ALOO DIYE BHAPA DIMER JHOL

There was a homecoming yesterday evening and I prepared this steamed egg curry which I found hassle free and quick. The senior of the two men at home swears on egg, the son was getting what he loves for the past few days.... therefore should be able to share an egg meal with babai, mumma was too full after an overdose of mutton biryani late afternoon. Mumma yet had two tablespoon of rice, egg curry and dal else all that extra amount of ghee will create trouble all through the night. The Bengalis love "Mughlai" food way too much that is true, the reason why their death due to heart diseases is on the high. That  the Bengalis and the Muslims mostly of South Asia in general love rich, unhealthy but too tasty dishes is a truth, there need not be so much of hue and cry about it, neither backlashes should be targetted at me. 

Just yesterday, I was talking to my childhood buddy Tanushree who is far from the maddening social media games and hates me for being a part of all these. She always says if the social media robs me of my natural self, if I cannot feel free and be myself there, I need not be there. I do treasure such friends who will not try to control my life ever, who will not expect me to belong only to them ..... Tanushree is more timid, soft spoken and meek than I used to be, I keep her within the warmth of my heart without feeling obligated.... we know we need not do hi-hello often, we still would remain friends for ever. If you try to own me, I will get cold ..... I will stop giving special attention to you because you are ignoring, trying to insult my other friends who are important to me. Tanushree happens to be the husband's classmate too with so opposing character traits. Even we are opposing partners.... if you are honest to each other you can carry along an entire life together. There was a time when me and Tanushree both were of same character traits.... less interested in studies, timid, quiet, Bollywood buffs.... she however unlike me was a beauty of our times.... too serene and known as Asha Parekh among us.... I have never seen her being proud of that or using her beauty wrongly to woo anyone.... neither male nor female. What you should know is that she is excellent in sewing, sewed maxi dresses for me when we were young, learnt quilting, now prepares bags.... I asked her to open a page and start  her business ..... I think I have to open it for her.... she can always change the password later. I am the least qualitative among us friends but love cooking! I enjoyed cooking this non vegetarian egg meal ALOO DIYE BHAPA DIM ER JHOL , Dal, Bhindi Sheddo, Potato Fry, Rice for the family, specially for the husband who is back home after few days. I still have the wish to home deliver egg, fish, meat or vegetarian simple, daily meals to South Asian Homes in the island.... an island so strict with rules.

Coming to Life and Death, I think about it often.... when I cannot bear it anymore I go out for a long walk. Like I have a soft corner for an Ipsita and wondered how she survived through the death of her both parents by age 11. I do not sit together often with her for few reasons... she is busy with her teaching job , next we are neighbours, there is a possibility of misunderstandings .... she is not a social media buff ... so I would prefer to maintain the relationship. When our father expired, I felt everything gets bearable with time but it may not be the same forever.... so before flaunting often, think of the others.... a widower, a divorcee, your marriage would not be on the rocks for it.... personal relationships are not to be flaunted in social media[often]. Tanushree seemed too disturbed two-three months back.... she messaged me that she lost her mother all of a sudden within hours. Kakima [who you refer as aunty] was just back from the "bahargaon" staying for months with her younger kid, her son's family. Her first born, her daughter cleaned the flat where she used to live alone, she entered... next morning she fell sick, the daughter saw her sweating profusely, on reaching the nursing home she was declared dead. Think of this girl, she lost her father back in 2012, Semtemper, her husband stays in Kazakasthan, the brother in the "bahargaon", the son studies BBA in Vizag. I would call her strong, oh! unlike me, she is an excellent daughter-in-law who handled not one but three sets of in-laws and their kids since 1993.... they helped. Did they ever think or cared about the fact that Tanushree or Juna could be a cloth designer if given a chance? 

