Gobi Manchurian

Had some not so good Gobi Manchurian at the roof-top restaurant of Raj Palace, Chennai.
I decided to gamble a cauliflower myself using the recipe seen on myDhaba. Although I did not follow the recipe exactly (add some galanga for taste/smell), the result (taste wise) exceeded all expectations.
The looks are not as it should, i most likely did not have enough batter for the gobi and fried in too less oil.
It is howvere much better tghen I had in Madras and might even be better then I had during my marriage.

Krok2

30 Roepies for a picture of me with a young Krok. Not too bad I would say.
I would expect something nasty, but he (she?) was as dry as my auntie's handbag. 

Cold medicine

Having a bit of a cold, and my head was blocked. My wife made the following dish her grandmother used to give her when she was having a cold.

Ingredients:

1. Two hard boiled eggs, cut in half.
2. 1 soup spoon with black pepper corns
3. 2 soup spoons with geera seeds
4. a bit of oil
5. a bit of salt
6. boiled rice
7. A handkerchief

In a mixie, grind the pepper corns and geera seeds finely. Heat oil in a pan and fry the spice mix. when the spices are mildly fried, add the boiled egg halves. Fry/simmer for about 5 minutes. Add a bit of salt to taste.

Take a bowl/plate of hot boiled rice and mix in the fried pepper/geera mixture. Eat the egg with the rice mixture.

What was solid, now will become fluid (hence the handkerchief).

Shakthi met sjaal

 

Sweating Cross

This is some pillar stating something. It has to do with the 'blood sweating cross' I believe

Koe!

 

Tenga-wallah

 

Besenagar Beach

Again a picture of besenagar beach. Prakash took me to marina beach. It is amazing how much nicer the beach is just before and just after sunset as compared to mid-day. 

Krokodil

 

python

 

Kolam 2

This is amore raditional kolam. Not sand, small stones ... 

Kolam1

Velu had his students make a kolam (sand drawing!) of the geometrical interpretation of single wavelength anomalous diffraction, as published 50 years ago by Ramachandran and Raman in Current Science. The publication is available online, and I might place a link in the near future. 

Besenagar Beach

See here Tom Terwilliger (with cap) and Paul Adams (without cap) on Besenagar beach. This was the day before the conference and we visited Valluvar Kotam, Saidapet market (don't ask why), St. (doubting) Thomas Cathedral (Only two churches have been build on the graves of apostles of jesus: St. Peter Basilica, Rome and St. Thomas Catherdral, Chennai). A qucik vist to the beach was nice, but I think I got overexposed to the sun here and had to pay dearly next day.

Karaneeshwarar Koil

This is the karaneeshwarar koil in Saidapet, Chennai. It is a temple with Siva as the main deity. It is located next to the Saidapet train station and is a 3 minute walk to my in-law's house.
From the roof terras we used to be able to see the gopuram (the 'tower' shown on this picture) but recent construction and real-estate development, is preventing a full view of the gopuram from 'our' house. 

mahabalipuram

After 3 days of conference (out of which I had a throat infection + fever for 1 day) we took the foreign delegates (that includes me) to Mahabalipuram. Had a nice stone summat visit and did some shopping. on the way there visit krokodile and snakepark, quite interesting. On the way back, in Chennai, we visited the Lhakshmi Koil at Besenagar beach, as we failed to do this last time. most people were e3xhausted, and extending the trip to pondi was not such a good idea, as of course anticipated. glad that turned out okai.
All in all, I think the meeting was worthwhile, met interesting people and had a good time and enjoyed some science as well. Today a bit of work (twinning: refinement targets as well as detection methods), tonight diner with my boss.

it is unfortunately difficult to place pictures at this moment (and did not take much anyway) but will get some of my collges snaps and place them.

My mother in law is preparing goat soup for idli, and it should be reqady soonish I guess...

In Saidapet again

So, my flight had some mysterious delay in London and we arrived in the end 2 hours later then expected.
I slept rather well, and had an amazing breakfest: idli with goat soup. went to market with appa. as today is mathu pongal and sunday, the market was extra busy (they close tomorrow). Lost appa of course and wondered around for 20 minutes in the fish, chicken and goat section. Bought fresh sura/shark, as well as wanjaram of some fish for in the kozhambu. went to Arumugan for a hair cut and shave. again truely amazing how nice it is to be shaven by someone who knows what he is doing.
lunch: wajaram fryum, goat tokkuh (see one of my postings of november 2005) and a bit of Fish kozhambu. Went shopping with brother in law and got some bought shirts, cheppals, puli and takali sadam paste from archana (usman road) and had a bhadam kheer.
If I won't get any food poisoning, I might gain weight more then i did during christmass, kastam.
rassam rice for diner.
Now going to bed, tomorrow: curtain hunting.
tomorrow my mother in law promised me to make upui urendai. i'll make some pictures and let you know how it is made.

Almost leaving

This friday, I will leave to Chennai.
Looking forward to see my in-laws again as well as looking forward to the conference I will be attending. I hope I can get some good tandoori Kaadai. I thik my mangoes will be out of season, but the less juicy ones will be better then what we get here anyway.

It seems I make it in time for the last two days of pongal as well, but I have to miss (unfortunately) the Bhogi.

muts

 

Presents!

 

At Opoe's place