Recipe of the month - Indian potato curry, pulav and raita

- Swati Biwal, composed by Rutana Al-Hassan and Anita Yehudai

Serves - 7

Potato curry

Ingredients:

* 10-11 Boiled Potatoes, medium size

* 1 big onion

* 1½ tomatoes

* 1½ inch ginger

* 2 pods garlic

* 3 small green chilies

* 1 small bunch of fresh coriander

* 1½ cup of water

* 2 tbsp Oil

* 1 bay leaf

* 5 black pepper kernels

* 4 cloves

* 1½ tsp cumin seeds

* ¼ tsp turmeric powder

* 2 tsp coriander powder

* ½ tsp chili powder

* salt to taste

Cooking:

1) Chop the tomatoes and onions into small cubes and peel the boiled potatoes and set aside.

2) Finely chop the garlic, ginger and chilies.

3) Heat the oil in a wok and put in bay leaf (broken in half) and add the black pepper, cloves and cumin.

4) Once the cumin crackles, add the chopped ginger, chilies and garlic and fry in oil for half a minute.

5) Add the chopped onion and sauté until transparent, then add the tomatoes and add the turmeric, chili powder and coriander powder.

6) When tomatoes are soft add the water and salt to taste.

7) Once the water comes to boil, add the potatoes broken

by hand into the dish and leave it to simmer for about 20 minutes.

8) Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Vegetable Pulav

Ingredients:

* 1 chopped carrot

* 1 cup frozen peas

* 1/2 onion julienne

* 1 tsp ghee or oil

* 1 tbsp cumin seeds

* 1 bay leaf

* 2 whole cardamoms

* 4 whole black pepper kernels

* ½ tsp turmeric

* ½ tsp chili powder

* 2½ tsp salt

* 2 cups basmati rice washed and soaked in water for 30 min

* 3.5 cups water

Cooking:

1) Heat up the ghee or oil in a frying pan and add the cumin, bay leaf, cardamom and the pepper kernels.

2) After the cumin start to crackle, add the chopped onions and sauté for 1 min.

3) Now add carrots, peas, turmeric, chili powder and salt. Make sure the vegetables are half cooked. Keep stirring.

4) In a separate vessel start cooking the soaked rice in water and wait till it’s half cooked (about 5-7 min) then add the vegetables to the rice and mix well.

5) Cover the vessel and cook on low flame. Keep checking for water and if required, add a little more till the rice is fully cooked.

Cucumber Raita

Ingredients:

* 500g plain yoghurt

* 1 tsp sugar

* 1 tsp salt

* 1 tsp roasted cumin powder (alternative: If you don’t have cumin powder, roast cumin in a dry pan and crush)

* Half a cucumber chopped into tiny cubes or grated

* Small bunch of coriander leaves, chopped

Cooking:

1) Pour the yoghurt into a bowl.

2) Then add sugar, salt and cumin powder and mix well with yoghurt.

3) Add the chopped cucumber into the mixture and garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Recipe of the month - Thai Chicken Green Curry

- Phantira Vergara

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

* Thai Green curry paste – 20 g. (or more of spicy lover!!)

* Coconut milk – 250 ml.

* Aubergine - 200 g.

* Fresh basil – 20 g.

* Thai small aubergine – 50 g.

* Palm sugar – 1.5 teaspoon (or normal sugar)

* Fish sauce – 2 teaspoon

* Fresh Chilly - 2-3 pieces

Cooking:

1. Prepare all vegetable and meat, cut aubergine into small pieces as well as chicken meat. 

2. Stir green curry paste with 50 ml. of coconut milk and cook gently for about 2 minutes.

3. Add chicken meat* into curry paste, continue stir the meat with the curry paste until the meat is 80% cooked.

4. Add another 100 ml. of coconut milk, turn down the heat to prevent coconut milk over boiled.

5. Add aubergine then continue boiling until aubergine and the meat are cooked.

6. Add some water if the soup looks too thick, or add remaining coconut milk if the soup is not thick enough.

7. Put sugar, fish sauce and fresh chilly.

8. Add Thai small aubergine and turn off the heat before adding fresh basil. 

9. Decorate with small drop of coconut milk, fresh chilly and basil leaf.

10. Ready to be served hot with cooked Thai Jasmine rice.  

*For vegetarian, chicken meat can be replaced by Carrot, Broccoli, etc. then follow the same steps.