I am a bad girl you know, I dislike her for one reason.... be a very good daughter-in-law no problem, in the journey do not neglect yourself and know that one part of your heart remained empty.... you missed friends' gathering, you failed to experience a beauty called "friendship".... I cannot be this sacrificial, I must have my own life. So, this girl's boy will be going for MBA course next year and she would go back to Kolkata and start living alone most of the time.... she is still beautiful, hence I will not divulge her address. I remember, when our son was born, she visited us with their's.... he was only six and called my husband "mama" instantly without being tutored.... he plays very good cricket at the Hyderabad circuit I think but he has to be a MBA graduate you know... bye bye cricket.... I am pretty sure my brother would have been playing cricket in the Bengal team by now if our parents were not Bengali. Anyway, I have not met Tanushree's family except for her and her mother after that accident / incident at the BBQ Nation restaurant, Sector 5, Kolkata.... I fell sick and one of her family member had to be admitted to the hospital, you remember? I also remember the expression of disapproval in kakima's face watching me wear a three-quartered jeans and okay a shirt. Her brother told, 'I miss the S di I knew".... I immediately said "Diu I am the same, trust me!" So, Tanushree loves wearing salwar suits and saree, never can go against the wish of her dead parents, dead paa-in-law or her surviving family, she is timid.... spare her in social media.... she is not smart and up-to-date like you.

Did I mention Tanushree's son with an intent? Not really I am that bad! We may not meet him ever.... I always feel sad to accept the truth that our son may "not have cousins ever.".... I am very clear to what extent I can maintain relationships..... but if you play with my emotions without a viable reason, I may get into the shell gradually. I have no problem with the man's parents living on this earth, in fact I call his father mostly because he speaks sense, he was not too active in "outraging the modesty of me and my family." He cannot ever be a generous, a rare species of a father-in-law like my father, it is also true that he sweated handling my son for long, I could not entrust the responsibility of our son to my father, if anyone came in between... he would sit to chaat forgetting the toddler's meal time.... yet he was our son's "smiling buro"... the son was visibly disturbed on his death news..... kids can feel love, a good soul, a pure heart.  It is always better to cook and enjoy the recipes I always share for you including this non vegetarian egg meal ALOO DIYE BHAPA DIM ER JHOL,  egg, that is so loved by the man.... a severely underweight fella, who had the strength, ability to sacrifice all his academic dreams and take upon his shoulder immense responsibilities. Accept that, those around who play virtual games behind our back, there is no other way for me but to be very cold and formal with you. He may shout at me, quite a political brain unlike me, I may retaliate and fight it but all who know him must admit that he is an extremely honest, trusted and responsible person, your ignorance does not prove anything. Come, let us eat.

This is not a family recipe, I learnt about it from the various Bengali Food Groups I had been part of earlier, some of the Bengali Bloggers may have this recipe but I have not consulted their recipe in the recent years. The steaming part definitely can be done on stove top, I just do not have a square steel bowl and feared scratches on my cake tins.

INGREDIENTS : 

EGG : 4-6
POTATO : 1BIG
CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 2TSP
CHOPPED CORIANDER : 2TBSP
SLICED ONION : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP
GARLIC PASTE : 1TBSP
GINGER PASTE : 2TBSP
CUMIN POWDER : 1TSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 11/2TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1TSP
CINNAMON POWDER : 1/4TSP
GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 2PINCH

CLOVE POWDER : A PINCH
CHAAT MASALA : 1TSP
CUMIN SEED : 2PINCH
BAY LEAF : 1
SALT : AS REQUIRED
SUGAR : 1TSP [OPTIONAL]
OIL : 4TBSP

PROCEDURE :

I did the entire cooking at low to the minimal heat as and when required.

I am in the habit of washing the egg shells before using, we must. Thereafter we have to break them, add 2pinch of salt and turmeric and then beat well.

Add the chopped and washed chopped green chilli + coriander leaves and beat well.

Add the chaat masala and use a whisk to beat well. Pour into a greased oven proof bowl.

Then I microwaved it at high for 5-6 minutes. I gently placed the egg mixture filled bowl atop the water filled container after being covered with a microwave proof lid.

Once cool, I made pieces with a knife & reserved those in a plate!

                                          

We have sliced the peeled & onion! We have peeled & washed the potato; cubed & marinated with salt & turmeric! We will fry them & take out after heating the oil in the wok!

We would temper the remaining oil with the cumin seeds & bay leaf!

We would now add the sliced onions and fry for 2 minutes. Thereafter, we would add the ginger & garlic pastes, stir cook at low for 2 minutes & add the cumin+coriander+red chilli+turmeric powders, bit of salt!

After stirring it for a pretty 2-3 minutes, we need to add the lightly fried potatoes.

