MASALA CHAI KULFI

It is raining incessantly since last night and still on. A perfect day for a pathetically romantic self to sit quiet and gaze as far as my eyes can reach or permit may be. However colourful the plate seems.... the sky is like a weeping willow at the moment..... shades of black... white and patches of ash... a little here.... a little there. My favourite colours or moments need not be equally favourite with others. There has to be a touch of red... green... yellow... blue .... as per my readers' choices. However self- centric I am... I do care at times. Dull... Lifeless... Unattractive.... Melancholic... Boring.... that is how I was defined as many a summers back. There was 'incessant rain' somewhere within then too but the stubborn to the core continues to take pride in the adjectives she had been showered with. There is hardly any chance of a match-match with completely opposite likes or preferences. It is not the colour of the spectacles or that of a dress that accounts for a life long bond. The eyes or souls should be able to appreciate together a thing or a fact, a feeling or a belief in that case. What is destined not to be has to be left at that and be accepted as gracefully as possible.

Since I resemble to the sky of today, I am thoroughly enjoying it.... I can see some poetry written on the otherwise blank walls of the clouds and some soft romantic numbers adding to my pleasure. Such a weather calls for some pakora / fries / bhajabhuji and a hot cuppa of tea / coffee. I am reserving those for some visiting friends tomorrow. Moreover, my men are off to school.... office.... I never feel like cooking for myself alone..... but we should live for ourselves too. Yesterday, I felt like going for the second ear piercing to be done. It is a long standing wish. We are never too old to fulfil our wishes. Once the rain stops... I will venture out alone.... my romantic rendezvous with nature will continue. I will stop here and there for few random clicks... which I am too poor at.... enjoy a lunch date with myself and try to get my ears pierced in a decent place at cheaper rates. It is a happening day. age is only a number and this S is full of contradictions..... Most of the time I contradict my own beliefs because Uncle Podger's daughter cannot remember what she told or ate last night but remembers few decades old stories. The senior says I have a selective memory... haha.

Not everyday is as cool as this. This island is hot but not humid. Whenever, it gets too hot... we are getting some rain as relief. This is not the picture everywhere. Since it is summer for the majority.... we do need hydrating coolers to quench our thirst. For me nothing is as soothing as a glass of mango or watermelon or sugarcane juice. I very much wish to blog about the Mumbai style adraki .... that is ginger flavoured sugarcane juice which I had back in 1999. Kolkata too sells it but my nose perhaps have raised a bit.... I am scared to have those uncovered, fly inflicted ones.... as I told I am full of contradictions.  I watch Ritwik Ghatak while polishing my nails with an OPI brand nail polish. There is no reason why you should spare me.... even I do not spare my man and call him an Elitist Leftist. We do not really have masala chai on a regular basis anymore. If I cannot have a good amount of sugar in a strong cinnamon-cardamom flavoured milk based tea.... whats the point? Then the whimsical self wished to try her hands on a frozen masala chai kulfi. Again I used artificial sweetener because this Ipsita is showing off her toned body too much.... in retaliation the angry self  sent her some parathas .... that is my kind of a revenge... haha. Yet I would ask you not to use artificial sweeteners without a doctor's recommendation. The flavourful, masala chai kulfi was liked by the son a lot. This definitely will rock this summer. Come, let us do them together and enjoy having them on summer afternoons.

INGREDIENTS :

Full Cream Milk : 500 - 600ml
Tea : 3- 4tsp [ctc preferred]
Green Cardamom : 3-4
Cinnamon Stick : 2 - 3one inch stick
Clove : 5-6
Bayleaf : 2
Sugar : 4tsp [or as you prefer]

METHOD :

Pour the milk in a heavy bottomed vessel and bring to a boil. Keep boiling for 8-10 minutes at low heat.

Add the sugar, green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and tea. Give a stir.

Keep boiling for about 4-5minutes until you get a nice brown colour.

Switch off the gas stove and let cool. Strain through a strainer and store in a bowl.

Pour until half of the plastic or thermocol glasses. Refrigerate.

After 1- 1& 1/2 hours, take out from the refrigerator and insert sticks. In my case they were wooden skewers halved. Refrigerate again for 2-3 hours.

Take out, tear off the plastic or thermocol covers with a scissor and serve your kids once they are back from the school... you too enjoy along with them.... Do not forget to click the happy moments.... they will make memories... beautiful ones...

AAM MALPOA

"Raah Pe Kante Bikhre Agar...

Uspe To Phir Bhi Chalna Hi Hai...
Sham Chupale Suraj Magar...
Raat Ko Ekdin Dhalna Hi Hai...
Root Ye Tal Jayegi...
Himmat Rang Layegi...
Subah Phir Aaegi ho...."       .... from the movie Dor by Nagesh Kukunoor...

