Mobile Street Vendors

One thing I think is very cool about India is they have vendors riding up and down the lane in front of our house selling various items. They are usually on a bike that is pulling a wagon loaded with their goods. Some of them have bells they ring or they might just shout out. I've seen wagons full of fruits, vegetables, flowers, milk, bottled water, eggs, pink fluffy stuff that looks like cotton candy, tea, baskets, buckets, cleaning supplies, clay pots, and so on.

Can you imagine how awesome that would be in the US? We've all had one of those days when we just don't have the energy or are just too lazy to go back to Wal-Mart for milk or eggs or whatever. Well, instead of rounding up your kids and lugging them to the store, or calling your hubby and begging him to pick it up on the way home from work, you can flag down a vendor - who will even bring it in the house and put it in the fridge for you!

Well, the other day, a guy came around with fresh fish and Corey couldn't resist buying some prawns. HUGE prawns. We bought 1 kilo* (I don't know how the guy knew it was 1 kilo, as there was not a scale around, but anyway) for Rs 450**. He even insisted on cleaning them for us (even though I was perfectly capable of doing it myself). Here are a few pics:

Our 1 kilo - are they kinda cute? Eric freaks out at them.......he stood WAY back!

The vendor showing off his catch

Cleaning them in our driveway - Mindy was liking this!

The prawns ended up in a yummy - and healthy - pasta dish that I made up:

1. Saute onions, garlic, fresh mushrooms, basil, salt and pepper in plenty of Extra V Olive Oil and butter

2. After a few minutes, add diced fresh tomatoes

3. After a few minutes, push these ingredients to the outer edges making a circle with a hole in the middle.

4. Add more Extra V Olive Oil and butter in the "hole" and turn up the heat.

5. Add the raw prawns and let cook for a few minutes til pink.

6. Add spoonfuls of angel hair pasta (whole wheat - that you've been boiling : ) directly from the pasta water to the pan with a slotted pasta spoon. This way, you add a little extra starchy water to your sauce.

7. Incorporate your pasta and sauce - top with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese ENJOY!

*1 kilo is 2.2 lbs.

** Rs 450 is about $9.00 US