TIL NARKOL BATA DIYE DIM

You remember I cooked this from an idea that popped on my mind some two months back and took to a neighbourhood home when invited for a tea party? I remember I had prepared some lemon rice to pair with it. Back from  the adda session, I hurriedly did a photo session as the men were getting late for their dinner. Later when I took a look at the photographs, I felt something is wrong with the platter; the main dish of eggs cooked in white sesame & coconut paste TIL NARKOL BATA DIYE DIM got sidelined. We are heavily depending on eggs at this time of the lockdown as I cannot have the sea fish varieties we get locally or too much of chicken or that smelly sheep meat or fat free lamb. Really, I have grown fondness for egg curries or omelette. I always liked an omelette but find it hard to digest. Egg curries I do not find difficult to digest. Its more than fifteen days now I did not visit a wet market, tomorrow I must. I am craving for some fresh vegetables and let me see if I can get some "bhola maach ba fresh lotey", "aar je parchina." Where was I? Okay, I deleted those photos, cooked again the same curry with roasted white sesame seeds, shredded coconut, green chillies, garlic, onion and clicked fresh. We had it with steamed rice.

In the home front, we are having a good family life as we have spending power. I was telling the senior if we manage to live for more years together, we may have a good retired life given I have at least 2-3 house helps. I am not my mother's kind who enjoys washing and cleaning all day; I love to relax with food or a book, cook and go for walks or swim. We really enjoy watching together movies and web series and he wakes up early too which is a big relief. Once back in Kolkata, I will again be what I was. One part timer will enter by 8am to wash the utensils, wipe the kitchen and sweep the entire flat. Before that, I have already cleaned all the beds. Then I will change over to fresh clothes and wake up my Gods' family. Then we will have something with tea. Thereafter, I will do some cooking and will not entertain any phone calls. The second help will come now to do the dusting, washing the utensils again, spring clean the gas stove, chimney, mop the entire home with dettol floor cleaner. I will clean the toilets, take shower, do the afternoon prayer and have our lunch. I will lie down with a book and the senior will still be lying in front of the television. Around 6pm, the morning help should come to wash the rest of the utensils and mop the entire space again before I do the evening prayer. Some days, I will visit City Centre 2 in the lazy afternoons, we also have got a West Side in the neighbourhood, so unlikely we will be visiting Manisquare often. The senior wants to buy & live in Bengal Unitec or Rose Dale kind of Condos whilst I told him I will not go to that Action Area 3 which is too far from mainstream Kolkata. In case we do not make it together, I still continue with a disciplined life alone, I fear the man will not have any fixed time to eat or sleep if alone. However, I cannot have my dream home post retirement, the man will not fund any furnitures bought from handicrafts stores, he thinks those are high maintenance and not suitable for elderly people. I hate those stupid furniture shops in Kolkata that houses imported stuffs. Had he given me the freedom, I would have furnished our final home at less price buying everything from Dakshinapan & Uttarapan. This guy and the offspring are so impossible but they enjoy what I cook including this TIL NARKOL BATA DIYE DIM. 

Neither of my men will ever peep into my area and ask how much of oil or spices I have spent in a fortnight, why I am visiting Uttarapan so often, why I bought two more bed spread from Skipper or Avanti when I already have a few at home. Post marriage whilst he was sailing, he transferred to me the power of Attorney; I had access to all of his accounts, yet he never can say I made any wrong expenditure taking advantage of my power, never. He too is not interested in what I am gifting whom or asks why? I want the son to exactly follow this. He has the trust that I will never compete with others in the game of show off, he knows how I hate kitty parties, he knows I will always enquire about the prices from My d-sign Sarees with Aesthetics or Shaukh or Gahonaz before buying any damn thing. He knows I will not compete with a lady who wears a 50,000 worth saree and destroy his peace, he had seen how his wife had built a 25,000 Sing $ worth savings within two years drawing a mere 1400 Sing$ as salary which is less than that of a labourer. Could I keep the job, I would have bought a two roomed flat at Anupama just beside VIP Haldiram and would have shifted the not at all friends in-laws there. It is a big housing society with a market which has everything. I so dislike the Kaikhali area they stay, back side of the airport is not my cuppa. I thank my parents for the humble self. Day before yesterday, the man told me with what amount my brother will be retiring with, I felt like dancing in the rain. So unfortunate, they do not have a heir. I am the last one to be greedy, I will ask them to enjoy life, travel  often and do charity later in life whoever they can trust. For the mother, they are forced to stay in Barrackpore, she thinks she cannot live in a flat for long and she wants easy journey to her "baap er bari." I am talking so irrelevant, I have a platter to cook for lunch which if successful is to be shared next Monday. 

INGREDIENTS :

EGG : 6-8
WHITE SESAME SEED : 1TBSP
SHREDDED COCONUT : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP
CRUSHED GARLIC : 11/2TSP
SLICED ONION : 1 SMALL TEA CUP
DRY RED CHILLI : 1 HALVED
GREEN CHILLI : 3-4
BAY LEAF : 1
NIGELLA SEED : 1/4 TSP
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2 TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
SUGAR : 1/2 TSP
OIL : 4 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Wash each egg gently and take in a heavy bottomed vessel or sauce pan. Add water at room temperature gently. Add some salt which eases the process of taking off the shell.

Put them for boil and boil at medium heat for 10-12 minutes. Switch off the gas.

Let it cool completely before you start de-shelling them. Once de-shelled, rub some salt & turmeric on the boiled eggs.

Meanwhile, dry roast the white sesame until light brown and prepare a paste of it along with the shredded coconut and the green chillies. Sprinkle little water if required.

We have washed and  crushed 4-5 garlic cloves and peeled, washed & sliced one big onion. 

We will heat the oil now and lightly fry the marinated eggs.

We will take them out and temper the same oil with a bay leaf, halved dry red chilli and nigella seeds.

We will add the crushed garlic and fry till light brown. We will add the sliced onion and fry till brown.

We will add the spice paste now; to it the rest of the turmeric and salt. We will stir the paste for a minute and add a coffee mug of water. 

We will let it boil at low heat for 2-3 minutes and add the boiled & fried eggs. We will let it simmer at minimal heat covered for 5-6 minutes.

We will open the cover, add the sugar and let boil further for half a minute.

We are done. We had it with rice, it can be had with "ruti ba porota."