DUDH BORI DIYE JHINGE BEGUNER JHOL / A LIGHT CURRY WITH RIDGE GOURD AND EGGPLANT

We have literally grown up eating these dishes. In my side of the family this is a common dish that mani used to prepare. This was more of a summer treat when coriander leaves was pricey, yet she would manage to buy a small amount just to prepare few of these dishes. Later when we shifted to our own house, mani started gardening and grew one variety of coriander leaf which was called 'biliti dhonepata.'..... meaning 'foreign coriander leaves.' It had broader leaves and had a stronger smell.... the mesmerising smell and flavour I still could not forget. At that time, I never could get the actual name of it because mani says she does not get it anymore from the small time veggie sellers who get products from the village. And eureka, here we get the same named Mexican Coriander or Vietnamese Saw Tooth Coriander or Culantro!

Culantro is not commercially sold here but the plant is on sale in the nurseries! In this curry she also added 'shimer bichi'..... roasted broad bean seeds. Jackfruit seeds and broad bean seeds are commonly used in my side of the family.... they were dried, roasted and stored throughout the year and added to various dishes. I do not know whether it was typical of Comilla or of the entire Bengal. Now I see my friends from other states of India sharing recipes with jackfruit seeds. I feel wow!

You can well understand I have less knowledge of the food world. I am learning each day from the people around. I never did any homework before starting with the blog. You know I am always scared of / averse to constructive learning or research .... I know my drawbacks well. Anyway, I already have a similar recipe of 'Jhinge Beguner Jhol' which I did as a part of a combined post. So this recipe can be called a copy paste with a little of variation. 

For two reasons I am compiling it separately with few changes.... one is that some of my near ones use milk in a couple of their light curries besides shukto .... trust me it enhances the taste. Secondly, I have recently learnt to prepare "Bori".... that is dried lentil balls.... that too in a country where the sun plays hide and seek game every now and then. Hence, I am too eager to share some recipes with bori. Come let us prepare together this simple yet tasty curry with bori, ridge gourd and egg plant with minimal use of spices.

INGREDIENTS :

Ridge Gourd[Jhinge] : 2
Egg Plant[Begun] : 1
Bori [Sun-dried Lentil Ball] : 8-10
Milk : 1/2 small cup

Nigella Seeds[kalojeera] : 2pinches

Red Chilli Powder : 1/2tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp
Salt : As Required
Oil [authentically mustard] : 1tsp
Chopped Coriander Leaves : 1tbsp

METHOD :

Peel and cut the ridge gourds and eggplants lengthwise. Wash and rub with salt, turmeric and red chilli powder.

Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the dried lentil balls which we call bori. Take out.

Temper the remaining oil with kalojeera. Add the veggies and stir at high heat.

Lower the heat and cover cook for 3-4 minutes. Uncover and add 1/2 small cup water.

Again cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add 1/2 small cup cold milk, stir and let boil at lowest heat for 1 minute. 

Add the chopped coriander leaves and stir.

Switch off the gas stove, it is done. Do not over boil, else the milk will cause the curry to curdle.

AAM SANDESH

I see many have blogged about an Aam Sandesh at par their excellence, and then there is this self who all of a sudden planned last night, three back to back recipes with ripe mango. The mango season in this part of the world is already over or going to be over. We though get a year wide supply of few varieties from Australia which are quite pricey. This miser lady will not buy one mango for five dollars, there are other variety of fruits to have. On my way back from the walk, I usually enter the mall or the wet market shops to sit and eat something, do some window shopping, buy this and that. I got some mangoes at a good price a day before. The son too expects that the mumma will get something for him which he never expects from his father. The mumma does it ever since her boy was this small and the duo lived together happily waiting six to eight months for the father to come back from sailing. Every Friday and Saturday evening was the duo's outing day to either 22, Camac Street or Forum Mall or at the Park Street. Ten - Twelve years back there were no malls or eateries within a kilometre from home as of now.

A Bengali's love for mango is by default I think.... in most cases. I feel lucky to be in a country where we get a number of varieties, even few Indian ones like Alphonso, Dassera, Chausa[Pakistani?], Baganpalli and wow Lyangra too! I am wondering what actually triggered my weight gain .... I think my inability  to resist Mango and Sweets. I prepare a variety of sweets, ice-creams at home. I look at my latest picture and see my cheeks got chubbier, waist line out of control. Even our Cristine says I have put on a considerable amount after clicking me yesterday.... "ma'am I think you need to watch your diet", she would say. I never get angry when she says so... she is a genuine girl. I always see the intentions of people and react accordingly, some I have decided to ignore totally. I know I need to do something immediately but feels so lethargic.... age is catching up fast and I am back to that lazy teen whom her parents never could force to go out and play in the neighbourhood. Back from school she would love to immerse in the world of books of her choice. The other day I and our friend Joy was frantically looking for the prose version of Odyssey.... I read a Bengali translation while at school.... so was really interested this time. Dear readers if you find it please do write the source in the comments section.

