Eggs Benedict : After all daddy-to-be needs some pampering too

While these nine months are all about the Mommy-to-be (that is you) and the little bundle of joy, everyone wants to make you more comfortable, cook meals that you crave for and in general work towards keeping you and your soon to be born baby happy. One must not forget about the poor daddy to be, who is having to cope with a new version of his better half (may or may not be an improved version :p) & with a whole lot of new emotions himself. Daddy to be deserves some pampering and attention too. After all men are kids too (well, thats a personal opinion :))

My hubby is as much a foodie as I am & we both love a hearty breakfast. So one sure shot way to make his day is whip up some delicious breakfast. When it comes to breakfast we both love eggs, eggs in all forms- poached, boiled, fried we love them all. Eggs qualify as super foods because of the nutrients they pack and hence are recommended as a part of diet for most pregnant women (unless you suffer from some allergies). Eggs are rich in Selenium, zinc and vitamins A, D and some B Complex which are required during pregnancy. 

However during pregnancy one must exercise caution when it comes to selecting and preparing eggs. Eggs must be fresh & must be stored well. If they emit a foul smell when you break one then discard it (not worth risking it). Also when it comes to egg preparations one must avoid raw or semi cooked eggs as it may carry salmonella bacteria. So during these nine months, it is recommended you cook eggs until both the yolk and white are solid (so its bye bye to the sunny side up fried egg with a runny yolk for a while). Completely cooking the egg destroys salmonella bacteria and makes the eggs safe to eat.

Salmonella poisoning may not harm your baby, but it can be very unpleasant for the mommy-to-be and lead to:

• severe vomiting and diarrhoea
• abdominal pain
• headache & high temperature

See the topic again steered towards you i.e. Mommy-to-be, this post was supposed to be about showering some attention on hubby. Now coming back to the Daddy-to-be, if you were to ask hubby to pick his favourite egg preparation the clear winner would be the Eggs Benedict. So I thought why not give it a shot. I googled hollandaise sauce and referred to the first link that I came across & then I saw a video on you tube on how to to poach eggs and I was all set to whip up hubby’s favourite breakfast.

Here are the links I referred to 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/hollandaise-sauce-recipe.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIvpbSEboYI

So here is my version of the Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict ready to be devoured

Ingredients

For the Hollandaise Sauce

2 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice 

a pinch of Salt & pepper

1 teaspoon of butter

Poached Eggs

2 eggs

A large vessel 

1 teaspoon of Vinegar

a pinch of salt & pepper (to taste)

Assembling the eggs Benedict

2 slices of bread (ideally it is made with English muffins, I used bread since that is what was available at home at that point)

2 slices of Salami or Bacon 

Some butter

Method

Hollandaise Sauce

• Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. 
• Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water. One must ensure that the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. 
• Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk. remove from heat once the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume.
• Add the butter and some salt and pepper to taste. Cover & keep it aside until ready to use for the Eggs Benedict.

For the Poached eggs

• Gently break the egg in a small bowl so as to avoid breaking the yolk
• Take a large bowl of water & allow the water to come to a simmer
• As the water simmers, lower the heat & add the vinegar
• Now using the back of a spoon create a whirlpool in the water
• Gently slide the egg into this whirlpool 
• Allow the egg to cook for 3-4 minutes depending on how runny you like the yolk 

Assembling the Eggs Benedict

• While the eggs cook, toast a slice of bread on the pan with some butter
• Place a slice of salami or lightly fried Bacon on top of the bread
• Once cooked, scoop the egg out of the water, allowing all water to drain and then gently place it on top of the bacon or Salami
• Now drizzle poached egg with some of that yummy Hollandaise sauce

Its quite a simple recipe but really delicious. So go ahead & whip up some yummy breakfast. Happy Cooking :)

Coping with fatigue during the third trimester

As one progresses into the third trimester one actually begins to feel pregnant, I mean really pregnant. You are getting bigger by the day & carrying all the extra weight around can really pull you down, making you feel tired constantly.

