Egg ..... there was a time when the boss of this home had 3-4 eggs per day ..... I wondered how the thin framed guy would digest it! I used to scream.... "you will not eat more than one or two eggs in a day"..... After marriage, I stopped giving him more than two eggs in a day, limited his tea intakes to 2-3-4 cups per day.... Who is the boss then? There is a good understanding between us in this matter.... I am the boss at home, he looks after the rest of the things.... the illiterate wife can sign papers only .... he says "ekhaney sign koro".... I do. It will not be an exaggeration to say till date I do not understand how a bank operates. I go there and ask them to discuss with my husband and decide what is to be done. When I say this, I do not take any pride.... I love girls who are unlike me.... fiercely independent! I always admit that I am an "achal poisha".... In a world that needs women to be supremely active and street smart.... this lady continues to be Ashapoorna Debi's protege / subject! Some of my friends say she is of a particular genre.... but I love that genre!
Have I had 1/4th of the capability of an Ashapoorna Debi or say Alolika Mukhopadhyay .... you would have seen my signature on a "Mon Bilashinir Podaboli".... "Firey Dekha" or on a collection of short stories "Ekti Mithya Premer Golpo O Onanyo"..... I told someone when you travel to that land, get me an autograph of Alolika Mukhopadhyay... I had been reading her ever since she started writing in "Desh Patrika?" Wiki says "Dainik Bartaman"... memory says Desh..... Till date I did not get it because the person forgets to tell the concerned people may be for the work to be done, I can always remind in emails but I do not.... One who dreamt about Liz Taylor 24/7 once would hardly take any interest in getting an autograph of Alolika Mukhopadhyay.... that too for me.... a woman who mastered "witchcraft"...... who spreads poison.... not worth the effort.... etc. etc.
Anyway, it is this time of the year that I miss Kolkata a lot.... its been 8 long years I did not visit Kolkata "Boi Mela"..... I met many who's who there once.... Mrinal Sen, Sunil Gangyopadhay to Javed Akhtar and lot more! Once there was a hilarious situation! The boss of this house is never much into Bengali literature or say not into fiction as much like me... We always went to the Book Fair together.... once Poet "Joy Goswami" was standing outside the "Ananda" stall... without giving me any chance to stop him, boss ran to him to get an autograph on a novel written by "Harsha Dutta."..... The boss reads journals, non-fictions and insists me too.... those are not my cuppa.... My cuppa goes well with a Sunil's "Hotath Nirar Jonya"...... A Sunil Gangyopadhay had the right to take pride in saying "ami to madhyomik e third division e pash korechilam".... that he passed 10th board with an average score .... and now post doctoral students of Bengali Literature do research on his works. An average in all matters like me should have taken a little more interest in studies. It feels good to see here is a writer in the family, does not matter if not famed. The brother's Paa-in-Law writes in different magazines, Kaku is a wonderful human being who will be travelling to Delhi next week to participate in a literary summit may be. Both kaku and kakima are a good example of how to raise kids, they brought up their two daughters beautifully with education and manners in extremely hard conditions.
My little brother never took interest in fictions, non-fictions..... he was totally into sports and 'Jholmol Khan'..... now that his wife has cleaned the walls of his room which was crowded with Khan's stickers .... he says he only has Kimi Raikkonen in his mind ... if there is a Formula1 race in Delhi or anywhere in India, he will go..... He had been far better in academics than me, though not in the top brass..... "fairly" placed in a mutual fund company ..... fairly because his sister thinks he had the potential to be better placed in life, his parents and sister were too worried of his tendency towards wrong associations till a certain age! His sister is fond of the owner of his company ... Anil Ambani.... haha.... not because he is handsome and rich.... but because he was ready to leave his father's wealth and legacy for one Tina Munim.... You see the brother's sister also has a tendency towards wrong reasonings. There is another Tina.... creating raves at the Oxford University for a good cause.... I will publicly clap for her and team at the right time.
