CURRY AND SPICE

This is how a Bengali style FULKOPI ALOO MOTORSHUTI DIYE KHICHURI is done and this is exactly how we love to have it with.... ilish maach bhaja, beguni, aloobhaja.... hilsa fry, batter fried eggplant, potato fry.... yet two accompaniments are missing.... egg omelette / mamlet & papor / papad! There is no time, date for having khichuri / khichdi / rice & lentil hotch-potch ..... I meant to this family anytime can be a khichuri time without waiting for some rain.... This tropical island gives us the freedom to prepare khichuri anytime given it rains every now and then. The men in this family anyway prefers easy meals.... to which I do not comply! When I am not in the mood to cook, I would take resort to such platters as this heavenly FULKOPI ALOO MOTORSHUTI DIYE KHICHURI. All these ingredients are always at home more or less. If there is no hilsa, I do fry double egg omelette for them... if I wish I will have one... "beguni thaktey dim khabo keno?".... eggplants in any avatar is a bliss for me! I hope I can finish off the post quickly, wrap up with lunch and the little work I need to do on Sundays and the two of us are going out .... no not on a coffee date but to get new curtains for the drawing room! Back in Kolkata the husband was not required even for this work.... we have a Skipper within 1/2 a kilometre from home and thereafter a quick snack meal was a must at Haldiram's.... the biggest in Kolkata is in our neighbourhood. Why did I force the husband to leave sailing and settle down together.... I was going mad with a rebel kid and sincerely expected the father will take utmost care of his son's studies... what a let down! Each time I go for a PTM, I am told our son knows far beyond text books.... an A* student.... as a mother my chest should exactly be the size of Rwittik Roshan's ... You bet it is not the case... why? The teachers have more to say... he fails in application because he does not study! The A* student scores 75-80-85 while the others get anything between 95-98! Their English teacher may feel very unfortunate to be a Bengali... here is her conversation with me... "Maam to Me... Ari is excellent! kintu fakibaaz... kurey... likhtey chai na... chollishta prose thakley ponero ta pore ashey... then I start weeping.... apni merey oor chamra gutiye din .... to which she says.... apni amar chakri ta khaben? I do not want to lose my job".... I think the school has stopped recruiting Bengali teachers thereafter! I come back home heavy hearted and release all frustrations on the husband.... you are spoiling him... had I been in Kolkata I would be a part of a systematic group and the son would have been under my control. He has to retaliate saying shut up!... do not crib.... you would have deployed eight teachers for eight subjects... the son would have mugged up everything and vomit in the paper.... when would he have the chance to think? Kids do not play there, evenings are for private tutors! The fight continues and people in this family do not need to go out to fight.... it happens in the comfort of this couch! How do I help myself to cope up? First, I play a rapid fire game with myself in Karan Johar style! Below is how it goes!

1] Who is better.... Aparna Sen as an actor or a director? Come on... a director off course.... she never was fit to sing around the tree.... "lokkhiti dohai tomar... anchal dhorey rekho na".... she is too big a persona...

2] Choose between Shabana & Smita.... yeh frustration barane wali question ho gayi.... both are iconic when it comes to natural acting.... they do not act.... accha ok Shabana in Paar and Smita in Akaler Shandhane are etched in my heart.... and yes.... Tabu forced in after a Machis and Hu Tu Tu...

3] John Abraham / Rwittik Roshan / Jholmol Khan or Ilish?... silly question.... Ilish off course! I do not take real name of Jholmol... his fists are not in his control.

4] Your most favourite movie based on a love story till date? Mr. & Mrs. Iyer.... Which scene the most? That last scene... when Rahul Bose handed the entire roll of the film to Kankana... perhaps never to meet again. He did not require any material thing to be kept with him in her memory.... Why was I weeping resting my head on the husband's arms?.... because he is the best husband in this world....

5] If asked to choose anyone between Ilish & Mutton?.... Tension wali bata ho gayi.... Ilish offcourse!

Once over, I go for my walk and start with the silly clicks.... I click something similar to my dream home... a neat... no fancy, cottage pattern landed property and WhatsApp it to the husband.... What is his answer?... He suspects the wife has started having cannabis! The sad me then click randomly....

On way back, she had to buy some guava and have it too.... try your guava pieces with some black salt and generous amount of red chilli powder... mast!

I get philosophical thereafter and discover a grasshopper on my green chilli plant.... after so many years I got to see!

Above is how the day is till the monkey is back home around 4pm... 9 pm onwards all fights start.... it is for you the son is not in my control... quick is the answer... I want him to be independent! I am not surprised coming it from someone who stood firm by the family at age 20.... at an age when boys or girls go out on special dates .... or study hard behind closed doors.... I always wish to give him comfort .... the sole bread earner for the family for few decades now.... at times with this FULKOPI ALOO MOTORSHUTI DIYE KHICHURI....

Things are not so good as such, I am just trying to give a cover up! A young, energetic, very warm administrator of one of the Bengali food group Somsuddha is in ICU of a Kolkata nursing home, all of a sudden! I do not usually mingle in any group because I know I lack brain and I cannot maintain it! I just browsed yesterday and saw the news.... he has a little girl... feels so bad.... It may be a week or so, a boy from school... a class junior died of auto immune disorder.... survived by a daughter and son.... aged 18 and 13 respectively... I could not stop myself from messaging a friend.... "so wickets started falling?".... Then, life must go on with good amount of humour as a coverage! ..... and yes, for a fitter me I cannot survive on salads, bakes and roasts.... that last 7 kilos to be a perfect me is not going to happen in this lifetime! A FULKOPI ALOO MOTORSHUTI DIYE KHICHURI happens often instead and most in our community do it this way. My way of khichuri has to have a lot of green chillies... and dollops of ghee! I did not take any stepwise pictures for this... I was so eager to have my share of illish.... They say... once there is egg in the fish... the taste is less.... but ilish eggs are so good that we love it that way.... the son seems to be mine of late.... he loves crispy fried ilish, its eggs and kechki maach.... river water sprat.... Silver fish is near to it in taste.... ikan bilis too!

You can also try the following recipes of mine :

LEMON CORIANDER RICE

FISH IN BLACK PEPPER SAUCE

EGGLESS FRESH FRUIT CAKE

INGREDIENTS :

Fragrant Rice : 1coffee mug [We use gobinda blog / kali jeera / chinigura]
De-husked Moong Bean : 1/3 coffee mug
Cauliflower Floret : 1coffee mug [medium cup]
Potato : 2medium [peeled, washed, each cut into 4 pieces]
Green Pea : 1/2small cup
Green Chilli : 5-6 [slitted]
Ginger Paste : 2tbsp
Cumin Powder : 2tsp [using paste is better]
Coriander Powder : 1tsp [using paste is better]
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp + 1tsp
Dry Red Chilli : 3-4 [halved]
Cumin Seed : 1/2tsp
Bayleaf : 2
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 11/2tsp
Ghee : 2-3tbsp
Oil : 5-6tbsp [we use mustard]

PROCEDURE :
Dry roast the dal till it is light brown. Marinate the cauliflower florets and potatoes with turmeric and salt!

Wash the rice and dal separately. Soak the dal in hot water for an hour and then put for boil adding little salt. The rice needs to be soaked for 1/2 an hour and added to the heavy bottomed vessel when the dal is boiled about 30%, may take 12-13 minutes at medium heat.

Heat oil in a wok and fry the cauliflower florets and potatoes separately. Reserve the oil in the wok.

Add some salt and turmeric to the boiling dal and rice. Add more water as and when required.

When it is 80% done, may be in another 10-12 minutes, add the fried potatoes and cauliflower florets, slitted green chillies, stir. Let boil for 5-6 minutes, add some water if required. Switch off gas.

Reheat the oil in the wok and temper with cumin seeds, bayleaf and halved dry red chillies.

Add the ginger paste and fry for 2 minutes. Add the green peas, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt and turmeric and stir for 1 minute. Add the rice and dal mixture and sugar to it and fold in very well. Let boil for 1-2 minutes and we are done. Add the ghee and mix well!

Enjoy with fries.... and yes it is incomplete without ilish bhaja.... hilsa fry!

How do they look? .... just as Bengali Patishapta / Desi Crepes.... right?.... The filling of fresh coconut is definitely not a Bengali thing. Is it my idea? No way.... all of my readers know by now that my brain runs at a slow pace, ideas do not get much space to play around there! Most of my shares are associated with some kind of memory unless I am baking a cake hiring ideas from "all recipes" or Bianca or Martha Stewart or Betty Crocker.... Most of the time I fail to deploy their recipes and follow mine.... I will not buy demerara sugar / brown sugar / this pipe... that pipe for a cake.... I do the simplest ones that are under my control! Experiments beyond capability is not my cuppa and that is an attribute of mediocrity. The woman who prepared these crepes for me with a fresh coconut filling is not a mediocre.... but an epitome of grace.... dignity.... intelligence! Her presence in a room will make a disturbed soul feel very calm and comfortable.... No, you will not find her or her husband in my friends' list .... the very rigid & private couple are not comfortable with me being so open and frequently seen in social media.... they loved the quiet, balanced, private person that I had been two decades back! Who are this couple? Mitty and Anjana Mathew.... do not ask me to spell their full name... mad or what.... they are Keralites! haha .... and very religious minded, Catholic Christians... That never came in between the deep connection that Mitty and atheist T shares for almost three decades now.... The trio... T... Mitty and the old moron Dibyendu sailed the first six months of their sea life together... staying in one cabin.... an unbreakable bond happened. I met the duo for the first time at age 22 when their ship was harboured at the Kolkata dock.... they might have felt very much letdown to know T was going to settle with this short, fat, heavy glassed girl! Even I wondered then how the pretty good in mathematics T was not calculative enough with life! I still do wonder... why I cannot go ahead with meat shares every other day when I know I should.... I meant given the frequency of meat been cooked for the carnivores at this home.... my counter parts fill in that gap .... though! Anyway, I again met Mitty after few years! .... He was there in Kolkata for his examinations and it is obvious that he will not stay in a hotel but with us! Till I met Mitty and one Sanak Chottopadhay, I thought, all handsome boys are casanovas who this poor girl dreaded... Who would you blame?... It is irrelevant at this juncture of life! Mitty is an icon of decency, Sanak is a brother. It was in 1999 that Mitty had to rent a home at Behala Parnashree as his newly wed wife Anjana accompanied him this time! I saw her and loved at once.... a cool breeze swept me off as if .... On that day, she prepared this KORANO NARKOL BHORA PATALI GURER PATISHAPTA for us. The super excited me called the mother once back home.... "Mani.... orao amader moto patishapta korey... kintu narkol takey radheni".... till then South Indian food meant dosa, idly, vada, uttapam to the Kolkatans.... with "kabiraji cutlet, radhaballabhi, moglai porota" all around, I did not have any interest in the giant dosas of Madras Tiffin our mother forced me to have! Now I do... idly rasam, appam, puttu! Then they visited us when our monkey was 1or 2 years old! She is such a person full of warmth that the monkey stopped eating for quite sometime after his "annana" left. God had been very unkind to this Vizag based Keralite couple who perhaps have never skipped a Sunday prayer in the Church. We visited them in 2005 or 2006.... I am kind of a person who does not wish to spend night anywhere... pester the husband to come back home even if the party ends at 2am.... but I thoroughly enjoyed the stay at their home... Why? You see I played "rannabati" a lot as a child and love this thing called "ghar kanna".... Anjana was doing her Phd in Pharmacology then... and the three of them were out all the day.... only me, the son and a part time help was there! As I stepped into their home for the first time, I understood Anjana does not like "ghar kanna " that much. Their big, two roomed flat had four balconies which needed cleaning, the kitchen too. I took up the charge of a makeover .... cooked... cleaned without thinking she / they may not like it! Fortunately, she gave me full freedom at her den! This was not the case back in 1999.... Mumbai... I used Chutu's toilet and she cleaned it... The mother may have been in my blood... but I learnt how to take care of my own from Chutu.... the top ranked in academics told me that her grandma was strict and said besides education.... the two sisters should learn to cook too! These women in my life... say Chutu or Anjana.... the later are three sisters may not get entry in a feminist den.... I also do not understand what is it actually? Just straying around or deeper something? Anyway, I am near to Chutu in only one matter.... we do not really want anyone to interfere in our den... feel free here... I will handle the rest my way... Anjana is more near to T with her wisdom and ability to take kids on her lap and spend hours with them telling stories and playing.... Anjana & Mitty took us for an Onam lunch where I made friends with avial... I love it.... The Onam saree she gifted me is worn by the mother now.... golden bordered white... on which I had some block prints done! I did not accept her decision of leaving the job of the principal of a pharmaceutical college ever.... and I wished to recreate her recipe in my kitchen after 18 years as KORANO NARKOL BHORA PATALI GURER PATISHAPTA because all of a sudden I remember I missed wishing Anjana on her birthday this year... it was on 14th February... haha.... We are a part of a dormant WhatsApp group though! I have to call them asap.... they went to AbuDhabi then again came back to a deserted place like Kandla.... having dhokla or not... as the husband says Mitty is getting bored.... This guy would call T before taking any major decision.... I heard my man saying not to shift to Kandla... his siblings stay in Dubai.... I felt, let me dedicate this post to the very gentle couple Anjana & Mitti Mathew .... towards whom God was not so good....

Let us ease the situation. The other day we went for a new set of curtains but did not buy one! We sat with some coffee and one quiche.... it was good... no I am not trying to hug people of my community who prefer a quiche over ilish.... An evening for quiche... a life dedicated to ilish ...... In fact, I got wiser than before, gained some self pride too and told the husband, tell me I am the best thing to happen in your life! The answer was not a surprise... only that all romantic attempts from my side evaporated in a minute.... Dear wife! You know I do not lie! Below is an example of an unromantic date!

The wife feels hopeless as usual and follows him to a take away counter to get some family favourite Turkish food stuff.... I was sad that the lamb rice was finished... lamb doners were packed for the men and falafel stuffed bread for me... too big a meal for me in the present scenario... dips and bread pieces are preferred... and I whispered ... "baniye felbo ekdin kabli cholar bora.... falafel na bollei holo!".....

Well, I am very fond of Mee Soto and Soto Ayam for my lonely lunches too!.... They are big for the present me!... So I ask them to give me less of that yellow noodles which is very much yum. I must say... I do not mind the chicken in these bowls... I do not know why I am unable to have it in Indian curries.

I sit with a bowlful of such things and wonder why I get irritated so easily these days... approaching menopause is a reason... rest what? The fairly rigid me do not like myself to be dragged in to something I cannot connect with or believe in.... None of us are saints but one should know the limits of decency in public .... I do go public with my feelings but emotional attributes needs to be fairly static... do the subject or object of love change every six months? I have doubts.... call it anything like infatuation, momentum attraction, time pass .... but one should not jeopardise it with deepest feelings of people and I do not wish my name to be associated with something I am not! We all have fair amount of everything within us... good, evil, unparliamentary wishes .... wrong is when we fail to draw the line... I cannot cry if I am unable to exercise self control and people call me a stray! Anyway, the kitchen is the best place to ease off for me... and yesterday evening I went ahead with this KORANO NARKOL BHORA PATALI GURER PATISHAPTA.... I did not call my friend Anjana... instead prepared the batter our Bengali style! This morning I had it too... I had some lemon rice too as I packed their lunch box with a dry egg curry and lemon rice... breakfast box with this sweet snack. There can be a number of avatar for patishapta ..... Bengali / Indian crepe.... this can be considered one done with refined flour, semolina, rice flour, date palm jaggery, coconut, sugar.... enjoy with some masala tea / chai!

INGREDIENTS :

Refined Flour : 1coffee mug
Semolina : 1/2coffee mug
Rice Flour : 1/2coffee mug
Grated Patali Gur : 11/2medium cup [date palm jaggery, use other variety during off season]
Shredded Coconut : 11/2coffee mug
Sugar : 4-5tbsp + 2tbsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1tsp
Baking Soda : A Pinch
Water : As Required [you can use milk for the matter, the coconut is raw so I did not... Bengalis are weak in stomach}
Oil : Few drops

PROCEDURE :

Take the refined flour, semolina, rice flour in a wide mouthed bowl and mix well. Add water little by little to prepare a batter.... add 2-4 drops of oil, grated date palm jaggery and sugar to the mixture. Keep stirring with your right palm.... It takes about 10 minutes of labour to get a smooth batter free of lump. Keep aside covered for 2 hrs.

Take 4-5tbsp of sugar, green cardamom powder and the shredded coconut in a bowl. Roughly mix. I made your labour half... we do not have to thicken the milk on stove and then cook it further with coconut! Keep aside covered.

After 2 hrs, add a pinch of baking soda to the batter! Mix well.

If we are using a non stick pan, we do not need to grease pan with oil. If not add a tsp of oil when the pan is very hot, spread with a ladle. Wipe it with a wet cloth before you pour the batter. Repeat after you do 3-4 crepes.

Use round, dip spoon for pouring the batter and a ladle to take out. Once you pour the batter, then spread it clockwise immediately! The pan has to be pretty hot else we cannot.

Put some coconut mix just in the middle and roll it off like a chapati once you see the top is cooked. The bottom will be slightly brown. If you have used milk... the crepes may be more brown.

Yeppie! We are done. Have it as breakfast or as an evening snack... a masala chai / coffee is a must... It tastes best the next day!

This is something I thought I will never blog on, there are already so many shares on it around!... You believe it or not.... I am having it ever since I was in school.... the mother might have learnt it from someone else.... may be from another parent or from a neighbourhood aunty! No, I have never seen our mother to call someone a friend.... till date I could not convince her that one should have everything in life.... in right balance! Balance is a winning word truly. Later in life, I occasionally tried this PEYAZ NOODLES PAKODA in my kitchen .... That lady always used to do it with eggs.... I skipped because I wished to keep it vegetarian. In the process, I had to really think hard about the batter... pakora needs to remain crisp for a longer period. I do not like soggy pakoras served cold. I remember.... both of us siblings were made to sit on the dining chairs.... if it was a fry-day.... they were done at that moment and served hot immediately! In case of roti.... they were served one by one on plate... I should not have talked about such women on a big Day as today.... they are definitely not a good example of feminism. I wish to focus on another point! .... Its about a year now that our mother's man left this world but she still has to complain that her husband had never been appreciative of the amount of effort she gave in the family.... Had he been alive.... they would have completed 48 years together next week. I can totally understand her point..... but did not we learn in Economics that a father-daughter shares a special bond? So, the daughter said my father is the best and hung up the phone yesterday night! Then I felt guilty..... it is not wrong on a woman's part to seek appreciation from her man.... specially if she is doing so much for the family. Our father indeed had a golden heart but supported every other person in the world except for his spouse.... Here too there is a point.... his spouse expected him to change over to fresh clothes each time he entered the toilet in a day! What is the issue here?.... Compatibility.... which our society hardly takes care of while planning a marriage!..... Both need to give up something to be called a compatible pair! Anyway, we have a mother who loves to be appreciated.... there is nothing wrong in it.... silly is thinking of herself and her mother the best... in all matters!... The first five years of my life was spent on my grandmother's lap.... yet at 47, I feel thinking this way is wrong.... I will not negate it either.... What I can do is share few more excellent creations of her with you all!.... She will feel good though I said grow some vegetables this season.... she agreed! Look at the pictures.... showing off is not so good always.... several times I told her not to keep the floral pots on top of the terrace wall .... its dangerous.... you may get booked for it! Who on earth listens to me!

