.: evil jungle prince :.

I both look forward and dread the holiday season, because it means that once again relatives will be descending from points afar and creating the stage for arguments over what to eat and when. At the same time, I look forward to seeing them and having time off of work to concentrate on my own hobbies.

There is little remaining in my refrigerator, but miraculously I made due tonight with the three remaining carrots, a little yogurt, and some frozen bread by preparing Gujarati-style carrot soup with roti parathas and a side of salad drizzled with a bumbu pecel (spicy peanut) sauce.

I've prepared this particular soup once or twice before and I simply love it. There is something very special about the marriage of yogurt and carrot, made pungent and savory by a liberal use of garlic and ginger. Drool. I made mine by:

1. Sauteing mustard seeds (drop these in the oil first until they begin to sputter), half an onion, a jalapeno pepper (sliced), two cloves garlic, 1/2 inch of grated ginger, a few curry leaves, a little salt, and half a teaspoon of sugar. Once the garlic and onion have softened, add the carrots and saute the mixture for ten minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix a cup of yogurt with a tablespoon of rice flour and mix in a blender. This will be used to thicken the soup; the mixing prevents lumps.

3. Add 1-3 cups of vegetable broth to the carrot mixture, bring to boil, turn down heat and simmer for 1/2 hour.

4. Turn off heat and allow to cool. Slowly pour in yogurt mixture while stirring. Turn flame back on and heat until slightly boiling. Add additional salt to taste. Simmer for a few minutes while stirring and then serve hot.

I ate my soup with these yummy roti paratha. Don't be too impressed because they were simply pan-fried from the freezer -- I didn't make them from scratch, but I'd love to be able to in the future. I had never tried this type of Indian bread until today and loved-loved-loved it! I especially like the way they start out flat like tortillas and puff up full ofair on the griddle. Likewise, their flaky texture was divine and a great accompaniment to the soup.

Although my workplace has nothing to do with Scandinavia, it is a strange thing that nearly everybody who works there has some kind of Scandinavian connection. My manager is an ethnic Norwegian and every year she prepares these homemade krumkake, which are sort of similar to a waffle-cone in texture and taste. I ate mine with some pomegranate ice cream with chocolate flakes... gah, such a unique and delectable combination.

Speaking of curry leaves, I brought my curry leaf tree inside for the winter and it seems to have suddenly sprung to life. Notice the new growth at the very top of the plant. I'm thrilled! Although I used dried curry leaves in my Gujarati soup, one day I hope to use fresh curry leaves in my cooking once this plant matures sufficiently.