Aam Baat

Give that poor guy a break, yaar. Leaving your 8-yr old child behind in the pub is not as criminal as the holier-than-Thou junta makes it appear! Many a parent has done it atleast once in their parenthood. Just because the culprit is the British PM cannot make the same offence graver than if a lesser mortal did it. And which child wouldn't love being left behind in the pub? There are huge screens all over, the ambience is warm and the staff hospitable. Unlike pubs in India where the emphasis is more on drinking, the ones in UK are family haunts. They spill over with patrons standing outside on the streets as weekend approaches. You wanna chillax after a long week? Hit the pub with your colleagues on Friday evening & stay there beyond midnight if you so wish.   
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The pubs serve the customary drinks & have dining on the menu. More often than not, there are special activities on various days to attract crowds. Quiz one evening(the winner gets free dinner), a film screening on the other while a local 'star' performer crooning to the audience on the third. These public houses have a cosy, non-intrusive atmosphere that is apt for all kinds of gathering. And mostly, you don't get shot if you refuse to serve drinks to anyone after closing hours. How did little Nancy feel when she came back from the restroom to see her family missing? For a while she must have breathed easy without security breathing down her neck! In fifteen minutes Dad David was anyway there to collect her. 
                                                                                                              P got more time to himself when his dad took him to buy fodder for the cattle, asked him to get the fodder weighed while he refilled gas & came back. The then-child P realized, after the stipulated time had elapsed, that ho na ho, papa mujhe bhul gaye hain. So he collected the fodder, hailed an auto and reached home. Dad was in the verandah, spectacles in place, newspaper in hand, engrossed in what was going on in the world. He looked up as he heard the gate open & remarked aa gaye to his son, quite forgetting that they had gone out together! The son, now grown up and following his father's footsteps in the absent-mindedness department, chuckles every time he remembers the episode. Take a chill pill, is what he suggests to the whiners club. Have some cold Mango Shake to beat the heat. You just need some milk(even watery will do) & a a couple of ripe mangoes(sour? no probs!) to keep you cool.
                                                                                                                                                    Ingredients:[serves 2]
1. 2 glass cold milk
2. 1-2 ripe mango/pulp
3. 1-2 tsp honey(use sugar if you are trim :))
                                                                                                                                             Method:
1. Put all the ingredients in the blender & give it a whip.
2. Delicious mango shake is ready!

                      Refrigerate and serve if you want it more cold. The cold milk anyway keeps your delicious drink at the right temperature.
                                                                                                        Not everybody can afford a cattle just because the milkman delivers pani wali doodh. Make as much mango shake as you want. Or change the milkman. I am doing the first :)

Payesh

Hello People! Missed you. Missed writing for you. Did not miss the cooking though. (Which home-maker has ever escaped that!) We landed in India on Tuesday & Sunday was P’s birthday. Not his fault really. Not mine either that I have pampered him & made him expect surprises on his special day. So much so that the gent has the gall to lament aaj khali khali sa lag raha hai the day after ! And then he has some more treasure hunt to do the next day so that the khalipan doesn’t overwhelm. All this in the name of love is very fine & mushy in good times. Not if you have come back to a locked-for-almost-a-year-house, been greeted by the pigeon family & their mites & taken care not to tread on their freshly-laid eggs. And we are not talking dust & spiders. Thanks to Manju that was taken care of to a welcoming degree.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              A good friend did promise a deal but after a journey that lasts forever, you may not have the energy to call up friends. Good or otherwise. Correction there. Jim I did call. Nobody makes cakes like his bakers. And that they have three branches in the NCR, and one in my vicinity, is such a blessing. The Chocolate Excess arrived, I managed to tuck it away & sat glumly. The gent had heard the doorbell. ‘Who’s it?’ ‘The neighbour,’ say I. And try to look away. His hand reaches the fridge door. The glee on his mug is child-like. ‘Kya aaya?’ There is a lot of food exchange that happens thanks to our friendly neighbours. It was almost a given that the first few days, somebody will bring you some meal. I cannot shout out a kuch nahi for fear of raising suspicion. The mild kuch nahi with that dead-giveaway of a smile makes him open the fridge. The big Baker Street box transforms the smile to a laugh accompanied by a joyous shout. And I know I have dug my grave a little deeper. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        What did remain a surprise was the lunch thrown for friends & big bro. The cleaning spree happened full-throttle, the maid decided to remain absent, the birthday boy had to run errands & clean & withstand frayed nerves that were unsolicited. By midday he was ready to collapse. In front of the TV. To an enthusiastic query of, ‘hey happy b’day, how are you feeling?’ came the energy-depleted , ‘tired’, response. ‘Even I am tired. The only difference is it’s your b'day so you don’t feel like working,’ say I. ‘Isn’t that reason good enough?!’ leaves me confounded. And smiling :) ‘Not really. When there are only two people in the house, both have to share work. Quote unquote’, leaves him zipped. And smiling.