By the way Girls, please stop taking pride in being obese.... being fat is not a good thing to be. People I am addressing might be much younger than me... start now before you become another me.... weak and lazy. My mom says my nature has always been lazy.... who loved her food and books .... not academics... by no means.... and mind it few of you guys and dolls.... I do not have a pokey nose... I am showing concern for you means I keep you near me.... for the rest my friends Ipsita Bhattacharya and Indirra Sengupta [formerly Bhattacharya] can help you with some valuable tips... I have talked about Ipsita in a couple of posts.... Indirra is a friend from school.... dearer to my husband... In the mid 80's, she was quite a fashion Icon when this primitive lady was more callous than now and looked at her in awe with her oil infused plaited braids. That does not mean she strayed.... she had been teaching in one of the leading schools in Delhi.... came back to Kolkata.... married and now teaching in one of the Birla run schools of Kolkata. Both of them worship their body and health and I love it. I am fond of Indira because she is carefree and much above and far from petty / cheap meanness.... she parties hard, very particular about her dresses and shoes but managed to admit her sons to the top in hierarchy school... St. Xaviers... Kolkata..... I never stop my man to love the right people.

Then there was one unique.... My Fair Lady who told straight on my face, "you know why you are rejected because you are ugly and someone worships beauty"..... look at me S .... every other boy in the class.... outside wants to marry me..... and God! The same words were repeated after 25 years, imagine readers what level of nonsense can it be! Oh my Sweetheart... I love you so much.... more than the handsome guys around, a kiss from me love.... muah..... hahaha. Life is not Bollywood.... that I will change myself after the well orchestrated insult showered on me and turn on to be a Priyanka Chopra or Katrina. Why should I change for someone either? I am still that dumbo after 30 long years but do not allow myself to be used anymore. I earn love and respect almost everywhere I go and learned to dump / ignore unwanted people from life.... who are very few in number though.

Coming to my nature and the decision to go up with a mango infused sweet....wow! My actual nature has revived... I had always been a loner... I cannot stand a crowd for long. I love my couch, to lie down there with a book, go to sleep wearing my glasses with the book lying on the chest. I am actually halfway of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's "Before We Visit the Goddess" and I am loving it. I can so much relate with Savitri ..... her teenage upheavals, coming to terms with it or may be never... whatever, fighting for the right cause on behalf of the husband, and wow she started a sweet shop in the name of her mother Durga who prepared excellent sweets living in extreme poverty in a village. 

Didn't I start this blog to carry forward the legacy of my mom and grand mom? Then I broke my promise... 80% of my readers will not even understand what "kechki macher bora" is.... and I love  traffic on my blog... haha... I have already seen Savitri's death because the author is alternatively taking us back through flashbacks and then bringing us to the present. Savitri is all set to introduce a new sweet with mango puree, saffron, sugar and paneer in the 80's Kolkata and name it Durga Sandesh. I think the author herself takes interest in cooking too, I remember her sharing with us pictures of Chocolate Sandesh last year on "Bijoya Dashami."I felt much for Savitri and cannot think of anything else than Aam Sandesh / Mango Sweet to be shared today. Few ingredients like fresh mango puree, little sugar, cardamom powder, homemade paneer are what we require to go ahead with this simple recipe. Come let us do it!

INGREDIENTS :

Fresh Milk : 2litre [I used Meiji's fresh milk]
Ripe Mango : 2
Sugar : 1/2 small tea cup

Rice Flour : 2 tbsp
Cardamom Powder : 1/2 tsp
Yellow Food Colour : A Pinch [optional]
Chopped Pistachio : 1tbsp
Lemon Juice : 1/2small tea cup
Rose Water : 1tbsp

METHOD :

Pour the milk in a deep bottomed vessel and put on gas. Once it comes to boil, add the lemon juice while stirring continuously. Switch of gas as the milk curdles. Let cool.

Once cool strain it through a soft cloth and keep tied for 1/2 an hour. Unless I am making roshogolla, I am not so particular about straining or kneading part of paneer / chena. I do not wash it under running water either because I love the smell of fresh lemon always.

After half an hour or so take down the paneer and transfer it to a plate.

Keep on kneading the chena / paneer for about 10-12 minutes.

Wash, Peel and get the pulp of the mango. Transfer to a blender and pulse it for a minute or so. We get a smooth puree.

Heat the wok placing it on gas stove. Add the paneer & sugar. Stir continuously. You will see all the water has evaporated after 10-12 minutes. Add the mango puree.

Fold in well and keep stirring till the whole thing is incorporated well.

When the mixture starts coming off the pan, add the rice flour, cardamom powder and rose water. Fold in well and stir for another minute or two. 

Transfer to a plate and let cool. Knead for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a square shaped container thats surface has been greased with some ghee.

Refrigerate it for half an hour. Take out and turn over onto a plate. Garnish with chopped pistachios. I have an allergy from raw nuts, I always roast them before using! Cut & serve!

