Coco's Favourite Foods

I've never owned a dog before, so I'm not entirely sure if Coco's eating habits are 'normal'. Anyway, she doesn't get any salt or sugar on a normal day and

she seems happy enough. I don't give her any pre-packed dog food if I can avoid it though she does get some in 'emergencies' like when I forget to buy chicken etc...

So what are Coco's favourite foods? Well right at the top of the list are Kebabs with Paratha and Tandoori Chicken - but these are for special occasions only, coz they're really not too good for her tummy (or health in general). But what about the rest?

Chicken
Cheese (yes!)
Eggs (scrambled, omlette, boiled, half-fry)
Peas (whole pods!)
Carrot
Potato
Tomato
Banana
Grapes
Green Chillies (stupid dog steals them when she gets the chance!)
Fresh Mint
Fresh Coriander
Rice
Khichdi
Chapatti (especially with Aloo Bhaji)
Curd
Milk
OJ
Vodka
Whisky (no she's not allowed the booze, but she is sneaky)
Bones (the rawhide variety)
Empty plastic bottles
Pillows
Newspapers
Plastic bags
Underwear
Furniture
Specs
Claire's favourite books






























Ok ok, the last few she doesn't really eat... she just chews and destroys them. It's an expensive hobby that she has!

Here's the recipe for Coco's Favourite Food:

Chicken (with or without bones)
2 Carrots
Few handfuls of French Beans
Some Dudhi or Brinjal (Aubergine) or Capsicum

1. Chop all the veg into smallish pieces
2. Put all veg and chicken in a big pot. Add enough water to cover everything.
3. Cook until everything is soft.
4. Remove bones (if any)

Serve with cooked brown rice















Coco's just stolen another pillow... looks like I'd better go and give her some attention!

Pav Bhaji & other yummy things

Food in Mumbai is really good for the most part. The variety of food available to me, a vegetarian, is huge. I’ve had a few days where I’ve wanted to take up residence in my bathroom, but the food was still really tasty going in!

Some of my favourite street foods are Vada Pav, Pav Bhaji, Idli, Masala Pav, Masala Dosa, Omlette, Half-Fry eggs, Bhurji, Sev Puri… and the list goes on. During the chilly monsoon days a nice cup of hot, spiced Sweetcorn is lovely. I’m looking forward to some this monsoon.

I’ve not attempted making many of these at home, but Pav Bhaji is pretty easy and yummy too.




















Here’s the recipe I use:

For the Bhaji
1 1/2 cups potatoes
1 cup cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup green peas
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1 teaspoon garlic paste
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup capsicum, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 1/2 tablespoons Pav Bhaji masala
Salt to taste

1. Boil and mash the potatoes, keep aside.
2. Boil cauliflower, carrots and peas until tender. Drain and keep aside.
3. Over a medium flame, heat oil and butter in large non-stick pan and add jeera.
4. When seeds start to crackle add green chillies and garlic paste, stir for a few seconds.
5. Next add onion and capsicum and cook until soft, takes about 10 mins.
6. Add tomatoes, haldi, chilli powder, pav bhaji masala and salt. Cook for a further 6-7 mins, until oil separates.
7. Finally add cauliflower, carrots and peas and cook for a further 5 mins or so, mashing well.
8. Just before serving add a lump of butter for extra yumminess.

For the Pav
8 Pav (bread rolls)
4 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon Pav Bhaji masala

1. Slice Pav in two.
2. Heat butter on tawa / frying pan, add sprinkle of pav bhaji masala.
3. Toast Pav until golden brown.

Serve Pav and Bhaji with a handful of chopped onion and a spinkle of lemon juice and chopped coriander if desired.
EAT!!!













If anyone has a favourite street food that you think I should try, then please let me know what I’m missing out on…

Cooking Rice (A visit from the Queen's personal Fire Brigade at Windsor Castle)

Let me start off with a disclaimer: My cooking skills are virtually zero.

So in my previous life (in England) about , I rented a flat from the Queen in the walls of Windsor Castle. For those of you that doubt such a thing is possible, I'm referring to a little flat above the Education Centre in St. Alban's Street - I'm sure you can find photos of it somewhere on the web.

A few years back, there was a big fire at Windsor Castle (not caused by my cooking), so all the apartments in the castle were linked to an internal (and silent) fire alarm system, monitored by HRH's own personal Fire Brigade.

So I decided one cold autumn night to make a nice hot meal (can't remember exactly what it was now) involving rice. I put the rice on the stove to cook and went to watch a bit of telly. Because watching rice cook is really quite boring. What happened next must have gone something like this:










Which lead to my front door nearly being broken down a several hunky firemen raced to save Windsor Castle from my cooking. Yes, I burnt the rice. So badly did I burn the rice that the whole kitchen was filled with thick smoke, several hunky firemen and one extremely embarrassed me.

I also had to throw that pot away as there were several inches of burnt, black rice stuck to the bottom of the pan that just wouldn't all come off even after much scrubbing.

You'd hope that I'd have learnt my lesson, right? Well I didn't. I still burn rice to this day - some 7 years later. Just not as badly. Except that once, about 6 months back...

Recipe: Rice
Ingredients:
Rice
Water
Salt to taste

Secret Ingredient:
Common sense

Method:
Do what it says on the packet.
Use your common sense and check on the rice regularly
Take it off the heat when done and before it bursts into flames
Enjoy