We got to taste the yummy Shrimp Pulao made by our vegetarian aunt at Haren a small town with 23k population located in Germany. Its amazing how despite being a pure vegetarian some one can prepare a non vegetarian dish with such ease and taste.

Deveined and clean Prawns / shrimp – 750 gms

Plain yoghurt / curd – 5 tbsp

freshly pounded ginger and garlic paste – 3-4 tbsp

Onions – 3 numbers big – (finely chopped)

Tomato – 2 numbers big – (finely chopped)

Green chili -2 numbers (finely chopped)

Basmati rice – 1 cup

Garam masala – freshly ground preferred else use ready made

Chili powder – 2 tsp

Salt to taste

1. Wash rice and cook separately
2. Marinate shrimp in yoghurt, fresh ginger-garlic paste and garam masala for atleast 1 hr or more
3. Heat oil in a thick bottom pan and add onions. Fry for a while
4. Add tomatoes and fry well
5. Add green chillies and red chili powder and stir
6. Add the marinated prawns and cook till gravy is almost thick and the water content has evaporated
7. Season
8. Add cooked rice and stir gently avoiding breaking of rice grains
9. Garnish with chopped coriander / parsley
10. Serve hot with raita, pickle and papad / plain potato chips

Meet our peppy aunt Biji Gopi Ram

This Europe trip of mine has made me a hard core carnivore From selective non vegetarian I have started to eat just about anything.Having said that i will still save snakes and frogs perhaps for my next birth! For now I will stick to experimenting with sea food!

During my recent trip to Greece, I got invited over dinner by a lovely lady -Alice to her tastefully done home atop a small hill village in Thessaloniki. There for the first time in my life I had Octopus. I had no option but to eat – it looked so delectable! During the course of the evening Alice promised me to share her recipe for my blog. So here goes!

Octopus – 1 Kg (about)
Olive oil – 5 tbsp
Onions – 500 gr (sliced)
Garlic – 3 cloves
Salt & Pepper for seasoning
Cloves – 3 nos
Tomatoes – 2 nos (grated)
Dry red or white wine – 1 cup
Vinegar – 1/2 cup
Cinnamon – 1 stick

1. Clean the octopus and place it whole in the casserole without water. Cover and boil on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
2. Drain and cut into small pieces.
3. Saute the onions, garlic and octopus for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato, the wine, the vinegar, cloves, cinnamon and season.
4. Simmer until all the liquid evaporates except the olive oil.
5. Serve hot with rice.

Till next time…happy cooking!

Meet Alice Eppinga …..Alice is an retired English teacher with an undying love for travel and books and a very interesting person.