MATAR PINEAPPLE RICE WITH CARROT N TOMATO SALAD

If you think my men have turned obedient all of a sudden and started having salads with every meal, you are utterly wrong. The salad is for me, there definitely had some scrumptious mutton or chicken curry or a baked fish kind of thing with this Matar Pineapple Rice with a desi touch. Some people always say S you must incorporate salads and soups and stews in your family diet knowing how difficult it is to handle my men. My boys' healthy eating is limited to chicken, mutton or fish stew that too accompanied by anda paratha or aloo paratha or luchi / poori / naan. They love their rice only when it is fried with meat or egg, that is when I get to play some trick and add some veggies to it. I was clearly told some 25 years back ..... do not ever try to control my life, I love my freedom neither will I try to control your's. He does not ever try to either. That is where the equation is and there is no reason why I will not cook what they love. 

I always try to feed a bit of that extra morsel to my chopsticks. Living with these two weirds is quite an interesting journey even if it has caused early greying.... though this greying started as early as at age 16. My sixteen has not been that sweet either but I always had wonderful people around to keep me going and this lady does not take much time to eliminate people from her life who she does not like. Take it as my negativity or what I cannot rub shoulder with people who intentionally put me down. My note to the beautiful people around me.... do not leave a single chance to show your power or ignore people who took it on you once.... purposefully... in full consciousness .... I feel no guilt in doing that because I take too much care of people who mean.

Unlike my men, I always believe and say there is an Almighty who takes note of everything. Remember one thing... how much of a tiger your man is.... they are unlikely to mingle with people who the wifey dispels from life for genuine reasons. I tell him these are the people I do not wish to be in my life, but you can go ahead. He laughs out loud at the phrase 'you can go ahead' and says when a wife says this it only means if you do that, I will turn this home into hell.... hahaha ..... I do not mingle with people to get some benefits from them, hence I keep the best ones in the circle because friendship has a different meaning to me. Then there is certain kind of equation between couples that keeps us going for 15-20-25-40-45 years under one roof even if we have major differences of opinion. So far broken homes are concerned, one cannot be an angel and the other devil. There are faults on both sides .... more in one or less in the other. In most occassions we fail to see our own faults.

Coming to my favourite subject food, I am more into this kind of smart platters may be a fried rice or stuffed poori / paratha served with meat curries, fish, dum aloo or so. When I cook typical Bengali style vegetables, I have to pack it for my friends too or call them home. The senior may have a bit of panchmeshali tarkari or chanchra or shaak, the junior will not allow them on his plate. What else a mom can do but to cook what her lifeline loves? Even my craze for typical Bengali fresh water fish has lessened. The frozen ones we get in the Asian stores here are not up to my level of satisfaction, I hear they are of better quality in other foreign countries. 

If you can adapt to sea fish, this island is the best place to be, I could not as yet. Hence, our fish fair is limited to salmon.... the only sea water fish I can have a bit, pomfret that my men love, prawns[we call fish haha], Bengal Carp, Ilish and yeah recently I discovered one shop in Tekka market selling 'jeol magur'.... live cat fish dancing in water. I wish to share a recipe soon, my dear friend Chandrayee wished too. On this visit to Kolkata, I told my mother 'amai choto mach khaoabey'.... feed me my favourite small variety of fish.. charapona, puti, kajoli, tyangra, pabda, choto rui-katla..... I am not translating them because I know my readers are not interested in Bengali Fish Curries from me.... but if you ask my wish, I will blog about each one of my family favourite fish preparations before I quit blogging even if there is not a single reader for it.

The mother fed me my favourites and also told me the stories she heard from her mother-in-law.... how much my dad loved 'tyangra mach' as a young boy who back from the school would run to the football ground without eating..... the mother had to allure him saying.... 'tyangra massss diya bhaat khaiya jsa'....that is a Bangladeshi provincial accent meaning there is your favourite tyangra mach cooked today, have it with some rice and go. Do not question my flair for that, I can speak it well, though you should not expect me to decipher the Chittagong language... it is near impossible if you are not particularly from there, they are nearer to Burma. Anyway, I could not tell my mother I hear a similar story from another mother... I wonder how can there be such similarities and then the immediate reaction....  damn it... why do I have to bother, my dad is gone and the rest does not concern me. 

My baked / grilled fish loving son will not eat a single 'tyangra' unless mumma debones them; is there an ache inside?.... yes for various reason taken together. It is better to cook what makes my loves to eat double servings than on a normal rice day..... this time a green pea and pineapple rice done with few ingredients. You can serve it with some grilled fish, eggplant or aloo masala, meat curries... if your men are not as naughty as mine you can also serve this freshly made carrot n tomato salad with it. Come let us prepare it together. I will not claim authenticity of the Pineapple Rice as I do not use fish sauce.