After sharing her beauties, I feel less guilty now .... ok henceforth I will do less hammering of her! Even I love to be appreciated but the husband is half like our father..... but I do not care much because the other half is like his own father ... So I go for walks, click and have three more PEYAZ NOODLES PAKODA with coffee this morning.... done with egg and cornflour.... that is how our mother used to do! Just add an egg, cornflour, chopped onion and green chilli, salt to the boiled noodles and fry in hot oil!

Well, why I had to go for a vegetarian version? To open a pakora shop is not a bad idea.... given I do not know how to make an excel sheet till date!.... I hope this does not get me the tag of saffron skinned.... I cannot be that but I love my brother too much ... the entire family love fries and fritters.... and the little statistics I know revolves around my targetted readers.... With new FaceBook rules.... a struggling food blogger like me is having a harrowing time! Its almost time for Bengali New Year.... and my profile picture shows of an X-mas tree!....... you should be able to feel my concern!.... I need to change it soon! You see I have to do some cover ups for the pakora fed body... haha!..... and I have decided I will not renew the subscription of a specialised gym but use the gym and swimming pool of our Condo! Having 6-7 pakoras within 12 hours and spending dollars on gym does not sound wise!

What was my area of concern on this day.... Compatibility of minds! Ok, on eve of Women's Day I do write a mail to one lady! I do call her and write to her at regular intervals.... scold her too for abandoning every single pleasure of life... why?... see S, he loved this, he loved that! I counter saying you do not stop living for that! To me.... they were a compatible couple... more or less... felt for each other! What do women want from their partner?... few soft words and yes, submission in the home front ....! I send her my selfies.... see the fine lines on my forehead.... the under eye bags, the white streaks! She says or writes back.... S... looks does not matter.... I laugh at that and whisper.... you at 45 and now at 70 are not the same person ..... but I can feel the mother in you... I am a mother to a boy and a big sister to a little brother! Had there been no word called protocol... you and me would have gone out on a tour at least once in this lifetime... I know I am not supposed to or cannot for greater good or interest! I ask instead ... how are your "chanaponas" doing? Its been 6 years now I got the last update on the number of cars one has!.... and I could not find a single mutton picture in Google photo album to be shared today.... I got no other information on the length-breadth of that person's bank balance or property after I said we live in a rented flat and do not own a car!.... That snobby nose since childhood got snobbier I presume and I really did not wish to get people severe cardiac arrest on knowing that finally a year back we both managed a license and a nine year old, second hand four wheeler which I still cannot manage alone.... Ipsita or the husband has to sit beside while I struggle with that "gol chakti".... anything that requires concentration is not my forte! If I have already said it.... then people close, closer, closest should share some herbed baked salmon with salsa, cake topped with white cream and berry compote, tiranga sandwich ..... while I stick to this PEYAZ NOODLES PAKODA ..... No, I am not trying to impress people who I stopped considering my friend long back either ..... In general... this blog remains to be a low cost food fare.... given a part of my extended family still lives in thatched-roofed homes.... millions in my country of birth cannot afford that much either! Please do not get irritated if I update my profile picture on a tusser saree tomorrow ... I am thousands of miles far from a Medha Patker or an Arundhati Roy.... by all means! Anyway, let us come back to something I am fairly good at.... desi cooking... This vegetarian fry PEYAZ NOODLES PAKODA requires few ingredients like gram flour, rice flour, refined flour, onion, green chillies and cooked noodles! By the way... Bongs or Indians of this island, if you are reading this post... "elephant apple urrf chalta" has arrived in the Asian stores.... if I get some tomorrow... you get to see some shares too soon.... I think I will drop the idea of sharing that winter dal as of now as the vegetables used are not available in India... March onwards!

You may wish to take a look at few of my other shares! Just click on the headings!

MUSHUR DALER BORA

MOGLAI POROTA

INGREDIENTS :
Noodle : 3-4small packet
Onion : 1medium[peel, wash, discard the two ends, chop]
Green Chilli : 2[washed, chopped]
Gram Flour : 1/2small cup
Rice Flour : 1/3small cup
Refined Flour : 1/4small cup
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Aamchur Powder : 1tsp[dry mango powder}
Chaat Masala : To sprinkle on the pakoras
Salt : As Required
Oil : 100-150ml to deep fry + few drops
Chaat Masala : To Sprinkle atop the pakoras....

PROCEDURE:

Boil 2 coffee mugs of water in a vessel adding little salt and few drops of oil!

Once it has boiled for 2-3 minutes, switch off gas! Add the noodles.... breaking into halves. Soak for another 2-3 minutes.

Strain and discard the water and keep the noodles that way for 5 minutes.

The chopped onion and green chillies are ready too!

Prepare a batter with the three flours, turmeric and aamchur powder, salt. Add water little by little to form a paste like consistency. Add the chopped onion and green chillies and mix well!

Now add the cooked noodles to the batter and fold in well!

Heat oil in a wok, fry pakoras in your choice of shapes and sizes!

Once brown on both sides, keep on tissue papers for sometime before serving... We enjoyed PEYAZ NOODLES PAKORA with some mayo, mint-tamarind chutney and salad.... choose yours! Oh.... do not forget to sprinkle chaat masala atop before having!

So, if you think a coconut tree has spread its roots inside the stomach... you may not be so wrong... even I have started thinking so. In our childhood we did have it but not so much, the now old lady never had to buy one.... from coconut to mangoes to jackfruit all came from her "baaper bari".... parental home. Later when our Paa planted one in his garden and it started giving fruit ..... the mother mercilessly got it cut, why? She felt or someone said that the roots were going deep and spreading which would cause damage to the house.... I so much opposed saying why did not you ask an expert first? The truth is she prefers flowering plants while I liked the way the grandfather grew fruits and vegetables! Now the mother too buys coconut and me too! The only difference is that I get it ready made in shredded form while the mother has to go for a longer process. No, she is not the kind who will buy a frozen packet from Spencer! Why she buys now? Have her brothers cut off all of the 13 coconut trees? No.... the world has gone ahead a lot, life is different now... got busier.... her brothers are above sixty too .... Up to here it is ok... what concerns me is the loosening of bonds.... that should not be! When I see strong sibling bonds around, I love it... and love the facilitators who do not come in the way of this bond getting stronger... in this case the facilitators are one's husband or wife.... say my husband or my brother's wife or someone far there.... but not me... I am kind of possessive! The crazy matchmakers in social media must know a matching dress or make ups does not make two people similar to each other... they are not! I always had the feel, a single child does not learn to share.... thats what I told the husband. In most cases, the parents are responsible when they praise too much of their kids in front of them, thinks their daughter or son are the most beautiful or handsome and fail to give them the necessary lessons of life.... and later in life fail to control if they go stray.... Such people live in a fool's paradise construing themselves to be a false queen or king.... Who will you find around them?..... very less friends but more of "moshahebs".... who falsely flatter them and call names in absence!.... This kind of people are more than happy with such manipulative praises .... I am not the one who will associate herself with such things.... When it comes to kids, I know I will be appreciative of other kids but my son comes first to me.... I do not show it to him often.... the reason why he complains to his teachers about me... haha! To those facilitators who contribute towards strengthening sibling or parental bond .... you are way better than me who worked hard "owning" her husband's mind... not making him disown his own either! Our paa made the wisest decision in life while selecting the bride for his son.... I am saying so not because she gifted me a diamond ring but because she made it possible for our paa to leave this world peacefully and our mother live like a queen. Our mother with terrible complaining habit cannot accuse that much except for.... B does not take shower before entering the kitchen.... B comes home late.... No, this B does not freak around with her boyfriend.... After school... the Delhi Public School bus drops her at her parental home... where she cooks and do cleaning for her ailing parents, somedays take tuition, some days freaks out with the colleagues... and spends hours in a beauty parlour too.... So long she queues up in front of a "fuchka stall" or "Golbarir Koshamangsho" for my brother and spends from her pocket to get a better quality insulin for our mother or takes her to the best doctors.... I will not interfere.... she got very good parenting and the generous, old couple deserves a bit of care.... if only the two sisters could be little strict about their writer father's diet chart.... for his own good! No, the above lines do not mean I am aspiring for a diamond ear stud from her now.... I never could ask my parents what I wished for on my marriage.... only the husband I do not spare!... I am not sellable .... thats what I meant! To those unknown facilitators who help restore peace and love between siblings... you are doing a good job... kisses... but virtually.... one who is thrown off and the one who is hugged tight cannot be best of friends .... one has to have that much love for one's self! To those who got very fond of my brother of late.... you must know we had a big fight in the social media yesterday.... Yes, I never did allow him to take decisions of his own.... I think I made a good life for him doing so.... else his queen mother would have been in trouble... If he cannot be gentle enough in public, he has to eat BHAJA MOSHLA NARKOL KORA DIYE DIM.... he does eat egg these days.... but only curries and omelette.... Mothers of kids... do not force your child to eat something they do not wish to.... our mother did this mistake! Accha ok!... I tried chicken kacchi biryani yesterday evening for the first time... the taste was ok and the rice grain broke while servings.... but the son had double rice than usual... sent a plateful virtually for the naughty brother too! I am unlikely to blog on it unless it tastes perfect and every single grain remain in tact. Yes, we should work tirelessly towards seeking trust from our readers!

I like it or not, eggs are a regular at this home.... the husbands are a thing of adulation.... more so if you have a "hidden agenda"..... Let me clarify.... Take a look.... what I got at the Asian store on Friday..... that made me sing... "khalbali, khalbali.... chulbuli.... chulbuli".... Yes live show of "koi maach"..... climbing perch..... and Apa had to buy some.... Though I had to freeze it on Friday night.... we are supposed to eat cat fish varieties and this one fresh.... The hand of the person you see told me.... you do not have to buy "chalta" / elephant apple... go to the F1 car parking at East Coast Park .... there are two trees full of.... lets see if I can pester the husband for an unromantic, short drive this afternoon.... my "hidden agenda".... for today!

Once I finish this post, I will message Paramita Ghosal about it.... not all are like us! It hurts to see my clan around not cooking authentic Bengali dishes.... some of them do not even know what combination goes for a "chyachra" and what goes in for "labra".... but they can also question me do you know how to earn a penny? Lets leave it at that and share with you something I love.... "sheem-begun diye shutki maach"..... hyacinth beans... eggplants with dried bombay duck.... I so much wished to share two recipes with fresh bombay duck today... oh God why did I have to make friends from so many communities around?

By the way, think before you keep in touch with me, my favourite breakfast is "bashi porota o cha"..... stale paratha with tea!

Off course, there will be a very common recipe of climbing perch soon.... if only its taste satisfy me this afternoon.... I have a feeling this did not come from either side of Bengal but are bred ones from the neighbouring countries.... This fish should not be eaten such giant sized... the really good ones are caught from "khalbill".... shallow, muddy water.... Does my cousin at Boston think the same way as her "Bordibhai".... she uploads pictures of Radhaballavi she makes means... she does not deny altogether her roots... Her maternal grandmother prepared flawless "patishapta" and the grandfather grew watermelons in his garden who lived in a thatched roof home in the interiors of Kalyani.... the visiting gang of us were served fresh and hot food.... and freshly cooked fish caught from their pond .... Yes, I watched Big Bacchan's Hum Panch in their neighbourhood cinema hall made with bamboo fence and gunny bag... haha.... Hello my readers.... what are your thoughts and dreams like?.... I am shrouded with such memories these days! I have a message to all my cousins far and near.... from Boston wali to Assam & Pune walas to my neighbourhood ones in Kolkata .... we may not meet as often... but do not let the roots to loosen... let the bond be there.... Now what is the connection of all these with your food share.... BHAJA MOSHLA NARKOL KORA DIYE DIM?.... even I cannot explain... I lack good vocabulary.... or you may have to think like me to know me! What I know is I did not use any spice paste for this recipe .... some dry roasted, freshly ground spices, shredded coconut, minced garlic and chopped green chillies. It goes very well with both roti / paratha and rice.... now do not deserve pictures taken on Saturday noon with paratha / poori... its a mad, wild day for me! Let us wrap up now.... I need to venture out for "chalta".... My husband is not as good as Paramita Ghosal's husband Sanjib.... of late that wonderful human being stopped putting a like on B. Basu's pictures.... what a relief!.... Did the world roar echoing my hubby... why the hell people have to be like you... idiot?.... No, I will not counter the husband now.... there is no chauffeur better than a husband! Lets come to the point! What it there in another bowl?.... "kechki maacher chocchori"... Indian River Sprat with onion and green chillies.... I will have half amount of the bowl... be sure! Well, you may or may not use fried potatoes in this egg dish!

INGREDIENTS :
Egg : 5-7 [boiled, de shelled]
Shredded Coconut : 1small cup
Sliced Onion : 1small cup
Minced Garlic : 1tbsp
Chopped Green Chilli : 1-2tsp
Cinnamon Stick : 2one inch length
Green Cardamom : 2
Clove : 3-4
Cumin Seed : 1tsp + 1/4tsp
Coriander Seed : 1tsp
Dry Red Chilli : 3-4
Bay Leaf : 1
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Lemon Juice : 2tbsp
Salt : As Required
Ghee : 4tbsp [clarified butter]

PROCEDURE :

Wash the boiled and de shelled eggs again in water, pat dry! Apply half of the turmeric powder and some salt, rub well.

Dry roast the cinnamon sticks, green cardamoms, cloves, coriander seeds, 1tsp cumin seeds and dry red chillies and dry grind to a coarse powder once cool.

Heat ghee in a wok and lightly fry the marinated eggs, take out. Temper ghee with 1/4tsp cumin seeds and a bay leaf! Add the minced garlic and the chopped green chillies. Stir for 1/2 a minute!

Add the slices onions and fry till golden brown..... add the shredded coconut and fry till crisp and brown... have patience.... the water will evaporate!

Add the dry ground spices and fold in well. Stir for 1/2 a minute and gradually add 1/2 cup of water as you stir. Add the fried eggs and slow cook till the water dries. Add the lemon juice evenly.

Enjoy with rice or South Asian Breads.... with some salad alongside! If you are my kind, you will definitely have some "kechki macher chocchori" too!.... I will not recommend toasted bread with it!

Had he been alive, they would have completed 48 years together on this earth yesterday.... yes, I am talking about "our father"..... a mind as broad.... a heart as big.... as of whom I do not know.... If his daughter-in-law says he never made her cry behind the closed doors.... there is truth in what I say.... No, I am not jealous of her .... not much to complain about life when a husband does take his "pata kuruni" wife for a "chalta" ... that is elephant apple picking session ... and she gets a packet full of, prepares a dal, a pickle with it.... She was also thinking how to take this issue to the ministry level of this island.... please do not let them waste.... use in fish curries... that can be a summer soothing dish... Below pictures say it all ..... but not all days are same or suitable for a "chalta" r dal share .... even if my parents sweared by it... The daddy was fond of pickles, not dals and the mother made big jars of it! Why not a pickle share today? I am not bound to give answer to all "whys".... A year makes you a little wiser... you know.... and you learn with experience... not to cross boundaries. Today, had to be a "cake day".... Our parents loved the plain and simple cakes their daughter made decades back.... believe me or not... I was not such a horrid baker then as of now... By the way, I am done with the pickle and it is packed in the husband's lunch box too.... sent to few friends' home.... More than half of the credit goes to our Cristine, who did cut all of them.... though this is not exactly the shape our mother cuts it ... but you all know by now that I am not a perfectionist like the mother.

Anyway, besides baking a SEMOLINA & DRY FRUIT CAKE, I was cooking "chalta" r dal, "aloo chokha" to go with some climbing perch fish curry / koi macher jhol and you bet I did not get that authentic taste that fish should have as anticipated earlier!..... They were very fresh indeed but you will not want "koi maach" to taste like " tilapia".... right?.... Yet I will blog on it sometime later.... I do not know why my readers do not have much trust on me when it comes to fish, is it just the way butter is synonymous to Amul to us?.... I travel five metro stations to get one! That proves I am a desi at heart, but anyone who wishes me to ignore this island... I will not spare.... Saying so, I will repeat I have no expectations from strangers .... my notion is that our country of birth and our country of stay are our love ... rest are "bahargaons"..... Yes, you have met the most self-centric person on earth.... but she learnt to embrace different cultures to some extent in the last few years.... She does have olong tea, cheese cake and stuffed bitter gourd with roti with same amount of love!.... It was all carb and fat the last two days and today's lunch has to be fruits & paneer salad!

If only eating and weight gain were not conjoint twins! A big sigh and then again I start eating... haha... no no I think and wonder and ponder too... what else can a worthless person do? I was wondering why life could not be a little easier? I mean as easy as posting a picture with full make up on and a caption... "I stand for womens' pride and rights!"... Wish women got salvation with such "biplobi" captions! We have to post a picture, we will.... why the need of such captions as if it is a new year or valentine's day celebration? I so much loved that unknown woman's write up that Day.... was it something similar to my stand on such issues? Who gave the corporate houses the right to commercialise an issue as serious as gender equality, using it as a pawn to boost their sales? The armchair socialist me then take a bite on the cheese cake, in the same style as of a first kiss... You see today I cannot go nasty further... I have to maintain certain amount of sanctity.... why?.... May be on this DATE, I feel that we must learn to keep ourselves above petty quarrels and interests and learn to give.... I meant may be on such days, I pay attention to what our Paa taught us! So, after a sip of the olong tea, I again start thinking, how good it would have been if instead of clicking and sharing the swelling feet of the farmers.... we could buy them some medicines and strategise ways for a betterment.... During the rule of the earlier governments.... was their plight better?.... Saying so I do not declare to join the saffron brigade.... I will never.... No, I am not a great something either.... I am in a fear that people will soon ask me "didi, apni ki koren?".... What do you do actually? .... My chest fluffs up in pride "I am a 'social media' activist!".... While you imagine the reaction of the ones who questioned me, I plan the steps of this SEMOLINA & DRY FRUIT CAKE!

I had for long the wish to prepare a Basbousa... the Middle Eastern cake / dessert whatever you call it! I have not yet.... Before taking the hassle of preparing a cinnamon syrup or orange blossom or rose water syrup, I am just trying to get back a little of that confidence in baking first trying my hands on simple, easy bakes! I prepared this SEMOLINA & DRY FRUIT CAKE a month ago and decided I will blog on it today.... the 14th of March, 2018.... The daddy will always be with us... It is because a 13th March happened... that we we siblings are enjoying life! My heart does beat for a "Saraswati, Rizia Mashi, Cristine, Chotu, Raja".... but a "chalter dal" for them later... not today.... I have always made it clear in public that I am self-centric and my parents, siblings.... my family, my own comes first to me... then the rest.... Progress of human kind gets difficult because majority on this Earth are like me! Since this picture was taken a month back and I knew I will blog on it today, I went ahead with not much satisfaction with the pictures.... but I swear by the taste of it! The preparation time was less, it was flourless, a bit on the heavier side rather than been fluffy and we loved it as a family... I prepared it again day before yesterday! This time mixed together the dry fruits too instead of topping the cake with them...

