CURRY AND SPICE

This is the obvious resultant of a lazy being planning for Adhirasam, then is crippled by severe lethargy and plans this healthy snack to her utmost convenience. What I got is really worth sharing, else I keep doing various experiments every other day. Perhaps that fear of staying away from the monkey at this home after a year or so is making me cook this and that everyday. My next experimental venture is trying my hands on rice flour "jilipi," I came across a very good recipe of it and lost it too. Designing is not something I am good at, not even an average, the other reason of not trying it is that the husband does not eat it, if its fried sweet he is a fan of gulab jamun. Last year I did try "amriti" but miserably failed. Thereafter, I am just too scared and lethargic to try that family. I love fried sweets although it is a poison to me now. On our tour of Turkey, the buffets we had there, I was surprised to see some of their local sweets similar to our halwa and pantua. I was surprised may be because I do not have enough research on the actual or factual history of food. I have a problem with online reading due to my deteriorated eye condition, I do not get that kick which I get in print media. I still remember how happy I was when the daddy got me "nabik Sindbad" or the "Gogol series" .... way later in college, this above 20 years old enjoyed reading "Mitin mashi's adventure with her little niece?" Those adventurous and romantic novels occupied me and not "Nrishingha Prashad Bhaduri's Probondhos".... that is wrong, one must read nonfictions, journals, articles too to be well equipped. If some have so much of grip on food, nutrition, nutritive value, history of food, it is either because they travel a lot or read related articles a lot or do both.... not that they have earned a degree in these areas. I have seen how bloggers mention the nutritive values of the dish, amount of vitamin, then carb or fat.... Oh! it is amazing man to me but I may not learn it to follow them... I lack interest in anything that is technical, mechanical.... I enjoy stories ..... different kinds of.... may be because the daddy was a wonderful story teller and introduced me to the world of books at an early age, may be because the mother used to read aloud "chora o golpo" ...... This vegetarian, oil free & steamed sweet snack BENGAL GRAM DAL AND JAGGERY STEAMED SNACK is also a story.... of a bowlful of Bengal Gram Dal walking up to the swimming pool, playing with the rest of the friends for two hours, getting up to be dried, instead were crushed under the blades and ultimately got drowned in the river of saliva! If you think it that way, the human race is pretty cruel.

I need to finish off quickly today, I have an appointment that was set a month back for a facial treatment at a meagre amount. I am going to the most happening area of the island.... Orchard.... I am not leaving behind my card.... I really do not like hopping malls, so the husband is less stressed. You know what, there is not many things as derogatory as owning a master card at your husband's expense.... specially when he is the kind who would never ask you to go out and see how difficult it is to earn 10$, not even while at his angered self. That is why I wait for him until 11pm on some days to have the dinner together. No, we do not have any romantic liaison as such, may be we bond over a long time friendship, we bond over the fact that he chose a fat, dwarf girl lacking grey matter and me chose a skeletal structure with no hero like element to live with for life. The only weakness you see in me is that of a life long commitment made to "my truest feelings" as an innocent little girl.... I will not let it go and will be sharing such vegetarian, healthy snack BENGAL GRAM DAL & JAGGERY STEAMED SNACK at times because I think this is better than a cheese filled sandwich for a "deshi" stomach. You may categorise that weakness as a black spot in my character, I am not bothered else I would not have opened myself to this extent in public which is totally against my nature. Anyway, the weird monkey who is the junior most at this home has school leave until Monday, he does not like mumma going out while he is at home, "babai-mumma" going out for a movie is also a thing of displeasure to him. We have to be present but he will not talk to us or share any information with us... I mean what is this? I do not like going out leaving him either, although Cristine didi is very caring. Yes, I do have a lot of complaints against those non-working mothers who I saw left their young kids, as young as 8-9 years in empty homes to chit-chat with friends. What is that? If your "self" is more important than your child, why did you bring it then? Their kids may be way more independent & responsible than mine, even will outshine my boy in future but that is not the issue! I will not agree on this matter, the picture of a mother teaching her son after a hard day is still very fresh on my mind. While teaching, she had to prepare rice and "bhajabhuji" too in the kitchen simultaneously. Taking advantage of her dozing off quite often due to her tired self, the son would start playing with his pencil box sitting on a "madur".... this went on until I suggested her to employ a private tutor for mathematics and science. The yesteryear tween till date says that his tutor had the ability to explain one sum in five different ways and oh! so simply.... that had his tutor not left academics to travel across the world, the tween could have done better! A great academician may not necessarily make a good teacher, teaching is a different quality. What was the tween's father's role in the scenario? Back from office, he would call his daughter while eating "chana-muri".... "mamoni esho, Kolkata kaw te khobor sesh hoyechey, Kolkata kho te natok shuru hobey." His mamoni used to close the story book tactfully placed atop a text book and ran to her father. The mother tried her kids to be good in academics within a business oriented family setup that hardly gave any importance to education. Our father's was an average Bengali business family who earned, cooked a lot, ate and felt proud to feed the entire village often.... none in the family might have known who Sukumar Ray or Tagore was or how Saigal or Noorjehan sang! One of the family's son went to Kolkata for a Bsc. degree, became a follower of Promod Dasgupta, ducked himself from the police in the streets of Sealdah, got into the mainstream life once the father scolded, later made the daughter read Che to Lenin to Fidel to Tolstoy while she was still in school but both came under the influence of the lady of the house and started following RKM. Not everyone can become an Azizul Haque, neither every "Animesh" is lucky enough to get a "Madhabilata!" Anyway, that particular lady cannot ever influence the man of this house, he may well drop her and her daughter at the RKM's gate and pick up too. Since I hate arguments, I would prefer to sit together and enjoy the oil free, steamed snack with all of them different kinds in the family and outside. You definitely would enjoy doing it and find it's taste awesome!

INGREDIENTS :

CHANA DAL / CHOLAR DAL / BENGAL GRAM DAL : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP
JAGGERY POWDER : 1 SMALL TEA CUP
GINGER EXTRACT : 1TBSP
GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1/3TSP
FRUIT SALT : 11/2TSP

PROCEDURE :

We will wash and soak the Bengal Gram Dal in hot water for at least 2 hours.

We will strain the water and prepare a paste with the soaked dal adding a small cup of water. I always use a mixer-grinder for such purposes.

Add the rest of the ingredients to it!

Now add 2 cups of water to the base so it get half filled. Grease the moulds of a microwave proof idli stand. Pour the paste [not batter okay?] until half filled.

In my machine, it took 4 minutes at the highest power to cook.

Let stand for 5 minutes before we take them out gently.

I did it this way. Doing them in the stove top may get you spongier ones.

Aww it is a long weekend for us and with someone glued into the election bulletin all day, I am so unable to concentrate on my blog. I do not have interest in the areas he takes interest in except for the kind of movies we watch together, but since he does not abuse his opponents, not even in private .... I excuse him for all the unwanted noise near my ear drums. I keep telling my little brother that instead of picking up all the bad habits of my man including smoking, indiscipline, a no rule life, he could have followed his rare qualities.. I would have been happier. One good thing is that my regrets of him not pursuing his academics further is diminishing, whats the point if degrees do not teach us to be nice to others... at least in public? I have the right to scold one brother seven years younger to me... what about the other "dherey khokas?" like him .... off course one can campaign for its own belief, why do we need to abuse. Abusing a particular religion is as unwelcome as film stars standing for elections.... living in glass palaces, how will they understand the mass? Have they ever worked at the grass root level? They doing charity is okay but state politics is something else .. its their glamour and image that people vote for which has nothing to do with the governance, this is one of the various reasons why Indian politics is deteriorating, there is less of political figures representing its people! Anyway, you all know that I cannot take too much of noise, I will share the recipe of an easy snack, vegetarian condiment MIXED NUT AND EGGPLANT CHUTNEY today.

I am feeling a bit tired too. Sundays are usually relaxing for me but yesterday I did get a bit exhausted & irritated. Actually, I went for a complimentary bottom treatment at a slimming centre located just at opposite side of the road. The men do not chat with me but they do not want me to leave them and go out alone on a weekend. I still went, you all know that I can consume poison if given for free. I had a very unpleasant experience. I mean it is their job to allure customers with complimentary offers and then try to sell packages but the same talks for an hour? I finally had to be stern which is not my cuppa and tell them okay I do not want their free treatments further, that they need not waste their time and energy on me who went totally blank after 10 minutes of the conversation. They telling me that availing their package will make my husband love me more was the ultimate trigger yesterday.... they had no idea exactly where they touched, it was like those political parties or their sponsored pet journalists who have won and will win over the mass caressing their greatest weakness.... religious beliefs creating unnecessary divide. I wished to pursue journalism but not political, now the son wants to pursue political journalism.... does he know that his mother had a thing for Prannoy Roy, that his father insisted his mother to study psephology instead of engaging into useless fight with his mother? I am not even listening to the biased reviews on the television. We at home do not have a problem with this party had they not made communalism their main weapon.

Leave that, I believe you can really have a healthy, perfect BMI-ed self if you are a little wise, without spending a lot. I am not wise, whimsical, under the husband's influence stopped following a routined life. All of a sudden, around 8pm or little after I went out for a walk yesterday. The genre of music I listen to on my walks are different and why not. These girls Sheila or Anarkali help me do a 8km walk at night although I finish very late. I can cover more but I had to do those multigrain pooris back home... once I take them down, the puffiness goes before I serve, that makes me sad. I scolded Cristine for making a softer dough than required but it is also true that because of her I can take the liberty to go out at any time of the day. I just told the husband to ask Cristine to prepare the dough and keep covered once she is back home, the rest I will manage.

The malls were still open, the smell coming from the bakery was making me mad. You know what, the reason why people suffer here from ailments is that they have a mall underneath their home, have escalators up to their doorsteps and well they are not really in the habit of saving in most cases. On my way to and fro, I clicked two aunties and an uncle for whom life is not too easy in developed countries. Nope, I do not have any problem with the elderlies if they can understand and read my pulse, I have pathos for you if you have it for me.... at some point we need to be like Shylock. I have to wrap up really quick, we need to go out, my dresser needs to be changed. I go mad while at a furniture hub... since we stay in a rented place, I limit my hunger pangs to a little something and satisfy my cravings through food! I think I prepared this vegetarian condiment, chutney / dip MIXED NUT AND EGGPLANT CHUTNEY some 2-3 months back. We love Middle Eastern food and eggplants both. The husband can eat eggplant only when it is cooked and mashed properly, done with the lesser seed variety.... so I do. I used a few variety of nuts, roasted / burnt egg plants, onion, garlic, lemon juice, chilli flakes, green chillies, olive oil, black salt.

INGREDIENTS :

EGGPLANT : 1STANDARD SIZED [I USE THE FLESHY, DEEP PURPLE WHICH HAS LESS SEED]
ALMOND : 7-8
WALNUT : 6-7
CASHEW NUT : 9-10
PISTACHIO : 9-10
PEANUT : 1TSP
DRY ROASTED RED CHILLI : 2
GREEN CHILLI : 2
CHOPPED ONION : 2-3TBSP
GARLIC CLOVE : 2-3
BLACK SALT : AS REQUIRED
LEMON JUICE : 2-3TBSP
OIL : 2TBSP [I USED OLIVE OIL]

PROCEDURE :

Wash and pat dry the egg plant. Grease all over it with 2-3 drops of oil. I have a stove top rack which I placed on it after being greased.

Switching on the gas I burnt all the sides equally rolling it often. This may take some 10 minutes or so.

We will place it on a plate and let it cool. Now we will heat a pan and dry roast the red chillies for a minute stirring constantly and then take out.

Thereafter, we will heat the oil and roast all the already half broken variety of nuts for not more than 1-2 minutes. Let it cool.

We will take off the skin of the eggplant now and the roasted and mashed eggplant, 1/2 of the roasted nuts variety, roasted red chillies, green chillies, chopped onions, garlic cloves, black salt and lemon juice in a blender.

We will blend at high until smooth with a pause in between.

We will take it on a bowl and pour rest of the remaining oil and broken, roasted nuts on it.

Serve it at normal temperature or chilled. You can see that I served it with gram flour parathas, Indian Olive pickle and grilled chicken. You can choose your second sides at your will.

I think I was capable of clicking a better picture of it but I left it very casual just as a breakfast table would look like sans the butter pot and glasses filled with milk. Although having a proper breakfast is a necessity, this home is not in the habit of having elaborate breakfasts unless we are travelling. We usually go out of the hotel in the morning for the day and the breakfast is within the package. The husband is an expert getting the best hotel deals online. He keeps on teasing me that he would one day unmask me in public. Its nothing like that, I actually loved the kind of hotels we stayed in Shimla & Manali or Cappadocia. When the devastated me after 8 hours of continuous puking reached Shimla sometime after the sunset, I felt I am in a paradise. The wise husband knows exactly when I wish to be left alone. While he attended our little boy of seven, I soaked in the beauty of the nature that is in abundance there. It is in the hotel that we stayed in Manali where I tasted the best strawberry and mixed berry preserve in my life till date. When asked, the hotel staffs told me that it is locally made with home grown fruits. Perhaps that is also a reason for me not to use pectin on my jams and preserves. I cannot find the pictures of the dates & blueberry preserve I clicked few months back, they must be in hiding somewhere, I felt let me share the yum & easy recipe of STAR ANISE FLAVOURED PLUM PRESERVE today. I cook and click, then has to scroll back to get them.... some I miss, some I delete if I forget the recipe altogether or if the picture is too horrible. I deleted the family style Bengali Fish Stew recipe picture I so wished to share on Bianca's birthday. Do you know some of us have a heart to heart connection from the G Plus days... I feel that we really do not need to be very formal to each other, our connection goes beyond virtual. I left GPlus three times and a doe-eyed girl got me back there each time. Now it feels how silly I was and that forum was close to my heart. I feel so bad for those who really had a strong base there, I do worry to have lost a couple of connections I had there. Anyway, I keep all my sorrows at bay and find solace in food or anything related to it. I have regained all the fat I got rid off few years back, then who cares? .. I do not wish to live long, I just keep praying for my own. What made me happy early morning are those "Mushur Dal er Bori." I soaked the dal yesterday and then forgot all about it. I completed doing them this morning and then sat to write this recipe. Feels satisfied, the family is visiting in few days. I will be going to the Bangladeshi shop this evening because they just cannot have salmon, the brother is allergic to prawns, crab. On their earlier visit I served salmon and they could not. So, when we are not eating out, it will be typical Bengali food at this home.

