My take on the US Presidential election

Its a close race. Needless to say I'm in favor of John Kerry but I fear that the right wing Republican marketing machine has a majority of voters on their side. While their policies and tactics are similar to those used by all the other "right wing" (I'm being diplomatic...) regimes in history, the unfortunate truth is that the people don't understand what is really going on. They are caught up in the emotional catchphrases that appeal to their worst instincts......fear of a perceived enemy, extreme nationalism, a god is on our side like crusade etc. The Republicans have figured out who the majority is........ Evangelical Born Again Christians number 100 million of the 200 million population, the NRA, the Nascar fans and other similar groups. George Bush himself is a Born Again Christian. The Republicans have figured out what these groups believe in, and made these beliefs the cornerstone of their election campaign. It is a very smart strategy and it might very well work.

Clearly, John Kerry is the better candidate by far, with honorable objectives that will benefit the American people and the world, but the American people might be too dumb to figure it out.

For an interesting comparison of the two candidates from PBS click here.

Okay, here's the recipe for Naan bread

This is great bread, almost as good as the naan bread you get in the Indian restaurants...and its made by hand....no electric mixers.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups white all purpose flour
• 2 cups yoghurt
• 1-2 cups tepid water
• 1 tablespoon granulated yeast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Mix water and yeast in a jug until dissolved
2. Get a big mixing bowl and put in flour, water/yeast liquid, yoghurt and oil
3. Mix with clean hands to make a dough and add salt
4. Mix until the dough becomes like a ball you can roll around in the bowl. If its too wet add some flour and if its too dry add a little water.
5. Knead until its pliable
6. Cover with clingfilm and let it rise to double while you have a few drinks or whatever for about an hour.
7. Punch it down and cut it into about 10 pieces in the shape of a ball.
8. Flour a work surface and one by one work the dough into ovalish disks about 1/4 inch thick.
9. Put the broiler rack about 2 inches from the heat and cover with tin foil, securing it to the rack. Make breathing slits in the foil every so often.
10. Fire up the broiler.
11. Put a little olive oil on each side of the disks and broil 2 to 3 minutes each side until lightly golden. The breads might puff up and that's fine. They will relax as they cool.
12. Freeze what you don't eat in a big Ziploc bag.

Malai Chicken Recipe

This is a dish I had at an Indian restauarant in Baltimore. I liked it so much the chef gave me the recipe. Its a bit like Chicken Tikka but its white and has a different flavor.

Ingredients for 2 people:

• 10 pieces of boneless chicken white meat
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 1/2 cup sour cream (optional but recommended)
• 1 tablespoon ginger & garlic paste (from any Indian provision store)
• To taste: Ground black pepper, Coriander powder, Caraway powder

Method:

1. Marinate chicken pieces for 3 to 4 hours in the above ingredients
2. Skewer and bake in very hot oven 475 for about 20 minutes
3. Serve with Mint/Cilantro sauce

Ingredients:

• Fresh mint 50%
• Fresh cilantro 50%
• A little green chillie
• 1 cup Lemon juice
• Dash of vinegar

Blend well

Eat with naan bread and fresh salad.

Is America moving further to the right?

I came across this interesting and thought provoking site. Check it out.