SUGAR PALM FRUIT CAKE

 A SUNNY MORNING & I FEEL HOT!

This is the problem with my kinds, the bright Sun causes me discomfort; the rain makes me melancholic! I would again put the blame on our mother, she has shielded us from the rain, storm, sun even when we were adults! I lost confidence on the very self & became a pet of my own cosy home! I feel comfortable only within the warmth of my home! The reason why I wished to do something sitting in my own cosy corner! I just wanted the man to help me with ideas so I can earn decent sitting on my couch, he did not! I kept dreaming of making quality food videos, having lakhs of views on all of my social media handles & pay checks flowing in to my account! I tried with food delivery to the Bengali Homes in the island, I enjoyed it until it fetched me some regular income! The moment it became an irregular affair, I lost interest in it! Also it is difficult to handle weird behaviours of the clients! I thought the food delivery thing would be as simple as people ordering food & I delivering them, but the complications in between were disturbing for me! I am not the kind to understand anyone's psychology, then act accordingly! As compared to me, my brother's wife seems too desperate, how she handles a tense situation outdoor is commendable! Even the man's sister handles work & home, their parent's ailments pretty well! Once she asked me to settle some accounts with the hospital's admin their mother was admitted to, I got too nervous not knowing how to! I love flowers, never wished to become a soft, sensitive petal of it! If I could not upgrade myself from a good home cook to a good reel & video maker, who to blame for not getting that level of fame I wish to have? In the present day, if you cannot go with the trend, you are nobody! But I enjoy the exercise of sharing my blogposts all day given I am allowed to! Not in my wildest dream do I wish to break a rule!

I AM PRETTY OCCUPIED TODAY!

I would be cooking two sweets using mangoes! The season is gone, only the Mustafa Centre is selling a few varieties! I do not usually get mangoes from there, they do get a few varieties from India & Pakistan but they are stale! I prefer local shops' Thai varieties or buying from the Bangladeshi shops! How much I want regular supply of mango & Hilsa fish in our home! I made our son eat Hilsa regular, he did enjoy given I de-boned the pieces! He specifically loves Hilsa fish eggs! Now may be his food preferences changed! However, when mumma cooks & serves him homely desi food that he prefers, he does eat! That is the only hope I cling onto! If he does not marry an Indian Girl, would anything of the family legacy be carried forward? That I fear! There are exceptions, there keeps coming to my feed a Bengali [perhaps] Guy & his Italian spouse's funny reels, I enjoy watching how she eats roshogolla, sandesh, speaks our language! In this age of globalisation, this is not an issue at all, I do not know why I break my head thinking of these & who to give my saris & costume jewelries! I roam around alone all over the island, would sit & brood about all these! What else can an idle brain do? Yesterday was a Sunday, Cristine went off, the man is on tour; I walked to the Woodleigh Mall! Though the initial plan was to go to the desi area & have desi food, I tried the Marina Fish Burger meal at AW's All American Food, the bun had been pretty soft, the fish did not smell! I like curly fries more! I have never tasted Root Beer which comes with their meals, I preferred an Ayataka Tea instead! The prices there is more than in Burger King, but I would go there again for their waffle with ice-cream!

These are my simple joys of life, I would not remain such flexible when we go back to Kolkata, but we have to in few years! There life is different, commuting is not that easy! How  many times can you visit the same neighbourhood mall? I would be few years older by then, yet do not wish to lock myself in my home! Life should not be lived without activities, sitting all day unless we are 90+! 

WHAT IS THIS SUGAR PALM FRUIT CAKE?

We have always known it as Taal when ripe, Taal Shash when unripe, I required to know it's English name in the recent years! What I get is that it's common English name is Toddy / Sugar Palm, the unripe fruit is called Ice-Apple! Fritters made from the ripe fruit's pulp is the most common recipe among us Bengalis, also it's pudding! These days I see around various improvisation; "Taal er Luchi", "Taal er Cake", "Taal er Malpoa"! Off course, baking a cake with Sugar Palm extract is not my innovation, I might have come across it, cannot remember what the recipe was! I follow a simple recipe & measurements for my cakes, else I would fail to deliver decently! Sugar Palm / Toddy Palm / Taal / Taal Goda has it's own distinct flavour & taste; I added only the lemon zest to make this vegetarian cake;  SUGAR PALM FRUIT CAKE packed with natural flavours! It almost has the taste of the fritters, only the amount of oil used is less! But anyway, the traditionally made Toddy Palm sweet fritters is best to my taste buds! I am old school, though adaptive to an extent! Well, I am back from my walk, had this meal at a local 24/7 Muslim Eatery; a menu vada, a dal vadai, chilli-onion stuffed prata, sugar-free teh masala! They sell a variety of naan, prata, dosa, meat, egg, fish; idli in the morning perhaps!

