BARNYARD MILLET FRIED RICE

 BETWEEN LETHARGY AND WILL POWER, WHO WINS?

Lethargy tries to rule my life, I shove it away. I have seen the disastrous effects of letting lethargy take the prime position within me. Once you allow it, you would find out hundreds of excuses to let it rule. It destroys the purpose of living. I am lazy since birth, hence I have the scare about becoming inactive any day. People like me love to lie down on the couch, read or watch something or just brood. I don't allow myself that. I go out for walks, swim,  visit malls even if my body craves for the couch. I could not become independent, I should not at least give in to lethargy. I doubt if at all I wanted to earn. At least, I regret not working but the family veteran ladies and gentlemen do not even had / have the mindset that women should step out, make it big in life. A mere degree does not make us enlightened, we have to heighten the level of our thinking. Families like mine have to think big for their girl child, then only the society can develop. My daughter-in-law would be a woman of substance.

I COOK AND EAT TO HIDE MY MISTAKES!

May be also to spend quality time I engage fruitfully. If I go out everyday to explore this island, I would end up spending beyond the budget. I love to stay indoors, read  or watch. Because I am occupied with updating my blog, my primary hobbies took a backseat. Once I am done with the first round of updating the blog, I would get back to reading and watching. It is true I work on a budget but it is not the reason why I do not go for coffee sessions or restaurant hoping with my friends. I do not go because I do not enjoy, I prefer family meet ups or may go out once in a while with a friend or two, I prefer calling them home or visiting their homes. Kitty Parties I would never join, nor regret; I do not understand what to talk or do in such gatherings, I visit homes to eat the food on display. A plateful of choice food, vodka or Bloody Mary or Martini and a quiet corner I do look for at intervals but that does not happen much. As a couple, we do enjoy each other's company on weekends, watch a thriller, wait for our next trip to the son, waiting to talk to him, also look forward to our Kolkata trips. Our lunch yesterday was this and the dinner was luchi with Masala Okra.

In between, I had Chiku fruit, Mango cake; I do not click everything that I eat these days. Life got less eventful, not bothered. The moment boredom sets in, I sit in an eatery, go for massage, nail and face treatments. I prepared the luchi dough without semolina, they did not remain fluffy enough. I did not like it that they browned.

WHAT IS BARNYARD MILLET FRIED RICE?

For long I had the plan to prepare something other than   SAMA CHALER KHICHURI / Barnyard Millet HothchPotch. I love Sama Chal-Dal Khichuri the most but you cannot repeat the same recipe. I kept thinking about cooking it in a similar manner like we do CHIRER POLAO [BEATEN RICE PILAF]. Today, I prepared this BARNYARD MILLET FRIED RICE to have on my first meal of the day. When I first saw millet varieties at the Mustafa Centre, I was awestruck. I never knew about them whilst in Kolkata. My family ate only Barnyard Millet. The mother ate it on the days she fasted. I kept bringing each variety in turns, I was getting wind and constipation, also read somewhere one with thyroid gland anomaly should not have millets regular. I stopped getting them, only stock this Barnyard Millet / Shame Chal / Samo Rice, eat at times. To keep it both vegan & gluten-free, I have not cooked it in ghee, that is a compromise with the flavour. I tried to compensate using the whole garam masalas.

I had it with a coconut-fresh coriander-green chilli chutney.

INGREDIENTS :

BARNYARD MILLET / SHAMA CHAL / SAMO RICE : 1/2 COFFEE MUG

CHOPPED CARROT : 1/4 SMALL TEA CUP

CHOPPED GREEN BEAN : 1/4 SMALL TEA CUP

GREEN PEA : 2 TBSP

CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 2 TSP

CASHEW NUT : 5-6 [HALVED]

RAISIN : 7-8

CINNAMON STICK : 3-4 ONE INCH LENGTH

GREEN CARDAMOM : 3-4

CLOVE : 3-4

BAY LEAF : 2-3

SALT : AS REQUIRED

SUGAR : 1 TBSP

OIL : 2 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

We would take the seeds in a vessel, wash 2-3 times, add water and put for boil. Do not soak.

Once the water starts boiling, add a teaspoon of oil, this would prevent the samo rice from breaking. Yet we have to stand in front of the gas stove, immediately pass the cooked seeds through a strainer once cooked.

We would wash all of the vegetables, soak the raisins in water for 1/2 an hour.

 We would heat the oil in a wok, temper it with the bayleaves, cloves, green cardamoms, cinnamon sticks.

We would give a stir and add the washed vegetables, cashew nuts and add some salt.

We would stir fry the vegetables for 3-4 minutes at minimal heat and add the raisins discarding the water.

We would give a stir, add the cooked Barnyard Millets, a little of salt, the sugar and fold in well.

We would stir cook at medium heat for 3-4 minutes, take down and serve hot.

MY STYLE PUMPKIN RICE

 SOME MONDAYS I WISH TO SHARE A SIMPLE RECIPE!