After a minute, we added a coffee mug of water and waited to bring it to a boil.

Once it comes to boil, we would simmer it covered at low heat until the potatoes are well cooked! We would then add the steamed egg pieces!

After 3-4 minutes, we would add the sugar+cinnamon+green cardamom+clove powders; give a stir & take down!

Enjoy with steamed rice, dal, vegetables, some fries & salad!

CHICKEN PRAWN VEGETABLE SOUP

This was the soupy curry that caught our fancy when I prepared it earlier in July. The mother was visiting us and she was only wanting to have light soups the island styles having a bit of noodles or rice in them as part of her carb intake. Just like our mother, chicken in soups is very welcome to me and I prefer doing it at home because I give them a vinegar bath for quite sometime, cook for a little longer period as per our taste bud. So, I thought let me try similar kinds at home using different combinations of ingredients. Yes, the rest in the family liked it and would not mind having such kinds often when served with something like garlic tempered rice. If they get to have good amount of chicken and prawns in one dish, they would tolerate the vegetables. I think what made it seem too favourable to us are the use of lemon grass, khaffir lime leaves and lemon juice in good amount. 

I do not know back from India why I have not done a non vegetarian soup with chicken, prawn, broccoli, mushrooms, watercress like this CHICKEN PRAWN VEGETABLE SOUP for a single day but I must now. Yesterday was the day for my blood sugar check and it reached a staggering height. I really do not wish to be my husband's burden, he is already overburdened with too much of responsibilities.... he is no "Mithunda".... you know na that guy bought a lorry for one relative, and set some other business for the other. Off course, I had to poke my flat nose and give a strong message as and whenever required that my husband is not a billionaire and I am no social worker neither we have a money plant. History cannot repeat and I cannot put my son's future at stake. Mr.T was not born to furnish the entire family branch, excuse me! Nope, I have no regrets speaking harsh, I do not start my day at Starbucks and end at Nando's neither the husband gifts me gold now and then depriving others.The guy is travelling and had sent me the picture below last Monday morning because I get too tensed when he drives to the neighbouring state, he has to provide me details at every stop. Nope, he is not a regular Facebook-er but a black tea aficionado, never with milk and sugar.

I think I have to tell all not to send any kind of sweets at this home, it comes for the men but I cannot resist myself having them. I got the punishment yesterday at the doctor's chamber. Let me prepare the family sweets my own way. Out from the chamber, the demoralised me had to have a pork & egg fried rice with some vegetables. Broccoli is not something we enjoy but we eat it as an accompaniment.  Thereafter, late afternoon I had "samo rice and mushur dal porridge," at night we had the best meal... mumma made chicken with bell pepper ..... our boy is having fencing lessons everyday  and the babai is not there to drive him back late night. My question is.... "when will you study after all these?"

Yes, I am having everything with millets but I have read that it is not good for people with hypothyroidism. You see, I have everything at a food court or food chain / joint.... the man cannot say I deprive others and have my own pleasure and luxury.... people can always have a different notion.

I actually have a series of fish and meat recipes in the kitty to share. I am so unwilling to share a prawn I so want you to prepare, all my earlier fish photos are in a package of five or two I am so unwilling to share at the moment.... never knew five can have such a broader, wide perspective.... amazing thinking ability people possess, look at me! Its always a pleasure to end the day looking at the son's and his father's face who happens to be my ultimate security. For the son or his parents, a soya sauce chilli chicken or a non vegetarian soup CHICKEN PRAWN VEGETABLE SOUP any time of the day is welcome. If only he cared about mumma and think what gives her a high. 

What gives me ultimate pleasure? Well, I keep telling the son, if you have inherited the father's brain matter, do not waste it, do not get me average results.... your mother always has kept your interest, your well being at forth.... remember that. Who listens? The friends' daughters and sons have scored 95%-98% in almost all subjects. I am like "amar jiboney kichu chaina, amar number chai, academic records chai"..... I am my mother's daughter after all who became a diabetic when the brother refused to pursue further education after leaving college.... I am also my maternal grandmother's girl.... whose sons, specially the eldest and the youngest of the three are business magnets, quite known in the Nadia circuit.... even few years back she used to say "ora ayam-e pash korlo na, bank e dhuklona, amar dukkho"..... She is 90 up, she must be happy knowing that her youngest grandson is doing PhD in mathematics who does not want his father's huge property.... need to ask him if he can kindly transfer it to my account.... bad joke... lets cook and eat.