                                                                                                            Payesh/Kheer, rice cooked in thickened milk, is a traditional Bong’s way of celebrating an auspicious day. As a mod Bong-Bihari duo, we have the cake and the payesh. And call the latter, kheer :) That the payesh was a super-duper hit was proved when bhai wanted a second help. How a chef loves serving the foodie! The variation of the kashmiri chicken found an appreciative audience while the paneer capsi jalfrezi had to be content on the sole veggie’s plate. Sigh! The dahi vada gave the hot lunch a cool quotient & all-in-all it was a great celebration that rounded off with the friends suggesting Rowdy Rathore and we happily obliging. And amidst the nimbu pani, excess chocolate & camaraderie, you realize what you miss in a foreign land....

                                                                                                                                      Ingredients:

1.  2 ltr full-cream milk

2.  ½ cup broken rice- washed & soaked

3. 1 cup sugar

4.  ¼ cup condensed milk(optional)

5.  A handful kaju, kishmish

6. ½ tsp cardamom powder/4-5 whole cardamoms

                                                                                                                                      Method:

1. Boil the milk on sim to thicken it to 3/4th its amount. Add the whole cardamoms now. (If using powdered elaichi, leave for later)

2.   Add the soaked rice & allow cooking in the thickened milk. Keep stirring periodically to check that no lumps are formed/ rice does not stick to the vessel-bottom.

3.  Add the dry fruit and stir on.

4.   When rice is cooked, add sugar & condensed milk(if using) and mix well. 

5.  Add cardamom powder, mix properly & remove from flame.

                                                                                                                                                Serve payesh at room temperature. Cold may make the rice harden. Hot is a no-no. You don't want loosies!

Happy Birthday, P. No surprises next year. Please!!!

Farfalle

When the two teams merged, there was an an official get-together to get to know each other well. While the gangs both sides were comfortably familiar with each other, it was the ones in the ivory tower who needed the ice-breaking. A list of questions was prepared that the department heads had to field, if that helps in getting to know one's manager better! To a banal question of 'what's your favourite food', Shane gave a spicy response. 'I don't really have a favourite food. I am like a pregnant woman. I have cravings.' One thing was established. The manager was witty. Thank God for small mercies!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                Craving is a good thing. I feel like Andy of Shawshank Redemption as I write this. 'Remember Red, Hope is a good thing. In fact, it is the only thing.' Not that I can replace craving with hope but the sentiment is similar:) In matters of culinary art, craving creates wonders. Like it did with the leftover farfalle last week. It was a friend's birthday & we decided to surprise him with breakfast on the house. Pasta & muffins it was. Abundance was in the air & I ended up boiling more pasta than needed for four people. Made three-fourth of it. (Even that served 6!) And the next morning saw the remaining farfalle being put to creative use :) 
                                                                                                     The name of this 'bow-tie' pasta, farfalle, is derived from the Italian word farfalla(butterfly). The e at the end of the word is the Italian feminine plural ending viz., butterflies. So what does one do with all those butterfly look-alikes in the house? First thank the stars for giving you the foresight of keeping a portion aside when the excess was discovered. Next, thank them again for placing a delicious idea in your head. Thanking done, get down to business. Of beautifying the farfalle some more :) Sounds like fun, doesn't it!
                                                                                                    You don't always need leftover boiled pasta for the purpose! Boil it exclusively to make this dish. Give it any name you want. I leave it to you dear reader. If you come up with a fancy one, share it with me. 
                                                                                                                            Ingredients:
1. Boiled farfalle pasta(or any other)
2. 2-3 whisked eggs
3. 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
4. 2 tsp mixed herbs
5. 1-2 cheese slices( or grated mozzarella)
6. 1 tsp pepper powder
7. 1 tsp olive oil  
8. Salt to taste
                                                                                                                                    Method:
1. Mix tomato ketchup, herbs, olive oil & salt in the boiled pasta & toss gently with a spoon/your hand.
2. Pour half of the whisked egg in a greased baking tray and arrange the pasta mixture over it.

