The Gift Of Life.....: March 2018

Long time no blogging....

No one to blame. No convincing excuse. I am alive and kicking.

...just back from a very short super active India trip.

A beautiful wedding, meeting family (some, after many long years), dressing up, eating like there is no tomorrow, an outing with both sets of parents (in-laws), visits to the doctors, an eye-opening trip to a beautiful school, eating more and more and more......and back!

Saturday morning, back on my sofa, with a cup of tea in my hand, I can ruminate in peace.

If only I knew how to ruminate like a cow, I would bring back and chew the Fish Munia from the wedding, the Pomfret curry from home and the Kochuri-alu from the streets next to the wedding (where I sneaked out to taste some street food while the wedding was ongoing. Being a hardcore foodie is a tough job!).

Ruminating like a human, I am reliving the wedding with its many customs, happiness and laughter, the blushing bride, the gorgeous groom, the short outing with excited parents, the visit to the school where the kids were so innocent and so much more....

......Once again appreciating "The Gift of Life".

So uncertain, yet so very beautiful.

Certainty is boring.

Certainty kills creativity.

Certainty is no fun.

It is actually the 'uncertainty' which makes life worth living!

Amen.

Going back to the topic of food, (which I keep going back to whenever possible), I have to say street food in India ROCKS! It is like having mini Michelin stars all along the streets of Kolkata. They may not have the 'ambience', but they sure have the 'taste'.

The wedding venue had a market nearby which sold fresh fruits and vegetables. In winter, such a market in India is beautiful. A huge variety of fresh colourful fruits and vegetables glistening in the warm golden lazy winter sun. Men and women with shopping bags in hand carefully picking the vegetables, holding each in hand, examining it from all possible angles before making their choice. Shopkeepers advertising their products with utmost enthusiasm, one shouting over the other claiming their product to be the best. Energy all around. So very different from the cold aisles of the supermarket and the expressionless lady at the cash we see every day.

I just had to go for a walk. To soak in the sun. To smell in the vegetables. To absorb the energy.

Few hundred meters down the market, the second shop in a narrow alley caught my attention.

A very small shop selling Kochuri -- Round puffed Kochuris getting fried in a huge frying pan full of oil. What a sight! What an aroma! What an attraction!

I walked to the shop..'Dekhi dada duto kochuri!" [Can I have 2 kochuris please]

A plate was served. Two hot phulko kochuri with potato curry and green chilli pickle.

As I put the first piece in my mouth, my taste buds danced with happiness, my brain cells shouted in glee, my whole being experienced something close to Nirvana....

The plate was empty in minutes, wiped spotlessly clean with the last bit of the Kochuri.

I have to admit that I went back to the same shop again the next day, even on a full stomach. I have no regrets!

Sadly I have no photos to share, I was too busy eating.

Now let's cook something. I am hungry. Again.

Bengali Vegetable chop

When I started to make this, I was totally 'uncertain' about the final product. I had never made this before. So when A-senior found this recipe for me from You-tube, I was a bit hesitant to try it.

This is a very common winter snack in Bengal. It makes use of the colourful winter vegetables like carrots, beetroot, green peas and makes the dull winter evenings crisp with taste and warmth. Usually, it is served with a salad of thinly sliced red onions and cucumbers.

Ingredients:

3 Beet roots (sliced fine)

3 Carrots (sliced finel)

2 Potatoes (boiled OR Steamed)

1 cup green peas
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1/4 cup thinly sliced coconut pieces(fried)

1/4 cup raisins(optional)

2 tsp Coriander

2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp fennel seeds
2-3 pieces of Cinnamon
5-6 Cardamom
1/2 tsp panch phoron
5-6 cloves
2 bay leaves

1 tsp amchur
2 tsp Ginger paste
salt to taste
Oil for frying
Bread crumbs and egg for coating.

Ready steady cook:

Mash the steamed potatoes. Keep aside.
Grind together the cumin, coriander, fennel, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon,bayleaves, dried red chillies. Mix the amchur powder in this.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the panchphoron and let it sizzle.
Add the gingerpaste and fry. Add the sliced beetroot, carrot and green peas. Add some salt and cook for a while. Add the ground spices and then the mashed potatoes, mix well and let it cook for some more time.
When the vegetables are cooked, add the fried coconut, raisins and peanuts.
Mix well and keep it aside to cool
Divide in small portions and make them into oval shaped 'chops'.
Roll in flour, dip in egg and roll on breadcrumbs.
Keep them in the fridge for an hour to harden a bit.
Deep fry and serve with kasundi.