INGREDIENTS :

BONELESS CHICKEN STRIP : 250-300GM
DE SHELLED PRAWN : 200-250GM
MUSHROOM : ANY VARIETY
CHOPPED WATER CRESS : A BUNCH
BROCCOLI FLORET : 1MEDIUM TEA CUP
SLICED ONION : 1SMALL TEA CUP
CRUSHED GINGER & GARLIC : 1TBSP
CHOPPED LEMON GRASS : 1TSP
KAFFIR LIME LEAF : 6-7
LEMON JUICE : 4-5TBSP [I REMEMBER I USED GONDHORAJ]
CRUSHED BLACK PEPPER : 1TSP
VINEGAR : 2TBSP
SOYA SAUCE : 1TBSP
TABASCO : 1-2TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 2TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Wash and drain all the ingredients well. Marinate the chicken strips and dressed prawns with vinegar and very little amount of salt for an hour. Drain the marinade thereafter. Add the broccoli, chicken and prawn, half of the lime leaves to a vessel with boiling water. Add some salt.

You can see we have got everything ready,  crushed ginger garlic to sliced onion. We would add the washed watercress and mushrooms in the last lap of the cooking.

After the chicken, prawn and broccoli has boiled for 5-7 minutes, strain and reserve the stock.

Separating the crushed and cooked garlic-ginger and lime leaves was a tedious job, did I need to?

Heat the oil in a wok and add the lemon grass pieces. Stir and add the sliced onion. Stir until they turn translucent.

Add the freshly made stock. Bring to a boil.

When it has boiled for 3-4 minutes, add the cooked chicken, prawn and broccoli. Add all of the lemon juice  and crushed black pepper.

Add the mushrooms and watercress and cook for 2 minutes.

Then add the rest of the lime leaves and tabasco, adjust the salt if required.

You can have it as a soup or enjoy it with plain rice or garlic tempered rice.

REDUCED SUGAR NARKOL NARU

This homestyle sweet was majorly done with a sugar free alternative but towards the end there was 1-2 tsp of sugar added, else I find it very difficult to bind them into a shape. The coconut variety we get here are a bit of weird, they do not release much oil. Wasn't it the jaggery or sugar and the oily juice of the coconut together made a perfect "naru".... my narus are softer.... Oh! my God! the eldest of my cousin is Narayan with a pet name Naru.... I so played on the lap of my "Nanu."..... The elder of his two sons now got married and are both working.... so you know our age difference. The mother always says that this guy is a wonderful, honest person who helped her tremendously when she could not manage alone a big family which had my father, a toddler me, pishimoni, nanu, the father's youngest brother, the mother herself during our Asansol days. Because pishimoni and the father's youngest brother had no interest in studies, they were sent back to Assam before leaving Asansol, the mother never wished to leave that place.... ask me why? The Loreto and few other convents were located just the other side of the road. Ahh, the poor mother so wanted her daughter to get "convent" educated. Once in Kolkata, she made me sit for admission test two times in Auxilium Convent and one time in Loreto Sealdah.... in all I failed in spelling test and handwriting. That weakness in English Grammar and Spelling still remains a persisting problem in my life. She tried the brother to get in to Calcutta Boys & St. James but could not. The brother was way better in academics than me but was more interested in getting into wrong associations. Taking control over his life and engaging him in sports activities was a religious duty for us, I still believe. You cannot allow a part of your body get rot, right? 