INGREDIENTS :

RIPE SUGAR PALM FRUIT / TAAL : 1

BANANA : 1 OR 2 STANDARD SIZED

PLAIN YOGURT : 1 SMALL TEA CUP

REFINED FLOUR : 1 COFFEE MUG

BAKING SODA : 1/2 TSP

BAKING POWDER : 1 TSP

VINEGAR : 1 TBSP

SUGAR : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP [YOU MAY NEED MORE]

LEMON ZEST : 1 TBSP

OIL : 1/2 SMALL TEA CUP

PROCEDURE :

Sugar Palm is a fibrous fruit! We would wash it, remove the top & the skin! There are usually three segments! We would wet our right hand palm, take hold of one piece at a time & extract the pulp in this manner! We would wet our hands in between! Cristine did this tedious job for me!

We would mix together the refined flour, baking powder, baking soda!

In a blender, we would blend together the banana, toddy palm extract, sugar, oil, plain yogurt, add it to the flour mix!

We would beat it well & add the washed lemon zest, fold in well!

We would pre-heat the oven for 10 minutes at 180*C!

We would grease a cake tin with few drops of oil & pour the batter in it! We are to tap it lightly on the kitchen top!

We would put the cake tin inside, mine is a mini toaster oven, it took 50 minutes at 180*C for the cake to get baked to perfection!

Once done, we would let it cool & turn over onto a plate only to serve & have with chilled or hot beverages!

BENGALI CHILLI-MUSTARD SHEEM

THE WEEPING SKY IS GETTING CLEARER!

In fact, it was crying loud early morning! I fear a dark, rainy sky; the lightening & thunder leave me scared, as if the earth would get demolished in minutes! In all of these, watching the moving clouds is a pleasure! I like the fast changing patterns of the clouds, as if they are dancing! I consider the sight "ballet in the sky"! I used to enjoy watching ballet in the television, more in our black & white television! Because it was raining hard, I thought of starting to write the blogpost! I have chosen a family Bengali recipe today! The maximum of the Bengali Families have this recipe in their repertoire! As I write, I am also thinking about the courses of the day! I have to go for a swim, I must do a bit of workout five days a week! I would have to prepare my lunch! Should I complete writing the blogpost at one go and go for a swim in the evening or take a break in between and then go? It feels cold to swim on such a day but I do not wish to go out for a walk on days I write a blogpost; I relish this ritual! Also, this month I went for a swim more than I walked in a bid to eat out less! I would visit the doctor coming Thursday & would know if it has affected my blood sugar level! Walking is a major medicine to keep your blood sugar level in control whilst swimming helps toning your body! Neither of the two would get you a good physique if you eat like me! In between all these, my God Family should get food, never in time they get! In our home, I do offerings to my God Family three times a day, on maximum of the days, I would offer two times & the Filipino one time! I think I already got menopause, I cannot remember when I got my periods the last time! I roughly remember the eight year old scary self getting periods for the first time, the hapless self standing in the dirty toilet of the Olympus KG School!  For a pretty long time, in the night dreams, I used to find myself amidst a dirty toilet full of human waste! An awkward feeling did not let me sleep well! After starting to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, it has gone! I did not get why such dirty dreams came to me when people dream of romantic liaisons & all! I have to read about it though I do not believe in everything the internet says!

I ACTUALLY WISHED TO BLOG ABOUT WHAT I COOKED FOR US LAST NIGHT!

Last week, I came across a reel & learnt about a simple side to a roti-paratha, not really a Bengali idea! When could we go out of the bazaar-ghat, mach-mangsho-dim? The humbleness of the dish, done with what is always there in our kitchen took me to surprise! The reel was about a side dish which I used as a filling for the flatbreads I made last night!

This morning, looking at the pictures, I strongly felt I can get better clicks, that I could do them better in the first place! It was a Sunday evening, we were watching a series! It was Cristine's off day, I had to manage everything from the scratch & also take care of my God Family! The anxiety level was high as the son was not taking the call, we forgot the dates of his GRE! He does not text also, Mumma gets angry but cannot behave rudely! On rare occasions did I beat my son! I feel guilty about one, he was only two & half years old, I caught hold of his hairs, the reason I do not remember! I was young, stayed alone with the son & helps for months, but that cannot be an excuse! What I remember is my child was still smiling in pain, and Sushoma, our whole timer was pleading not to beat her bhai, he is tiny! The guilt would not leave me ever; I cannot hug him when I wish to, he does not not allow either! I also do have the guilt of hitting my students on certain occasions! I have to hide all these emotions once he gets married, we should let our kids flow with their own life, their spouse or partner, kids! It is difficult to let go but we must, both the parents of a girl or boy should! In the dusk of my life, it feels I had to work, I had to earn! Blogging keeps me happily engaged but that had to be my hobby! Anyway, our lunch yesterday was fulfilling too! 

