It was indeed a special day yesterday and as usual I forgot all about it.... It was the brother who called me at night and asked if I wished her or not.... and finally before retiring to the bed I managed to wish the mother on her birthday while the brother and his wife got lots of food for a cosy family party! Ideally, I should have blogged about a "ucche chingri".... bitter gourd with prawn or "loti shutki"... colocasia stems with dried fish or prepare some roshogolla and serve her with "ruti or porota" today!.... Oh! how she loves her flatbreads with rasgulla.... now that she is a diabetic.... she is not allowed to have much of sweets! I have the pictures ready but I felt I will not get very personal in the blog.... I will try to kiss and hug people around as much as possible within my limited ability. It will be very wrong to blog about what I and my parents love today when I know that it is for my brother that I can get away with only few phone calls to her....
My mother really did get her dues back.... In the present day scenario when you see a different picture in maximum number of homes... it means a lot!.... Many monsoons back... she was seen morning till night with the son at the cricket ground... swimming pool or getting the daughter to school.... then rushing back home with the son.... do the rest of the cooking.... she did not have a life of her own.... we were her life! Ok, lets ease the situation a bit.... please do not ask our mother how old she turned... she might have turned 70-71 actually but you always get a wrong data from her .... haha! Once the deceased daddy... our beloved "Pa".... called me... "you know mamoni what your mother did?".... "what?".... she went for a voter id card renewal or something like that and told a number ten years less than the actual... haha.... The brother will get very angry if he reads this... he is blind about his mother... and he was always given the example of his big sister on how to earn trust of your parents... etc. etc..... Anyway, I am not the kind who will update her social media status wishing the mother.... there is no harm in doing that either.... I will rather share a yum & healthy combo recipe of a super snacker and a lentil curry..... TIL ER BORA O BEULIR DAL / SESAME SEED FRITTER & BLACK GRAM LENTIL CURRY / TIL VADA AUR URAD DAL. I know the mother would like to have this with plain rice and some salad... yes she loves fruits and salads.
Besides a mother.... a brother.... a husband... the son or the rest of the family.... I have my readers who keep my blog, my spirit going... a treat also for those who do not have Bengal in their map! What else can I gift the mother until my next visit to Kolkata? Why not those beautifully hanging flowers that I clicked yesterday on my walk?
Ain't that too beautiful? I do not know what photography is... it is whole lot of a thing that I am too lazy to learn at the moment. Once back from the tour, S will start her swimming classes.... that should be the news at the moment....What more? Well, S comb searched the island to get an "all covered" swim suit.... and she got one.... haha... I think this is a news more than I learning to swim at 47.... If not all the water of the pool come up when I jump.... there is a high possibility that I get to learn finally! However, I am trying to eat clean these days... at least one meal I am substituting with a big bowl of salad which has to be of my choice... at times I add a little bit of unpolished rice too!
You see I have to finish writing this post on TIL ER BORA O BEULIR DAL / SESAME SEED FRITTER & BLACK GRAM LENTIL CURRY / TIL VADA AUR URAD DAL quickly.... I have to colour my hair.... Cristine does the honour. 70% of my hairs are grey and I will not spend 80 sing dollars for my hair at a parlour every 2 weeks .... I do not earn! I am neither like my friend Nishi or ... or.... or.... Well I do not discuss all my girl or boy friends in public.... certain relationships are best kept to one's self! Our father expired not knowing what social media is.... saying that I do not think rest of the fathers should refrain from it either.... just that they be addicted like me..... Before my hairs get ready for the upcoming tour, let me share the super simple, yet mouthwatering recipe of a snacker and a dal.... a very Bengali treat for you TIL ER BORA O BEULIR DAL / SESAME SEED FRITTER & BLACK GRAM LENTIL CURRY / TIL VADA AUR URAD DAL.
Look at the sky... I just clicked... its ready for a heavy down pour and many of us love some fries and fritters on such days.
