CURRY AND SPICE: RAGI MANGO STOVE TOP CAKE

AT TIMES, FORCE MECHANISM WORKS; IN THIS CASE, IT IS MY BAKE MODE THAT FAILED!

Its pretty two -three months now that my convection mode microwave went wrong and I have learnt preparing stove-top cakes! The baking section went haywire, whilst the microwave, grill & the microwave+grill cooking segments are working fine! In this scenario, what am I to do, I am yet to decide. Had the entire thing spoilt, buying a new one would have been a matter of few hours. Because it is still in a working condition, I am finding it difficult to discard it. We are Indians, more so I am a primitive Bengali indoctrinated heavily by the family ways! My parental home's loft has things from pre-historic age, they use furnitures forty to forty five years old. I would strongly oppose if they say they cannot afford a better lifestyle. When our father first took me to see our Barrackpore home after it's completion; I was mesmerised at the sight of a newly painted, spacious, double-storied building! It was a natural feeling for those who were living in a two roomed rented space for nineteen years. Only if it was built in the city! I offered him to decorate the new home accordingly without going beyond our middle class limit. He did not agree; and those old furnitures kept getting repaired and used till date. They are not even antique masterpieces you need to preserve! In the matter of misery, the couple did click very well. Not really misery, we got what was required; the couple actually refused to upgrade themselves; else I find no reason why the father refused to buy a plot of land in Salt Lake or those flats opposite P.C. Chandra and VIP Sweets in Ultadanga at an affordable price; instead found heaven in a place so far from the amenities found in Kolkata. These days, it feels if the father wished to upgrade, the mother would have given in. Did not she want her kids to shine in life; particularly in academics? She wished to whisk away her kids from the shadow of a family that she felt is reluctant to upgrade itself! It is her, who took me to SIMPLE BAKES. It is the father and brother who lovingly ate them. In the recent years; the man, son, Cristine had eaten the worst of my bakes, without a noise!

MAKING A CAKE OR CUSTARD; IS A LEISURE TIME PLEASURE!

You see, I am not a certified baker, not even a sincere one. But, I enjoy doing it, I still visualise my happiness when the mother got me a round oven only meant for basic cakes & cookies. I do not know who inspired her to do so; I guess, it were the cookery shows she used to watch! She never ever allowed me to experiment in her kitchen; such calculative and stern homemaker she had been! If on some days, I tried and spoilt the food, the father would save me from her rage. Bhai was away from such petty things! His experiments were unique; inserting a jujube seed inside his nose or trying the stunts of Spider Man or beating me! The son too used to beat me until last year. Now, if I ask him if he would fight with mumma when we meet next; there is no answer from the other end. With the increase in community cases here and extreme upsurge in India; I feel upset, worried; when to go to India; when we can meet the son is a question mark now. I simply dislike this bondage, we are not the kinds to refute rules either! In such a scenario, I immensely enjoy cooking this and that. The only regret is my inability to feed my child; who ate silently almost everything I cooked; it was fun for mumma to watch his weird self around. He can get us some relief video chatting often, send us a lot of pictures; he would not! Sundays are lonelier with Cristine's off day! What we do is watch the television, try to get the son talking, sleep and eat one meal from outside. Yesterday, I did get for the man a Mala Spiced Salmon & Rice bowl from Umisushi and I had Noodles, Eggplants, Mixed Veg from a Malaysian joint, AllGood Gourmet, I think!

Anyway, a couple of our own do not have any, one couple friend fought the virus recently knowing there is no one after them. What I say is each life is precious, live it! Then, if you have one, he or she or them become your prime; your worries concerning them multiplies. As of me, to panic is my habit! One cannot say I did not not care for him or her; I very much do! Not only for the son at far, the heart does beat for India; its difficult to take what the News Channels are showing! When my pulse rate increases, I take to "extra cooking", a dessert or a sandesh or cake! It is a pleasure always!

WHAT IS THIS RAGI MANGO STOVE TOP CAKE?

All these years, quite a few people asked me to share STOVE TOP CAKE RECIPES! I listened, the dilli-dallied self was not taking any initiative. Now that the bake mode of the oven is gone and you cannot think of repairing something at a decent price in one of the world's most expensive island; you will try your hands to prepare a cake on the gas top! I am telling you, its totally worth it, not at any point I felt tired! Actually, you have to enjoy what you are doing! Reading text books was not what I enjoyed. Today, it feels I should have forced myself a bit; bhai should have listened to all of us for the sake of his mother. I can feel the mother when she says she did very less for her own mother, given it is for her that our mother could complete graduation, do BEd thereafter. Mani was not a brilliant student but studious, she loves academics! I can feel the pain when she says she wanted to study further but the family situation did not permit. What I realise today is I had to be little sincere with life, build a career! I would not be looking for earning small time money today, that also is tough in this tiny island! A frustrated soul is a pitied one, avoid that and cook with me this GLUTEN-FREE; VEGAN CAKE! Done with RAGI FLOUR, RIPE MANGO PULP, BROWN SUGAR, OIL; this RAGI MANGO STOVE TOP CAKE is a project to remember! You need few bites to get used to it because refined flour cakes or snacks are a different high altogether; there is no equal match but health is precious!