My Mother's Bhaja Masla

Every Monday, ok most, I wake up all anew, striving to be a "Good" Mother. Not "Very Good". Not Excellent. And definitely "Not Bad". Just plain, simple "good" Like I have all along wanted to be. Good girl, good student, good whatever...an uncanny desire for goodness.

Only this time it is harder than most. How do I decide how much I need to nag for Piano Practice without it falling into the category called "pushing" ? How can I make sure that I am mentally stimulating without "helicoptering"? How do I ascertain that my exasperation when a long division is messed up is not going to cause some negative setback in late fifties of my offspring ? How do I teach to be competitive without being aggressive ?What are the fine lines ? Darn there are so many that I wish someone would have highlighted them with a fluorescent marker. And then comes real incidents like this only miles away from home and I wonder what went wrong with both the kids ? The Mothers must have stayed up nights, fed vegetables, told stories, ferried to a violin class or spent hours by the hot pool. The Fathers must have done whatever he did. The schools were excellent, the Teachers good. And yet.

No wonder by Thursday or even Wednesday I want to hand over the remote, a bag of chips and say "Que sera, sera".

In spite of this it is a fun ride. An exciting one. I would not say I learn as the years of my parenting grows  because I am not sure of that. The only thing I realize is no two child are same and there is not set rule that applies to all.

Now many a Mondays when I am striving hard, I usually go on Amazon and order books for the girls. On these days I deviate from the standard fiction series that is bought otherwise. Recently I bought three books which I found so wonderful that I thought I would share with other Moms here.

The first one "Children Just Like Me" was suggested by the wonderful blog of Choxbox who sadly does not blog anymore. This is a beautiful book with gorgeous pictures about children all over the world and how they live, eat, go to school etc. Very engaging way to learn about the different cultures. The second one "Feel the Force" is a popup book explaining basic Physics stuff like gravity, friction, force, pressure etc. It is much fun and an excellent review is here. BTW, the Mom who writes that blog is very inspiring. I love her reviews and am totally awed by the activities she does with her kids. The third book "Bedtime Bugs" is a popup book for younger kids. This one I had to buy forced by Little A and it really was a good thing. If your child loves to pull tabs and pop-ups they will love this one..

Back to regular programming, lets talk food now. Today though it is just spices without which food wouldn't be what it is. Bhaja Masla or Roasted Masala is a unique Bengali spice blend. What makes it furthermore unique is that there are several kinds of it. Some I know of. Some I have heard of. Some I have no clue about.

Bhaja Masla 1 -- Dry roast cumin seeds and Dry Red chili. Cool and grind to a powder. Used in Alu Kabli

Bhaja Masla 2 -- Dry roast Paanch Phoron and Dry Red Chili. Cool and grind to powder. I use it on chutneys.

And then there is my Mother's Bhaja Masla. Her staple in her pantry. My home roasts with this flavor during her visits. Strong, Robust, Smoky--- this masala speaks of mystery and adventure and dark chambers with hidden specters. My Ma uses it to sprinkle on chutneys, to make vegetable chops, to use in lieu of Garam Masala and to revel in it. She also makes a fabulous niramish alur dom with it which will come up next.

The spices for Bhaja Masla

Cumin Seeds -- 2 tsp
Corriander Seeds -- 2 tsp
Fennel Seeds -- 2 tsp
Cardamom -- 6
Clove -- 8
Whole black Peppercorn -- 1 tsp (Use 3-4 Dry red chilies instead if you wish)
Tej Patta - 1 small
Dalchini -- a thin 1" stick

Roast for 8-10 minutes at very low heat till you get a strong spice smell. Cool and grind to a fine powder.

This measure makes a large amount of powder which can be stored for later use. You can make smaller amounts by using quarter of the measure.

Chingri Jeerer Jhaal -- the way Ma-in-Law makes it

This is my Ma-in-law's recipe.

I think it is. At least this is how I remember she made it last time.

And my Ma never makes anything with this particular stress on Cumin. So it must be the Ma-in-law's. I admit I didn't bother to verify and check again. But I always make this particular dish this way and attribute it to her. I have done it so many times that now even the husband agrees. "Yes, this is how Ma makes it", he says with every morsel of this jhaal mixed with rice.

Given that we live thousands of miles apart there is no way she can do anything about it except getting branded with a Chingri'r Jeere'r Jhaal -- Shrimp in a Cumin spiced gravy. And that is not really a bad thing I must say. At least not with a dish that sends your heart a flutter singing "Dil dhak dhak karne laga".

There is also a sneaky reason why I have stuck to this dish of Ma-in-law's with due diligence.It does not have onions. Has Shrimp and No Onion is a Double Plus Plus in my culinary dictionary. I love shrimp as much as I hate chopping onions. I love onions as much as I hate chopping them. If there was a religion that advocated eating onion but prohibited chopping them, I would have embraced it with tearing eyes.

This dish also needs hardly anything much and the gravy is totally based on tomatoes, cumin powder and shuddh nirmal pani aka water. Good quality water is a must. As is tomatoes that are not tough like coconut. And shrimp that do not taste like cardboard. So you see it all depends on the ingredients leaving very little to your culinary skills. That suits me fine. And plus the no Onion.