Let the games begin!

-Anita Yehudai

Every year in May more than 1000 students from European business schools travel to the HEC campus close to Paris to compete in various sports. This year 2 bus loads of students, partners and kids from IMD made there way to this event called MBAT (MBA Tournament). Some of the participating teams had been practising for weeks or months- basically whenever there was a bit of leisure time during the tight schedule. For instance, the soccer team met every Sunday morning, the rowing team met on a few Saturdays, some people worked on their badminton skills on Friday evening, others met for a volleyball session, and there were loads of table tennis exercises every day after lunch. Regardless of the level of preparation, all teams had two things in common: the Olympic spirit from living in Lausanne (where the IOC is located) and tons of good mood.

The IMD partners probably presented the biggest group of MBA partners at MBAT and we made sure we got involved by either competing in a sport, cheering enthusiastically or doing both. I had the pleasure to play table tennis and pull the rope during the tug-of-war. Both teams were great!

In fact, the whole IMD crowd was so actively cheering and celebrating, we must have left a memorable image behind. As a result, we won a special award at the end of the games for fair play and team spirit!  

Here are some pictures of us partners and kids in action:

Beate [Germany] and the ultimate frisbee team

Swati [India] on the BabyFoot

Elena [Russia], Angelika [Greece], Anita [Germany] and Khatera [Germany] during the lunch break

Masha [Russia] practising for the MBAT 2035 

Helen [Norway] getting ready for the climbing competition

The cricket team before their match posing with Kate [Australia] and Mahima [India]

Nathalie [Belgium] explaining the rules of ultimate frisbee

Me with the table tennis maniacs

Beate[Germany] during a volleyball match

Mahima [India] and the other fans were cheering at the football match… 

…and even kept their enthusiasm when it started raining 

David [Peru/USA] and his dad watching… 

…Angela [USA] on the frisbee field 

Angie[Greece] while documenting the tug-of-war final…

...in which we won the gold medal! Yippie!

Partners on holidays (contd.) !!

Mahima - "Mystical Venice, Easter trip"

Mahima - "With Suchir at Barcelona"

Tatiana - "With Denis, Alex, Fabiana, Jose and Mariella. The Brazilian gang at Istanbul"

Isabella - "With Corinne and Camille. The little family enjoying life in Cannes, South of France"

Isabella - "Cannes, South of France"

Aude - "Alicia at Saint Gervais during Easter holidays"

Aude - "With Benoit at Les diablerets ski resort"

Angie - "Stelios and Nikos discovering skiing in Chamonix, France"

Partners on holidays !!

After three grueling months at the school, the participants finally got two long weekends in March and April. We partners were delighted to get out of the IMD bubble, if only for a few days, and spend sometime with our families. 

Below are some pictures from our various vacations over the two weekends -

Patricia - "Beautiful Interlaken - Awesome Alps views"

Patricia - "With Kelly. Chateaux hopping - Easter trip"

Swati - "With Prashant at Kleine Scheidegg, in Jungfraujoch region, Switzerland."

Beate - "With Peter. View of the town Locarno at Lago Maggiore"

Angie - "With Stelios and Nikos in Annecy -France"

Swati - "View of Lake Como, Italy and the Swiss Alps."

Anita - "In Gstaad, Switzerland, during my 1st time ever skiing experience."

Kelly - "With Henry, Patricia and Bruno at Loire Valley in France. Perfecting our 4-person own-made shot in the Loire Valley."

Angela - "With Andres and David at the Edelweiss Restaurant in Geneva. We'd spent the day exploring some of the parks and botanical gardens and ended up here for dinner."

Life in Switzerland from a Two Year old's perspective

- David Akamine

Dear blog reader,  

My name is David.  I am 2.  I live in Switzerland.  I learn English and Spanish.  I don’t speak French.   My Daddy is Andresito.  He is from Peru.  My Mommy is Angela. She is from U.S.  My old house is in Houston.  My friends live in Houston.  I went on a big plane to come to my new house.  Now I live in Switzerland. 