Finally after more than a decade of it's release it is available on youtube.... I watched the movie long back and I highly recommend it to those who have not seen it yet. A director par excellence like Nagesh Kukunoor does not require an introduction. What attracts me the most in his movies is their story line.... each of them different from the other.... unique in their own right and with a strong message. Nagesh treats each of his creations well taking care of every details just as we do to our kids. When he was in this island for the launch of "Dhanak"... he narrated how he left a lucrative job in the west to pursue his passion and his struggle in the process. This particular film "Dor"... literally meaning string..... bandhan or a bond is a beautifully woven story of a bond between two women.... from two different setups... of totally opposite characters who meet over unpleasant circumstances. Throughout the movie, you get to see the plight of people in the remotes of India.... specially of widowed women.... how a newly wed bubbly girl turns onto a victim of oppression within the family just because her husband dies? How to translate the above lines?... Well... its cliched but true.... however rough the road is.... we cannot stop midway... we must make an effort to go ahead... the colours of strength within you makes you shine through... the dark night ends with a sunrise.... and you get sun kissed..... go to Youtube .... type "Dor"and watch..... feel deep within the attributes of relationship and B+. I am an ardent music lover, I particularly love this song or any number or kind that is melodious and touches my soul. I just click Google for the lyrics of songs that I wish to learn... you too can.

Yesterday too was our movie day and we again watched a meaningful movie "Hindi Medium" at the 'Shaw Theatres' in the island. It is based on the topic.... how mad Indian parents can be to get their kids admitted in the top schools. I could completely identify with the movie because I was a living example of that kind of a mother back then .... it was the wise senior at home who did not allow me to turn mad on our son. As he always say... I want my son to be happy... he will make a decent life for himself... I will not allow you to push him into the number game. When we fight on an issue 'our' son becomes 'my'. The senior at home is actually a year younger to me but a far more liberated soul full of wisdom. When people talked about us... he asked me to give a deaf ear... we will build our own home... and a happy one... where these people will not feature, we are in charge of our lives. The movie also indicates some serious issues... how the propertied class take advantage of reservation even during admissions at school. Can we really blame them for turning against the society? If we grab all that is good by money power.... what will the underprivileged do? Reservation of seats in any field should purely be based on one's socio-economic status, it is a necessity in a diverse society to uplift the backward classes. Few malls, good roads, proper sanitation and educational benefits, all confined to few cities do not account for an overall development, each of the facilities should reach the grassroots level. The one who is giving such big talks in her blog is not that much of a saint though but try her bit in a small way... each one of us should. Whatever exaggeration you will see in the movie otherwise can be excused  as cinematic license. Irfan Khan is a class apart who knows how to keep you stay fixed to your sit throughout the entire movie.

After two good movies, we need some good food too. Malpoa or Malpua is a much sought after sweet / dessert / snack for many of us. It is usually done with semolina, sugar, refined flour, rice flour. We keep on adding various other things like  banana, shredded coconut and so on. Since mango is in season now and we get good variety of it in this tropical island... we are having it to our heart's content. I just cannot listen to any health warnings when it comes to mango. We are having it as a fruit and I am also using it in different desserts ..... frozen or otherwise. Though I do not always wish to translate "desi" kind of dishes but we have to do it.... we must. Well for those who do not have an idea what a malpua is... it is actually a kind of deep fried pan cake. This time I have tried a mango flavoured malpoa with fresh mango puree. I would call it a sweet snack as I have not dipped the fried mango pancake in sugar syrup.... that we can call it a dessert. Come let us prepare it following the stepwise pictures given.... let some good background music be on.

INGREDIENTS :

Semolina : 1/2  coffee mug
Refined Flour : 1coffee mug
Rice Flour : 3-4 tbsp
Mango Puree :1 medium sized tea cup
Sugar : 1small sized tea cup 
Fennel Seed : 1tbsp
Yellow Food Colour : A few drops
Oil : 1tsp + 200ml [to deep fry]

METHOD :

Take the semolina in a bowl. Add water to soak it and keep covered for sometime. You can add milk instead!

Remove the cover and add the refined flour, rice flour, sugar to it. Fold in well, add the fennel seeds. Now puree the extracted mango pulp in a blender.

Add the mango puree and yellow food colour to the malpoa / malpua / pan cake batter. Fold in the batter well and keep aside for at least 1/2 an hour.

Add 1tsp oil and the baking powder [if using, I did not]  to the batter and fold in well. Heat the oil in a wok. Take batter in a big round spoon and drop gently to the oil.

When one side turns brown, turn over and let the other side fry well. Keep increasing and decreasing the heat throughout the entire process as required.

Take out and place the malpoa on to tissue papers at first. Once it soaks the oil, transfer onto serving plates. 

If you want flat sized, use a wide, flat pan to cook them! But once cold, flat ones may get a bit hard! They taste great & crisp if eaten fresh & hot!

Have them hot / warm or at room temperature as per your preference. They taste the best on the next day. My family loves, yours' too will.

BORI NARCOL DIYE CHICHINGE

Bori Narcol Diye Chichinge / Snake Gourd with Lentil Fritters and Shredded Coconut ...... does not sound like a weekend kind of dish right? Come on I love my family.... there will obviously be a dal.... a fritter..... and a mutton curry or ilish / hilsa / salmon with chilli mustard paste or a baked or grilled fish kind of a thing. Ahh now it sounds sane... right? Do you think my men will leave me if I feed them all vegetarian... they will send me back to Kolkata. However nicely they were treated by Cristine, they all missed me when I was away. The maa-in-law never accepts when people say your daughter-in-law cooks a lot but within the four walls of our home, she appreciates what and how I serve her. She is definitely not a critical examiner like our mother... oh that is a kind of relief. That is family.... it will never pull you down unless it has real devils in it. It is also true about the 'real friends.' We will have differences of opinion in social, political and religious matters, but we are friends at the end of the day. I am just unable to take any kind of false exhibition of love or unnecessary advices from people who I have stopped considering my friend. Then again my dearest of the pals ask me to stop reacting to everything and everyone.... to just ignore. So far my virtual friends / counterparts are concerned... we are with each other with all our differences if only you can tolerate the whimsical me. Oh yes.... I must answer to a query.... I simply love going public with my life within the permissible limit! My life is an open book and I like to keep it as that. I take advice from people who mean and who follow what they advice or preach. Some are right when they ask me to ignore.