I think it will suit you too. If you love shrimp and love simple meals.


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Chingri'r Jeerer Jhaal -- Shrimp cooked in Cumin Spiced gravy

Prep-Prep

Peel, clean and de-vein shrimp. I had about 1/2 lb of heads on medium shrimp.Bought them fresh. Better than the frozen but I have also used frozen when in time crunch and it is fine. This amounted to around 10-12 shrimp
Toss shrimp with salt and turmeric powder and keep aside for 15 minutes.

Chop a large potato in long thick slices

Fire up the stove. Start Cooking

Heat 1/2 tbsp oil. Saute the shrimp lightly till they are no longer raw and color has changed to pale yellow. Remove and keep aside.

Add 1 more tbsp oil to same pot.

Temper oil with
1 loosely packed tsp of whole cumin seeds
2-3 bay leaves
4-5 slit hot green chili

Once the cumin seeds have browned(not burned) add
1/2 cup of pureed tomato (fresh tomato in the blender and pureed)
1 tbsp of grated ginger
Saute the tomatoes for next 4-5 minutes till the raw smell is gone and it looks cooked. Add a pinch of sugar to the tomatoes. Cook until you see oil seeping out from the edges.

Now add the sliced potatoes with a pinch of turmeric and fry the potatoes for a couple of minutes with sprinkle of water

Add
1 heaped tsp Cumin Powder (lightly roasted on tawa and ground at home)
1 tsp of Kashmiri Mirch
Salt to taste
Fry the masala along with the potatoes.

Now add about 1 cup of warm water. Add few more  slit green chili. Mix everything and cover. Let potatoes cook.

Once the potatoes are done, add the fried shrimp. Add around 1/2 cup more of water if needed. Lightly break couple of the potato slices into the gravy to give the gravy some thickness.

Add 1/4th tsp of Garam Masala powder.

Let the gravy simmer and come to a boil. Check all seasonings and add salt/red chili powder as necessary. In a minute switch off.

This gravy is usually thin and reddish in color. Serve hot with long-grained white rice.

Version II of this Recipe

Th version II is a thicker gravy and involves onions and onion paste. I usually chop and fry one large onion until it is soft and translucent and then make a paste. I refrigerate this paste and use it in more than one dish.

For this particular recipe, after tempering the oil with the cumin seeds, bay leaves and green chillies, add 2-3 tbsp of onion paste.

Saute for couple of minutes. Now add the pureed tomato, grated ginger, pinch of sugar and a tbsp of tomato paste. Tomato paste gives color to the gravy.

Now continue with rest of the recipe as above

Spice and Curry has also a version of Chingri Jhaal a little different from this.

Methi Begun -- the way my Ma makes it

Methi Begun
My Mother's forte is the simple unassuming everyday Bengali meal which she cooks everyday. Even if there is two vegetables, a dal, a fish curry; all in their cold corning ware whites stacked up in the refrigerator, she cooks. I shout at her asking her to stay away from the kitchen, to relax; but at the end of the day, there is always a pyrex bowl resting on the counter, still warm and smelling better than Dior. And it doesn't even contain goat cheese. Or heavy cream. Or even a hint of saffron.

It is just a plain pyrex bowl with everyday Bengali food with a simple name that actually lists the vegetables in the dish instead of sounding like a bath product from the nawab's harem. Methi-Begun, Alu-Fulkopi, Bandhakopir tarakari, is how it goes instead of the glamorous Dal Maharani or Shahi Paneer or Chicken Nahanewali. Not that there is anything wrong with glamor or those names. It is just not what my Mother makes.

Now since all the food is cooked by the time I reach home and I have no intention to inquire after them or photograph them in dim CFL light, I never get around to writing about them. But my friend N (who has only recently got to know about the blog and so has taken over) insisted that I have pictures of my Ma doing the cooking and thus let the people know who is in actual charge of my kitchen. "Purdah Uthao", kind of thing you know.

So I said "okie-dokie" and strategically posed camera while my Mother cooked. I kept saying "Repeat, repeat" but she did not listen. She did not even want to place hand strategically over the kadhai with a spoon or something. Ultimately there are no good shots. But there is a very good Methi Begun-- fenugreek greens cooked with eggplant. And my Mother made it. And that is all that matters.

Methi Begun

My Mother plucks Methi leaves, then chops them, saving the stems to be put into Dal. Me ? I go snip-snip with scissors. No wonder her Methi Begun tastes better.

Heat Oil. Temper with slit green chilies and kalonji aka Nigella seeds

Add about 3 cups of cubed eggplants and saute till it softens. My Mother covers and lets the eggplants cook, removing the cover in between and stirring till eggplant is soft.

Next is the Methi's turn. Add about 3 cups of loosely packed methi greens.

Methi, Methi, fresh methi. What aroma. In between here add the salt too.

Cook till Methi greens wilt, eggplants soften and they both cuddle in harmony.

Done !!!


