If you cook and have the pleasure of dumping your stomach with fish kabiraji last night, you have to go ahead with a light and comforting share today. The existing fish kabiraji pictures had to be changed, the family had to be fed, this impossible to measure tummy had to be pleased.... so I did! Thereafter, I felt that I should not have.... the son has his last for this season's examination tomorrow! After an entire evening of sweat, there was a verbal fight with the man... he says he is bored with the sight of food! The truth is that smoking is the cause of his loss of appetite... When the entire world is staging some love scenes, situation at this home is pretty hot... "khabena na maney? cigarette kheye kheye to petey, jivey chora porey gechey... mukhey ruchi thakbey ki korey"... In such a scenario, you know I am actually saying lovely-lovely to the "mad-in-love" people with a heavy heart!.... I need to keep my cool too as I am craving for a tour before the son's school starts in mid July and we are not settled with the place itself! I only said... "Boss... I do not wish to travel from one five-star ambience to another... you know you have to feed my soul"..... hence, I have to cook light today at least, if I make him more angry, he books tickets for such tours.... 1day site seeing, 1day river cruise, 1 day amusement park, 3 days free bed and breakfast at a five star hotel... oh! I feel sick at the thought of it!...
Anyway, the husband of this house is an excellent tour planner and gets the best deals as much as possible.... I kept my cool and explained him .... "see dear, I do not have a boy friend / boy friends to spend some quality time, neither do I have a brain to earn some dollars.... let me cook what I wish to"..... Realising that with my "mashima nature & looks" I cannot have "hot" guys taking me out for a lunch by the sea, I got desperate and clicked myself without a touch up on the hair or at the corner of my eyes etc. etc. If you take a look at my blog profile, you can see vividly the silver lines, wrinkles, eye bags.... the self at present..... Shekhar Kapur have them all and I am his fan since "do naina ek kahani, thodasa badal, thodasa pani".... I got to see him in Instagram and followed immediately! I am too choosy you can see...... few of my chosen girlfriends are coming for lunch on Friday, the shares have to be as simple as this vegetarian curry TOMATO BHINDI.... I have to plan the menu.... Since I do not call guests often these days ... I prefer keeping a wide spread for them.... from starter to dessert and I will buy the raw ingredients only from outside! What I do is that I start cooking a day prior, none has fallen sick till date... haha.... Anyway, I am not travelling to Kolkata this season... its too hot... I know they are upset.... just to say I miss you too!
This picture was taken last year... that is a bit of Barrackpore... the mango tree from the mother's bedroom.... our snorting daddy had a separate bedroom and study....... How do you say which of the parent you love more? When I read a Maupassant or feel sad at Castro's death ... I am a daddy's girl ..... when I feel happy at the sight of pumpkin leaves... I am a mother's daughter.... but I am no where near her compared to her energy level or dedication.... she wears a cap and works on her plants in the Sun! I am angry why she does not grow fruits and vegetables... The sister-in-law's husband who is a good cook grows many kinds of bonsai fruits and vegetables... a gardener comes and helps... like it... Our mother will not deploy one... she is too proud of herself! This TOMATO BHINDI is not an authentic Bengali recipe but done with regular Bengali spices and my old lady will love it! The husband does love bhindi like me, the brother need not eat meat everyday either in this heat... his wife is a no fuss girl, the rest of the family and friends should find it acceptable!
The pictures of this TOMATO BHINDI was taken last year, I usually do very Bengali dishes with Bhindi / okra, I have to be more regular with this too, its light on the stomach! Even I do not know what goes on within or what my next move would / should be.... I scrolled and got this, then did the necessary edits to get three pictures from two! Its truly summer cool! We actually can do it anytime given the heat here and its regular supply .... but I prefer the Indian okras than the local ones because the former is soft, tender and young!