My brother is not visiting my space.... may be because I am not blogging about a mutton dish. I need some time for that. Let me get myself fully under control. My mother was saying in their last trip to Puri in February 2017.... the father got some mutton from the market and expressed his wish to have it. Every year in the month of February they visit Puri as per the mother's wish and stay there for 15 days. Our mother is not the kind who will eat outside for 15 days. What wonders me is that daddy was not having mutton much for a couple of years due to health reasons.... but he loved it... he would have two pieces whenever maa prepared ....... with roti / paratha. Puri is a place where you get a variety of fish.... and eat a lot. Do we feel before we leave our loved ones.They said it right that S you will see he will be with you all even more than before now onwards. Each day I wake up and get entangled in a flashback of memories with him. I am sure my family is going through the same. A 70 year old woman tells her near 50 daughter.... you know when I was cleaning him... there was no bad smell... how come so many things went wrong inside?.... The daughter whispers.... "love need not necessarily be dove... its far more deep.... intense." I am coming momma, soon. My brother has shifted away from his political allegiance.... I am hurt... but do we stop loving each other... just not possible. They need me... more need is of my son... they will be happy to see him.

Let us share a healthy, non-spicy vegetarian dish this weekend that is quick and easy to do and good to eat. I am fairly influenced by a recipe shared on a Bengali Food Magazine...."Hyangla Hneshel " for this recipe. They actually shared a similar dish with ridge gourd and I never clicked to check with the recipe. I had a look at the picture and went ahead with my own. At our home, snake gourd is cooked either with smaller prawns or a vegetarian one with a simple tempering of nigella seeds, dry red chilli and slitted green chilli. Come let us prepare this no frill, vegetarian side dish with snake gourd, shredded coconut and dried lentil fries. We usually have it with steamed rice but it should go well with South Asian Breads too.

INGREDIENTS :

Snake Gourd : 3-4
Shredded Coconut : 1medium cup
Dried Lentil Ball / Bori : 10-15
Green Chilli : 3-4 [slitted]
Dry Red Chilli : 2-3
Nigella seeds : 1/4tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Cumin Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1/4tsp
Oil : 3tbsp +2tbsp

METHOD :

Cut the two ends of each of the chichinge or snake gourd. We will carefully scratch off the skin with the back of a knife and never peel. Wash them.

Cut half and then further into smaller pieces. Add some salt and turmeric and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Heat 3tbsp oil in a wok and fry the dried lentil balls or bori as we call it. Take out and reserve.

Add 2 tbsp oil as the lentil balls soak oil while frying. Once hot.... temper oil with nigella seeds, dry red chillies which should be halved.

Add the shredded coconut. Stir fry till they turn little brown. Squeeze the excess water from the snake gourd pieces and add to the wok. Fold in well. Fry at high heat for 2 minutes. Lower heat now. This helps retain the colour.

Add the rest of the salt [if required], turmeric powder, cumin powder. Fold in well and cover.

Remove the cover after 3-4 minutes. Give a stir. Add the sugar, fried lentil fritters and slitted green chillies. Stir gently and let cook for 2-3 minutes uncovered.... else it lose colour.

Serve hot with steamed rice or South Asian / Indian bread.

MUSHUR DALER BORA

Monsoon is approaching back there and in this tropical island  anytime we get it. Like for my family; anytime is a snacks, fries and fritters time.... and there is no limit to having tea but there is a major cut down on it by yours truly. I do not always cook what they love. How much I try to force feed them all kinds of vegetables, they will stick to their love for meat and few fish. Their healthy eating gets into action when they get Sushi... Sashimi which their lady cannot prepare... not even following others. I do not even conform to the son's ultimate wish to have fries and fritters every night. I know they will leave aside everything and binge on that, specially my junior. Thats what happened on our India visit; our mashimoni, the mother's middle sister fed us fries and pakoras at every meal how much I tried to tell her that we have not come for a picnic this time... we just need to fill our stomach. Moreover, it was difficult for me to eat what my brother loves as he was surviving on fruits and tapioca pearls as per our rituals. The lady did not listen and was cooking all day long for many of us... not allowing me to help. She did a lot for me when I was this small... enough reason to gift her a saree. She has wished for a bag from the island.... off course I shall.

Now, what we crave for with these fries and tea  is a good read right. I can introduce you to someone who has recently published her work.... stays in this island... is such a good comparer, busy corporate, complete with her big red bindi, uncountable number of sarees and yes a writer by now.... Does she require a recommendation from a peanut like me? Absolutely not... given the number of followers in her Facebook page... writing skills... wonderful PR skills, she is a name by herself in the island. The reclusive self never tried to publicise myself here, there or anywhere. I know her through some common friends... at any function we smile at each other and keep it to that. I just saw her at the launch party of her new  book or perhaps the first one and bought one direct from the writer. Come dear readers; meet author Ananya Mukherjee  and her book ARDH-SATYA.... The Half Truth & Other Stories.... I loved her writing style using the choicest and simplest of words... just apt for readers like us who are not that literate.  Beautifully she has portrayed human emotions which need not be between two lovers or be an entangled love triangle.... She dealt with varied emotions in each of her stories. I specially loved the long story Neemesh.... of a young girl of Srinagar in 1947. How much I agree with her that Raja Hari Singh could have taken decision in a more diligent way, if he could feel the pulse of his people better; bitterness and blood shed would have been less on both sides. She has her face book page in the same name if you may wish to check. You get her book at amazon.com perhaps.