This easy and simple cake requires very few ingredients to be done like semolina / suji, plain yogurt, condensed milk, milk, vinegar, dry fruits ..... takes hardly 1 hour from start to finish and you can do some planks and push ups in between.... What else do you want? Come, do not think much, let us do it and enjoy with cups of tea or coffee!

I do have few other cake recipes on the blog, if you may wish to check... just click on the headings!

EGGLESS MANGO CAKE

CARROT CAKE

INGREDIENTS :

Semolina / Suji : 1coffee mug
Plain Yogurt : 1medium cup
Condensed Milk : 1/2medium cup
Sugar : 1/4 to 1/2 small cup
Milk : 1/2medium cup
Baking Powder : 1/2 to 1/3tsp
Vinegar : 1tsp
Lemon Jest : 11/2tbsp
Oil : 1medium cup
Chopped Pistachios, Almonds, Cashew Nuts, Raisins, Walnuts to top the batter!

PROCEDURE :

Take the semolina and baking powder in a bowl and mix well, you can seive them too!
If I try to get too particular, I fail! Set me free, if you force or try to bind me in a particular frame or group... I will fly never to come back!

In the mixer grinder, take the plain yogurt, condensed milk, sugar, oil, vinegar and milk. Pulse for 2 minutes with intervals. Add the paste to the semolina mixture.

Keep beating with a table spoon for not more than 4-5 minutes. Add the lemon jest and stir. I love natural flavours.

If you think I do not have electric beaters, or cake tins.... you are wrong! I prefer ways that gives me less stress. You must remember I am not doing Hilsa curry but a cake... the thought gets a cold wave go down the spine. Oh, my English is so good na?.... it brings tears to my eyes when I fail to translate... "mamoni, chalta r buk ta patla korey charabi"..... "chalta ta cheche nish".....

Anyway, preheat oven at 180*C. Pour the batter in a cake tin, I prefer aluminium foils! Top with the chopped dry fruits / nuts, press a bit!

I use convection method of microwaves for baking.... so I will place the low rack inside and then keep the cake tin atop.

Bake for 40 minutes at 180*C! Its done, we will now have a wonderful family time with the SEMOLINA & DRY FRUIT CAKE with cups of tea and coffee!

Stephen Hawking ..... who am I to utter a single word on him? Do I at all have the material in me to do so? ... "podartho bigyaan niye katha bolbo shei podartho ki bhetorey achey?"..... but I am enjoying watching people celebrating his life and work.... So far, so long it is fine.... What worries me is that some are dissecting his personal life .... that too within 24 hours of his death.... they went ahead with dramatic short stories on when he married, who he went off with and again came back.... I really could not digest such insult of the magnanimous persona.... its so irrelevant compared to his contribution to this world.... at least he should not be made a material for a dramatic novel.... a movie was made during his life time it is ok... it must have included his work too .... but a separate note on his love life is totally un welcome! So, when the no more best friend but the near closest one gets back home from office, the lady screamed.... "yeh kya hai yaar... Stephen Hawking ke niye premer golpo cherey diyechey bazaarey"..... The husband says "cool baby, a celebrity life is always too much, unfortunately a public property".... This lady who sits far from Science and Technology always loved Hawking's take on alien life made easy to her.... haha... a major part of her heart is still that of an eight year old or a fifteen! There is another memory that popped up on the death news day before yesterday! Our monkey was 7-8 years old when the mother noticed that he watches a Stephen Hawking's show, come on Indian television is not only about those indigestible soaps! Obviously the mother's chest will swell like an elephant's feet or say like our gym going big brother from college "buk folano dada".... She made "International Maritime Satellite Call" to the husband .... "Boss our boy is watching a Stephen Hawking Show consistently for sometime and not taking any interest in the Chota Bheem CD mumma got for him! The boss as usual did not show any interest and hung up the phone!"..... Eight years passed, now that boy plays car games in that box and tells his father that one day he will make those Games .... courtesy his 'mamujaan'... my brother .... so no meat share today too! Our boy, the teachers' A* student got 75% in Physics last week while the rest of the class perhaps got 95%! The father does not say anything to his son but shouts at the mother.... "how many times have you watched Three Idiots, you will not take its essence!".... How will I? I do not qualify to be a Kolkata mother anymore is true but I had been one.... even earlier I have witnessed how friendships break because of mothers!.... No, I have no intention to take a dig at the ones for whom we are here on this earth.... if only the then mothers, who claimed themselves to be friends could feel this way...."our kids" and not "my kid" alone.... may be I looked back few decades back while saying so... it still hurts to see your own becoming strangers.... and force you to conclude they were not our own ever! Some ten years back... we were in a little better position than before but still tore off the teachers' hairs for that one or two marks which will not matter later in life! It always feels good to see when my clan use the term "our kids"..... A good criticism, a good cause should always supersede the "me.".... I think my beliefs will leave me even lonelier in future... yet I cannot love something I do not have faith in! Coming to "me" again, not that I do not weep in stress thinking of the board examination starting this May, yet I have stopped enquiring about the marks obtained by other students of his class, the husband does not allow me to gather much information about what goes on inside the classroom! I only confide in my beautiful friend Piali Maitra .... her daughter is our boy's classmate though they are in different sections.... Her daughter gets frustrated if she gets anything less than 90% while our boy watched television the entire day yesterday which was supposed to be his study leave! No.... no I am not comparing our son to others.... I have watched Three Idiots about five to six times, just that the thought of the son making Car Games is giving me sleepless nights.... but he is mumma's baby... and she had to make some OATS DRY FRUITS TIL CHIKKI for him and his clan / brethren whatever!

As I said earlier, oats could not be a healthy breakfast or lunch option for me... however I tried, it was helpful too, yet I could not have oats with banana, yogurt or milk! One that does not align with my taste bud cannot be in my palette. I am not in the habit of wasting food either, so I had to make use of them in parathas, idlis and the last batch in this OATS DRY FRUITS TIL CHIKKI! The shameless me could not resist herself from having one! So you know this home could never be a good example of a healthy home! The ice-spice game continues... but I made a Bengali style chicken stew day before yesterday which I enjoyed, which was our boy's staple for few years just like many Indian homes.... chicken stew is considered as a part of a sick man's or kids' diet! Its been three days now I am on a carb diet without any exercise .... this evening I must! I am the creator of an unhealthy home does not mean I do not support what an expert has to say... if one Rujuta Diwekar says microwave cooking is bad for health, there is truth in it... How much I scolded one poor lady for reheating food every night in a skillet and not in the microwave!... Why so?... may be because she does not earn in lakhs, may be because she lives in the extreme suburbs of Kolkata, may be because we are used to negate our own saying "dur tumi kichu janona!" I do not cook much in the microwave, I am that primitive "hata-khunti-korai zindabad types!".... I cook Bengali, I love to share them but not when I am forced to! These chikkis or brittles or energy balls / bombs whatever we call it takes no time to be made and in turn you get to see happy faces around.... The mumma of this house has to prepare and store a variety of food, someone loves "refrigerator hunting".... If I could be strict enough to say no study... no food, then I would have been all smiles to see an 95% overall grade! Anyway, I got the idea of this OATS DRY FRUITS TIL CHIKKI from so many similar recipes done by the blogger friends or others.... oats energy bars, badam ladoo / chikki, til chikki. You can call this attempt of mine as a stepping stone towards gathering some courage to prepare "til er khaja or til er naru".... not an easy task I must tell you... the right amount of jaggery, its cooking has to tally with the amount of sesame seed used... then only we get crisp, light and not sticky til er khaja or breaking the teeth tiler naru! Well, I am not a master chef... so there has to be a trial and error method for me.... Not a bad home cook either, if one friend says the Bengali style achar was yum and the other got me into tears saying S, my grandma made "chalter achar" decades back just this way.... you got me the lost taste.... I should be happy... Just when I was about to tell her... ok tell your friends... if they wish I can supply.... the husband anticipates and roars... do you want me to lose my work permit... you know the rules here! He however did not have a problem when I worked here in a concern.... only if I had the patience to continue! Ok fine... I will cook and then eat it too! This OATS DRY FRUITS TIL CHIKKI is made using jaggery, pistachio, cashew nut, raisin, almond, cardamom powder and yes lemon juice! Do not laugh, try it you will like...

INGREDIENTS :

Oats : 1medium cup
Sesame seed : 1/2medium cup
Dry Fruits : 1small cup [includes raisins, pistachios, cashew nuts, almonds]
Grated Jaggery : 1/3small cup
Lemon Juice : 3-4tbsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/2tsp
Water : 1coffee mug
Chopped Pistachio or Saffron Strands to garnish!

METHOD :

Dry toast the sesame seeds in a hot wok and keep aside in a bowl....

Take the pistachios, cashew nuts and almonds in a bowl.

Microwave at low heat for a minute pausing and stirring it at an interval of 30 seconds!

Transfer the mixed nuts to a mother and pestle and just half break roughly... you can use a rolling pin for this purpose!

Heat a wok... add the grated jaggery and 1 coffee mug water.

Bring it to boil, throw away the scum if you see any! No I could not translate.... "moila fyana ta alga korey tulle feley ditey hobey!"

Add the lemon juice and the green cardamom powder, stir and continue to cook till the mixture gets sticky. This may take 7-10 minutes at low to medium heat! Add the mixed nuts, raisins, oats and the toasted sesame seeds!

Fold in well immediately and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes at medium heat!

Transfer to a plate and let cool! You cannot allow the palms to burn.... they might be a poet's imagination.... I meant both here! Do not tell me boys cannot make laddoos... not all are like my men.... the world renowned chefs are male too!

Once cool.... take out small portions and shape as you wish!

Garnish with zafran or chopped pista! Enjoy having and sharing it too!

Going ahead with a non-vegetarian share today may not seem wise to some of my readers / friends.... there is a celebration in some parts of India, supposedly an all vegetarian day for them. Then, it is also not possible to keep everyone happy at the same time! If my friends are already on with some vegetarian shares that suits the occasion, I can go ahead with a non vegetarian share as good as this SHORSHE NARKOL BATA POMFRET without much guilt. A vegetarian lunch over the weekend for a Bengali is as weird as S been seen on a lunch date with an alien who she is very fond of! She is fond of few other things, people..... so fond of that she even interferes in to their personal lives and say when did you start loving yellow so much? If you have loved it, know that it does not go well with a red contrast... a green or a blue contrast is a better option! No, they do not batter you with social media posts after that.... and we enjoy some fun moments together through messages. Though the husband scolds me for interfering in to people's lives, I assure him.... "trust me, I do not exercise it on everyone but only on them who do not make an issue out of anything and everything."..... I am very comfortable with such people with whom I can be me, speak without mincing words, who do not suffer from an "I am the best" syndrome.... They do deserve some "maach-bhaat" from me today! Sharing a fish dish today is also not been wise to the Gujarati brother duo whose musical extravaganza I attended yesterday.... Amit & Anand Dhamelia.... they had been my colleagues for two years and I usually attend their programmes.... yet I cannot go ahead with a Dal Dhokli share today.... why? I very recently learnt, there is something called protocol..... this time between me and them.... there are many heads... pros and cons, regions and groups. I am not the person who will spend an inch of her thought on such silly matters.... I went, I sat alone, I met some friends, I enjoyed the show, I filled in my heart and came back home alone a little before midnight.... Yes, you read it right... "alone at midnight!"..... My present home that ensured me a hassle free life had to be kept close today.... Pomfret is their favourite but not SHORSHE NARKOL BATA POMFRET. When did I say that the anti-national me forgot my roots! One lady is absent from the scenario at present, does not mean that she will not scold me for blogging on a noodles pakora... "S, what you said and what you are doing does not match!".... Well, I have every right to justify myself.... "kabhi kabhi karni parti hai".... Coming to the brother duo, they eat & live Indian music.... Anyone in this island who are reading this ..... if you wish to take some music lessons [vocal or instrument] or book them for a programme.... please do contact their respective FaceBook pages in the same names.... Amit Dhamelia & Anand Hargovind Dhamelia.... Why did not I share it on my stream? Well, I do not have time to invite unnecessary complications in my life, I simply hate it! .... I am instead enjoying humming "Dil Khudgarz Hai, Fisla Hai Yeh Phir Haath Se".... I totally enjoy KK & James' numbers when I go for my walks! I remotely remember this Pritam Mukherjee and Anindya Chaterjee and rest were in the same band initially and until Pritam chose Bollywood! I also remember, even before that how we cheered for Anindya... Upal and team, following them at every fest that took place in almost all the Kolkata based Universities, Colleges, Medical Colleges and the Science Colleges except for one Science College, do not even remember it hosted one or not!.... It was my conscious decision but ! ... "Gate Crashing" is not a wise habit, I hate to be anyone's second thought either.... "har dil ko khudgarz honi hi chahiye".... Anyway, Anindya or Upal accepts it or not, we are still "Caledonians" ..... and a SHORSHE NARKOL BATA POMFRET "banta hai"..... well not all of us Caledonians eat fish!

Why I am even sharing something that the demon husband and his son loves? Yesterday, while he dropped me at the venue, I conveyed him a "sanctioned" flying kiss, instead of accepting it and before I could explain how Aamir Khan kissed his wife publicly, the moron husband shouted at me.... Wifeeee.... the next car will crush you under the wheel.... goooo! The wife decided on way back home to travel alone, even elope with anyone who offers! The silver streaks were visible in the dark more and there was no such offer, sigh!....... The disheartened but a wise me came back home.... "there is perhaps no one on earth who will clean me with so much care when I throw off after extreme nausea".... The entire Bollywood film & music industry is there to romance with!.... "ek SHORSHE NARKOL BATA POMFRET iss karan bhi banta hai"..... if I am not doing justice to some today, I will do it the next day with a dal paratha may be! I respect "relationships" which are not "superfluous" to me.... I am still in a kind of hangover, which I usually have after a musical fiesta ..... and I will go for an easy share today, then dive into music again and more of Bollywood..... like tomorrow we are going for Ajay Devgan's "Raid" and the ill health of Irfan Khan is bothering me.... we cannot afford to lose such top class actors so soon.... I do not usually miss any of his movies! Yesterday, a friend told me at the venue.... S.... your boy is having examinations and you are freaking around?.... I said had he been an obedient son, I would not have.... he is a rebel, so mumma lives her life! Yesterday came the latest blow, the father told me that the son now says he will study political administration and do politics.... Every attempt is made at this home to send me to a mental asylum.... Well.... if the son loves his mother so much in a way.... she can take an ice-bath to destress and cook his favourite pomfret with a very simple but authentic spice mix of garlic, mustard, coconut and green chillies.... It is so common and simple that we do not need to take any stress while doing it. While I do it, may I recommend you a movie?.... Saif's urrf Chote Nawab's "Cocktail" .... it may explain certain real life stories.... no they do not end up Bollywood style... "all good and happy!".... I do not believe in the terms "romantic comedy"..... "no string attached relationships"..... the phrases hurt me till date as the tip of a knife held close.... So, I could not be or cannot be either with people who live their lives in such terms.... Let us live our lives in our own terms. Yes, my readers can blame me for taking life too seriously. I can gift you this fish curry with love for tolerating me, struggle to get viewers for it, admit my apathy towards constructive academics, and construing life in terms of Bollywood! We had some Cabbage-Potato Sabzi and Bottlegourd-Dal too alongside! Ok, I indeed liked this preparation of pomfret after marinating the fish with lemon juice for one hour to get rid of any odour! The use of red chilli powder, lemon juice and garlic cloves.... all are used to get rid of any smell that a non-pomfret lover like me cannot take!

INGREDIENTS :

Pomfret : 5-7 [medium sized]
Shredded Coconut : 1/2 small cup
Mustard Seed : 1tbsp [black or yellow.... black is a tongue teaser]
Nigella Seed : 1/4tsp [kalonji]
Green Chilli : 4-6 [I am always generous, you choose]
Garlic Cloves : 2 [peeled]
Ice Cubes : 2-3 [they say it prevents the paste turning bitter besides salt, its true]
Salt : As Required
Turmeric Powder : 1/4tsp + 1/3tsp
Lemon Juice : 4tbsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Oil : 4-5tbsp [We use mustard oil]

METHOD :

Clean the stomach of the pomfrets, hopefully your fish seller will do it for you! Wash them thoroughly.

Marinate with lemon juice and very little salt. Overdose of salt will totally spoil the taste... they are soft fish without scales.

After an hour, we will drain the marinade and wash them again. Rub with little salt, 1/3rd tsp turmeric powder and 1tsp red chilli powder! Keep aside for 15 minutes.

Wash the mustard seeds through a strainer. Take the washed mustard seeds and green chillies, de skinned and washed garlic cloves, the shredded coconut, little salt and the ice cubes in the grinder! Grind them to a smooth paste. Add little water if required!

Transfer to a bowl and add 1/4tsp turmeric powder!

Heat oil in a wok and fry the fish pieces lightly discarding the water released on marination. Take out.

Temper same oil with nigella seeds. Add the chilli-mustard-coconut paste and stir for 1/2 a minute. Add water to the bowl and then to the wok. Add another bowl thereafter.

When the gravy boils, gently add the fried fish pieces.

Let cook at low heat till the gravy thickens!

At times, our weekend lunch platter is such... a SHORSHE NARKOL BATA POMFRET with steamed rice, a dal and a vegetarian sides.... fritters too....

Till yesterday afternoon I knew I will blog on this platter today.... my readers believe it or not... this platter was done and served about two weeks back .... however I felt I will blog on it today! Then I came across something and got skeptical.... should I or should not? Then I felt.... if I have decided I will go ahead with it, I will... "ghar tyara!"If my readers have watched the movie Sonata directed by Aparna Sen ..... you can identify me with a particular character trait of the role played by Aparna herself ..... I am not comfortable or say I have severe allergies towards "unwanted" touches..... "wanted" ones I welcome.... BORBOTI ALOOR TORKARI O DAL POROTA should go ahead today! Now, my touches too can be considered unwanted by others.... they can react and I do not mind that.... Even I do the same to my husband .... shout at him..... your "adorer manush".... dear people need not be my dear ones and a vice versa is welcome! So it makes me think the ordeal of a woman, a kid as young as three years old when they are raped.... animals are in a better position than women.... a birth of a calf is consensual, not of all human kids!.... I see a couple of male protagonists around me who share so many sincere posts every five minutes, you will not see them sharing a single post on women's ordeal, may be it is not that much of an issue to be bothered of. Uff, how much I wish to share my selfies every other day in social media, no point you know unless you have a pointed nose, doe eyes, lips like orange segments, skin as smooth as that of an eggplant.... haha that proves how much I love egg plants! No one on this earth is born to see the wrinkles on my forehead, the silvery head is turning bald now.... I never knew some love me so much so that they are praying hard for my total hair loss.... Well do I have a nose at all?... or two holes instead?.... how the mother laments till date... "koto tel malish korlam tobu holona naak".... I scold her harder... you should have used clips instead !.... So, being "jealous" of the "fairer" people of both genders is quite but natural for me! To the people who have a different notion of me, accept the truth... I am a "mean"..... So the sad me does what suits my nature, something I love! I go for long, brisk walks and click without knowing anything about photography! Back in 2011, someone told me S buy a DSLR and learn photography from the internet not knowing perhaps I cannot operate the keypad properly! I do not see such people around me anymore only because of my "unapologetically truthful" nature may be! When they construe me as "Saddhi Devi Maa".... I appear as something else, what, what, what?... I cannot call myself a "nagin"... either.... I am so scared of my "Sher" protagonist friends Joydip & Suchandra Kundu .... far from being a sparrow or a parrot either! Well, lets get it simple and admit .... "I am miserable at hiding feelings".... so loss of people close around will increase with every passing day! I do not mind so long I get to see and relive my childhood memories on my walk way .... "Bokul Phool".... a little girl saw her mother collecting this rare flower on yam leaves... a shot freezed for ever! "Batabi Lebur Jhar".... have you ever tried pomelo with toasted chilli flakes, black salt and two drops of mustard oil?... try!.... and then a "Babui Pakhir Basha?".... perhaps! This is how I freeze loving moments, hence keeping loved ones closer to me! It helps you know... does not invite controversies or flaks... unless you are storming in to their homes... If you are self respecting you will not do that.... you will not exercise your authority on people if you were being denied of it! There are better ways to keep them by your side to which people should not have a problem... even if they have... you should not care! To the males.... beware of women like me.... once you get "us" home, you will know your freedom is gone and you are mine!