From a FB discussion there were new ideas about tempering the oil with methi seeds for a more intense flavor. I will try this next time.

Other Recipes with Methi Greens

Aloo Methi

Methi Dal

Miri -- Miss Ya, Remember Ya

Raji Shanker, blogs at Peppermill Recipes. I call her Miri.Even after I knew her real name, I called her Miri. Today she is no more with us. I cannot believe it.All I have done today is thought about her. And then I decided I needed a closure. For Peace. Rest in peace, my dear friend. This post is for you and the Goshtu recipe that you mailed me will be for dinner tomorrow.

This was from a feature in Femina done on her in 2008. I think she had moved back to her financial career by now but as we all know she loved writing and excelled at it.

I had connected with Miri through the world of food alone which then transcended to motherhood, career, work-life balance and even dance classes for the kids. Her Blog tag line said "Mothers, Food, Love and Career" -- four guilt groups.So true.

I never met her in real life and yet I knew she was a vivacious, upbeat person always positive and full of life. Hers was one of the few blogs where I could leave a comment that went way beyond food and always looked out for her view on my posts. She rarely ever talked about her health on her blog and it was always a comforting place warmed by the colorful food.Even when she talked about her surgery (in her e-mail) she pointed out how the time off from work gave her more time to spend with her little girl and how her friends pitched in to make the summer special. I never once thought that her health issues would take her away.

She touched my life in many ways and maybe I never acknowledged the way her e-mails actually cleared my thoughts.Today I owe it to you Miri.

The e-mails with her discussing balancing blogging with real life had made me go back to my blog with more confidence beginning of last year. She had said in that long mail of hers "Blogging is something which stimulates me and keeps me happy. And when I'm happy then family is happy too I guess.". That she loved cooking and sharing it with people was clear from her blog. That she took the time to inspire the same joy in others is special.

On a mail in which I was hyperventilating about summer vacations and the kids she had said "our children are fine and actually manage to keep themselves entertained while enjoying themselves - so don't beat yourself up about it too much - they are doing fine! :) " You see the saneness. This could only come from a Mother who would spend time cooking and baking with her little girl, doing craft activities and reading books. It loosened me up.

On discussions about the work-life balance she had said "in this day and age I thought it was ridiculous that I had to "choose" between home and work - whatever happened to the work life balance philosophy spouted by all these MNCs? And how dare they ask me questions they wouldn't dare ask a man I used to think". I was secretly happy to know that right there was a fierce Mom who loved her profession and yet did not want any compromises on the home front.

On the Goshtu recipe that she sent, she clearly specified "You need to fry the eggplants first (after the tempering) and cover and cook to make sure they are 3/4th cooked before adding the tamarind....since the tamarind doesn't allow it to cook...". My eggplant with tamarind did have this problem always. I never did get a chance to try it out after she told me how. My Goshtu if it gets better will be only for her.

I will miss you so much Miri. You be happy and take care where you are.

******************

Manisha has shared a beautiful picture and words about her time with Raji.

Kalyan shares his warm memories of Raji

EatWriteThink, Beautiful memories from a close friend of Miri

Arch shares her own memories of her close friend Raji

Sunetra's Peyajkoli Maach -- Fish with Spring Onion

If you have been reading me for a while you know that I do not have a personal profile on FB. I have my own reasons for that. And anyway I am a late bloomer so I might get on finally when I am the last one standing. I did my eyebrows only in the late twenties so I still have a chance. I am that kind of a person.

I however have a Page for my blog on FB which you can checkout by clicking on the Facebook icon on the top left column of this page. If that confuses you click here. When I started that Page I did not have a clear direction in mind. It was just one more thing which I did and then never logged in again. Recently however I do engage in a lot of discussions there. It is interesting to throw out ideas amongst like-minded people even if that means discussing one's lunch.

In one of these discussions, Sunetra(whom I do not really know) said her husband made a peyaajkoli rui for her. That sounded darn interesting. The next thing you know I have bought a fresh striped bass from the Asian Market, a bunch of vibrant green peyajkoli(green onion/scallion) and am asking Sunetra (whom by the way I still do not know) how to make a peyajkoli rui.

Sunetra (who btw also does not have a clue about me) very kindly writes down all the steps and shares the recipe right there on the message thread. I make it with the fresh striped bass. Peyajkoli Maach turned out to be really delicious.The fresh taste of the green onions mingled with the spices and fish. It is a delight. I cannot be thankful enough to her for giving us a nice lunch. It is a dish I am going to make again...and again...and again until I get tired of peyaajkoli.

Thank you Sunetra, whom I still do not know and go IPO FB.

Peyajkoli or green onions (or scallion or spring onion) is a very winter thing for me. Like cauliflower and tomatoes and dhonepata it reminds me how good a warm sun can feel and how reading a book wrapped in naphthalene scented quilts is one of the many joys of life. Usually with Peyajkoli I make either a vegetarian aloo-peyajkoli or a chingri diye peyajkoli like my Mother did. So this recipe with fish was definitely a new and loved dish.

I did a couple of new things while cooking fish this time which I also think might help you.