INGREDIENTS :[for the rice]

Long Grain Rice : 1 coffee mug [I prefer Basmati]
Green Pea : 1/2small cup
Pineapple[chopped] : 1 small cup
Onion[sliced] : 1medium
Garlic[minced] : 1tbsp
Soya Sauce : 2-3tbsp
Black Pepper Powder : 1tsp [coarsely ground]
Salt : As Required
Oil : 2tbsp [we can use sesame oil too]

INGREDIENTS : [for the salad]

Carrot : 1medium
Tomato : 1medium
Coriander Leaves[chopped] : 2tbsp
Green Chilli[chopped] : 1-2
Olive Oil : 1tsp
Lemon Juice : 2tbsp
You can add other veggies too but 
I had only these on that day

METHOD :

Take the rice on a bowl and wash 3-4 times. Soak for 1/2 an hour. Take enough water in a heavy bottomed vessel and put for boil. As the water comes to boil, drain the water from the rice and add to the boiling water gently. Cook until 60% done and discard all of the water.

Spread the rice on a big plate and allow it to cool. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the minced garlic and saute till we get that nice aroma.

Add the sliced onion and saute till translucent. Add the green pea, increase the heat and give a quick stir. Add the chopped pineapple pieces, black pepper and a little of salt. Stir at high heat for a moment.

Add the cooked rice and soya sauce, fold in well. Stir gently at high heat for a minute or so. Do not allow the rice grains to break. Transfer to a serving plate.

For the salad, wash and chop the carrot, tomato [discard the seeds], coriander leaves and green chillies. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and coarsely ground fresh black pepper powder. Fold in well and serve with the Matar Pineapple Rice. You can also add some pickle  to  this meal.

LANKAR ACHAR

I am back to the island this morning and all set to do what I love doing ..... weaving real life stories of which my recipes are a part. At times my stories are laced with melodrama, strong, silly emotions, even a little bit of exaggeration may be ..... but their source is from real life truths.... an account of how my life had / is been. How much I say I am just fine, I do miss my family .... the mother and brother. To give a goodbye hug to your bereaved mother is not that easy.... neither it is easy to look straight at the brother's sad face and get through the airport gate. I was telling my mom when I think of daddy, the first thing that comes to my mind is that my little brother lost his father so early. I did not take a single picture with my family this time, I want to see my brother's hair full grown, no frown on his face and that lost smile on my mother's face. 

All said and done I do not like going public with pictures of my family members, may be that is a mental block. I stay with an immensely positive person that helps me feel positive .... more so when I echo and agree to what my relatives told our mother .... you have two pillars of strength beside you .... the son-in-law and the daughter-in-law. The supremely active lady will never sit and cry for her husband all day, she is pretty busy in her kitchen, with her garden, visiting places of worship.... wet markets.... that makes me proud of her. The daughter follows her.... did everything from meeting people to a bit of shopping..... only the last picture taken of their father on 7th January 2017 to be precise haunts her.... the one that rests on our bedside table now... smiling at me 24/7.... I was scolding him asking him to smile generously.

The old man loved achar / pickle ..... more the typical Bengali sweet ones. The person who was missing his wifey and son for three long weeks also loves achar / pickle to be served with his lunch and dinner... mainly the North Indian types. Both these men have immensely influenced my life and I have seen a lot of similarities in their character traits. To blog about an achar / pickle was a personal choice after a three weeks of break. There are three big jars of pickle resting at our mother's home .... kul / ber / Indian Jujube, chalta / elephant apple and raw mango... all sweet and sour with a dash of chilli. The mother laments who will eat them now. The one who went off will never come back, let me prepare and share in the honour of someone who is kind of an umbrella in my life. I used chilli padi too in this achar besides the normal green chillies for the extra heat. If you are not that fond of too hot chillies, skip using the red chilli padi and use the normal green, big ones. Since we use a lot of oil in pickles, it over powers the heat from the chillies... the more we give sunbath to pickles, the more tastier it gets and stays for longer period without spoiling. Come let us do this quick and easy Lankar Achar / Chilli Pickle together and store them in tight jars.

INGREDIENTS :

Green Chilli : 100gm
Red Chilli [Chilli Padi] : 50gm 
Oil : 1 medium sized tea cup [mustard always for us]
Vinegar : 4tbsp
Fenugreek Seeds : 1tsp
Carom Seeds : 1/2tsp
Coriander Seeds : 1tbsp
Cumin Seeds : 2tsp
Mustard Seeds : 2tbsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Sugar : 1tsp
Salt : As Required

METHOD :

Wash the chillies gently and thoroughly rubbing under running water for a while. Dry them with a clean, soft towel.

Dry roast the fenugreek, carom, coriander, mustard, cumin seeds without burning them. Grind to a coarse powder.

Chop the chillies into smaller pieces.

Add the ground spices, chilli powder, salt, sugar and turmeric powder to the chopped chillies and fold  in well.

