All Good Things Issue 17
Spring Blooms + Benefit Of Leg Up Against The Wall + Air Fryer Veg Manchurian + Papaya Lassi + Rhubarb Sidecar
Good Morning!
Oh, what a beautiful day it is here in Sydney! It is pushing 28°C and feels almost summery. The soft breeze is warm and bordering on balmy. We did a long family walk earlier. Our youngest is now helping Nick mow the lawn and our oldest is studying for his Year 11 preliminary exams. I have settled down with a tumbler of chilled carrot juice to write this newsletter. Our pool fence is burgeoning with jasmine vines and the scent is so intense, you can smell it indoors too. To me, it is the quintessential fragrance of Spring.
When I step out in the garden, the glorious sunshine bathes everything. And then on the wings of the soft breeze another fragrance envelops me. It is deep, heady, sweet like nectar and just divine. And it comes from just one rose - the first of our roses to bloom as the weather turns warm. A rich coral colour .. or is it papaya? I can't for the life of me remember the variety of this rose. But gosh I love the fragrance! How beautiful does it look?
With nowhere to go, the garden is often my number one travel hotspot. I am taking advantage of all the wild blooms to create colourful posies and bring out my vintage op-shop vases and filling them up. The kitchen looks bright and cheery with the oddball arrangement of flowers in all shapes and sizes and I find inane satisfaction that such a simple thing of joy was effortless and free and courtesy of my own neglected garden. The kitchen counters feel abundant, lots of homegrown lemons and backyard eggs in all shades of pink and brown. My chickens are supremely noisy at the moment. Especially when they are laying and after they have laid and at 5:45am and at noon. It is getting to be a bit ridiculous. So, if any of you chicken mums and dads have any tips/suggestions for me, I will be eternally grateful.
As the flowers and blossoms fill the trees, the parrots come in hordes. Their distinct sweet tittering and the petals falling on the lawn as they feast always makes me smile. I might have to put a really good Zoom lens on my Christmas list. My basic Zoom lens and my favourite food photography macro lens are no match for the swift-moving birds or the heights at which they perch. But still, as I photograph I slowly inch forward and as time passes, I am just a meter or two away from the gorgeous parrots. That always makes for some stunning shots!
This past week, I have graduated to working my core with these simple leg lifts among other exercises where I basically just lie on my back and work my legs. I am also doing a lot more of my favourite yoga asana - Chakravakasana, the spine stretch or as I like to call it "Cat & Camel". It especially helps release tension after all the leg lifts. I find this simple movement so incredibly good in my body that I have got both my boys on it and they do it often just "to feel good". The stretch it provides is almost like a massage, the longer you linger in the stretch the better your achy muscles feel. For anyone sitting for long periods of time or with back pain issues, this is sublimely relaxing!
Sneh x
It is amazing how we need to be reminded of small things to do for our physical and mental health. There aren't hard to do, but because we are bogged down by so much stuff (both tangible and conceptual) that we often forget to do them. When I find a piece of information that is profound and valuable, I file it in one place so I can access it whenever I need to. I also have a daily Manifesto, a mantra that I repeat to myself. It could be as simple as remembering to drink water throughout the day or to have a hot shower. But by telling myself that and being mindful of it, I remember to do it and it becomes a slow, steady, daily habit. This in turn has started making really positive changes in my physical and mental health.
Food For Thought »
" When I was younger and attending yoga classes everyday, they talked about the benefits of letting the blood rush to your head. The ideas was to "invert" yourself to assist the body in accessing nutrient-rich blood all the way up to your brain. It makes sense, since we spend all our time upright sitting and walking and standing and laying flat when we sleep. In those classes we stood and bent our bodies forward at the hip, letting our hands and heads dangle. We also did "legs up against the wall" and this is something I have started doing recently because it has immense health benefits and feels really good.
Today » I will go for an hour-long walk. I will lay a blanket on my lawn in the sun and try and nap for 10 minutes. I will drink 2 litres of water and use this beautiful hair oil to give my head and neck a gentle massage.
AIR FRYER VEG MANCHURIAN
Air Fryer Veg Manchurian is a delightfully light and deliciously crispy take on the popular Indo-Chinese street food. Crispy golden veggie balls served in a lip-smacking Chinese sauce! This Vegan dish is a true treat for the senses and makes a great versatile main or canape.
Veg Manchurian – The Hidden Gem Of Indo Chinese Cuisine
If you have been following me and my blog especially on social media, you will know that I am a HUGE Dosa fan. That I will happily pick that as my last meal on earth. But what you might not know is that it will be accompanied by Veg Manchurian. The insanely popular Indo Chinese street food dish is one of my favourite things to cook and eat. It is light, full of texture, packed with flavour and every mouthful is a sensory experience with its unique Indian and Chinese flavours.