It is always wise to do some weight trainings after a cardio! Before entering the gym, one should not have ate anything for the past two hours at least ! Yesterday was an exception... I hardly follow rules.... I had a cup of "teh tarik" without sugar and my favourite cookie! Milind Soman is sure to ban me from his page.... No I did not like his recent profile picture .... I respect the Ironman in him, the feet that crossed miles .... his "bare chest" is for his cutie girl friend to enjoy! Then I do some circuit training and floor exercises .... finish off and have a healthy lunch too.... "soto ayam" sans the yellow noodles.... chicken stew kind of! All my efforts to avoid carbs to get slimmer ends up there... where?... you will see later in this post itself.... a recipe share full of carb!... BORBOTI ALOO R TORKARI O DAL POROTA!

These days what I see around in my country of birth worries me, angers me so much so that I feel like blogging on breads, cookies, cakes, sago mango or chilli crab, if only I was a master cook, sigh!.... I feel like screaming " jei deshe ashi shotangsho manush ashikkhito.... shei deshe dharma o rajniti niye lorai kora aproyojonio".... a country where the basic needs of the illiterate majority are denied, not today but for decades... what is there to fight over religion and politics? I follow a page called "Milaap".... and can feel how fortunate I am! Till date I have not made any financial contribution as I have reservations on transferring money to unknown funds.... see if you can rise above the self-centric me! I am not a good soul who does not usually forget "foul mouths" meted out to her.... family to her is not always the kin! Wrong doers forget.... victims like me do not..... I do not disown but decide alone who to hug how tight and when! Anyway, you cannot turn your face away from your mother, in this case your motherland.... so a BORBOTI ALOO R TORKARI O DAL POROTA is a natural choice! I am not so fond of borboti or long beans!.... and you know how difficult it is to feed my men a vegetarian bowl.... it is like doing three sets of thirty planks, I can manage only ten in a day! So, there had to be some South Asian flat breads to pair with it and off course chicken alongside! Borboti or long beans were used to be fried with potato sans the spices or used in mixed veggies in the family earlier .... I did not like any! This island supplies you very fresh ones, not every week do I travel five metro stations to get my favourite "echor & mocha".... green jack fruit and banana blossom.... the husband is allergic to wet markets.... Yet, the wife cooks mutton biryani for him and his monkey!.... May be she has a weak point or may be he has a great point in him.... who knows? .... Remember autobiographies are also novels with "little truth in it."....

So you know in between kettle bells, soups and a mutton biryani dinner .... lies the secret of having a "wonder physique" like me.... "58kg @ 4'10" height".... I do not like people similar to me.... so you will have biryani once every two months! In between the above four steps.... there were few others.... I feel very tired but satisfied this morning.... shall share the recipe soon, "fotu" ready! Though tired, I very much wished to share this particular platter today... BORBOTI ALOO R TORKARI O DAL POROTA.... Yes, I spiced up the borboti to make it lovable, mothers are not always the best! Dal Porota is not an authentic Bengali thing, do not create a ruckus .... spell it paratha.... thats it! The morons had the veggie dish only when allured with a chicken curry ... else one would have had the dal porota just like that and the other with pickle and raita! I indeed live with difficult people, life is still good!

If you can digest my trash, you can take a look at the following recipes too, just click on the headings :

MASALA CRAB

STIR FRY PANEER

INGREDIENTS : [for the long bean and potato veggie]

Long Bean : 5-6
Potato : 2medium
Tomato Paste : 1/2small cup
Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Cumin Powder : 1/2tsp
Coriander Powder : 1/2tsp
Garam Masala Powder : 1/3tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As Required
Dry Red Chilli : 1
Cumin Seed : 1/4tsp
Baking Powder : A pinch
Oil : 2tbsp

INGREDIENTS : [for the dal porota]

Boiled Masoor Dal : 1medium cup [red lentil]
Whole Wheat Flour : 1coffee cup
Chopped Coriander : 2small cup
Carom Seed : 1tsp
Cumin Seed : 1tsp
Chopped Green Chilli : 2-3
Chopped Onion : 1/2small cup
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : Little
Ghee : 3tbsp +1tbsp for each flat bread

PROCEDURE :

Let us do the vegetable dish first!

Peel and wash the potatoes, cut half and then cube as you wish... good if cut lengthwise.

Discard the two ends of the long beans.... "accha ashh charanor ingriji ki?".... You see I never got more than 60% in English. Cut them lengthwise and wash.

Take the potatoes and long beans in a bowl. Add salt and turmeric, mix well.

Heat oil in a wok and temper with cumin seeds and halved dry red chillies. Add the tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes.

Add the dry spice powders except the garam masala and salt... stir for half a minute!

Add the marinated vegetables, fold in well. Add a pinch of baking powder to retain the colour!

Cover cook for 8-10 minutes stirring in between! Add the garam masala, fold in well and cook furthermore for 2-3 minutes. We are done! Transfer to a serving bowl!

For the dal paratha dough, take all the ingredients along with 3tbsp ghee in a bowl.

Mix well and knead well till we get a soft and smooth dough! Add more of the boiled dal if required but not water, we lose taste that way.

Keep covered for 15-20 minutes before you knead again for 1 minute or so. Tear off tennis ball size portions and roll out round parathas with help of a rolling pin.

Heat griddle/ tawa / pan on gas top! Fry each paratha, both sides well with help of 1tbsp ghee!

We enjoyed the platter of BORBOTI ALOO R TORKARI O DAL POROTA with homemade stuffed chilli pickle and chicken curry alongside....

"Raat Jo Tumne Deep Bujhaye Mere The
Ashk Jo Tariki Ne Chupaye Mere The
.............................................................
Mere The Woh Khwab Jo Tumne Cheen Liye
Geet Jo Hooton Par Murjhaye Woh Mere The"...
..........................................................................

This particular number has been sung by a couple of singers including Farida Khanum, Asha Bhosle and chote Ghulam Ali saab! Who I loved the most and listened to the entire evening yesterday is not to be mentioned here, not always do I wish to invite controversies, not at all on a beautiful morning as this.... I should try some "daler bori" instead .... but the Sun betrays anytime here! I was in middle school since when I developed love for ghazal.... life was beautiful then and no one really questioned you why ghazal and not Hindustani Classical or Tagore ..... Life was simple and people did not really give a religio-politico angle to everything! For a free willed person like me, life got tough... and truly so! Later in life I developed interest in Hindustani Classical, a Prisley, a KennyG, Elton John, different bands but Ghazal rules! When I am not entangled in "his" novels and poems, I do listen to his songs too! That does not make me a Bengali huh? I have stopped going to my "Guru Maa" too... the music teacher! Hypothyroidism had a very bad effect on my voice and you need a strong drive at this age to pick up! "Didi"... my music teacher got very upset, she always says I have music within me and she needs two years to prove it! I very much liked / like her company, she used to sing for All India Radio back in Kolkata... her husband plays Sitar at the president's programme too here in this island! You see love is something, it is the passion together with it that drives you to pursue what you love. I met two gentlemen at didi's music school who come to her during their office lunch hours .... that is called a perfect concoction of love and passion for something! Be it music, dance or any art form... you will spend hours each day on it to perfect it.... legends do that and so they reach heights! I lack concentration, drive, self pride.... and that makes me a mediocre in all aspects of life... a happy go lucky who never chases her dreams and does what she loves when! She eats... drinks... clicks and cooks! She had a yummy lunch yesterday after her walk with u-mian and olong tea.... she clicked these orchids growing on a mango tree bark ... may be planted that way... just loved it ! She bakes a cake too!

Once the two terrorists are out of home for office and school, I do what I love and above is what I love... "me-time"..... I am all about I, Me, Myself! I do not know what pisses off a near fifty woman but if anyone expects me to talk over phone while I am humming a "raat jo tumne deep bujhaye mere the".... I get pissed off! I am always angry with the duo at home, but they do not interfere in my life and kitchen.... so I cook this FRESH & DRY FRUIT PULAO for them and serve it with a raw banana kofta curry! I understand being self centric to this extent is not good but I got used to an extreme level of freedom at this home .... so much so that I could not continue with my job .... I could not take orders or spent time and energy in taking reading classes at mid forty.... "ek mummy ne kabhi kuch degree bhi dilwai thi, ABCD parane ke liye nehi".... I wonder these days that at one point of time we could write a paper on a Boroland Movement or do a case study on the difference between liberal democracy and Marxism.... Now look at me.... the entire day is spent on correcting major grammatical errors done in the posts I share! The senior of the two terrorists at home tied up with our mother and so much tried to get me admitted in his college.... "some-Sagar".... both saying S.... if you have chosen the Arts stream, take up English as major.... I was not qualifying for it in our college! I loved my college and thought it was right, I am so poor in parts of speech, say English grammar & vocabulary both! .... That there is something called effort and you can correct your flaws with sincere efforts were never in my thoughts! Then I had reservations getting into that "some-sagar" college in the year 1989-90..... Why did I say all these?... to strengthen a fact.... one cannot deny that English is the communicative language of the world! I mean people who limit themselves within a region are mentally retarded in a way! Think of a multi-lingual country like India.... Bengalis talking about throwing off others from their state... so other states gets the authority to do the same! I feel people who share about 50-100 posts everyday.... do that without thinking much or have a lot of spare time... just as me penning down rubbish in this space! The senior at this home does not take my calls at office! I am pretty sure he has other interests there, I do not know why at all I have to cook a yum platter as this FRESH & DRY FRUIT PULAO and Raw Banana Kofta Curry for him!

I am actually looking for easy platters these days.... the morons love one pot meals! Like yesterday, I made a hotch-potch with samba rice, malka masoor and green moong.... served it with grilled chicken drumlets and aloo bhaja..... and yes happiness and smiles of your own matters a lot! Did not you notice what an expert I am while describing a woman!.... Why?.... because I try to keep promises made to people who mean... I was categorically told to enjoy only women... beautiful women.... see till date I am doing just that... praising women!.... I fell for a couple of men... the feelings perhaps were not strong enough to approach.... or even before that a happening woman stood before me and refreshened memories.... I immediately fell for that girl.... "yeh ishk bhi yaar khatarnaak chheez hai".... You see here too there is a lack of effort! I could have transformed me watching my diet, doing exercise and knock a door, ask .... how do I look? ....but there were other points too ..... who will pay for my surgery to get a "tikolo naak, tiya pakhir moto thot, potol chera chokh, mosrin tawk"..... There was something inside that stopped me.... "I love myself the most" feel perhaps. Better I show my commitment in a different way.... praising happening women....... though it gives me immense pleasure to see the balance in someone's taste.... there are classy associations too around! Good move, we definitely mature with time and age! I have very little informations about people who are long lost.... what they like, what they eat, assumptions does not help much! So, I always cook and share what this home prefer, its safe! This FRESH & DRY FRUIT PULAO was done in a pot, I am not good at one pot meals but try these days.... After a hectic Biryani making session, I go very easy for a week.... With a wonderful girl like Cristine to help, kofta is not at all an issue! The recent issue at home is that I am hating the curtains I got home.... We did not wish to spend much on a rented home and did not look for variety either .... paying the price now.... I have a problem with anything that shines except for a diamond nose pin or ear studs.... haha... call me a brutally double standard... I accept! However, I never have a problem with people who love glimmer & glitter.... our taste is our own! I tried to prepare this dish in such a way that it suits everyone's taste buds, more or less... I am poor at bakes should not mean I do not care... The mother inside is same everywhere, why the entire world is not rice eater? Have once in a while.... its heavenly !... For this FRESH & DRY FRUIT PULAO, I used pineapples, ripe mango, orange pieces, pistachios, raisins, cashew nuts, ghee, milk, saffron, sugar and salt! Let us do it, excuse my inability to provide stepwise pictures, it was already 9 pm when I started off!

For the following Recipe, just click the heading :

RAW BANANA KOFTA CURRY / KANCHAKOLAR KOFTA JHOL

INGREDIENTS :

Rice : 1big cup [I used Basmati]
Ripe Mango : 1medium cup [cubed]
Orange : 1small cup [cubed]
Pineapple : 1small cup [cubed]
Pistachio : 1tbsp [chopped]
Cashew Nuts : 8-10 [halved]
Raisin : 10-15
Cinnamon Stick : 3-4 two inch length
Green Cardamom : 4
Clove : 4
Bay Leaf : 3-4
Saffron : 5-7 strands
Milk : 1small cup [warm]
Water : 2big cup
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 2tbsp
Ghee : 5tbsp +2tbsp

METHOD :

Note : The measuring cup for the rice and water should be same.

Warm a cup of water and soak the saffron strands in it.

Wash and soak the rice for half an hour. Drain water and spread the rice on a plate and keep that way for 1/2 an hour.

Heat 5tbsp ghee in a deep bottomed vessel. Fry the cashew nuts and raisins and take out.

Temper oil with green cardamoms, cinnamon sticks, cloves and bay leaves. Add the raw rice and stir for 3-4 minutes. Add little less than two cups of water, the rest can be added later if required.

Add salt, give a stir and cover cook at medium heat for 10 minutes! We must uncover and check in between.

Once we see the water has almost dried up, we will add 2 tbsp of ghee, 1/3 of the chopped fruits, the saffron milk, sugar and the chopped nuts & raisin! We will gently stir and let cook for another 2 minutes.

Switch off and keep at rest for 5 minutes, gently shake with the lid on. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the remaining dry and fresh fruits!

We had it with raw banana kofta curry and a salad had to be there for me!

If anyone is trying to assess me, my likes, dislikes, preferences..... stop it immediately! You are just wasting your time, there are other important issues around the world that needs our attention! I am that kind who does not prefer an egg but loves egg tarts and "hasher dimer kushum".... who started disliking chicken in the recent years but enjoys a BENGALI STYLE CHICKEN STEW! Which age was that when the daughter of a certain house waited eagerly for the Sunday lunch ..... "murgir jhol, laal shak, Sherlock Holmes, Ramayan?"..... Yes, we talk at same length of protecting women's rights and also worship the Lord who could not be at the side of his lady love when she needed him! No, I will not go further with it, I need to go out post lunch with the husband.... not on a romantic drive by the sea.... though I expressed my wish to the husband... bossy would you click me by the sea.... I wish to change my profile picture.... Now the one who took interest in photography many years back hates to click humans, specially photos of his wife.... so I depend heavily on our Cristine .... in a boring location.... the favourite couch corner .... with no other option left within a 1150 sq.ft. space! When I am worried with my clicks so much, many things are happening around the world, and I had to stick to sharing a non spicy chicken curry today.... After I lend my support to something good happening around, I can get back to I, Me, Myself! I actually have to go out for some practice with that "gol chakti".... Its almost a year now that I managed a license against all wishes of the mother, yet cannot go out alone! Why our mother never wished?.... because she believes that her daughter will die in a road accident if so! Let us go back to 1997 December.... I was doing my bachelor of education because the mother wished so.... but any husband would wish for a honeymoon too.... caught in between the husband's wish and a mother's warning.... "you can enjoy with your husband later in life but you have to complete your examination this session".... we zeroed in on near to the home Toshali Sands instead of Maldives! The mother made it sure I call her every evening to report what I ate, where I ate, what I should buy, that I should hold T's hands always .... Ok, I will not blame her, the memories of the movie "Adalat O Ekti Meye" was still fresh on our minds! .... I am infact very thankful to the husband who did not say... let us get Mani here S, hihihi.... So you see... if a husband who wore torn kurti once drives to his office everyday... and dreams of buying a "second hand" Mercedes, I will not stop him.... In this context, I also remember of a little boy who did not turn up to school on a particular Teacher's Day celebration!.... So the then best friend, who happens to be my husband now went up to a neighbourhood home to know the reason why and convinced the classmate to attend the programme! Yes, on Teacher's Day we were allowed some freedom but what was the reason?...... that "fashion-o-phobic" felt there was no proper dress to wear .... you must consider that a co-educational school need not have dull girls like me alone, there were fireworks around and a "chamkili" attire was a necessity.... haha! My eyelids did sparkle to see a "mete holud ranger jama".... while the husband conducted the entire programme wearing the "faded" school uniform .... a husband who told straight on the face of a teacher.... yes, I will change over once my father can afford a new set of uniform.... a teacher who used to hit us mercilessly even at 10th standard and eventually fled with lakhs from the school fund! So, you know however angry Marx Saheb is with us, I feel proud of these people who made it in future, so I do not get angry if the list of one's assets is sent to me.... I am not angry with our mother either whose entire life is dedicated to spoon-fed her two kids.... but I feel very much connected to people who think beyond their "home" and do not make love with their couch corner all the time like me! A BENGALI STYLE CHICKEN STEW with some butter-toasted paneer and salad as tongue teasers should rock over the weekend! Do not expect me to have a giant piece of chicken, it is not mutton but I love the stew truly....

Why the spice loving S loves a stew? You must consider the fact that it is a Bengali stew which has "ektushkhan ada roshunbata to holud guro".... and not a "gorom joley nun aar golmorich".... I do love soups, but the light oriental ones made with this and that sauces. I do love this island but not when I see a green patch half the size of a football ground under construction.... its a small island which desperately needs more green... I can understand why the government here cannot provide us foreigners home and educational facilities .... it has to take care of its own people within a confined periphery .... but why it has to refute nature and turn the entire island into a seven star hotel?.... At times I feel asphyxiated.... below is the green patch where I first started with my walks.... it hurts to see it occupied!