I will miss the old man who was seen in the airport in a shocking red t-shirt sometime in 2013. The husband's sister would always say "mesho carries himself so well, looks so smart in his body hugging Ts".... Oh! yes, he indeed was called "little master's look alike" in our DumDum neighbourhood, played football, did yoga, was a member of the YMCA, ran from his hostel at Thonthonia Kali Bari to the Maidan to play football until arthritis crippled the sportsman in him, he got his daughter dresses from "guys & dolls" just beside the Globe building and Rehmania too, her salwar suits were made by ace muslim tailors in the New Market area, till date I swear on one gentleman Meenaz if its tailor made. The daddy did not like me wearing sarees but I was unable to carry myself well and wished for a different image. May be not for maintaining an image, my taste was / is different.... I never agreed to my mother wearing a sleeveless blouse or doing a top knot, wear too big a bindi .... I wished to see her in ethnic wear, in soft colours. I never agreed to her stand about my father... he was different, carefree and she wanted something else from him.... doing household works with her, not to have friends, not to chat. I told her several times to let him be, no she had all kinds of weird complaints against him. Marriages are indeed prefixed but not really ideal at all times. Pictures are imagery, what is imagery is not always the truth. We try to build a home accepting and adjusting to each other's flaws. So, I think instead of researching the life history of my "choddo purush"and go public with it, I should do something fruitful..... like eating a "kora toast with the STAR ANISE FLAVOURED PLUM PRESERVE" in the morning, share the recipe with you, pray to the almighty to give us some sunlight for the next seven-eight days, prepare a list of "deshi" things to buy, praying that I get a good quality big katla / rui, standard sized ilish today. You will see me cooking "shukto, aloo tomato diye maacher jhol, murgi, patha, toker dal" over the weekend.

I do not like, never feel good taking a dig at others. If the brain, memory bank betrays, I enjoy battering those who act innocent without having a bit of it in them. I do not feel guilty doing so, I very much wish to unmask such kinds who find pleasure in hurting others. An evil lives within all of us but we control it instead of using our evil power on others. I avoid those who I know do not leave a chance to hit you without a reason and also those who lick the feet of these kinds. I have trimmed and chiseled my associations. I enjoy cooking and experimenting a lot, some fail and some I am so happy with that I share the recipe with you asap. Same is with my "non-Bengali Aam er Achar".... I am happy with its taste and clicks and wish to share soon. As of this vegetarian condiment, I did it very simply with hardly four ingredients, ripe plums / aloo bukhara, sugar, lemon juice, star anise to flavour. You can see in the unedited picture below how lovely it looks. Had I have not mixed some black coloured plums, the STAR ANISE FLAVOURED PLUM PRESERVE would have more beautiful hues of red. I am a diabetic and not a regular fan of plain bread is true, but at times I love an overly toasted bread with butter and jam together, taught by the husband while we were at Toshali Sands for our honeymoon.

I belonged to a home where bread entered when our mother had fever, while the husband had travelled different shores of the world by then. Toshali was nice at that time, in Puri we stayed in "Nilachala Asoko" for 3 days on our 6-7 days of total tour, the 25 year old boy had to keep his wife in places better than those her father kept her. The banker father used to get travel allowances from the bank, his friends "kakus" chose decent places of stay for us. I could understand the emotions, ego working inside that young boy but for an overweight, dwarf, almost blind woman who carried mostly sarees on her first tour with her husband? I was literally shaking while at stay in Toshali Sands, today I know what to serve Jack, Bianca or Liz if they visit me. Yet, who am I? That soul who thinks private beaches are an insult to the nature, the vast sea would feel claustrophobic if hotels and resorts start owning beaches privately. I belong to no one, amidst the green, beneath the age old banyan tree I sit alone and for hours, I flow and flow care free with the stream.... Anybody home? Yes, run quick, the reptile family is treading fast.

INGREDIENTS :

FRESH PLUM : 300-400-500GM [I USED THE RED AND BLACK VARIETY]
SUGAR : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP OR 150GM
LEMON JUICE : 5-6TBSP
STAR ANISE : 3-4
WATER : 1COFFEE MUG

PROCEDURE :

We will wash the fruits under running water thoroughly. Cut each into 4 pieces and throw away the seed.

Now take all of the cut pieces of plum / aloo bukhara, star anise, in a heavy bottomed vessel.

Switch on your gas stove and add the water and sugar.

Bring to boil. After 5-6 minutes, the fruit pieces will release water.

We will continue to simmer further after a stir. Adding the lemon juice, we will give a stir again. After about 7-8 minutes, it looks like below.

We will reduce the heat from medium-low to the lowest now and simmer until it gets sticky. Know that it will thicken more on cooling. So, we have to switch off the gas oven accordingly.

On cooling totally, transfer the plum fruit preserve to sterilised, glass bottles.

For the past few days, I had the feeling to do a fish share over this weekend. As I get to know that some dear people do not eat fish, some others meat or egg, I try to keep something on the table for them too, saying you all mean. This may not be possible for all, I am not good at western food. I really do have two wonderful, frill free cake recipes to share, may be soon. I am unable to go ahead with a vegetarian share at the moment, will have to sooner that is true because I have no enmity with anyone unless you start stinking ..... be careful while playing a match game, it can happen that your post may be in bad taste. My little brother has really proved yesterday that he is my brother, he listened to what I taught him. Once I finish my post, I have to message the brother not to discuss Indian politics on the wine table for the next fifteen days. His wife is a teetotaler and has reservations in this area but we will adjust and enjoy these few days. We also have plans to send them to a quiet, nature friendly resort in Bintan or nearby, they have covered most part of this little island on their last visit. Then they need some time away from their mother, I can take care of mine.... I just asked them to get her diabetes medicines. You know my brother, on his trip to honeymoon he almost booked tickets for his parents too, I stopped him and the mother too did. The father almost packed his suitcase. Whenever there would be a cricket or a football match, our Pa would watch it in the big screen of his son's room until the unearthly hours of the night. The brother's wife never frowned, she would massage our Pa's body who was not a millionaire. What do you say, do they deserve a beautiful, short holiday from us or not? Nope, the miser didi bhai will not fill their return bags with presents bought from the Orchard Malls, but cook some goodies like this fish and rice preparation POMFRET IN CURRY LEAF PASTE & YOGURT CORIANDER RICE. I definitely will gift them what I think is within my limit, never a show off. We have to fund the junior's education with not much aid in his choice of college.

I have to really wrap up quick today. I need to cook few dishes and thereafter visit a friend's home whose parents are here. Some elderlies are like our mother, refuse to visit other homes. To play a match game, I will not call either one of the living parents to our place. No meat is going to that home today, home made cake + fish +egg+store bought sweet.... yes going! I will continue to be me, still I will remain uncomfortable at the sight of glamorous, hot beings near to some, I request you all not to search reason in any corner of my body, I am weird, absurd, obsolete, not so open minded. I like these glam dolls however, they have not done any treachery with me.... for them and their family here is a rice and fish combo meal POMFRET IN CURRY LEAF PASTE & YOGURT CORIANDER RICE. I am not fond of pomfret, my family is. I could eat the way my mother did it, neither do I wish to leave it, so I keep on trying it and chicken with various combinations to check what goes with my taste bud. There are days when you do not like cooking separately for you and your family. See, I really loved the cake I prepared yesterday. The son has chosen his list of colleges, the Counsellor ma'am has given us a very good picture of the pros and cons and our son has to lift up his score to get into his choice of college. The mumma's tea intake will increase until December or say until August 2020.... His school is doing a great job finding him a good college. No, our island is not in his chosen list. There are two reasons..... he is not willing to, he thinks he has seen Asia and now wish to explore new places. Secondly, he perhaps is deciding on Business Administration, so only one college is here which we prefer, it demands at list 43/ 45 in IB from a foreigner's kid.. hence. The bahargaon has a lot of option, neither Piali and our kid have scored not too bad in their first attempt at SAT, the month of October seals their fate. My husband is a pragmatic person and so is the school, we do not think our son is in the category of scoring 1550 and get into an Ivy League School, neither our boy has selected those colleges.... I am no one to say anything on Piali's daughter. She is sincere. What was surprising was to see our son so focussed at school yesterday, he has to increase his score to fulfil his dream, no point going to an average school. His present school is so helping the students in this area, none of the Indian Schools in this island are this organised.

Now, that I got a good combination for my tea, I can happily share the recipes of the fish and flavoured rice with two of my favourite fresh herbs. I love the flavours of curry leaves and coriander leaves. You will love the two recipes for sure. I am happy also to get fresh "tyangra" yesterday.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE POMFRET IN CURRY LEAF PASTE :

MEDIUM SIZED SILVER POMFRET : 4-6
CURRY LEAF PASTE : 1SMALL TEA CUP
COARSELY GROUND BLACK PEPPER POWDER : 1/2TSP
GREEN CHILLI PASTE : 2TBSP
LEMON JUICE : 2-3TBSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 2-3TBSP

INGREDIENTS FOR THE YOGURT CORIANDER RICE :

FINE BASMATI OR ANY LONG GRAINED RICE : 1COFFEE MUG [SHOULD SERVE 4 HEADS]
PLAIN YOGURT : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP
FRESH CORIANDER PASTE : 1SMALL TEA CUP
GREEN CHILLI PASTE : 1TBSP
CORIANDER SEED : 2TSP
CUMIN SEED : 1/2TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 3-4TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Let us marinate the pomfrets first.

I have marinated the pomfret fishes with all the mentioned ingredients after a thorough wash and slit on their body. I have refrigerated them for 5-6 hours. Do fill the stomachs with the marinade well.

We will take them out at least 45 minutes before we cook. I have taken them on a grill proof, greased plate and grilled one side for 10 minutes, the other side for 8 minutes. Do not over cook please.

I use the microwave grill mode that requires a high stool to be placed and the plate atop.

For the rice, we will wash and cook the rice in enough boiling water until 70 % done and pour immediately on a big strainer. Let the water drain totally.

Then we will heat the oil in a wok and temper it with cumin seeds and coriander seeds.

As they splutter, add the beaten yogurt, coriander and green chilli paste. Stir well for 1/2 a minute.

Add the salt and give a stir. Add the rice now and gently stir and mix with two ladles until every thing is incorporated well.

I consider this to be an easy share for today given I am pretty occupied with my visiting family these days. However, it may not be an appropriate share as it was the Bengal's rebel poet's birthday yesterday or the day before. Oh! Yes, I am a Shylock and study what people are unto and then decide my course of action.... some are exceptions.... I do not want to strike a deal with them unless they are seen closer to people who are.... whom? I have a blurred vision of this and I only know that I dislike that association, however people need not listen to me, its my war always. That discomfort though makes me fond of a brother like living across the continent or the "chorka buri" I have decided to keep in touch with. I still believe and repeat again that these people have contributed a lot to deter a family member going wrong and eventually that makes me nothing but happy. In such a scenario, I will not think of my personal interest much, specially when I see someone at home greeting my own with so much of warmth. I remember a phone call few years back, an unhappy person trying to frustrate me without any instigation from my side, no wonder it was coming from a person who was always rude. I was told that the person on the other side of the phone was just the perfect match for so and so. Because this so and so's family did not allow such an entry, I feel happy! I think catching an auto to Baguiati and then to Ultadanga, thereafter to Shobha Bazaar to catch the metro rail towards the southern part of Kolkata once or twice a year should be a ritual for me. What is surprising is to see people acting so innocent in public, changing the role all of a sudden to an "acting parent" is anything but not an innocent act. I could not stop myself from asking a trusted friend, "what is this happening.... achanak mummy ban rahi hai kisiki?" If one gets on my nerves, I pay no heed to unmask them. Since I feel involving the kids in a nonsensical, age-old fight is wrong, I need to check my anger in public and share the recipe of this vegetarian, eggless EGGLESS COFFEE JAGGERY SEMOLINA CAKE.

I am unable to concentrate on my post, people are complaining how to stay sitting idle for a month or two in this small flat. My expression is like " Mani, in some countries parents stay for six months, in all probability they do not complain of how they are missing khol pocha gondho, goborer chora, koler jol" right from the second day. She is too active to sit all day on a couch and both her kids are lazy to the core. It feels good to be able to fry luchi for the luchi specialist of "DumDum er Epar". I also must share the picture of what the paternal grandfather has sent for our son and his father. My not so much of a friend mother-in-law has sent her grandson's favourite "Dabur er Hajmola" which he carried to his school.

Coming to the cake, I prepared it on last Wednesday, a plain for my family and a bigger with pistachio & walnut for a couple friends' home. Our son loves plain cakes if mumma makes it, fancy cakes comes from outside as his mumma cannot prepare them. I will take the liberty of calling it a fortune cake, there were three generous pieces left for my family to have on a Sunday morning. It feels good to be able to share this COFFEE JAGGERY SEMOLINA CAKE made with everything available in our pantry at all times...... coffee, jaggery, semolina, yogurt, milk, vinegar, oil, baking powder, baking soda, a spoon full of sugar. I am unable to do much experiment with cakes, I fear wastage of ingredients.

The measuring cup for this particular cake is a standard small bowl, sorry my idea of lb, ml is vague.