The word Manchurian means native of “Manchuria” a common name used to describe the large geographical region of Northeast Asia comprising of Russia and China. Although vastly different from traditional Manchu cuisine, the idea of this dish was the brainchild of chef Nelson Wang at the Cricket Club Of India in Bombay back in 1975; exactly two years before I was born in the same city. When one of the patrons of the club asked him to create something new on that day, Nelson started by cooking with staple Indian ingredients – ginger, garlic and chopped chilli. Rather than add the traditional garam masala, he chose to add soy sauce and cornflour to the chicken he was cooking.
It resulted in a brand new dish with Indian and Chinese roots that would go on to become a sensation around the world. Over the years, as is customary in India; an even more delicious Vegetarian version emerged since most of the country is vegetarian. This version was clever and superior in both taste and texture. It also packed a lot of veggies and could be ...
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PAPAYA LASSI
I’ve never come across a papaya lassi on a menu anywhere. I wonder why because it is so darned delicious! And takes literally a few minutes to make. A papaya lassi is absolutely one of the best ways to ensure you eat more of this amazing fruit with all its glorious health benefits.
Why a papaya lassi works!
As a general rule of thumb, any stone fruit or fruit with gorgeous soft flesh would be delicious when blitzed with some yoghurt. The lassi made famous by mango is a traditional Indian drink of blended fruit, yoghurt and spices – most likely cardamom. If you look at cardamom’s flavour notes, it is sweet and floral with delicate eucalyptus notes. A perfect match for mango, coconut, peach, pear, strawberry, persimmon and papaya. Papaya with its glorious orange buttery soft flesh and exotic musky flavour, works really well with yoghurt (especially coconut yoghurt!) and cardamom. And that is why a papaya lassi is a no brainer.
Why papaya might be the healthiest fruit on the planet?
A small papaya (that I have come to realize I can devour in a single sitting!) has almost 200% of your daily recommended Vitamin C intake. And a good amount of potassium and magnesium. An incredibly good source of fiber and folic acid, papaya can lower bad cholesterol and regulate digestion. Being super-rich in lycopene, ...
This San Sebastian Cheesecake looks insane! I'll probably never get around to baking it because of the amount of dairy in it, but boy I wouldn't mind a slice if someone else baked it! Yum!
Tilly's Sour Cream Cake With Strawberry Jam Buttercream. Mmmm
Lorraine's Limoncello Tiramisu. Start organizing your Christmas desserts now!
Fan of Matcha? This Matcha Marble Pound Cake looks perfect.
Sweet & Spicy Grilled Tofu With Pineapple & Herbed Cauliflower Rice.
Mike's Spring Tabouleh.
Roast Tandoori Carrots On Butter Bean Tomato Dip.
Miso Sweet Potato Pie With Crispy Onion Crust.
Learn to easily make an Avocado Rose and serve it in a bowl of 5-minute Homemade Dukkah.
I have some beautiful new cookbooks in my reading stack this week and some old favourites! (from top to bottom)
Egg Of The Universe - Bryony & Harry Lancaster
This Is A Book About Dumplings - Brandan Pang
Rebel Recipes - Niki Webster
Chetna's 30 Minute Indian - Chetna Makan
Bowls & Broths - Pippa Middlehurst
Nothing Fancy - Alison Roman
If you love the kind of food I share, please follow Jo Harding's @modernfoodstories account on Instagram. Her food looks incredible, most posts have the recipes in the caption. So good!
Stunning Photos of a Water Lily Harvest in Vietnam. Absolutely mesmerizing images by Nat Geo photographer Pham Huy Trung.
Armchair travel the Swiss Alps with its beautiful house and pristine blue streams in the form of short video.
And with that, I sign off and wish you a good one! Until Next Weekend :)
Rhubarb Sidecar
1.5 oz (45ml) brandy
0.5 oz (15ml) gin
0.5oz (15ml) blood orange liqueur
0.5oz (15ml) lemon juice
1.0 oz (30ml) rhubarb syrup
1 tablespoon rhubarb vanilla jam
Ice
Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for a few seconds.
Pour cocktail over ice in a 200ml tumbler/martini glass.
A dear friend brought me some homemade rhubarb syrup which was what sparked this cocktail for Father's Day last week. I used Edinburgh Christmas Gin, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur and Not Your Nanna's Brandy. Rhubarb Vanilla Jam is from my blog.
I have limited copies of my cookbook Tasty Express - a labour of love filled with over 100 of our family's most tried and tested and exciting 30-minute recipes inspired by street foods of the world. Mostly Vegetarian recipes that go from breakfast to quick dinners in a heartbeat. They make great gifts for you or a friend!
