Saturday 27 December 2014

Spinach & coriander chicken

Winter in West Bengal brings a lot of vegetables with it. With peas to carrot, cauliflower to spring onion, Vegetable seller’s baskets are not less colorful than toy-seller’s. Just strolling in the bazaar has become a soothing experience for eyes and soul. You can almost heard yelling of every vegetable or fruits to be picked up. We began by picking up garden-fresh green bunches of Spinach and Coriander leaves and  welcomed this winter with Spinach & coriander chicken.

Spinach & coriander chicken
 
 
Ingredients to serve two to three persons :  
1 bunch of Spinach (Palang saag)
1 bunch of Coriander leaves (Dhania saag)
600 gm. Chicken
4 Onions (chopped)
2 Garlics (crushed)
2” long Ginger (in paste form)
Salt to taste
200 gm. Sour white Curd
10 Green chillies
2 table spoons Mustard oil
 
Process:
Marinate the chicken with white curd for at least an hour. Boil the Spinach with little water. Then blend it along with 5 whole green chillies. Keep aside. Separately make another paste from Coriander leaves. Heat the mustard oil in a heavy bottom Pot (Kadai). Add onions and fry till they become golden brown. Add 5 slit green chillies, garlic and ginger pastes. Stir for 3-4 minutes. Then add the chicken with the marinade. Cover and cook till the chicken is almost cooked. Now add the spinach paste. Stir and add salt per your taste. Finally add the  Coriander paste. Cover and simmer till the chicken becomes soft. Serve hot with Roti, Paratha or Polao.
 
Trick of this recipe lies in creating the right combination of hot flavours of Mustard oil and chillies and the tangy taste of curd. Paste of Spinach and Coriander leaves will help you to keep balance between these two.  
Note that, above measurements are only approximate. You can freely play with them, adding some more of one, less of other depending on the mood you are in. One may just want to play safe and go per written words.
Other may want to experiment and dare to play some mischief. One may want to trigger the festive spirit. Some may be looking for warmth of a chilly night in chillies and mustard oil. So point is finally it all depends on YOU-n-ME.

Monday 22 December 2014

Steamed chicken Momo

Not very long ago this steamed chicken Momo has turned out to be my saviour when my Kid was not eating her tiffin in school. Her alibi was “I told you I do not like bread and I do not like noodles. Don’t give paratha Mom, it sucks.” Every day the Domestic help was complaining “Didi did not eat her tiffin today”. Kid’s Grandparents were casting doubt on my motherly skill “You are not paying enough attention. Can’t you see ? She is becoming thinner every day.” So the sole target, this paranoid mom part did a desperate net surfing and started a session of trial and error. Finally one fine day, an empty tiffin box came home. Yippee!!

Yes, yes I know nothing is permanent and specially a kid’s palate. But there is nothing wrong in enjoying the sweet present.  
Steamed chicken Momo
Ingredients:
Minced Chicken 250 gm.
2 big Onions: finely chopped
1 whole Garlic (12-20 garlic cloves) : finely chopped
Coriander leaves: finely chopped (optional)
Salt
White oil (refined vegetable oils like Rice bran oil or Soybean oil or Sunflower oil) 
1 medium bowl of white flour (Maida)

Process: 
Mix a pinch of salt with the flour. Knead the flour into a soft dough with warm water. Keep aside.
Put Minced Chicken, finely chopped Onions, Garlic and Coriander leaves and little salt per taste in a Pressure cooker. Add just enough water to cook the meat. Drain excess water if any. Now make small round balls from the dough and roll thinly on a plate like a roti. Dip the balls slightly in the oil before rolling to avoid sticking. Cut circular pieces from it using a small bowl with sharp edge. Then put a teaspoon of filling in the centre. Finally bring the edges together and pinch. Make pleats and twist them with fingers to ensure a tight seal.   Then you steam the Momos in a steamer for about 10 minutes. With the above measurement I make about 30 to 35 Momos. Serve with sauce of your choice.

Alternatively one can also deep fry the Momos before serving them.

Saturday 29 November 2014

Paneer Akuri

Ever since this Parsi dish set foot in our home it became our favorite. I love its attractive colorful appearance. Since the only time consuming part in  this recipe is cutting the vegetables and grating the Paneer. So I normally do this part in advance and store it in refrigerator. Once the preparation is done, final part is pretty zippy.  

