KAJU KISHMISH BATA DIYE DAL ER BORA ALOO METHI

Ahh! Last two days had been busy, I was going places. In fact, last two weeks I was on roads. Today, I think I can restart swimming sessions I enjoy. For some reasons, I was unable to go on with my habit of doing what I wish when, I can go back to that status now. I am feeling relaxed. I cannot do high intensity workouts, I simply cannot force myself with something I don't enjoy, neither can do away with my carb intakes..... I have a feeling regular swimming helped toning my mid section a bit. I have put on in last two weeks, an average of 7km of walk does not really help in losing weight given my diet pattern. I have variety of breads for breakfast, butter toasts, cheese buns, custard buns with tea, coffee, frequency has to lessen. However, experimenting with tasty vegetarian curries like this KAJU KISHMISH BATA DIYE DAL ER BORA ALOO METHI, serving it with handmade luchi / porota / ruti is pleasure. 

In this curry, I have used some home grown methi, masoor dal pakora / fritters, boiled potato+cashew nut+raisin pastes+ few other ingredients. We had our dinner with it, mutton, puffed bread. None of my men did keep away this vegetarian curry and had their luchi only with mutton means it's acceptable. It was packed with paratha, taken for Miss.W. beside "moton, chichinge boti, radhuni phoron tomato diye mushurir dal, kancha kola aloo diye katlar jhol, dimer kosha, bhaat." Who told you only Southern India and Eastern India love rice? Miss.W is still not prepared to visit our home, there goes my note to Bossy, "boss, we all have to take her out together one day, else she will not." I am a girl, I can understand where the problem is. She is like one Deepro Roy!

You have known by now I have habit of doing "gourchandrika." What people can express in two sentences, I may require a paragraph for same. Actually, I do not wish to do away with my literary exercises. Most of you are in job or doing a course, attend seminars, there's brain exercise done. If I do not keep myself engaged a bit then I would end up watching those stupid soaps all day. My husband writes an essay sitting in office once every 15 days, he told me once else he would forget writing English. A college mate Nishi teaches English in college, practices regular. People have many qualities, I have none. 

I stay in one of world's best nations but that college in Bagula keeps haunting me. If you fail to act wise while taking major decisions in life, you are gone. I remember when I joined our school in class 6, it had a number of good teachers who were paid peanuts, quite a few of them left it for better career. I specially remember those who loved this new comer girl..... the drawing teacher Amit Sir who was an alumnus of Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan never got fed up with my poor drawing skills, then the geography teacher who became a lecturer of Balurghat Girl's College Rita Roy Choudhury Miss, teachers should be like them. They both were much in love with each other that even this 12 year old girl could see, feel. Then after few years, when in college may be in the 12th standard, we saw Rita Miss in Kolkata Book Fair married to someone else. T was with me, he saw and was not bothered, and I? 

It felt sad, I could not go up to her, ask why miss? What went wrong? Many times husband told me these are part of life, quite natural..... people meet, they depart, we are not same in all stages of life. I remain myself, still eager to know what actually happened between them. I feel a literary circle would keep me engaged. The utopia I believe in could be expressed in print. For that I had to start young, concentrate, practice.... not everyone is born Tagore. I told husband, attending parties, get-togethers alone cannot be my life. By  end of 2020, I have to find out ways to happiness, that would keep me fruitfully engaged. Actually, I am too whimsical. Today morning, I felt I should have chia, yogurt, papaya to start off the day, so I did!

I would go for a Ban Mian meal for lunch, the Vietnamese girl at the back of our condo makes it great, will have ilish-shorshe, millet for dinner besides dal, veggies. Food is important, I like experimenting with ingredients. This vegan, gluten-free curry KAJU KISHMISH BATA DIYE DAL ER BORA ALOO METHI is an experimental vegetarian. I clicked the steps so you can do it without problem, just do one thing.... chop methi sprigs after cleaning for more of flavour.

INGREDIENTS : 

FRESH METHI / FENUGREEK LEAF : 2HANDFUL

POTATO : 2MEDIUM SIZED OR 1BIG

MASOOR DAL / RED LENTIL : 1SMALL TEA CUP

ONION : 1MEDIUM

TOMATO : 1MEDIUM

GREEN CHILLI : 2

CASHEWNUT : 7-8

RAISIN : 8-10

CUMIN SEED : 1/4TSP

GREEN CARDAMOM : 3-4

CINNAMON STICK : 4-5 OF 2INCH LENGTH

CLOVE : 3-4

BAYLEAF : 1-2

GARAM MASALA POWDER : 1TSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4TSP + 1/4TSP

RED CHILLI POWDER : 2TSP

SUGAR : 1/2TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 5-6 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Wash, soak red lentil for an hour. You can use dal of your choice. The decision to prepare this curry was impromptu, red lentil boils quickest.

Wash potatoes, prick all over with fork. Take it on plate, microwave at high for 2 minutes. Leave to cool.

Those are my home grown fenugreek greens. We have discarded root ends and dried leaves, washed them under running water, left to drain. Chop them further for a better flavour.

Peel, cube potatoes, rub turmeric, salt. Heat oil in wok, fry them until light brown.

Blend dal / soaked lentil to a paste discarding water. Thereafter add to it turmeric, salt, sugar, washed & chopped green chillies. Mix well.

Fry pakoras lightly. We are not eating them as fritters but adding them to curry, remember this. they have to soak in curry.

Prepare paste with peeled, washed, chopped onion, washed, chopped tomato, cashew nuts, raisins, melon seeds / charmagaz!

Heat remaining oil in wok. Temper with bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, green cardamom, cloves, cumin seeds.

Add spice paste, rest of remaining turmeric, red chilli powder, salt to it. Stir at low heat for 2 minutes.

Now add methi / fenugreek greens. Later I felt I should have chopped them further.

Fold in well, stir fry at low heat for a minute. Add lemon juice.

Add 1&1/2 coffee mug of water, bring to boil.

Add fried potato cubes, dal pakoras; let simmer at low heat for 4-5 minutes. Add garam masala powder.

Let it simmer for 4-5 minutes at minimal heat before adding sugar! Let simmer for another minute, take down!

Serve and have it fresh, hot with handmade bread or rice varieties. Get salad, pickle alongside.