In memory of Jayasree Satish: Soya-Vaangi Bhath

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"Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy." ~ Eskimo Proverb 

Image: Lata Raja

It was a dim Wednesday morning on October 12th when things were quiet.Then, Bang! I read the status message on Lataji's FB profile. I almost wanted to cry. How can somebody vanish into thin air, just like that. A fun-loving, warm and ever-smiling person is no more. She is Jayasree Satish who blogged at "Experiments in Kailas Kitchen". Her blog was full of lively conversations, sharing some snippets of life around her and featured traditional recipes. For people away home, it felt like home.

I am still in disbelief. Is Life so short and unpredictable?

It was on September 3rd she 'liked' Cooking With Siri page and within a month's time, she is gone. I just wish, I can go back in time and pray for her good health, get her back.

Soya-Vaangi Bhath

My condolences to her family and hope God give them enough strength to get through this tragic time.

In an effort to keep this amazing woman in our memories, the food blogger community gave a shout out to cook Jayashree's recipes, with no modifications whatsoever.

I made some Soya-Vaangi Bhath. Click here for the recipe.

Soya-Vaangi Bhath

People do not die for us immediately, but remain bathed in a sort of aura of life which bears no relation to true immortality but through which they continue to occupy our thoughts in the same way as when they were alive.  It is as though they were traveling abroad.  ~ Marcel Proust

R.I.P Jayasree.

Black and White Wednesday: Eggs

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"The world is full of hopeful analogies and handsome, dubious eggs, called possibilities." ~ George Eliot 

Posted for Susan's Black & White Wednesdays.


Some of my favourite egg recipes:

Spicy Egg Masala
Potato Chip Frittata Muffins
Bombay French Toast
Nargisi Kofte
Egg Puffs

Soft Scrambled Eggs at {The Beach Cafe by Lucy Diamond}

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 "Community is all about living with each other and for each other!". That's the feeling that stays with you, as you finishing the book - "The Beach Cafe" by Lucy Diamond, chosen by our virtual book club for the month of September. It is a delightful read which will brighten your day instantly. It certainly did for me. Within 24 hours and I was done reading it. Trust me, it doesn't happen , very often.

The story is about Evie Flynn, who has always been the black sheep of her family - a dreamer and a drifter, unlike her over-achieving two elder sisters - Ruth and Louise. Then there is a boring,  IT software guy Matthew as her boyfriend, who loves his spreadsheets more than anything else. Evie, who did a masters degree in drama is a jack of all traits - an aspiring actress, a passionate photographer and a singer. But, nothing ever worked out for her. Now, she is stuck in a humdrum life, dabbling between various temp jobs as she waits for her admission to join her teacher course, which she agreed to do after a lot of persuasion from her family.

Evie's life literally takes a U turn when her beloved aunt Jo dies suddenly in a car accident, leaving Evie an unusual legacy - Jo's precious beach cafe is a remote village in Cornwall, far off from her buzzing Oxford life. After a lot of deliberation whether to sell it or not and tired of her sexist boss and breaking up with her tame boyfriend - she heads off to Cornwall, determined to make a life out of one thing(cafe) which is completely hers. Quite unexpectedly she gets more than she bargained for - in terms of earning respect within her own family, friends, work and of course meeting the 'love of her life' - Ed.

It is my first Lucy Diamond's novel and honestly speaking, it was quite hard to put it down. Evie, her protagonist in the novel is a lovable character with her own flaws & imperfections. Don't we all have those moments when life throws a curve ball at us. It all depends how we overcome those difficulties and learn something valuable out of such experiences. Coming back to the book, Lucy writing style, though very much British is easy on the eyes and very much enjoyable. I must admit, it is quite a long read - 484 pages. and Evie reaches Cornwall by 200th page or so. 100 pages less, it would have been perfect. Having said that, I would highly recommend this book because of the inherent, honest story and its endearing characters, to whom you will start relating to, right from the start. A special mention about the setting of Cornwall - the beach, the romping waves, blue waters with sun-kissed surfers ;-). There are numerous references to food, especially pasties, cakes, sandwiches and many british breakfast classics.

Speaking of breakfast, mine is always heavy on eggs and Scrambled Eggs would top the charts anyday. It is so easy to make, which so many options as add-on. Serves as an wholesome side with bread toast or just ketchup and complete it with a glass of orange juice - there, you have a perfect head start for hectic day ahead.

What's so special about today's recipe is that - these are Soft Scrambled Eggs as it has a hint of cream in it made beautifully beneath a sheen of butter. I had seen Merill make it on Food52, long time ago and finally remembered to give a try. Verdict: sneakily delicious! I don't think I will ever make my eggs scrambled any other way, ever.

Soft Scrambled Eggs

Adapted from Food52

Ingredients:

Serves 1

2 eggs
1 tbsp cream (creme fraiche or mascarporne)
salt & pepper
knob of butter


Preparation:

1. In a bowl, whisk eggs with cream, salt & pepper.

2. Heat a non-stick skillet and add butter and wait until it melts. If the egg starts to cook right away, turn the heat as low as it will go. Add the egg mixture. Using a wooden spatula or spoon, stir the eggs constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan all over in a long, continuous motion. Do this for few minutes until its little custard-looking, but not runny.

3. Serve with bread toast and/or orange juice.

Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead.

until next time,