can add in blanched bean sprouts if you want that extra crunch!

Nasi Lemak

This dish is a very popular breakfast meal in malaysia. Traditionally the rice and accompaniments are wrapped in banana leaves
and the accompaniments are simple with just Sambal Ikan bilis, hard boil egg/fried egg strips and slices of cucumber.

My elder sister was asking me for recipes. She recently shifted to her own place in Sengkang and wanted to try out cooking again since she's lost touch
I emailed her one of the Simplest recipes. Nasi Lemak!


All you need is

Basmati Rice, coconut milk and screwpine leaves(pandan leaves)

Sambal paste(Dried red chillies soaked in warm water, some ginger and onions all blended)
Then cooked over a high flame with some sugar and salt

Accompaniments
Egg strips
Fried Chicken
1 cucumber, sliced
Fried peanuts


I made it over the weekend too but instead of fried chicken, i tried chicken kebabs with tofu cubes and capscium on a stick.
I marinated them and then grilled them in the oven.
Healthy and tasty at the same time :)

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Happy Mother's Day

God made a wonderful mother,
A mother who never grows old;
He made her smile of the sunshine.
And He moulded her heart of pure gold;
In her eyes He placed bright shining stars,
In her cheeks fair roses you see;
God made a wonderful mother,
And He gave that dear mother to me.

Mere hansane se hansati hai, mere rone se roti hai
Mere khushhaali ke sapane jo har ek saans joti hai,
Uthaati hai hazaaron gham,
Hai phir bhi chhanw jaisi nam,
Jo mere dard ko samjhe bas ek maa hi hoti hai !

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Ticker timers

Cooking while Pregnant

I havent really been in a mood to cook lately.. all i do feel like doing is sleep and sleep and juzt Zzz.So recently here's whats been cooking..rather simple and quick dishes


Chicken Fillet and Chips with veggies


Idli with Sambhar served on Banana Leaf the authentic Indian way


Mee goreng made out of spaghetti


Spicy Aloo with Dhal and Chawal

As requested

Firstly i would like to Thank everyone for your good wishes and congrats :)


I cant wait for the day when the tiny fingers of my child will hold on to mine...
Isnt it a beautiful sight?!



Madhu left me an offline message requesting pics of me while i am pregnant... ;) I bet most of you are wondering how i look like now...so here some recent snaps of me and the baby within





BTW will try to scan and enlarge the sonogram image...and if its clear enuf i might upload it too ;)

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Guess What!

"I'm pregnant."

There are few other phrases in the English language that create such a whirlwind of feelings -- joy, fear, elation, excitement, anxiety, worry.So many emotions all at once!



We're expecting our bundle of joy to be delivered on the 31st October 2008!
What other present could be as precious? I found out on my birthday back on the 25th of January but decided to keep mum about it till recently when i shared the news with my parents who announced it to my relatives back home.

4th May 2008 marks our 3rd Wedding anniversary and the 100th day of my pregnancy.One of the main reasons I chose this day to announce it to u guys. Alvin and i decided to take our relationship to the next level right here in Sweden! :) God answered our prayers and i'm in the 14th week of my pregnancy now.
I went for an ultrasound at the end of my First Trimester and i cant explain the feeling of seeing our baby for the very first time.

In fact in the 3 months, it was the first time my pregnancy felt real.I saw my baby's tiny heart beating and i was overjoyed to the extent that i started to tear. My hubby has been taking real good care of me eversince day one. I dont have to lift a finger around the house. When i feel nauseous, he is there stroking my back, foot and back massages are a daily thing now.He's so involved in the pregnancy and i am enjoying every bit of it!

I do feel a fluttering sensation every now and then when the baby changes positions and i keep track of our baby's daily growth. We pray every night before we tuck in and Alvin and i try to read to our baby once a week :) I know the baby probably cant hear us now but he/she can definitely feel us;)

Back here in Sweden things are slightly different from Singapore. MY first appointment was not with a Gyne but with a midwife. She answered all my queries and advised me on my diet and postures.The do's and dont's etc. They dont advise us to take pre natal vitamins or folic acid. But I'm taking Iron and Calcium Supplements along with the folic acid pills as i'm Lactose intolerant as of now.

Yup any thing dairy and i puke it right out.

My second appt was with the Gyne who did a ultrasound scan and explained what was what in the sonogram.They do routine blood and urine tests and provide u with the results almost instantaneously.They do not believe n disclosing the gender here...so we're expecting a surprise!

Everyone who made the Right wild guesses and asked me during the past few months... Hehe I hope you'll understand! ;)

Friday, May 02, 2008

Masoor Dal Vada

A yummy tea time dish! Of course if you dont have the patience and the time, the instant Gits masoor dal vada yields the same results...
soaks quite a bit of oil so its a rare indulgence but i realised, the thicker the batter, the less oil it soaks so definitely worth a try!