Heat the the oil, cool and add to the chillies & spice powders mix, also the vinegar. Fold in well. Keep the bowl under the sun for 2-3 days covered with a strainer.

Now we can transfer the achar / pickle to a clean jar. Give it a sunbath often.

KHEJUR ANAROSHER CHUTNEY

Chutneys & Pickles.... the essential condiments are a part of our lunch and dinner. As I have told earlier in similar posts that we have chutney to end a meal. Though, that elaborate cooking affair starting with a shukto and ending up with a chutney is not that much in practice today, many of us do elaborate cooking on weekends. Chutney does feature in that menu. When almost the entire world says and it is true that life got busy, this sit at home, good for nothing woman finds pleasure in cooking everyday something or the other. That is my pleasure, happiness, creative corner. How I wished my men to be big eaters and be demanding a bit. Many ask me why are you sitting at home idle, do something. I cannot make them believe how much I enjoy staying at home reading, or just watching my plants grow, going out for a walk, going through various recipes and suddenly screaming.... Cristine take out the flour, sugar too, soften the butter... I am planning for a dish and needs to complete it before he comes back from school. 

Why not? .... the son is my father too ..... my daddy used to say 'mamoni'.... you are my another mother, my mother stays  far away. My father stayed away from his parents from such a young age. The reason why I talk more about my maternal side is that I have spent less of time with my paternal grand parents they been staying in Nagaon, Assam. My paternal grand mother was a wonderful lady, never ill treated her four daughter-in-laws. I kept on telling my mother you are lucky to get such a lady as your maa-in-law who never showered you with choicest words or robbed you of your self-respect..... I am kind of jealous with you. Our daddy derived his mom's purity and his father's anger. I look at his picture and say....... you must be having gala time over there with your parents. However, when the son leaves home for his higher studies, I have to engage in some kind of a job!

This post could or should have been written beautifully but I am busy packing for a trip to Kolkata and cooking too. Do you think this extremely possessive wife will allow Cristine to take away all the credit? HaHa never...... It is my home, my den and I am the queen of this house. Perhaps for this reason our mom never allowed me to cook for our dad. The daughter has similar traits in character as of her mother though she always says I am good at heart like him. I do not agree to that .... I think I am a mixed-bag of all of the human emotions. Girls.... take hold of your own home, nurture it with love... do not allow outside forces to storm in ..... Boys appreciate your girls from time to time .... they too need fuel to energise themselves. 

Daddy loved chutney and achar too much and he needed any one of them for his lunch and dinner. Mani used to prepare different types of achar / pickle and stock it for the entire year ..... chutneys were made fresh. This sweet and sour chutney is made of dates and pineapple complete with a garnish of 'bhaja moshlar guro.' This is done in most Bengali homes, 'biye bari' & during various occasions. Once upon a time, the main attraction in such occasions was papad with chutney for this little girl. At our place, chutneys had always been  done with ingredients available in the season. Most of them were done at home as daddy loved. This KHEJUR ANARASHER CHUTNEY is my tribute to our late dad with a sweet note to the dotting fathers all around .... known.... unknown. Some of the known, wonderful fathers were famous casanovas in their youth, it feels good to see them in the present avatar..... responsible, sincere, loving family person ..... some of them I wish to talk about in different posts ..... some names I will never utter, I buried 'it' in the ruins of Pompei?.... Perhaps.Though I do not believe in any single day of celebration of valentine .... father or mother, I also feel there is no harm in doing that. Let us prepare together this yum chutney done with few fresh ingredients.

INGREDIENTS :

Pineapple : 1/2 of a medium whole
Date : 8-10
Lemon Juice : 2-3tbsp
Sugar : 1/2 small cup
Panch Phoron : 1/4tsp [an equal amount of cumin, wild celery, nigella, fenugreek, fennel seeds or alternatively use mustard seeds only]
Dry Red Chilli : 1 + 2 
Cumin Seed : 1/2tsp
Coriander Seed : 1/2tsp
Fenugreek Seed : 1/2tsp
Salt : 2-3 pinches
Oil : 1tbsp [Authentically Mustard]

METHOD :

Peel the pineapple, wash and chop. De seed and half the dates, wash. 

Dry roast the cumin, coriander, fenugreek seeds and dry red chilli for a minute. Cool it and get a coarse powder from it.

Heat the oil in a wok. Temper with panch phoron and halved dry red chilli.

Add the pineapple chunks and the salt. Stir and let cook for 2 minutes at minimal heat.

Add a medium cup of water and cover cook at minimal heat for 3-4 minutes.

Add the sugar and stir. Cover again and cook again at low heat for 3 minutes allowing the sugar to melt and incorporate well. 

Remove the cover, add the lemon juice and halved dates. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so. We are done. 

Transfer the pineapple - dates chutney to a bowl, garnish with 'bhaja moshla mix'... coarsely ground dry roasted mixed spice powder and fold in gently. We usually have it at the end of a meal but I have seen it goes well with paratha too..... not that much with luchi or roti though.

