Lentils, lentils, lentils....

First of all, in a country where I come from, lentils are not widely used. Yes, we do use beans&peas, but lentils is smth rather exotic to us. However, known for its absolutely healthy character and interesting color, I've been curious to learn how to use them in food.

And luckily enough, there are few friends who have helped me to get acquainted with lentils. My very first teacher was Rajon- he taught me how to cook green lentils with spinach into an amazing Bangla food. And the second one was Elina- she made a wonderful dhal from red lentils which I have not have courage yet to try out on my own.

But, I've tried red lentils mix into a soup and a result was good, so my next experimenting in the kitchen will include dhal from red lentils ;)

In the picture: Rajon in the middle of cooking course. You have no idea how grateful I am for it!

What I sometimes miss....

...is a great Mexican fair I used to have almost weekly in BJN. My fav place was luckily close to home and had exceptionally good food. Considering CN standards, the service was very good as well :)
Haven't had the courage to try out the places here. Yet to come! And here it would be way easier to cook Mexican on my own :)

Probably the best cake in town :)

I've been slower than I thought to find out the best cakes in town. One of the reasons might be that I just cannot get enough of using my own oven after more than a year and all the cakes made by myself are delicious enough for not going to cake-hunt.
However, one Friday, the air was extremely warm and the skies blue and I met up with an old friend of mine. We were lucky as well, cause the terrace we were heading, is fully booked throughout the summer and getting the places there seems to be a difficult task. No wonder of that, cause most probably it has the best view to the Old Town. :)
But the table we got and also the Napoleon cake. (In Estonian we call it ''tart'', but here my friend Caryl would object me and say it's not correct naming it tart). So, once you make your way to visit me, we can go for cake-hunt together ;)
Take a look to the pic in case my words are not convincing you!

Something for superhot summer day

For a super hot summer day there's one smart way to cool yourself down- cold soup. The extra bonus is the fact that it's supereasy to make as well. Instead of spending time in a hot kitchen you can be outside and sunbath ;)

For my soup I used:

-sliced& boiled beetroot

- sliced herring

- sliced cucumber

- keefir (well, I do not know how to translate it, but you can use yogurt with no taste instead)

- sliced fresh dill

So, for preparing this soup you just need to slice all the ingredients and then add keefir. Mix it all together and on top of the soup add fresh dill. You can also add salt for seasoning, but since herring can be salty on its own, better to try it first ;)

Rye bread is perfect fit for accompanying the soup.

Bon appetie!

Tropics in Nordics

Once the 30+ degrees reach Nordics, it's time to stop cooking and head for a refreshing drink.

Whether it's cold beer or coffee, does not matter. Important is that it's chilled :)

Keep cool!

11.01.11 MAGIC

11.01.2011 is a magical day, isn't it!? It's when the thoughts were clearer, mind was set and beutiful ideas came into live.

As for food- no cooking on my own. Had mashed potatoes (nammy!), lamb and grilled vegetables- even yammier!

Hope this year will bring more updates from food side ;)

Vietnamise+ French= great food

Thanks to a friend's reccomendation, find out a sweet little restaurant mixing Vietnamise and French cuisines.

The place had great atmosphere, delicious food and attentive service. What else can you ask for?

Their rooftop terrace shall be closed by now, since the autumn is here, but I reckon, their little dining hall downstrais is very cosy during the autumn& winter days.

Check it out own your own once you'll come to Beijing!