Coming to the point why I call the senior my boss..... ok, may be because that wonder woman Chutu calls her husband that... she is a first class first or second in Economics from Jadavpur University who did her MPhil from the University of Glasgow on a national scholarship.... she is an economist whose interviews I see in money control.com without getting a bit of it.... She never found it against woman's lib to cook for her husband back from her office.... a fiercely independent woman who dragged me into an auto rickshaw around 12am in Mumbai back in 1999, the husbands were in another auto.... I was in the verge of tears out of fear because the mother did not let me out of her lap ever.... More about this couple may be when I post her family recipe of what people of West Bengal origin ate last Tuesday... there is a strong Houston connection too in this bond which will be wrong to avoid.... let us see.... I call him boss because he does all the paperworks for my meagre savings, does the work of a plumber, electrician in a land where "Babu and Sujon" is not a phone call away, long back I told him to promise me not to leave me ever however flawed I am.... he kept his promise!.... Love has different forms and I respect each..... "ek egg dish banti hai unke naam".... however pathetic my Hindi is, this Bengali recipe of EGG PATURI is something you will love!
Paturi is a Bengali thing, near similar to steamed dishes prepared in other Indian states or in South Asia, South East Asia or say the entire Asia. I always admit my knowledge about food or anything is negligible! Research is important in life.... Even a Jhumpa Lahiri had to do extensive research about the Naxalite Movement before writing "The Lowland" or a Sunil Gongyopadhay spent days after days at the Kolkata National Library before writing "Shei Shomoy" or "Prothom Alo".... Literature is also a science of research I believe.... "kobita.... tobey ki sudhu tumii adi, akritrim, monoshij?] .... I wonder if poem is the only thing that is delivered straight from the soul ... just like true love! If you ever see my name in print media, it will be "bat talar Swapna Kumari".... this is a Bengali term used for any publish that is not anywhere near to literature.... Once I did read books by a male counter part of this Swapna Kumari to the utter disgust of our father.... the paa-in-law has terrible jokes in his kitty about this guy who wrote horrible detective stories! I love the father, do not wish the paa-in-law to leave us either soon.... Swapna Kumari need not happen, she should keep herself busy cooking when she is not into walking or music....
Egg happens often at this house given we do not get fresh pabda, aar, boyal, kajoli, tyangra, koi or dhai! During this time of the year you get the best quality Aar, Boyal, Dhai, Koi in Kolkata... slurp! I prefer variety in the kitchen! So there has to have different kinds of egg curries happening, a spicy DIM PATURI is welcome anytime.... You see I cannot survive on soups and salads alone.... After a long walk I love to have some fried wantons with Teh O Kosong and I am super elated to get that bundle of lau shaak in the Asian store yesterday... They are air flown from the land of my forefathers! Our mother cooks "lau er doga diye charaponar patla jhol or a laushaak diye posto"..... the daughter loves them till date ....
The oats will go for ladoo, to be tried in poori or pakora or halwa.... you bet that will not cause any harm to my relationship with that beautiful Bianca Castafiore or say that cook cum painter cum photographer.... we are matured enough to respect each other's role here! So far Liz Taylor's fan / fans are concerned, there are better people to balance with a "lau shaak diye moong dal,".... I believe what gets lost, is lost forever.... we only can "preserve" memories! EGG PATURI is not a unique something but is done with the same, old, common spice mix for paturi ..... mustard seeds, green chilli and coconut paste. You may not paste the shredded coconut, it is up to you!
EGG : 5-6 [boiled, peeled, slightly slitted, rubbed with little salt]
Mustard Seed : 11/2tbsp [black or yellow]
Shredded Coconut : 1/2small cup
Green Chilli : 5-6 [adjust]
Garlic Clove : 2 [peeled]
Turmeric powder : 1/4tsp
Salt : As Required
Mustard Oil : 3tbsp +2tbsp [A must for us in this kind of a dish]
Banana Leaf : Squared, big enough to wrap each egg and tied with a thread
METHOD :
Marinate the boiled eggs with little of salt & turmeric for 15 minutes.
Prepare a paste with the washed mustard seeds, shredded coconut, green chillies, salt and garlic cloves, ice-cubes!
Pour the paste on to the eggs, add 3tbsp oil too.
Coat each egg nicely with the spice mix, fold in the entire thing well.
Let it rest for 1/2 an hour! Take a piece of banana leaf, Cristine holds them atop heat for a minute or two!
Place one egg in the middle, pour some spice mix atop.
Fold from all the sides, tie with a thread. Repeat the same with all the eggs.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan. Place the banana leaf wrapped eggs atop it.
Cook at low heat for 8-10 minutes on one side. Turn over and cook for another 7-8 minute. We are done.
A little of spice mix may spill, do not worry. Once done, let rest for 5 minutes. Enjoy with piping hot steamed rice.... you can try with hot chapatis too.
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