Well, at least thats been the case with me. I can feel all that extra body weight now which was not the case earlier. The third trimester can be particularly tough if you have a full time job. My day involves at least 2.5- 3 hours of commute time, to & back from work (don’t be too surprised, that’s Mumbai for you). Working hours are from 9.30 am to 6.00 pm, thus making my days pretty long. 

I am more conscious of the needs of my body these days & have incorporated a few simple changes to help tide over the constant feeling of fatigue and tiredness. Here are some things that have helped me

1. The best advise I got from my Mom was to listen to my body. Your body gives you the signs, listen to them, don’t ignore and keep pushing at it. Work can wait and so can chores. Nothing, absolutely nothing is worth risking the baby. If you are not feeling up to it, take the day off or exercise the option to work from home (if you have one)
2. I usually begin my day with a few gentle stretches in bed that helps mobilise the joints. Simple stretches like straighten the legs and rotate your feet clockwise and anti clockwise a few time. Rotate your neck clockwise and anti clockwise. Stretch your arms forward and rotate your hands clock wise and anti clock wise a few times
3. Then I try and do some simple breathing exercises. Both stretches and breathing exercises take me a total of 10 minutes in the morning
4. I try and begin my day with a breakfast that incorporates protein along with carbohydrates. It could mean eggs with toast or stuffed Paranthas (with paneer stuffing & very little oil). Something simple, filling but not very heavy so that I don't feel lethargic
5. At work I try and take frequent breaks and walk around a bit every one hour to keep myself going
6. I usually try and catch a small nap of 10-15 minutes at my desk post lunch
7. I try and catch up on my sleep during my long commute to and from work place 
8. I also try and keep my date with exercise on most days. That's because unlike what most people believe exercise gives you that extra boost of energy and makes you feel fresh. There are days when i just don’t feel like exercising that's when I allow myself a cheat workout of 20 minutes of slow paced walking. But I always go back to rule number 1 in case of any confusion, that is listen to the signals your body gives you. 
9. ALWAYS wear sports shoes when you go for a walk. I would strongly recommend you invest in good walking shoes because your ankles and feet have to carry around all that extra weight and they could really do with some support from good sports shoes.
10. I have also managed to get some extra help around the house because I don’t have as much energy for household chores. See if you can get a family member to help or if you could hire some additional domestic help to assist you with chores during this time period

I would love to hear from you on on how you coped in the third trimester. Are you experiencing the same or have experienced the same in the past?  Do you have any helpful tips that helped you tide over that constanly tired feeling? Till the next time, keep smiling and stay positive

Chicken Dum Biryani- to brighten up an otherwise dull weekend

The weekend that went by was a nice loooong one. Most of the people I know be it family or friends made the most of it by heading out for a small getaway or a refreshing minication or Mini Vacation :) My health didn't permit me to travel so I didn't have much of an option. I knew motherhood would change a lot of things for me but didn't anticipate the changes to step in so soon (even before the baby arrives).  

Under regular circumstances I would have sulked through the long weekend with an equally long face but these days I find myself a little more happy & cheerful than usual. I guess just the mere thought of the little one brings a smile to my face and makes it all worth it. So honestly I didn't mind chilling at home with hubby dear. 

In fact I decided to make the most of it by continuing with some of my cooking experiments. Now Hubby and I spent the first year of our careers in Andhra Pradesh. And a lot of that time was spent eating out, I would be busy gorging on the awesome Hyderabadi Biryani and hubby was busy wooing me :) So just the thought of Biryani transports us back in time. I thought why not try my hand at it.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed that I like cooking stuff that is quick to prep and easy to make. Hence the thought of making Biryani never really crossed my mind earlier because it felt like too tedious a process. But given the long weekend, I had a lot of time on my hands so Biryani it was.

Now here is the link that I referred to for my inspiration.

http://www.manusmenu.com/hyderabadi-chicken-biryani

As always, I did make a few tweaks to the Biryani I cooked. And I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that cooking Biryani wasn't all that difficult. Time consuming- YES, Difficult- NO. In fact its only the preparation which is a little time consuming so if you prep for it a day in advance the next day its only half an hour’s job.