No, I will not do it for my guests on Friday, I may go Bengali at large... I have to think and why not? When one of them Piali Maitra messaged in WhatsApp yesterday... S, your eyes are expressive! I went back to the distant abyss of time and remember... someone else told me "your eyes are not well defined but they speak... tomar chokh bangmoy".... Now, do not make up stories... he was an uncle kind of! Since yesterday, I am in front of the mirror at least 25 times .... only to discover four more grey eyelashes! The husband came home, I said "you know Piali told that my eyes are expressive!".... What was the answer? "kijani amar to choshma khullei bikot lagey"..... that he never gets bored when I talk about Piali and her likes is an altogether different issue! If I wish to sing with him "suniye kahiye sunte kehte baaton baaton mein pyar ho jayega".... he will react with a "khyak".... Except his sister... the rest in his family had a good dose of "neem pata o chirota" I believe.... they are unable to speak softly. Coming to the son, besides potato and eggplant, the rest of the veggies are either to be mashed with dal or made into a pakora! I am not bothered because he gets often what he loves... see below how he has gone after his father! Do not look at the couch, if people sleep, eat, sit on it 24/7, even a leather sofa needs an upholstery....within three years!
What I tell him is wait for us to take you to a proper restaurant, do not have Sushi from a normal joint, I am scared it may cause worms in your stomach, I read somewhere! Sushi must be had at proper places, but no he had to have it for lunch! Mumma largely remains a Bong.... fond memories came alive at the sight of "patpata" .... jute leaves at some other blogger's space.... Mani used to prepare two dishes with jute leaves.... "patpatar bora o jhol".... very crisp fritters with jute leaves & rice flour and a very healthy curry with jute leaves with a tempering of crushed garlic.... jute leaves turn slippery "lutlutey" when water is added to it! "Patpatar jhol, bora aar dal, muchmuchey kechki maach bhaja".... my lunch is done... thats an unadulterated version of me! I will never be done with my silly talks, let me finish sharing this little tangy, flavourful, vegetarian curry with tomato, okra and minimal spices TOMATO BHINDI and then sing along "baaton-baaton mein" with a very much yesteryear favourite actor.... He may not had the charisma that millions of girls would run for, I do not fall in the "millions of girls" category for few reasons, any day is the right day to fall for him... with the next door boy image in Bollywood.... Amol Palekar... Hello Mumbai... I love you for many of my loves and likes stay there... Amol ji eats TOMATO BHINDI or not, we usually have this kind of curries with steamed rice at our home.... but it should go with chapatis I believe!
Do take a look at my Fish Kabiraji recipe with updated pictures.... I was too tired to click the steps... the taste is near authentic if not the exterior... more or less ok! Just click the below heading!
FISH KABIRAJI
Okra / Bhindi / Lady's Finger : 10-12
Tomato Paste : 1medium cup [I make it fresh]
Green Chilli Paste : 2tsp
Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder : 1tbsp
Cumin Powder : 1/2tsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Nigella or Cumin or Fennel Seed : 1/4tsp [I love experimenting with flavours when I do not go authentic]
Bayleaf : 1
Asafoetida : 2pinch
Ginger Extract : 1tsp
Lemon Juice : 1tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required
Oil : 3-4tbsp
PROCEDURE:
Wash the bhindi / okra and take in a microwave proof bowl. Add 2 cups water and a pinch of baking powder. The later helps to retain the colour of the vegetables.
Microwave at low for 4-5 minutes. Take out and immediately drain the water. I am scared of them getting discoloured actually. They should be al dente at this stage. Once cool, discard the stem ends!
Rub the bhindi / okra with some salt and turmeric. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
Heat the oil in a wok and temper with asafoetida, nigella or cumin or fennel seeds and a bayleaf!
Add the green chilli and tomato pastes and cook for 2 minutes or so. Add the dry spices and stir for another minute. Add a coffee mug of water and let it come to boil.
Once it has boiled for 2-3 minutes, add the marinated, al dente okras, salt as required and the ginger extract. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add the lemon juice, stir well and take down. Serve hot and fresh with steamed rice or chapati.
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