One of the moments I loved from the Olympics was when the DJs played Imagine to diffuse tensions after a heated bust-up between 2 teams in the Beach Volleyball. The crowd joined in, singing the song. A wonderful moment. Apparently the DJs at the Beach Volleyball were pretty terrific all round.
South Australia is always a bit ahead of the rest. More plastics banned.
SA began by banning plastic bags in 2009, the first state in Australia to do so. Every couple of years SA targets more plastic items. Most other states are at least 10 years behind SA.
We pretty much adore eggplant and cook it in soups, curries, salads, baked, roasted, grilled, sauteed and steamed. I have a huge number of eggplant dishes that I have made over the years. Did you know eggplant is wonderful deep-fried? The eggplant is soaked in tamarind before frying which adds flavour and tenderises it.
I love to cook, esp with good products. I grow my own vegies in a garden full of bees and butterflies. I rarely cook a recipe twice (some exceptions allowed). I read cookbooks like others read novels. I love kitchens, especially country kitchens. It'll be the first room I ask to see when I come to visit. I have fond memories of the kitchens of both grandmothers.
I am a bit of a thinker and sometimes I write - including long posts here. In my spare time I think about food in terms of culture, change, connections. I am nervous about food security.
I've been toasting and grinding garam masala this morning. I bought a pack of whole garam masala, as it has some interesting ingredients, and topped them up with some individual spices.(Katoomba brand - Australian)
Contents: coriander seeds, cumin, blck pepper, cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise, black cardamom, green cardamom, fennel, mace, nagkesar, (Ceylon ironwood), teja patta (Indian bay leaves), laung patta (clove leaves).
Reminder: Garam Masala is generally used as a finishing spice, not a cooking spice. Add to cooked or almost cooked food, stir, cover, allow to infuse for 3-5 mins.
Roasted Grapes - an easy and surprisingly delicious dish. I first heard of roasted grapes when an Italian friend told me how he made a salad with them.
Roast red or black grapes with plenty of olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Add hardy herbs like thyme and rosemary. The savoury elements balance the sugars in the grapes.
One of the things about Indian food, is that much of it is far less complex than you see in cookbooks or from celebrity chefs. Mostly, vegetables are treated very simply.
In the early days, before influencers, and before blogs and blog authors got weird, I interacted with a lot of Indian bloggers and cooks who always took the time to share information.
I *think* this is from the beautiful Srivalli, whom I eventually visited in Chennai and ate her gorgeous food. I still use these principles. She does a mix of Andha (where she is from) and Tamil (where she lives) food. She lives with her Mother-in-Law who is/was also active in the kitchen, her hubby and couple of kids. She runs the Cooking For All Seasons blog, catering for all their tastes.
It was so warm overnight, not getting below 15C outside - higher than our max temps later this week. It was a bit too warm inside for comfortable sleeping.
But there will be rain this week, if the forecast is to be believed 💃
@liztai It is hard to grow water-hungry plants here, although I have been considering getting a huge pot without drainage, and using that as a place to grow some things like brahmi which thrives with lots of water. I will consider further.
@liztai Yum! I have a few recipes for it, now that I look, including Indian and Sri Lankan. I think I can get it at my local Asian/Vietnamese grocery. I'll be interested to make something.
Good food, healthy flavoursome eating. Vegetarian. Rustic, home grown and/or home cooked food. Lover of life, people, cultures, travel. Champion of growth, change and awareness. Curious. Always learning. Loving life and its challenges. Australian. Ancient. Impatient with ppl who posts are dogmatic, uncurious, condescending, judgemental, or just BS.Don't expect many photos. This is not Insta.Posts auto-delete regularly.Tarntanya (aka Adelaide), Australia