Mind it... I do not get paid by her. I could have written it on my page.... oh my God! I do not want people jumping on oh... she is my friend.... who are you to poke your nose... she is my camp... you are my property..... this and that. There are many reasons why I wish to be at home... its always a personal choice... I do not really understand protocols and camps. I know well I am 'too small a blogger' but 'self respecting' enough not to ask for any favour or mercy from big shots. If I visit their space that is because I respect their work and I do not want anything in return. If I have invaded someone's personal timeline to their utter dismay... I am sorry... it never meant to pave way into their lives or get into any kind of 'immoral act' either.... morality and immorality are always a matter of perspective. It is absolutely impossible for me to see who has a blue at the corner of their post... who has a red at top most left or a green just at right of the middle... Why do we have to measure all these? Now I know why daddy left this world so early. Had I have such abilities, do you think I would be sitting here as a small time blogger never to make it in the 'Hall of Fame'. Not that I never wish to but I am the kind of a person who knows her limitations well and too laid back to overcome her deficiencies. If I am been sarcastic I am hurting  our father's soul... I know...... I am showing dishonour to my senior's choice too ... who said, "I married you because you are different".... Thats when I feel hopeless and helpless. I am again sorry.

I prefer to praise talents here... uff how much I loved to flaunt my sarees.... now I have to upload those magician's beheaded ones in the forums... My next read is Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's "Before We Visit The Goddess".... too eager to... this creative writer who teaches creative writing in Houston University does not require my recommendation either. Our sister like friend Ujjaini Bhaduri who stays in Houston, who many times have rejected my husband's proposals calling him a 'dramebaz' will surely get an autograph of the writer for me I know.... just as I crazily asked my friend Dipa of Denver for an autograph of Madhuri Dixit when I saw a  picture of them together in a private party few years back. I have such couple of dear people scattered over Houston, Denver, Illinois, my own cousin sister in Boston.....

Before I proceed with this mushur daler bora or masoor dal vada  / red lentil fritter.....  I must say this was / is common at every Bengali home. I can proceed with it freely. I believe in transparency... last year I wished to blog about kochu shaker ghonto and then I saw Debjani Chaterjee Alam of Debjanir Rannaghar who is quite a name in the Kolkata circuit has it on her blog and our pictures resemble. I messaged her with my picture and she beautifully answered me giving a nod. I finally blogged about it. Whatever little guilt I have, that is looking at old Dr.Chang's worried face yesterday.... for the first time he was visibly worried with my result.... yet told it is the India effect.... watch your diet.... do your exercise well. I was super elated to see the same worries  in someone calling from the neighbouring country. I said, "hi... I wish to be sick for ever".... the answer is instant.... 'dumbo drama queen'. You see still I am going ahead with his and our son's favourite fries and fritters. I am a self proclaimed 'good w-omen'.... that is what you must be thinking.... I do not mind eitherway as long as the world economy do not crash doing so.... thats how Kareena Kapoor reacted when the entire country perhaps pounced on her when she and Shahid Kapoor broke up.... come on she was already going through a trauma.... stop bothering her... let her be. By the way are you following Twinkle Khanna's page... she is versatile and cooks too.... love her style so much. Here is the super simple recipe of hot, crisp, fresh from the wok Mushur Daler Bora that goes best with your evening cuppa. Now I am all set to prepare a mutton biryani tomorrow.... because it is a home coming day.... of whom? You can say an once best friend, now and always a father figure who does not discuss his wife with any one in the world.

INGREDIENTS :

MASOOR DAL / RED LENTIL : 1BIG CUP
NIGELLA SEED : 1/4TSP [I forgot, you may add]
ONION : 3-4 tbsp [CHOPPED]
GREEN CHILLI : 3-4 [CHOPPED]
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2TSP
SUGAR : 2TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 100-150ML

METHOD :

Wash the dal and drain the water. Soak in fresh water for an hour. Drain and blend to a paste. Try not to use water or use minimal.

Add the nigella seeds [I forgot], rice flour, chopped onion, green chilli, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, sugar and salt. Mix well.

Heat the oil in a wok. Prepare small balls from the batter and drop in to the oil. We will do them in batches.

Fry them at minimal  to low heat till brown. Take out and place onto tissue paper before transferring into a serving bowl.

Enjoy with your favourite brand of coffee or tea.

POTATO PANEER N MUSHROOM CURRY

Can you see the green chillies peeping out  from most of my dishes. I love chillies in my food.... I need them at every meal... why not?... We are 'Opar Bangla' after all..... we hail from the other side of the undivided Bengal. I have heard so many stories about their love for chillies. The meat curries happened to be so hot that people had to sit with towels to wipe the tear drops. May I tell you this is not so much of an exaggeration.... I have seen something near similar in my family years back....  I am moderate who even use sugar in some of her dishes which is unlikely of 'Opar Bangla' cooking. People have a wrong notion that the locals of this island eat bland. It is not that way... they eat healthy accompanied by the dips that are too good to make me happy. The chilli padi won my heart the week I stepped in here. I will not go further as I have too little knowledge about food compared to my expert friends here. 

