Tuesday 26 May 2009

Take Five

Summer fruit basket These are lichis (lychees)
Their juicy white flesh is very sweet.
And the skin is prickly.
They grow well in the foothills of the Himalayas.


It is a native fruit of China.
The British brought the lichi to India.
Lichi bottled juice is very refreshing.
It makes a good dessert with ice cream or fresh cream.
You can also have it as a cake or trifle topping.

These mangoes are the langra variety.
East U.P. (my state)is famous for them
and they are exported all over the world from here.
They have a distinct flavor which we enjoy.
There are more than 400 different varieties of mangoes in India.
Most of them are speciality and not easily available.
Fruits, like vegetables have become very
expensive.
But we can 't resist
a treat.


Mummy and Abner having a snack
while watching TV.


They are eating lai-channa.
The common man 's snack.
It consists of puffed rice mixed with
roasted peas, gram or peanuts,
garnished with chopped up onions, tomatoes
fresh coriander, salt and green chillies.
It is a very healthy snack.
You can buy it from a roadside stall
or rustle it up to your
own liking at home.
Poor people have it as a meal at times
as its very cheap.
Loiuse
tagged me for
5 un-important things about myself




Yesterday there was a welcome rainstorm in the afternoon
and the weather became pleasant.
So we went to visit a shut-in aunt.
On the way back Abner wanted to drive the
cycle rickshaw.
But his 7 year old legs
couldn 't take him anywhere.
The monsoons have hit the eastern part of India.
Cyclone Aila has caused
extensive damage to
Bengal and Orissa and Bangladesh.

18 Fertilize my soul:

Felisol said...

Hello, Amrita,
your fruits look delicious. The other day I saw some fruit from India in our local store. Quite some way to go.

I liked the 5 unimportant things. They made me laugh and nod at the same time.
Hope the bad weather doesn't harm you.
From Felisol

Julie said...

I like the 5 things also and the snack and fruit looks great.

Sherri Murphy said...

The fruit looks delicious and the snack mix sounds very interesting.
Loved your little "signs".

Gerry said...

Oh the terrible monsoons of India I have read about and sometimes shuddered, but we have some awful weather, here, too. I hope they don't hit you too bad. The snack they were eating as they watched TV sounds very good. Now that I am a vegan I am always looking for nuitritious snacks. At first I did not like mangoes when I came to Arizona but I have acquired a taste for them. I love mango salsa with onions in it I get to this certain store. I had tabouli salad over the weekend. Do you eat that? Gerry

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Lychees are very sweet and juicy. The best lychees are from China. After the oppressive summer heat the onset of monsoon rains has come. I wonder which is more tolerable- the oppressive heat of summer or the torrential monsoon rains that do not seem to stop? Thanks for the post. God bless you always.

Donetta said...

I love learning the simple things that we in our own lives may take for granted . Like the wonderful snack.

So happy that all your hard work keeps you form becoming depressed:)
HA!

Annette said...

that fruit looks and sounds delicious, I love mango's, but don't really know how to pick the right ones in the store! your mom looks great, and the "mans snack" sounds real good and sounds very healthy...I have a friend at work who's family is the same as you, and she brings me some of the best food I've ever had the privilege of eating. Hope the monsoons haven't destroyed to much, I bet those are neat to see..
Have a great evening...
Hugs~
Annette

Carol-Ann Allen said...

Hey Babe, Who but you would come up with the idea of using the Brilliant Thoughts for your five un-important things! Provided such a laugh!

I know the bad weather stuff is not a laugh -- pulls daily thoughts right into perspective for the rest of us! Love ya!

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

That may be a "man's snack" but this hungry lady thinks she would like to try it!!!

I am so happy to see your mother eating a snack! I hope her appetite will return fully and that she continues to mend nicely.

I have had lychees one time and love them. They are so expensive here. You are so right, fruits and vegetables are very high-priced. I can remember when they were much less expensive, but that is decades ago.

I like the "5 things about you." Very clever!

monsoon dreams said...

hi dear,
at the net after a long time.hope u r doing fine.i had lychees for the first time when i was in calcutta during my childhood.i remember they might have worms inside.loved the 5 unimportant things abt you.i think it is the same with me too.hey,ur fave shashi tharoor is swearing in as a minister tomorrow :-)

Amrita said...

Hi pals thanks for your comment.

Hi Carol-Ann, I wanted to do it differently , but those are true.

Actually the rice snack is a poor man 's snack, nothing to do with gender

Amrita said...

Hi MD, I so happy about Shashi Tharoor.I 'll be there in the front seat.LOL

Terry said...

dear amrita,
i was so glad to see mama looking so well and happy in this picture and i am glad that she is eating!
she can eat anything she wants to now, eh?
those litchis look almost like strawberries and they look delicious.
we can buy mangoes fairly cheap here. they don't sell them by weight.
we can buy them quite often for ,79 cents.
i use them when i make the giant fruit salad for the spanish people.
i thought that the lichana was a dessert ball before i read the recipe.
i am not a sweet eater so the ingredients here suit me fine.
daniel our adopted indian son has given me a couple of recipes.
he is a dear boy and both bernie and i love him so much!

so nice to have some time to talk to you amrita...you are a good friend, you never complain when i stay away so long....love terry

John Cowart said...

We don't have monsoons here but the city is flooded anyhow by normal Spring rains.

I liked your "future" things best.

Renae said...

That snack does look yummy!

Kimmie said...

I have never had lychee fresh. Do you peel it? I have seen them in canned in a jar.

Your mom is looking good. She has beautiful wrinkle free skin...hope she truly is feeling better.

How are you doing Amrita?

Kimmie
mama to 7
one homemade and 6 adopted

Crown of Beauty said...

we get lychees here also from china, not grown locally.

the lai channa looks delicious. i think we have a variety of that here, mixed nuts and some dried fruits and fried garlic, with a spicy vinegar...

Amrita said...

Hello friends I really enjoyed reading your reactions.

Kimmie we have to peel the lychees. The flesh is soft and sweet and has a seed which one has to discard.