Value of a Vegetable

Price and Value are two very different things. This realization becomes stronger with each passing year.

(No, this post will not talk about age, in general, but it will talk about the side effects. Side effects which are not related to your knee or back or glasses. 😄) 

Birthdays come and go. Elections come and go. World Cups also come and go.

But the steady flow of wisdom with each passing day  thankfully stays, in most cases. Life opens up new experiences but at the same time also helps me to appreciate the 'older' ones better. 

I understand the difference between 'price' and 'value' more and more.

For example, many years back when my mom made "Alu-Potoler torkari" (Potato-Pointed-Gourd curry),  I used to make a not-so-happy face.  I liked the vegetable (pointed gourd) more than pumpkin no doubt, but still made a face. 

You know the face, the "Myee..hhhh" face.

However,  a "myehh" face, specially at anything on my plate was strictly prohibited at home.

Ma had strict instructions.

 "Thalay ja dewa hobe shob khete hobe"(you have to eat whatever is served on your plate).

So I had to hide the 'myehh' expression and just eat it,  basically swallowing most of it down with water with hopes of seeing fish curry on my plate the next day.

Potol (Pointed gourd) was a simple summer vegetable, hence not that pricey. Therefore, Ma served potol-curry and rice quite frequently.

I only understood its "value" at different stages of my life later.

Stage 1: Hostel life

Although I admit that hostel life was the best part of my life, food was really bad. Vegetarian hostel food in those days were pure torture. All sorts of mushy, slippery, unattractive vegetables were served in the most ugly looking curries one could think of. Tears welled up  in my eyes on certain days .....it was that bad.

Missed Ma's cooking. Anything and everything. 

If only something cooked by Ma would magically appear on the table!

Even if it was POTOL-alu dalna!

Nothing like that happened, I just got used to the hostel food, complained less and found far more important things to enjoy.

Stage 2: Pregnancy

The first three months were awful, could not eat a grain. 

Hormones were being crazy. Mood was all over the place. Poor husband tried to maintain peace.

The next six months were super! Eternally hungry ! Taste buds craving for everything.

If only food would be served! I fell in love with vegetables, all of them.

Pictures of Potol-curry danced around me like the distant desert mirages. The curry which was so 'Myeeh' in my childhood became a delicacy in my dreams...if only Mom was around to cook me a bowl of Potol curry.

Potol was not available in Netherlands, so no Potol-curry was served!

Stage 3: Now!!

I actually love Potol now, in any form.

The value of these vegetables and home cooked food is now well understood (thanks to the number of years added to my life....no one can deny the wisdom that the years have added).

Unfortunately Potol is not that easily available in the shops near my house. However, by God's extreme grace, I do have a friend who lives in a house which is close to an Indian store that sells Potol. This summer, my craving for Potol exceeded all other years and I went up to my friend P, to request him to get me a kilogram of this lovely vegetable. P got the vegetable and planned to hand it over at work (we work at the same office). But I could not go to work the day after, so he passed it on to his wife S.  S works close to my house, so I drove to her office to pick up the kilogram of Potol from her.

As I waited outside her office for her to come out after work and handover the bag of precious Potol to me.....I smiled to myself!

Am I the same person who is doing all this ....just for Potol?

The "value" of Potol must have appreciated multiple times over the years......... 

I came back home with Potol in my bag and plans in my head to use each and every bit of the lovely vegetable.

Day 1: Fried 2 potols (Saved the peels) -- ate too fast, no photos.

Day 2: Made Potol posto with 4 Potols (Saved the peels) --ate too fast, no photos

Day 3: Made Alu-Potol dalna  (Saved the peels)

Day4: Made Potol-khosha-bata (Used all the saved peels)

That is what I call "Value of a Vegetable".

           

Alu-Potol dalna

Potol-khosha-bata

Thank you P and S.

AI Vs NI ...and some Lal Doi

No, we did not have Artificial Intelligence*.

We had (have) the Natural one and completely trusted it (Still do!).

We did not have 'clouds' either.

Actually we did have clouds, but only the ones that brought rain.

We did not have our life's data stored in them.
..and we did not have (or need) GDPR!
Peace.

I have nothing against the AI buzzword...(as if that would matter anyway)

But when I made the AI Vs NI comment (above) infront of A-junior, he gave me a sympathetic look!

No words, but just a "oh, poor you!...so last generation!" look!

*Intelligence, as defined in the dictionary is 'the ability to learn, understand, and make judgements or have opinions that are based on reason'.

...very Natural, nothing Artificial about it!

NI rules.
;-)

pc: youtube.com

Yes, I agree the world is a different place.

We are technologically much more advanced.

We are global citizens.

We trust our smartphones more than anything in the world.

We use 'apps' to determine the 'age of our mind' or 'the celebrity you resemble'.

We use FaceBook to make friends.

We fight out our battles on Twitter.

O Man....where are we going?

Scary again................

AI is so popular, everyone talks about AI. Sometimes even people without NI talk about AI. 
How it is going to solve everything and behave like "us".
Alexa this. Alexa that.
Can Alexa make Tandoori chicken?
Can she fold the dry clothes for me and put it in the closet?
Till she can do the above (atleast), I am not convinced about AI.
I stand by my words.
NI rules.

Friday evening.
Two glasses of beautiful Italian red....and I have no clue where this blog post is going. 
Or is it even going 'somewhere'?

Enough on the intelligence topic.
Let me move from the brain to the stomach which is equally important.

