I do that if ain't I am happy with the outcome of the first. This morning I cooked it again and wanted to present the platter as this. Coming Saturday there is a birthday celebration back home and certain things need not be talked about in public. There early morning, I cooked those chapatis to do the photo feature, I am yet to have what was supposed to be my lunch! After the cooking and photo feature, there comes arranging and editing the pictures! Usually, we would eat chapati "garmagaram" fresh from the pan, unfortunately I am unable to eat the breakfast! The man is travelling since last night; this time on a leisure trip! You can guess where to! Around 1:10pm, I went for a walk and did the mistake of buying a peanut butter stuffed waffle, located across the road of our back gate! I am approaching 52, I felt heavy on the stomach, kept walking while eating! I wish to have the roti meal around 5-6 pm with tea or coffee, my dinner should be light! After few months I had a waffle, yet I got scared! I get scared only after having a high caloric thing! This does not help!
Too strict a diet regime would lead me to depression, what to do all day? This week there was no food order to deliver! I cannot think of going for walks and not eat something! Hence, my broad structure looks broader; it takes a lot of sweat and self control to get slimmer during the process of menopause; if one is a born obese!
I SAT WITH MY LUNCH DURING THE TEA TIME!
I enjoy such meals, homemade! Today it felt someone middle-aged should have waffle once every three months!
Two chapatis, laal shaak, dhonepata bata, kali dal meal that was. I can have roti-prata with anything! I remember, I was too fond of fish since childhood & some days, I would have "ruti-mach er jhol" for dinner, even "dudh-ruti" or "dudh bhaat" & "mach er jhol" on the side. The idea was not to give up my share of fish at any cost! There was a lot of happiness in a two roomed rented flat, there is happiness in the present day rented flat too! It is my worries, tension with regards to the safety & security of my own and our dearest son that kills me. Even if my brother drives to somewhere for an overnight stay, I get tension until he is back to the Barrackpore home. Our mother is strong mentally given the way she handled our family, her physical fitness is exemplary too! I come no where near! Even with a Cristine at home, I feel lonely, worrisome; not unhappy I believe!
WHAT IS THIS MOTOR DAL ER BORA PAPOR ALOOR DALNA!
I wanted a Bengali share today. Okay, I could have shared a cake or a soup, even a sweet bun, a bhature and aloo matar combo! Tandoori Roti would have been best but I am not good at it, also a tandoori roti gets hard quick! Instead, I decided on this vegan, gluten-free Bengali Curry; MOTOR DAL BORA PAPOR ALOOR DALNA! It is not totally a family recipe, but motor dal er borer jhol / lentil fritters curry is! I learned about this particular recipe from Gargi / Dola, she is the wife of T's friend, elder daughter of my father-in-law's childhood friend; our family friend! Last month she cooked this at a get-together; she says this is the family recipe from her in-law's side! Dola is the elder daughter-in-law of the Neogy family! I had been to both sides of her family; both her mother and mother-in-law are great cooks! For today's blogpost, I have chosen this Bengali recipe! My entire family would enjoy it! I cooked this last month, was unhappy, hence cooked it again! I felt something was missing! Yet Dola's fritters were spongier than mine! Like our mother, she did not divulge all of the secret, I felt. I think I am happier today.
INGREDIENTS :
YELLOW SPLIT PEA LENTIL / MOTOR DAL : 1 SMALL TEA CUP
POTATO : 1
PAPOR / PAPADAM / LENTIL CRACKER : 2-3
BAKING SODA : A PINCH
CUMIN SEED : 1/4 TSP
BAY LEAF : 1
DRY RED CHILLI : 2-3
GREEN CHILLI : 2
GINGER PASTE : 2 TSP
RED CHILLI POWDER : 11/2 TSP
CUMIN POWDER : 11/2 TSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1 TSP
GREEN CARDAMOM POWDER : 1/4 TSP
CINNAMON POWDER : 1/2 TSP
CLOVE POWDER : 2-3 PINCH
SUGAR : 1 TSP [I USED JAGGERY POWDER]
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 4-5 TBSP
A TBSP OF GHEE TO GARNISH IS REQUIRED, I SKIPPED TO KEEP IT A VEGAN DISH!
PROCEDURE :
We would wash and soak the dal in water and keep it covered overnight, say for 8-10 hours!
We would drain the water and wash well quite a few times! We would take the dal and the green chillies in a blender, blend to a coarse paste!
To get a coarse paste, we would not add water; blend for a few seconds, stop, scrape the sides, repeat 2-3 times!
We would take the lentil paste in a bowl, add a pinch of baking soda, salt, turmeric and beat well! We would peel, cut wash the potatoes, marinate with salt and turmeric.
We would heat the oil, then fry potato cubes and lentil balls at the minimal heat in batches! We would fry the papad too.
The fritters need not be fried too much, we are to put them in a curry!
Let us prepare a spice mixture with the ginger paste+ turmeric + chilli + cumin + coriander powders + salt!
In the remaining oil, we would add the cumin seeds, bayleaf, dry red chillies! We would give a stir and add the spice paste to it! We would stir fry it 3-4 minutes at minimal heat, add the fried potatoes and stir for a minute or two!
We are to add 2 coffee mugs of water at this point and cover cook at minimal to low heat for 7-8 minutes!
We would remove the cover, add the fritters, cover cook for 3-4 minutes; remove the cover and turn over the fritters; cook for another 2-3 minutes!
Thereafter, we are to break each papad half and add to the curry, add some sugar or jaggery, cinnamon+green cardamom+cloves powders! We would give a stir!
We would transfer the curry to a serving bowl, enjoy it with rice or chapati! We grew up having mango, milk, sugar with rice or chapati in the entire summer season.
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