CURRY AND SPICE: FRAGRANT CHANA DAL RICE O MICROWAVE E MURGIR PATLA JHOL

This is the kind of platter my men love. I would have cooked such combinations often if only they had a salad with it. Mango Salsa cannot be a regular affair. It is better to mash all the Bengali kinds of vegetables with dal and feed my boy. I can serve them meat and fish regular given they eat at least one serving of vegetables. Last week, I got fresh, small sized "parshe". I did not get them, the men won't eat. The husband and his mother do not like this fish; not because it is more of an "adeshio maach", they only love fleshy fish with lots of fat. They call themselves "Bangal" but are limited when it comes to "Bangal... kochu-ghechu, bata-buti". I have no interest in the fight, I do enjoy "parshe to bati chocchori to 'nuchi o bonde' everything.

When some "adeshio" take a dig on us saying our forefathers used to fake about their belongings back in their country of origin, it hurts immensely. Then I think how can they even feel what being an "udbastu" mean.... getting uprooted from your own land and living as beggars in other's home with an extra dose of warnings day and night that you are unwanted here is a severe pain that only who suffer can feel.... the rest can say anything and everything.... we do not have to pay tax for what we say! I never wished to be a part of all these, may be it has become irrelevant too in the present day scenario. Even before I started dating Bossy, my mother told me "adeshio barir cheleke pochondo korey boshish na, oder sangey amader thik khap khaina"..... I got married to a "Bangal" family who lack "bangalotto" except for the lingo spoken by the family veterans, they have not eaten "shutki maach until a neighbour fed them some 30 years back ba bele maacher gurguri ba bayin maach"....

Since I am not interested in the divide, I prefer to share today a recipe like this vegetarian & non-vegetarian combo meal FRAGRANT CHANA DAL RICE O MICROWAVE E PATLA MURGIR JHOL. This is not from our mother's kitchen and why should I at least today? Did not I bring up my brother as my elder son? Is he not his mother's son? I saw some mothers yesterday going to the extent of giving such captions on their posts.... "sharing the joy today with all the mothers of daughters".... At times their attitude, behaviour makes me feel may be they wished for a male child. These girls who do male bashing or discriminate a male child openly need males often. My son comes first to me you all know, if you are not nice to him, I cannot be to you but I usually do not discriminate between kids. Being a girl myself, I knew / know what the girls had / have to face on the road, in the train, in the bus!

Anyway, on a Mother's Day, I reserve most of my feelings for some of my dearest people who could not bore a child.... they do feel very much left out on such a day.... I find it difficult to be cautious enough not to hurt them, love for your child is so natural but... but... but not wanting a child or not being able to bear one is not a crime.... reasons can be manifold.... I have the guts to tell my mother that holding her tongue is a necessity, many girls or boys cannot or do not wish to have a child. Some apparent feminists around are so much of a pet of their mother that they even ignore their father.... I am watching this for a decades now. I do not know the structure of any family but wise enough to understand this simple thing.... if my mother has sweated, spent her precious life for us.... I have seen her struggle, did not my father catch S10 or travelled to Chetla from DumDum changing train at Sealdah for us with his arthritic legs.... come on even the sperm was his both time, not of her girl friends'.... My beloved Bidisha's father comes to Birati from Park Circus to his factory everyday, do you think on his own will? My paa-in-law goes to the market, serves tea and food to the wife till date, looks after the daughter's and son's needs too!

For the woman or her friends who formed special cells.... oh sorry! I meant groups for "daughter's mothers".... here is a toast for you, a vegetarian main with a non vegetarian side FRAGRANT CHANA DAL RICE O MICROWAVE E MURGIR PATLA JHOL, else I had a very good mutton fat recipe to share today. I am unwilling to share a post about paneer or mutton liver".... "this home's chele aar maa kind of"..... "bisesh dingulo te chele athaba meye je kono kichu niye matamati korata bhul"... in fact, a boy's mother has to mete out more responsibilities towards the society, I will not repeat my grandmother kinds and say, "shonar angti abar baka kisher".... I would rather prefer to replicate her and her eldest daughter's recipes with "pat shaak".... hold on, sooner.... anyway, people have on their blogs already.