Why do the natives here cannot sustain heat, rain and you get to see a bee-line at the doctor's chamber throughout the year?..... They are not taught to bear any hardship.... there are sheds everywhere so that a single drop of rain do not touch their hair, you never know the toilets of a school may have an air conditioner tomorrow.... but I do enjoy the hassle free life we are provided here. I even told the husband the ideal situation would be to make this our home and visit Kolkata thrice a year.... The husband immediately checks his wine cellar.... suspecting the wife and says.... wife I cannot work till 75..... I can feel, he started with painting "her" body at age 20, clearing snow clad "her" @ -40*.... The "bad o-men"... keeps aside the memories of a "mete holud ranger jama".... and cooks some BENGALI STYLE CHICKEN STEW for her men, serves with an unusual pairing of butter toasted paneer and coconut rice! Before you question me on the "unusual, bad o-men" in me, I would recommend you a movie.... 2010, a Bollywood commercial one "New York".... which touched a chord somewhere deep inside! No, I will not get into politics today, I am trying to get people together with a chicken stew! The master mariner husband of this home had to go through special security screening at various US airports when he sailed, why? because "Saha" and "Shah" has near similar pronunciation! ... No, I am not trying to play any kind of match game with 'King Khan" of Bollywood who says 'Whenever I get a bit more arrogant, I travel to US'.... haha... he went through the same ordeal a couple of times!... I am too small... too much ignorant to talk on a country's safety and security issues .... to me even handing over a "cap-bonduk" to kids is not ok... it develops a sense of violence in kids... why then? I actually loved another aspect of the movie.... that friendship angle! What is it? To me it is commitment and trust.... Come to me with commitments, else "physically" quit! If you cannot get away with certain feelings, you will prepare such weird combination of BENGALI STYLE CHICKEN STEW, coconut rice and butter toasted paneer! I had to take care of the fact that the brother do not attempt suicide knowing his didibhai's wish to stay in this island for a longer period, I had to go ahead with a meat share, though its the F1 season and he perhaps can go without food! Not to worry, we did have the stew with bread rolls the next day....

So, do it in bulk in few easy steps for a lazier but fitter you! Be sure, I never wished to project myself as something I am not, that is a "good o-men".... neither do I consider those as friends who lack the trust factor and stab you from the back, let us respect the "dislike" for each other!.... To get away with such feelings, I indeed enjoy Bollywood "commitments" in the film "New York".... We are gearing up for one of my heart-stealing lady love Tabu's upcoming thriller "Missing".... join us if you may!

Below are the recipes I wish you to check with....

CASHEW MUTTON

OMELLETE WRAPPED FRIED RICE

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken : 1kg [medium to big cuts]
Carrot : 2 [peeled, washed, cut into bigger cubes]
Potato : 2 big [peeled, washed, each cut into 4 pieces]
Green Pea : 1small cup
Onion : 2medium [sliced]
Lemon Juice : 3tbsp +2tbsp
Garlic Paste : 1tsp
Ginger Paste : 1tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/4tsp
Black Pepper Powder : 1tsp +1tsp [freshly ground, coarse]
Salt : As Required
Butter : 1tsp
Green Cardamom : 2-3
Clove : 3-4
Cinnamon Stick : 2-3 two inch sticks
Bayleaf : 1
Oil : 3tbsp
A tbsp of cornflour diluted in water can be added towards the end, we do not prefer

PROCEDURE :

Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly. Marinate with salt, turmeric, 1tsp black pepper powder, 3tbsp lemon juice for an hour!

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and temper with cinnamon sticks, green cardamoms, cloves and a bayleaf! I do not cook much in pressure cooker but stews taste very good in it!

Add the garlic paste and stir for a minute or until the raw smell goes away.

Add the sliced onions and fry till golden brown.

Add the marinated chicken and stir fry at high heat for 5 minutes.

Reduce heat, add the carrot and potato pieces that we have marinated with salt at least 10 minutes prior. Fold in well and stir for 2 minutes.

Add the green peas and ginger paste and stir for another 2 minutes. Add 1tsp of black pepper powder and fold in well.

Add 1 coffee mug of warm water to the pressure cooker, fold in well.

Pressure cook at low heat up to 1 whistle! Switch off and let open normally! Add the butter and the remaining lemon juice now and mix well!

Enjoy with toasted bread, phulkas or any kind of rice!

Ghee, Pistachio, Pineapple Juice, Date Palm Jaggery, Khoya Kheer, Green Cardamom Powder ..... those are what that went in to prepare this sweet temptation! Why did not I name this "sandesh?".... simply because it is not a sandesh ..... there is no amount of chena / paneer in it! Mithai would have been a better option, then I felt whats in a name? Let us experience heaven with each bite! Yes, I am that shameless diabetic who is at seventh heaven at the sight of "certain" desserts.... The word certain is important here, not all of them attract me.... only the unhealthy, fried ones.... others like a Russian Pavlova gives me the feel of what, what, what? .... as a teen girl's fantasy with, with, with? Well, I do not have a daughter but I have a couple of them around .... I feel so very connected.... They take me back in time to a teen me... I felt today I should call them all at home and treat with this PINEAPPLE JAGGERY SWEET! The son at this home is a heartthrob... "jigar ka tukra".... but he has no time for mumma, to sit with her.... I mean she is allowed to sit at a distance without making any attempt to touch him. I can understand he is not at the age when one may want to kiss and hug old mumma or to go out on a lunch date with her.... but I am pretty sure a teen girl would discuss everything that happened at school for the day, pluck the white lines from momma's forehead and ask her how had life been so far? What are your regrets, accomplishments, unfulfilled wishes? What story is hidden in those tired eyes with swollen under eye bags? I would have taken her out on a coffee date, the coffee would have been for me and a chicken pie or a cake for her.... finally a heart filling shopping... a variety of clothes.... only if she promise me to wear a shrug over her spaghetti strapped tops.... She would have known then that her mumma is not that much of a liberated soul either ..... a spaghetti strapped top needs a thin shrug and the length of the half pants has to be little longer ..... She would have also known that her mumma would not make her feel back dated.... mumma loves those who carry themselves well! Why I have to get this discussion here today? Oh! I got bored buying same old shirts and trousers, kurtis for the son and his dad! ..... a dad who says if you still treat him like a five year old he will not be friendly, speak to him in his language! It takes me to another home where a son relays every details of his daily routine to his mother, that mother relays to her daughter oblivion of the fact that it is an ISD call.... That woman, who is too proud of her culinary skills has to narrate the daughter how her son's colleagues appreciate the food she sends to her son's office, that "Shiprar Maa" came 15 minutes late for work and so her Gods did not get food in time, the entire home from the terrace to the garden and gate down was not swiped and mopped before her son left for office.... The world does crash down on her head on such days.... the daughter is tired of saying stop all these now.... she is not the one to listen.... She is the follower of the Ramakrishna Order and till date catches the train to Belur or Dakshineshwar at 4am on special occasions!..... From such a home I got married to a home where people wake up at 12pm, perhaps never had seen the beauty of a sunrise unless on a pleasure trip to the Tiger Hills.... After having bed tea at 12-1pm, people got on to me... "maa to kono shikkha diye pathaini"..... your mother has not taught you any manners.... I am a "bad o-men".... I definitely would retaliate saying ... I think your mother also did not.... else you would not have spoken in this manner! So, you see a girl has to adjust a lot in a life time and it is not only men who "outrage the modesty of a girl".... women too! What is this "bad o-men's" message to her daughters? Do no less duty to the surrounding but do not allow anyone have the pleasure to insult you or your parents! No, no I am not trying to impress any prospective Olive Oyl .... be it a fashion diva, a book worm, a singer-dancer or a sports freak!.... Do these teens read my posts?.... My recipes are not health prone.... you must remain healthy, not to attract boys but knowing that obesity it a disease! So, have only one piece of this PINEAPPLE JAGGERY SWEET and play, sing, dance, read, merry.... make sure to stay away from Indian TV soaps.... most of them teach wrong... they teach a woman to accept disrespect with a smile .... respect people who do not deny you of it.... Read classics.... or say a reader's digest instead of Archies.... Though I still cannot forget about... "Aronyodeb".... "Jadukar Mandrake".... "hada bhoda"..... "batul the great"..... but we also read Upendra Kishore or Sailor Sindbaad.... Our son is a car game freak, you should not be .... To parents who say.... "anko te ekshoi-eksho na pele kaan tene chirey debo"..... sorry to say... it is not good parenting! There is no good parenting at this home too.... the father sits with his beer mug and peanuts back from office, the son plays in his computer, the hopeless mother does "ghanta pooja from this food group to that."

What was I doing the last two days? I was following news of the upcoming big, fat wedding.... was thinking where will it take place... in Seychelles Island or in that house that is called one of the wonders of India these days? However, I find the exterior of that house resembling a skeleton with no sense of aesthetic beauty.... but then you see... grapes are sour when you cannot get them! Going back 15 years, Times Of India was such a pleasure every morning that we ceased from showing our loyalty towards Stateman.... Teenhood meant Statesman, Anandabazaar Patrika, "onekta dudhe ektukhani cha, ruti-aloordum, jilipi".... oh! do not expect me to love marie & cream-crackers.... the parents force-fed the sibling duo for 25 long years with hardly any variation! Why that pleasure called Times Of India has to share women in swim suits explaining in details their BMI .... making me so jealous who cannot do anything with her overly thunderous thighs.... how to? This fat, old lady takes a power nap in the gym at times... haha and then goes to the MacDonald opposite for an apple pie.... while the sweat is still on.... However... I enjoy the Times Food shares, save them! To the teens, do not be this sarcastic as this senile woman.... and know that to build a home to make it a place to visit, it requires a lot of hard work! We must take lessons from the incidents around... like saving Times Food recipes and closing my eyes at the girls with perfect BMI.... No wonder the husband will say that his wife measures a woman more than any guy.... Following this trend in me I should have been a poet or a painter... I am none, sigh! I am that mean, jealous who prepares this heavenly, quick, sweet bites PINEAPPLE JAGGERY SWEET and jeopardise your plans to remain slim & trim! I talk such rubbish na? What to do I do not have a train to catch, a bus to board! What is my current read?.... Mircea Elliade's English version of La Nuit Bengali..... almost after 31 years of reading Nahanyate! I always prefer print media... e-books seem difficult to me.... but this site offers you a lot... just discovered few days back! I still do not know it is a must read or not, but you should know the other version of the same story... which incidentally was true..... hence!

Would you please take a look at few of my previously shared recipes? Here they are...

MATAR MUSHROOM

CASHEW CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS :
Fresh Pineapple Juice : 1coffee mug
Grated Jaggery : 1/2small cup [I used date-palm jaggery]
Powdered Milk : 1medium cup
Ghee : 3tsp [clarified butter]
Full Fat Milk : 1/2small cup
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/2tsp
Sliced Pistachios or almonds to garnish...

METHOD :

We will use a juicer to get fresh pineapple juice from cubed pineapple chunks. We will grate the jaggery too!

We will take the powdered milk, ghee and full fat milk together in a microwave proof bowl and mix well. Microwave at high for 2 minutes, stirring in between.

The main ingredients are ready at the kitchen counter!

Heat a wok on gas stove and pour the pineapple juice. Bring it to boil and let it boil for 3-4 minutes at low to medium heat!

Add the grated jaggery!

Mix the jaggery and pineapple juice very well and let boil. Discard the scum from top if any.

Once the mixture get sticky.... but not much.... we will add the green cardamom powder and instantly made solidified milk / khoya.

Fold in well and constantly stir for 3-4 minutes, switch off. Overcooking it may get you irresistible candies!

Transfer to a plate and let cook a bit, so that we do not burn our precious palms!

We will shape the sweets while the mixture is still warm.

We will have them fresh, they are a bit of a chewy texture, not soft. Refrigerate if you may but bring to the normal temperature before consuming. If you are aspiring for a bikini body, stay off... its a poison for you!

This Samba Rice is winning over me these days... so small grains compared to a Basmati and unlikely to be a Bengali's favourite, but I am liking it .... I have not tried it with "macher jhol".... yet, I feel it should go well.... If I can have "macher jhol" with basmati.... a samba or ponny variety should work. I do not like a basmati rice and fish curry combination..... why? because I am fond of "macher jhol" and not "fish curry".... the rest in this house prefers fish curry.... I am simply craving for some "bata macher jhal" these days but I will not buy those frozen ones.... The locals here do eat some "Bengali" fish like gurjali [Indian Salmon], bhangor [Grey Mullet], tilapia... problem is the couple duo did not fancy these fish ever .... The son do not even remember what mumma fed him back in Kolkata, how much I try, he prefers a "fish curry" over "macher jhol".... I did cook that fish recipe of that person who supposedly rules the "fish market" among the food bloggers of a particular region, the morons at this home loved it so much so that they along with Cristine finished a big bowl.... the primitive me enjoyed my share of "kechki macher peyaj chocchori".... I will blog on it only when some stop irritating me, I will serve this SAMBA RICE .... SABUT MASOOR.... KIDNEY BEAN PULAO on a yellow plate only when "My India" stop smelling communal .... only when the hooligans out on a destructive spree are booked and punished hard! Only an uneducated mass can destroy a national property.... and when they are backed by an authority... you know the dooms day is very near. Only education can enlighten them to think and re-think that Ram-Sita-Lakshman looks good in a temple .... we will visit the temple and offer prayers, flowers, sweets.... the trio or other Gods & Goddesses has not role to play in the Senate, Parliament! "My India" is "Not Shining".... Religious sentiments of people need not be hurt, Religion need not be allowed any entry into mainstream politics nor be made prime in one's life... it is just a part of our life! I wonder how the Chief Minister of a state talks of building goushalas where kids die of lack of oxygen in the hospital..... I feel exhausted, irritated and lack of rhythm within me.... Better we talk food! The senior at this home requested .... S, I wish to have only Basmati if having rice, yes he turned an "elitist leftist".... accha ok... will not get sarcastic as much.... I give in.... the thin framed man works hard.... looks very exhausted in the evening.... My wish to switch to unpolished wild or red rice remains a dream.... The son who belongs to this island or say more like people who hated his mumma .... loves red rice to iced lemon tea to white liquid in fish fillets... "fish curry"... you see.... I am not the person who can exert, who can force anything unto anyone... So long the son fancies a "aloo chingrir patla jhol".... "murgi o pathar jhol".... "shutki macher bhorta".... "chanar dalna".... "luchi-porota".... the mother should be happy with a consolation prize and whispers "boukey bolish roj raatey pasta aar pizza na kortey, ektu pepey aloo diye murgir jhol korey khash dujoney".... The mumma releases a big sigh and cooks a "khichdi" dish as this SAMBA RICE.... SABUT MASOOR.... KIDNEY BEAN PULAO.... If my men enjoy "fulko luchi & murgir kosha".... I will happily serve this wholesome mains with a sides they worship.... crisp chicken strips done in grill option... beautifully yellow huh?.... I do not have a sharp nose to poke here, there everywhere.... I can only talk about "My India" and show my concern on how to keep this island more green..... so you will not see me ever doing a "green curry pork".... no one has any right to cross boundaries.... I only wonder why two neighbouring countries with similar kind of hindrances towards growth could not ever be friends... remained foes! Yes, I will use this space to speak my mind.... I am not an ace food blogger either .... you will never see me hopping around big shots .... be it in virtual or real world.... that is a mediocre trait!

What is cooking this morning at this home? Not much but a pulao, chicken curry, egg curry and pasta! Weird combination, we have a party today at a friend's place.... food is to be parcelled.... I will take shower in vodka with fresh lime .... I am hating sprite in vodka... so sweet... what else we will do?.... Well, we will talk about well being of India with heavenly sips on Martini.... as all NRIs do when they get together.... we do not have to commute in overcrowded buses and trains! I do not get angry when people justifiably attack the hypocrite in me! When I say mornings are so beautiful.... it is the failed poet in me saying so, while a friend called Prama Bhattacharjee has to travel for two hours to her college where she teaches English .... in an overcrowded train.... she shares the picture of that ordeal.... how mornings actually are in India... I have no right to get angry with her though she points at how hypocrite I am.... I could not share something to tell her you are right Prama! Why so? .... because I "target" readers for my blog.... I did not kiss my buddy Indirra Sengupta either who travels to her school in a chauffeur driven car.... I took a midway.... I cannot remain wise as often as I wish to.... the not so versatile cook in me is detrimental to it..... I can never manage a rose fondant.... "nikuchi korechey.... dhonepata diye pabdar jhol namiye debo shudhu kalojeerey foron aar ektu ada lanka bata, holud guro diye, ekta mathao bhangbey na"..... Anyway, I have a Prama, Indirra as friends, some dears of late have started smelling stinkingly communal including the brother! ..... I will not leave them neither kiss when I am hurt! The brother is to be kept closer, he sees a chicken and immediately shares the sister's post without thinking much... haha.... trust me he has a heart of a kid even at 40.... interested only in meat, biryani and sports .... the communal in him is just an odd, temporary phase... by chance! So if an S can call herself a hypocrite, why cannot the rulers of that country call themselves communal?..... Stay in power, do not use religion to win over the uneducated mass. It is Good Friday today, this SAMBA RICE.... SABUT MASOOR.... KIDNEY BEAN PULAO does not suit the occasion.... if I have posted a chicken stew on Ram Navami, I will not share a cake recipe on Easter either.... I have decided to celebrate only Durga Pooja, Diwali, Eid, Janmashtami, X-mas.... ok Poila Boishak too.... Besides been a hypocrite, I am a "ghar tyara"..... I still remember a six year old who got down the dance floor sensing a lovelessness in the teacher's attitude, a sixteen year old who vowed "tor mukhta ami sharajiboney dekhtey chaina".... if not in real life scene, but the vow is not broken in actual sense! Anyway, this rice & dal pulao went down very well with us.... It is a bit on the spicier side... you can always adjust the heat! I used whole skinned red lentil, kidney bean, samba rice, onion, chillies, garam masala, dry mango powder in it... It is cooked in ghee and yes, in pressure cooker! The "elitist leftist" family enjoyed it with some crisp chicken strips.... The son kept aside all of the kidney beans.... ate rest of the rice and most of the chicken... mumma & babai enjoyed both! There has to be some relief before I write the steps of the recipe.... What did that heroine tell Jholmol Khan in that movie "mujhe nafrat se nehi, pyar se darr lagti hai babu"..... till date I cannot stop giggling at it.... I say in same style... "mujhe pela rang se nafrat nehi yaroon, bas woh pela rang ke fetti mathe pe dekhkar... aakhein dukhta hai".... before you faint at my miserable hindi I should stop.... Yellow that looks so beautiful in the picture below looks horrible when used as a politically motivated agenda!... My own cousin is a monk at Ramakrishna Mission.... He is the principal of a boy's school run by the mission... his saffron dress does not disturb me... he does eat biryani when he comes to us... BTW, we also had 'lebu, lanka, peyaj, chaltar achar' and a salad with lettuce & cherry tomato with the platter!

While I write down the recipe for it, try the below given link for a prawn curry...

