Pictures galore

Much to my surprise, I seem to prefer to blog via photographs rather than by writing long texts. Surprise because I've always enjoyed writing and it was one of the reasons I started this blog. Heh no matter. It appears I like photography just as much.

I promised pictures of my first hand dyeing attempt (with Wilton's - I used royal blue and a deep olive green. ). Here it is about 5 days late:

I think I can safely conclude this experiment by saying I will definitely pursue this part of the fiber hobby. It's fun, gratifying, and almost like magic! One drawback is space constraints. It would be nice to have enough space to measure out the skein for self-striping, actual coloring and drying. But still, not bad for how easy it was.

I've started a market bag from the red hemp. It's based on this pattern except I've changed number of stitches and will change the handle/strap. I think I should be done with it by this weekend. It's not so bad to work with but a little rough so I'm going slow.

I'm also into one lace round of Soleil. Going is slow, but steady. I went down a needle size to get guage, I hope it doesn't change mid-way. No WIP pics of this one, for reasons you will understand someday :)

My sis accused me of neglecting the food part of this blog. She's right, I can't claim to be a foodie but I have no business claiming to be part food blog with nary a related blog for weeks. So, here's a pic of a dish I came up with last night. It doesn't really have a name so let's just call it Chicken Masala. Yet another one.

Recipe

6 chicken drumsticks - skinned, cleaned and patted dry with paper towels.
oil, a few tsp
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large onion, chopped
1 green chilli, sliced (I use serrano)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2" piece ginger, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp Rogan Ghosh spice blend (I use Penzey's)
2 cups water or chicken broth
Salt, to taste
1/2 tsp brown sugar
Fresh corriander leaves, chopped

In a large pan, heat 3 tsp oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the drumsticks and let it brown. Flip after a couple of min to brown other sides. Take out the chicken and keep aside (it's not cooked yet, just browned).
In the same pan, add another couple tsp oil and then add cumin seeds. Add onions, green chili, garlic and ginger. Fry until browned. Add turmeric and rogan ghosh powder. Stir well, then add the tomato paste. Mash the mixture with your spatula, stir for a minute then add the water. Add the salt & sugar. Mix well, let it come to a simmer.
Add the chicken to this gravy, shut the lid and let it cook on medium heat for about 20-30 min. Remember to stir every 10 min to prevent it from sticking and add water if necessary. Check chicken for doneness (it should be opaque and break open when prodded with the spatula). Adjust seasonings. Sprinkle corriander leaves and serve hot with chapati or rice. Eat with pride.