3. Make stripes(roughly/with a blunt knife) of the cheese slice & arrange over the pasta layer.
4. Sprinkle pepper over the cheese stripes & top up with the remaining beaten egg. 

5. Bake the pasta at 160° C for 8-10 mins.











Dig into the cheesy farfalle with the artlessless of a child. The tray will be wiped clean in less than five minutes. Take my word for it! 

Mushy Mushroom

That Kasab is getting vegetarian food comes as news to all. While it goes against the ethics of hospitality to serve veg to a meat-eater, somebody has taken it upon himself to not let that deter him. So what if Ajmal is an honoured guest, he must eat what others do. So what if the venue is the Arthur Road jail, so what if the guest has taken lives, so what if he is a national threat, so what if  cooks were illegally shifted from other prisons to cater to the gunman & his seven jailors, or perhaps, for precisely these reasons, Kasab has to be treated like any other  under-trial. Finally! 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          We know now that there are periodic reviews in the police department like in other lines of business. Thank God for the realization. It was during one such internal checks that the irregular transfer of cooks came to light. Heartening. Made stronger by the fact that a corrective action followed. The top brass of the Mumbai Police immediately ordered the transfer of the cooks to their original postings. Which leaves our esteemed guest to eat ghaas phoos cooked by the convicts. Unfair to the one so used to biryani & other speciality cuisine. But then, when has life ever promised to be fair!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         The vegetarian menu has roti, dal & sabzi, both for lunch & dinner. Of course the variety of the veggies & dal differs in each meal. Also, dinner in the prison has to be eaten at 3.30pm, the barrack closing time. Even here our esteemed guest had a privilege. He would be served dinner after sundown, though he is already in a closed barrack. Damn, all entitlements stripped at once. That's cruel. The vegetables are palatable, one just hopes. How else can AK survive? He will live here for ever, remember? Atithi devo bhavah is the       
backbone of hamara bharat.
                                                                                              Talking of tolerable veggies, I suggest the inmates make Mushy Mushroom for our friend. He will love it so much that he will want to become an Indian national. We can then utilize his rifling skills to bring our enemies to book. Sounds like an idea, doesn't it. How about doing a GB project on that. Rohini?    
                                                                                                      Oh, and here's the recipe, people. Even lesser mortals can enjoy this :) And super-simple.
                                                                                                          Ingredients: [Serves 3-4] 
1. 200gm mushrooms - quartered
2. 1 medium onion- cubed
3. 2 cloves garlic- chopped
4. 1-2 green chillies chopped (deseeded)
5. Cornflour- 2tbsp
6. Sauce:
i. Soy- 1tbsp
ii.Tomato- 1 tbsp(optional)
iii.Chilli- 1tbsp(optional)
7. 1/4tsp turmeric
8. 2tsp sugar
9. 1 1/2-2 cup water
10. Salt- to taste
11. Refined Oil
                                                                                                                                        Method:
1. Boil the mushroom in salt & turmeric water for 5-6 minutes and strain.
2. Coat the boiled mushroom with cornflour, shallow fry and keep aside.
Remember to: Pour water in the vessel(in which mushrooms were being coated) to make cornflour water. No need to add extra cornflour. Leave aside for later use. 