METHI PHORON CHINGRI

INGREDIENTS :

Samba Rice : 1 coffee mug [choose your variety]

Whole Red Lentil with Skin : 1/2 small cup [malka masoor]

Kidney Bean : 1small cup [rajma]

Onion : 2medium [sliced little thick]

Dry Red Chilli : 2-3 [halved]

Green Chilli : 2-3 [slitted]

Cinnamon Stick : 2-3 two inch stick

Green Cardamom : 2-3

Clove : 4

Bayleaf : 2-3

Aamchur Powder : 11/2tsp

Garam Masala Powder : 2tsp

Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp

Salt : As Required

Ghee : 4tbsp + 2tbsp

Water : 11/2 coffee mug

Chopped coriander to garnish

A pressure cooker of 4-5 litres size to cook.... haha

PROCEDURE :

We need to soak the kidney beans / rajma in hot water for about 2 hours and then pressure cook it up to four whistles at low heat adding water and salt.

Soak the samba rice and malka masoor dal for 1hour each. Drain the water from all once they are ready to cook.

Heat 4tbsp ghee in a pressure cooker, temper with bay leaves, halved dry red chillies, cinnamon sticks, green cardamoms and cloves... Stir!

Add the onion slices now and stir fry till golden brown. Add the boiled kidney beans, totally discard the water. Stir for 2 minutes.

Add the samba rice and whole, skinned red lentil, Fold in well and stir further for 2 minutes.

Add the turmeric, garam masala and dry mango powders, fold in well and stir for a minute or so.

Add 11/2 coffee mug of water .... fold in well. Add salt. Close lid of the pressure cooker.

Pressure cook at lowest heat up to just one whistle and switch off. That gets you "jhorjhorey pulao in cooker.".... I am happy because I am not comfortable in pressure cooking.

Once it opens normally, transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with 2tbsp ghee and chopped coriander.

For the crisp chicken strips.... marinate the chicken strips with lemon juice, black pepper powder, tandoori masala, oil and salt. Keep aside for 1hr. Take bread crumbs in a bowl... coat each chicken piece well with it.... cook in grill option of microwave 12 minutes one side and 10 minutes the other.

Serve the platter with lemon wedges, pickle, salad, onion and green chilli!

I would not say cooking a Biryani is a cake walk for me but it is not a scary affair either as baking is.... I am absolutely relaxed while doing it though the preparation part starts the night prior to it.... it should if you want melt in the mouth mutton pieces as the meat pieces we get back in Kolkata... I have not travelled even 1/4th of India ..... so should not comment on my comfortability with the Biryani taste of other states. I doubt the authenticity of a Lucknow style Biryani served in a Kolkata restaurant and vice-versa.... though Bahadur Shah Zafar brought with him the original recipe! There has to be certain local influence in a dish from other states, hence I give utmost importance to my taste buds and do not bother much about its authenticity.... How can I? We are not wealthy enough to travel places frequently though we wish to.... I came across a BBC travel post yesterday.... where it shows a remote Moroccan town preparing a pizza like bread on sand.... immediately I was lost there.... I do follow such sites to provide some relief to a disturbed soul.... Why disturbed? Aww come on.... you forgot so soon how tensed I am with my horrid BMI and thunderous thighs.... "shapely thighs" are a "quality" to have.... No, I have no intention to take a dig at the local people here... they wear revealing dresses and also know how to carry a dress.... how to sit and stand in public.... Ok, I admit I am very "jealous" of not being able to show off my "assets" which are truly a "quality" to get a thousand adulations. I do adore beauty until it takes ugly turns! I do believe in moderation, I could not stop myself from commenting on a post few weeks back where it showed burqa clad women running a race.... in a 40*C..... heat.... both men and women of different communities were making a mockery of them.... I could not stop myself from commenting.... "Stop it, they can even die of dehydration" .... A young boy.... may be a few years older than my son.... retaliated without an understanding of what I meant ..... said "when do we have the pleasure to see you running without any clothes?" ..... Though I am very "mean" and "jealous" of not been able to woo handsome "men" ..... I really could not digest it! ..... I do like / love the "right" kinds of both men and women around .... men who respect women.... and women whose sole intention is not to woo boys by any means .... boys who can see a real woman beyond her physical frame.... women who know how to carry themselves well even in a mini-skirt.... all our wrong is in our attitude and intentions... Some of my very dear friends wear a Hijab.... it is their religious belief! Wrong is when people mercilessly comment negatively on the women who were running in burqas!.... I did not create a ruckus calling every other person from my community because it was the hindu and christian men and women who were insulting those racers.... I blocked that boy.... the best I could do is to keep my cool in averse situations but unfortunately my irritable syndromes do not allow me.... Should I blame it on the approaching menopause? I also feel proud of that father who with the dead body of his sixteen year old son on his lap could say .... "no retaliation.... let peace be restored!"..... A MUTTON BIRYANI..... AN ODE dedicated to the peace maker! No, I am not taking sides.... in a riot innocents from both communities die, those 40 Indians could not return alive from the ISIS camp.... heart bleeds.... The heart roars when people with extreme degree of insensibility mix a long standing freedom struggle with the size of their arms, legs, waist, its an utter disgraceful mis-match! Anyway, My heart goes out to that father at this moment for whom a far more severe riot was stopped in Bengal.... I hope you are following the world news....

I was thinking when I go back for whom would I? Would the mother be alive?.... If not.... off course for the brother, my husband's sister! I would love to be selfish from a self-centric for my family.... husband, son, brother, husband's sister, cousins and their kin! You see, my 22 inch framed man needs a Biryani diet, he cannot even afford to wear a half-pant so thin are his legs..... You cannot blame the wife's voluptuous amount of "jealousy".... be a little kind to her dear peeps.... how does she consoles herself?... believing all her man's handsomeness is "between his two ears"...... Why did she have to prepare and share an Eggplant Raita with Porota alongside this MUTTON BIRYANI..... AN ODE....?..... because this lady has an ocean of love for those who knowing all her weaknesses towards them never took advantage of her feeling .... that is called good upbringing.... a "quality".... that makes me weaker you see.... haha !.... I hate them for their fear towards commitments, I love them for not making false promises to anyone !... So the "shapey-neuley" relationship is to stay till my doom's day.... "amai na khyapaley mangshor sangey kichu toritarkari thakbey".... haha.... Coming to our monkey.... on a biryani day.... he does not google map for the way to the kitchen ..... barely giving mumma any chance to take better clicks.... anyway she is poor at it.... The taste of this MUTTON BIRYANI ..... AN ODE is more like Kolkata style biryani and an ode to this family's taste buds... I do my biryani following my help in Kolkata "Rizia Mashi's son-in-law's" recipe .... he works at a biryani joint there.... and I find his recipe perfect to my tastebud.... This kind of biryani calls for eggs and potatoes both... I skipped the boiled eggs... it was night time, biryani is a rich dish....

INGREDIENTS : [for the rice]

Long Grained Basmati : 1coffee mug
Black Cardamom : 2
Caraway Seed : 1tsp
Cinnamon Stick : 2-4 three inch sticks
Clove : 5-6
Javitri : 2-3
Salt : As Required
Water : As Required

INGREDIENTS : [to cook the mutton]

Mutton : 1kg [medium cut]
Onion : 2big [sliced]
Plain Yogurt : 1medium cup
Garlic Paste : 3tbsp
Ginger Paste : 2tsp
Grated Khoya : 1medium cup
Nutmeg : 1/2 of one ground to a powder
Paste of the the black cardamom, caraway seeds, cinnamon sticks, cloves and javitri that has been saved from the cooked rice
Red Chilli Powder : 1tbsp
Coriander Powder : 2tsp
Salt : As Required
Ghee : 1/2small cup [clarified butter]
Screw Pine Essence : 3-4 drops [else use rose water]

FINAL STAGE :

The Cooked Rice
The cooked Mutton
One medium cup of warm milk with few saffron strands soaked in
Crispy fried onion slices to garnish
Ghee or clarified butter : 2tbsp for each layer of mutton and rice
Screw Pine or Kewra Essence or Rose water : Few Drops
Potato : 3-4 [boiled, halved, fried]

PROCEDURE :

Marinate the washed mutton with beaten yogurt, salt, half of the ginger garlic paste for at least 4-5 hours.

Half boil the potatoes.... once cool... peel, half and rub with little salt and turmeric and fry!

Let us cook the rice first! Wash and soak the rice for 1/2 an hour!

Tie the mentioned spices in a clean piece of cloth and drop it on a vessel with enough water.

Switch on gas and let it come to boil.

When the water comes to boil, we will add the washed and soaked rice and salt as much as required.

Once the rice is done, we will transfer it to a big strainer and let the water drain.

Heat ghee in a wok and fry the onion slices.

Add the rest of the ginger-garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the marinated mutton along with the marinade... fold in well.

Cover cook at lowest heat for at least 30 minutes stirring in between. Open cover and add the nutmeg powder and paste of the cinnamon sticks, black cardamom, cloves, caraway seeds, javitri.

Mix well and cover cook further for 10 minutes at low heat.

Add the shredded solidified milk.

Fold in well, cook for another five minutes, switch off gas.

Once the mutton is cooked, arrange a layer of cooked rice in a deep bottomed vessel. Our fried onion slices and saffron soaked milk is ready.

Add mutton and potatoes atop. Add milk and 2tbsp ghee.

Repeat the process once again. Add the kewra or rose water.... only 2-4 drops.

Cover with a heavy lid. I was too tired to seal with an atta dough! So I kept a chapati making base atop. You should choose yours.

Switch on gas oven and place a frying pan on it. Keep the vessel with rice and mutton on it.

Cook at medium to low heat for 40 - 45 minutes. We are done!

We enjoyed the Mutton Biryani with some Eggplant Raita and Porota alongside!

Ok let us be a little fair towards few wishes of people who had been nice at different stages of my life! Cake does happen at this home but the simplest, basic ones.... the men's taste buds got used to it! For the rest like our favourite vanilla cream topping with fresh fruits like mango or pineapple, there is a Bengawan Solo, Icing Room within 100 mt of our home, the flat nose me get cream cake or swiss rolls from the normal, wet market bakeries too.... We did not grow up eating cakes from Flury's so our son need not.... The miser me do not ever buy organic food.... let us eat homemade food instead of tinned.... if we have the option of getting fresh supplies, we must avail it! You see there are certain advantages of being a miser.... the other day I got four peaches for five dollars.... that too on a discount.... the primitive me is not fond of it but got to pack their food boxes. Though they ate, all of us prefer mangoes.... the fresh batch of Thai Honey Mangoes arrived, so if it is mango every day, then peach once every two weeks.... the miser concluded when a peach upside down cake went wrong.... self defence man! Let the sugar level go up in its own course... I was supposed to go to the doctor this morning.... but felt let me do some food talk and visit the doctor tomorrow.... Old doctor Chang is replaced by his son now and I hardly can have the pleasure to talk food there. The son always suspects I am in an unhappy marriage and hence look depressed! Till date I had been unable to convince Vincent... the junior Chang... that it is my nature to talk less and not to smile every now and then.... I am too unwilling to apply potato juice under eyes to look good. If there is any such impression of depression on my face, it is for my inability to have a Murtabak with tea every alternate day.... or a Biryani or a Cream Cheese cake every week. Do not ever try to bring Hilsa or Mutton on my restricted list ..... I will not tolerate! Coming to why a Cake today, well no one has couriered me fresh duck eggs or other produce from their garden or furnished me with the necessary tricks on how to take care of my small patch of greens.... everyone seems to be like our mother not in the habit of sharing trade secret! You must enjoy her blooms from far.... do not try to go up her terrace.... it smells terrible with "khol pocha shar".... Our mother prepares her own organic fertilisers! She did not get us cake from Flurys often... not allowed Bapuji cake either.... and Nahoums once a month or once in two months .... She will love this cinnamon flavoured CASHEW NUT RAISIN BUTTERMILK CAKE with lemon zest prepared by her daughter.... It is she who got me an old fashioned cake oven when I was 17! She still stored that spoilt one..... she is not in the habit of throwing away anything.... Every Bengali home in a landed property has a loft atop the toilet or a storage room at the back of the kitchen.... "bharer ghar".....

The mother does not share her trade secret, some do not send me fresh duck eggs, some do not tell me how they manage a small scale business after managing a landed property with only a part time help.... our mother's daughter is me.... some do not even tell me how they got to be expert in so many cuisines also knowing the history behind them .... Oh my! I have every reason to be jealous.... Anyway, however poor I am at baking, I felt I should do something for qualitatively high people.... Then there are the kids who I love the most.... some for baking better than me and the one like my son who loves to eat mumma's homemade cakes as this CASHEWNUT RAISIN BUTTERMILK CAKE! Fulfilling the wishes of the deserving people is a wise thing to do as much as is wise to give a blind eye to vulgarity.... I asked at least three people yesterday how to handle the non-sense around? I got a little bit wiser yesterday and felt vulgarity is an "incurable" disease.... if one's good qualities are overpowered by vulgarity, the path for destruction is made clear and is very near! The best I can do is give a deaf ear and blind eye and ignore such things I find nonsensical, indecent! I do not know how long I remain wise as this.... hahaha, even flat noses poke!.... My kind of wisdom is having a "plateful of panta bhaat, daler bora, peyaz, lanka, nun".... rice soaked in water overnight and then eaten with lentil fritters, onion, green chilli, salt with type2 diabetes.... a tongue that creates all trouble!

There is more to it. I got a packet of spring roll sheets and planning some spring rolls tonight!

Though the doctors feel like tearing off my tongue, I love and worship it. I am also trying to get back the junior to mumma's camp in absence of the father. All said and done, I practice some colour matching these days.... it may seem wrong to you and vice versa..... like I feel there is a lot of tension between blue and green.... I try to bring them together, I find it very wrong to accuse all for few! If someone has shown you love you must respect that.... you are not a nut head like S! I feel very proud to say that RED is static.... it embraces all others but together.... Since I do not aspire for "likes" anymore.... I will do what I feel is right.... Yes I am all about I, Me, Myself! This CASHEW NUT RAISIN BUTTERMILK CAKE has refined flour, buttermilk, condensed milk, vinegar, little sugar, cinnamon powder, oil, baking powder, cashew nuts, raisins, lemon / lime jest.... lets do it with people who are as fearful as me when it comes to baking!

INGREDIENTS :

Refined Flour : 1coffee mug
Butter Milk : 1coffee mug [I use Amul]
Condensed Milk : 1small cup
Sugar : 2-3tbsp
Vinegar : 1tbsp [white]
Baking Powder : 1/2tbsp
Lemon Zest : 2tbsp
Cinnamon Powder : 1tsp
Cashew Nut : 7-10 [halved]
Raisin : 10-12
Oil : 1medium cup [I used Sunflower]

PROCEDURE :

Preheat oven to 180*C.

Take the refined flour, cinnamon powder and the baking powder in a bowl and mix well.

In your mixer, add the butter milk, condensed milk, sugar and oil. Pulse for 2-3 minutes with intervals. It should be light with bubbles forming atop.

Pour it on the flour mix and beat with a table spoon. Remember it is for the novice baker as me. I do it for 5 minutes.

Add the lemon zest and mix well.

Grease a cake tin with little oil. Pour the cake batter and level it. Garnish with halved cashew nuts and raisins.

Place the low rack in the preheated oven, place the cake tin atop.

In the convection method of my microwave oven it took 40 minutes at 180*C to bake the cake!

Enjoy this simply made cake with few ingredients available at home with tea!

There is practically no fixed tea time at this home except for weekends, though tea happens even at 9 pm and several cups in between at the office may be. Tea starts with an empty stomach assisted by packets of cigars..... All the health warnings I get to go through around only aggravates my tension without any impact on the concerned person ..... one who is not in the habit of taking instructions ..... good or bad ..... an inherited character trait you hardly can change!.... So deep fried spring rolls are not a big deal at this home ..... To console myself, I have such foods with a big bowl of salad... not so less in amount as you see in the picture. I am not a saint either, I cannot start the morning with seeds and nuts and end it with pot roasts each and every day!.... I am very fond of them who do it as much as I am fond of fries and fritters .... they continue to get royal treat at this home. So, the impossible to control man came back yesterday and mumma, son and Cristine didi had this snack duo for dinner two days back, that too at 11pm .... sounds pretty unhealthy.... right? Since it was decided that happiness should be the prime at this home, I give in and prepare this CHICKEN SPRING ROLL & SPICY PRAWN without much guilt.... When we do not have much to say in self defence.... we prefer to leave it on the almighty! People like me live in a glass paradise, what else? I came through a news yesterday.... a minor girl raped for a couple of months, gets pregnant.... forced to go for an abortion and was handed over the foetus to throw it somewhere.... Try to imagine the "lovely" scenario .... and mind it .... it is not an one of case.... Since women are not a "sacred creature".... you will not see people storming the social media on such issues. Good is that the girl did not throw the foetus but straightaway reached the police station with it accompanied by the mother and lodges a complain.... she gets justice or not.... she lodged a complaint.... rest of the news around lost importance to me compared to her bravery! What is bad?..... Sitting far off in a glass paradise and giving big talks.... The self centric me got used to a secured life .... she is a mother too and does not hesitate to insist on her husband saying that she does not want her son to go back to any kind of uncertainty and disturbance. No wonder the husband will say that his wife's demands are much higher than an average woman... not limited to a Christian Dior lipstick or eyeliner or a Gucci bag .... then what?....the husband & son has to go there and "up" there! She may seem to you as a superfluous character.... I do not mind .... I have stopped responding to those pages.... Milaap, Care India and rest.... they need financial assistance and not likes or big talks! I do what makes me happy.... click, eat, cook and share! You can see that dustbin is unwanted here but it is so indispensable in life.... "poetry & reality".... both is required!

After a walk, this mango-aloevera juice was so refreshening.... I cannot have these regularly as they are sweetened.... I stick to my share of Olong and Ayataka tea and gets into an awkward feeling... are the roots loosening?.... When I jumped at the sight of a fresh ilish yesterday and got it too at a reasonable price, I felt I need not tense much. Looking at the pictures of "chalter dal to kechki maacher chocchori".... I thought when do I actually blog on them? Oh God, I feel so uncomfortable with tight hugs, giving in myself to any one in "particular".... No one should "own" anyone.... at least they should not be in a dilemma that they own me... I make it clear.... very clear these days! It is good to express your views in public.... political or otherwise..... but until when we are doing it in a decent manner.... I see around "indecent" ones full of "wrong" informations .... everyone is a "doctorate" these days.... like if I start talking about Isro or Nasa in public.... will it not be an indecent take?.... Who gave us the right to talk on something we do not know 1/4 of... I strongly felt that wearing a swim suit and posting pictures in public is perhaps less vulgar than posting wrong informations that breeds hatred!... My glass paradise is better.... walking, gym-ing, clicking and eating.... I keep on telling my brother be what you actually are... eat biryani & phuchka, play cricket, watch F1.... I find his wife a very justifiable woman compared to some! I guarded him as a mother... not to see him talk nonsense! A spring roll for my love for him and spicy prawns for loosing his mind at times!