We can have this healthy bora / vada as an appetiser with some chutney and salad or make it a part of our lunch and dinner menu.... choice is yours. I have seen some blogger friends using sesame seed and aloo for a recipe, I even tasted the very authentic Nepali Til-Aloo at a friend's place and then our colleague... the very dear, glamorous, fit and fab Sunita Joshi Juneja ma'am got it at school when I had been working here.... If I can get the recipe from her, will blog about it... its simply mind blowing.... More about Sunita ma'am when I do that post... for now know that she is an engineer who teaches mathematics in a school.... That is the problem of staying in a small island you know.... job openings are less for the expats' wives.... and hence.... exploitation is at its peak!.... Now, you will see how people will start avoiding me .... haha... but I have seen how talents are exploited.... MBAs, MCAs, Engineers, PHD... do not get their dues.... I do not blame this island either.... they have to take care of their own people, win in elections too! Even if some start avoiding me, I will not mind.... I see the "reason and motive" behind an act! What I can do is prepare a snacker with potato and white sesame seeds my style, pair it with a very authentic Bengali black gram / broken urad dal with skin, some salad and treat my readers, family and friends! There definitely had some fish or meat curry that need not be in the picture always. I did the TIL ER BORA my way and yes in 2tbsp oil... good job S....
INGREDIENTS : [for the Til Er Bora / Sesame Seed Fritters]
White Sesame seed : 1medium cup
Boiled Potato : 1big [washed, boiled, peeled, mashed]
Chopped Coriander : 3-4tbsp
Chopped Green Chilli : 2-3
Dry Mango Powder : 1tsp
Chaat Masala : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required
Turmeric Powder : 1/4tsp
Oil : 2tbsp
INGREDIENTS : [for the Beulir Dal / Black Gram Dal]
Black Gram Lentil : 1small cup [I used halved, skinned urad / beulir dal]
Fennel Seed : 1/4tsp
Fennel Powder : 1tsp
Bayleaf : 1
Dry Red Chilli : 2 [halved]
Green Chilli : 2-3slitted
Ginger Paste : 1tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As Required
Sugar : 1tsp
Oil : 2tbsp [authentically mustard]
PROCEDURE :
Let us prepare the Beulir Dal first.
I soaked the washed dal in hot water for 2-3 hours and boiled in enough water at low heat for nearly 40 - 45 minutes adding little salt and turmeric. It you are using pressure cooker, you need not soak but be careful and sure that you switch off gas oven after 1 whistle. Just take the urad dal in the pressure cooker, add 11/2 big cup water.... add salt and turmeric.... close lid and pressure cook at minimal heat up to 1 whistle.
Once cool, open lid! Pour the dal to a bowl. Heat oil in a wok and temper with fennel seeds, bay leaf and halved dry red chillies.
Now add the ginger paste and stir for a minute.... add the rest of the turmeric, salt as required, fennel powder. Stir for 1/2 a minute.
Add the boiled dal and fold in well. Give a quick stir and cover. Boil at medium to low heat for 3-4 minutes.
Open cover, add the sugar and slitted green chillies. Let boil for another 2 minutes.
We are done. This is how Beulir Dal is done in our family... which may be similar to other Bengali homes.
Let us prepare the Til er Bora now. I did it absolutely my way.
For this healthy fritters, I dry roasted the white sesame seeds. I kept 1/4 of the total amount as it is and dry ground the rest of it. Oh My! they release oil man... The boiled potato too is mashed and ready to be mixed!
Take the powdered sesame seeds, boiled potato, chopped fresh coriander and green chillies, dry mango powder, chaat masala, salt together in a bowl.
Mix together well with your palm quite well. Add the rest of the roasted sesame seeds and fold in well.
Now tear off small portions and form smooth balls taking between your palms and press a bit.
Next step I for got to take the picture. Anyway, you can well understand I did not deep fry them.
What we will do is that we will heat 2tbsp oil in a frying pan. Arrange the til er bora on it.
We will now cook each side for 2-3 minutes pressing lightly with the back of a ladle.
Enjoy hot with the beulir dal and salad. Have some fish and meat too!
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