CURRY AND SPICE: WHOLE WHEAT LENTIL ONION FLATBREAD

That was Afghani Fateer Pyazi I came across earlier this week on a FaceBook Page named SooperChef, thereafter wished to try it my way. After few tries, I should be able to create a ditto of it. Then why should I blog about something which perhaps hundreds of supremely crafted cooks have already done, why would people see my recipe of Afghani Fateer Pyazi? In case of authentic Bengali recipes, I do not mind adding 1001th post on "posto, begun, aloo, tomato, maach, mangsho".... all Bengali homes will have same take on the authentic ones. See I am unable to concentrate on writing the blog, people have to talk ..... I can understand that my mother does not understand what blogging is, that she has to tell her stories when I am writing, but I feel happy that she liked the WHOLE WHEAT LENTIL ONION FLAT BREAD I prepared the day before yesterday for our dinner. No, even after that she has not stopped calling me a lazy, she monitors my swimming speed, walking time and distance. Do not I remember how the saree clad, slim her tied a "gamcha" around her waist and swam in the Ganges with my cousins at Nabadwip? What was the daughter of a kabadi + khoko champion doing? She was crying out of fear. My family does not understand my passion for my blog, how much it means to me, only the brother told me "didibhai, I need to understand properly what blogging is and then can try to get it monetised." At least, he took some interest while the husband says "shokher sangey taka meshatey nei".... It was this brother of mine who had shown a lot of patience to teach me how to send emails some 16 years back. The husband has lot more patience than me or my brother but when it comes to helping me with the blog or any technicality he lacks the patience required.

Once a blogger friend, now lost told me her husband helps her immensely with the blog, even suggests recipes to be shared. This home's husband does not even know the price of potato per kilogram. All of a sudden I remember of an incident from 1998, we were stationed at Mumbai at our couple friends Partha-Madhuchanda's home. Chutu told T... "S can send you mails while your stay in the ship".... at that time I did not know what an email is, it was new in the market and Chutu was a national scholarship holder who stood first or second in Economics at the Jadavpur University, I had the best "edeshio gotasheddo" in her home. T thinks Chutu is a near perfect woman, I have no problem with that because I know her and believe it, I have no problem because T did not tell Chutu that his wife doesn't know what an email is as yet, instead he told yes, S can do it. This husband is a keep, we need not analyse always what else our heart yearns for. Those who say their wife or husband is the only moon in their life, they lie..... Human mind is complicated, to restrict us, the institution of marriage was introduced, thats it. Following certain rules makes us decent social beings. Coming back to the "email episode".... the husband did not expose my shortcoming in front of Chutu. I needed to learn mailing urgently because I hardly sailed with him. He specialised in oil tankers and worked in VLCCs, extra large oil carriers which stayed far away from the port, not even in the happening ports. In fear of getting bored and adding more to my weight issues, in fear of climbing rope steps to board a ship or the inability to go out of the ship often, I did not sail with the husband except for once. No one actually questioned me about my integrity, I always had a "mashima" image in public. Moreover, my little prince charming kept me occupied most of the time.

You see my "boris" have almost dried. The wrinkled hands that were once very glamorous are turning them over. The old lady is happy that I am taking ahead the family tradition.

We both are worried a bit about what we actually did with life. I tell her if she hadn't leave her job at school, she would have bring us up differently, tougher. She secured a job at Birnagar in a Govt. school where she did practice teaching to secure a BEd degree. Then we relocated to Kolkata. I wonder how I can remember her picking up "bokul, sheuli, jui phool" from the roadside trees at Birnagar, how pointed gourds, eggplants were bathed in chemical colours at the Pairadanga station. A big chunk of my childhood memories is stationed to and fro the Sealdah main line. I hear my 90 up old maternal grandmother still has to read Bengali newspaper everyday. I see our boy's paternal grandfather so concerned about his academics, I like to discuss with him about it! On a lighter tone, I never had imagined that my husband can ever discuss Bollywood with his mother-in-law [always]. The rest of us in the family giggled so much, a toast to that fun with this simplified, deshi flat bread WHOLE WHEAT LENTIL ONION FLATBREAD. I just tried to get a good meal idea for those who are not an expert with "mixture doughs".... doing so I used whole wheat flour, boiled moong dal, salt, red chilli, chopped green chilli + fresh coriander + fresh mint + sliced onion, salt, sugar.

Recipe Inspiration is drawn from the SooperChef page in FaceBook about Afghani Fateer Pyazi, you can see my take on it is adjusted to the regular requirement of the Indian homes.

INGREDIENTS :

WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR : 21/2COFFEE MUG
BOILED LENTIL : 2 SMALL CUP [ANY, I USED ROASTED MOONG]
SALT : 1/2TSP [LESS IF THERE IS SALT IN THE BOILED DAL]

CHOPPED ONION : 1 MEDIUM TEA CUP
CHOPPED CORIANDER : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP
CHOPPED MINT : 1SMALL TEA CUP
CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1TBSP
RED CHILLI FLAKES : 1TSP [IF YOU WISH]
OIL : A MEDIUM TEA CUP

PROCEDURE :

Take the whole wheat flour, salt and sugar in a bowl.

Mix well and then add the boiled dal and red chilli flakes. Mix well and prepare a smooth dough adding warm water little by little.

Add 2tbsp oil and knead the dough again for 2-3 minutes.

Chop the chillies, onion, fresh coriander & mint; wash and mix together!

Tear off considerable portions, smoothen between your palms, make space in the middle and stuff with the filling! Close from all sides so we can roll the parathas properly!