Macaroons

Those Lovely , light-as-air , delightfully crunchy Macaroons. As french as they come. Macaroons are delightful on their own or as a base for ice cream, pastry , or wicked chocolate fantasies.

They look inviting and simple and trust me , they really ARE simple to make . All you need is patience and a little practise. There are many methods to make Macaroons , here is the simplest

2 egg whites, 1/2 cup powdered and sifted sugar, 1 tsp essence ( vanilla ), about 15 almonds finely powdered.

Start by heating the oven to 180 Deg C for 45 mins.

Place the egg whites in a deep bowl , with electric whisk, beat the egg whites till soft peaks form. Slowly add the powdered sugar ( a tablespoon at a time) . Take a basin in which you can place the bowl of egg whites, in a way that the bowl comfortably sits on top of the basin . Heat water in the basin, but do not allow to boil. Place the bowl on the basin and whisk till the mixture thickens.Take off the basin and add the powdered almonds and essence ( I have put in orange)  .Further whisk the batter till cool.

Take a greased tray and place spoonfuls of batter on it.


Place in the hot oven and switch off the oven.
 Let the macaroons remain in the oven till it cools completely.

Check the top for crispness. When completely cooled, place in an airtight container.



This is the basic Macaroon. More variations and recipes will follow.

Goan Prawn Curry

Prawns/Shrimps 2 cups, peeled and deveined, Coconut 1 cup , finely grated; 1 small raw mango- sliced, Turmeric Powder 1 tsp, 2-4 dry red chillies,pinch of red chilli powder, 1 tsp whole coriander seeds, onion 1 small finely chopped,
salt to taste,oil 1 tsp, ½ tsp raw rice, 4-6 black peppercorns,
water


Wash prawns and marinate with a pinch salt, a pinch of turmeric powder and a pinch of chilli powder. Grind grated coconut , corriander ,chillies, turmeric, peppercorns, rice, and half of the chopped onion, to a fine paste. Thickly slice raw mango.Heat the oil in a broad, heavy based pot. Add onions and fry till  light brown, add in the raw mango slices, till a little soft, add in the prawns and a little water. cover and cook for 2 mins. reduce heat and add the fine masala paste . Add twice the amount of water. Add salt to taste. Let the curry boil , uncovered for 5-10 minutes. Adjust the consistency by adding more water if needed.

 
A small variation to this is adding 1.5 " pieces of white radish / mooli. This tastes awesome.

Serve this curry with steamed rice. Its a great idea to mash the raw mango into the rice instead of discarding it.