So here’s my version of the Chicken Dum Biryani

Chicken Dum Biryani served with Raita and a salad of finely chopped onions & tomatoes on the side

Ingredients

Marinade 1

800 gms – chicken (I used the Zorabian Pre cut Skinless chicken with Bones)

1 small raw Papaya 

Marinade 2

1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped

1 bunch mint, roughly chopped

1 cinnamon stick

2-3 cloves

2-3 green cardamoms

1 black cardamom

1 bay leaf

1 ½ tsp cumin powder

1 ½ tsp coriander powder

2 tbsp ginger paste

2 tbsp garlic paste

2-3  green chilli (you can use more if you like your food more spicy)

1 tsp red chilli powder (you can use more if you like your food more spicy)

2 tbsp garam masala

2 tbsp lemon juice

4 onions chopped fine & long and then fried golden brown

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3-4 pepper corns

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 ½ cup yoghurt

Salt to taste

For the Biryani

300 gms – 2 ½ cup basmati rice (make sure you get the best rice because this can really change the whole dish)

Salt to taste

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Layers

3 fried onions (preparation similar to the marinade)

1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped

1 bunch mint, roughly chopped

2 pinch saffron, dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water

2-3 tsp of ghee

Instructions

Marinade 1

The first marinade is simply to tenderise the meat. Cut the raw papaya and puree it. Now add the pureed papaya to the chicken pieces and set aside for 30-45 minutes. 

Then rinse the papaya off the chicken.

Marinade 2

To make the marinade, mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl, add the chicken pieces to it, mix well and marinate in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours (or overnight).

Note: For the fried onions, simply chop the onions fine and long. Heat 2-3  tsp of oil in a wok and fry the onions till golden brown. Then drain them on a tissue paper to absorb the excess oil. 

Assembling the Biryani

When you are ready to cook your biryani, prepare the rice. Wash it and soak it in cool water for 30 minutes. Fill a big pot with water (take more than the required quantity of water like in the case of pasta),  add salt and oil and bring it to a boil. Cook the rice in it for 4 or 5 minutes. The rice should be about 3/4th Cooked. Now drain the excess water and set aside the rice.

Now take a heavy bottomed pot (a heavy bottomed pot prevents the chicken from burning), spray it with some oil and add the chicken and its marinade to the bottom. Make sure to spread it all around. Now spread the rice on top of the chicken.

Add the chopped mint and coriander leaves, the fried onions and the saffron water. Now pour the ghee over the rice.

Put a tight lid on & seal it with the help of some atta (wheat flour dough). Then put the pot on the fire, on top of a tawa or flat pan (this will help the heat to spread uniformly).

I cooked the Biryani in two batches since I wasn't too sure of the cooking time and was afraid to spoil the whole thing. So in case you are an amateur like me, I suggest you do the same.

Put the fire on high for the 3-4 minutes, then keep cooking the biryani on a medium fire for 15 minutes and on low for the remaining 5 minutes (it did not take more than 25 minutes for my Biryani to cook).

Serve warm with some raita & a salad of finely chopped onions and tomatoes on the side!

All cooked and ready to be devoured

These days I avoid heavily spiced food to avoid acidity & heartburn. The above recipe as it is would give you a mildly spiced, well flavoured Biryani.  In case you are one of those who love their spices you may want to increase the green chilli and red chill powder content in the Biryani. Happy cooking :)

Aah! the aromas of freshly cooked Biryani
( I had to hold my hubby back to get this shot because he couldn't wait to dig into the Biryani ) 

Preparing your pet cats for the Baby

As soon as I broke the happy news to my family & friends, I was quite surprised and amused when almost all of them asked me about what I intend to do with my cats now that I was expecting. 

The question sounded silly & absurd to me. Do you ask existing family members to leave to make way for new members? No, you accomodate and learn to live with each other. Then why should it be any different for pets be it cats or dogs.

And as always ADVISE & SUGGESTIONS poured in

Cats are jealous creatures they may harm the baby, leave the cats at your parents place for sometime

Put the cats up for adoption, you won’t be able to manage the cats with the baby

Babies need a clean environment & Pets are messy hence I should give up on my cats

Every second day one comes across posts of abandoned animals on facebook. People choose to abandon their pets because they believe that pets and babies can’t co- exist. My simple request to everyone, please do your research before you take such a drastic step. You mean the world to your pet and they are absolutely lost without you.

