Hide in hide-out

We hid in "Hide-out" one of the weekends in August! It was an awesome experience in the woods, rustic village setting, with  cats, dogs and ducks around, swings to sit and sleep on, and some sumptuous drinks and food.

I am talking about Hide-out farm on the outskirts of Mumbai (check it out at http://hideout.co.in/, https://www.facebook.com/hideoutfarm/). We had gone for a lunch to the farm and the trip helped us unwind in the truest sense, relaxing in the lap of nature, with some great conversations with Hemant and family and yummy cuisine.

There we met Ayaana, Hemant and Sangeeta Chabbra's youngest daughter, agile and athletic, and a beautiful 6 year old kid. Ayaana lives on the farm with her parents and is home schooled and is learning about life in the lap of nature. She has independence to learn and explore what she really wants to do, an education that is lacking in our schools. Inspiring to emulate..

At hide-out, they have an open kitchen, where Sangeeta and Hemant cook with much love and care for their guests. Ayaana too loves cooking and prepared for us her favorite dish. It was awe inspiring to see this small kid do everything for her dish on her own, from cutting veggies to cooking in the pan with much elan and confidence!

The little chef made for us - tomato rice which were just delicious! I wanted to have some more but it was a special dish with limited stock and only the lucky ones got to have it! Ayaana shared with us her special recipe and here I am sharing it with you:

Tomato Rice (Ayaana style):

Ingredients: 

1 cup cooked rice
2 tomatoes (sliced well)
1 onion chopped)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1/4 tsp red chilly powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 tsp oil

Method:

1. Take oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, when they crackle, add garlic and onion, saute well until goden brown
2. Add tomatoes, let them cook, now add turmeric powder, coriander powder, jeera powder, red chilly powder and salt and mix well
3. Add rice and mix well to let all the spices mix and absorb. Cook for a few minutes and then turn off the stove

Serve hot!