I could not get "conbhent" educated is right, destiny takes it's own course but I tell my mother always "you see mani, boys make very good friends if you associate with the right ones".... we were at the experimental stage of that "Benglish" school with teachers changing every month! I really feel good for those who made it in life which proves they had matter in them. I stand strong with the rest of us back benchers whose mark sheets got severely affected. I still believe academically sound students can survive through any damn school, for us, a good schooling is a necessity, now that school earned some name I hear. Coming to my eldest cousin,  he had a struggled life. Okay, he could make a political career, from a Pannchayat Head like in the Nabadwip area he managed a meagre job in Kolkata through his parent party. Those who try to prove otherwise have to accept that their party too used their power in jobs and elsewhere, everyone in power does.... the question is to what extent I am using my power. I heard that they did not use their political power with regards to admission in the Calcutta University at the post graduation level.... but all the major, top level posts in that University during their reign were occupied by the party loyals. You will not see my dignified friends speaking rational on their pages. It is obvious that whoever is in power would misuse it.... I admit that now the situation is worser because the present party in power does not have any solidified history of politics..... they are just a flock of "gunda-gardi" loving people, even worser days are approaching towards West Bengal. Big Sister herself may not be too bad but her associates are terribly dishonest. I do not know why I am too unwilling to see politically motivated posts coming in.

Social Media was not solely started for us "computerbotamtepabiplabi".... news on achievements are welcome, food & music very much welcome,  expressing our own view on a social or socio-political issue welcome, poorly made viral posts most of which are hoaxes with wrong informations ..... please excuse me, keep in touch with me in WhatsApp or Messenger.... I mostly use social media handles to promote my blog, to flaunt my sarees often, dresses at times, to practice my hobbies.. thats it. Those who try to associate me wrongly, demean my picture posts writing "oh you look so beautiful"..... remember I will hit you back even if it takes decades, I am a scorpio. I am not all about a face, I know how I look, I am not stuck at sweet sixteen that I would want to look like a Pricilla.... that silly me have already wasted my life but Pricilla perhaps cannot make a perfectly shaped REDUCED SUGAR NARKOL NARU like me, just as I cannot nail many a things in life. Had I have a bit of wisdom in my teens.... I definitely would not have wasted my life brooding over wrong things..... your feelings... your emotions are pure and precious.... it should not be wasted wrongly on them who do not value you and instigate their associates to make a mockery of it. My eldest cousin spent each droplet of his blood & sweat on building his home, bringing up his sons. His wife I hear is an extreme case of cleanliness freak who equally sacrificed for the family living in a two-roomed shabby rented home for decades. Now their elder son is married, both sons are in decent jobs and they finally could build a two-storied, airy, no-fancy home in the interiors of Parnashree, Behala. A primitive, Bengali soul still yearns for a landed property, thats when the wise husband says S, do not be silly.... when we go back we would go for an "assisted living".... a newly developed concept coming up in India; I hear it is a bit different from old age homes. I think I read about it in social media.... if you say so I read news and different stories in social media handles .... this Milaap's page does not let me sleep.

You see, fragments of my life keep coming in all of my blog posts. I did not plan them at any point in the past few years, they just flow. Way later, I discovered that people around also do so.... this particular idea was not hired.... else I self associate myself willingly with people who feed my quest for knowledge, class, beauty as defined by me. I wholeheartedly support a Nishi's confident self, a Swati's hidden talent in art & craft finally coming out of the trunk, I have so many times rebuked an Indirra Sengupta silently for not getting her art and craft skills out in public. When she told me after school she goes for high tea with friends and her sons stay with their trusted chauffeur, I got upset thinking is she at all using her potential in art & craft which happens to be her special quality? She herself would understand when her boys would leave her on career's call and she would feel lonely..... her bindas self got her kids admitted to the best school in Kolkata considered till date. 

However, this "conbhent" maniac girl happens to be very much Indian in essence ..... her father used to love all kinds of "pithey-puli-naru".... so they were a regular affair at home and was not occasionally made. The grandparent's home always had big tinned containers full of "moya"stored for days, naru in glass jars.... the mother too made it a practice.... their's was not a "so called romantic liaison" per say.... in fact they hardly had any common interest but I have never seen the mother partying outside leaving the daddy fetch his food by himself. He should have learnt to help our mother I definitely admit. Our mother so struggled with her two kids, so after marriage when I saw people sleeping until 12pm while the husband and kid went to office and college making their own breakfast, I wondered as if it is the 8th wonder of the world and realised I cannot stay in this loud and weird atmosphere. Then, this kinds of extreme lazy stuffs went to people and called me a lazy just because my husband earns more than an average, normal Kolkatan.... the bone of contention was that her younger kid did not have that amount of financial security as me.... they never admit that they have zero amount of financial responsibility ..... a situation quite unlike me or us.... that family do not have any idea what amount of strength it takes to bring up your child almost alone, there were nights I shivered and sweated alone with a feverish child, I visited the doctor, called my father-in-law and my mother thereafter. At times, the mother was away to aid her son in Durgapur and her husband cannot even hold a child properly, just one night the father-in-law stayed with me as the son's fever was not getting back to normal.... early morning he was called back because one "adult" in his home had stomach ache. I have many such stories in the kitty and true ones. 