3.  In a wok, stir the onion, garlic & green chillies for 3 mins on high.
Onion should be translucent & not brown. 
  
4.  Add the fried mushroom and saute well. 

5.  Add the cornflour water & let mushrooms cook on medium flame for 5-6 mins.
6.  Pour in whichever/all the sauces, salt & sugar & bring to boil. Keep gravy or dry. 


This recipe tastes equally good with everthing- roti/parantha/naan/rice/fried rice or noodles. Huff! Spoilt for choice, aren't we!                                                                                                                                       Serve hot.                                                                                                                                                                                        Itna mushy ki bas pyar ho jaye                                Itna tasty ki dushman dost ban jaye                     Mushy Mushroom banayein                                       Sab ka mann lubhayein                                               Itna khilayein                                                                         Ki bhai jaan ghar na jaane payein....

(Microwave) Besan Laddoo

Truth be told, I had no intentions of making Besan Laddoo at this point in time. It is not Holi, it is not Diwali. If anything, it is just a week before I travel. And you want to keep it simple at such times because your focus is packing. Not cooking. And that is precisely why I end up making this sweet my second last Sunday in London. Because I am moving. And because I must utilize my grocery to the best of my ability till the last breath of my life:) Tell you what? I got so ambitious that I wanted to make boondi with the besan & carry some to India! Realized I don't have the equipment to turn dream into reality. Settled for besan laddoos instead. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Not without some prior research though. Why do all that mehnat of endlessly stirring the chickpea flour in the kadhai ? There has to be a short cut. And there is! Just put your microwave to good use. You did not invest so much in it to just warm your food & milk! Make some laddoos. Share them with your friends. The joy of sharing equals none. And tell them how you accomplished this in less than thirty minutes! Also, tomorrow is Nive's birthday. Though kaju katli was her favourite once upon a time, who knows she may even dig the online besan laddoo that doesn't threaten the waistline!
                                                                                                                                                                                                                    During my hostel days, Amrita di was the besan laddoo owner. That was a patent tuck that would come when she came back after the hols. That she was my roomy & we got along well only made matters sweeter for me :) Lately, the best BL I've had is from Kopal's maayka. These were soft, did not fall apart when bitten into & had that gooey feel that is so close to jannat. How bhai & Kopal made them last for more than a day still baffles me! With the paeans, it needs to be mentioned, that this IS a fattening food. If consumed like a glutton. But you are not. A chef cannot be greedy. Make laddoos for the khaandan, the aroma of the ghee coated besan & the satiety that accompanies those smiles, will make you full anyway. 
                                                                                                      Did I hear you say 'What rubbish! I want to make my laddoos & eat it too'? Well, a chef can be greedy. But only at times. Like this one. I made the laddoos yesterday afternoon. Of the 12 large laddoos, I've eaten only 4 1/2. In less than 24 hours. You call that greed? Naah! I call that need. The exhausted body, with all that packing & weight-lifting, demands glucose! 
                                                                                                      Aah, too much banter. Let's get started guys. And don't tell me I didn't warn you about this sinful delicacy ;)

Ingredients:[makes 5-6 laddoos]
1. 1 cup besan
2. 3/4 cup ghee
3. 3/4 cup sugar
4. 1 tsp cardamom powder
                                                                                                                                              Method:
1. Mix the ghee & besan well and put in the microwave(high)
for 2 mins.

2. Take out from the microwave, stir the mixture & put it back for another 2 mins. 
3. After a total of 4 minutes, you will get the roasted flavour of besan. Take out to check the browning. 
4. Put the besan back in the microwave for another minute & let it roast.
5. Let the mixture cool for a while & then add the sugar and keep mixing. The sugar will melt partially.  
6. Add the cardamom powder after the sugar is mixed properly, give it a final fold & make laddoos. 

The laddoos will form well if you refrigerate for over an hour. Do it if you are making besan laddoos for guests.
                                                                                                                                                Cz if it's for the family, you may be accosted on your way from the kitchen to the fridge & the tray whisked from your hand. The loving parivaar  doesn't want you to lift weights, you see!  

