FAUX VERMICELLI KUNEFE

IT IS A DILLY-DALLIED START OF THE FOOD SHARE TODAY!

Have I lost interest in writing my blog, majorly focusing on food? No really, this is a space where I can express myself; okay just partly because we do not have the freedom to go public with our entire being! A whole life would pass, and you are to maintain a decorum, a public image! Although, I am not bothered who thinks what about me; I majorly have an "aunty" image since my teens! I am actually an "Agony Aunt" and people have no idea what extreme level of an agonising self I can get into at times. Maximum of the people would not take interest in things & incidents I would. I dream of social change at the grassroots without politicising and do it sitting in a cosy couch! Did you say, "damn it?" You have the right to call a day dreamer so! Also there is some reality when I claim I have certain amount of ability to handle aggressive behaviours. If you ask my employers from two & half decades back, they would second my claim and say a 23 year old self of the early 90's did have the ability to handle the energy of a teen boy! Not in return I say this but the fact is that a Ratna Ganguly Biswas, a Rupa Dey had / has the ability to show equal amount of attention to the boy who sat in the first bench & the one who sat in the last bench! At least, they had then! An aggressive teen requires a teacher like them to feel loved and be the change!As per ability, I am a peanut as compared to these ladies! But we perhaps think on the same line, that from the teen hood to 22-23; some kids would be aggressive; as a teacher or a parent we are to channelise them towards positivity; our pleasure comes later! If your motto is "there is only one life, let me have it the fullest"; do not get pregnant; as simple as that! Also the societies differ! I believe in instilling certain values in the children everywhere; like not calling the elders by their name; to maintain certain discipline in the school & yes, having a school uniform is important! Kids come from different social & economic backgrounds; not all can afford different clothings seven days a week! Whichever culture it is, why cannot they understand that all the kids may not be able to handle peer pressure with elan, a school is the place where they can feel happy & equal! Except for the medicinal drugs required to cure us; the rest should be banned! If all the governments ban cigarette, I would be very happy; this home has frequent fights over this smoking habit of T, I keep telling my boy not to take to smoking ever! I live in an Utopia where everyone need not love everyone but there should exist a peaceful co-existence; that people live with good deeds until their seventy's at least! I would die overthinking one day & the world would see more of fight & bloodshed, because everyone wants to win in this competitive, fast paced era! I am hurt, I am sad, really I am!

WHAT AM I EATING TODAY SINCE 2 PM?

Lost in my thoughts, as always I do; I was walking locally and knew I do not wish to have a full fledged lunch! I bought a toasted garlic bread for 70 cents from a local bakery & a tinned chilled Nescafe for 1$! I strongly felt why should I have a heavy meal anyway? I bought 500gm litchi and a packet of big chillies. Back home, took a shower, fried a vegetable chop & batter fried the chillies; had them instead of a proper lunch! Is death knocking at my door? After the litchi, I am having an apple pie! Of all the food items of the west, I love their desserts! I hail from a middle class family, now fall in the upper middle class category! I cannot go overboard ever, not in my genes! Sitting in an airplane, I cannot either call anyone poor! Can we and the media learn some decency? Why do we have to call on the face of some hardworking bunch of people, "you are poor", "that poor community"! Did they knock my door to beg or commit a theft? Why cannot we be a little responsible, so that my child does not have to listen that I have addictions, that I am so busy with other responsibilities that I had no time to spend time with my children! Our parents need certain kind of care and the children a major amount of engagement until they have their own family!

I walk in the urban woods & restlessly think about all these! This is a park within half a kilometre from my home, went back after over a year. The neighbourhood parks here are small, I feel sick doing 20 rounds in there! Today, I wanted the calm. I wish to talk & discuss this with people having similar concerns; fashion is least of my concern! I hardly can mingle with people who are superficial; also I am weird to them, I am concerned about incidents which has no connection with me! Do we not bother unless the problem occurs at our home? Cannot the world connect over serious issues?

 

WHAT IS THIS FAUX VERMICELLI KUNEFE?

Kunefe is a MiddleEastern dessert full of cheese! I call mine faux because I have used vermicelli, whilst it uses Phyllo Pastry I think! Also, I did it using processed cheese slice in stock at home and did not use sugar syrup generously! From all sides, its far from an authentic Kunefe dessert that is cooked in an oven with generous amount of more than one variety of cheese and sugar syrup! It is my first attempt & my version that I call FAUX VERMICELLI KUNEFE can be termed more as a vegetarian snack than a dessert! I used hardly two table spoon of jaggery in it, not even sugar, used cheese slices and cooked on gas top! It is vegetarian & you can cook it anytime to satisfy your small hunger pangs! In future, I would try it in oven using the right kind of cheese. Actually, we may not be fond of overly cheese filled stuffs, unless it is a pizza! I cannot digest cheese, huge amount of diary products are not my thing!

INGREDIENTS :

VERMICELLI : 150-200 GM

SHREDDED MOZZARELLA CHEESE : 150GM

SUGAR : 2 TBSP [I USED BROWN SUGAR]

ROSE ESSENCE : 1 OR 2 RSP

MELTED BUTTER : 2 TBSP

OIL : TO BRUSH THE PAN

CRUSHED PISTACHIO TO GARNISH!

PROCEDURE :

I had boiled the roasted vermicelli in enough water and drained the water using a strainer!

I had taken the boiled vermicelli in a bowl, added the melted butter, brown sugar & rose essence, mixed well!

I had greased a small pan with butter and added some of the boiled and seasoned vermicelli! On top of it about 75gm of the shredded cheese! I cooked it covered at minimal heat for 5-6 minutes; until brown & crisp!

I turned over & added on the top of it the rest of the shredded cheese! 

I transferred it straight to a serving plate & garnished with toasted chopped pistachios! Try to serve & have it hot!