INSTANT ICE-CREAM SANDESH

This is my summer assignment to all of the kids.... known ..... unknown. You do not need to know a kid to love them. It just comes naturally. My senior is a better person to talk on this matter. At their home, I have seen a couple of neighbourhood kids growing up ..... from morning till night playing, eating, sleeping. I am not a good daughter-in-law to them, neither they are perfect to me. A perfect situation cannot happen perhaps, then there would not have been any term like 'swargey jaoa'..... going to the heaven. I have no guilt or regret for not been able to say publicly.... aww you know I love my in-laws so much... more than my own parents. I know I am doing my duty well. I do not have the silly habit of patting my own back, I believe it is for other's to say.... yet I wish to say if I could trust my paa-in-law so much so that I kept all my financial papers with him, at times even blank cheques, I know I am on the right track. I respect his dedication and sacrifice for his family and the Communist Party but I cannot accept his patriarchal mental set up. Keeping with the majority of the society, they expected me to leave my parents and be their's totally. I am unable to give in to that, neither do I believe in or support strict rules imposed on the widows of any age. 

My men live with an 'impossible to tame woman'.... they deserve dessert every now and then. I do not bother even if my man's sister is reading this.... she is matured and a daughter-in-law herself, never fuelled her mom and dad against me...... she deserves from her S di..... what? My stupid brother kisses her mother and sister right in front of his wifey.... the poor girl smiles and runs from pillar to post to settle our daddy's property... what gift is awaiting for her from didibhai?..... Well gifts are best as a surprise.

However are my in-laws to me, they are mine. They have a lot of good deeds to their credit. The foremost is that they are helpful to others and have done a lot for people and the extended family once with a limited financial resource. They loved kids, perhaps from them their son picked up this attribute. Kids are comfortable and happy with my man who manages them pretty well. I wished for a second child. He told we have many around as our friend's and relative's! Each time I said, he came up with a personal finance chart.... me too is living with a terrible person. Jokes apart, we could not take a firm decision on it for a couple of reasons. 

Do you know I prepared this sweet just in the morning and wished to blog about it immediately..... for a couple of reasons.... my grand mom is touring 'Jairambati' and 'Kamarpukur'.... with her three daughters. They are holy places for us and 'ailaaa... kya baat'.... grandma too did 'Mangalchandir Uposh' on Tuesdays and whenever I was there, I enjoyed a bowlful of 'shaboo makha'.... tapioca pearls mixed with sandesh, shredded coconut, mango, banana, milk and sugar. It is also a holy month for many others .... I  get a bit tired on the next day of fasting, I respect those who are doing it for a month..... there is no wrong if you sooth your mind and body with this yum dessert.  

I have a message also for those who consider touring or staying abroad..... is a crime..... come on they have earned it in a hard way shedding a lot of sweat. If tomorrow you get a chance you will not spare the time to go .... learn to appreciate people..... and yes I will always praise the country I stay...... from time to time.... besides other reasons.... on my night run day I went to the race ground at an unearthly hour of the night.... ALONE.... praising the good in others does not demean my own. We are more of a nationalist...... we earn foreign currency for our motherland. Finally, I dedicate this post to the angels of the world.... THE KIDS.... rest each one of us have a satan living within. Come angels, let us prepare this instant, easy, melt in the mouth cool dessert sitting at the comfort of our home. Ask your parents to make good use of the leftover things..... I did it with leftovers... a little of this and that.

INGREDIENTS :

Ice-Cream - Any Flavour [I used a homemade mango ice-cream with pumpkin seeds]
Paneer - 100gm
Sugar : 2 tbsp

Green Cardamom Powder : 1/2 tsp [Optional]

METHOD :

Take the cubed paneer pieces in a mixer. Pulse for 30 seconds or so.

Take the ice-cream in a bowl and lightly mash.

Add the mashed paneer, sugar & green cardamom powder to the ice-cream. Lightly mix. 

Transfer to individual bowls and freeze for half an hour. Serve chilled.

HERBED GRILLED BABY POTATOES

Well this was my final call about today's blogpost after juggling with quite a few. Ask me why? I am  just that way... whimsical and the master of my own mind. I decided on this universally accepted potatoes! S, what happened...... no South Asian / Indian / Bengali this week? Why these people do not eat western or what? Do not under estimate us, we can can lah. As far as I am concerned I go for easy ones, do not expect a shepherd's pie from me. Even if I nail it some day, you will see this primitive fat old Bengali lady adding some chopped green chillies to the the shepherd pie before eating. Some chopped onion and coriander leaves will also work fine.... I mean I will end up preparing a shepherd pie chaat for myself..... ' thora woh cheese hatao aur laal mirch dalo' .... 