When I started this blog I thought I will compile some heirloom family / Bengali recipes  and quit. Then I see I made many friends on the way that I cannot stop.... each day is a learning experience. Each one of us love our blog...... famous or infamous. Then I have a good friend here Padma Murali... a Tamilian and a citizen of the island. She says she had shown my picture to her mother who said about me.... "her face reveals she is not a person to be in the social media... she will suffer". I agree to it. Nothing is as peaceful as lying on the sofa reading a book with the headphone on.

As I write today's post, I am listening to some favourite numbers of Yesudas.... I simply love his voice as much as I love Ilairaja and AR Rehman's compositions and Maniratnam's movies. Kamal Hassan, R Madhavan and all these South Indian beauties with mesmerising eyes.... ahh you make me happy. Music takes me to an another world where I indulge in a virtual conversation with someone... Hey Suhani... I have heard you are a foodie too... I do not know your preferences though.... there are far better experts to take care. Yet, I wish to treat you at least for once.... it may happen you have saved the life of people I cared for. Rest whatever little I heard about you, you seem to be a good soul... bubbly and friendly just the one my mother-in-law wished to have..... hahaha... and remember I have never learnt to impress people, what I speak comes from within. Stay blessed with your loved ones.

Coming to today's dish of Potato... Paneer & Mushroom Curry, I call it 'khichdi' dish.... hotch potch dish.... which belongs to no particular region or place  but Indian or South Asian in essence. I used tomatoes to get that red colour and there has to be a green chilli to top it. I need to quickly finish off the post and call someone who travelled to the neighbouring country yesterday. Before leaving, he said, "you know wifey, the one who manages my work there belong to your clan"..... I just asked why he has to go on a Saturday morning. That is when the wifey goes out to post a paneer recipe which is not much of his favourite. Rest I do not cook on Sundays as Cristine is on leave. 

This is the perfect day to be caught in a kissing.... hugging scene with my teen only if he allowed mumma to enter his room. I ask for a smile at least.... answer is you will not get anything.... Lets go out for a lunch date?... No, I do not wish to... he has his favourite prawn-potato curry though.... Always try to be friends with your kids... where else will they go for a support, some love, guidance?  Mumma will now prepare this simple, homemade spicy, no onion... no garlic curry with potato, mushroom and paneer together with all her readers while echoing Yesudas.... "Suraj na ban paye to.... banke dipak jalta chal..... phool miley ya angaree.... sach ki raho pe chalta chal....".

INGREDIENTS :

Mushroom : 200gm [I used Shiitake]
Paneer : 100gm
Potato : 1 
Tomato : 1
Ginger Paste : 1tsp
Cumin Powder : 2tsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Green Chilli : 2-3 slitted
Cumin Seed : 1/4 tsp
Bayleaf : 1

Green Pea : A handful if you wish to
Oil : 2-3 tsp

METHOD :

Wash the mushrooms and soak in salted water for 10-15 minutes and drain the water. Peel and wash the potatoes. Cut them into cubes, rub with salt and turmeric powder. Rub a little of salt on the paneer pieces.

Heat the oil in the wok. Fry the potatoes till they turn light brown. Take out. Temper the oil with bayleaf and cumin seeds. 

Add the ginger paste and saute for a minute. Add the washed tomato pieces, sauté till it separates from the oil. Add the turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt and stir cook for a minute.

Add a big cup of water. As it comes to a boil, add the fried potatoes. Let boil for 3-4 minutes or so.

Add the mushrooms and and let cook for about 4-5 minutes. Add the slitted green chillies, paneer pieces and let cook for a minute. It is done.

Enjoy hot and fresh with freshly made Indian / South Asian bread or with piping hot steamed rice.

CASHEWNUT CHOCOLATY ICECREAM

Do you find the colour scheme dull as compared to what I say.... I love colours in my food. I mean a cashew nut- chocolaty ice-cream cannot have any other colour than this, but I could have made the surroundings a bit colourful. Then I am one whimsical, fat, old lady who gets on her own nerves quite often and refuses to behave normal. What to do I am never a good observant or a well thought person, I have a questionable amount of grey matter. I / We could not satisfy our mother's expectations in academics which made her sad. It is that now in frame smiling old man who used to comfort her saying.... we had been average or with normal i-Q level... leave them at themselves. She never could & I believe it is not okay for him to think that way! Parents have to push a bit their kids, if not force them to hell! The mother had to draw inference from elsewhere... you know their daughter got a doctorate and bagged an offer to teach in a well known university.... their son is an IIT-IIM alumnus. Our father perhaps did not know which class we were in ... haha. It is the mother who handled.... now I feel we could have made her little more happy in a small way if not big. Now she smiles a bit when her son gets the best performer award of the year in his company. The poor boy keeps the trophy beside the hospital bed expecting the father to wake up for once. I could not tell him bhai it is not going to work. 

I was wondering when my 'little brother' turned such a responsible family person. Gone are the days when the mother and the 'big sister' were worried with few of his ways. I was too worried when every six months he got a new picture off course of a girl and asked 'didibhai' do you like this? The over protective 'big sister' scolded him hard .... mend your ways bhai... no reasonably sane girl can be with you if you do not. He played cricket so well.... a couple of the local clubs approached our mom..... but then most of the middle class families cannot take such risks. Now he plays for his company only. 'Big Sister' feels good and relieved to see her footballer father's cricketer son turning onto such a responsible and caring family man.