Last Saturday, for our dinner we had toasted bread & the mutton stew! I asked Cristine to serve me one or two smaller pieces with bones, she served me a bowlful, I got sick for the night! One cannot eat a lot just after cooking all day! Like today, I am craving for the mutton stew & plain rice; but I have asked Cristine to serve us the Hilsa, Lentils, Okra Fries for dinner!

And there is the lady @ CURRY AND SPICE last Friday in the desi area for shopping! I am dark indeed but not this much!

WHAT IS THIS BENGALI CHILLI-MUSTARD SHEEM?

I believe it is a regular recipe in the Bengali households! Our family too does it but in our's, the fresh coriander paste-sheem / DHONEPATA BATA DIYE SHEEM is more common during the winters! In this island, we get SHEEM, that is HYACINTH BEANS throughout the year, both in Bengali shops & the Southern Indian shops! It is my much loved vegetable & I keep cooking with it! In a couple of my blogposts, I have told you our maternal grandparents had one Hyacinth Beans climber on their kitchen roof! Is it a creeper or climber? Now that portion of the home is owned by our eldest maternal uncle, he modified that old kitchen a bit years back and made the office for his business house, now he has retired too! One thing I liked is that Boromamu did not make much of change in the old structure, specially the ground floor is the same! I could remember it all standing there, I was born in that ground floor! My paternal grandparent's home might have had all these plants & trees, I visited Assam so less that I do not remember! I wish, my uncle & aunts of both the sides live many more years! They all enjoy such simple food; a vegan, gluten-free Bengali regular vegetarian dish with flat beans, chilli-mustard paste BENGALI CHILLI MUSTARD SHEEM! I off course have complaints about those elders who did not teach their younger generation to remain connected to each other! I think we have the right to claim our freedom, we have the right to deny the authority of our parents after a certain age, shape our home the way we want, but we must not cut off ties with our elderlies, the family bond must prevail! Here is what I did in between writing this blogpost! I was not satisfied with the pictures of the KURMUREY BHINDI IN A SPICY SESAME SEED & RICE FLOUR BATTER that I cooked last Friday night & updated the blogpost! Today, I again cooked it, updated the blogpost & ate at my first meal!

INGREDIENTS :

SHEEM / HYACINTH BEAN : 250-300 gm

GREEN CHILLI : 3-4

BLACK MUSTARD SEED : 1 TBSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

NIGELLA SEED / KALOJEEREY : 1/4 TSP

BAY LEAF : 1

DRY RED CHILLI : 1-2 

ICE CUBE : 2-3 [TO PREVENT THE PASTE TURN BITTER]

OIL : 2 TBSP [BENGALIS USUALLY USE MUSTARD OIL IN A CHILLI-MUSTARD PASTE RECIPE]

PROCEDURE :

We would either cut each bean half or into three! We are to cut thin the two ends, also discard the fibre of the inner side that comes out along with one end!

We would wash the cut vegetable pieces, marinate with a bit of salt & half of the turmeric!

About an hour before cutting the vegetable, we would soak the mustard seeds! When the vegetable pieces are resting after marination, we would take the washed green chillies, the washed & drained black mustard seeds, a little of salt, ice-cubes in a blender & blend to a fine paste! Add 2-3 tbsp of water if required! 

This way the paste would never turn bitter, the salt & ice cubes would not let it too!

We would heat the oil in a wok & temper it with the nigella seeds, bay leaf & the halved dry red chillies!

We would give a stir & add the marinated hyacinth bean pieces! We would keep the heat at minimal & cover the wok with a lid!

We would remove the cover after 3-4 minutes, after it has released some water! Else the beans pieces may lose the colour! 

Also, I prefer cooking the vegetables in the water they release without adding water unless required! That is possible if you slow cook!

We would add the spice paste, a bit of turmeric once the vegetable pieces are 60-70% done! We would give a gentle stir & cover cook for another 3-4 minutes!

Once done, we would transfer it to a serving bowl! We usually have it with steamed rice, there is no reason why you cannot have it with flatbreads!

 

LONG BEAN POTATO ONION NOODLES

 IT IS A LATE START TO WRITE TODAY!