INGREDIENTS :

SEMOLINA : 2 BOWL FULL OF THE ABOVE SIZED
JAGGERY POWDER : 4TBSP [I USE A CHEMICAL FREE VARIETY]
COFFEE POWDER : 2TBSP
SUGAR : 1TBSP
BAKING POWDER : 1TSP
BAKING SODA : 1/4TSP
OIL : 1/2 OF THE ABOVE BOWL [I USE A BLEND OF CANOLA & SUNFLOWER]
PLAIN YOGURT : 1/3 OF THE ABOVE BOWL
FULL CREAM MILK : 1/2 OF THE ABOVE BOWL
WHITE VINEGAR : 1TBSP
LEMON ZEST : 1TBSP
CINNAMON POWDER : 1TSP

NOTE : ALL MY BAKES ARE DONE IN A CONVECTION MODE MICROWAVE

PROCEDURE :

I took the semolina, jaggery, coffee powder, sugar in a mixer grinder jar.

I pulsed it to mix the ingredients well. Transfer the mixture to a wide mouthed bowl.

Now we will add the baking powder and soda to the bowl and mix thoroughly. We will add the lemon zest too.

We will take the plain yogurt, oil, vinegar, milk in a blender and blend at high for a minute.

We will pour the mixture to the semolina mixture.

Add the cinnamon powder and mix very well.

Pour the batter to 2 aluminium foils, tap on the counter.

I added few nuts to the one I took to a couple friends' home.

Preheat the oven to 180*C for 10 minutes and bake each cake for 25 minutes at 180*C. The time taken may vary from one oven to another.

Having it warm and fresh is the best idea but this home has to refrigerate them always.

That was Afghani Fateer Pyazi I came across earlier this week on a FaceBook Page named SooperChef, thereafter wished to try it my way. After few tries, I should be able to create a ditto of it. Then why should I blog on something which perhaps hundreds of supremely crafted cooks have already done, why would people see my recipe of Afghani Fateer Pyazi? In case of authentic Bengali recipes, I do not mind adding 1001th post on "posto, begun, aloo, tomato, maach, mangsho".... all Bengali homes will have same take on the authentic ones. See I am unable to concentrate on the blog, people have to talk ..... I can understand that my mother does not understand what blogging is, that she has to tell her stories when I am writing, but I feel happy that she liked the WHOLE WHEAT LENTIL ONION FLAT BREAD I prepared the day before yesterday for our dinner. No, even after that she has not stopped calling me a lazy, she monitors my swimming speed, walking time and distance. Do not I remember how the saree clad, slim her tied a "gamcha" around her waist and swam in the Ganges with my cousins at Nabadwip? What was the daughter of a kabadi + khoko champion doing? She was crying out of fear. My family does not understand my passion for my blog, how much it means to me, only the brother told me "didibhai, I need to understand properly what blogging is and then can try to get it monetised." At least, he took some interest while the husband says "shokher sangey taka meshatey nei".... It was this brother of mine who had shown a lot of patience to teach me how to send emails some 16 years back. The husband has lot more patience than me or my brother but when it comes to helping me with the blog or any technicality he lacks the patience required. Once a blogger friend, now lost told me her husband helps her immensely with the blog, even suggests recipes to be shared. This home's husband does not even know the price of potato per kilogram. All of a sudden I remember of an incident from 1998, we were stationed at Mumbai at our couple friends Partha-Madhuchanda's home. Chutu told T... "S can send you mails while your stay in the ship".... at that time I did not know what an email is, it was new in the market and Chutu was a national scholarship holder who stood first or second in Economics at the Jadavpur University, I had the best "edeshio gotasheddo" in her hands. T thinks Chutu is a near perfect woman, I have no problem with that because I know her and believe it, I have no problem because T did not tell Chutu that his wife doesn't know what an email is as yet, instead he told yes, S can do it. This husband is a keep, we need not analyse always what else our heart yearns for. Those who say their wife or husband is the only moon in their life, they lie..... Human mind is complicated, to restrict us, the institution of marriage was introduced, thats it. Following certain rules makes us decent social beings. Coming back to the "email episode".... the husband did not expose my shortcoming in front of Chutu. I needed to learn mailing urgently because I hardly sailed with him. He specialised in oil tankers and worked in VLCCs, extra large oil carriers which stayed far away from the port, not even in the happening ports. In fear of getting bored and adding more to my weight issues, in fear of climbing rope steps to board a ship or the inability to go out of the ship often, I did not sail with the husband except for once. No one actually questioned me on my integrity, I always had a "mashima" image in public. Moreover, my little prince charming kept me occupied most of the time. Oh! the mother-in-law always reserved the right to speak anything and everything about me because I stayed in a separate home, did not allow her to rule my life which definitely was a shocker to her kinds. Leave that!

You see my "boris" have almost dried. The shrunken hands that were once very glamorous are turning them over. The old lady is happy that I am taking ahead the family tradition.

We both are worried a bit about what we actually did with life. I tell her if she hadn't leave her job at school, she would have bring us up differently, tougher. She secured a job at Birnagar in a Govt. school where she did practice teaching to secure a BEd degree. Then we relocated to Kolkata. I wonder how I can remember her picking up "bokul, sheuli, jui phool" from the roadside trees at Birnagar, how pointed gourds, eggplants were bathed in chemical colours at the Pairadanga station. A big chunk of my childhood memories is stationed to and fro the Sealdah main line. I hear my 90 up old maternal grandmother still has to read Bengali newspaper everyday. I see our boy's paternal grandfather so concerned about his academics, I like to discuss with him about it, while some are there who till date never have asked how our son is doing at school. They would have been happy if I be their pet. I would have been concerned about their health or happiness had they been a little decent towards my own. On a lighter tone, I never had imagined that my husband can ever discuss Bollywood with his mother[in-law always]. The rest of us in the family giggled so much, a toast to that fun with this simplified, deshi flat bread WHOLE WHEAT LENTIL ONION FLATBREAD. I just tried to get a good meal idea for those who are not an expert with "mixture doughs".... doing so I used whole wheat flour, boiled moong dal, yeast, salt, red chilli, chopped green chilli + fresh coriander + fresh mint + sliced onion, ghee, salt, sugar. It was already 9:45 pm, so half of them I baked and half I prepared in tawa / griddle.... to me the tawa ones tasted better. The dip with siracha mayo & plain yogurt tasted superb.

Recipe Inspiration is drawn from the SooperChef page in FaceBook on Afghani Fateer Pyazi, you can see my take on it is adjusted to the requirement of Indian homes.

INGREDIENTS :

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR : 21/2COFFEE MUG
BOILED LENTIL : 2 SMALL CUP [ANY, I USED ROASTED MOONG]
YEAST : 11/4TSP
SUGAR : 1TBSP
SALT : 1/2TSP [LESS IF THERE IS SALT IN THE BOILED DAL]
CHOPPED CORIANDER : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP
CHOPPED MINT : 1SMALL TEA CUP
CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1TBSP
RED CHILLI FLAKES : 1TSP [IF YOU WISH]
GHEE / CLARIFIED BUTTER : A MEDIUM TEA CUP [ALTERNATIVELY OIL]
SLICED ONION : 2 SMALL TEA CUP

Please Note : The above amount yields 13 flatbreads!

PROCEDURE :

Take the whole wheat flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl.

Mix well and then add the boiled dal and red chilli flakes. Mix well and prepare a smooth dough adding warm water little by little.

Add 2tbsp ghee and knead the dough again for 2-3 minutes.

Cover the dough with cling wrap. Keep in a warm place for an hour. Mine did not fluff up much this time because I used little less of yeast I think.

Meanwhile, we will get the other ingredients ready.

Now. remove the cling wrap, knead for 2-3 minutes and divide the dough into 13 equal parts. Smoothen in-between your palms.

Dust the base with flour and roll out the balls. Apply ghee all over.

Top with sliced onion, chopped green chillies + coriander + mint. Fold the way as shown.

At this stage, I completely deviated from the original recipe and took my own path of convenience.

I just turned them into balls and brushed ghee. We kept it standing for few minutes, Cristine helped me a lot at this stage, else I would have finished doing them around midnight.

What I did next was just greased a oven proof plate with ghee, placed the balls and flattened with my fingers.

The thing was that the plate could hold 3 breads at a time, imagine how much time 13 breads would take to cook.

So, I did some in the griddle / tawa too. My deshi tastebud enjoyed the tawa one.

I think I forgot to prick the body with a fork, that way they cook faster and get crisper. If you use boiled dal, your flatbreads will not be crisp.

For the ones I did in the convection mode of a microwave oven, I preheated it @ 200*C for 10 minutes.

I greased the plate with ghee, placed a ball and tapped with my fingers. I baked at 200*C for 15-16 minutes. They should be done.

For the tawa one, I used 1tsp ghee to cook each one placing a ball on my palm and flattening it.

For the dip, I whisked together plain yogurt and siracha mayo. The salad was normal!

Going Bengali after quite sometime, do not even know if it can be called authentic Bengali or not. The recipe source.. our mother says that she has drawn the inspiration from "tenga".... that famous Assamese light curry base with tomato. I have told you earlier that a major portion from my father's side left Comilla to settle in Assam, while the mother's side in Nadia and Bardwan districts of West Bengal. When the family veterans learnt some heirloom Assamese steamed "pithas", Bardwan got us the best quality "shitabhog or mihidana"..... Bengalis in Bengal do not really try making sweets at home, there is a sweet shop at every corner of the lanes & streets, at major junctions. Pitha is a homemade speciality and till date my side of the family do not buy it from a sweet shop. Last January, I got so pissed off when the mother-in-law asked the paa-in-law to get store bought "patishapta" for their visiting son. I felt what is this? One may get this amount of lazy and sit idle for all day but she used to make very good patishapta once, for the sake of it she should not buy it from a store. The wish to feed your visiting kid is natural, there are a lot of other things to feed. I am personally very much against commercialising "pithe-puli".. in the pages of "foodonomy," they should remain to be known as "traditionally exclusive stuffs." I have visited Assam only 3-4 times, what I loved most there is their traditional homes. Even in the crowded township of Nagaon, they build homes with asbestos roofs surrounded by greens. If you are in a quaint Assamese neighbourhood, you will enjoy the trail. That was in 2003, really do not know about the developments now. In the year 2003, I felt the city of Guwahati was more developed than Kolkata. Now, the situation may be different. I actually liked Shillong, what a lovely place. Well, Kolkata is a nostalgia I am unwilling to settle down at the moment, on retirement we will go back because it would still be one of the cheapest place of India. You all know na I lack drama in me, I hate lies unless required.... so you will not see me speaking ill of those who chose never to come back.... there I bond with my childhood buddy Debopam Raha, else I tread in the path of Bibhutibhusan while he sails in neutron, proton, this.. that. I asked him once why he came back from America in his prime, obviously not because of "mitti ki pukar".... He explained me clearly the reasons, he does not repent on a decision just like T, he does not accuse people who have different plans just like T, I am their perfect friend, the failure me have the ability to appreciate those who are successful. You bet, who unnecessarily show too much of "desh bhakti" might have some unfulfilled wishes hidden inside. That is not wrong but when you take unnecessary dig at others who have reached somewhere they wished to, you are doing a very wrong thing which I cannot be supportive of. People reach where they wished to after a lot of hard work, we must respect that. I was unwilling to celebrate a "kobir bhabona" kind of who recently have lost respect in my eyes for such actions, then I had to make a come back with what I love..... sharing family recipes in the blog.... here is one summer friendly, light curry with ripe tomatoes TOMATOR TOK.

Is it a soup? We at home did not consider it so but you can well call it a "deshi tomato soup".... This was particularly done between the month of February and April. The tomato price used to go down by that time, the mother used to prepare it in bulk with good amount of tomatoes. Our parents used to have big bowls of it the entire summer. Okay, it was not as favourite as dal to the rest of us but these days I am loving it. In the picture, what you see is how this soupy, tomato curry was served with.... "maach bhaja mainly, then add as you wish.... "aloo bhaja, begun bhaja.... " the list can be bigger. In those days salad was not had in middle class families like us, it is a recent development. I can guarantee that any one who love soups and those who are not so fond of it both kinds would enjoy it. As a dish it is very healthy, not the accompaniments. Then, it is always up to you what you are having it with. Me or my family enjoy it with fish fry, potato or egg plant fry and rice and that is exactly how I wished to share the TOMATOR TOK in the blog! Our family uses radhuni / wild celery seeds for the tempering and a tea spoon of wild celery seed paste to add towards the end for flavouring. Besides , we use slitted green chillies, halved dry red chillies and a bay leaf. The chopped, fresh coriander is my addition. Trust me, I give you a wonderful "deshi meal idea for summers".. If you have a problem to prepare a small amount of wild celery seed paste in absence of a "shilnora".. crush a teaspoon of it in a mortar & pestle to a coarsely ground powder and mix just as I do!

INGREDIENTS :

RIPE TOMATO : 500GM

SLITTED GREEN CHILLI : 3-4

HALVED DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3

WILD CELERY SEED : 1/2TSP + 1TSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2TSP

CHOPPED CORIANDER : 2TBSP [OPTIONAL]

SALT : AS REQUIRED

SUGAR : 1TSP

OIL : 1TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Wash the tomatoes well and cut each into 4 halves.

Take the pieces in a pressure cooker, add 2 coffee mugs of water, 1/2 of the turmeric powder, little salt.

Close tight the lid and pressure cook at the lowest heat up to 1 whistle.

Let the lid open normally. Heat the oil in a wok, temper it with wild celery seeds, washed and halved dry red chillies and a bay leaf. Stir and add the boiled tomato mixture.

Add 2-3 coffee mugs of water, the rest of the turmeric and salt, washed & slitted green chillies. Cover and bring it to boil at very low heat.

