WE LOVE BREADS; PUFFED, FLAT, HANDMADE, BAKED!
For long we have developed this fondness! I look back to the "distant abyss of time", see that every morning it was either ruti or luchi or porota in making for our breakfast; Sunday dinners were either chicken or mutton curry with ruti meals! I cannot recreate that particular chicken curry now-a-days; do not get why the chicken variety of this island is different from that in Kolkata, why I do not find it tasty enough here! In Kolkata, I never used cumin, coriander powders while cooking Bengali style chicken curry! Same with mutton; Kolkata Mutton is gotten from a different breed of goat! Many things are getting lost with time or they may continue to live in some hearts like mine!Come December-January; I literally crave for "porota o khejur gur" every morning; leave alone the memory of drinking the "khejurer rosh" during the winter vacations spent in the grandparents home or the "pithe-puli" making sessions there!Every pithe had its own time of making & eating!If one was made in the morning, the other was to be done in the evening. Mainly, the milk based pithes / sweet meats were made in the evening in our family! On such days, we hardly had rice or chapati; all day we had a variety of pithe! Bengalis do not eat healthy food. We are a food loving community! Recently, some are turning towards healthy eating does not take away the primary essence of our community! We eat wrong, suffer from acidity & wind all our life; then die obese but happy!
I AM COOKING A LOT; TODAY TOO I DID!
Whenever I get an idea or time, I cook something. Why not? My boy is here, yet many things would be left out to cook & feed him, he will leave! Wish I could have control over time, hold him back for sometime more! T hardly understands my requirements. I do not trouble anyone, they take me for granted! I keep retreating and coil up within my shell. I do not know how to get my work done! Cooking, Eating are my therapy! This morning, I cooked a stovetop raisin bread; everything was fine but I did not get that desired golden-brown top. Thereafter, I did a healthy, sugar-free snack or sweet, whatever you may call it!
I served late the son's breakfast, T went to the office early today without lunch box! Cristine was busy cleaning the rooms. Mumma was stationed in her bedroom because the son was watching movie closing all doors, windows. Mumma feels suffocated he knows!
He would go back in few days, home would feel empty again. I look away from such thoughts, concentrated on the noodle bowl for lunch! Although I instruct Cristine when I want Bengali Chow Chow Noodles, she cannot get it, she ends up adding this & that! She is good at the South East Asian way of cooking noodles!
Back from my swim, I cannot have soup with a bread slice! Do my readers like that storage box? Yesterday, while shopping fish, vegetables for our guests tomorrow, I saw this selling at 39:90$! I offered 35$, the gentleman agreed. His fair and fat self danced standing on it to assure me, I have doubt about it's longevity! I bought it for it's look. I had to call Cristine to the marketplace to carry it, the trolly was already full!
I find ways to stay cheerful! My readers may think I am a jolly, fun character;I am not! I am melancholy's favourite child. One who finds pleasure in ghazals, sitting behind closed doors cannot be funny; but I have a little of it at a remote corner of my being!
WHAT IS THIS AVOCADO & CHEESE STUFFED POROTA?
That Avocado is a happening thing, that it is trending I learnt late! Two elderly gentlemen would bring few fruits on some evenings outside of the mall in the pre-pandemic days. It was not a permanent shop! They sold them cheap. I used to buy avocado from them rarely. I do not see them anymore. I have a general curiosity about people; their lives, their surroundings. I cannot ignore, bypass and move ahead! I must stop by a wounded or old person, if there is an accident case at the roadside! I am reclusive otherwise, a fear monger; so much so that people at home think I transpire negativity & fear to others!
So, I retreat;
I retreat back to a quieter self; as quiet as the stream on a gloomy night!
They told, I am dull; as boring as a blinking tube light, about to die!
My pimples caused sore to their eyes; and I transpired gloom; so does a ghazal they think!
So I retreat; and retreat do I to my own comfort zone; to a world I dwell alone!
I learn to stay aloof; prefer not to say their lack of depth irritates!
Their pleasure at someone's hurt & defeat is painstaking!
So, I retreat & I must; they continue to laugh & make fun at!
Pleasure is to experiment with food ingredients.That took me to combining avocado & cheese, stuff it in a porota / flat bread. After been done with them, I realised this AVOCADO & CHEESE STUFFED POROTA is not gluten-free, vegan; but it is vegetarian food! Avocado is good for me if I can add chillies, coriander, mint & lemon juice to it! But the combo of cheese & avocado is a no to me! I had a Pran's readymade porota with the avocado dip & sriracha mayo on that night!
REFINED FLOUR : 1 COFFEE MUG
WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR : 1/2 COFFEE MUG
OIL : 2 TBSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
WARM WATER : AS REQUIRED
INGREDIENTS FOR THE FINISHED FOOD :
THE DOUGH
AVOCADO : 2-3
SHREDDED CHEESE : 3-4 TBSP
CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1/2 TSP
CHOPPED ONION : 1 TBSP
LEMON JUICE : 1 TBSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 1 TSP PER POROTA / FLATBREAD
PROCEDURE :
For the dough, take together both flours, a little of salt, 2tbsp oil, rub for 2-3 minutes.
Prepare a dough adding little warm water at a time! Cover it for half an hour.
Scoop out the flesh of the avocados after washing each, in a bowl. Season with salt, lemon juice, chopped onion and green chillies, shredded cheese!
Remove the cover of the dough bowl; add 1tbsp of oil to the dough and knead it for 2-3 minutes!
Tear off portions, smoothen between the palms!
I rolled out a round porota; placed some avocado mix & flipped over, closed tight the ends.
Heat a pan on the gas top, roast both sides of the porota well, add the oil. Cook all the sides well!
Serve and have them hot, fresh with a choice of sauce, or chutney or achar!
Wow amazing recipe
ReplyDeleteWe make homemade breads (in Turkish: bazlama, köy ekmeģi, yufka etc.) alot. But now a days, garlic bread, banana bread, olive oil bread, cheese bread etc are so popular here. I havent tried anyone of them so far. This bread looks so different. Especially its combination (avocado and cheese) so new for me. I think i should try different recipes.
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