Nasuha Blog

All you need is

Oil - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 5-6 cloves
Onion - 1\4 cup ( thinly sliced )
Thai Red curry paste - 4 tbsp
Chicken breast - 2 ( cut into small pieces )
Broccoli - 1 small heat cut into small pieces
Carrot - 1 ( cut into thing stripes )
Red bell pepper - 1 ( cut into stripes )
Thick coconut milk - 1 cup
Fish sauce - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1\2 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Thai basil - 10-12 leaves
Salt to taste



Method of preparation

Heat oil in a pan.
Add garlic and fry for a few seconds.
Add shallots and fry for a minute.
Add red curry paste and fry for a minute or two.
Add chicken and fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add the broccoli, carrots and red bell pepper.
Add coconut milk and a cup of water.
Let the curry come to a boil.
Simmer the heat and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add fish sauce, lemon juice, sugar and salt.
Tear the basil leaves and add in the pan.
Serve hot with Jasmine rice .

The quote "Food is our common ground, a universal experience" by James Beard fascinated me, and I just could not stop flipping the first few pages and reading the preface and experience of the tadka girls Ranjini Rao and Ruchira Ramanujam. The book Around the World with Tadka Girls brings out a confluence of different cultures of the world with the Indian culture. I love the organization of the book, each of the sections depicts this cross cultural influence, just to take an example of left over Khichadi transforming to Sicilian Arancini or whether its Tirangi Kulfi and Chocolate Bark in the same section. What makes the recipes more interesting are the preludes about the around the world experience of tadka girls, upholding the title of the book in every single page.

The book in appearance as a vintage collection explains itself well and gives ideas around how to use it with notes in recipes talking about the tips, variations, substitutions and serving suggestions. The titles of recipes creatively chosen are interesting and sometimes amusing, but not to overwhelm, it talks about where to start when looking for specific kinds.

The book is well laid out with sections like Breakfast & Brunch, Bites and Brews, Soups and Salads, Bread Basket, Pasta 'n Rice, Signature Tadka, Sweet Treats, Fiesta Fare and Funnibbles. Each of the section has a good variety of recipes. The ingredients in the recipes are laid out in the order they are used (I always prefer them in this way), with clear cooking directions.

For every cook and baker it also includes measurement cheat sheet and has a glossary of words in the end which would definitely help non Indian cooks trying their hands at the recipes from any of the media.

I would even recommend the book to non cooks just to experience from the preludes, it may actually ignite the spark in you to start a new cooking hobby!