While it is simmering, prepare the paste with 1tsp of wild celery seeds, if it is a problem just crush it in a mortar & pestle. Add to the boiling tomato curry 2-3 minutes before switching off the gas.

Also add the sugar and the washed and chopped coriander before switching off the gas.

My side of the family consider it as a side to plain rice.

A lot of factors were swimming inside that led me to prepare this delish, easy, quick dessert few days back..... I wished to convey my heartiest greetings with it saying Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri / Ramjan Mubarak / Ramadan Kareem, I wished to prepare a quality dessert to serve my immediate & visiting family, I do not want to do away with my love for desserts at any stage of my life.... I have to find out suitable sugar free options. The natural sweetening with fresh fruits is quite appealing, using stevia occasionally is fine.... regular use is never recommended. Phirni ..... the rice based dessert is a love ever since I tasted it first around age 18. What I ate and what I prepare has a difference.... authentically phirni is creamier, has to be done very delicately using may be particular varieties of rice, I used store bought rice flour this time. What we get is a slightly different texture from the original. Mine was fluffier, more like pudding than kheer. In the Kolkata context, mine was more like the phirni of Arsalan rather than Aminia's which is creamier sans being too much of sugary. Authentic Bengali desserts are no more in my top favourite lists unless I prepare them with less amount of sugar. My PISTACHIO PHIRNI WITH BLUEBERRY COMPOTE is a light, sugar free, easy vegetarian dessert one can whip up any day, any time to satiate their dessert cravings.

I so wished to gift something worthy on this special day for the muslims, my kinds will always try to unify the mankind, doing so I do not care if my own think differently.... I stand strong with my belief and have the ability to say straight on face that one is wrong when they take resort to hate theory. I do not support any kind of "appeasement theory" .... I believe in giving due respect to mankind, I think that earned me a secured life till date. An hour back anything could happen. I was prescribed to have a clove of garlic every morning in empty stomach, an hour back I did it totally oblivious of the fact that the garlic cloves are gigantic in size here. It got stuck in the food pipe, I got choked for 2-3 minutes. Cristine woke up the husband and the mother, the husband asked "can you breathe S?" I still could, I still bothered for the husband's hard earned money, so took a last ditch chance and forcefully drank a glass full of warm water.... you can see I am here to share with you a scrumptious vegetarian dessert recipe PISTACHIO PHIRNI WITH BLUEBERRY COMPOTE as part of the Eid celebration.... may we stay strong together, may we live for each other..... I will stick to loving humanity, the father taught me to be so.... how can I deviate from the principles I believe in.... yes, I do not like certain traits in some of my very own.... you really cannot change anyone but you can always express your displeasure.... I do not mind going public with it.... "ami chalti haoai ga bhashai na".... I just cannot go ahead with more today, the fear of death has grippled me! Let us proceed with the vegetarian, yummy dessert recipe. Compote will not be thick like jam or jelly in texture.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BLUEBERRY COMPOTE :

BLUEBERRY : 150-200 GM
STEVIA POWDER : 1TBSP [YOU CAN USE SAME AMOUNT OF SUGAR]
LEMON JUICE : 2TBSP
WATER : 1COFFEE MUG

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FINISHED DESSERT DISH

THE BLUEBERRY COMPOTE
RICE FLOUR : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP [I USED STORE BOUGHT]
FULL CREAM MILK : 1LITRE + 1MEDIUM CUP
STEVIA POWDER : 1/2 MEDIUM SIZED TEA CUP [YOU CAN USE SAME AMOUNT OF SUGAR]
CHOPPED PISTACHIO : 2-3TBSP
MITTHA ATTAR : 3-4DROP [MADE FROM BOTANIC EXTRACTS & CONCENTRATED OIL, ALTERNATIVELY USE ROSE WATER OR GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER]

PROCEDURE :

Let us prepare the Blueberry Compote first to be used later.

Wash the blueberries under running water, drain. Take them in a heavy bottomed vessel.

Add the water, 1tbsp stevia powder or sugar, lemon juice. Stir and switch on the gas.

Bring to boil and let boil for 5-6 minutes at medium heat. Take down.

Take 1 litre of full cream milk in a heavy bottomed vessel. Put for boil.

In a blender take the rice powder and 1 medium cup of milk, blend to mix.

While the milk is boiling, take the pistachios in a bowl and microwave at low for a minute. Crush or chop them.

When the milk has boiled for 10-12 minutes, add the rice flour and milk mixture.

Add the stevia powder, meetha attar & half of the chopped pistachios. Start whisking immediately after, else lumps will form. This is the most important part of the otherwise easy recipe.

Transfer to a serving bowl, let cool. Pour the blueberry compote, garnish with chopped pistachio.

I was wondering what do I like more .... to cook or to read & write? I did not get a clear cut answer as yet but I know how I respect the writing prowess in others, I do not regret not knowing physics, chemistry, mathematics and rest of the text oriented knowledge, I very much regret not practising to write from a tender age. I was telling the mother about it, that it is the only thing I could be decent at if only I practiced more, I read a lot more because not everyone is God gifted. Its not even a week that I did not blog and ahh I missed it. I may be poor in quality but I discovered once again that I enjoy doing it! My brother's wife told me that I should make youtube videos of my recipes, people find them easier to access. My answer was "yes, recipe videos are easily accessible, but that does not allow me to express myself in words, I think I love that part more than jotting down the ingredients list." However, making a video needs that technical acumen that I severely lack, one needs a technically furnished kitchen? may be and someone to help definitely. I so lack that technical acumen and yes, the necessary help from the family members. I do not regret much not being able to do a recipe video as much as I regret kicking hard two big opportunities in life .... getting an MPhil. degree from Jadavpur University and taking up that job at "Bagula" college. Oh yes! if you have your mother like mine with you, you are bound to remember all the mistakes you did in life concerning your academics. Then, if you live with two ferociously freedom loving men, you have to warn the grandmother or the mother-in-law every minute not to bother them much. The grandson not sitting to study in a routined manner is her biggest concern now. Tell me readers how to ease her in this matter... what she knows about my men, you too know. She severely lacks sense of humour, else I would have told her how I wished to change the husband until the son's college admission. She has to tell me stories of excellent academics by the most studious and sincerest of the boys & girls she hears of, I am like "tell me whatever you wish to but not in front of T please".... You people know that I am a peace loving person and how T hates comparing kids, pushing them with studies. Me too does not like forcing but a bit of push is required I believe. The past two weeks were fun ..... we ate, merry, relaxed and of the not so fancy dishes I cooked, this vegetarian curry with button mushrooms and potato MUSHROOM ALOOR DALNA earned some accolades.

I did it in Bengali lines using our regular spices and tomatoes just as we use in all our 'dalna' recipes, so giving it a Bengali name is not much of a sin.

I am really not in the comfort zone, will not be until next year August. The son of the house has some very good qualities that we know, the foremost is that he is not so demanding, he is a no fancy stuff.... he suggested his father to buy the simplest of the cars when we changed it last year, he refused to take high end gifts from his 'mamujaan' the couple of days they went out, my impressed brother told us how our son refused to spend from his pocket. I am happy, after all he is the child of parents with middle class values. Then he does not want his mother to relax. Just when I was a bit at ease with his marks, he gets uncanny scores in few core subjects this time and I really cannot think of cooking or writing a complex recipe today, this vegetarian side MUSHROOM ALOOR DALNA seems perfect. Our son lacks consistency, his 90% in mathematics may come down to 65-70% within two months and again will go up after I do some "halla bol" at home, I do it shamelessly, because I make life miserable at home for the husband that is when he goes and pushes the son a bit, only in such a situation he gets scared of me... he is more of a peace loving than me. Besides my mother, I visit a particular home in Kolkata to derive this strength, where I sit with a veteran not to discuss people, not to complain about whose daughter-in-law did what to the mother-in-law, whose son gifted an out of the world "gari-bangla-motor" to his mother, whose son admits his mother at Columbia Asia each time she gets ill, whose daughter-in-law kisses her mother-in-law's feet each morning... no.... I meet that person for a reason, I do not want to loose focus on what I want from life. If someone had worn 200 rupees cotton wears in the prime of life, denounced any damn kind of pleasures to bring up the kids, it made up to a lot of sacrifices. I may not be this sacrificial but I respect it, I have the same wishes concerning my son. Had the weird son listened to me, each one of his report cards would have been bejewelled. The sad me arranges for her own breathers.

I will cook, eat, merry but stay focussed on what I want from the son. If I do too much of talking on the do's and do nots, he closes the door of his room, his father shouts at me "stop interfering in our lives".... yet I repeat, I have to! The teachers say "A is not using his full potential" and I see my husband changing his facial expressions. Now, you know the reason of my restlessness, I live with volcanoes ..... I really find it amazing how the wives ask their husbands to shoot them or their food, they comply and vice-versa. Anyway, I thank God that I am not the wife of a husband who wants to keep their wives under their arms [at all times], do they ever ask her if she wants it or not... do not they have two separate "public" lives? Same irritating is the vice-versa. So nonsensical it seems to me even if my own does it! May be because my husband is such a liberated soul that I dislike the chauvinistic traits in others.... its 21years and going, else you would have seen me turning into a vivacious volcano and be a spinster again.... I know I always have a job offer in Barasat! I know a husband in our closer circle who gives big talks in public on liberating the society but imposed his likes and dislikes on his wife from the second day of their marriage. I do not give any "patta to their fundas" you know.

INGREDIENTS :

POTATO : 4-5 MEDIUM SIZED
BUTTON MUSHROOM : 250-300GM
TOMATO : 1BIG
GINGER PASTE : 1TBSP
CUMIN SEED : 1/4TSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1/2TSP
CUMIN POWDER : 1TSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 2TSP [I LOVE USING EVEREST KUTTI LAL]
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP
CINNAMON POWDER : 1/4TSP
GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1/4TSP
BAYLEAF : 1
SALT : AS REQUIRED
SUGAR : 1TSP
CHOPPED CORIANDER : 2TBSP
OIL : 2-3TBSP

PROCEDURE :

I used medium to smaller sized potatoes. Peel off the skin and half the potatoes.

Wash and rub little salt on them but only 5 minutes before you add them to the wok, else they may turn black.

Wash the button mushrooms, cut half and rub with some salt and turmeric.

Wash and chop the tomatoes and fresh coriander.

Prepare a paste with the ginger paste, rest of the turmeric, cumin + coriander + red chilli powders, little salt.

Heat the oil in a wok and temper with cumin seeds and a bay leaf.

Add the spice paste to the wok, stir for 2-3 minutes at low heat. Add the chopped tomatoes now.

Stir at low heat until the tomato pieces melt and the oil separates from the spice paste.

Add the potato pieces and stir for a minute. You can fry the potato pieces prior to adding too but I did not.

Add 2 coffee mugs of water, fold in well and cover cook at the lowest heat for 5-6 minutes.

Open cover and add the marinated mushrooms. Simmer for 2-3 minutes all covered.

Open cover, add the chopped coriander, cinnamon + cardamom powders, sugar and mix well.

Cook for 1 more minute and we are done.

Enjoy hot and fresh with piping hot steamed rice or fresh, hot chapattis.

From the picture itself, my loyal followers, readers, friends will know these clicks were done sometime last year. I did not even take any stepwise pictures very much unsure on whether to share it in the blog or not. My rezala recipes are not authentic as I use roasted white sesame seeds instead of poppy seed which is supposedly one of the main ingredients used in a Kolkata style rezala.... the yogurt & milk or cream based mutton or chicken gravy. Unfortunately, our island is yet to understand how indispensable posto / poppy seed can be even in a "Bangal's" life. To fill that void, I prepare "man kochu bata or til bata" often for myself.... the mother is here now so I got a partner. I think I can copy paste the ingredients list of my earlier blog post on CHICKEN REZALA, I have followed that recipe doing this one. So far I can remember, I followed a recipe of Times Food doing the dish with chicken. Two years back, I did not know how important it is to mention the recipe sources, so did not. We keep correcting our mistakes at different stages of our life which should not be a problem so long we are able to rectify our wrongs. Whose which wrong affects me how is a different issue, certain things are unacceptable to me, however, a non vegetarian side of MUTTON REZALA is at all times accepted at this home. Some of my friends may remember on my last visit to Kolkata I had it two times in the 20 days of span. On my visit next month, I may have it again or may be I will not get the time to.... I have piled up works to be done and the mother will not allow me to stay beyond 15 days as her grandson will not be travelling with us this time. From today his summer holidays starts and he is in front of the television early morning watching billions of stars and the planets. Neither mumma takes interest in what he enjoys nor he has any interest in assisting mumma & dimma to the nature park surrounded by water bodies they enjoyed to the fullest yesterday. Neither the mother nor me are the kinds who can enjoy the flowers in captivation at the Gardens by the Bay, I will take her there though!

The husband says that I must have taken interest in what the son likes, keep myself updated so that he can communicate with me on those matters. I know that is where I went wrong. I am still hopeful when I see mumma is required when there is a fly in his room, when he wants few dollars for a Mac or sushi treat, when there is a parent's call at school, when he wants a high quality gel pen.... so I can say we are connected.