Dear reader, are you a Persian? Or do you know a Parsi?  If yes, please help. I genuinely want a Parsi’s feedback on this recipe.

Paneer akuri

Ingredients:
300 g Paneer (cottage cheese) , finely grated
1 table spoon Butter
2 medium sized Onions
2 medium sized Garlic
2 medium sized Tomato
5 Green Chillies
1 tea spoon Turmeric Powder
Sugar and Salt to taste
Chopped Coriander leaves (optional)
1 tea spoon Garam masala powder (blend of powdered  cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom) (optional)

Process:
Chop all the vegetables in small pieces. Add butter in heated pan. Start with galics. Fry till they become slight brown. Then add onions and continue frying. Next add chillies and tomatoes and fry some more. Then add the grated Paneer. Sprinkle the Turmeric Powder to give some colour. Add Sugar and Salt per your taste. In case the mixture tends to stick to the pan add little water. A small tip: Be cautious and stir gently after adding the paneer or you might land up on a mashed paneer paste!
Cover and simmer for around 2 minutes and switch off the oven. Place it in a serving bowl. You may season it with Garam masala powder and/or garnish with chopped Coriander leaves.
This dish goes well with Roti or Chapati.

Bon appetit!  Nusheh jân!

Phirni or Rice pudding

In our family, Payesh (Bengali: পায়েস) is essential for Birthdays. If you are present, no matter you like it or not we will oblige you to eat at least a spoon. This year on my husband’s B’day instead of our long-established "chaler payesh" I prepared Phirni for the first time (clearly a courtesy of my ever rebellion inside). Then obviously I was very apprehensive about its acceptance. Fortunately everything went just well and everyone enjoyed this dessert. And I ? I am still savoring its victory.



Ingredients :
Whole Milk
Sugar 
Rice (I used Gobindo Bhog)
Crushed Cashew nuts
Raisins
Cardamom powder

Process :
Boil whole milk till it become thick. Add sugar per your taste. Break Gobinda bhog rice partially by mixer or by hand grinder (better but tiresome).  Then boil the rice in water till cooked. Mix the cooked rice (along with water) in the milk and boil together. Then add crushed Cashew nuts & raisins. After the milk become really thick switch off the oven. Pour it into small serving bowl and put into refrigerator. Sprinkle Cardamom powder on top before serving.

Variations:
  •  I’ve had some Nolen gur (liquid Jaggery) left in my refrigerator for quite some time. So I pour a teaspoon of Nolen gur onto each serving bowl before putting it in the refrigerator
  • You may decorate with rose petals
  • Add as many dry fruits as you want
  • Use Jaggery (or Patali gur in Bengali) instead of sugar



Tuesday 25 November 2014

Bengali Bodhu in Quilling


Kono ek gayer bodhur kotha tomay shonai shono …. Hemanta Mukhapadhyay er konthe ei gaan shune amader boro hoye otha ….

Sunday 23 November 2014

In there

Every time I create something
Seems to ring a bell within
Though I don’t know what is there
But something I'm is worth to dare
So I keep on knocking the door
In a hope to knowing the core

So my friends who are near
If you don’t laugh I’ll share
May be you too have a look ‘in there’
May be you too find something rare
Which you cannot find anywhere

So let’s keep on digging within
Let’s not to stop dreaming here

However bright neon lights may appear
All the vogues are empty I swear
It’s nothing in contrast what lies ‘in there’
So don’t be blind by any outer glare

So just stop worrying my dear
Just keep on travelling ‘in there’
Let’s keep on travelling ‘in there’


By
Urmimala 





Hilsa Begun

I love to cook when I am with my family but when alone I just avoid cooking as much as possible. Anyway may be because of that I finally got some time  to Blog again after quite a long break.
To a Bengali Rainy season is incomplete without Hilsa fish. There are countless dishes one can prepare with Hilsa. Hilsa Begun is just one of them. 