The homes who heard the other side of the story over cups of evening tea and further fuelled conflict in my home as part of their regular dose of entertainment, I have finally learnt to disregard them in spite of their age.... they do not deserve my respect or "roshogolla" anything.... they have enough money to buy both. Why do my son makes it a point to spend alone time with my brother and why I never instigate him to misbehave with his paternal grandparents?.... The answer is their love towards him but my offspring did witness his mother getting abused by the paternal grandmother; who except her very wrong kind of temperament and attitude towards me; is a good human. Oh Pricilla, my Pricilla.... did you ever carry two bags full of rice in your "pelob-kusum" hands? Did you spend sleepless nights each time when your only "security of life" passed through the Gulf of Aden or did you run from this "bazaar to that bazaar" for a "jyanto magur" for the kid and family? Your kinds may have a soft & supple palm that is a poet's dream, they may work very swift on computer keyboards, but I have tougher palms .... try them. 

My only dream as of now is a good future for the son, not only they but I hate making him public until now..... a fear I need to overcome, when I do not know..... let him grow far from the crowd, mumma continues to prepare this homestyle traditional sweet in a new way REDUCED SUGAR NARKOL NARU for him as she is concerned of her family's health. The things used are evaporated cream, shredded coconut, green cardamom powder, sugar. The evaporated cream worked wonder in reducing the cooking time, I could not let it be sugar free because it is sugar or jaggery which helps to get the content sticky. I could not click stepwise pictures because we are not supposed to take pictures or taste the food we are going to offer the Almighty.

INGREDIENTS : 

SHREDDED COCONUT : 2COFFEE MUGS OR 400-500GM

EVAPORATED CREAMER : 1CAN [385ML]

STEVIA POWDER : 100-150GM

SUGAR : 2TBSP

GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1TSP

PROCEDURE : 

Pour the evaporated creamer and stevia powder in a wok. Bring to boil and keep simmering at low heat for 7-8 minutes. During this constantly we need to stir.

Now add the shredded coconut and constantly keep stirring folding in well. 

When the content gets 80% dry, add the sugar and green cardamom powder. Keep stirring further until it gets sticky.

Take down and let it cool. Shape into small, round balls, "naru" when it is still warm.

AAM SHORSHE KANCHALANKAR CHUTNEY

Finally, I could prepare something similar to "kashundi"..... that Bengali style mustard sauce. This is the sauce the grandmother never made at her home, so I never had seen the process of it in person. I have always heard that it calls for stricter rules and regulations, it spoils if you do not abide by them. Kashundi was not even a regular affair at our home, I mean it was not so that we could not have "shaak bhaja and bhaat without a kashundi and sliced onion alongside." The mother would occasionally buy it and never thought of trying it at her two roomed rented flat where there was constant monitoring by the land lord on what we were doing. I mean that interference could not stop her from preparing a variety of pickles though, its all about preferences. May be that 19 years of humiliation made my father build a decent two storied home in Barrackpore after retirement. Once I reached an age when I could speak on family matters, I told them if you occupy someone's home for near two decades, they would get scared and act weird. I still wonder why the daddy did not shift to a better neighbourhood after his first promotion. Its all about your mental setup, how you want your life to be. Moreover, we are a generation who would never understand the value of a hundred rupees note... how important, what difference it could make in a man's life.... our very middle class parents knew the value of it. The reason why I consider the father-in-law nearer to me in that family..... he definitely is not my father, never can be but we could have been good friends.... that did not happen under family pressure. Even after the son of the house made a triple forward leap and changed the family's financial scenario, his father lived a bare minimal life, till date he is  concerned about the son's huge amount of responsibility. In that family.... only the father-in-law cares about our future.... always he has to enquire about the grandson.... thinking about his future. Worrying about his son.... how he would manage the huge responsibility entrusted on his skeletal structure, he fell more sick.... only he cares for his son and knows that all those printed paper notes are result of sheer hard work and a lot of sweat. That gives him a place in my heart, he need not be my father for that.... I have seen his struggle and sacrifice throughout his life, one who did not change his lifestyle even after the son brought a sea-change in the family set up.... I have always seen unequal treatment in their family and have argued with the husband "why so?" 