Coming to the non vegetarian side with meat MUTTON REZALA, the plating you see in the pictures is not right. Kolkata loves to have it with rumali ruti , my inability to do it makes me serve it with a variety of porota, ruti, luchi. What you see in the pictures, "TIL NARKOL POTOL, MAACHER ALOO PEYAZ CHOCCHORI" and whole urad dal is not to be served with it alongside rice. No rice variety goes with rezala, at least not in Bengal, just that I prepared all these on that particular day, thereafter all the tiredness grips me while clicking which is clear in the pictures you see. I miss so many details, the reason is same as in the case of my academics.. insincerity. I have not prepared rezala in the past few months, whenever I do it I make it sure to serve it with either naan, plain chapati, porota or luchi. "Mughlai Khana" as the Kolkatans call it is royal, too yum, heavy on your stomach.... all at the same time. So a "pati bangali" stomach should have it in gaps... Our good friend Joy Ghosh's cousin got married to a muslim guy who told him that their family's day starts with gulab jamun. Both Joy and me are foodies who had to sacrifice their love for health reasons. When we meet, we talk endlessly on food to our friend T's utter disgust. We do not bother, we continue to talk and dream of an afterlife when we can endlessly eat pantua, rezala-rumali ruti, doi-maach. I have an addition... "ek thala bhaat o shutki maach" which the mother is going to cook in an hour from now, the unfortunate me has to eat it with "2 tbsp of brown rice".... how disgusting is that for an obese since birth you know.... I cannot quit food altogether and survive on oats, quinoa and salad alone, neither can I spend lakhs on the gym or health sphere like Twinkle Khanna.... I like this lady.... she is different in an industry where showing off is a norm.... she carries herself well, so well read, writes [I like her Sunday Times columns more than her "Pyjamas Are Forgiving"... the former is crisp, sharp and fearless].... what do I look in people? "Class"..... as defined by "me".. I followed my recipe of chicken rezala doing this mutton dish, the marination time was more, the cooking time too!

INGREDIENTS :[FOR THE MARINATION] :

Mutton : 1kg
Plain Yogurt : 400 gm
Ginger Paste : 1tsp
Salt : As required

INGREDIENTS :[for the gravy]:

Cashew Nut : 8-10
Poppy Seeds : 1tbsp [those who stay in Singapore or Dubai, use white sesame seed of the same amount, I use roasted white sesame seeds]
Shredded Coconut : 1/2small cup
Onion Paste : 1 medium tea cup [of 2-3 medium sized]
Milk : 1/2 cup
Black Peppercorn :10
Whole Dried Red Chillies : 6-8
Cinnamon Stick : 3-4 one inch pieces
Green Cardamon : 4
Cloves : 4
Bay leaf : 1-2 medium sized
Kewra Water [attar] : 3-4 drops[ I substituted with Rose Water]
Sugar : 1tsp
Ghee [clarified Butter] : 4tbsp +2tsp
Hot Water : 2 medium tea cup

PROCEDURE :

Wash the mutton pieces thoroughly and marinate with beaten yogurt, salt, ginger paste. Keep covered at room temperature for about 3-4 hours, keeping refrigerated overnight is good but in this case I fear the change of colour to pale instead of the white.

Peel off and wash the onions and get a smooth paste out of it. Wash the poppy seeds or white sesame seeds through a strainer and get a paste along with the cashews and shredded coconut adding little water. [ In my case, I roasted the white sesame seeds]

Heat 4-5 tbsp ghee in a wok. Temper with a bay leaf, cinnamon,cardamom, black peppercorn, cloves. As they release the aroma, add the onion paste. Fry till the raw smell goes off. Wipe the marinade from the mutton pieces and add to the wok. Fry for 2-3 minutes at medium heat. Now add the marinade and lower the heat to minimum.

Stir and cover. Uncover and stir every 3 minutes, to avoid getting stuck to the bottom. When the mutton is half done, add 1/3rd of the poppyseed or roasted sesame seed - coconut- cashew nut paste and stir well. Let cook covered and at minimal heat for at least 40-45 minutes.

Open cover and add the water . Cover for 2 more minutes. Open cover and add the remaining roasted sesame-coconut-cashewnuts paste. Let cook covered for not more than 5 minutes.

Now open the cover, add the milk, rose water and sugar. Stir and let cook for another 2 minutes. Add 1 tsp ghee and mix well. Switch off. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with whole dried red chillies.

Please note:
Since milk is used, it tends to spoil quickly, so eat it fresh.
Use rose water if you cannot take the strong smell of kewra water.
It has to be slow cooked all through and the gravy should be thicker.

I will be visiting Kolkata next month and what you see above was cooked at our Kolkata home last January. Once I reach there, I crave for what I grew up eating. I exactly try to recreate those heirloom Bengali dishes, when the mother is there she does the same. This time I think I will be going for fifteen days, while I will be busy with few more repair works, a bit of shopping.. the momci will cook and feed me stuffs similar to "laushak diye chara pona".. Some there ask me in an unbelieving tone .. "what is your work there?" Ok, on each visit I think I am done for two years now, then I get the report this and that has broken. I do not know how cyclone fenni could affect my locked home, a glass door which had to be repaired repeatedly lay shattered in an empty home, there are cracks all over the walls, even the concrete structures need love and care. The weird husband considers it a saleable property now, refuses to fund for its repair but to me its my home.... within limited funds, I keep repairing it. Kolkata is not a place where you get quick & proper service even after paying. I got some breezing updates from the brother and his wife though that Kolkata now has some apps for spring cleaning the homes etc. As of now, I will not deploy such agencies, so long I have a Khokon Sardar or Zahida, I will not.... I need to buy sarees too right? This time I have to settle all these, chimney cleaning services... this & that, I told my friends and relatives that I may not be able to arrange meets this time, next year again. I will give priority to meet my "mashimoni" who had undergone a life saving surgery hopefully, the loving "boromami" who lost her husband! While I will be busy making calls and pleading with a Khokon, Nirmal, Alam or the maintenance office, the mother will cook similar kinds of fish curries like this BORI ALOO DIYE TATKA RUI ER JHOL for us. Once I am on my way back to the airport, the brother will take her back to their no fancy palace. This is the plan as of now although I do not wish to make prior plans anymore.. I wanted to celebrate my parents' half century, get them together here one more time... all went haywire. Now, I think we should get the in-laws and our mother every alternate year. Although she is getting bored in the confinery, she is enjoying her stay, going out with me and did say that my "diabetic roshogolla" tasted like any neighbourhood sweet shop in Kolkata!

I am soon to share the recipe with you all. You will not even feel that this does not have sugar in it, stevia does a good job but please do not have it on a regular basis.

The situation is such that I cannot concentrate in the blog these days given the son is having holidays, the mother is here who should be given company although she is a happy loner. I so enjoy sharing my daily chores including what I cook that I cannot stay away from it for long. I do not have to spend long hours outside for some fruitful job, so better I engage myself in what I enjoy doing. Coming to the dish, I am going to share with you all the recipe of this non vegetarian fish curry BORI ALOO DIYE TATKA RUI ER JHOL.... an authentic Bengali dish with fresh Bengal Carp. I insist on the word tatka / fresh because it matters the most, you will not enjoy this curry prepared with frozen fish. We do get fresh carp here coming from the two different neighbouring countries, however I do not get the taste of Bengal in them. We did evolve ourselves now, increased the power of acceptability else there was a time Kolkata told "Andhra er chalani rui amra khaina".... Now Kolkata markets are flooded with carps from Andhra Pradesh, what else can you do if the water bodies are sold to promoters and we get to see tall constructions in them. A part of my family are still having fresh fish from the "Churni nodi ba Ganga".... I do not have time to visit most of my close relatives but the blood relation is an undeniable fact, there is a hidden wish to travel to the Barasat wet market at least once during my stay and get some fresh, farm produce .... we did not really grow up on "bherir maach"..... Anyway, you will not like the picture, my infrastructure at our Kolkata home has spoilt, Cristine is not there to assist. Few details are missing in the pictures, there had to be the "daler bati, lebu, lanka, peyaz". Yet, I wished to share the recipe using these pictures, they are precious.... the bori / dried lentil balls / dal vadi were given by the mother and I got a very good quality of fish that day.... the husband too travelled with me last December some of you may remember.... he is not fond of smaller variety of fish unless they are deep fried and served with a wine variety or "dal-bhaat." This particular authentic Bengali fish curry is to be served only with steamed rice. You can see we also had "gajor+aloo+peyazkoli bhaja" and the priceless "hansher dimer jhol" on that day.

INGREDIENTS :

RUI / KATLA / BENGAL CARP : 5OOGM [gives you 8 standard sized pieces]
POTATO : 2MEDIUM SIZED
DAL ER BORI / DAL VADI / DRIED LENTIL DUMPLING : 8-10
GINGER PASTE : 11/2TSP
CUMIN POWDER : 11/2TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP + 1/2TSP + 1/2TSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 11/2TSP
GREEN CHILLI : 2-3 [SLITTED]
SALT : AS REQUIRED
CUMIN SEED : 1/4TSP [We can also use nigella seeds]
BAY LEAF : 1MEDIUM
OIL : 5-6TBSP [We use mustard oil always]

PROCEDURE :

Get the fish cut by the seller. Clean and discard the scales, wash 4-5 times under running water.

Drain all the water and rub well some salt and 1tsp of turmeric.

Keep aside for 10-15 minutes before we start to fry them.

Peel and cut the potatoes half. Cut smaller again lengthwise. If you are a diabetic, wash and prick the unpeeled skin of each with a fork. Take them on a plate and microwave at high for 2-3 minutes [should remain firm]. Once cold, peel off and cut into desired shapes.

We will wash and rub the potato pieces with some salt and 1/2tsp turmeric powder just 5 minutes before frying them, else they turn black.

Heat oil in a wok and fry the potatoes in batches. Take out once they are light brown.

Fry the dried lentil dumplings for a minute and take out.

Now fry the fish pieces in batches until light brown, do not deep fry.

Take 1/2tsp turmeric, salt, ginger paste, cumin powder, red chilli powder in a bowl, sprinkle a little water and mix well.

Temper the same oil with the cumin seeds and a bayleaf. Add the spice paste and stir for 2 minutes.

Add 2 coffee mugs of water, give a stir and bring to boil.

Add the fried pieces of potatoes and cover cook at low heat for 3-4 minutes.

Open cover, add the slitted green chillies and the fried fish pieces. Let boil at low heat for another 3-4 minutes uncovered.

Add the daler boris now and boil for a minute.

We should be done. Enjoy hot with piping hot plain rice.

Another error turned onto a superbly tasted vegetarian snack .... ain't I greattttt? you gotta right.. I am, but alas I cannot be a Greta Garbo... The father was a fan, perhaps so making their daughter physically fit was their dream. That obviously never came true and now the mother complains to the son-in-law how lazy and unfit I am till date, advices if I do ten laps in an hour, I can be hopeful about losing a kilo in a month. However, she is too indulgent about my wrong food habits. Mine is a sports enthusiast family, me being an exception ... food took over me just sometime after birth I think, else I would not have enjoyed tasting my brother's or the cousins'"Farex to Cerelac" later in life. No wonder, I would not discard the slightly over boiled vermicelli / shemai on that particular day, instead prepare this vegetarian snack OVEN E SHEMAI ER BORA. I have the belief that if you love food, you should be able to do justice to the ingredients you are using. Trial & Error definitely makes us more experienced. What can we learn from this error? We should roast vermicelli before boiling or we should get roasted vermicelli packets. I usually do that, I do not know what went wrong on that particular day or it may be so even the almighty does not want me to quit fries and fritters. What I try these days is to use the bake or grill mode of our convection mode microwave just to avoid excess use of oil. That does not mean we do not eat deep fried pakora, on Saturday the mother prepared some "pui patar bora"...... having that along with deep fried "kechki maach" and mutton, the son is all smiles, but why is he smiling all the time?.. because when his mother was scolding him for some other reason, he heard the grandmother saying "that smile is worth millions".. However, he is not a sports lover, at least not a cricket lover, look whats happening here this morning. The cricket lover went to sleep last night before the match was over, so requested the son-in-law to tune in to the channel, there will be a recorded telecast around 11am. If it does not rain, I will take her for a river cruise late this afternoon. The weird grandson will not agree to accompany us.

I am not allowing her to cook much, asked her to be happy with my God's household and try to enjoy the different kinds I cook. Like she loved the 'kaon chaler payesh' I cooked yesterday not following the handsome chef Ranveer Brar's recipe but deriving the idea from him, feels thankful! She asked for another serving with her breakfast.

Very recently I noticed that there may be a politics with using tags too? As I always say that I did not do much homework before starting to blog, I do not study the surroundings, I was really surprised to see some big houses blocking me to post in their spaces in G + or may be in Face Book too few months back. I felt what could be the reason? racism? my non association with the big shots? me being a Bengali..... the ostracised community in India? that I vehemently refuse to join or entertain any kind of groupism? However, I continue to visit the MTR outlets and enjoy idli, utthapam, upma and do them at home too [crisply to the context]..... Then, I have a couple of good friends from different communities, I must stay strong with them and not count where they belong, the doctors in Vellore do miracles in Bengali bodies and give them new life too, no, doctors never do judge by the titles. I however get more firm on being an independent food blogger following a blogger friend Nava krishnan. I so like her stand in public. I fear mentioning names here either, I do not know who wants my association, who do not! Anyway, I must tell people how severely I dislike licking feet, I must make myself feel comfortable, politicised beings should also know I do not give in to anything that stinks... I will take the liberty to say that a famous, top listed blogger's food may not taste better than mine or my grandmother but yes they get an edge as they have the ability or will power to get into the "who's who groove", their intellect matters and I just cannot bake fabulous like some or do a designer "pitha" or click grand ..... but I will not cuddle you in the blog posts anymore because most of you are very much thankless in nature, absolutely so .... the famous shake hands with each other after eating a mango gifted from my garden shamelessly. My not so much of a friend mother-in-law always says "aamey-dudhe mish khai, pagar ati bhagarey jai".... I will go my way, doing so it may seem I have touched your hearts, so because I have no surveillance camera fitted in the brain, one need not get back to the minuscule me. Believe it if you may that I did not see "ghugu pakhir chobi" for a long time before my visit to the Lake Side Garden, so take it easy, I have no such interests..... the blog is just a space to pour in my heart..... Fame tastes good but I will not compromise for it, I may not have the necessary qualities to get it, I accept! Be you, I am not really seeking your attention, love, kisses. Again, as a blogger I will follow Nava Krishnan's footsteps..... we are independent candidates. All said and still not done, I gift you an amazingly tasty, vegetarian evening snack OVEN E SHEMAI ER BORA done in the microwave oven with rice vermicelli, boiled potatoes, chopped green chillies & coriander, onion, semolina, etc.