I well know what most of the teenager boys look for in a girl... I never had any of the  attributes ever of which the self-respecting self do not regret at this age. You see however painful a rejection is... it has to be accepted.... feelings can never be mutual in all cases. What pisses me off is when you are used wrongly.... well not everyone is as lucky as me when it comes to a mentor... I got the best ones. Hyper sensitive, weak personalities like me are very much averse to fight out such situations... Readers look back to your teen hood days... you will find some self proclaimed beauties and leaders trying to control your lives.... there is less harm till you cause severe damage to a relationship brainwashing a considerably soft-hearted person wrongly, you should blame both though. In such a scenario... one person has to retreat backward till reaching the edge of the sea.... looking at the waves they might wish to say can you please take me along? Then you suddenly see a shadow and you turn around to say 'give me some sunshine, give me some rain.' Why?... Because "life is beautiful." Last year when I said a woman can attempt to destroy a woman's life... many of my friends got angry.... I never meant to generalise it but to wanted to say it does happen.

When it comes to our loved ones... we do rise above the self... so I strongly believed if someone had a strong family to take control just as we did for my brother.... one's life cannot go haywire. So far your defeat is concerned.... leave it to the Almighty. On a lighter tone, I definitely like the Bollywood style.... 'pati-patni-aur woh' kind of stories... if only they could stop citing one as a villain. In reality, each one is playing their role in the society. The pati / patni or the husband / wife need not worry until and unless the other two are caught holidaying in the Swiss Alps... hahaha...... the naughty me... In fact, if the 'woh'..... the other person is like me.... he or she would invite the legal partner and say 'do you fancy a vodka martini?' 

This blind Bollywood fan tells her man I wish to play with snow balls wearing a saree..... that only a Yash Chopra fan can say. The most unromantic, chopstick of the world said... "S I need to travel this weekend, be a good girl and accept". I have noticed his tours increases when our son's examination is near. As of now, I wish to grow my hair and get a Smita Patil look..... haha idle brains are up to all these. I can feel a dire need to throw away my glasses and go back to my old days using my contact lenses... trust me I cannot as I have a perennial dry conjunctivitis condition. I loved to give a touch of green to all my pictures as way of showing gratitude to a vibrantly beautiful green to whom I owe this blog. I use red because my family loves it, because the identity of my second home... or this island is red.... which has given us safety and security knowing that we will earn here and go back.... it has taught me to pick up the waste and throw it in the dustbin. 

I love different shades of blue as all dreamers do. At times, I wear a saree in non-Bengali style just to show some love to my loving non-Bengali friends in the island, in India or abroad or to some Bengali friends born and brought up outside of Bengal. Now if few people weave stories around them I have to say no to it. I say no to be tied to any triangular, square, diagonal, hexagonal  relationships that I have left behind decades back. Coming to smiles.... it does not come naturally to me.... but I still do... you know why? Some dears say smile S... you look good... and also to hide the fact... I have four fillings in the upper and lower jaw by now... still if you say I have a good setting of teeth ... I am super elated... hahaha... Remember... I wish to play match-match game only with people who have not caused harm to me... with those who did not rob me of my self-esteem or self respect. Do not expect this day dreamer to be a good observant either. One thing is sure.... my not at all good friends can be super moms... I wish and bless their kids to be successful in life and bring happiness to the family.... rest please spare me.

If you are still reading my rubbish... please do stop by the recipe. I actually love jotting down 'my tryst' with life and philosophy in this space. This ice-cream made with cashew nut powder and chocolate chips is super yum and just perfect to end a delicious meal of spicy curries and mains. A bubbly, smiling face told... aunty its good.... I like it. I think I need to take interest in different cuisines and get into more nightmarish dreams of whom to distribute my much loved sarees. I look at the face of my own and burst into tears... please do not get too deep into it.... do not expect too much from any relationship now..... be good friends and focus on your studies..... be strong enough a fighter to overcome any hurdle & accept anything in life like your daddy... never be a fool like your mother. Rest I lock myself in the kitchen humming 'good choice baby' and prepare a big bowl of Cashewnut Chocolate Chips Ice-cream.... come let us do it together... I have eaten up your head already and wish to treat you with this yummy, 'homemade' frozen dessert.

INGREDIENTS :

Full Cream Milk : 500ml
Fresh Cream : 250ml
Cashew nut : 10-15
Chocolate : A medium sized bar
Sugar : 1/2medium sized tea cup

METHOD :

Take the full cream milk in a bowl and put for boil. Once it comes to a boil, add the sugar and boil at low heat till it reduces to about 200-250 ml. Let it cool.

Break the chocolate bar into pieces. Take both the cashew nuts and chocolate pieces in a grinder and grind to a coarse powder.

Add the boiled milk and fresh cream to the mixer. Pulse for about 2 minutes. Pour onto a bowl. Cover with cling wrap. Freeze it.

Take out after 1 hr and pour into the mixer, pulse for a minute and pour again to the bowl and cover with a cling wrap.

Keep in the freezer for at least 5-6 hours. Take out and keep standing for 3-4 minutes. Dip the scoop in hot water and scoop out as much as you wish.

