At the moment my heart goes out to those students of the Calcutta Medical College who just broke their fast after a couple of days! What was their agenda? Not a "gari, bangla, motar"... but a decent place in the college hostel! As you know, the distribution of seats in the medical colleges in West Bengal is merit wise perhaps... it was so long back! A boy or a girl from a remote township find themselves in a awkward situation stepping for the first time in the metro city! A designated room in the college hostel is their right, it can ease their initial tension in a big city! Yesterday, a video of the condition of the hostels was been circulated in social media! It is miserable.... even herds of cattle have better places to live in! I am not in a mood or never in a mood to take up a fight with the PETA or its benefactors! PETA will not fight on behalf of these youngsters.... we should.... everyone has their own role to play! When I got into tears looking at the college hostel, I felt why these developed countries' health sector charges are so high! Be sure, other government sector buildings in the educational and health field have the same condition.... we have to admit that the condition of the other states of India is not this bad!
What these boys and girls were fighting for was a decent place to stay for the next few years, their parents may not have the ability to send them to private colleges! I am a mother, I can feel the ordeal of the parents of Aniket who had been leading the protest move! I am a mother who as a young daughter was introduced to the world of Tolstoy & Maxim Gorky by someone who loved to talk about his ideology, how being the son of a rich father he arranged for the safe passage of his talented friend to that "bahargaon"during the Naxalite Movement! I know a couple of them forgot all about their past sitting in their plush, green backyard! Anyway, his wife was busy getting us siblings to and fro from school, managing home and asking her mother to send containers of BEULIR DALER BORI / DAL VADI / SUN DRIED LENTIL BALL! As my readers know I do not have a face / physical features to flaunt often, or the energy to play games in social media.... I keep focussing on the issues that require to spread! My open declaration to people always is that if you play games with me, you lose me! I am all about I, Me, Myself, neither I am that much of a beneficiary factor to others... so I do not take time to change allegiance suiting my convenience!
At the moment, how I wish to relay to the son about the courageous Aniket and his friends but he hardly can understand or feel it! The son is the prime focus of my life, no one comes in between but it definitely hurts me when he does not take interest in such real life stories.... How will he? How do I get the best of both the worlds? Its entirely my fault... I never did let him know what struggle is because I am my mother's daughter! Do not ask my brother why he never could come out of his mother's lap, he does not have the strength to defy his mother's indivertible attention! I am categorically told over phone to dedicate my entire being to bring up my boy and stop freaking around! Answer is "come on Mani, I do not freak, a little of here and there is ok! There are reasons why T does not bother about whats going on at home"!
Had the son not being a rebel..... and listened to me, you would have seen him excelling in academics to the utmost.... he definitely has the material... he is his father's son that way but with no effort.... so my hairs are going grey at the fastest rate! There is an Ipsita aunty who understands this silly-billy mumma the most, how about gifting her a jar of "aam launji".... good idea... next week! Their's is a fitness freak family not that much of harmful, I believe!
The lady @ CURRY AND SPICE is a silly nut.... that she is.... extreme sensitivity is making her more of a loner! She loves engaging herself more in experimental cooking in her spare time! She also likes the kind of men and women she has idolised since childhood.... who possess intellect, reasoning, decency as defined by her, literati, works for the needy and so on.... Had I being wise I would have groomed myself to be one amidst them.... I did not... I only give big talks! I will always be weak on my knees for these types because my mother till date watches television shows featuring "state level, national level toppers in academics" and yes "cricket" hihi...
How did I spend my day yesterday? I baked a biscuit like something for myself which is sugar free, I cooked "mushurir dal" yesterday night in a different way... "shob eksangey mekhey boshiye dao".... When I started a home independently after 31/2 years of marriage, Saraswati was my first help.... who served me with much of loyalty.... she taught me this recipe of dal which she said she learnt from a "non-Bengali speaking bhabi".... more about Saraswati and her struggle to bring up her two kids in "kanchakolar khoshabata" post may be! This woman even dreaded severe rain to reach my home on certain mornings! Her younger kid was growing up with all virtues in a negative environment! "Pratik, bhaike ektu koley niye bosh, ami ektu bazzar theke ghurey ashi.... accha mami jao!".... I do not know how they are now.... the selfish self wonders where life is taking her to! The overly protective mother whispers "let the son stand on his feet first"....