The husband is at home, yep we are changing our television console and crockery unit... I am sitting in an unruly atmosphere with everything scattered around.... I do not even know what I am writing.... I am not bothered either.... the preface of my recipe shares are always irrelevant.... No, I am not so excited with the arrival of new furnitures, my readers know I like handloom wears, bamboo & roughly polished wooden furnitures, terracotta pieces, rugs!.... We had to change, so we did! Better I share this snack duo CHICKEN SPRING ROLL & SPICY PRAWN that became an instant hit at this home.... My readers know that I am not good at artistry, rolling pastry sheets perfectly and all does not come to me naturally! The entire credit of rolling the pastry goes to our Cristine. I could not take the stepwise pictures properly as it was 9pm when I started! I went for my walk, took a look at the Facebook stream and all of a sudden decided that I will not go Bengali next, I have about ten Bengali recipes waiting to be shared right now! I will show some love to my second home without ignoring the rest.... Well with pure vegetarians.... at times I am really helpless, I am not a person with brain.... so excuse me.... shall get back to you as soon as possible. Do not expect me to prepare authentic Oriental spring rolls.... I did it my way.... We can do any experiment with prawns.... it was done in half an hour! I prepared it in oven, you can do it on stove top! So that is what happened.... the lady went for a walk.... on way back gets some fresh prawns and spring roll pastry sheets.... prepares a snack combo of CHICKEN SPRING ROLL & SPICY PRAWN .... serves and have dinner at 11pm.... goes to the gym next morning with zero output.... There is a good news too .... the sugar level has slightly gone down... perhaps with the touch of old doctor Chang.... he was there day before yesterday with all his warmth.... "Come on S, Tarzan lived in a jungle and had nothing to eat but fruits.... even I cannot resist Biryani.... that too a plateful".... He is around 80 and still working!

INGREDIENTS : [for the Spicy Prawn]

Prawn : 300-500gm [de shell with tail on, wash]

Cumin Powder : 1tsp

Coriander Powder : 1/2tsp

Aamchur Powder : 1/2tsp [dry mango powder]

Red Chilli Powder : 1/3tsp

Garam Masala Powder : 1/3tsp

Lemon Juice : 1tbsp

Salt : As Required

Oil : 2tbsp [I used mustard for a red colour]

INGREDIENTS : [for the Chicken Spring Roll]

Minced Chicken : 250-300gm

Spring Roll Pastry Sheet : 12-15

Onion : 1medium [peeled, sliced, washed]

Green Chilli : 2 [chopped, washed] [optional]

Lettuce : 1medium cup [chopped,washed]

Black Pepper Powder : 1tsp

Soya Sauce : 1tbsp

Salt : Very less

Oil : To deep fry

PROCEDURE :

Sorry, in a hurry the picture went wrong! Taste matters!

Marinate the washed prawns with all the ingredients and keep aside for 10-12 minutes.

Arrange in a oven proof plate.

I placed the tall rack inside my convection mode microwave oven.

I cooked one side for 8 minutes in grill option, turned over and cooked for 5 minutes the other side. We are done.

For the Chicken Spring Rolls, we required 1 hour.

Let us prepare the filling first.

Wash the minced chicken through a strainer and marinate with very little salt for about 15-20 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok, temper with minced garlic. Stir for 1/2 a minute.

Add the sliced onion and stir till translucent. Add the minced chicken, stir and cook covered at medium heat for 10 minutes.

Open cover and add the soya sauce, black pepper powder, and very little salt. Stir cook at high heat for 3-4 minutes till all the water dries up....

Add the shredded lettuce and stir for half a minute. The filling for chicken spring roll is ready.... let it cool for a bit.

Place a pastry sheet on a base in a diamond shape.

Add filling in the middle. Roll half, fold little from the two sides, and complete the roll.

Stick the end with water.

Heat enough oil for deep fry the spring rolls. We will fry them in batches.

Do not let them burn, so be careful with the heat. Once done, which will take very less time, transfer on to tissue papers before serving...

We enjoyed the combo snack deal with some salad and yes, as dinner.

Tofu in a soup .... yes, I do have it on a regular basis on my lunch dates with myself! When it comes to feeding tofu to my men and majority of my readers.... it has to have added spices and flavour enhancing herbs.... You bet only a Bengali / Indian has the ability to turn something as healthy as tofu to a flavourful, spice laden bliss called TOFU POTATO BITES & MINT-GARLIC-TAMARIND-CHUTNEY.... Yes a chutney or a dip is a must with such tongue teasers / snacks. There obviously was some non vegetarian items along side... I do not remember what, not bothered either!.... I wish to go ahead with a humble vegetarian share today, I will .... I do not want to go Bengali.... I will not.... though I know I have to go Bengali next... its our New Year at the doorstep! I am a Bengali and the major shares on my blog would be Bengali... that is natural..... What I find unnatural these days is some? people's wish to control me.... what they? have done throughout their? life .... considering me as their? pet.... At 47, I refuse to give in to that unnatural demand.... I am very open about who I am .... never a self proclaimed angel.... I am very poor at acting... though an ardent Bollywood fan. A couple of my friends have personally complained me about some? people's tendency to make me their? pet though they cannot go public with the truth ever! Till date I had given them a deaf ear on humanitarian grounds.... now no more.... even the husband never tried to control me, perhaps because he did not want to be a loser like his mother... haha.... I am not a material to be caged! There had been some people around who constantly were / are facilitating this unnatural demand of some? people's tendency of ruling over me, thinking me to be their personal property.... I got so very irritated that I had to unfriend some of them in social media though they have done a lot for me in real life.... I felt bad initially, then I consoled myself believing they did it because I am "my husband's wife" and not "their friend" actually! I wished so much to write about these "real helps" in this space but I will not unless they make me feel very happy.... off course I am self centric.... I accept it, some do not! By the way, some of my friends's complain of some? people's constant endeavour to consider me their? pet for decades is very true..... People have the liberty to think what they wish .... problem is they think I am a total nut.... I admit I am largely so .... not that much either that I do not understand anything! I adore transparency of hearts..... I was one, I lost it totally after joining the social media.... Our daddy was not in social media and hence died a hero, such people cannot sustain a made up world! Did I ever say he was a good bridge player and got prizes too? During his last years he tended to forget everything and could not play it properly. His partners got agitated... those partners who my brother invited cordially and treated with "mach, mangsho, roshogolla" at his funeral. Its a year now, do you think I will do the same on his yearly mourning? No I will cook for him which I hardly got a chance to, go to RKM and donate a little something! .... Did our mother appreciate those accolades? No....... she said "tash khela bajey obhyash"... card games are bad! ..... Two incompatible person did not make a hell out of everything that helped us grow up as normal, happy kids. Are you taking care of making your "home" a happy one?.... That is an exercise, rest comes next and very much next! In this matter, we can take some pride.... We together went to choose our furnitures, no sharing the pictures is not a show off... they are low cost.... we bought only when the husband got his yearly bonus! Below is how we struggled to create some space within a 1150 sq ft. area and make it look brighter.... Now the husband's part is done.... Cristine and her ma'am will have to work hard to keep the white last. What was our lunch after the rearrangement? "Dim Sheddo Aloo Sheddo Bhaat"..... boiled eggs and potatoes with rice.... ghee for the men.... what for the primitive?.... mustard oil and she preferred to share her plate .... she is ok until you try to control her life! In the evening, the husband was in a happy mood and asked the wife to go to Clark Quay..... the wife had already gone ahead with a "methi carrot thepla"..... He did not create a ruckus.... scolded the wife for been an unromantic.... called the available friends.... and all of us celebrated with a "champakoli" that the wife gifted two years back with "thepla".... "gujju" friends if any excuse us for this unusual pairing! How am I a bit ahead of my mother? I do not say a constant no to a husband's wish... so long he is not a drunkard, I do not mind. How is my husband a bit ahead of my dad?.... He respects my wishes! Again some? people think I am that donkey who believes whatever they say.... I am not "entirely a donkey" but "nearly so".... All this while I kept quiet trying to be decent!

How was our yesterday?.... as usual a Saturday is.... I cooked "thorer ghonto" to "kakrer jhal" to "illisher ektu onnorokom".... did photo session of six items.... all horrible.... will share but unless someone of you do not translate for me "thorer aash gulokey angul diye joriye fele ditey hobey".... how will I? No, I do not have any problem admitting my shortcomings, in fact I doubt if I have any quality in me or not... that lack of confidence in me did not let me barge into the management's office and say why should I take reading classes when once I was chosen to teach at plus two level? Until here it is not wrong.... but when some? are up on lowering other's position at work or otherwise, it is wrong! ..... I find it utterly wrong and a feeling of lovelessness grips within! Well, so says the husband.... not everyone have the wisdom of the genius stationed at Mumbai.... a person who at age 35 became one of the top directors of a leading Indian bank ... now I do not even ask where he reached.... the husband says only few in India reaches there! That person does not play golf but eat "phuchka" in and around Mumbai.... gifts my husband a Hugo Boss though! The couples' only pleasure is going for foreign tours twice or once a year... they are "pet roga" cannot eat, do not fancy clothes if not required! Anyway, I do not know when I get to kiss them in public.... this TOFU POTATO BITES & MINT-GARLIC-TAMARIND CHUTNEY should help... its a less oil starter, appetiser and spices are not so bad for health... they say.... no I have no such quality to go on with its nutritive values or history .... you have to go to better people for it! I love food, cook it and share.... cover up my inability by filling this space with my take on "life and people"....

If you wish for some other recipes shared earlier, click the below headings....

CASHEW CHICKEN

MATAR MUSHROOM

INGREDIENTS :

Tofu : 300-350gm [plain, not silken]
Potato : 2big [washed, halved ,boiled, peeled]
Cumin Seed : 2tbsp + 1/4tsp
Coriander Seed : 1tbsp
Dry Red Chilli : 2-3
Fennel Seed : 1/2tsp
Green Chilli : 2 [washed, chopped]
Dry Mango Powder : 1tsp
Ginger Extract : 2tsp
Chaat Masala : To Sprinkle
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Coriander Leaf : 1small cup [chopped, washed]
Salt : As Required
Oil : 3tbsp + 2tbsp

PROCEDURE :

I wash my tofu, do you? Break and mash it just roughly. Mash the boiled potatoes smoothly and take both in a bowl. Add salt and turmeric and mix well.

Dry roast the cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds and dry red chillies for 2 minutes at low heat.

Once cool, dry grind them till coarse.

Heat oil in a wok. Add the chopped green chillies and 1/4tsp cumin seeds, give a quick stir.

Add the potato and tofu mixture and fold in well.

Add the ginger extract and dry ground, coarse spice mixture. Fold in well.

Keep stirring for about 4-5 minutes. Add the chopped coriander leaves and the dry mango powder.

Fold in well and stir for a minute. Switch off gas, our appetiser mixture is ready.

Let it cool before you tear out small portions and shape as you desire.

Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a pan. Place the tikkis, cook till brown at low heat. Turn over and repeat. It takes hardly 5-7 minute.

For the chutney soak 2tbsp seedless tamarind in half medium cup water for 1/2 an hour. Get the extract and transfer to a grinder. Add a medium cup of washed mint leaves, two cloves of garlic, a green chilli and 1/4 tsp of black salt. Grind to a paste.... sprinkle some water if required!

Before serving, sprinkle some chaat masala atop the tikkis.... enjoy! It indeed is a good snack idea!

Well its POILA BOISHAKH for us .... Bengali New Years Day and I can take the liberty to be little more selfish and a bit regional! Two times of the year I take this liberty and I will... though on Friday... a day before "Noboborsho"... I may not go so very authentic.... sharing something everyone can eat! "Friendship" is a sacred term to me unless you get really nasty towards me. Today it has to be an ilish / hilsa day ..... I have not gone Bengali for a while and the craving is at work now.... There is another reason too.... Ilish is a family favourite on both sides of the family and the best member of both the families .... our father left us about a year ago! Yesterday we performed the yearly ritual ..... though the actual date is 21st April.... He loved ilish. No, the daughter was not crying the entire day..... she uploaded her picture in various forums.... totally oblivious of the day which perhaps happened to be the master of the master chefs of India's birthday too ..... then I do not really have a mind to take everything into account .... I do what and when I wish to ..... Come on it was not a full made up face either ..... had I been a beauty queen I would not have done this much too.... I like it nude .... I mean the make up!.... So, I was satisfied and happy to hide my strands of grey, the impossible to measure width of the waist & nose in my "Poila Boishakh" special picture .... in a simple "tant base with multi-coloured appliqué on it'..... then I was free to cook for my "paa..."..... No, I was not sad ... negativity or depression was not in his dictionary, we inherited those traits from our mother! I cooked and served him "some" of his loves... some were missing like ripe jackfruit and a fish curry!.... He specially loved banana, mango, chutney, pickle, eggplant, bitter gourd, luchi, payesh, pulao. That is him in a blue T-shirt.... the daughter's click at her home on 7th January 2017 and her last meeting with him. If you are lucky enough to have your parents around you.... take good care of them... if they are thin.... ask them not to take too much stress.... if they are overweight.... be strict with their diet... The next two pictures you see are the rituals performed by the brother at their terrace.... Our mother is territorial about her landed property so much so that her son has to run each day to catch "atta poneror Barrackpore local".... a morning train to reach Camac Street and her daughter-in-law sets off even earlier at 6:30 am to reach to that school which is about 3km interior of the road beside that seven or five star Hotel now. It was just a plot of land with a placard when we admitted our son there back in 2005.... Can we call it development?.... all the farmlands in that area has big buildings now. Anyway, I have a brother who did not leave his mother for a flat in Kolkata neither she will agree to sell it!.... It is this brother about whom his sister always complained to her father .... bhai uttered 3 bad words today and played with those who I told not to ! .... Some of his friends were / are very dear to me.... they complained... "didi, Sohan left us and is mingling with others which you will not like"..... the mother started mourning and the sister got stricter.... there is my brother who never left his parents.... several of his marriage proposals were broken when at the final stage he told the prospective bride... I love my mother the most and can never leave my parents.... finally this mathematics teacher agreed! His T dada and big sister thinks.... he got used to his "paa..." ironing his trousers and "mani" feeding him on his way to office.... haha.... A well knit family matters.... so ROSHUN KANCHA LANKA NARKOL DIYE ILISH should happen today!.... Again, I did not cry or mourn yesterday.... only memories haunted.... how I tied rubber bands on his chest hairs once he was back from office .... plucked the whites from his eyebrow even after marriage.... Teens.... a player, dancer, singer, painter are you taking care of your parents? Cook and feed them often when they are alive.... No our Prince [of the monkey clan] does not do it, mumma de bones his ilish .... after all he is the prime in my life! She has to cook some chicken too for the non-ilish lover! I think I am just scaring away all the Olive Oyls from the monkey's life.... Not to worry girls..... you are at the liberty to stay far off ... the boss of this house will make sure you do.... only one request.... do not feed my son "pauruti" everyday.... yes, that is patriarchy in full form.... all big talks end here!

You can see the size of the ilish was not so big, neither did I get it from my favourite shops run by my brothers from Bangladesh ..... In a super market here we get something very similar to ilish / hilsa.... they call it Chinese Gizzard Shad... I cannot differentiate between the two.... I was really very skeptical while buying this particular one, they asked only 15 sing dollars for a near 900gm one when they take nothing less than 30 - 35 sing dollars per kilo. I checked the "kanko".... gills.... it seemed fresh.... I felt let me try it with minimal spices .... I am not in support of overdosing a beauty queen with loads of makeup... in this case ilish is the queen.... spices used can be minimal. No, you will not expect innovations from this small brain.... most of the time I do "idhar ka mal udhar, udhar ka mal idhar"..... For this ROSHUN KANCHA LANKA NARKOL DIYE ILISH, I marinated the fish pieces with a generous amount of mustard oil, green chilli-garlic paste, salt, turmeric, shredded coconut.... and microwaved.... you can do it on stovetop too! Do it with love, take good care of ilish.... else I cannot be happy with you.... Imagine a scene.... I am in the final round of KAUN BANEGA CROREPATI, the organisers or the Big B is desperate to get me to help the boss to buy a decent home for us in the world's most expensive island, the final question.... Give a synonym of "ilish".... I take one second... "mohabbat"... "jaan-e-jigar"'ishkiya".... Thats where the dream ends each night! I had a daddy who did not like his daughter wearing a saree, he got so many dresses for her, I hear he had a special tailor to stitch my dresses in our short span of stay in Asansol ..... he started with his job at State Bank Of India, Asansol! He loved girl child and proved that a daughter-in-law can be given a status of a daughter.... a rare ability! You saw me wearing a saree yesterday .... which means I inherited "ghar tyarami" from my father! None of us are good or bad alone, but a mixture!

You see I value the people around, so here is the link for the Aloo Chicken recipe too!

ALOO CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS :

Hilsa / Ilish : 6-8 pieces [preferably fresh]
Garlic Paste : 11/2tbsp
Green Chilli Paste : 3-4tbsp [I am generous]
Salt : As Required
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Shredded Coconut : 1small cup
Lemon Juice : 2-3tbsp [for those who find ilish smelly, excuse me if we cannot be best of friends]
Green Chilli : 2-3 [slitted]
Oil : 1/3small cup without any thought [strictly mustard for us]

PROCEDURE :

I feel very happy with this kind of hassle-free cooking these days, so long that excellent photographer-food blogger, electronic engineer cum HRD Head of the family business do not come back, I can carry on with "fakibaji ranna".....

Wash the fish pieces carefully which means do not get rid of the natural oil doing so!

Marinate will all the ingredients including the slitted green chillies, I forgot. If you find ilish smelly, marinate with lemon juice for 1/2 an hour and wash again before the final marination.

Keep marinated for an hour.

If you want, you can paste the shredded coconut before marination, I did not.

After an hour or so, microwave for 13-14 minutes at 300*C. I cooked it uncovered, so cooking at low heat is a necessity for the fish to stay soft even after cooking.

Each machine differs, so try and test yours to know the correct temperature.

If you are doing on a stove top, place the marinated fish gently on a heated wok. Cover cook till done. If required, sprinkle little water!

In this particular recipe, I found it tastes better if we eat at least 4-5 hours after cooking.

Only piping hot steamed rice is required to enjoy it. The platter also had "badam diye laal shaaker ghonto".... red amaranth with peanuts, "beulir dal".... split black gram dal .... and chicken with tomatoes & potatoes! The breads and salad is not in the picture, do add them the non-ilish lovers!

