Рецепт {Indian Curry/Cooking} INSPIRED GREEN CHUTNEY CHICKEN... and a CSN Giveaway!
On offer is a one-time-use $80 gift certificate for one lucky winner to use as they wish on any of the CSN websites.
All you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what you would pick from any of the CSN Stores if you win the $80 gift certificate. Tweet about this giveaway for an extra entry leaving a comment for each entry. Comments close on Sunday June 27th, and I will pick a winner thereafter.
Whether bathroom vanity is what you are looking for, or stuff for the kitchen, CSN has one of the best selections on the web! With over 40,000 products to choose from that store or stores such as All Modern or Cookware, you can spend all day looking for the perfect product.
While on the topic of food blogging and the charming benefits of being a food blogger, I was happy to receive a copy of Monica Bhide’s Modern Spice, a new version of the book for the Indian subcontinent, a short while before we left for our vacation. I’ve reviewed the US version of Modern Spice: Inspired Indian Flavors for the Contemporary Kitchenhere. The nice folk from Random House offered me a sneak peek into Modern Spices new recipes, and then mailed me a copy which for some reason never did reach me. They arranged for another one, and I was happy to leaf through the pages a few days later!
I loved the look of the book. The cover is colourful, vibrant, ‘spicy’ and screams to the reader to pick up the book. It’s a beautiful shot of spices and reflects everything India is all about. It reminded me of the canvas of colours and character we encountered on our recent vacation. Here are a ‘few’ pictures that I took on a day trip up into the Himalayas. The colours of India, the people, the beauty … all take your breath away. On this particular instance, we were a group of 24 folk who trekked up a steep 3 hours to a monastery perched on top of a hill . Each muscle screamed in agony, but the climb was all worth it.
Tibetan monasteries are usually located at the very top of a hill, away from civilization and amidst beautiful peaceful surroundings. They are self sufficient in nature. This particular monastery had hostel like rooms for the young, and was surrounded by independent ramshackle cottages for the very elderly.
Everyone and everything exists here is harmony. You can feel and literally ‘hear‘ the gentle breeze embrace you amidst the soothing sounds of prayer bells and Buddhist chants. The setting is as rustic and removed from the real world as can be. Each monastery has its own distinctive character and style and ambiance that surrounds it. The architecture too is exclusive to each. I have pictures of four to five different monasteries .. wish I could share it all here!
Back to Modern Spice … The book itself is divided into handy, colour coded sections and what I liked especially were the thoughtful pages for notes included at the end of each section. Neat idea! The only downside of the book, IMHO, is the lack of pictures. Maybe it’s just a personal thing, but I do like to see a picture of how a dish would look, or have a general idea of what to expect. Otherwise, I like some of the ideas Monica offers that break away from traditional Indian flavour combinations, tempting the cook to step out of his / her comfort zone. Another intriguing aspect is the inclusion of recipes like fennel and chilli-crusted tilapia and basmati rice with pine nuts and mint, accompanied by a guava bellini... global influences that make you want to think out of the box!
Getting on twitter earlier this evening got me a happy tweet from the lovely Meeta of What’s For Lunch Honey, who had retweeted this …