I am like my father-in-law, had I have freaked around with friends, carry nothing less than a Gucci or a Guess at least, start my day at the nearest Starbucks..... the husband would not have been able to save enough to take care of his parents.... his family should feel that, admit that, not really do they. What is my bargain with the husband? "See boss, I am too mean, never a social worker.... I want uninterrupted educational aids for my son, his dreams of building his own life his way should in no way be disturbed"..... So, there you are, I have no regrets carrying a 25$ bag, wearing a 20$ dress most of the time, saying a stricter 'no' to a 'Shaukh' or a 'Gahonaz'.... which is quite an exercise given I am a saree and antique silver jewelry lover..... However, I have a profile picture coming up wearing their products, before pujo I hope. You see, if I am not working, I should respect other's labour.... if I am working, I should respect mine..... a spendthrift's home hardly gets to thrive. So, mutton, salmon, giant tiger prawns, good hilsa do not come together at our home.... two at a time, all in turns. Okay, preparing chutney, sauces, condiments at home is not the result of a miserly act or exercise, I really find the homemade stuffs tastier these days.... take the example of this AAM SHORSHE KANCHALANKAR CHUTNEY, I did it better , mine is tastier than any store bought average quality "Kashundi" done hygienically if not wearing "shuddho kapor on a shuddho shorir." I did not name it kashundi because I did not consult any kashundi recipe and just took the liberty to go my way with a similar kind.

I find making jams and sauces at home very relaxing. They rarely occupy much of your time and energy. If you are starting your day looking at your home grown greens, you feel fresh all day.

One was yesterday morning, one today. Yes, I do spend on them, they give me the necessary boost. Without spending too much on them, our mother grows wonders in her terrace. I requested her for a vegetable garden in her space this year..... so long she does not listen to me, the people around keep me alive with their lovely produce. Once I get the necessary energy for the day, preparing a fried rice for their lunch is not a problem because Cristine gets everything ready on the kitchen top. The magic of a fried rice is that you can prepare it with any combination of ingredients..... I either like very authentic, simple Chinese fried rice or the Southern Indian variety of rices. Doing an easy fried rice and a vegetarian condiment with raw mango and black mustard seeds like this AAM SHORSHE KANCHALANKAR CHUTNEY is not a hard job, I mean even if you are a minimalist cook.

Shall we proceed with the easy, no cook recipe?

INGREDIENTS :

RAW MANGO : 1BIG OR STANDARD SIZE [SHREDDED]
BLACK MUSTARD SEED : 50GM
GREEN CHILLI : 10-12 [ALTER AS PER THEIR HEAT LEVEL]
GARLIC CLOVE : 6-7
WHITE VINEGAR : 100-150ML
LEMON JUICE : 2-3TBSP
SUGAR : 2TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
MUSTARD OIL : 5-6TBSP

PROCEDURE : 

We will peel the mango and shred it well. Wash it thereafter. Then we will take the ingredients on the kitchen counter.

Thereafter, we will wash and soak the green chillies in half of the vinegar required. Later I used more of the chillies as per the requirement.

Then, we will wash the black mustard seeds taking on a strainer and soak in water for 1/2 an hour.

After 1/2 an hour, we will take the strained black mustard seeds, green chillies along with the vinegar it was soaked in, the garlic cloves and salt in a blender.

We will pulse at high for a minute, then pen the lid. With help of a spatula, we will get the content together.... add more of vinegar and pulse at high for a minute.

Now let us open lid, add the rest of the vinegar, sugar, turmeric and the shredded raw mango.

Now let us pulse at high for a minute and take down and transfer to a bowl. Then we will add the mustard oil.

Let us add the lemon juice, adjust the salt if required and beat well.

At this stage, I felt it requires more of green chillies. So I added them and blended well.

Before transferring it to a sterilised bottle, I kept it under the sun for the entire day.

Now refrigerate and enjoy for a month.