The next time I'm going easy on the ghee. Even with a little less, the laddoos can be formed well. Add a tbsp of milk, instead.  
                                                                                               Garnish besan laddoos with silver vark, raisins, almonds or any other dry fruit. Why those colossal cashews here? You guessed it! I am left with enough kajus for seven days :)
                                                                                                            Happy Birthday, Nive. May your life be as rich & as sweet as the besan laddoo. And not as half as fattening! See you soon.

Chilli Potato

Yesterday was Mome's birthday. Mome(spelt Mom, may be read like an anglicized Ma, so I play around with the spelling. Pardon me.) and I were best friends at school. It is mandatory to have a best friend till you reach your father's knee. Makes one feel special, on a pedestal from those unfortunate enough to have just friends, equips you to face dreaded questions from the adult world in the lines of who is your best friend, what is your favourite subject, bodo hoye ki hobey etc & generally makes you feel loved.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              In those ancient days of no TV, no internet, human relationships had a different feel n flavour. It was an absolute joy going to each others' house(without making a prior phone call!), playing hide & seek, relishing the snacks that were made in mother's kitchen(we had not heard of McD's & the likes then), admiring each other's dresses(frocks we called them) & taking a rickshaw back home, if your friend lived far or just walk it if it was closer. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Mome was one of the most intelligent girls in class. I did not know the word intelligent then, she was very tej, as they would say in Begusarai. Padne mein bahut tej hai. And not just padna, my best fren was an artist par excellence, very good with words & generally sharper than most kids. She had the maturity of conferring titles on our classmates-she herself was Baby Face, I was Laugher - that made us feel like grown-ups; the spunk of drawing small beetles on the wall when both of us were sent out of the class for laughing(!) and the sense to know that she was an artist when I described her as a drawer to the handsome Red House Captain who made us all swoon :D  
                                                                                                     Our girl is Dr. Sucheta Mallick Choudhury now, Asst. Prof.,English, University of Houston-Downtown. This Doctor publishes research papers that will secure her a place with the literary greats & still has the love & patience to cook delectable dishes, pictures of which make all on Facebook salivate! This Chilli Potato is a belated birthday wish to the friend who set a benchmark for my later friendships. And whose childhood epithet gave me the tenacity to go on when life did not permit much laughing. 

Try this finger-licking dish people. Make it for your best friend if you have one. Or get one, by making this today :) Both ways, you are the winner!

Ingredients: [Serves 5-6]
1. 5-6 boiled potato- quartered
2. Chopped Onion- 3/4cup
3. Ginger Garlic Paste/finely chopped- 2 tsp
4. Chopped Cilantro- 1/2tbsp
5. Chopped Green Chillies(deseeded)- 1/2tbsp
6. Maida- 2tbsp
7. Cornflour- 2tbsp
8. Sauce:
i. Tomato- 1.5tbsp
ii. Chilli- 1tbsp
iii. Soy- 1tbsp
9. Ajinomoto- 1/2tsp
10. Sugar- 2tsp
11. Salt- to taste
12. 1 1/2-2 cup water
13. Refined Oil
                                                                                                                                            Method:
1. Prepare a batter of maida, cornflour, ginger garlic paste & salt. Dip potato pieces in this batter & deep fry till crisp & brown.
                                                                                                                                             Keep aside on absorbent paper to soak excess oil.










2.  In a wok, stir the  ginger garlic for 3 mins on high.  Toss in the onions & fry for another 3. 

Add the chopped green chillies & fry for a minute.   

Keep stirring all the while.

Onion should be translucent & not brown.
3.  Add water, all the sauces, salt & sugar & bring to boil. 

Put in the fried potatoes & let simmer for 5 minutes on high.

Add ajinomoto & chopped cilantro & take off the flame.




Chilli Potato(gravy) tastes best with fried rice or noodles. If you keep it dry, you can serve it as a starter.

Serve hot.
                                                                                             Starters are so easily available in superstores these days that I always end up making manchurians as a gravy dish! As you like it, folks. 
                                                                                                        PS: Mome(Bangla) means wax(candle). A child by this name is white & soft. As they grow, they shine like candles & dazzle the world. Amen!