CURRY AND SPICE: BENGAL GRAM DAL & JAGGERY STEAMED SNACK

This is the obvious outcome of a lazy being planning for Adhirasam, then is crippled by severe lethargy and plans this healthy snack to her utmost convenience. What I got is really worth sharing, else I keep doing various experiments every other day. Perhaps that fear of staying away from the monkey at this home after a year or so is making me cook this and that everyday. My next experimental venture is trying my hands on rice flour "jilipi," I came across a good recipe of it and lost it too. Designing is not something I am good at, not even an average, the other reason of not trying it is that the husband does not eat it, if its fried sweet he is a fan of gulab jamun. Last year I did try "amriti" but miserably failed. Thereafter, I am just too scared and lethargic to try that family. I love fried sweets although it is a poison to me now. On our tour of Turkey, the buffets we had there, I was surprised to see some of their local sweets similar to our halwa and pantua. I was surprised may be because I do not have enough research on the actual or factual history of food. I have a problem with online reading due to my deteriorated eye condition, I do not get that kick which I get in print media.

I still remember how happy I was when the daddy got me "nabik Sindbad" or the "Gogol series" .... way later in college, this 20+ college goer then enjoyed reading "Mitin mashi's adventure with her little niece?" Those adventurous and romantic novels occupied me and not "Nrishingha Prashad Bhaduri's Probondhos".... that is wrong, one must read nonfictions, journals, articles too to be well equipped. If some have much of grip on food, nutrition, nutritive value, history of food, it is either because they travel a lot or read related articles a lot or do both.... not that they have earned a degree in these areas. I have seen how bloggers mention the nutritive values of the dish, amount of vitamin, then carb or fat.... Oh! it is amazing man to me but I may not learn it to follow them... I lack interest in anything that is technical, mechanical.... I enjoy stories ..... different kinds of.... may be because the daddy was a wonderful story teller and introduced me to the world of books at an early age, may be because the mother used to read aloud "chora o golpo" ...... This vegetarian, oil free & steamed sweet snack BENGAL GRAM DAL AND JAGGERY STEAMED SNACK is also a story.... of a bowlful of Bengal Gram Dal walking up to the swimming pool, playing with the rest of the friends for two hours, getting up to be dried, instead were crushed under the blades and ultimately got drowned in the river of saliva! If you think it that way, the human race is pretty cruel.

I need to finish off quickly today, I have an appointment that was set a month back for a facial treatment at a meagre amount. I am going to the most happening area of the island.... Orchard.... I am not leaving behind my card.... I really do not like hopping malls, the husband is less stressed. You know what, there is not many things as derogatory as owning a master card at your husband's expense.... specially when he is the kind who would never ask you to go out and see how difficult it is to earn 10$, not even while at his angered self. That is why I wait for him until 11pm on some days to have the dinner together. No, we do not have any romantic liaison as such, may be we bond over a long time friendship, we bond over the fact that he chose a fat, dwarf girl lacking grey matter and I chose a skeletal structure with no hero like element to live with for life. The only weakness you see in me is that of a life long commitment made to "my truest feelings" as an innocent little girl.... I will not let it go and will be sharing such vegetarian, healthy snack BENGAL GRAM DAL & JAGGERY STEAMED SNACK at times because I think this is better than a cheese filled sandwich for a "deshi" stomach.

You may categorise that weakness as a black spot in my character, I am not bothered else I would not have opened myself to this extent in public which is totally against my nature. Anyway, the weird monkey who is the junior most at this home has school leave until Monday, he does not like mumma going out while he is at home, "babai-mumma" going out for a movie is also a thing of displeasure to him. We have to be present but he will not talk to us or share any information with us... I mean what is this? I do not like going out leaving him either, although Cristine didi is caring. Yes, I do have a lot of complaints against those non-working mothers who I saw left their young kids, as young as 8-9 years in empty homes to chit-chat with friends. What is that? If your "self" is more important than your child, why did you bring it then? Their kids may be way more independent & responsible than mine, even will outshine my boy in future but that is not the issue!

I will not agree on this matter, the picture of a mother teaching her son after a hard day is still very fresh on my mind. While teaching, she had to prepare rice and "bhajabhuji" too in the kitchen simultaneously. Taking advantage of her dozing off quite often due to her tired self, the son would start playing with his pencil box sitting on a "madur".... this went on until I suggested her to employ a private tutor for mathematics and science. The yesteryear tween till date says that his tutor had the ability to explain one sum in five different ways and oh! so simply.... that had his tutor not left academics to travel across the world, the tween could have done better! A great academician may not necessarily make a good teacher, teaching is a different quality. What was the tween's father's role in the scenario? Back from office, he would call his daughter while eating "chana-muri".... "mamoni esho, Kolkata kaw te khobor sesh hoyechey, Kolkata kho te natok shuru hobey." His mamoni used to close the story book tactfully placed atop a text book and ran to her father.

The mother tried her kids to be good in academics within a business oriented family setup that hardly gave any importance to education. Our father's was an average Bengali business family who earned, cooked a lot, ate and felt proud to feed the entire village often.... none in the family might have known who Sukumar Ray or Tagore was or how Saigal or Noorjehan sang! One of the family's son went to Kolkata for a Bsc. degree, became a follower of Promod Dasgupta, ducked himself from the police in the streets of Sealdah, got into the mainstream life once the father scolded, later made the daughter read Che to Lenin to Fidel to Tolstoy while she was still in school but both came under the influence of the lady of the house and started following RKM. Not everyone can become an Azizul Haque, neither every "Animesh" is lucky enough to get a "Madhabilata!" Anyway, that particular lady cannot ever influence the man of this house, he may well drop her and her daughter at the RKM's gate and pick up too. Since I hate arguments, I would prefer to sit together and enjoy the oil free, steamed snack with all of them different kinds in the family and outside. You definitely would enjoy doing it and find it's taste awesome!

INGREDIENTS :

CHANA DAL / CHOLAR DAL / BENGAL GRAM DAL : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP
JAGGERY POWDER : 1 SMALL TEA CUP
GINGER EXTRACT : 1TBSP
GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1/3TSP
FRUIT SALT : 11/2TSP

PROCEDURE :

We will wash and soak the Bengal Gram Dal in hot water for at least 2 hours.

We will strain the water and prepare a paste with the soaked dal adding a small cup of water. I always use a mixer-grinder for such purposes.

Add the rest of the ingredients to it!

Now add 2 cups of water to the base so it get half filled. Grease the moulds of a microwave proof idli stand. Pour the paste [not batter okay?] until half filled.