Babies and pets can get along beautifully, it is only a matter of time and effort we choose to invest in that relationship. 

I am a pet parent to two cats, both with very different personalities. Maya is the lady of the house, all prim and proper, she absolutely loves to socialise. She loves to be in the company of humans.

Chintoo on the other hand is more of a recluse and very skittish, easy startled by new sounds and chooses to hide in a corner till our guests are gone.

I think it would be quite evident from my description that the one on top is the social Ms Maya and the gentlemen below is Chintoo :)

So how have I started preparing my cats for the baby?

Cats love consistency and detest change. Anything new needs to be introduced to them gradually. You cant thrust a baby in their face and expect them to love it from day one. Keeping this fact in mind, I made a few changes already and intend to make a few in the future

• I intend to keep my babies crib in my room next to the bed. Currently my cat, Maya’s sleeping bed was also kept in the same room. The first thing I did was to move my cat’s bed to the second bedroom and gradually got her in the habit of sleeping in the other room. Any changes in habit need to be introduced gradually and before the baby comes. Too many new things and too many changes for the pet are likely stress them out and also add to your stress in turn.
• Now for all those who claim that pets are not clean, all I can say is pets are as clean or as dirty as you choose to keep them. Its the habit you inculcate. I have got my cats in the routine of having a bath every 7-10 days and also clip their nails often so that they don’t scratch us and the furniture. This habit would ensure cleanliness and protect the baby from any scratches in the future. I have also installed a scratching post in my house which allows them to indulge in their natural instinct without harming us or the house.
• One things I read in almost all articles is that the biggest mistake pet parents make is to shower their cats with a lot of attention before the baby arrives. Thats because they are aware of the fact that the attention would shift to the toddler once he/ she arrives. Thats the worst thing one can do. Schedule your playtime with your cats and avoid giving them excessive attention now because thats not something you will be able to continue in the future.
• Also as I mentioned, cats are creatures of habit so be it there playtime, food or litter clean up time, have a fixed schedule that you will be able to follow even once the baby arrives. The last thing you want is a cranky cat while you are still trying to adjust to the baby
• I would highly recommend you spay/ neuter your cats a few months before the baby arrives. Cats tend to be noisy & more aggressive when on heat and that could disturb your baby. 
• Now babies can be loud & cranky and such loud noises could startle or make your cats uncomfortable. I have begun to play baby noises for a few minutes every day before my cats to get them used to the idea of those sounds
• Another thing I intend to do is get them comfortable with the smell of the baby, use the baby powder & cream on myself a little before the baby arrives so that baby smell seems familiar to them later
• I also intend to ask a family member to bring home a piece of baby’s clothing to the house a day before I actually bring the baby so that the cats can be comfortable with the smell
• Now one thing that most parents are concerned about is what if the cat accidentally jumps and hurts the baby. I intend to keep the baby crib off limits for the cat. I shall keep a few cans with coins around the crib to startle the cat in case they do choose to play around the crib. That should be enough to drive them away. I also intend to do some more research about the crib tent like the one shown in the picture. If I find it suitable I may invest in one to keep my cats away from the baby initially.

Still exploring the idea of getting a crib tent

• When the cat attempts to sniff and meet the baby please be calm. Be mindful thats animals can sense tension. Hence we need to work towards making the first interaction as pleasant as possible. Praise the cat if it gently sniffs the baby in your presence, making all associations with the baby positive for you cats

Now thats preparing your cats. One precaution that I have taken is to stay clear of the cat litter. I have domestic help who helps clean it regularly. The reason for the same being risk to the foetus from toxoplasmosis. While cats may be carriers of toxoplasmosis, you could also get this from handling raw meat and not washing your hands properly or using the same chopping board to cut raw meats & vegetables or from eating undercooked beef or pork. So throwing your cat out is not a solution, you just have to be careful. You may request a family member to help with this in case you don't have domestic help or simply wear gloves and wash your hands well after handling the litter. Also be more regular with cleaning the litter because oocysts are shed in the feces of the cat. The oocysts take 1-3 days before becoming infective once they are shed. 