I prepared this baked beetroot yogurt ...... BAKED BEET ER DOI very happily and thought I will blog on it on the occasion of Poila Baishakh.... that is Bengali New Year! Till day before yesterday it was ok except for the fact that I did not like the image.... which seemed very much imposed and loud to me! It was an immediate reaction, yet I did not do any thing about it but let it be! I wished to put through a message that I may not like shines and too much of colours but I do not have a problem with people who like it otherwise.... How can I when I come from a family where people cannot think beyond red, yellow, green, blue! On my each visit, I cancel at least ten of the mother's sarees and say you will not wear this kinds.... now she is in track more or less! I have not followed protocol much in my life and that gets me in to trouble! I have a childhood friend Sukanta Saha, whose mother... our Mira Mashi's choice of saree I loved since our school days. I never hesitated to tell our mom.... "mani.... I like mashi's choice of saree... off beat, matt finish, ethnic!"..... Till date I do not get what is so wrong in that? I find a singer from a different state of Eastern India very classic, I do not go public with it avoiding further controversies! So, many like mine may not find the images of BAKED BEET ER DOI appealing .... As of me, I adore two kinds of food photography.... appropriate props and the subject.... wherein the picture itself weaves a story.... there is another kind that is plain and simple focussing on the food! This particular picture does not conform to any and not suitable for a Bengali New Year Day! I can guarantee you the taste though, I do have a recipe of baked doi / yogurt blogged on earlier.... this time use of the fresh cream made it so much easier for me! The discomfort of going ahead with this dessert today lies elsewhere! For the past two days, two doe eyes on a blue-yellow dress is haunting me, pelting stones at my "glass heaven".... that I am a "hypocrite" is established even stronger! I am not supposed to keep trays of fresh & dry fruits on display when India is fighting for a cause.... a genuine cause! Two Kashmiri Pandits leading a team to get justice for a muslim girl is a ray of hope denoting integrity but we should not focus on this aspect... never! It is humanity that stood up against barbarism ..... in the history of the country the alternative do / did happen.... so religion is not important here... but the crime.... the grievous truth that the woman tribe is vulnerable! Then I am just a food blogger.... not a versatile cook either.... I do not have 25 different dishes to choose from! Here is a small time blogger struggling to get some readers! Had I been able to create a niche for myself in these few years, would You have seen me doing "ghanta pujo" in different groups? never.... Moreover, I wish to treat my personal Facebook stream and the Facebook page as two different identities![in self defence again!]

Anyway, we can say that baked doi has become a craze sort of in the entire Kolkata, if not in West Bengal! Correct me if I am wrong, I am not an well informed person... not a part of the Kolkata food scenario for a long time now.... There was a time when it took me one spoonful to differentiate the quality of food between Grain of Salt at 22, Camac Street and the one that came up in its place after few months! Me and the Boss kept wondering for a long time why Grain of Salt could not sustain in the Kolkata food scenario.... See how self centric I have become.... majority there cannot afford even a normal Park Street restaurant on a regular basis, leave alone a boutique restaurant!.... I am feeling lack of love towards myself these days!.... Coming to the point, we truly loved the food served at Grain of Salt..... saying so without any prejudice, the master will not train me for free on different cuisines, praising the master will not make me famous overnight!.... Once our mother said.... mamoni.... watch the fingers at work.... they are so much at ease making cooking easier for you using few ingredients most of the time! She seemed happy if she did not have to buy creams to mixed nuts for a dish. Each time I use "mutho mutho badam".... the guilt is on.... my middle class values will not set me free... neither should it! So, the point is it is Bengali New Year tomorrow.... I wished for a vegetarian share, global as far as possible considering all my friends around...... trying to remain apolitical. The doe eyed girl along with her likes are not going to leave me sooner, I kept fast yesterday not alone for my son but for them too.... Standing right at the present, I do not find it necessary to share the picture which I like doing.... the daughters are in distress... my prince will remain my prince... The mother of a prince was a girl child too and a victim of #metoo, however protective the mother had been ..... If you have given birth, be a caring parent.... getting boxes of chocolates and dresses for the kids is not good parenting.... a considerable part of our time and life is to be given to them! This BAKED BEET ER DOI is a very quick and simple recipe done with few ingredients like plain yogurt, cream, condensed milk, green cardamom powder, rose water and kewra water.... the raw smell of the beetroot juice had to be hidden. We can have this superbly yum dessert just like that or you have these choice of toppings to add! Go as you like it!

INGREDIENTS :

Plain Yogurt : 400-500gm
Beetroot Juice : 11/2medium cup
Fresh Cream : 150-200gm [I used a Nestle 170gm tin]
Condensed Milk : 1/3small cup [I used 1/2 of a Milkmaid 329gm tin]
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/2tsp
Kewra Essence : 2-3drops [screw pine essence]
Rose Water : 3-4 drops
A Convection mode Microwave oven : Using oven may be bad but our owner will not allow traditional manual ones, neither do I have the time, energy or patience to go back to basics .... so cheers to technology! I hear some "bahargaons" do not use microwaves, we use!

PROCEDURE :

Below are the ingredients we will be using to prepare BAKED BEET ER DOI.

We have prepared the beet root juice in a juicer using very little water. We are not using the entire content of all the ingredients, follow the amount mentioned in the ingredients list!

Whisk together everything very well!

Pour into bake proof ramekins or cups.... I am the owner of a frill free kitchen and home.... I use coffee cups / soup bowls and anything for everything!

Cover them with aluminium foils!

Fill a bake proof tray with some water so that the ramekins immerse 1/2 in the water. Place the low rack with water filled baking tray and preheat oven to 200*C. Do not look at my baking tray, I am my mother's daughter.... not in the habit of throwing away things!

Place some of the ramekins filled with the yogurt mixture on the baking tray!

Bake for 13-14 minutes at 200*C..... Exactly the time taken in my machine!

Rest for few minutes before you take out the finished product and set on the second batch!

Let the BAKED BEET ER DOI cool down completely before you refrigerate them!

Always enjoy this sinful dessert chilled!

Authentically, this particular combination of onion flower and potato if cooked non-vegetarian, is done with "tyangra maach".... a small variety of cat fish? I hardly get fresh tyangra here unless I go to some specific stores on a Wednesday evening, so I do it to my convenience with available ingredients and call it KECHKI MAACH DIYE ALOO PEYAZKOLI. I would have gone to any length to maintain authenticity and happily but my men are not so much of a Bengali... The senior is a Bengali when it is a "hilsa, aar, katla, boyal, chingri, pabdar jhol" or a meat curry .... the son is a Bengali when its "luchi-porota"... meat curries, "bhajabhuji".... and yes this deep fried "kechki maach".... Indian River Sprat! Well.... the not at all a fish called prawn or a salmon is the only acceptable non-vegetarian alternative to meat for the junior of the morons! I am so very averse to feeding them prawn every other day.... I have seen the prawn loving brother developing allergy from prawns all of a sudden ..... we do love prawns and crabs but I am scared of having them too often. How I loved "golda chingri" which was brought once or twice a month during our growing up period ... its always pricey.... I eat but I do not crave for it anymore.... you know why?.... I feel may be because I have the ability to have giant sized prawns every weekend now! Few things in life should remain beyond reach .... "shob peley jibon noshto" is rightly said!.... I take a look at the landed homes in this island and, and, and.... oh God! grapes are truly sour! Coming to food...... I have remained that same old primitive foodie....... there is someone who told me a year or two back... you Know S..... my kids love "macher teler bora".... I got kind of "akash theke pora".... then the entire period of my way back from South to North Kolkata is spent on equating a "macher teler bora and mushurir dal" with a "high nose".... it was decided, it has been proved over decades that my likes & preferences cannot match with some people in this lifetime.... if so it will be something like watching snowfall in this island!These kind of foods like "macher teler bora o mushurir dal" are essentially for my kinds, we know how to eat them?... techniques matter man!.... sit on the floor .... hold the steel plate with your left hand... break the piping hot rice with your right hand fingers.... take some sliced onion and a green chilli, add some salt and dal to the rice.... then "borai ekta kamor, ek gorash bhaat, tarpor peyaz -lankai chootto kamor".... Yes, I am turning a senile truly.... the way I am taking advantage of some people's "apparent" silence !.... Let us leave it at that as of now and accept the fact that it was really surprising for me to discover that the son loves deep fried Indian River Sprat!

This dish of KECHKI MAACH DIYE ALOO PEYAZKOLI is usually a winter treat because peyazkoli.... i.e. onion flower is available only during winter in India?.... I know about Kolkata, though not about the rest of India.... which states of India eat it, which does not! Come on I am S and not the famous "S Ginni".... I know few family food history and nevertheless the history of Bengali food or otherwise! The only pride I can take and fight over a fact is that I do not see much variety in the cooking of my husband's side of the family as compared to mine. All the delicate, heirloom, low cost dishes I have seen is being cooked in my side of the family.... "kechki maach mixed with lots of spices and sliced onion, wrapped in bottle gourd or pumpkin leaves and slow cooked in pan" or "ash gourds cut in half moon shapes, stuffed with mustard-coconut paste and batter fried".... all these are learnt from my family.... Unfortunately, my men do not fancy them.... so I do not do them often ..... I know I should blog on them ..... but how many will accept it?.... cook one dish for 1-2 hours? My "chomma"... the Jaya Prada look alike who stays in Assam.... daddy's brother's wife prepares a yam fry.... wherein the yam stretches like a spring after being fried.... the technique is in the cut .... "two hands and a boti".... thats it!Even our mother could not adapt it.... we call it kochur spring bhaja.... I used to lament why the distance between Nowgong and Sealdah / Howrah is so long! This Jaya Prada look alike's husband could eat 35 rasgullas and 1kg of mutton at one go.... haha! There is not a bit of exaggeration saying so, there was a time when "Hiru dakat earned kolshi bhorti mohor after screaming hareyreyrey, while the looted zaminder babu still could eat like a demon the next day"..... I belong to a family where some had "demonic diet".... so I cannot survive on salad.... I have to have my bowl of rice and "tel gorgorey pathar kosha".... Where was I? Well.... I am a bit late with this recipe.... Do not worry.... even we do not get onion flower or peyazkoli now.... go ahead with spring onions .... I know we get it in India most of the time, at least in super markets! This Kechki mach or Indian River Sprat is among the very few frozen fish I buy from the selective Asian stores! This is more or less found in "good condition".... but you will buy if only you or your family fancy it! If you are totally against any kind of frozen fish, use any small variety of fish. This Indian River Sprat has become a regular at this home .... its favourite with all of us.... its so easy to cook it.... we only need to wash it... no need to clean the stomach or the scales! For this particular non vegetarian side dish we do not need any spice either .... just a tempering of nigella seeds, cloves of garlic and yes.... chillies... both dry and green.... We also had palonger dal / dal palak and crispy fried Indian River Sprat alongside! The main item KECHKI MAACH DIYE ALOO PEYAZKOLI is to be had with steamed rice while you can prepare some hot phulkas for the palak dal!

Try this recipe of the basic sandesh, the first share on my blog.... do not look at the picture, the taste is guaranteed!

SANDESH

INGREDIENTS :

Kechki Maach / Indian River Sprat : 200gm
Peyazkoli / Onion Flower : 12-15 sticks [alternatively spring onion]
Potato : 1big
Green Chilli : 2-3 slitted
Dry Red Chilli : 2 halved
Nigella Seed : 1/4tsp
Garlic : 2 cloves chopped
Turmeric Power : 1tsp
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1/2tsp [optional]
Oil : 3-4 tbsp

PROCEDURE :

Wash the fish thoroughly about 4-5 times under running water. It is a very soft fish, so be very careful.

Add little salt and turmeric to the fish and keep aside.

Peel, wash and cube the potatoes. Rub salt and turmeric.

Discard two ends of the onion flowers. Chop lengthwise .... each should be about 2-3 inch in length. Wash thoroughly and rub with salt and turmeric.

Heat oil in a wok.... preferably mustard oil.

Temper oil with nigella seeds, chopped garlic and halved dry red chillies.

Add the fish discarding the marinade totally. While they are half fried, add the potato cubes. Stir gently and cover cook till the potatoes are half done.

Add the peyazkoli / onion flower now, discard any water / marinade.... we need to retain the colour of it. Gently stir and cover for 2-3 minutes.

Open cover, add the slitted green chillies, salt if required, sugar and give a gentle stir. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. I garnished with few fried fish.

A dal is a must with this dish. We had crispy fried kechki maach, palong er dal alongside.... Nothing but steamed rice goes with it!

There is a "big" news for my readers! .... Our "Cristine" is on leave for fifteen long days.... You can well imagine my condition!.... Cristine's ma'am is seeing "shorshe phool in chokh".... What else can you get from me other than a MISHTI CHIREY BHAJA which is done in minutes? I am so used to having a luxury called Cristine who happens to be the reason for about 3-4 kilos of weight gain since 2015! From water to the medicines to cups of tea and coffee.... all are "fed" practically... haha! Then it is her big brother's marriage and we had to arrange for her leave.... I cannot spend days with a help with frowns on her face.... especially if she is someone as nice as Cristine! It is because of her gestures that she got a leave on the eve of the son's board examinations! What is the husband's role in such a scenario? No role actually... he fled to the neighbouring country to spend quality time with his only love.... perhaps the fathers of the son's friends have taken leave by now to guide their teens! In such a situation, I am still not getting on my nerves.... one need not if one has friends cum sister likes as neighbours offering help! I said come on let me not forget that I do have two hands and two legs.... I did live ten long years with a tiny tot doing "mudi shodai to juto shelai" everything by myself..... but again there was a Saraswati and Dilip as helps! .... I was wondering what I have turned into... a lazy... spoilt... brat! Its a Thursday evening and finally I got a saviour sent by dear Ipsita... she is Tess and she says she will do pedicure and manicure for me too! Today I got some relief and sat to write a recipe post for my readers.... I do not have to sweep, mop, dust, the 1150 sqft area and wash utensils..... no I cannot accept once or twice a week sweep and mop.... I am a "desi" .... our mother's daughter .... back in Kolkata our Rizia Mashi mopped my home twice a day.... when the entire world is doing some inventions, teaching a new thing to the kids.... I was busy cleaning every inch and corner of our home .... that too with a small kid... well I had a battalion of helps... Rizia Mashi to Khokon to Chotu! Is the very handsome Dr. Arup Bhaumik's wife... my friend Paramita reading this post? She was my confidant in all these madness, while a wisdom called Rupa or a Kana scolded me hard!.... I bathed my newborn with soap and water in such a way that he got severe fever within a week of his birth .... That newborn who has his 10th boards final examination in few days is having study leave now! How is he utilising his time?.... its simple.... watching television! Do you think I will blog on something he loves? I will not! He may not touch a MISHTI CHIREY BHAJA but his mother has grown up on this as an evening snacks... neither her brother had ever fancied it! When did I say I do not love myself? Why am I writing a post on a Thursday evening instead of a Friday morning?... I missed my workout today.... I had to shop... not an Ilish but frozen grouper fillets... not live prawns but frozen ones, not a bottle gourd but a squash... not a raw jackfruit or banana blossom but okra and ridge gourd which are loves too! So many loves got a no tag today!.... I am not our mother... I know when to act smart! Moreover, a saviour called Tess is doing up my home now.... the aroma of dettol is making me feel happier.... I can go ahead with an easy and quick share! I am that mother who used to wash her son's clothes with warm water and soap and then soaked in dettol before drying till he was 3-4 years... she did not like anyone touching her son in outside clothes.... then one day the husband came home from the sea and screamed ..... enough wife! You are destroying the immune system of the son! When will he come back home? I am missing him... who else can I scream at.... you can do it only at someone who cares, one who will not leave you at any cost.... If you really mean to someone.... that someone is unlikely to leave you ever! This WhatsApp fight is uninteresting... most of the time I am not answered, the moron is so busy with his love! Now that I fixed one Tess for the next few days.... he is expected to be back home this weekend.... Yes, my men are averse to and scared of household chores!

Above I wished to tell you that it is good to be clean and maintain hygiene but not the excess of it .... though I have not taken any lesson till date. Early morning you may be setting out for various serious ventures.... strategising how fruitfully you can utilise the day.... what is this lady doing? She had no lunch box to prepare this week.... so she is going out for her walks as soon as the sun is seen peeping out the eastern sky... and thereafter doing all silly things which she should not! A biscuit, A chee-cheong-fun, A dosa.... all diabetic unfriendly stuffs... huh? so why not a MISHTI CHIREY BHAJA.... I get philosophical each time I fail to control myself.... someday we all have to die!.... and see that is teh-o-kosong... sugar free, no milk tea!... and chee-cheong-fun perhaps has plum sugar or jaggery in that sauce... haha! You all know I lack wisdom.... I do not measure or calculate my steps... else would I have ever looked back? .... a major portion of the past that has nothing to give me or to make me feel good.... except some hurtful memories or truths... Feelings cannot be calculative but when truth confronts you... you feel miserable !.... Anyway, when one feels very much left out... one should and must treat oneself with whatever one prefers... like this done within minutes evening snacks with chirey / flattened or beaten rice ..... so long the son gets his meat curries he is fine! There I am... me and my humble places to sit and relax with myself!

What else am I doing?... I washed Cristine's clothes with ours, I cleaned her toilet... well these are some practical exercises that a hypocrite like me should practice! I never did really romance with the husband as our definition of romanticism differs... he had always been a great teacher to me... a father figure though a year younger! After marriage, when I had been teaching Indian democracy in a high school.... the husband said do you believe in what you teach wifey?.... You maintain separate cups, plates, glasses for your help! Tell me when do I romance? Yet I never seize to romance with food and when I feel low I make it sure to pamper myself with what I love... I will not look at what is happening around... I will only love myself so much so that I force myself to close my eyes at anything or anyone who makes me feel unloved! I do not drag the virtual world in all these.... we do not know each other! I do not feel sorry if I am not sharing what you wish from me.... Time and again I have emphasised the fact and I will always say so that the CURRY AND SPICE blog is not a healthy, child friendly, informative space to follow! It is what the lady behind it have grown up eating with an apparent note on her life and surroundings! This MISHTI CHIREY BHAJA is one such.... you cannot imagine how relaxed I feel to blog on an authentic, family recipe! Then why did not I share an authentic recipe on Bengali New Year? Day after tomorrow will be just one year that our father left us... last year when I came back after completing all the rituals.... three girls came to meet me and share the pain.... they are not Bengali nor all of them are non-vegetarian.... if I cannot forget people who gifted me nothing but barrels of pain & dejection ... how can I forget people with such nice gestures?... the baked yogurt was a perfect share! However disturbed I am.... do not try to find reason.... I am melancholic in nature and not a sensible person.... Amidst a messed up mind ... there is something to cherish too! I do not mingle in groups... I know I cannot maintain it tactfully or wisely... I only respond to those who still tolerate me and stop by my shares.... doing so I suddenly discovered yesterday that the noted food critic, blogger, quite famous in her role stopped by my yogurt share in a group and liked it.... I will not look for any reason.... I will just be overwhelmed with joy! ... Its a She.... PN.... if you are in the food world you need not guess for long... I end it here... you will never see me hog around the famous and known.... unless required for their benefit.... no I am not an angel... I am just me... I do not like limelight and I have a severe stage fear! Then who does not like recognition? I only wish to share what I eat... get some readers to the blog... thats it! The MISHTI CHIREY BHAJA that our mother used to prepare was deep fried and served garnished with roasted peanuts, shredded coconut and sugar! Alternatively you can use cashew nuts and raisins too! Be it "muri.... chirey.... khoi"... I love having them with grated coconut and sugar... just that I have to skip the sugar part these days!

INGREDIENTS :
Beaten or Flattened Rice : 1coffee mug [serves two...the brown variety can be used]
Shredded Coconut : 1small cup
Roasted Peanut : 1tbsp
Sugar : 2tsp
Oil : 1small cup [to deep fry... left over can be reserved for later use]

PROCEDURE :

Heat oil in a wok. Once hot, lower the heat to minimum.

Add some flattened rice little at a time. They will fluff up immediately and we need to take out at once and place on tissue papers to get rid of the excess oil.

Serve while its still hot garnished with shredded coconut, sugar and roasted peanuts.

Do not forget to accompany it with tea or coffee.