My Daddy studies at school.  Some days I am a big boy and I go to school with Daddy. I like my school (the IMD Kindergarten).  When Daddy comes home, I tell him about my day.  Sometimes I see his friends.  They are nice.  My friends are in Houston.  They can’t come to my new house.   Mommy’s new friends are fun.  I have new friends.  Our new friends come to our house.  We play and run. 

I like to tell people about my life.  Sometimes my Mommy has to help me so they understand.  I will tell you about Switzerland and Mommy can help me… 

To Daddy: Last night (a day during the Easter break) Mommy was eating with the girls.  I went to my school.  I bang on the door.  “Christelle, it’s David.  Let me in.  I want to come in.  Please, it’s me, David.  I want to come.” Mommy found me.  Mommy told me they were not there.  I have to wait ‘til after Easter...  

To one of the MBA students who asked him how he was: I fell at school and I had to go to the hospital.  I got an ‘owie’.  I had three stitches.  The Doctor gave me a card (a certificate).  I have to put cream on my eye to make it better.  It hurts sometimes.  Now it is better. 

To one of the partners: Last night Walid (an MBA student) took me to school.  We had breakfast.  I am Mr. Chocolate.  Walid gave me chocolate milk and chocolate croissant.  . . . Mommy, Is it Sunday?  I can have chocolate milk on Sunday, can’t I? 

At the check-out counter at Migros: Mommy, when I am big, I can have the candy.   

To some of the partners who were babysitting him: The curtains came from Germany.  I went skiing.  I am a good skier.  My Tio(uncle) Shige lives in Germany.  There is a playground at his house.  I can play at his park.   

To Aunt Crystal in the U.S.: My mommy goes to school some days.  She learns French.  Some days the girls (the other partners) come play with me.  Judy made me birds.  We have fun.  Sometimes I go play with them at school. . . . Mommy, where are my books from Kelly?  Some days I go with Miss Marianne to see the girls.  We have birthday parties. 

To Daddy, after our Easter-egg decorating morning with the partners: There were plastic eggs filled with carrots, peanuts and strawberries and we had an egg hunt for the two kids: Daddy, look what we made.  The girls came.  We made eggs.  I colored this one.  Mommy, what’s her name, who helped me? . . Natalie.  Natalie colored it for David and Daddy.  It has your name.  We look for eggs.  My chocolate melted.  The eggs had peanuts in them. I ate all the carrots. Nikos and David find the eggs.  We played bubbles.  We ran. 

To Daddy, after our outing to the Tulip Festival: Daddy, today we went out with the girls.  I play with Nikos.  We went on the boat.  We went to see the tulips.  There were red and yellow tulips.  They were big.  I had ice cream.  I share with Styopa.  I share my car with Styopa.  I was a good boy.  I didn’t cry.  I play with the girls and I was obedient.  I threwed big rock into the water.  It made a big splash.   

 

I like my new home and my new friends.    

 

Good-bye, Blog Reader!

Why I come to Lausanne...

- Kim Jung Hyun

I am Kim Jung Hyun, also known as Judy to my friends. I am married to Kim Young Ha and we are from Korea. I worked in Korea as a research engineer for LG.

Young Ha and I were married at the end of 2007; and he received news of his acceptance from IMD in April 2008.

From then on, it was a diffcult period for us, as we had to think about whether I should come to Lausanne or not. For 6 months, my husband and I considered and discussed about this and eventually, the decision was to come to Lausanne together.

I knew that I would have to give up many things in my life, including my job and my career, but for me, the reasons I need to move to Lausanne were bigger than these. There were several reasons, but the main reason is that I love Young Ha a lot and I'd like to take time out from work and spend more time with him in Lausanne. I'm thinking that if I didn't come here, maybe Young Ha and I would have a difficult relationship with each other.


However, I don't want to say that I sacrificed for my husband, because that will not help our relationship; also, because I came here partly for myself - I would like to take a rest and feel that this can be good time to think about what I really like and what I really want out of life.

I quit my job and I came. Right now I'm enjoying my life in Lausanne and supporting my husband as he works hard at IMD. I am also taking French lessons and meeting new friends.

I stayed in the US when I was in university student for studying English. And now, when I remember that time, I smile at the memories. I believe that I can smile too, when I look back at my life in Lausanne when I'm 40 and 50 years old.