I broiled the fish.Usually for a Bengali style gravy I fry the fish. Taking a friend's suggestion I broiled it in my toaster oven. It turned out perfect and with 90% less oil. Win-Win.

Second my onion paste sometimes tends to get bitter. So I boiled the onions and then made a paste. No bitterness and the paste could be stored for a week.

If you are not a fish eating glutton but still want to make this dish, skip the fish, up the potatoes, add in some cauliflower and taste the vegetables in season. Sunetra says you can also do it with eggs. If you eat fish then of course you have no reasons to dither.


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Peyajkoli Maach/ Fish with Green Onion

Striped Bass (or any other sweet water fish) - 4 steak size pieces cleaned and scale removed.
Rub fish with turmeric and salt. Keep aside for 20-30 mins. Then fry in hot mustard oil. I usually shallow fry the fish and at times even broil them in the oven at 400F (toaster oven settings). The latter really works well even for rui etc. For shallow frying about 3-4 tbsp oil is required while for broiling in the oven just 1-2 tsp is good.

Chop two bunches of green onion in 1" pieces. Chop a medium sized potato in long thick slices.

Make onion paste. Sometimes my onion paste made in the grinder gets bitter so I boil and then make a paste of the onions. This also stays well for a week in the refrigerator.

If you have oil remaining after frying fish, use the same else heat some more.

Temper the oil with
1/4 tsp of kalo Jeera/kalonji
and 4 green chili slit at top.

When spices start dancing add about
4 tbsp of onion paste followed with 1/4tsp of sugar.
Fry the onion paste till it starts browning and there is no raw smell.

Add about 1 tsp of ginger paste. Fry for a minute.

Next add a tomato finely chopped. Fry the tomato till the tomato becomes all mush and oil starts separating from the masala.
Add three quarters of the chopped green onion and potato slices. Fry till the green onion starts wilting.

Add
1 tsp of coriander powder
3/4 tsp of Cumin powder
1/2 tsp of red chili Powder (optional)
Sprinkle a little water and fry the masala for few minutes along with the green onion and potato.

Now add about 3/4 cup of warm water, salt to taste and let the gravy simmer and come to a boil. Once the potatoes are cooked and you have tasted and adjusted the spices slide in the fried fish pieces. Add the rest of the chopped green onion. Let it cook in the gravy for few more minutes. Switch off. Keep covered and serve warm with white rice.

Mera wala Chai...

I often complain about how I want to drink my tea in peace.

In fact I complain so much that if BigSis makes a card for me listing a few things that I love-- right there at # 1 is "Mommy loves to Sleep" and # 2 is "Mommy wants to drink tea in peace". She has REALLY given me a card and two like that. I don't know if she is trying to get a message across---child psychologists would know better--- but that is the impression even you will get if you stayed 24x7 with me for at least a fortnight. For days fewer than that I strive hard to make an impression.

But in reality I think the day I have my tea to myself I will not know what to do with it.

A cup of tea with two little hands dunking Marie in it is "Mera wala Chai" and I want it to remain that way. Sniff.Sniff.

Here goes a little hand

Didi is not one to be left behind

Dunk...chomp...chomp

In a rush...marie slips into chai

Ajwain wali Chicken --Chicken with Ajwain

When I was younger, nubile(not), nymph like(not) I adored guys who wrote mushy love letters and chose white befuddled pigeons as their choice of courier. Mailman were passe. In between they would have saved the world, brought justice, developed six packs and delivered hot kisses.

Now I am in love with Dads who stay calm, rock solid and raise foul mouthing hormonal girls, trying to bond with them without losing an oz of coolness while in the background a wife who has been unfaithful is dying.(The Descendants)

Compared to the latter, the former looks like cake walk.

When I was younger, nubile(not), nymph like(not) I never thought of ajwain as anything but an after meal digestive which soothes a tummy that has had too many kochuri or alur chop or phuchka as the case maybe.We called ajwain -- "Joan"-- not "Joanne" mind you.We bought sachets of spicy and dusty "joan" on local trains in anticipation of a heavy meal. We drank Joaner Arok (also known as Aqua Ptychotis) in gulps after every wedding reception and talked of it with as much reverence as reserved for Joan of Arc. Ajwain or "joan" was then intermingled with our life---only in a different way.

Now I use ajwain for making a chicken.It was an accident, a stupid one, the ajwain. I used it to temper the hot oil in which the chicken will be cooked. I nodded at the sharp, strong taste that a teeny spoon of that seed can bring. I won't say I am in love yet. But it is a different beginning for sure.

Now let me tell you about the stupidity. I adapted this recipe from Anjum Anand's "Sindhi Lamb Curry" which uses Caraway seeds aka Sha jeera. In a rush I read it as Carom seeds aka Ajwain. I hesitated a moment wondering whether I should go ahead but then I took heart from the delicious looking kadhai jhinga cooked with ajwain and went ahead.I spiked up the hotness, used chicken and just called it ajwain wali chicken.

By the time I realized that the recipe had neve ever asked for Ajwain, the deed had been done and a new recipe born. For the original recipe replace the Ajwain with Sha Jeera.


