CURRY AND SPICE: SEMOLINA & DRY FRUIT CAKE

Had he been alive, they would have completed 48 years together on this earth yesterday.... yes, I am talking about "our father"..... a mind as broad.... a heart as big....... If his daughter-in-law says he never made her cry behind the closed doors.... there is truth in what I say.... No, I am not jealous of her .... not much to complain about life when a husband does take his "pata kuruni" wife for a "chalta" ... that is elephant apple picking session ... and she gets a packet full of, prepares a dal, a pickle with it.... She was also thinking how to take this issue to the ministry level of this island.... please do not let them go waste.... use in fish curries... that can be a summer soothing dish... The pictures pictures say it all ..... but not all days are same or suitable for a "chalta r dal" share .... even if my parents sweared by it... The daddy was fond of pickles, not dals and the mother made big jars of it! He enjoyed sour dal curries though!

Why not a pickle share today? I am not bound to give answer to all "whys".... A year makes you a little wiser... you know.... and you learn with experience.... Today, had to be a "cake day".... Our parents loved the plain and simple cakes their daughter made decades back.... believe me or not... bhai too enjoyed, actually, as a young boy he hated food itself! I was not such a horrid baker then as of now... By the way, I am done with the pickle and it is packed in the husband's lunch box too.... sent to few friends' home.... More than half of the credit goes to our Cristine, who did cut all of them.... though this is not exactly the shape our mother cuts it ... but you all know by now that I am not a perfectionist like the mother. Alas, our son has not learnt to enjoy pickles until now!

Anyway, besides baking a SEMOLINA & DRY FRUIT CAKE, I was cooking "chalta r dal", "aloo chokha" to go with some climbing perch fish curry / koi macher jhol and you bet I did not get that authentic taste this fish should have as anticipated earlier!..... They were fresh indeed but you will not want "koi maach" to taste like " tilapia".... right?.... Yet I will blog about it sometime later.... I do not know why my readers do not have much trust on me when it comes to fish, is it just the way butter is synonymous to Amul to us?.... I travel five metro stations to get one! That proves I am a desi at heart! But I have learnt to embrace different cultures to some extent in the last few years.... I do have Olong tea, cheese cake and stuffed bitter gourd with roti with same amount of love!.... It was all carb and fat the last two days and today's lunch has to be fruits & paneer salad!

I wish eating and weight gain were not conjoint twins! A big sigh and then again I start eating... haha... no no I think and wonder and ponder too... what else can a worthless person do? I was wondering why life could not be a little easier? I mean as easy as posting a picture with full make up on and a caption... "I stand for womens' pride and rights!"... Wish women got salvation with such "biplobi" captions! We have to post a picture, we will.... why the need of such captions as if it is a New Year or Valentine's day celebration? I so much loved that unknown woman's write up that Day.... was it something similar to my stand on such issues? Who gave the corporate houses the right to commercialise an issue as serious as gender equality, using it as a pawn to boost their sales?

The armchair socialist self then take a bite on the cheese cake, in the same style as of a first kiss... You see today I cannot go nasty further... I have to maintain certain amount of sanctity.... why?.... May be on this DATE, I feel that we must learn to keep ourselves above petty quarrels and interests and learn to give.... I meant may be on such days, I pay attention to what our Paa taught us! So, after a sip of the Olong tea, I again start thinking, how good it would have been if instead of clicking and sharing the swelling feet of the farmers.... we could buy them some medicines and strategise ways for a betterment.... During the rule of the earlier governments.... was their plight better?.... Saying that I do not declare to join the saffron brigade.... I will never.... No, I am not a great something either.... I am in a fear that people will soon ask me "didi, apni ki koren?".... What do you do actually? .... My chest fluffs up in pride "I am a 'social media' activist!".... While you imagine the reaction of the ones who questioned me, I plan the steps of this SEMOLINA & DRY FRUIT CAKE!

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

This easy and simple cake requires few ingredients to be done like semolina / suji, plain yogurt, evaporated creamer, vinegar, dry fruits, lemon jest ..... The process from the start to finish is simple and you can do some planks and push ups in between.... What else do you want? Come, do not think much, let us do it and enjoy with cups of tea or coffee!

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

EGGLESS MANGO CAKE

CARROT CAKE

INGREDIENTS :

Semolina / Suji : 1coffee mug
Plain Yogurt : 100 gm
Evaporated Creamer : 150 ml
Sugar : 5-6 tbsp
Baking Powder : 1tsp

Baking Soda : 1/4 tsp
Vinegar : 1tbsp
Lemon Jest : 1/2 tbsp
Oil : 4-5 tbsp
Chopped Pistachios, Almonds, Cashew Nuts, Raisins, Walnuts

PROCEDURE :

In the mixer grinder, take the plain yogurt, evaporated creamer, sugar, oil, vinegar. Pulse for 2 minutes at intervals. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.

Take the semolina, baking soda, baking powder in a bowl in a strainer & sieve onto the batter! Keep beating with a table spoon for not more than 3-4 minutes. Add the lemon jest & the chopped dry fruits; stir & mix. I love natural flavours.

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