That is because all of a sudden, I bumped into an old time interest! Not even old time, the subject is my all time favourite! My attraction for the subject would never cease! I am talking about Lady Diana, I could not have enough of her life, I could not get over with her death! Sometime back, I came across the news of the little boy Billy Campbell of Australia who thinks he is the reincarnation of Lady Diana! I did read about it one or two years back, then again today! Whilst reading, I went further exploring about her ancestral home where she is resting in peace! I was savouring the pictures of the estate & learning more about the Althorp in Northamptonshire, and the clock struck 5:05 pm! I felt let me write down the blogpost! I am like this always, what interests me has got my heart, be it a story, article or a movie! Tonight, you will see me reading this & that about the Althorp Estate! You know my concept of travel & the man's concept of it does not match, else you would have seen busy suitcases at this home! I do understand his responsibilities too, I do not earn! Coming to reading, there was a time when no one could pull me out from the midst of an interesting read! It is sad I do not remain that voracious reader anymore!

IN BETWEEN I WAS EATING A LOT TOO!

I went for a swim down, back home I broke my fast with tea & malpoa! I made myself a homely bhelpuri that has Tabasco sauce! I loved this instant one though I do not have the required sauces at home, I used a chilli sauce & tabasco! My initial plan was to have some butter & chilli sauce tossed corns! Then I kept adding boiled potato, chopped onion, green chilli, coriander, peanuts, puffed rice! I wish the son learns to eat this, it's healthy! At times, mumma feels like weeping, wish I could travel to him every six months & relieve him of the household chores & cook a variety for him & his flatmate! The distance does not let us plan! We want to facilitate his education at first, it is a pride to see he himself is taking up new courses, expressing his wish to do the masters! For his mother, who loves education but herself was not a sincere learner in her student life, it's a joyous thing to see her child being this sincere! He is gifted with a good father always willing to support his academics! Anyway, after eating that huge amount, I again had mango & coffee!

Seriously, I cannot have an oats or salad bowl after eighteen hours of intermittent fasting! At night, I will have a little of rice with okra fry, dal, pointed gourd-potato curry! Again, the man would comment why he has to eat "ghas-pus"! Vegetarian meals they dread! If it is a handmade bread meal, they enjoy with vegetarian sides! Yesterday at lunch we had a young visitor! At night, we had flatbread, leftover mutton, chicken kebabs, pickle!

This kind of diet requires a lot of exercises to be done to keep fit & slim, I dislike giving any amount of jerking to my body, only like swimming & walking, that too at a slow pace! Though I look slimmer in photos, I am not at all!

WHAT IS THIS LONG BEAN POTATO ONION NOODLES?

I live in an island where it rains noodles! How many varieties do you want? Here they do have cooked vegetables on the side with boiled & tossed noodles & rice! I have eaten outside as many varieties here for the past twelve & half years! That may be the reason why I want to cook it at home, a frill-free one adding whatever I want when! What we do not like in a noodle dish are a lot of sauces! I do add a few sauces & sesame oil! Maximum of the time, I wish to keep our noodle dish bare & minimal! This vegetarian, vegan noodle bowl with long beans, potato, onion with flavours from the burnt garlic is what I enjoyed! I named it LONG BEAN POTATO ONION NOODLES! If I have added a Tabasco Sauce & Nihari Masala in it, know that the taste satisfied me to the fullest! You can add black pepper powder instead!

INGREDIENTS : 

VEGETARIAN NOODLE VARIETY : 300-400 GM

LONG BEAN : 2-3

POTATO : 1

ONION : 1

GARLIC CLOVE : 2-3

GREEN CHILLI : 2-3

VINEGAR : 2 TBSP

LIGHT SOY SAUCE : 1 TBSP

CRUSHED BLACK PEPPER : 1/4 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER : A PINCH OR TWO

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 2-3 DROPS + 2 TBSP

I USED TABASCO SAUCE & NIHARI MASALA TO SPICE IT UP, YOU CAN SKIP!

PROCEDURE :

In a bowl of hot water, I added a little of salt, stirred! I broke half each of the noodle cake & added to the lightly salted water & poured 2-3 drops of oil in it!

After 3-4 minutes, I transferred the entire thing to a colander, kept it for rest so all of the water can drain!

Meanwhile, Cristine peeled and cut the onion into thick slices, cut the potato & long beans lengthwise, minced the garlic & chopped the green chillies! Off course, we are to wash them separately!

Taking together the potato & long beans, I marinated them with a pinch of salt & some salt!

I heated 2-3 tbsp of oil in a wok & added the minced garlic! Once they were lightly brown, I added the marinated potato & long beans, folded in well & covered!

I cooked them at low heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring once every minute removing the cover!

Thereafter, I added the onions & green chillies and stir cooked at high for 2-3 minutes!

I added the noodles, crushed black pepper, vinegar & light soy sauce; folded in well with two ladles! We can season it with salt if only required at this stage!

I further added the Nihari Masala & Tabasco Sauce to celebrate my taste bud!