CURRY AND SPICE: SHEEM ER BICHI O BILATI DHONEPATA DIYE JHINGE

Listen, life is what how you want it to be. Today is a day when I could seek a lot of "uhh-aha" on my respective pages, stirring up your minds with a big, emotional post, the situation is such. I will not do that, I have watched our mother cooking for us with above 100*F fever without a complain. I fight with her on many occasions, cannot be her pet anymore like before which she wants, a sense of guilt however works inside, we could have been a little compassionate towards her, study hard and do something in life.... thats only what she wished for. I do not know if the father sitting in another world feels the same guilt or not, I have never seen him enquiring when she eats her lunch or how she feels on certain days. He definitely was a very good human being but there is something more what your lady expects from you. I see the same at this home, may be so I do not sit and cry comparing my husband's behaviour towards me and that of his father's towards his mother. I just find a repeat of my mother's life in mine. I was never jealous but I still wonder how dedicated a person can be towards his wife.... all day pampering "eei eei watch your steps, no no no you cannot ride a bus, osudh ta khao... the medicines are placed between her lips ever since I got married, I did not see the husband's mother in most of the evenings at home .... her husband never frowned making his own tea everyday back from the office. His wife was busy partying, he with the Communist Manifesto, the son left home at age 20 to support the family. In between all these, it seemed to me that the daughter of that house's academics was severely neglected and affected, else her....." Well, I do not wish to complete the sentence and bring in complications neither compare my husband's treatment of me with that of his father's towards his mother. My overconfident husband thinks what I enjoy is beyond his mother's imagination while I am quick to retaliate "did you ever see me out when you are at home? Did you ever had to serve yourself your own food? Do I repeat serve the same food within a week? I came to this island with our eight year old child and in those lone years I carried 8kgs of rice bags, groceries, bags full of fish and meat, so shut up! I may not have given more importance to social work than her own home like your mother but I am absolutely okay with it." But, both of us take such fights lightly as part of life and totally discourage people to take advantage of all these, some people around do have a habit of creating divide among your own.... we must not allow it.... they can never be your friend.... they divide and rule for their own benefits or may be its just their "bad habit." So, the happy loner who is just not in high spirit today prepared very healthy, sugar free, oil free microwave cups this morning for her family, she had one too.

Happiness is within you and your immediate family adds more to it, do not ever allow any outsider talk about it, it is an ill-mannered tendency to poke into anyone's personal family life. It is not so bad to prepare this vegetarian, vegan Bengali curry with ridge gourd, broad bean and culantro SHEEM ER BICHI O BILATI DHONEPATA DIYE JHINGE if I have cooked the rest of the family's favourite prawn curry, mutton curry, paneer, dal alongside.

The man is still at home today until lunch. He would have Egg-Potato Sandwich and head to office when I want him to take a day rest. A really hardworking, energetic self but only at office. He is back from his tour late last night only to travel again over the weekend, he is not feeling well but never complains! All his complain is against my tiny green patch which he thinks generates "mosha o machi." The best thing about him is he never stops me from doing what I wish.

I wish to see more of flowers on my green patch. They are just not getting enough sunlight. The couple fight at this home knows no bound, it is healthy if only you do not allow any third party to benefit from it. If they do not know where to stop, teach them the hard or bitter way. The man told me last Saturday "dhonepata diye jhinge?"... I said, "toder bari ja hoyna shetai ki weird? Amar to money hoy toder bari khub limited ranna-barir byaparey.... khali thor-bori-khara and vice-versa!" Anyway, he did eat the vegan, gluten free, very soothing on your stomach, a dish with ridge gourd, dried broad beans and culantro leaves SHEEM ER BICHI O BILATI DHONEPATA DIYE JHINGE, the son did not touch because he had his favourites prawn, paneer, mutton, I love this kind of light curries vegetarian or with my favourite kind of fish variety.

INGREDIENTS :

DRIED BROAD BEAN : 2TBSP

RIDGE GOURD : 1BIG OR 2-3 SMALLER SIZED

CULANTRO / BILATI DHONEPATA / VIETNAMESE SAWTOOTH CORIANDER / THAI PARSLEY : 4-5 LEAVES

FRESH CORIANDER : A SPRIG [OPTIONAL]

NIGELLA SEED / KALONJI / KALOJEEREY : 1/4TSP

DRY RED CHILLI : 1

RED CHILLI POWDER : 1/2TSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 2TBSP [I USE MUSTARD OIL]

PROCEDURE :

It is an easy recipe but the raw, dried broad beans requires few steps to get ready to be used in cooking.

My family used to roast it in sand in bulk and store for a year. I got a packet, roasted 2tbsp of them.

I transferred them to a bowl. Then I used a tong to break the shell of each and discard them. Cristine did it for me.

Now wash and soak them in hot water for at least 2 hours, we will not need to boil them then as my family veterans used to do.

Now peel off the skin of the ridge gourd and discard the two ends. Cut half and then into cubes.

Wash well and marinate with turmeric + red chilli powders + salt. Keep aside covered for 10 -15 minutes.

Chop and wash the culantro and coriander leaves and take them in a blender. Blend to a paste adding a little of water.

Heat oil in a wok and temper it with the halved dried chillies and the nigella seeds.

Discard all the water from the broad bean seeds and add to the wok. Stir for 1/2 a minute.

Add the marinated ridge gourds now and fold in well.

Cover cook at the lowest heat for 4-5 minutes. A lot of water would release.

Add the culantro leaves + coriander leaves paste to the curry. Fold in well and cover cook for not more than a minute or so.

We are done, we do not require to add any amount of extra water.