It is my pleasure to write a blogpost, not lengthy recipes always. Our mood hardly would stay the same always. I personally require an elevated mood, the willingness to perform. I know this is a luxury that we cannot afford at workplace. I do not understand the terms "mental stress", thereafter an extreme step called "suicide" related to the workplace. Why would such a situation occur, bosses are also human beings. These are all new developments, the more the world is progressing, more such problems are seen. I think of these because it is the time to brief the son about the pros and cons at the work place, that he need not worry and be happy, that his life is precious. I can see his father enjoys going to his work place.

I DO NOT REQUIRE TO HAVE THE RIGHT MOOD TO EAT!

Even when I am not in the right mood, I eat. These days I am not clicking my food plates much, today I did. My first meal today had been good amount of vegetables, oats, beaten rice  cooked together. 

I like oatmeal in cakes and beaten together with eggs to make an oats omelette. The moment I add water to oats, it seems tasteless to me. But I like oats with yogurt and fruits. I do not have breakfasts, do not need that regular, also I am unable to have unsweetened yogurt every day. Saturdays & Sundays, I eat uncountable times. I planned  to have a light first meal today, couldn't, neither clicked the watermelon pieces I had thereafter. I clicked a few food platings from last Saturday and yesterday, would share soon in public.

WHAT IS MY STYLE PUMPKIN RICE?

About 15-20 days back, I had chicken-potato soup and pumpkin rice at the Hougang Mall.

I loved the chicken soup, found the pumpkin rice smelly, did not get the source of the smell. I usually like chicken or mutton meat broth  but the smell was from something else. Back home, I decided to cook a pumpkin rice.  Last to last weekend I cooked it but the rice seemed messy, it tasted good. Last Saturday, I cooked it again, I was eager to blog about it. I used long grained Basmati Rice for the recipe, the food court's was made with small grained rice which was not the island's favourite fragrant sticky rice.

A Bengali Home's Pumpkin Rice means it would be eaten the Bengali way with fries & fritters. While many Bengali Homes like their pilaf with meat & fish curries, we enjoy pilaf with fries, precisely fish fries. I got home Ilish / Hilsa fish, had the vegan, gluten-free MY STYLE PUMPKIN RICE with pointed gourd fries and Hilsa fish fries. It was good. You can cook this nutritious bowl any day of the week using few ingredients always present in your pantry.

INGREDIENTS :

YOUR CHOICE OF COOKED RICE : 2-3 COFFEE MUGS

BOILED PUMPKIN : 2 COFFEE MUGS

CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 2 TSP

RED CHILLI FLAKES : 1/2 TSP

CHOPPED FRESH CORIANDER : 2-3 TBSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2 TSP

CUMIN SEED : 1/4 TSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 2 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

You can cook the rice fresh or use refrigerated day old cooked rice. In the case of the latter, take the rice out an hour before the cooking.

Peel and wash the pumpkin, cut into smaller cubes and boil. Drain the excess water but don't squeeze entirely the water present in the boiled vegetable. 

Mash the boiled pumpkin. Chop, wash the green chillies, coriander leaves.

Heat the oil in a pan, temper with the cumin seeds. Add the chopped green chillies and the turmeric powder. Stir and add the boiled and mashed pumpkin.

Add the required amount of salt, stir cook at medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the rice and the coriander leaves. Use two ladles to incorporate the rice well in the freshly made pumpkin sauce. Switch off the gas stove.

Enjoy the pumpkin rice fresh and hot with your choice of side dish.

BENGALI KHARKOL PATA RECIPES

SATISFACTION IS STARTING TO LOVE YOUR FAMILY'S RUSTIC RECIPES AT A RIPE AGE!

I started to love having the rustic family recipes at a ripe age may be because I relocated abroad. Post marriage when I learnt to cook, I cooked particularly Bengali Food. The son grew up having "shaak to patla macher jhol". The home cooked foreign dishes he ate were fish and chicken stew. In those days, I did not cook fancy stuffs except for chilli chicken and makhani matar paneer. To have party food, we frequented the Kolkata restaurants. Even after relocating here, we would eat out. Gradually, I started cooking from different cuisines, the man not a foodie prefer home cooked food, the only compliment he gives me. Once grown up, the son did not want to go out with us often, he preferred ordering food with his pocket money. Once he left home, I thought the two of us would go out for food ventures every weekend but the man is actually married to the television set and classy bottles, I am secondary. Whatever the situation is, I thoroughly enjoy cooking, it is never a compulsion. 

MY EATING ORDER CHANGED THIS MORNING!

For the last four years, I do intermittent fasting, Monday to Friday. My blood sugar level got controlled but my hanging belly, fat arms and thighs continue to thrive. I cannot control portion after an eighteen hours of fasting, neither can workout in beast mode. I am getting heavily bloated. Today, I took a break and let myself be. I had my morning tea with a slice of bread spread with ghee with a sprinkle of brown sugar.

I detest drinking tea or coffee without anything on the side. Here is my lunch bowl, "samo rice khichuri". 

I need to eat easily digestible food. Whenever there is a special prayer at home, I consume an excess of sugary, deep fried stuffs, specifically post Janmashtami. I want to have dinner together with the man, hence eat around 10 pm, that isn't right. While taking a heavenly bite at the ghee toast, I noticed my Hibiscus plants fetched five flowers today.