I am that kind of a desi who cooks 'dhonepata bata shim' broad beans in coriander paste sitting far off from my homeland  in the kitchen of another home. Hola my expert counterparts, I can also cook 'lau chingri', 'loitta shutkir bhorta', 'chyachra', 'tatka loter jhuri' 'mutton dopiaza' and 'curry chicken-the island way too.'Always remember I have many other people to deal with, a mariner or his wife has friends and acquaintances worldwide. Not always the wifey wishes to show love to all at one time.

My friend Bianca Castafiore would be sad if I blog about a chaat today. She is among the few who thinks S is not that bad looking.... hahaha. Then some of the dear people are potato lovers whom Bianca loves too. Why not try some guilt free potato as yum snacks or appetisers. Besides, some dears are touring Santorini, Paris, Venice and sending beautiful pictures. Been jealous is not my forte, the best way I can call them back home is with some lemony, yummy, herbed grilled potatoes.... haha. My most favourite Bengali actor, Oscar winning Ray's 'akhon ke noor' Soumitra Chottopadhay receives France's highest award... the Legion D' Honneur? or Honour. I fell for him after watching Apur Sangshar .... one among Ray's famous trilogy.... available in Youtube perhaps. I do not know if this is the right post to talk about him or not, but this actor par excellence is my heart throb since child hood till date. More about him in a fish and rice post may be. 

I got too busy this week buying gifts for the family.... they would not allow me beyond the airport gate if I do not..... haha, just joking. In reality, they know I love gifting people however small it is. Money never counts when it comes to a gift. With time really an important factor, I selected this easy and quick appetiser to be cooked together with you and shared. I prepared it for few visiting friends. Our friend's good looking dancer spouse Nibedita Chottopadhay who specialised in kathak form, a choreographer too told she loved it. Whatever happens.... this couple is or will remain special to us. I have seen some people have a wrong habit of creating holes in relationship, I believe they have something really wrong about themselves. You see staying at home is by choice. Call us when you need us or we need you, I do not have time to indulge in all these non-sense. I sit at home but can sense what goes around, come on not that dumbo either.

INGREDIENTS :

Baby Potato : 250gm
Chopped Parsley : 1tbsp
Chopped Coriander : 1tbsp
Dried Mixed Herbs : 1/2 tsp
Salt : As Required
Black Pepper : 1tsp
Lemon Juice : 2-3 tbsp
Olive Oil : 2-3tbsp

METHOD :

Peel & wash the potatoes with skin on. Prick all over of each with a fork. Marinate with the chopped parsley, coriander, dried mixed herbs, salt, black pepper, lemon juice, olive oil. Keep aside for an hour.

Place the grill plate atop the high wired tool.

Grill for 25 minutes depending on your machine.

    

They are crisp outside and soft inside, ready to be served and finished immediately. Enjoy! We enjoyed it with air-fried spicy cauliflower & burnt garlic rice!

                     

GRILLED PINEAPPLE AND ALOO MATAR TIKKI

Aloo Tikki is something I am acquainted with since I was this small. In Kolkata, aloo tikki is usually served alongside ghugni as a chaat. Giant sized iron skillets and atop it aloo tikki and ghugni cooking. The ghugni was pre-cooked, it was tempered and garnished on the skillet when the customer ordered. The mother thing never allowed us to have roadside food till we were at school. Once in college, we got some freedom and spread our wings. Our college was located amidst a number of eateries .... Capri.... the Indo - Chinese joint where we tasted Bengali style chilli chicken for the first time. There was a cafeteria serving coffee and mendu vada, idly and dosa, dahi vada .... we were regular at that.... Sanatan dar "roll er dokan." ..... Basanta Cabin selling mouthwatering fish fry with kasundi and onion rings .... though I do not know whether it is the branch of the famous one in College Street or not.... and then there was this aloo tikki seller who did full justice to it. We were frequently seen at this joints, at times we packed them and enjoyed them sitting at the college lawn.  We were a naughty gang and not as good and studious as the girls of the college located just opposite ours.... they were Bethune-ites who looked at us as step or half brothers and sisters. 

Yes, we were a notorious gang of Scottish Church College. It had an enriched history with a big number of distinguished personalities graduating from there since the British era. It lost its pride in the 80's and 90's allowing admission to hooligans like us.... now I hear it is reviving it's past glory. Some of us friends visited our college back in 2013... it was a total nostalgia .... I am deadly against any kind of make over of the building. Years before that in 2008 I took my little boy to my college.... see this is mumma's college. It was a saturday evening, I accidentally bumped on "Chipu da".... our book store supplier where we got books and note books at cheaper rates. Oh God how some of us irritated him not paying for the books in time. We took no time to hug each other with teary eyes ..... "Chipu da kyamon achish?"..... We forgeot we are grown ups and married with kids. Does this male - female thing matter when it comes to friendship? That is when I ask the boys gang of college to arrange for an outing  on my next visit assuring them you can take your wives. The daddy thing ditched in between, so it has to be postponed.

