sesame prawn ...

The weather has been beautiful lately and there have been a naughty romantic hide' n ' seek between the sun and the rain reminding me of adolescent lovers. This was enough to lift my spirits to a higher crescendo and in no time I was ready for a walk in the near by park. It was absolutely gorgeous- the bright sun, the nip in the air, the newly sprouting leaves, the blooming flowers were sheer magic and held a sharp contrast to the mundane, workaday, penny counting, predictable world that so often disappoints me. At that point, I was only thinking of a deep forest green with a tinge of a golden – orange border, edged with strange brownish green splurge, and the wet Mango and Gulmohar grove at the park were responsible for this.

After a rejuvenating walk, by the time I was humming and entering my house my optimism was at its peak. I anyway have a strong attachment for my house. I feel like an empress there and live all over it with frenzy. The mornings are fixed for the balcony and my fresh cuppa tea; the newspaper is for the living hall; the articles and blogging are at my study where I often just sit and stare at my book shelf and feel smug; a special corner for enjoying music and a unique settee for reading; the guest room to recline and miss my parents and indulge in self pity; and a chat with my son in front of that warm sunny window, my favorite spot in the whole house.

It's only my kitchen where I do not think I have spent enough time as I am mostly busy with my outdoor work and writing and teaching. But I was already in a mood that was adventurous and I rushed straight to the kitchen which was very warm and lighted to pamper my already mellow mood. And I was in a perfect state of mind to try this delicacy named prawn in sesame and honey. Well, so what if I do not have the ownership on the recipe and watched it on a television cookery show a month or so back yet I always use my own set of modifications and my style of improvisations to make it so much my own; and my usual special touch is nothing but to simplify. At that point, even the facts like my son’s apprehensive scowl about my culinary expertise, the grimace on my cook’s face or the fact that I didn't have sesame oil at home weren’t enough to reduce my enthusiasm a bit. So this is how I went about it :

· I washed and cleaned the prawns ( some 10 medium sized ones) and marinated them with salt, pepper and lemon juice for about 15 minutes.

· I cracked open an egg in a medium sized bowl and after whisking it a bit put 3 tbl spoon of flour (maida), 2 tbl spoon of corn flour, a pinch of baking soda, 1/4^th tbl spoon of sugar, pepper and salt to taste, in it.

· Adding water I transformed the mix into a batter which wasn't too watery.

· Heated oil in a frying pan dipped the prawns one by one in the batter and deep fried it.

· Heated a wok (a pan would do) and put 3tbl spoon of honey, stirred to spread it a bit in the wok and then put those fried prawns.

· As I kept stirring I put sesame seeds and a few chili flakes all over them and they beautifully snuggled and embraced the prawns.

And then my yummy prawn was ready to serve hot and change the premonition of people regarding my cooking ability. See what a positive attitude can do to your confidence level! J