Bhapa Lal Doi

Once upon a time when I lived in a small town called Durgapur, there was a sweets shop called Rabin Sweets.  The shop was famous for its 'Lal Doi' (Red Yoghurt). Baba used to buy it for Sunday lunch, when the whole family sat together with more special things like "Mangsher jhol" etc. The Doi used to come in a clay pot (Bhanr, as known in Bengali) covered on top by a paper and tied with thin strings. This Doi literally made the Sunday lunch complete. Each spoon of the delicate, pink, sweet yogurt was like heaven melting in the mouth....something to die for. The story did not end with the empty bhanr.
At the end, there was always the looming question in the room,
 "ke bhanr khabe?" (who is going to eat the bhanr?). 
The brother and sister looked at each other, competitive eyes trying to remember who was the lucky one the week before. The ritual was a weekly affair! 
"Eating" the bhanr basically meant the lucky person got to scrape off the last atom of lal doi from the empty pot, till he/she could taste the clay of the pot. Literally!
It was such a treat!!

                                  

Anyway, after many many years, memories came flashing back last weekend when I tried to make "Lal Doi". Thank you R for the recipe which is simple but super tasty.
One spoon into my mouth and I went back to Rabin Sweets.....
There was no competition this time for the "bhanr ke khabe?", though. ;-)

Lal Doi - 

Ready steady cook:

1. Take a pack of greek yogurt. Mix it well with a hand mixer so that it is smooth.

2. In a separate thick bottom pan, warm 2 spoons of water and add the "gur" (jaggery). I used Nolen Gur. Let it melt slowly in low heat.

3. Mix the gur well with the yogurt smoothie. Taste it.

4. Preheat the oven at 180 degC.

5. Bake the mix in a water bath for about 45-50 mins. 

6. Cool and serve.

'Certainly' tasty: Bengali Vegetable Chop

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.

It was 'certainly' very tasty!!

The recipe is an adaptation from Bongeats.

A friend took a bite and said, "exactly like in Kolkata".
What a compliment!
Made my day!

Hungry in Hungary

Budapest.

Many years back when I saw Prague, it was love at first sight.

It was the first European city I visited. Till then Europe existed only in my Geography book.

I was mesmerized by its cobbled stone lanes and dim-lit bridges. They made me feel like a James Bond heroine. As I walked on the streets, the romantic aura was so tangible, so real that it felt like he would suddenly appear from behind one of the bridges and take me in his arms (btw, by He, I mean Pierce Brosnan, only he fits the Bond image). 

...and I would introduce myself...

Roy. Dayeeta Roy!

I decided Prague was the most beautiful city on Earth.

Later on, as my travel list grew, I saw many more cities that can offer tough competition to the beauty of Prague. But it still remains the prettiest European city, for me.

First impressions are as etched in memory as first love!

My recent visit to Budapest re-kindled that "first romantic" feel from many years ago.

The cobbled stone lanes, the bridges, the streetlights, the long shadows, the huge statues, the old trams, the markets, the castles, the churches.....

It was like walking inside a book! As each page turned, it felt like stepping into a different story.

As the hop on-hop off bus rattled along the roads, the voice of my electronic guide explained everything...

....and on your right is the famous opera house of Budapest.

.....on your left is the chain bridge of Budapest which joins the old towns of Old Buda, Buda and Pest..

I barely heard anything.

I just happily soaked in the beauty around me...

Without writing a  travelogue, this time I am trying to capture Budapest in a few photos with some captions. 

......trying to find peace, love and hope.......celebrating life every moment.

We saw so much, we did so much, we ate so much.

But it left me hungry for more......

Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting to you, the magical city of Budapest.

Peace has no definition.
It is that one moment of perfect equilibrium that the mind relates to......

Love has no definition.
It is that one moment of realization that you are not alone and there is always someone to listen......

Distance has no definition
It is just a perception which tells you to come closer......

Greatness has no definition.
It is the art of sharing the same frame easily with anyone....irrespective of size, colour, origin....

Faith has no definition.
It is that one moment when you feel protected in His arms.......

Happiness has no definition.
It is that one moment when everything lights up in the dark, for no reason at all....

Hope has no definition.
It is the moment when you feel that even you can light up the sky..

Creation has no definition.
It is the artist's imagination expressed in any  beautiful form...                        

Strength has no definition
It is the confidence with which you face everything that comes your way....

Gratitude has no definition.
It is the moment of thankfulness one feels for having active taste buds ....

While walking on the streets of Budapest, I collected a few lamps.

Lamps that made the city even more magical. 

                                  Lamps that have a story.

                                  Lamps that say, "lets light up the world" ............

While walking on the streets of Budapest, I ate a lot.

Tasted the traditional Goulash.

Munched on the crispy Langosh.

Felt the warmth of the chimney cake.

Loved every bit of it.

Langosh:  deep fried bread. Top it with anything. We had it with garlic sauce. Please forget the word calories!!!

Goulash: Soup with chunks of meat, vegetables and paprika. Tastes awesome specially after a cold winter walk. The "comfort" food of Hungary.....

Hungarian Kolbasz sausage: a spicy smoked sausage, makes your taste buds toss and turn in excitement. You just cannot say no to it!

Chimney Sekler cake: These "steaming" cakes rolled in cinnamon make the open air of the Christmas market even more Christmassy! Walk around in the Christmas market while munching on them--sheer delight!

The vacation came to an end.
........leaving me hungry for more.