"nijer paye nijey kurul maro kikorey S? Bokara ormoni hoy zedi, lekhaporai dekhaley oboshyo kaajey dito! 'Pa..' asholey shototer protik chilen."

"Bangali ek atmaghati jati, shamashtitey bishash korena, jhar khabeyi united front der haathey.... Bollywood theke food world shob jaigai".... 'tarmodhya du ekta Bangalir naam ujjal dekhley kharap lagena amar.... tobey abhiman joma achey onek.... othabosha korer icchey nei tyamon.... agrohi der niye nachun, ami to achii ashe-pashey, nongrami chara shobeteyi achi"....

INGREDIENTS :

RICE VERMICELLI : 200gm
POTATO : 1big
ONION : 1big
GREEN CHILLI : 2-3
FRESH CORIANDER : a sprig or two
AAMCHUR POWDER : 1tbsp
SEMOLINA : 100-150gm
CHAAT MASALA : 1tsp
TURMERIC : 1/4tsp
SALT : As Required
OIL : 2tbsp [thats so true]

PROCEDURE :

Prepare a vessel full of hot water. Soak the un roasted vermicelli for not more than 3-4 minutes. Strain the water.

Wash and chop the green chillies and fresh coriander. Wash, peel and slice the onions.

Wash the potato, prick all over with a fork. Microwave at high for 2 minutes. Peel and mash on cooling.

Take together the mashed potatoes, sliced onions, chopped green chillies & coriander, aamchur powder, salt, turmeric, the boiled vermicelli in a bowl and mix together well.

Take the semolina and the chaat masala in a plate, mix well. Grease a grill proof plate with 2tbsp oil.

Prepare decided shapes, bigger than pakoras and place nicely on the plate.

Mine is a convection mode microwave oven, so I placed the tray atop that stool. Then cooked one side for 10-12 minutes, turned over. The other side can be cooked for 8-10 minutes. For a dark brown look, cook more.

It should always be enjoyed hot and fresh with tea / coffee!

I love them.... I mean the variety of breads. I keep trying a few to my capacity because my family love them more than me. They perhaps are more heartily attached to the bread family and never get bloating or any kind of uneasy feeling from it. I, at times face such problems, may be because of my love for steamed rice. I have a feeling that even material beings understand the touch of love. I come across so many recipes each day, some I save, the rest get lost. On one such day, I came across an Armenian fresh herb stuffed bread Jingalov Hats. I found it to be quite a healthy bread stuffed only with a variety of fresh herbs. The trick is in shaping the bread, oh! with what an expertise a very old lady was doing it, then sticking it in to the walls of a manual oven as part of the cooking process is something similar to tandoor was worth watching. The world bonds over food, if there is a Jingalov Hats in Armenia, there is a Methi Thepla in India. At the moment, I stand between the two and prepare a vegetarian hand rolled bread recipe METHI DHONEPATAR POROTA, shall take this stand until when I can prepare something near to that oblong shaped bread stuffed with 4-5 types of fresh herbs. As a South Asian, I may end up rubbing chilli flakes, even bhaja mosholar guro to the herbs before I do the stuffing. That oblong shape will require pretty good amount of practice. On that particular day, the moment I took the refined flour, fresh fenugreek & coriander leaves, carom & cumin seeds in the bowl, the word stuffing ran away, I ended up preparing a quick dough adding spoonfuls of ghee. I prefer cooking parathas / porota / flat bread in ghee.

By the way, I never thought that my style of managing home can be so applauded by the mother. That I cook in bulk and in variety on a Saturday was finally granted as a model, likely to be followed. She said she will follow it but my brother is not my husband or the son. He is so fussy about food and I blame the mother for this. I still believe and tell her that because of you he could never gather the courage to leave home and explore the world, his career got a setback for that. She is getting a lot of scolding of not setting a rule for me either to be economically independent. Her text book on Julius Caesar, the one that our father used to read to her during her BeD course lay still in a book rack for 45 years now, she got lost in washing mosquito nets, taking the son to and fro from different classes swimming, cricket, school, meting out different demands of the daughter related to food. Now, I ask her to follow my model, take enough time out to read, not religious books alone but good literature, stop watching those damaging, insensible television serials. Okay, she watches more of live shows. Coming to the point, she is thoroughly enjoying going out with me, specially to the wet markets, knowing local ingredients and following her mother loving to have "mishti bun ruti".... local bakery fresh buns. I may get fresh fenugreek to prepare a "methi begun" for her, may not be too eager to prepare METHI DHONEPATAR POROTA as such. I should be able to bake some cakes and breads before she leaves. I am enjoying when she says that the grandmother and my aunts are surprised to know I learnt to cook few varieties. To the family, I am still that fat & lazy girl, the fact is I am nearing menopause.

INGREDIENTS :

REFINED FLOUR : 3 COFFEE MUG
FRESH METHI / FENUGREEK LEAF : 2MEDIUM TEA CUP
FRESH DHONEPATA / CORIANDER : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP
CAROM SEED / JOYAN : 1TSP
CUMIN SEED / JEERA : 1/2TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
GHEE / CLARIFIED BUTTER : 2TBSP + 1TSP FOR EACH FLATBREAD / POROTA

PROCEDURE :

Take the refined flour, washed fresh coriander and fenugreek leaves, carom and cumin seeds in a wide mouthed bowl.

Mix well and add 2tbsp ghee / clarified butter and the salt as required to it.

Rub well for 2-3 minutes. Add water little by little and prepare a dough... smooth and firm. This may take some 10 minutes. They say using warm water to prepare a dough is a wiser idea, I am not so particular.

Cover the dough with a moist, clean cloth for 15-20 minutes. Open cover, tear off tennis ball sized portions from the dough, smoothen between your palms. There will be 10-11 standard sized balls.

Take refined flour in one bowl for dusting and ghee in another for cooking the porota.

Dust each ball with refined flour, roll out round shaped, Fold half, then again from the side.

Roll out again to give the desired triangular shape. Instead, you can keep a round shape too.

Heat a pan / tawa on stove top. Place a porota and roast well both the sides.

Add 1tsp ghee / oil and cook both sides well till brown. I think I forgot clicking this last step. Anyway, I served them hot and fresh with a dry cauliflower sabzi, raita, "shorshe murgi".. that is mustard chicken, me made "chaltar achar".... elephant apple pickle Bengali style.

I felt I have to share the recipe of this condiment today or never. There may not be any constructive reasons behind this thought, I am just that way.... whimsical... "uthlo bai Katak jai?" Although bori / dal vadi / sun dried lentil dumpling is considered a condiment among us, this particular variety that is done with red lentil / mushurir dal is had as a fritter. We usually have it with a serving of rice and dal. Using it as a condiment will not earn you a penalty either. This was the first time I tried my hands on a "bori with mushurir dal", the grand mother too did not do it ever, she did "BEULIR DAL ER BORI" only. The family says MUSHUR DAL ER BORI is an "edeshio" thing. Oh God! again that divide. I am not really interested but I will always call myself a "Bangal" and prepare a sun dried lentil dumpling as part of my "Bengali" identity. I may not be doing justice to some sharing this today but then there is a birthday of the people around every other day, I cannot get stuck in that, my wishes has to be fulfilled by me.... no one is going to feel it or respect it. Knowing the surrounding, I have learnt to lower my expectation level. It has shrunk to minimal. If I see anything around that does not suit my taste bud, I do not feel frustrated, I know now that the world is not my property but I reserve the right whether to accept it or not and do not miss a chance to prove my point in my own space. I really do not care who thinks what of me. So long I am not using you for a personal gain, I really do not care. In most cases, I give more than I take. If anyone of you have helped me in the journey, I have also shown allegiance to the extreme level without caring of the fact that it may not prove beneficial to me. Now that every thing is being given and taken, I should be able to be myself, walk alone in the woods.... T should be there to find me out if I get lost. My men are not fond of bori / dal vadi / sun-dried lentil dumpling, that does not stop me from preparing them catering to my own satisfaction.

I actually had a pandan cake in hand, could be shared today.... may be at a later date? The family said they liked it. The son prefers plain cakes without any nuts or fruits in them, the grandmother says she too prefers a plain cake. I have photographed the cake which is simply done with few ingredients. I will share the recipe when I wish to. Mood Swing is a malice I live with. It feels happy when the family says my simple bakes are good, if not professional.

The lady at this home is fond of "toast biscuit".... in fact all the "lero varieties" of the Kolkata tea stalls, so it has to be in stock. I am frantically looking for the recipe of that particular "cha er dokan er kalojeerey deoa suji biskut".... yet to get in hand.... Google search is not much of a help in this matter, I must ask the Kolkata road side tea stall owners about the current source, oh! God I do not even get the time to visit the factory or bakery where it is made.... may be it is located in Howrah. Who told you my Kolkata visit means roaming around in the Quest Mall? I do not even visit those favourite saree shops in Park Street fearing heavy investments. I can tell of a "Shibani Boutique" near my Kolkata home who has a fabulous stock of my choice of saree. She stitched wonderful blouses for me in a short notice, so I must try one or two of her sarees, else I prefer the Government Emporiums these days. There is nothing called "dedicated allegiance" these days, unless you are showing it to me. All fruits should be tasted at a price. Coming to the to be fried condiment MUSHUR DAL ER BORI, it requires two ingredients.... red lentil / mushurir dal and the required amount of salt..... okay, sunlight too.... a dry weather helps. A humid climate spoils them.... so Bengal prepares it in winter. The concept of "shitkalin rod jorano chad" vanished from most of our lives does not mean I can be stopped from trying them. I am thankful to our island's "bori-achar" friendly weather. Oh! the mother is so appreciative of our island, more of its healthy greens, I am not the one who will allow her to carry a single variety of seedling from here. Yes, the daughter is treating her with whatever she likes.... from taking her to greenery filled parks to a famous "kali" temple to a prawn-noodle soup. An average, elderly Bengali loses interest in meat, they did not grow up eating chicken so not fond of it, the ratio of wanting to have mutton compared to fish is 1: 4 and Bengal is used to having sweet water fish. So, I am preparing more number of vegetarian dishes. Come, let us enjoy doing the condiment together. I am in a good mood, the mother is appreciating my cooking, then we had another round of "pui patar bora" yesterday, I already have the recipe shared in the blog as part of a combined post, can we make a separate post with the pictures I clicked yesterday night?

INGREDIENTS :

MASOOR / MUSHURI / RED LENTIL : 200-250GM [you can increase the amount for a bulk produce]

SALT : AS REQUIRED TO ADD TASTE

WATER : AS MUCH REQUIRED TO SOAK THE DAL

PROCEDURE :

Wash and soak the mushur / red lentil in enough water for 2 hours.

Drain the water, prepare a paste in the blender in batches. If required, sprinkle water a little doing the step. However, traditionally it is done with a slightly coarse paste.

Now comes the most crucial part of a bori / dal vadi making process. We need to beat it for a longer period, definitely not less than 1/2 an hour. If you have a Cristine, she will take the responsibility without a frown. If I did it for 10 minutes, she did it for double the time.

Add the salt before you start to beat. You will know your batter is ready when you pour a bit of it on a bowl full of water and it floats, do not sink.

Now take clean trays or plates, preferably of steel. Spread a thin, cotton white cloth on them. I follow none of this rule and did casually. Usually, mushur daler bori is very small in size, I lack artistry in me miserably, went my way.

Now they require 15-20 days of drying in open. I thank our island not to put me under stress with regards to this.

After 5-6 days, they have just started to dry on the outside.

After 15 days I could manage them in one tray.

After few more days, the mother turned them over.

During the process, each night we will keep the trays on an open table and cover lightly allowing air but not flies to get in.

Once done, I store them in a jar and refrigerate for a safe consumption. In the yesteryears, how they preserved outside I do wonder, I am sure there are no preservatives being used in it ever.

Store bought ones can never give you the right taste, do try my recipe if you may.

This batter fried Bengali snacker with Malabar spinach was part of a combined post I did in June, 2016, it named PAKORA / TELEBHAJA / FRIES N FRITTERS. I felt let me make a separate post of them all in due course. Fries and Fritters can be made an everyday affair at this home, I get to see my boy's ever smiling face, the husband would love to eat but would not eat more than one or two pieces, I can eat all of the twelve pieces above at one go. Then, there are health issues that all of us are concerned of, aware of or say scared of these days. If I go back to my childhood, our mother too did not allow fries and fritters every day how much we would demand. Pakora / Bhaja Bhuji was an once a week affair. Thursday was / is an all vegetarian day in our parental home and my brother would have his meal at home on this particular day of the week if only he is served fries and fritters with his rice meals. All of us in the family in fact crave for fries and fritters, but I think 90% of the human race has turned a bit of health conscious, the percentage of that consciousness varies. Like my family cannot have vegan or vegetarian food at all times. We are those Indians or South Asians who cannot survive on salads and soups, quinoa and oats alone. One of my very trusted friend of 35 years asked me for some quinoa recipes yesterday. I told her the truth that I have not tasted it yet, not really too keen on. In this regard, I believe in Rujuta Diwekar who says that our bodies are used to food that we grew up eating. I do not follow some famous pages does not not mean I do not follow their precious words. I somehow have found that their pages are just a medium of game play, a communicative agent.... what they gift us on print is real. Anyway, my men have not touched oats till date, I usually add a table spoon or two to my smoothies two -three-four times a week. What is not happening in my life is a routined, healthy diet plan. Last week when I prepared this vegetarian pakora / fry / fritter with malabar spinach PUI PATAR BORA , I had 3-4 of them. I could not resist, although I know that resistance power gift you a healthier you.

