I am starting late this morning, I discovered dust inside remote holes backside of stand fans, caught hold of the poor girl, told her to clean up asap! This girl never argues; not really is a lazy bun... just that her cleaning services doesn't match my expectations. I know to maintain the standard, I have to work, instructions alone ain't fruitful. Why I have become such lazy I do not know. Perhaps for this reason husband may be staying in hotel on his this visit to Kolkata. He is on work in Delhi, thereafter he is to visit his parents. We both love our privacy end of the day, he is unwilling to stay at his parent's home during night time. How can he? There are two sickly elderlies, four helps in a 750sq.ft. apartment, their son smokes. I think on his last visit, I monitored him too much, so he is unwilling to stay in his own home. I told him let me or mani ask Zahida to come for cleaning.
This girl Zahida does too dirty work unless I or the mother monitor.... I had been reported while Zahida's dada was sleeping on his couch, she did "fakibazi" as much as possible. Her dada told me on return that she did everything he asked her to, but I am pretty sure had I have taken next flight after his return to island last time, I would have been into tears looking at condition of my home. Unless our mother goes after Diwali, does some job along with Zahida, it would not look decent. The husband perhaps got fed up with my enquiries last month "Bidisha sofa-bichana jherey tarpor dhekechey to?" "ashar agey bathroom duto khokon ke diye porishkar koriye ashtey partey" ... So this time he told me "ami thakboi na tomar bari, hotel e thakbo"... I got softer, pleaded "aha thakbena keno, ami ki tai bolechi... Zahida dusting-cleaning ta thikmoto korlo kina dekhlei hoy".... I don't know why he doesn't wish to spend night time with his parents... Though he says he needs a relaxing night sleep after a long day, I may ask the brother & his wife or his sister to appoint a "Feluda or Mitin Mashi" to keep watch on him.
Okay okay lah, its my fault that I am too much of a cleanliness freak but yes, age is taking over, moreover in a smaller flat you cannot get exactly that level of clean corners as you wish. However, no one would remember how sparkling white my commode looked because the rest of girls would reach moon soon. Be them, not me or my mother. I told her, keep her telling "Mani tumi bhul korecho, amio.... eei prithibitey amra nishproyojoniyo"....
How this short statured lady ran from this door to that door to get her kids admitted to Loreto, Auxilium, St. James or Calcutta Boys without any help or botheration from her "bindas" husband that I remember. Her kids thanklessly did not fulfil her dreams but it is okay... she may not have met a weird son-in-law had I not being in that school I went, neither would you get spiced up stories laced with half truth from this lady today, a series of.
You see, the source of a story is always in a skeletal form, a story teller adds flesh and blood to it... gives it life.... do not ask me why I love fictions.... its obvious for me. Okay, I do bond with my "rosh kosh heen mejaji" husband over few things, of which ilish / hilsa is one. If I have started the talk with family today, let us share a recipe with a family favourite fish ilish / hilsa.
This cooking of hilsa with okra, pointed gourd, pumpkin in thin coconut milk BHINDI KUMRO POTOL DIYE NARKOL ILISH is definitely not a common Bengali way of doing it. I just wished to get variation in curry base, we may have it once or twice a year, love would always be a "kalojeerey kanchalanka diye ilish... begun diley aro bhalo, shorshe bata diye paturi ba bhapa"...
I continue to be what I was, yesterday had late lunch.... once Cristine was back from her Sunday outdoor tour, I told her let P and I not have fish, dal and rice for dinner. The son had "ruti butter chini roll" and I had "ruti-butter" with fine Darjeeling around 10:30 pm. I was hungry this morning, had "muri badam makha" with fine Darjeeling tea again. Now shall have a cup of chamomile, tea infusions help you if you are having headaches, mild nausea.
Yesterday around 2pm, I asked son to get food from the mall opposite. He usually gets happy when mumma allows him outside food, somedays he takes an MRT to somewhere, comes home late. It was past 3:45pm, I called him, told mumma is hungry, she wants to go to the mall, have Bento Meal. He came back, I went out. No point asking who he was with.... a boy, a girl or just alone like his mother. Oh! I love the 5.50$ Bento Meal with chicken terriyaki & fish fry. Anyway, because son was served store bought "ruti" yesterday night, I may be doing some "porota", serve him with the "bandhakopir ghonto" once he is back from school, if I go for lone trip to China Town which I may if I feel better after sipping chamomile .... Cristine didi would do "porotas"...
I enjoy my trips to China Town, have not visited the Buddhist Temple nearby for ages. A good thing about it is that it allows a woman all 30-31 days of the month, gives "noodles proshad".... they have a beautiful terrace where we can sit, get lost in thoughts, I love whoever lets me be. I feel I need to go out wandering alone today, desperately willing, before that I must share with you this non vegetarian hilsa fish curry with light coconut milk, pumpkin, okra and pointed gourd BHINDI KUMRO POTOL DIYE NARKOL ILISH. We do have a millennial at home who to my surprise enjoys fish eggs, of hilsa specially but does not eat raisin.... it boils down to same point ... that it is a millennial. You can use Chinese Gizzard Shad for this curry or with any fish but we would stick to good quality hilsa to show our love always! Remember, a fish with egg compromises with taste but for us fish egg is a bonus.
INGREDIENTS :
HILSA / ILISH : 7-8 PIECES [IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO BUY ABOVE A KILO OF WEIGHT]
POINTED GOURD : 3-4
OKRA : 6-7
PUMPKIN : 1/4 OF A STANDARD SIZED
THIN COCONUT MILK : 1COFFEE MUG
GINGER PASTE : 1TBSP
GREEN CHILLI PASTE : 2TBSP
CUMIN POWDER : 1TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 11/2TSP
NIGELLA SEED / KALONJI : 1/4TSP
DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 4-5TBSP [I USE MUSTARD] [IF THE FISH IS OF GOOD QUALITY, IT REALISES OIL WHILE FRYING]
PROCEDURE :
We would always use the pieces from mid section of hilsa for a curry. "gada o koler tukro".. We would wash them well but not too many times... yes it's blood adds to taste of curry. But discard the blood laden water you see in the bowl.
Bengalis do not usually add head and tail ends of a hilsa to curries. We add them to mixed vegetables medleys or eat deep fried.
Rub little salt, turmeric to hilsa pieces, keep aside for 5-6 minutes.
Cut two ends of pointed gourds, peel off skin keeping a gap, cut half. Wash, rub with little salt, turmeric.
Peel off pumpkin, discard inner layer. Cut into cubes, wash, rub with salt, turmeric. Wash, cut stem end of okras, rub with little salt.
Heat oil in wok, lightly fry pointed gourds, take out. Repeat same with the pumpkin cubes, take out.
In remaining oil, lightly fry fish pieces. Take out. Meanwhile we have prepared a paste with ginger, green chilli paste, turmeric + cumin powders, salt as required adding a little water.
Temper remaining oil with nigella seeds, dry red chillies. Add spice paste, stir fry at low heat for 1& 1/2-2 minutes. Add a coffee mug of water, stir, bring it to boil.
Add salt marinated okra, lightly fried pointed gourds.
Cover cook at low heat for 2 minutes. Remove cover, add lightly fried fish pieces, pumpkin cubes. Cover cook at minimal heat for a minute or 2.
Remove cover, add coconut milk, simmer at low heat, covered for 2-3 minutes. We are done!
We enjoyed Hilsa fish with vegetables curry with steamed rice, garlic tempered okra, mango dal.
No comments :
Post a Comment