CHICKEN IN PICKLE OIL

Ahh, this morning I woke up to a very beautiful, fulfilling family picture.... merry cherry one. No intention of taking digs at others, just a fun filled family picture. I loved.... does not matter whether I have any connection with them or not.... I have a weird habit of visiting pages of strangers and watching photos and posts and taking ideas.... with no wrong intentions though. I always give people the liberty to unfriend or block me. On the contrary, there are few in my 'so called' close vicinity who I do not wish to be with.... may be they have caused severe bruises to my soul at some point in life. My sincerest request to them is to spare me.... I have no problem if you keep the friendship among yourselves... I am happy with my gang and that is quite big.... both virtual and real. Am I hurting a few?..... May be but there is less harm in hurting people who play with your emotions. Strangers.... I am honoured if you take interest in me.... I feel good but do it as an individual... I feel suffocated when you come too close. I have zero observation power.... in the process of learning it a bit, I get wild and feel like burning few of my most loved clothes. I am like our daddy... who had been less bothered about what is going around and was engrossed in his own world.

Coming to the Mother's Day, 'some' of my real world and virtual world friends really made beautiful posts posing with their moms or with their write ups or posting their specialised dishes. What pissed me off is when some went to the extreme of saying that their 'only' identity is their mom.... haha... are you questioning your birth? The answer came as whats app messages.... some of the naughty boys in my brigade shared such a post.... Happy Mother's Day to all those Fathers who made it happen. It was such a relief, hihi.

I know we have a single parent at this time .... our mother is taken good care by my brother and his wife... I call mani at higher frequency. Bidisha is fairly good, she handles a mamma's boy with a smile, it is a tough job indeed. She too enjoys the freedom to visit her parents everyday that many girls cannot think of! In my last year's post on Mother's Day, I made it clear why I will not celebrate such days but I have no qualms when others, I mean my virtual and real world 'friends' come up with it.

Coming to the beautiful post I see today..... I wished to name my chicken dish... Achari Tele Murgi.... but then I have some wonderful friends down the west who love spicy curries we make and she / they has / have a strong bond with people who love chicken. So why not keep the name universal? These days I feel I should remain loyal to people who shows some kind of love to me even it is from strangers. May be in the process of staying loyal to few particular people whose only intention is to hurt you... one day you will find you turned grey untimely, your under-eye bags look prominent and you suffer from acute mistrust... of every other person you meet and you master the art of licking your own blood.

By the way..... my debutant film maker, painter, voracious reader and a food connoisseur elder son is in Kolkata for a project. I am visiting Kolkata next month again and too eager to meet him. His mother... my poetess & reciter friend Rupa Roy happened to be my mentor and is more friends with my husband as their wavelengths match.... If I tell him you know Rupa echoed you... his answer is ... intelligent people think alike. I always knew I am a dumbo parasite who was looking for a dependable lap to take refuge. Some chopsticks are really naughty but caring. Rupa's husband is a multi talented person and is like our elder brother.

Ideally I wished to share a sweet something today that is good for health too.... then let me think of a nice one.... So, to all meat / chicken lovers.... here is a chicken dish marinated with dry roasted spice mix and achari / pickle oil and cooked till tenderly soft. It is a dish full of flavours and done without much of hassle. Shall we do it together?.....

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken : 1kg

Pickle Oil : 2-3 tbsp [I used a homemade mango pickle]

Slitted Green Chilli : 4-5
Bayleaf : 1
Onion [sliced] : 1big
Garlic Paste : 2tsp
Ginger Paste : 1tsp
Lemon Juice : 2tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp

Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp

Cumin Powder : 1 tsp

Coriander Powder : 1 tsp
Salt : As Required


METHOD :

Wash the chicken pieces well. Drain the water and marinate with salt for an hour, wash off thoroughly! Marinate it again with the lemon juice, turmeric+red chilli+cumin+coriander powders, the pickle oil, sliced onion, ginger & garlic pastes and salt.

Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade to a heated wok. Stir at high heat for 3-4 minutes. Lower the heat to the minimum and cover cook until all of the water dries up stirring every 5 minutes. It may take about 30-35 minutes. 

Add a cup of hot water & cook for another 8-10 minutes, we should be done!

Once done, transfer to a bowl, garnish with more of pickle oil! Enjoy with Rice or a bread of your choice!

ILISHER PEYAZ-TOMATO BATA PATURI

"Ganga Amar Maa.... Padma Amar Maa,

Oo Amar Dui Chokhey Dui Joler Dhara...
Meghna-Jamuna...

Aki Akash Aki Batash...
Ak Hridoye Aki Prakash
Doyel Koyel Pakhir Thote
Aki Murchona...
Oo Amar Dui Chokhey Dui Joler Dhara
Meghna Yamuna... [Dr. Bhupen Hazarika]

This was my pick for today's post... a planned one keeping in mind few aspects of our parent's lives. This smoked hilsa / shad is not authentic of Comilla, the place in Bangladesh from where both  our parent's originated. I selected Ilish / Hilsa because it is a fish that almost all Bengalis swear by, both of our parents love it, moreover my entire family on both sides is too much fond of it. I hear in my absence, my not that much of a Bengali son ate ilish all by himself deboning it. I am pretty sure its his father's work in his mission to make him independent, my paa-in-law would have definitely debone it for his grandson if allowed to. When we both were in Kolkata, the grandfather checked the expiry date of every food product before it was served to the grandson.