Pui Shaak / Malabar Spinach is a regular in Bengali households. Unknown of its history of inclusion in Bengali Cuisine, what I can say is that we prepare a couple of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes with it. The yesteryear Bengali households hardly had to buy this perennial vine, it used to grow even in a small patch of soil amidst a concrete home.... just plant it where there is a chance for it to soak in a bit of sunlight. Thereafter what do you get? A fast growing vine which you need to cut from the top and cook.... after few days you would see it shining with growing leaves and red stems again. What I am doing now? Writing a post on this vegetarian light snack / batter fry and pestering the mother to grow some vegetables instead of flowers in her terrace once back home. My paternal family has a "nasty" habit of cutting trees.... they have cut down fruit bearing papaya, guava, one mango, coconut trees citing a silly reason that people steal them. Come on, even I steal on my walks. I requested her to grow bitter gourd, malabar spinach, cauliflower, pumpkin plant, coriander, papaya, egg plant, green chilli, tomato, okra these few things in their terrace instead of flowers in the coming season. They already have lemon and a few variety of permanent flowering plants from where she gets her regular supply of flowers required for her Gods & Goddesses, the elderly deceased in the family. Our mother is a very energetic person, her fear of that extra sweat required to grow vegetables seems unbelieving, stupid affair to me. Last year she did not keep my request, let me see now. I have this love for fruit and vegetable gardens may be because my childhood was spent at the maternal grand parents home, may be because most of my relatives had big gardens in their homes, may be we visited acres of occupied area of gardens for our annual family picnics. Unfortunately, we spent 19 precious years in a two roomed rented space in a horrendous locality, so our mother was not allowed to plant even a bitter gourd sapling by the house owner. I never could understand this stand of our father, a bank manager did not require this kind of misery.... he had the ability to raise the standard of living a bit, he should have. We still so much like DumDum unlike some of my friends, the entire locality is not bad ..... would have shifted by now if only the brother's wife had any interest. She definitely would want to shift near her relatives, I however do not find that entire belt of Beleghata to Park Circus to Sealdah at all praiseworthy. The girls should realise that their parents require a homely, Bengali neighbourhood in the few remaining years of their lives. Our mother says that if its a landed property between Chiriamore and Nager Bazaar, even in the by lanes of Paikpara or Sinthi More, she will agree to sell her Barrackpore property. Had that been the reality, you would have seen me being stationed there on each of my visit, roaming care free, getting home cooked food without sweating, visiting my property for only cleaning services and a 2-3 days of stay may be. They perhaps do not want my intrusion, hence prefers a Barrackpore. Anyway, what I loved whilst my stay in Nadia, DumDum or Barrackpore, I still love and do, even my not so much of a Bengali men enjoy a batter fried vegetarian fritter with malabar spinach PUI PATAR BORA. I have substituted the gram flour with corn flour unlike South Asian homes wanting the crispiness to stay for a longer period, I had to click man. There are a couple of healthy vegetarian recipes with malabar spinach among the Bengalis, today I wished to share this unhealthy but a sweet sin.

INGREDIENTS :

MALABAR SPINACH LEAF / PUI PATA :15-20 [use the bigger variety with red stem]
Corn Flour : 1/ 2 small tea cup
Rice Flour : 1/ 3 small cup
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Green Chilli : 2-3[chopped, optional]
Turmeric Powder : 1/4tsp
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1tsp
Nigella Seeds[kalonji / kalo jeera] : 1/2tsp [optional]
Oil : Enough To Deep Fry

PROCEDURE :

Let us prepare the basic batter first. Take the corn flour and rice flour in a bowl. Add the salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, sugar to it. Add water little by little to the flour mix until it becomes a paste like consistency. It will look as below, I perhaps did not add the nigella seeds and chopped green chillies this time.

Okay, we will wash each leaf under running water thoroughly, worms do no good to our stomach. We will marinate the leaves with little salt and turmeric for about 5-7 minutes thereafter.

Heat oil in a wok. Discard the marinade from the leaves. Dip two leaves at a time to the batter and fold.

Gently add to the oil and deep fry at low heat. We need to adjust the heat constantly in the process.

Place it on to tissue papers before serving.

Have it as a snack with your tea, coffee, soft drinks or hard drinks or enjoy with a serving of dal & rice like us.

Yeast is no more that unfriendly towards me but I am more comfortable doing cake like breads, a similar batter sans the sugar factor. I am going low on sugar these days, had a jilipi / jalebi last Saturday and counting when again can have it. Anyway, the sweet shops here cannot prepare that jilipi we grew up eating, quality is not a problem but the lack of expertise is. Some of the Indian restaurants here do prepare class jalebi but one needs to buy a kilogram or if you are dining there should order a plate. That is not possible, I get 3-4 from the retail shops... 2-3 goes to the son, I have one.... Cristine is a Filipino after all, she cannot go to that extreme to start loving a jalebi, the husband does not eat jilipi / amriti, give him bowls of gulab jamun, I prefer a "pantua with elach dana inside". If I wish to prepare something that the family would fancy, then this combo bread & meat dish YEAST FREE MILK BREAD O MUTTON FAT GHUGNI can be considered one of the most loved lunch or dinner plan in this family. We get mutton fat here in this island at a minimal price, people unlike me are health conscious. Here the fat comes with bits of meat pieces. The primary idea was to prepare a "pathar chorbi diye ghugni" so popular in Kolkata / Bengal. The KABLI CHOLAR KEEMA GHUGNI is already there in the blog done with garbanzo beans and minced chicken. However, Bengal does it's "ghugni" with dried yellow peas / holud motor in general. This time I used the dried yellow peas, that amount of mutton is not required but I did in bulk to eat for 2-3 days, we so love such dishes as a family.

I remember I cooked the non-vegetarian meat delight on a Saturday. We did not eat it on the day, we had it on Sunday during lunch, thereafter for 2-3 alternative days. Sundays are off days for Cristine, I however enjoy baking on a Sunday morning, not a complicated yeast bread but something easier.... so instead of a "luchi-porota", the main that went with the mutton fat and dried yellow peas sides was a freshly made yeast free bread. I remember I had spread some butter on the bread and served it. The next morning I had to have a piece with my morning tea. The reason is evident in the above pictures, I had the mutton fat & yellow peas curry with brown rice and "lau er chokla boti" on a Sunday afternoon and also on a Tuesday afternoon with "ruti or dhyarosh bhaja".

So you know now why I cannot slim down even after a regular swim and an average of 7-8-10 km walks once or twice a week. A proper diet matters, then my life is a mess, an unplanned nuisance, yours' should not be.

That was yesterday evening, I had to have two Karachi Bakery plain cookies with Olong chilled tea and a rice meal thereafter.... no one can save me. You guys better try my recipe of a combo meal YEAST FREE MILK BREAD O MUTTON FAT GHUGNI on a relaxing weekend.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE YEAST FREE BREAD :

REFINED FLOUR : 11/2COFFEE MUG
BAKING SODA : 1/2TSP
BAKING POWDER : 11/4TSP
BOILED, COOLED, SLIGHTLY THICKENED MILK : 1COFFEE MUG
VINEGAR : 11/2TBSP
VANILLA ESSENCE : 1TSP
SUGAR : 1TBSP
SALT : 1/2TSP
OIL : 1SMALL TEA CUP [BUTTER IS BETTER ALWAYS]

INGREDIENTS FOR THE MUTTON FAT & DRIED YELLOW PEAS GHUGNI :

MUTTON FAT : 250GM
DRIED YELLOW PEAS : 2SMALL TEA CUP
SLICED ONION : 2MEDIUM TEA CUP
SLITTED GREEN CHILLI : 6-7
GARLIC PASTE : 2TBSP
GINGER PASTE : 1TBSP
CUMIN SEED : 1/4TSP + 1/2TSP
CORIANDER SEED : 1/2TSP
DRY RED CHILLI : 4-5
LEMON JUICE : 1/4SMALL TEA CUP
BAYLEAF : 1-2
SALT : AS REQUIRED
TURMERIC POWDER : 11/2TSP
OIL : 3-4TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Let us prepare the bread first.

Take the refined flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda in a bowl and mix well. Sieving is a better idea.

In a blender, take the milk, vinegar, oil and blend at high for 2 minutes pausing in between.

Add to the flour mixture and mix well. Beat it until incorporated well. I did for 2-3 minutes I think. Lazy na?

I poured the batter in an aluminium foil.

I placed the low stool required for a bake inside the convection mode. Preheated the oven at 180*C for 10 minutes.

Placed the batter filled bowl inside and baked at 180*C for 30 minutes. I got this, not a professional bread but a good one.

Now let us prepare the Mutton Fat & Dried Yellow Peas Ghugni.

Wash and marinate the mutton fat with 1/2 of the lemon juice, salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1tbsp oil for about 2 minutes.

We have soaked the yellow peas overnight in water, say for 8-10 hours. We will drain the water, wash them and add to the pressure cooker along with 1/2 tsp turmeric, salt, 2 coffee mugs of water.

We will pressure cook it at the lowest heat up to 2 whistles. We will let it cool.

We will then heat oil in a wok and temper it with 1/4tsp cumin seeds, bay leaves and 2 dry red chillies.

We will give it a stir and add the pre-washed 2-3 slitted green chillies and the sliced onions.

We will fry till the onions turn brown and add the ginger & garlic paste, 1/2tsp turmeric and some salt. We will stir it for 2 minutes or so.

Now we will add the mutton fat with the marinade and fold in well.

Now put the heat at the lowest and cover.

Now in another burner, heat a clean wok and dry roast 1/2tsp of cumin seeds & coriander seeds and 2-3 dry red chillies for 2-3 minutes. Grind them to a coarse powder in a mixer.

We will check the meat every 3-4 minutes. After about 40-45 minutes we will add the boiled dried yellow peas to the meat and also the freshly ground spices & the rest of the pre-washed slitted green chillies.

We will fold in well, cook at the lowest heat covered for another 12-15 minutes. If required add a cup of hot water.

Add the lemon juice and take down.

It tastes the best on the next day. Get some salad & enjoy the meal!

Okay this was what I cooked yesterday night. Of all the unhealthy habits this family practice, one is eating our dinner late. When the people here finish off with their dinner, I have my evening tea session. Yesterday morning I felt I will go ahead with an authentic Bengali recipe with prawns, declared my wish asap in public. I had few pictures ready but looking at them I felt it is incomplete. I am not keeping well, caught with severe cough & cold, sore throat, so I had to go to the doctor, back home I had to take out the mother to get some gifts for the very few friends she has in Barrackpore and all of a sudden I was unwilling to share the previous pictures.

Once declared, I will not step back, we had to prepare our dinner too. Why not do a MOCHA CHINGRI, an authentic Bengali non vegetarian side dish?, the heart whispered. Then how? It was 12:30 pm and we have only two Southern Indian minimarts in the neighbourhood who do not stock mocha / banana blossom all the time. I was hell bound to prepare it. Who came to my rescue? Cristine! She has no problem to go out for shopping as many times she needs to, do not ever take a dig at her intentions... she is different than the usual, perhaps lost interest in human anatomy repeatedly measuring her maam's tummy, arms, thighs. She first went to the local minimarts who did not have banana blossom. She came back home, before going out with the mother, I requested her to finish off with the daily chores and the lunch that dimma prepared for the grandson and Cristine and then take the train to the Indian market to get it. I had to ask her to chop them, boil, the rest to be done by me because I had to be out. She did as per my instructions, clicked with her phone and sent me in WhatsApp too.

I cannot be pretentious ever, I cannot take undue credits, I had to say this, but the rest of the main cooking was done by me 7pm onwards. I cannot let the mother cook, I have to take credit of the final dish is true, then she has come here not to work, she does that in her own home. She is underweight, I am letting her to cook only for the grandson. She watches Bengali tele serials, live shows and cricket, goes out with me, chats with Cristine in broken English, in all praises of Cristine. She also is praising a Soumya Bhattacharya and a Sanak Chottopadhay all the time, says they are decent boys, okay their wives too are warm. She is fond of a Sanak for 20 years now, planning a "shutkir bharta & dhokar dalna" for him before going back, Soumya is a new addition who ran to us for help when an emergency occured last Sunday in T's absence. We have a good bunch of friends. I need to wrap up soon today, a girl friend is due to visit in the evening to meet the mother, I wish to prepare "cholar dal, chicken kofta curry, luchi" for her. What I wished to tell you is that both my men love prawn, they eat vegetarian dishes that has prawns in it.... the son ate all of the MOCHA CHINGRI, the non vegetarian side dish I served him yesterday night for dinner. There may not be anyone left in the family after me to cook heirloom, Bengali dishes, let me cherish and treasure such moments.

INGREDIENTS :

MOCHA / BANANA BLOSSOM : 1BIG OR 2SMALLER SIZED
PRAWN / CHINGRI : 500GM SMALLER OR MEDIUM SIZED
SHREDDED COCONUT : 1SMALL TEA CUP
GINGER PASTE : 1TBSP
CUMIN POWDER : 1TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 1TSP
CINNAMON POWDER : 1/2TSP
GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1/4TSP
CLOVE POWDER : 1/4TSP
DRY RED CHILLI : 2
CUMIN SEED : 1/4TSP
BAYLEAF : 1
SUGAR : 2TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
GHEE : 2TBSP
OIL : 2-3TBSP

PROCEDURE :

The first step is to rub your palms with oil, take off each layer of the cover, tear off the blossoms.

Then from each flower, take off the transparent case and the hardest stigma.

Store them in a water filled bowl.

At one point we cannot take off the cover, we will chop it too along with the flowers after washing them. Our mother used to slice the inner most part and batter fry for us to have with dal.

We will chop and keep them in a water filled bowl, then strain.