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Make a paste of
5 cloves of garlic
1" of ginger
5-6 hot green chili

In a bowl marinate almost 2lb of skinless chicken pieces with
1/4 cup yogurt(well beaten)
1&1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp carom seeds/ajwain
5 green cardamom ground
ginger-garlic-chili paste
salt

Heat 3 tbsp oil for cooking in a saucier

Temper the oil with
1/2 tsp of carom seeds/ajwain,
4 dry red chili crushed,
1 small bay leaf,
1 black badi elaichi
and 5 green cardamom lightly crushed.
Now add about 2 cup of sliced onion and fry till onion is golden. Next add 2 tomatoes finely chopped. Add about 1 tsp of Red Chili powder. Add little salt. Cook till tomatoes are all mushed up and oil starts separating from the masala.

Next add the chicken along with the marinade. Fry the chicken for at least 20 minutes at low-medium heat till you see the chicken has lost its raw color and has started browning. Now sprinkle a little water, add salt to taste and cover and let chicken cook. Remove cover and stir in between. Do not add any more water.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove cover and continue frying the chicken till the masala releases oil on the surface. Add fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice and serve.

Curried Noodle Soup -- almost like Khao Soi

"Khai Se" -- said with an East Bengal accent followed by scratching of head or any other decent body part translates to "Oh My Gosh(OMG)"

And no not the "OMG!OMG!!! you look so pretty" said to the bride.

Rather "OMG! #$%#$%!!! I am so sorry. I spilled my greasy butter paneer on your wedding saree" kinda "OMG".

So I wanted to say I made "Khao Soi" because that is what my heart was set on. And I did make "Khao Soi", at least what I thought was Khao Soi. But what I thought might not be exactly what the Burmese thought or the Northern Thai people thought. If they ate my "Khao Soi" in all probability they would say "Khai Se".

I really, honestly did not want to take a Burmese grandmother's curry noodle dish and make a "kachumbar" out of it and then screw up their Gross Hapiness Product. I do not have the guts to do it. I love happy grandmothers. So my "kachumbar" henceforth will be referred to as Curried Noodle Soup -- almost like Khao Soi; the almost saves it. Burmese or Thai grandmothers might find this by Chez Pim more close to heart.

I roughly followed this beautiful recipe from Veggie Belly, rough being the keyword in all I do. She has b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l pictures. The pictures are so beautiful that I skipped steps and even then managed to make the most delicious soup ever.

I wanted the soup to be vegetarian. Not fond of chicken in my soup. Was tilting towards shrimp but stopped and went total veg. It was a delicious soup. Really good. So good that I didn't even share it with anyone. Now that it is all over I thought I can share with you maybe.


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Heat 1 tbsp oil in a soup pot. Flavor the oil with a clove of garlic. When the garlic starts turning brown, remove it from the oil

Now add some vegetables like mushroom, zucchini, carrots, colorful bell peppers etc. I went with finely sliced carrots and thin semi-circular discs of zucchini and orange bell peppers very finely chopped. Saute all of this for a couple of minutes

Next add 1 tbsp of red curry paste and 1 tsp of curry powder. Now homemade-shome made is best but honestly I just went with store bought. With a sprinkle of water mix it with veggies and cook for 2-3 minutes

Now soy sauce time. Add 1 tbsp of soy sauce and then 1 tsp of dark brown sugar.

Ta-Da. Every one's favorite coconut milk time now. Add 1 cup of C.Milk + 1 cup of water.Add salt to taste and let it simmer.

Meanwhile cook some noodles to al-dente. Once the noodles are cooked I immediately wash in cold water and toss with just a tiny drop of oil.

Once the veggies are done and soup is ready, pour soup in a bowl, add some noodles to the bowl and then garnish, garnish, garnish. Wait I forgot to garnish !!! All I did is add some lime juice and then a hot chili-garlic sauce.
You my dear reader is supposed to add crispy rice noodles, pickled mustard greens, green onions, lime and such.

Vegetarian Sweet Corn Soup

Everybody and their nephew must already know how to make a Sweet Corn Soup. I didn't. Before Jan 16th that is. I didn't even want to know. Sweet Corn Soup wasn't the kind of soup I ordered at a restaurant. At a restaurant I usually skip the soup. Except of course if it is Thai where I can practically live on the soup. And if it is Panera where I go to torture myself.

But on Jan 16th after all the PatiShapta and whatnot I went to the gym. It was a miracle that I remembered the co-ordinates given that I was going there after months.

And then I did something I should have never, ever done.

No, not steal towels silly. I stepped on the shiny, new digital scale there.

For a fraction of a second there was dead silence all around, the Zumba ladies froze with their clenched derrieres suspended in mid-air, the treadmills came to a stand still, the spinners hunched on their shoulders forgot to look up, the water drop from the water fountain forgot to drip. And then amidst clanging bells a voice from nowhere said "Beti jao, soup piyo" Translated in English "Go home and drink soup" but the Hindi actually has more punch to it.

I went home enlightened.