I used to enjoy my tea and coffee sessions, I hardly prepare my favourites nimki, malpoa now-a-days. In the midst of such heart burn, the watermelon popsicle gets me some pleasure.

WHAT IS BENGALI KHARKOL PATA RECIPES?

These recipes I cooked and clicked back in 2021-22, blogging about them got delayed. I thought let me share three recipes in a single blogpost. Bringing together all of the pictures was necessary, they lay scattered. Later we can again share them separately. Kharkol Pata is the leaf of a specific variety of yam / Taro, some call it Arum leaves. Seriously, we did not require to know it's English name all this while. I / We love it's Bharta, hence I planted them on my tiny hedge, they grow anywhere. Recently I uprooted them because they spread to other pots. May be later I would plant them again. Three recipes with Kharkol Pata has been compiled under the title BENGALI KHARKOL PATA RECIPES. One recipe is vegan and gluten-free, a bharta made of Nigella Seeds & Arum leaves, one is done with prawns and Arum leaves, the other is done with dried Bombay Duck fish and Arum leaves. The first of the three recipes is vegan, all of them are gluten-free.

Another Kharkol / Ghatkol Pata recipe from the Blog is this; KHARKOL PATA BATA

KHARKOL  PATA O KALOJEEREY BHORTA 

INGREDIENTS :

ARUM LEAF / KHARKOL PATA : A BUNCH

NIGELLA SEED / KALO JEERE : 1 TSP

ONION : 2 

GREEN CHILLI : 2-3

GARLIC CLOVE : 3-4

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4 TSP

BAYLEAF : 1

DRY RED CHILLI : 1

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 1 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Do not pick the plants from the roots, just cut halfway from the stems. The plants regrow. The leaves with stems are sold in the Bengali markets. 

Wash the leaves thoroughly and dry roast them for 3-4 minutes. We would wash and strain the nigella seeds too. 

We would peel and wash the onions, garlic, also the green chillies. We would blend together everything else except the oil, salt, turmeric powder, bayleaf and the dry red chilli.

We would heat the oil in a wok, temper with a pinch or two of nigella seeds, bayleaf and dry red chilli. 

We would add the green paste, turmeric powder, salt, stir-cook for 4-5 minutes at low heat. 

Enjoy it with peeping hot steamed rice.

KHARKOL PATA O LOTEY SHUTKIR BHORTA

INGREDIENTS :

ARUM LEAF : A BUNCH

DRIED BOMBAY DUCK FISH : 2-3

SLICED ONION : 3-4 TBSP

 GARLIC PASTE : 1 TBSP

GREEN CHILLI : 4-5

DRY RED CHILLI : 1

BAYLEAF : 1

NIGELLA SEED : 2 PINCHES

DRY RED CHILLI POWDER : 1 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER : 1/2 TSP

OIL : 2-3 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

We would chop off the arum leaves midway from the stem leaving the roots, wash them thoroughly and roast taken in a wok for 3-4 minutes.

We would discard the heads and tails of the dried fish, cut into small pieces.

We would wash the fish pieces several times and soak in hot water for sometime, then drain the water.

We would heat the oil in a wok, temper it with the nigella seeds, dry red chilli and the bay leaf. 

We would add the garlic paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.

We would prepare a paste with the yam leaves and green chillies, add to the wok, stir cook for a minute or two.

Thereafter, we would add the dried fish pieces, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder. We would stir and cover it, let cook at low heat. 

After 6-7 minutes, we would remove the cover and stir cook it at low heat until it semi-dries.

Enjoy it with hot steamed rice.

KHARKOL PATA O CHINGRIR BHORTA

INGREDIENTS :

ARUM LEAF : A BUNCH

SMALL PRAWN : 8-10

SLICED ONION : 2-3 TBSP

GARLIC PASTE : 1 TBSP

GREEN CHILLI : 4-5

NIGELLA SEED : A PINCH OR TWO

BAYLEAF : 1

DRY RED CHILLI : 1

TURMERIC POWDER : 1 TSP

TAMARIND JUICE : 2 TBSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 3 TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Clean, de-vein, de-shell totally the prawns. Wash them and marinate with salt and turmeric.

Discard the root end of the Arum leaves, wash them and roast taken in a wok. 

If you do not dry roast but paste directly, also not growing them at home; you have to use tamarind juice to remain safe, yam is known to cause us itching.

Paste together the chopped leaves, green chillies. 

Heat the oil in a wok, temper with the bayleaf, dry red chilli, nigella seeds.

Add sliced onion, garlic paste, salt, turmeric; stir cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the prawns discarding the marinade. Stir cook at low heat for 3-4 minutes, add the green paste and stir cook for 5-6 minutes.

Add the tamarind juice, adjust the salt if required, stir cook for 2 minutes. We are done.

 

I can have plateful of rice with each of these pastes / bhartas. Even my not much of a Bengali men would eat these, Cristine too, only says "such hot". Remember, you are to eat a little of the paste at a time with double the amount of rice.