Now we will transfer it to a pressure cooker, add 2 coffee mugs of water, some salt and 1/2tsp turmeric powder. We will pressure cook it unto 3-4 whistles at the lowest heat.

On cooling, we will strain it and squeeze, rub for a minute[chotkabo ek du minute]. Remember to rub the palms with oil.

We will clean, wash and marinate the prawns with some salt and turmeric for 5 minutes. We will fry them at low heat and take out.

We will temper the remaining oil with cumin seeds, bayleaf and dry red chillies. We will add the shredded coconut now and stir fry for 2 minutes.

We will add the ginger paste now and stir for 2 minutes.

Add the red chilli and cumin powders now and stir for 1/2 a minute.

We will add the boiled mocha / banana blossom, slitted green chillies now and fold in well.

We will add some water, fold in well and cover cook at low heat for 10-12 minutes checking in between.

We will open cover, add the cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves powders, prawns and fold in well. Cover cook again for 6-7 minutes.

Open cover, add the ghee and sugar, fold in well and continuously stir cook for 2-3 minutes at medium heat.

I also cooked "peyaz diye mushurir dal o potol bhaja" to serve with the piping hot steamed rice, salad has become a part of life by force or whatever.

I was thinking of sharing a healthy dish sooner, I got determined to share it today after the news of a brother like friend's husband getting admitted to the hospital came in. By Saturday afternoon, I decided to blog on this healthy curry with raw papaya, raw banana and water cress. I remember, this curry was quite common at our home, specially when anyone in the family suffered from stomach ailments. This definitely has healing properties. I was craving for this curry for a long time but did not know that water cress so popular throughout the island is our "halencha." It is only about two months that I came to know that water cress is our very own ingredient for a healthy curry from a blogger friend. In all of the Kolkata wet markets, water cress is sold, I do not know why I could not recognise it after stepping into the island. I even had water cress in meat soups several times in food courts, yet could not. There are so many little details of a Bengali kitchen that got buried in the rubbles of memory, they are coming up in fragments these days, will if your visiting mother is here. Its another one and half week and then a Kolkata tour, thereafter every one is back to the grind. I do not do anything for my mother, my brother does. It is for him that she does not have to live alone at this stage of life..... he sacrificed by not buying a flat in and around Kolkata and shift leaving the mother alone in Barrackpore. Financially, I may be a little abler than him but he does more, may be because I do not earn so I cannot call myself abler but just a dependent. My husband is nice, helpful but Indian families cannot accept son-in-law as a son, neither they ask for any help from the son-in-law if not urgently required. Recently, certain incidents around is causing irritation in me, I am too upset. I am not in the habit of poking my flat nose everywhere, all my grievances finds place in this small space. I watch people taking advantage, I can see one who does the duty has to shoulder more of it with each passing day, while the abler of the two does not.... financially or otherwise. I am really getting pissed of it these days, unable to keep in place my "good girl" image anymore. There is no better day than today to share the recipe of this coolant, vegetarian curry, the non spicy HALENCHA DIYE SHUKTO. I may not remain as good as in the eyes of some anymore, I had to poke in some family matters, may be in vain but I still did because I do not see a fair deal in a business that is going on. Although my brother had this curry sitting with me, it is not his favourite or my men's.... they just eat it. Does that prove anything? I will always support my brother or my men when situation demands, I have always protected my brother from unnecessary burdens, would want a hassle free life for him though he has a number of flaws in him, my brother is meek after all ..... he should take responsibilities does not mean that all is his concern and the rest manage to skip it tactfully..... look at me how selfish I am. I again believe it firmer.... "jor jar, muluk tar".... one who can shout, abuse, rule over the meek and weak, the world belongs to them.

I am not really in a good mood since yesterday afternoon, neither can be a part of cat fights. So better I try to concentrate on the blog. That too I cannot do in peace, the mother has so much to talk. I scold her at times but it aches inside. While I see other elderly women being at rest, my mother-in-law is in total rest for more than 20 years now, my mother is still struggling with two part-time helps. She is underweight, increased a bit here... about three kilograms. I do not blame the brother, he did his bit of staying true to his mother.... the daughter-in-law does bear her medical expenses but gets everything ready on the table. I never ever had this liberty to do what I wish from the second day of marriage, abusing my parents was an everyday affair done guilt free, going to visit my parents required a permission. I am however disliking "both the extremes" I see in my family. Again, the "meeks" are always at the receiving end, wrongly high tempered beings rule. I will still maintain a moderately formal relation within and outside the family because my nature demands so. Let me take the pleasure of sharing a healthy, authentic family recipe with raw banana, raw papaya and watercress HALENCHA DIYE SHUKTO that uses almost no spices.

INGREDIENTS :

WATER CRESS : A BUNCH
RAW BANANA : 1STANDARD SIZED
RAW PAPAYA : 1/2OF A MEDIUM SIZED
WILD CELERY SEED / RADHUNI : 1/4TSP
BAY LEAF : 1
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 1TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Peel of the skin and inner layer of the raw papaya, cut into smaller cubes.

Peel off the skin of the raw banana, cut into smaller cubes.

Chop roughly the watercress discarding the root.

Wash all the vegetables separately. Apply very little salt and turmeric in each one of them.

Heat 1tbsp oil in a wok, temper with wild celery seeds and a bay leaf.

Add the marinated papaya first, stir and cover cook at the lowest heat for 4-5 minutes.

Open cover and add the raw banana, give a stir and cover cook at the lowest heat for 6-7 minutes. Check whether they get burnt or not.

Add the chopped and marinated water cress. Fold in all well, add 2 medium cups of water and cover cook at the lowest heat for 7-8 minutes.

Open cover and adjust the salt. At this stage, you can add a little of salt and 2-3 lime leaves if you wish to. Cook at low for another minute or two.

We are done, enjoy with steamed rice.

I was thinking of sharing few Bengali, rustic, family recipes this week. I am confirmed one more time in life that we should not plan ahead much, really should not except for our life savings. Just let it be is how I feel most of the time these days. At this time, I am trying to be quite relaxed except for the worries concerning the son's college admission. The husband is again travelling, if he does not drive to the neighbouring country, I am a little less worried..... then he does not have the habit of calling home and giving all the details of his day, neither allows me to talk much over phone. I myself am not in the habit of talking much over phone, with the husband I can willingly do that. I am never a spendthrift but some 10-12 years back, I payed telephone bills ranging from 10000 to 16000 rupees each month talking to him on satellite phone.... this part only a mariner's wife will understand and support. I was telling my mother that life is standing at the sunset point, I feel I did not have enough of my married life. If one is not ready to give a lot and lot more to the marriage, to the partner, one should not agree to marry. I could not help my man financially but I tried to "be" with him all the time, I do not require a social media handle to prove it. In the first place, the men at home do not allow me to click them or to get clicked with them. I have also decided not to ask them to pose for me or get clicked with me from our next tour.... I will just randomly click them as per their wish. What will happen is that the people on my friend's list may not get to see their face properly or likewise, they will perhaps anticipate a major game play here which I am least interested in.... I prefer to respond to real life situations. So, stay cool and enjoy this BLUEBERRY CARDAMOM BAKED DOI. It is a fruity yogurt too tasty and easy to do.

It was our mother's birthday yesterday, I gifted myself an indoor plant on this occasion and a Thai treat to the mother. I do not like any excess of drama concerning a day, she and me both would want to avoid any excess post the father's death. If life can make me feel each day as a birthday treat, I am game for it. Oh My! I did not even bake a cake for her yesterday, but she was happy to be allowed to have a sweet bun with tea, the Thai treat of chicken clear soup, vegetarian spring roll, prawn glass noodles, Thai sticky rice & mango.

I was very sad to see my Areca Palm dying, then went to the nursery to get it repotted for a price. I spend on them but do not know the right ways of taking care of them. The mother did furnish some tips, says my blooms are less because they are not getting enough sunlight in the hedge, the indoor ones we are perhaps over watering or they may require a bit of sunlight at regular intervals. So, the thing is that we are spending good time, I have told the husband that we need to get his parents and my mother every alternate year if their health permits.... Yesterday was a no fuss, non dramatic, just another day, I however wish to serve you an easy to make, chilled dessert BLUEBERRY CARDAMOM BAKED DOI treat today. I got a packet of blueberry last month, prepared two desserts with it for my visiting family using different combinations. All of us including my fussy eater brother liked both of them, hence wished to share the recipe with every one in public.

INGREDIENTS :

PLAIN YOGURT : 500ML
FRESH BLUEBERRY PASTE : 1SMALL TEA CUP
FRESH CREAM : 150GM
CONDENSED MILK : 100ML
GREEN CARDAMOM SEED : 1/2TSP
SUGAR : 1TBSP
VANILLA ESSENCE : 1/2TSP

PROCEDURE :

Whisk together the plain yogurt, fresh cream, condensed milk and sugar. There should not be any lump and it should be a paste like consistency.

To it, add the freshly made blueberry paste, green cardamom seeds and fold in well gently.

Fill 1/2 of a bake proof tray with water. Transfer the mixed batter to a bake proof bowl and place it in the middle of the tray. Cover it with aluminium foil.

Mine is a convection mode microwave oven, so I placed the low stool inside the oven, preheated it at 200*C for 10 minutes.

Then I placed the tray with the bowl that is covered with foil.

Bake at 200*C for 18-20 minutes. Each machine works differently, so the time required in the final step may be different.

Once done, cool completely. Now chill for at least 2-3 hours before you serve.

Its a bliss and we love it anytime.

A litre of full cream milk gives me twelve standard sized roshogollas. I am not a roshogolla / Bengali healthy dessert expert, so their calculation may differ from mine. At this moment, I am unable to think this way.... what difference does a twelve or thirteen make? It does make a difference, we will not know unless we experience. Anything, any damn thing, be it a loss or a joy..... we have to experience it ourselves to know it's extent.... others will send a single day of congratulations or condolences, they have to move on with their own lives. In the present day scenario.... this number twelve is making a lot of sense to me. Okay, I will not stick to it but I liked it when this morning I saw this picture of exactly twelve number of sugar free "roshogollas".. that is cottage cheese balls swimming in a pool of sugar free stevia syrup. With Roshogolla, my experience had been bitter sweet. Somedays it comes out just fine, while some other days it does not work at all. Then, I had to do some research to correct the flaws because our son loves it for sixteen years now. I do not like the roshogolla we get here, I do not buy the tinned ones airflown from India.... so the option left with me is doing them at home, our only son loves it after all. The husband too loves it but not the sugar free option. Their home eats their dessert so sweet which I never could get along with then, now it is out of question. After marriage, his relatives served me luchi with five to six types of sweets and desserts and I was about to puke [english of ga gholano?] I am not disrespecting their good intent but I use less than half of the sugar preparing the same amount of payesh than them. So, the son happily had a few of the SUGAR FREE ROSHOGOLLA"... the husband ate but did say it was not "Satyanarayan Mishtanna Bhander er roshogolla, that famous sweet shop in DumDum, Bancharam is baby to them.... one who sales well may not necessarily be good at it. The mother too told it was good. So why not share the recipe in the blog?

Really had a good time with the mother, she took good care of my Gods & Goddesses, enjoyed going out with me, ate what I suggested. She has to do all her work alone back at home, so I tried to give her some rest.... allowed her to cook only for the grandson some days.... I have a wonderful support system in Cristine. The mother too applauded Cristine's "porota" making skills, having it while watching old, recorded cricket matches as old as Chris Lloyd or Viv Richard's batting. I remember, while at school how as a family we were made to watch sports on television.... we had to and we enjoyed, then gradually my mind shifted from that box into print media totally. Coming to the present, we had a wonderful tour of the Singapore museum yesterday afternoon, we had non vegetarian soup and meal too for lunch and dinner though it was Rather Mela, but for dinner we had to have " papor bhaja" meant for the day. The grand mother was reminiscing how she would decorate the grandson's chariot with flowers and leaves and how he loved going out with it along with the maternal grandmother and the paternal grandfather. Look at today, such dates have no relevance to him, after coming here his father's influence worked more on him, he thinks defying me in every matter is a manly act.

Anyway, that he ate a papor bhaja with rice yesterday or enjoys a SUGAR FREE ROSHOGOLLA treat from his mother is a good enough reason for me to cling on to a ray of hope. I enjoy preparing roshogolla because it requires so few ingredients and is considered one of the healthiest sweet among us.

INGREDIENTS :

FULL CREAM MILK : 1LITRE
VINEGAR : 2-21/2TBSP
WATER : 1/2SMALL TEA CUP + 4-5 COFFEE MUG
SUGAR FREE GRANULES : 1-11/2MEDIUM CUP [I USE STEVIA IN POWDER FORM]
GREEN CARDAMOM : 3-4

PROCEDURE :

Take the milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and put for boil. Dilute the vinegar and 1/2 small tea cup of water.

Once the milk comes to boil and have boiled for not more than 2-3 minutes, add the vinegar-water mixture to it, 1tbsp at a time.

As the milk starts curdling, switch off the gas.

As soon as the whey forms, "immediately" strain through a clean, white piece of cloth placed over a strainer. Wash under water, tie and hang it on your kitchen tap.

After about 45 minutes to an hour, squeeze and take the chena / Indian cottage cheese down and open the knot.

Remove the cloth and start kneading, use your palm. This may take about 10-12 minutes to get the right dough.

Take 4-5 coffee mugs of water in a clean vessel, to it add the sugar free granules and slightly torn green cardamoms. Bring it to boil.

Simultaneously, tear off smaller portions of the dough and prepare smooth balls.

When the syrup starts boiling vigorously, add the balls gently and cover with a heavy lid.

The first 10 minutes should we boil for 10 minutes and the rest of the 15-20 minutes at medium heat. Some inputs should be ours, so use that. With trial & error, roshogolla perfects with practice.