So just as you start gearing up to welcome your tiny tot, make a few changes to make the transition easy for your pets also. I’ll be honest I am quite anxious about how my pets would react to the baby and hence am making all possible efforts to make this transition easy and smooth for all parties involved. I have done my research and am trying. Hope everything falls in place.

By the way on a lighter note, you guys have to watch tho video of cats with babies. Its hilarious :) Happy watching

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsDd35Jxxzs

Image source: http://www.balancingmotherhood.com/2007/11/19/crib-tent/

Pepper Chicken in Coconut gravy- Cooking, cooking & some more cooking

These days my food cravings seem to be getting the better of me. Given my new found inability to stomach non- home cooked food (thats just a term I invented), my experiments in the kitchen have only increased.

Hubby and I had been planning a visit to visit to Konkan Cafe at Taj President for the longest time ever and for some strange reason that visit never materialised. Not even thinking about eating out at the moment so it boiled down to recreating the magic of Konkan Cafe in my own kitchen.

Now I am no Masterchef so I am not sure if this even qualifies as Konkan food. I was only craving some chicken in a mildly spiced coconut gravy which lead me to this experiment :)

Now don't ask me where do I get these weird cravings from :p

I am just happy that it pushes me to cook food thats fresh, tasty and healthy (it’s chicken, so yes its full of proteins :))

A dear friend of mine had dished out some yummy pepper chicken for us when we had last visited their place for dinner. That was the starting point for my dish. however I didn't really remember the recipe she told me quite well so I turned to the web for insipiration. Here is the link i referred to

http://pachakam.com/Recipes/Pepper-Chicken-in-Coconut-Gravy-503

With a few of my own additions managed to pull off quite a meal. Hubby absolutely loved it. Yaaaaaaaaaay :)

So here goes my recipe for Pepper Chicken in Coconut Gravy

Ingredients

Skinless chicken (I used Zorabian chicken with bones)- 1/2 kg

Onions 3 (medium sized, chopped coarsely)

Tomatos 2 (medium sized, chopped coarsely)

Ginger & Garlic paste 1tbsp

Cloves 2-3

Cardomom 2-3

Red chilli Powder 1tbsp

Coriander powder 1tbsp

Cumin seed powder 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder 1/2 tbsp

Cinnamon stick (about1/2 inch)

Fresh grated coconut 1/2 cup

Coconut Milk 1/2 cup

pepper 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil

Method

-Start by cleaning the chicken and make some incisions in the chicken for the marinade to penetrate.  Now marinate it in 2 tbsp of pepper and some salt. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.

- Heat 2tbsp of oil to the wok and fry the chicken in the oil. The idea is to only seal the spices and not cook the chicken completely. This should not take more than 2 to 3 minutes. Now set aside the    chicken.

- Heat a tbsp of oil in a separate wok & fry the onions. Add the ginger garlic paste and the whole spices  i.e. cloves, cinnamon & cardamom. Cook till the onions are nice and brown. I chose to discard the  whole spices once onions were cooked and the oil had taken in the flavour of whole spices since I  don't like any whole spices in my food. You may choose to keep them or discard them as per your  preference

- Now add the tomatoes and the grated coconut to the onion mixture and cook till tomatoes are cooked.   Don't add any water at this stage

- Add the spices i.e. red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder & coriander powder along with salt while the tomatoes are being cooked.

- Now add coconut milk and the semi cooked chicken and simmer for a minute

- Transfer the whole mixture to a pressure cooker and give it two quick whistles.

- Once the contents of the cooker cool down a bit, remove the chicken pieces from the gravy. Transfer  the Gravy to mixer and blitz it. The result is a smooth and creamy gravy.

- Transfer the Gravy to a wok and bring to a boil and add the chicken. 

- Garnish with a fresh sprig of coriander

I served this dish with some lovely crisp mini dosa. Stumbled upon the dosa recipe on another blog. The instant dosa recipe is a keeper, shall share it in another post.

Till then keep smiling & be positive :)