Ingredients

1 cup split unskinned moong dal
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry
2 green chillies chopped
2 onions diced
1 tsp ginger paste
210 ml of water

Soak the moong for atleast 2 hours.
Grind it along with ginger paste and salt and 210ml of water
Add green chillies and onions without adding more water.
Consistency should be thick enough to shape into balls
Take a small ball of it and deep fry them in hot oil til golden brown.
Serve hot with onions and fried green chillies, corriander n mint chutney

Semolina Upama

Upma, or upama, is said to be a South Indian dish but it really originated from Maharastra.Its a dish that’s typically eaten for breakfast,but it’s almost a complete meal in itself and incorporates enough aromatic spices to suit every taste bud.Its so tasty and filling , that it might as well be dinner to most of us.
We learnt how to make this from Rinki Aunty!

Serves 4
Preparation Time 15 Minutes

Ingredients
1 cup.. semolina
2 cups..hot water
1 tsp.. mustard seeds
2 pcs.. dry chillies,cut to strips
1 tsp.. urad dal
1 med.. onion chopped
2 pcs.. green chillies, chopped
5 pcs ..curry leaves
2 tbsps.oil
salt to taste


Recipe
1. Heat the oil and splutter the mustard seeds.

2. Fry the urad dal and curry leaves.

3. Add the onion and green chillies.

4. Fry till the onion is translucent.

5. Add the semolina and fry it till it is light brown.

6. Add the hot water and salt. Cook on low heat.

7. When dry, serve hot.

Kadhi Bari

Kadhi bari is a popular favorite and consists of fried soft dumplings made of besan(gram flour)that are cooked in a spicy gravy of yogurt and besan.
This dish goes very well over plain rice.I was thinking of which vegetarian dish i could cook and recalled this tasty dish mum used to whip up on weekends!
I got the recipe from her but she did some alterations to te original version and adds potaoes and onions in the bari...i personally prefer it that way!

Ingredients'
(A)
2 medium Potatoes diced
2 medium onions diced
Curd - 1 cup
Besan/gram flour - 2 cups
baking powder - 1 pinch
Salt

Powdered masala:
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Jeera powder - 1tsp
Dhania powder - 1 tsp

Oil

For tadka :
Dried red chillies - 2
Bay leaves - 2
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Ginger -Garlic - 1 tbsp (chopped finely)

Method:


Take (A) and half cup water mix well.
Make a smooth batter, with the consistency of that for making pakoras. Leave aside for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a wok, make half inch diameter round globules of the besan batter and deep fry in oil.
When the bari starts to turn reddish drain it off the oil and keep aside.
Fry rest of the batter as small globules in the same way. Put off the flame.

Beat the curd or blend it in a mixer/blender. Keep aside.
Put 2 cups water to the remaining 1/2 cup besan and make a watery solution of it.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in the wok.
Add the ingredients of tadka. When jeera begins to splutter, add the besan solution to it
keep stirring so that besan does not stick to the base and does not clump up.
Put the remaining turmeric powder and salt.
Keep stirring till the solution begins to boil. Then add the curd. Bring the whole thing to boil.
Put off the flame. The Kadhi is now ready.
Add the fried bari to this kadhi, stir through so that bari gets soaked in.
Serve after 10 minutes with steamed rice

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Shaila, Pongal, Mock Meat!

Sometime back, Shaila invited us over to her place for Ponggal.
Ponggal or Pongal also known as Makara Sankranti is celebrated in mid-January by South Indians as a festival marking the rice harvest.Ponggal celebrates the fruit of a farmer's labour.The rice grains cultivated are of primary significance to the Indians,as rice is the staple food. It is also a time they pay a tribute to Surya, the Sun God, as the sun is believed to be the giver of all life.

Cows are decorated in garlands as they are acknowledged for helping to till
the land and reaping such a rich rice harvest.Oil lamps are lit and placed along the perimeter of the house. In India, the landlords distribute clothes, food and money as a symbol of goodwill to the workers. Apart from the ponggal, sugar cane, spices, vegetables are also offered to the deities for thanksgiving. Offerings are also made at the local temples, where a delightful array of vibrant-coloured sarees adds life to the high-spirited atmosphere. The festivities can be caught at large Hindu temples such as the Sri Srinivasa Perumai Temple back in Serangoon Road

Usually we indians prefer to celebrate occasions like this dining on vegetarian food
Shaila is a great cook and amongst the other dishes she made, mock meat was one of them.It was so tasty that i told my mum to buy me some and send them over.I messaged Shaila to ask where they can be bought and she was so sweet, she actually made me
some. We had it on Sunday over lunch!
My camera was out of batt so i took a pic with my 1.3MP phone...didnt do justice to the dish:(

Thank you dear for taking the effort to whip up the dish even when u were not totally feeling well! :)i appreciate it loads!