Chicken had to go for sure today, I had to tell some people that I usually do not discriminate between a boy or a girl unless it is my boy's birthday or any such occasions.... I do not even make him public because I do not want it, he is not giving me any hope to go ahead with a very public post next year, some boys and girls will score 45 / 45 or 44 / 45 in his class.... I do not see happiness showering at this home, the marriage is on the rocks on this particular issue. I did not want our son to have my brain, the Almighty listened..... I did not want my son to be as casual a guy as his father, lacking severely the tenacity to study, the Almighty did not listen. I really never have seen a father like T, his son's happiness is his concern, not my wish! Leave that, the "daughter-mother group" created yesterday "functionally" was in practice for long! I am not the one who is in the habit of oiling anyone for my personal benefit. I know I am a girl and cannot be anything but nice to another girl even if some have not so good vives towards my pride. I definitely am unable to give it back tight, but yes I can limit my accessibility to them because the hurt is immense! I am not Godly you know.

Last Saturday saw me totally collapsed. I finished my cooking and took shower around 7:30pm, then cooked the chana dal rice with boiled Bengal gram dal and basmati around 8:30 pm.... The initial plan was a "cholar dal er pulao".... got very tired and went for the easier method of straining the starch from the cooked rice and go ahead. I have seen this recipe somewhere, just forgot all about the source. The light chicken curry in the microwave really proved great for me, I could have it and liked it. It is so hassle free to make it but obviously not a cheaper option.... adds more to your electric bill. You see, I am very happy to be engaged in what I enjoy doing, that is cooking. Because my men do not listen to me, I prefer doing what I enjoy! Saturdays I get very late because I click too ... see I changed the pictures of two of my earlier blogposts!

These keep me going, I think I spend a better time than sitting together and back biting each other royally. It is way better to fight with the husband on a lost battle, "Boss, ami kintu ebar next ek bochorer jonyo husband exchange programme er bigyapon debo".... "you are welcome" prompt is the answer! "Tar maney? shobai Partha Dey hoye jonmai na bossy, bhetorey jader chokmoki pathor achey ghoshe-meje tairi kortey hoy tader.... tui tar bodoley ekta ugropanthi baniye dili cheletakey"..... Come let us have a feast!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FRAGRANT CHANA DAL RICE :

BENGAL GRAM DAL : 1SMALL TEA CUP
BASMATI RICE : 1COFFEE MUG
CASHEW NUT : 8-10
RAISIN : 10-15
CINNAMON STICK : 3-4 HALF FINGER LENGTH
GREEN CARDAMOM : 3-4
BLACK CARDAMOM : 1
STAR ANISE : 2
CLOVE : 4-5
BAY LEAF : 3-4
CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1TBSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
SUGAR : 2TBSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2TSP
GHEE / CLARIFIED BUTTER : 2TBSP
OIL : 3-4TBSP

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CHICKEN IN MICROWAVE :

CHICKEN : 1KG [MEDIUM CUT, SKIN OFF]

CHOPPED TOMATO : 1 COFFEE MUG
SLICED ONION : 1 COFFEE MUG
GARLIC EXTRACT : 2-3TBSP
GINGER EXTRACT : 2-3TBSP
SLITTED GREEN CHILLI : 4-5
RED CHILLI POWDER : 2TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP
CUMIN POWDER : 1/2TSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1TSP
LEMON JUICE : 2-3TBSP
OIL : 2-3TBSP [IF YOU ARE USING SKIN ON CHICKEN PIECES, SKIP THE OIL PART TOTALLY]

PROCEDURE :

For the flavourful chana dal rice, I washed and soaked the rice for 30 minutes, cooked it in enough boiling water until 70% done. I strained immediately.

We had soaked earlier the Bengal Gram Lentil in hot water for 2 hours. Then we will boil it with little salt and turmeric until 80% done. We will reserve the water to use later in a different dish, we will not require it now.

The cinnamon sticks, star anise, cardamoms green and black, cloves are to be crushed lightly.

We will heat the ghee and oil together in a wok. Temper with the crushed whole spices and the bay leaves; add the cashew nuts.

As the cashew nuts turn light brown, we will add the raisins, stir.

We will add the boiled Bengal Gram, chopped green chillies and stir for a minute.

We need to add the salt and sugar and stir for a minute; after we will add the rice and stir very gently.

Now we are to use two ladles to mix the content well. We are done.

For the chicken, many years back I did try it in microwave whilst in Kolkata. It took a lot of time and I lost interest. Here the chicken variety is softer, one reason why I do not like it. I do not wish to leave eating it either. I casually tried last month and woh I loved the curry, light and tangy like our "robibarer jhol".... I really enjoyed doing and having it.

We will marinate the chicken with all the ingredients except for the slitted green chillies in a microwave proof bowl and keep aside for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours covered.