Ipsita too sent a "kali dal" the day before yesterday, we had it with "luchi".... simply loved! I do not like when she wears short pants however superbly toned her body is! They are Tamal's friends actually! When the trio sit together and talk about politics, sports even of the 60's, 70's.... I love serving them goodies! Then, I grab from such people whatever material is possible for this small brain and jot it down here! My biggest influencer is the husband.... yes, proud I am.... there is a but though... if only he listened to me on how many times a day should he brush his teeth or how important it is to do a scaling once a year, take shower & shave on holidays too, at what frequency to cut his nails and trim his hair or eat like a good boy whatever dish and amount his wife serves.... he could have been the world's best husband that would make all the women jealous of me... haha... so you know now you need not!...
Had the world knew what amount of drama, tear drops went in or goes in to make those family tour albums.... you would have questioned my sanity... and declare that you would not have lived with such people.... how can I even go on tours with them? I would defend my action saying that no one can question their integrity... they will not leave me for anyone else.... well the daughter-in-law is an exception... she will be here to fill-in-the gap! She will get a royal treatment if only she possesses those qualities I adore... else they have the liberty to set up their own home far from me, I am not accommodative !
Yes, I am all about myself but the made easy recipe of BEULIR DALER BORI / DAL VADI / SUN DRIED LENTIL BALL is for all of you to do! If you have a high end blender, why should you buy the store bought ones which has 1/4th of dal and the rest is a mixture of atta & rice flour! I am not the kind who will try "goina bori".... but next on line are "mushurir dal er bori".... "moshola bori".... My men are not bothered, but I love using these Bengali style lentil balls in curries and veggies! I treat one issue at a time, what seems most important to me at the moment! There are similar mothers just like me who find solace in dedicating their life for their home... Aniket and his friends had broken their fast now, they perhaps got allocated rooms in the hostel however poor condition they are in .... their mothers are sure to prepare a light, mixed vegetable curry like this "Shukto" for them... or "bori bhaja diye palonger ghonto".... So... I felt like providing the recipe link of "shukto" in this post too!
The first dish I made with the sun-dried lentil ball was a bowl of "shukto".... Do you wish to have a look at the very authentic recipe of this light, mixed vegetable curry? Just click the below link / heading!
SHUKTO
Please Note: If you stay in a humid climate, always try these sun dried lentil balls during the winter! If you stay in drier climes... go ahead anytime but a sun bath often is required! There are "bori in microwave" recipes in Google ... but I am not the kind of a person who will use 2hrs of electric power doing bori in the oven! This traditional way of doing dal vadi is for those who are my types!
BEULIR DAL / SPLIT SKINLESS BLACK GRAM DAL : 11/2COFFEE MUG
NIGELLA SEED / KALONJEE / KALOJJEREY : 11/2TBSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
WATER : AS REQUIRED FOR A SMOOTH PASTE
PROCEDURE :
Wash and soak the amount of dal mentioned in a bowl with enough water for 5-6 hours.
After 5-6 hours it looks as below!
Take half the amount in a blender, sprinkle little water at a time and blend to a smooth paste with intervals in between! Repeat the same for rest of the half!
Transfer to a wide mouthed bowl. Add the salt and nigella seeds.
Now comes the main part that requires some patience and "kobzir jor"....
We have to take the bowl on our lap, beat the lentil / dal mixture clockwise for 1/2 an hour to 40 minutes. It has to be light and fluffy... else the juice of the curry will not go in! Our Cristine did help in between.... wow she loves "bori" you know!
How do we know when the paste is ready? Well, take some water in another bowl. Add little of the paste. If it floats atop, the paste is ready to proceed with.... if it drowns.... we need to beat further!
I do not have "bori deoar jali" or "dadur dhuti chera".... so join me without any hesitation to use a big plastic tray with cookie sheet on it!
Try to keep under the sun for the entire day! Our island is not humid... so even if it rained, my lentil balls did not spoil.
After 5 days it looks as below!
After 10-15 days, when they play around as below, we know they are ready to be used. Store them in containers and refrigerate!
We are not in the grandmother's era.... they soaked and pasted kilos of dal, rice in a "mortar and pestle" without allowing any gym to flourish.... They dedicated their life and being for their kids and family in silence because there was no one to speak for them.... I / a couple of us will from time to time unfold the untold stories .... here in this space!
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