As far as choosing lines from the famous Assamese lyricist and singer Dr. Bhupen Hazarika to start with... well our daddy's side of the family migrated to various parts of Tripura and Assam from Bangladesh and settled there. Our paternal grandfather settled in Nowgong of Assam and all of our uncles and aunts from the daddy's side settled there. There is a bigger reason... daddy's political belief was similar to his and I was made to hear his numbers. I loved them which gave me goosebumps for sure. Our maternal grandfather was also stationed at Guwahati, Assam for a considerable amount of time when our mother was a school goer. Our maternal grandma learnt a number of steamed pitha [kind of steamed cakes & dumplings] from her Assamese friends. Our mom.... the eldest of her kids followed her passion for cooking. The granddaughter/ daughter is far more liberal who thinks there is always a better someone than the self.... and there is no harm / shame in learning. Our youngest aunt cooks good but does not enjoy it!

What does the above lyrics mean? That the Ganges and Padma... both are our mother... the sky above is same in both places... the birds chirp in the same manner in both sides of the border.... the tears that roll down my eyes as Meghna... Yamuna are same in texture and colour. You see my poor vocabulary makes me a poorer translator. I will go a bit further and echo my wise senior and say the  entire world is our home.... Our daddy visited Bangladesh in 2000 to see his ancestral home or may be for some other work too. He was overwhelmed by the hospitality of his old friends whose names need not be Anindya... Amal or Prabal... they were rather Azizul... Shiraz or Jallaluddin whose wives cooked mutton to fish to dried fish for our dad and he did come back alive to us hale and hearty. Few decades back, bloodshed happened on both sides... the migratory pain was terrible on both sides and the colour of blood was / is always red. There is no socio-political and geographical issue which cannot be solved over the years.... the truth is that they are not done to water vested political interests. In the process we... the commoners suffer.

Yesterday my dear friend from college Pampa Choudhury visited us with her hubby.... they are on an entourage of this island and of Bali. She stays in Bangalore and is the zonal or may be branch head of an NGO... Concern India Foundation. It is she who prescribed me to chant "Naam Myoho Renge Kyo"and trust me it helped me a lot. Now she says I need to go for group chanting.... we have a couple of Buddhist Monasteries here. She was telling me about transfer of soul and that 45 days period.... how we should pray for dad's peace. Her husband is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and an extremely friendly person... we did not even notice when the clock struck 12. He authored two books so far, the first been Bali and the Ocean of Milk and takes interest in theatre too.They were like a cool breeze for the otherwise little sad me. As I told earlier, the chanting got rid of a considerable amount of negativity in me. Yet I prefer to choose as of whom I keep in my periphery. I wish to be with people who had been with me from the birth of my blog and before, who are with me in my journey so long, in fact..... in the virtual world I am interested in my counterparts or those who are reasonably decent. I am vehemently against tying any kind of knot with people who hurl abuses at the blink of an eye even at strangers about whom they know nothing. Their noses might be itching 24/7 to find stories in other's life. I am really not interested in such people who cause pain to others, neither do I have the habit of poking in other's lives.... or who are friends with whom. One thing of which I am pretty sure about is that such people cannot remain loyal to anyone in the world. Our minds remain beautifully green when we water it with good thoughts, good deeds and respect for others.

After I post this .... I will call up home and relay what Pampa told. I will try to give some comfort to mom who sobs and says I am cooking but one member is missing, one who used to crave for the morning newspaper to come and always used our mom's glasses for reading leaving his.... haha. I will later share some hilarious stories about him. So far this banana leaf wrapped ilish / hilsa / shad is concerned, mani... our mom does a near similar dish wherein she keeps the raw fish for a day without refrigeration, the next day marinates it with lots of spices except for the tomato paste, wraps it in pumpkin or bottle gourd leaves and sears in pan using minimal oil. I deviated a little from her original recipe and went ahead with this modified one .... Ilisher Peyaz-Tomato Bata Paturi. Come let us do it together and serve it to our loved ones.

INGREDIENTS :

Ilish / Hilsa / Shad : 6-8 pieces

Pumpkin or Bottle Gourd Leaf : 1 for each piece of fish [I used Bottle Gourd leaves]
Onion Paste : 1/2small cup
Tomato Paste : 1small cup
Garlic Paste : 2tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1&1/2tbsp [or as per your taste]
Cumin Powder : 1/2tsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As Required
Mustard Oil : 2-3tbsp

METHOD :

Wash the hilsa pieces and the bottle gourd leaves thoroughly. The leaves should be big enough to wrap each fish piece.

Take the hilsa pieces in a plate. Add all the spice powders, spice pastes & a little of oil. Rub in all the spices carefully to the fish pieces. I do it just the way I used to massage oil to my toddler then.

Now we will wrap each one of them with the bottle gourd leaves and tie with threads or use a tooth pick. We will grease the frying pan with a little of oil and place the wrapped fish pieces on the pan.

We will now pan sear them at the minimal heat, covered. It may take 40-45 minutes. We will turnover each one of them from time to time so that each side is done properly. 

We will consider it done only when the bottle gourd leaves would almost darken. Open each one of them and you can smell the nice aroma.

Have it with piping hot steamed rice. Please note... if you saute the spices in oil before marination, time taken is less. Yet I preferred to follow the traditional way. You can also try the recipe with fish fillets.