Road Trips:P

I live in Mumbai …..Oops Navi Mumbai (all Mumbaikar’s would be annoyed if I call it Mumbai). There’s always this; Navi Mumbaikar's are treated deferentially. As I hear , we are the "Outsiders"- people who are new to Mumbai settle for Navi Mumbai; the under privileged child of Mumbai.

But Mumbai vs. Navi Mumbai is not the topic of my blog today. I was actually looking at the clouds today while I took a walk around my beautiful office campus and I watched these Spongy Cottony clouds (Cumulus Humilis) which formed various shapes and sizes. Lovely breeze enveloped me along with sun shining and the shadow of clouds falling on the lake . All this reminded me of my Road trips with my parents in Orissa.

My Papa loved driving and he was man enough to take the three ladies in his life, to long beautiful road trips!! One of such trips was to this amazing place Chattarpur in Orissa but more than the visit to the place it was This Journey which always was the high point of the trip.

I vividly remember the road and offcourse the natural beauty of the surroundings which added to the picturesque scenery. It used to be the clear days of October with white clouds patching the pristine blue sky and the road was clear clean grey  just like the good old slate black board days with markings in the center, with Eucalyptus trees lining the road. Amidst one of those was this little Dhaba which was like an Oasis in the middle of nowhere. We stopped there each time we went to this place. The beauty of the place and food that they served was in the freshness of vegetables and fish that they picked up from the farm right behind the Dhaba and the tiny river which ran right between the farms and the Dhaba. It was more of a clear water spring than a river. The best memory of the trip apart from what is described here was this “Chilly Prawns” as they called. I have picked up the recipe just by observing the Ingredient while I enjoyed it with lovely Triangle Parathas. I leave you here the recipe of this mouth watering lingering delicacy.

Ingredients:

1.       Prawns                 10-12   Medium Sized shelled & de-veined.

2.       Onions                 3-4    Medium Sized cut in to thin long slices

3.       Green Shallots                  Chopped leaves of 2-3 green ( optional)

4.       Green Chillies    2-3 as per taste

5.       Red Chilly powder  ½ - 1 tsp as per taste

6.       Coriander Powder  1-2 tsp

7.       Turmeric powder  ½ tsp

8.       Oil as required

Source: Self

   Method       :

1.       Heat oil in a shallow pan.

2.       Add thinly sliced onions, let the onions fry until golden brown in colour. Once done add the slit green chillies.

3.       Sauté a little over a minute to infuse the flavors of the Green Chillies.

4.       Add Red Chilly powder , turmeric and coriander powder. Stir them together.

5.       Add the shelled prawns, cover them for a while say about 7-10 minutes.

6.       Uncover the pan, stir them for a few more minutes about 4-5 minutes. And the prawns are ready to be served with Triangular Parathas.