The Year That Was

So, it's 2013 or shall I say, it has been for over a month.  Apologies for the long hiatus.  Life got in the way, blah blah blah.   No excuses.  The past couple of months have been focused on spending time with my fiancé, family and friends.  A much needed break if you will.  I couldn't have asked for a better experience.  Inevitably, it had to come to an end.  Thankfully for me, the end of this vacation marked a starting point to an exciting new life.

Before launching into the new year head first and arms wide open, allow me to share with you the highlights of the year that was.  It hosted countless moments of self discovery and reflections.  Surely, mistakes made were more than a few.  But, that only meant learning valuable lessons.  Though, I am nowhere near "living my dream", I am closer to it now than I was last year.

At the very least,  I hope you enjoy the photos.   Grab a cup of tea as there's plenty.

First visit to the Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne.  My favorite park in the entire world.

Trips to Bangkok for some R&R.  Priceless.

Visiting the Grand Mosque for the first time.

My brief experience in Libya.

Dipping my toes in the sea.  Dead Sea that is. 

Spending time at the Movenpick hotel in Amman, Jordan overlooking Jerusalem.  Magical.  

Coming back to India.

Walking the streets of Madras.

Spring in New York

Falling in love with Nepal

Witnessed my first Sakura in Japan

Street food in Shanghai

Coming back to Nepal and falling in love all over again

Enjoyed the busy streets of Dublin

Had the best Gelato in the world.  Dublin.

Yup, my favorite coffee place opened last year in Abu Dhabi.

From the busy shopping district of Korea...

...to the serene and peaceful parks.  

White water rafting in Bali

Sunset in Boracay, Philippines

Standing right on the top of one of the world's smallest volcano.  Taal, Philippines

Traveling with my family.

Singing The Sound of Music each time we looked out the window.  Graz, Austria

This is by far the most amazing experience not only for me but my entire family.  If I had to choose one highlight of the year, it would be the day that my little sister got married.  

I hope you guys are off to great start.  Here's to a wonderful 2013 for all of us!

Ackee and Saltfish

Side note: This one is also a re-post from my previous blog.

Three days off and home with my fiancé simply means spending serious amount of time in the kitchen making home cooked meals.  That's just the way it is and there's no two ways about it.  So take out, delivery and frozen food...we'll save that for lazy days.  For now, here is what's on our plate for breakfast.

Ackee and Salt Fish w/ Boiled Dumplings.  Say what and salt fish?  Now, I am far from being a food expert and my vocabulary when it comes to describing food is very limited.  The fact that I often fight the urge to use the word "yummy" means I am not the right person to shed some light into the unfamiliar.  Here's a description from a reputable source. 

  

Ackee and Saltfish, Jamaica

Despite ackee’s unhappy origins as slave food, Jamaicans have reclaimed it as part of their national dish. A nutritious fruit with a buttery-nutty flavor, ackee resembles scrambled egg when boiled. Jamaicans sauté the boiled ackee with saltfish (salt-cured cod), onions, and tomatoes. Sometimes the dish is served atop bammy (deep-fried cassava cakes) with fried plantains. 

To make this you'll need:

• 2 cans of Ackee
• 1 lb bag of salt fish (cod or pollock)
• 4 sprigs of thyme (fresh or dry)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper, salt to taste
• 1 medium onion, 1 small tomato
• 3 tbsp butter
• vegetable oil

scotch bonnet (optional)

Dumplings:  

3 cups of plain flour, 1 cup of water and a tsp salt.  Mix them all together and knead like you would a pizza dough. Boil water in a medium sized pot.  Break off into pieces and form the dough into a flattened biscuit.  Place the pieces into the pot and cook for about 25 mins.  Set aside.

Ackee and Saltfish:

It is very important to soak the salt fish for at least 4 hours or even overnight.  After soaking, boil for 15 mins to get rid of all the salt.  Once cooked, flake the fish using a fork.  Set aside.

Saute garlic, onion, tomato, thyme and salt fish for about 5 mins.  Add butter, scotch bonnet pepper, season with garlic powder and cook for another 5 mins. 

Add Ackee and mix VERY carefully making sure not break it up so much.  Cook for another 10 mins. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper. And that is it!  Easy.

Yummy! (oops!)

If you find yourself having a difficult time finding canned Ackee in stores you can also buy it online. Here!

Cheesy Beef Lumpia

Side note: This post was exported from my previous blog.  I plan to move some recipes on here to share with you guys. There might be a few more in the next couple of days so please check back.  Enjoy!


Cheesy Beef Lumpia

To make this you'll need:

500 grams minced beef
1 packet of  taco mix
1/4 cup water 
3 tbsp onions chopped
1 tbsp garlic chopped 
3 tbsp spring onions chopped
3 tbsp cilantro chopped 
lumpia wrapper (I used rice wrappers from the Vietnamese spring rolls I made weeks ago)
sour cream
salsa (store bought or homemade)
1/4 cup of mozzarella
strips of cheddar (cut from cheddar slices)

1. Sauté garlic, onion and beef.  Cook until the meat is browned.

2. Add taco mix that is dissolved in 1/4 cup water into the pan. Let it simmer until the liquid is completely absorbed .  Let cool. (at this point you can serve the meat as a filling for tacos which is what I originally made this for.)

3. In a bowl, mix spring onions, cilantro, beef, mozzarella.

4. Place a strip of cheddar on the wrapper, put the meat mixture on top, roll and seal the sides.

5. Serve with salsa and sour cream. 

I paired it with Watermelon Cooler.  It's basically 2 cups of fresh watermelon, 2 mint leaves, crushed ice nicely blended into a glass of deliciousness.

PS. Here is the link to the original recipe in case you're interested. link!  Happy cooking.