Before that I bought two small cans of sweet corn.

And then I told Mom: "Ma, today I will cook and then we will drink only soup for dinner"

Ma: "Ok, but after you eat rice and maacher jhol"

Me: "I guess you didn't understand me. ONLY soup for dinner. NO rice. I need to lose the whole 3 lbs that I gained since November to go back to a weight that was far from ideal in the first place"

Ma: "Why, what is wrong with rice. What has it to do with weight?"

Me: "Rice is grains and that translates to Carb. Dear lady have you not heard of South Beach-Palm beach-Myrtle Beach and such where humans do not eat rice and thus achieve a figure like Priyanka Chopra."

Ma: "That is okay, Priyanka Chopra is much younger than you. You eat Ruti. You know our neighbor in Kolkata, the Sen's, since her son relocated to Gurgaon they only speak Hindi and eat Ruti"

Me: " But Maaa...Ruti=Wheat=Grains. What did I say?"

My Mother gives me the royal ignore: "Do whatever you want. It is your house, your kitchen. but at this age don't tell me that eating rice one gets fat. It is exercise that you need to do."

Enter BigSis: "What soup are you going to make Mommy? The Thai Shrimp soup?"

Me: "Nope.Sweet Corn Soup. Remember in 2008 March you had it at N's house and loved it. Well that is what I am going to make for dinner today. Ta-da."

BigSis: "You know what, I am actually full. Didun gave me maacher chop after school. I really don't need dinner today"

The husband man knew the menu that comes up in January and so is already on the first half of his extended travel plan where they do meetings in BeerGartens.

So I made a huge vat of soup and am eating it or drinking it (what ever is grammatically correct) all by myself for three days. I can do anything. I am also having the maacher jhol and bhaat. And then day before actually had dinner at a Portugese place where I ate paella and clams and lobsters. In between the soup is keeping me warm.

The recipe I kinda followed is this one here, but I did not add chicken or ajino moto or eggs.Instead I added thinly sliced carrots. Mushroom would have been good but I did not have any. I also used garlic, soy sauce, chilis and vinegar. I used the Sweet Corn Cream Style in a can and so the whole thing was pretty effortless. It actually tasted pretty good too and BigSis did have a bowl of it.

Heat 1 tsp Olive Oil. Add 1 fat clove of garlic minced to flavor the oil. Add some finely chopped green chili and then the thinly sliced carrots. Next add 1 tsp of Soy Sauce and a splash of the stock or water. Cover and let the carrot cook. Once the carrots are almost done add the sweet corn, about 1 cup of it.

Next a little vinegar followed by 1 whole can of chicken or vegetable broth. Meanwhile mix 1 tbsp of Corn flour with 4 tbsp of cold water. Add this to the pot. Add salt to taste. Let the soup simmer to a boil. Season with salt and pepper.

Garnish with chopped scallion.

PatiShapta on Sankranti -- with a touch of Nutella and Maple Syrup

I really had no intention to make a dessert again today. Sankranti, Columbus Day, Republic Day -- no, I wasn't going to celebrate them by making anything sweet. Enough !! My Ma though had other ideas. She had already made the coconut-kheer stuffing and was all ready to launch into Poush-Parbon frenzy.

"Nah, no more sweets. Do you realize how much of sugar we have consumed all through December?"

My Ma, a very sparse eater herself of course did not consume all that.But I was quiet adamant. Then she said she would make some moog-samali. I of course had no idea, what that was. She wanted to do a savory version of it which needed green peas.We had no green peas.

Then this happened. Late yesterday night, Poli sent a mail asking for a Pati Shapta recipe for her boys. I was filled with guilt. My girls deserved something sweet on Sankranti, I thought. And so do my parents. And well the husband. And maybe me too, a tiny bite. What is a tiny bite in fact in the bigger scheme of Poush Parbon.

The recipe is same as my old one. No rice flour this time. If you scroll down there I have updated the batter recipe.

Also I have smeared with nutella the inside of the pati-shapta because the kids love nutella more than the coconut-kheer thingy. Drizzled with some maple syrup these were soft, sweet delights for the new beginnings of a new season. Never mind that is just cold, winter here.

Pati Shapta Recipe


Gokul Pithe Recipe

Alu Kabli -- the Bongo Potato Salad

"Go, watch a movie", my Mother prods. She does this every time she is here. Religiously, during the course of her six months of stay, she asks me to go out to a movie theater. To a multiplex, with digital screens, buckets of popcorn, large glasses of coke, the whole zing-bang. She says it the same way she asks me to take my vitamins, calcium , drink milk, exercise, kapalbhaati, breath in-out.

If she had put so much effort early on in my life, I could have watched QSQT, Maine Pyaar Kiya, Roja, Bazigar, Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar, all first day , first show. But that never happened.

Even now there are constraints. She doesn't want me to go and watch any movie by myself, my friends or even with her.The movie has to be watched along with my legally wedded husband, the D, only. That is the rule she lays down. Watching movie at the theaters with one's spouse, is the litmus test by which she checks all izz well between me and the guy.