If I am talking about our college, our pride today, I felt I should talk about Anindya Chatterjee of the famous Bengali Band "Chandrabindu." If he and his team has taken Bengali music to few places in the world, as an old time friend I should clap for him. I am not that kind of a person who will say oh Anindya.... we were best of friends in college and shared our lunch everyday. No, it was not like that. He was a year senior to us and we were just friends who chatted everyday if our off periods matched. His wife I see a Bong beauty.... a journo by profession. In college his eyes were stuck into another beauty.... daughter of a Kashmiri mother and Bengali father doing physics honours. She was too timid,  pure and studious, and I could not help him anyway. Jokes apart, Anindya had excellent command over Bengali, no wonder he will write the lyrics of his songs. I remember he used to say I do not wish  to go for a 9-5 job, I will do something else. They were four or five friends who took part in skits and extempore and would ask some of us to go and cheer for them when they went to different colleges.... Calcutta Medical.... RG Kar... National Medical.... Presidency.... Vidyasagar or elsewhere.... we did comply skipping our classes. I remember Upal.. one of the band member was from the science department and I knew him by face alone.... I was closer to Anubrata of physics and Sanjay too but the last two did not join the music band. Chandril.... now a band member and a journo was an excellent orator too and used to come from the City college as a competitor of Anindya. They became friends later. I had a misunderstanding with Anindya later over a silly issue ..... one day I had to follow the trail to his Sahitya Parishad Street home to drop a letter in their letter box on behalf of a dear someone. Anindya thought the girl in question was me and was not very kind about it. As of me I could or can never disclose the name as long as I am alive. I know if I meet Anindya in a concert we will smile at each other and I would request for an autograph. Last year he came with his band to this island but I missed as we were touring Europe. Some of my dear friends are still close to him, we need to plan something. As of me, I had a couple of crushes while in college, but then I did not feel the drive within to go and talk and settle for something. I had to call my senior to my college and ask take a look at that boy, does he look dependable? He used to get angry.... how do I know, how can I decide for you S? I stepped backwards, I knew they cannot give me 100% commitment. Yes, I have commitment phobia.

Why did I say all these above? I have a message to convey ..... give your passion some time and love even if you are not willing to take a risk or be able to become as successful as Anindya. Secondly, hold hands only when you can trust and fully depend on a person. With doubts in mind we cannot do justice to any relationship. Life is definitely not only about running around the trees and singing songs. I keep my fantasies active to fulfil that area .... To the girls in their 20's ... not that attractive .... you do not need to stoop low to seek attention .... focus on what can take you to new heights, find strength in your potentials. Grilled Pineapple and Matar Aloo Tikki post is not something where I should talk about Anindya and his band..... the excellent aloo tikki seller then took me there ..... I also have buddies .... non Bengali speaking, vegetarian who said, "S... your boris look good". I have to express my gratitude to them. Then some friends are touring Europe and eating grilled stuffs .... ok I wish to walk together with them .... then some butterflies are flying around in multiple colour tones..... let us add some colour to the post .... let us take everyone in. What do I wish? Well..... who bothers? I do take care of myself cooking some mutton curry and paratha or ilish and rice for myself..... wearing a white and black combination of handloom cotton with antic silver jewelry ..... I know I look best when I am me.... rest are all made up because I only preach rise above yourself. You can prepare this yummy, healthy starters hassle free. In fact your kids can do it for you, I love watching them constructively engaged in cooking, painting, reading, dancing, singing besides studying.

You can do them in skewers, I find this method easier. I do not have griller and do all grilled stuffs in my convection mode microwave oven!

Let us get the  Aloo Matar tikki ready to be grilled.

INGREDIENTS :

Potato : 2-3 medium sized
Green Pea : 1/2 small tea cup
Black Pepper : 1tsp
Green Chilli : 2 slitted
Aamchur Powder : 1tsp [dry mango powder]
Chaat Masala : 1tsp [assorted spice powder]
Salt : As Required
Oil : 1 tbsp

METHOD :

Boil the  halved and washed potatoes in enough water.

Once cold peel off the skin and mash well adding salt, chaat masala, black pepper and aamchur powder.

Add the smashed green peas, chopped green chillies and oil. Fold in gently. Prepare balls & flatten between your palms  taking out small portions. They are ready to be grilled.

Grill for 10 minutes one side, turn over & grill for another 5 minutes!

Let us get the pineapple ready to be grilled.

INGREDIENTS :

Pineapple : 1medium
Tandoori Masala : 2tsp [I use Everest]
Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Lemon Juice : 1/2small cup
Oil : 1tbsp

METHOD :

Peel the pineapple properly and wash. Cut half lengthwise.

Cut further into smaller cubes. Marinate with tandoori masala, red chilli powder, oil, salt and lemon juice. Keep marinated for 1/2 an hour.

Arrange the marinated pineapple cubes and aloo tikki on your grill plate. Place it atop the tool.

Grill one side for 10 minutes. Check. Turn over and grill for another 5-6 minutes.

They are done, enjoy fresh with your choice of salad, dip, chutney.