People who read this blog are obviously interested in cooking. And I am sure  you are a good cook. But have you noticed that sometime two people share the same recipe and they taste different? Some say it is because of the "Ras" in somebody's hand- the spirit. Or have you experienced that after changing your house somehow your food doesn't taste the same or you are somehow lethargic?

It could be because of Vastu, the ancient Indian science of architecture. Vastu is not Indian equivalent of Chinese Feng Shui though both are about Nature, its directions and their effect on us. How we can have more peace and prosperity in our home. But Vastu is not just about money. It about the total atmosphere in the family , your relationships, your peace of mind and of course your food. How? Where you have your kitchen is very important. According to Vastu, the kitchen should be in the south-east or north-west corner of the house. South-East is the Agni Kon, the fire corner so what better place to have the home hearth. The North-West corner is the Vayu kon- the wind corner so food prepared in this direction will be consumed fast. 

There are other things to be kept in mind. The water and fire don't go together so your sink and stove should not be adjacent. Take care that you don't face south or west while cooking. Some years  ago, we renovated our home and I placed my stove in such a way that I was facing south while cooking. Within 3 months I started to feel sick. This went on for almost a year. We were really at our wit's end. Then my husband came across an article about Vastu where he read about the south direction. He simply changed the direction of my stove and believe it or not, it took only a couple of months to get back my health. That is when he started studying the subject and did some courses. He then wrote a book about Vastu. The book is easy to read and understand. It gives you basic knowledge about Vastu. It is available at Lulu.com. 

If you have any other question , you can ask me in the comment section. 

And now the real business of food- the recipes. Some of you have asked for appetizers or Hors-de-vours as French call these. So I am going to give some finger food recipes. These can be served as starters or you can have a finger food party. The advantage with finger food is you can prepare them beforehand and just reheat them. They are light, less messy and fun. Host a finger food party and see for yourself.

The recipes are a mix of Indian and other foods. People often say music has no language. food also has no language, it has a lingo of its own. Whether you are an Italian, Greek, Indian or any other nationality, everyone enjoys food.

Brushetta
Ingredients:
1 baguette
4 large tomatoes
1 large onion
1/2 cup Basil
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

Chop the onion finely. One by one, put the tomatoes on flame on a fork. When the tomato is slightly charred the skin will start to come off. Take the skin off. Repeat with all tomatoes. Chop them finely. Keep aside.
You can alternately sauté  onions for a minute or two in a sauce pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. chop the basil leaves and mix them with tomatoes. Peel garlic.

Heat oven to 400' C. Cut the baguette diagonally about 4 cm. Arrange the baguette in a single line on a cookie sheet and place in the oven. Toast it for 3-4 minutes. ( you can also do it on the griddle if you don't have an oven. Toast the slices on both sides on the griddle). Rub the slices with garlic and sprinkle olive oil.
Serve the topping separately or  arrange on top of each slice.

You can turn it into cheese bread by topping the slices with cheese  last and baking in the oven till cheese melts.


Boccochini and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
250 grams Boccochini balls ( Boccochini is actually fresh mozerrella)
400 grams cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
Few leaves basil finely chopped
Salt to taste

Cut mozerrella balls in half. Cut tomatoes in half. Mix them a
in a bowl with oil, salt basil and pepper. Cool in the fridge or keep at room temperature for 2 hours before serving.

Latpate Kebabs

Ingredients:
400 gms chicken mince
1 large onion diced
1 tomato diced
2 green chillies diced
1/2 cup fresh coriander diced
1 1/2 tbsp achar chicken masala( available in Indian stores)
1 tsp chilli powder
salt to taste
1 coke can

Heat oven to 400'c. Mix all ingredients except coke and chilli powder in a bowl. Make 2 inch wide kebabs and lay them in single layer on a baking tray or cook them on the BBQ. Heat coke in a pan. Add kebabs  chilli powder and let it simmer till the sauce is thick. Serve with tooth picks.

Endive Boats

Ingredients:
2 endives
1  cup garlic chilli aioli
1 cup spinach finely chopped
1 cup apple diced
2 spring onions - scallions finely chopped
1 carrot grated and squeezed
1 cucumber grated and squeezed
A pinch of sugar
salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Add aioli. Tear the endive leaves and wash and pat dry each one. Put 1 tsp of the filling in each leaf and serve.
 Aioli
1 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp chilli powder
Mix the mayonnaise, garlic and chilli.
Some more tomorrow,
Meanwhile take care and enjoy!!! Life is too precious