Can't blame her. There is little else to rest one's faith on when all you see the couple arguing over is, "You get the Milk from Costco, I will pick up Bitter Gourd from Patel", "I did all the pickups and drop off last week when you were traveling, this week you better pick BS up from karate"

I take up my Mother's proposal with much hope, excitement even. Three hours away from clinging kids in a dimmed room with Shahrukh Khan/Farhan Akhtar/Tom Cruise and a glass of chilled coke doesn't sound too bad. If things go okay, we can hold hands even (without arguing). The husband however is not much enthused. He would rather watch "how they make shiny steely razors" instead on SCI, stretched out on the couch and eat Haldiram's Nav Ratan Bhujia.

Also the movies I want to watch is not the ones he would be caught seeing, even in a dark theater. At least not anymore.Sickly mushy romantic movies with a touch of humor are my genre. He likes the rock, car chases, hooded men and anything animated. Even if we agree on the animated we cannot white-lie a eight year old and say "We have to pick up groceries" when all we are doing is going to watch Tintin in 3D.

With every movie that we finally do not watch and argue instead, my Ma wants to dial Ajmeri Baba on hot-line.

Finally we do. Not call Ajmeri Baba. Watch a movie. At the theater. With a large glass of coke half filled with ice and toasted nachos. The nachos are terrible and I really wish there was something better. Alu-Kabli would have been perfect. Tangy with a tamarind chutney, salty with sprinkles of pink salt, hot with the tiny pieces of green chlili. It would have perfectly matched the excitement of Ethan Hunt rappelling down the Burj.

Next time maybe. A year later. And then maybe we can also hold hands.

Alu Kabli is the easiest thing that you can make in your lifetime. All you have to do in the cooking department is cook potatoes or rather boil them. You can do that step in the MW, stove top or the Pressure Cooker. Baas, you are done. To make life easy use a can of chickpeas which you drain, rinse and then just eat. If you do not have access to canned ones, you need to soak chickpeas overnight and then cook till they are soft and edible.

When I had asked in FB months ago, Eve's Lungs had this about Alu Kabli-- "tiny cubed pots, soaked red chana, onions chopped small,motor boiled ,cucumber - small diced , dhania patta , loads of imli , bhaja moshla,kalo noon and yummo"
Tanushree said -- "plus u have to have kacha lanka and chine badam..................must. "

Mine does not have cucumber, coriander leaves or roasted peanuts. If you want add them to yours.


Read more...

Alu Kabli

Boil 2 medium potatoes in their jacket.Peel and then cube. Soak chickpeas overnight and cook them till soft. OR buy a can of chickpeas, drain, rinse well and use.

Chop half of a large onion in small pieces. Chop about 6 small green chili in thin rounds.

Dry roast 1/2 tbsp Cumin seeds till they roast to a nice smell. Dry roast or char by holding directly on fire two Dry red Chili. Okay, only one for the faint hearted. Dry grind the cumin seeds and red chili together to make a fine powder called Bhaja Masla.

In a bowl add 2 tbsp of Tamarind Chutney, 2 tbsp water, 1 tsp of Bhaja Masla, a little salt to taste and 2 of the finely chopped green chili. Mix well.Note: I used Deep Brand Tamarind Chutney, you can also make your own

In another bowl assemble the potatoes and a cup of boiled chickpeas.Sprinkle rest of the bhaja masla, some pink salt according to taste, the chopped green chili and the chopped onion. Squeeze a little of lime juice, maybe a teaspoonful. Toss together and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Now dole out a serving in a bowl. Drizzle the tamarind water you made. Garnish with some more chili and onion. Sprinkle with some hot sev if you wish. Eat immediately.

Happy New Year and the Beet Posto

I wanted to start the New Year on this blog with something very profound and meaningful, maybe even a bit philosophical with a swirl of spiritual thrown in. Something which would ensure that I wasn't really high on Tequila on the 31st, which btw I wasn't. Honest. I wanted to say stuff like "What does Happy New year mean "? What is "happy" after all ? Who decides "Happy" and what is it with "Prosperous" ? Why the rat race to prosper, why push someone towards it ?

Cups courtesy S&A

And then I spent so much time pondering over such deep, meaningful stuff that I scratched all that crap and said nothing.

Given that I was also tired, I kept shut. Ten days that involves trips to Washington DC, two mid-night drives to New York city to just check out the lights, stuffy noses, runny noses, Christmas party, movie nights, Mission Impossible and lots of food does that to you. We really did have a lot of fun during the winter break and the kids enjoyed it a lot. Both my girls are very "cling-to-family-with suction cap" types and BigSis is the kind who would really thrive in a joint family. So the time she got to spend with grandparents and pishi and cousin were very precious to her.

New york sells hot dogs and pretzels and what nots in cold December @11:30 in the night.

All this meant I kept away from the internet and was making a nice habit out of it until today when I felt if I haven't wished you guys loads of Happiness on the new Year I might as well provide you some entertainment by telling you about some of the comments I got while I was away.

