Words are few - Mumbai meri jaan..

Watermelon balsamic skewers

Its a balmy weather by the gulf today. And i wished not to drink a glassful nor eat a plateful , just when this new idea fitted well. Take a look.

Vividly remembering the day when we first stepped in this city, and how i was mesmerized by the beauty and colors of the gulf in front of our hotel suite! Waking up one morning to get immersed into this beautiful view of water again, i was humming some lines to myself and surprised i was, for they rhymed :)  and thus i became a one day poet as my husband puts it now. Let me share those lines with you- amateurish certainly. but here it goes:

                                  This Persian gulf and its varied hues, from black velvet to royal blues.

                                  The sun  howling through the day, the gulf growling in emerald grey.

                                  The coral whites shinning bright, telling a story for the sky to site.

I was taken by the beauty not just literally but more on a deeper level which u may have learned in the lines above. The sun by this side of the world is so scorching that anything living would get light headed outside if  not cautious.. and its this irony between us (the living) and the nature around  that struck me then! For as the sun was turning into a ball of fire with the day, the gulf was gleaming brighter and much more brighter as if adapting its colors to suit the sun. The battle if i call it or an inner instinct to survive, the gulf always outshined the overbearing sun ,usually by deep noon. And in my mind i learned --change is best embraced when adapted to accordingly, becoming my first lesson for our move beside these new shores :)

Well today taking the same red from the sun and emerald from the sea, i have a very quick very enticing appetiser/ palate neutralizer for you. The idea for my no-not-so-much-a-recipe germinated from a beautiful picture which i saw on - The cool hunter( via facebook )

Snap salad

I call this my snap salad for a reason alone- Super crunchy,truly refreshing , snapping  you out of your 2pm zZzzZZzzzZz's at work. Crackles your senses out of the monotony of the first half of your day. Hmm, just past 2pm here and i am wide awake..did u notice ;D

By the way,the true USP of the salad is that its starts your first course in a snap with a big bang! We loved it, do make it and share the love too:))

Strawberry pots

Just another reason to savour the beloved strawberries and cream :) This miniature version is sinfully denser and decadent with mascarpone in the limelight. A fun no cook dessert to make with your kids or a versatile one adding the oomph and the chic to your distinguished dessert platter.

We loved it and so did our new friends on dinner. A must try for all of u definitely.

Roasted peppers, fennel flatbread with zaatar and grana padano

For they say the distance makes the heart grow fonder and these few months that i could not do what i like doing the most- cooking with my complete heart and soul .. i felt all the more allured by food and everything around it. We recently shifted to a new abode to call it our new home. Mesmerized by the mystique and magic of this persian land, it was normal for us to dwell into their culture and what better way to dwell deep than through food. Simple, representative of roots and innovated or improvised from the heart are three ingredients that i feel are the essence of the often used and almost cliched term we all know very well as gourment! Walking though the aisles of hypermarkets here , i almost feel like a kid -- all so happy all so curious to look at all that is new-- fruits i have'nt heard of before, fromagiere with varied cheeses from around the globe, breads in shapes and textures still to be explored and well how can i forget sweets-- they are to die for certainly. umm..

So with an open mind and a sensitive heart , i open the doors of my arabian kitchen to the world today. Today is the day the cook in me ignited the oven and literally, i mean coz unlike in the US we purchased a gas oven here :) Even before i placed anything to bake or char , i loved the whiff of the burning metal as i started my new kiln. Like the first day at the gym when u go easy with ur weights, my idea with my new "kiln" was much the same. So today was the day for something semi homemade,quick yet fresh and truly tantalizing for the tongue- The layered flatbread with some old and few new.