Here is a sample which has uplifted me to no end in the New Year.

by Order Female Viagra --You have a very good blog that the main thing a lot of interesting and useful!

by Hoover-F5914900-Steamvac -- wow nice..you won't believe how long this dish has been running in my head. I just have to make it soon! And this on Kadhai paneer
. Things have really gotten dirty here ! That "running" cracked me up.

by milwaukee carpet cleaners - These meaty mushrooms marinate in oil, onion, garlic and vinegar for an hour before they are tossed on a hot grill to cook to perfection.
What is with carpet cleaners and my blog. Hell..ll...o?

by Classified Ads Delhi --Almost people like to write what he said, But I like to listen what they said, Your post is very good. Thanks! Yeah "Thanks" to you too , very profound.

Now that you know you are in good company, lets talk about food.

Very abstract look at Beet root and poppy seeds. Pic take way back in Fall.

A couple of you had asked about the Beet posto in my last post. It is my Ma's recipe. My Ma is always brimming with things to cook. To give her some rest in the kitchen, the only way out is to lock it. That alas cannot be done with the open plan here. The cookie cutter architect did not know of my Mother.

My Ma made this Beet Posto a couple of times when it struck me that it might be a good thing to share with you guys here. So one fine morning I gave her a tape measure, a scale, a vernier caliper and asked her to please note down the measures when she makes her beet posto.

She made the Beet Posto. The recipe was something like this. The tape measure had been forgotten.

Peel and chop Beet Root in thin slices. Now heat some white oil in a fry pan. Temper the oil with Kalonji/Nigella seeds and few green chilies slit. Add finely sliced onions and fry the onion till it is soft and translucent. Add the beet slices. Toss nicely, add salt to taste and cook till beet is almost done. You can actually follow this recipe of beet gajor chechki if you are confused.

Now comes the posto part. Dry grind posto to a dry powder and mix with water to make a thick paste. Alternately make a wet paste of posto with a couple of green chilies thrown in. When the beet is almost done, add the poppy seed paste and fry for couple of minutes. Sprinkle some water as necessary, add salt to taste and cook till the vegetables are all done.

The dish is a dry one and can be enjoyed with both roti and rice.

Oh and you guys Please do Have the Loveliest New Year. To be Happy you don't need to start on Jan 1st. Begin today.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

The year is almost at the end and I love that there is so much of holiday spirit and excitement which leaves little time to look back on the year that is past. I am not great at the whole "looking back" thing. You give me a moment to pause and ponder and I go hyper, over-analyzing things I should have done the other way. I like it better this way when everything happens so fast that I have little time to even think of the year 2011 until I have to write a check or something at which point I go, 2012, really, 2011 is over ? And so where did my money go and such crap.

But it is Christmas and so we will not talk about money because what is money but "some paper" to buy gifts.Instead we will talk about Santa, the jolly old fellow and the conversation he brings about in our home.

Me: "Little S, tomar ki chai Santa Claus er theke?" (What do you want from Santa Claus this year?)

LS: "Errrm..presents"

Me: "Ki present?" (What presents?)

LS: "Santa Claus er ki ache? (What does Santa Claus have?)"

Me: !!!###!!

Pertinent question. Why ask for something which the guy does not have.

BigSis who just turned eight does not believe in Santa any more. To test it out, this year she is not telling me what she wants. She is sending her request to Santa directly. No via media. I don't know why she is taking such risks but she is doing it.

Big Sis turned eight this week.I had started this blog a few weeks before she turned three. Time does fly. She had her party at a pottery studio where she and her friends had great fun painting mugs. I cannot wait to see the final product all fired and glazed. Little S sat and painted one whole 10 oz mug. I was itching to intervene like the proverbial Desi Mother but stayed back most of the time. Hallelujah !!

We are having a busy vacation this time with lots of family, so many that we will not even fit in our 7-seater when we go out. And so I need to cook a lot. I don't have a menu yet. But I am putting up some sample menus for the holidays which I actually might want to follow. Some days I am sure to chuck it all and make a one pot pasta for dinner. And then on others there is my favorite "Thai-Thai".

Have a Happy Holiday everyone with loads of good food and cheer.

 Day # 1

 White Rice
 Musurir Dal
 Begun Bhaja
 Tomato diye Maacher Patla Jhol
 Paneer Butter Masala
 Aamer Chaatni
 Kamlalebur Kheer

Day # 2

 Onion-Cucumber-Tomato salad
 Bangali Pulao -- I will try Pree's Microwave version
 Mutton Korma
 Tomato Chutney
 Orange Fruit Cake from Edible Garden

Day # 3

 White Rice
 Bhaja Moog er Dal
 PaanchMishali tarkari
 Doi Maach
 Kancha Lonka Murgi
 Bhapa Doi or Manisha's mishti doi

Day # 4

 White Rice
 Begun Bharta with Scrambled Eggs
 Beet Posto
 Murgir Jhol
 Ilish Bhaape

Day # 5

 Rice or Ghee Bhaat
 Cholar Dal
 Beguni
 Enchor er Dalna
 Narkel Chingri Bhaape
 Keema Koraishuti (with Goat keema)
 Cranberry Cutney