Ingredients :
5 to 6 Hilsa (Ilish) pieces
1 Brinjal (Begun in Bengali) : Cut in thick slices
4 to 5 Green chillies slit vertically
Salt & Sugar to taste  
Mustard oil
Mustard paste
Kalunji or nigella seeds
Turmeric powder
Curd (optional)

Process:
Sprinkle turmeric powder and salt over the fish slices. Spread the spices evenly over the pieces by hand. Marinate for at least 15 minutes. Now heat  oil in a Kadai and fry the fish pieces one or two at a time. Fry till both side become golden brown. Similarly marinate the Brinjal pieces with turmeric 
powder and salt. Then fry them till they become golden.
Next heat  oil in a Kadai and add pinch of Kalunji seeds. When they start to splutter add the 
splitted green chillies. Give a stir. Then add Mustard paste and water in the Kadai and bring them to boil. Then carefully place the fried fish and Brinjal pieces into the Kadai. Add sugar/salt according to your taste. I sometimes add curd paste in it to give a little tangy twist.
Then cover the Kadai and simmer for few minutes. Serve hot with plain Rice.

Hilsa Begun

Wednesday 27 August 2014

Bhendi fry


Bhendi fry
I cook it often for lunch to go with rice and dal. For dinner I add Potatoes cut into small cubes with it and it goes well with Roti.
This easy and appetizing side dish becomes very handy at times when I am in no mood for Cooking.

Ingredients:
Bhendi or Ladies finger : Cut in small pieces
Onion: Cut in small pieces (optional)
Salt & Sugar to taste
Turmeric powder
White Oil to sauté

Process:
Sprinkle little Turmeric powder on Bhendi pieces and mix well. Heat oil in a Kadai.
If using onion, then fry the onions slightly. Then add Bhendi in it and pan fry. Else start with Bhendi pieces.
When they start to turn brown add Salt & Sugar to taste. The Sugar will add a lovely caramelized brown tint.
When all the pieces are evenly fried cover the Kadai for 2-3 minutes. So the vapour will soften the fried Bhendi pieces.

List of Variations:
1.With or without Onion
2.whole  cumin seeds
3.finely chopped tomato / chillies
4.Potatoes cut into small cubes

Ganapati Bappa Moriya


After a long time my Sis got little time & temper to seat with her Quilling. Result is this adorable idol of Ganesh. Happy Ganesh Puja J

Monday 4 August 2014

My Quick Chicken recipe: Necessity is the mother of invention

I looked at the few chicken pieces in front of me and was unable to locate one decent piece in them. Situation was really frustrating. All the more so because it was late evening and I must cook dinner quickly.  At that moment this idea struck my mind.
From then onwards this dish become just a one of our regular menu list.
This dish is very useful to me in many ways:  
  • No. 1 it helps me to handle the challenge of cooking a good dinner with any scrap chicken pieces
  • No. 2 it is very quick yet delicious
  • No. 3 the chicken stock can be stored & used for other purpose

Quick Chicken recipe
Ingredients :
5 to 6 medium sized chicken pieces.
2 to 3 Onions : Cut in thin slices
1 Capsicum (optional) : : Cut in thin slices
1 Tomato  Onions : Cut in thin slices
1 Garlic (chopped)
1 table spoon Ginger paste
2 Green chillies (chopped)
2 table spoon Tomato sauce
Salt & Sugar to taste  

Spices:
1 tea spoon Red chilli powder
1 table spoon Kasuri methi
1 tea spoon Turmeric powder (optional)
1 tea spoon cumin powder (optional)
1 tea spoon Garam masala powder (optional)

Process:
Boil the chicken pieces in water with slight salt. You can store & use the chicken stock for other purpose. Separate the bones and shred the boiled chicken pieces.
Now heat white oil in a Tawa and fry the chopped Onions, Capsicum (optional), Green Chillies, Garlic and Tomatoes. When vegetables become tender and brown in colour, add the shreded Chickens. Next add Ginger paste, tomato sauce and all the spices. Fry for 5 minutes. Check & add sugar/salt according to your taste. Then cover the Tawa and simmer for few minutes. Serve hot with Roti or toasted bread.  


Sunday 27 July 2014

Id ka Dawat : Mutton Biriyani

Mutton Biriyani & Rezala
Name one festival that you can celebrate without it’s special food. Be it Id, Durga Puja or Christmas. Id celebration is incomplete without Biriyani and Mutton Rezala. Durga Puja without ‘bhog’ and Christmas without Cakes.


Mutton Biriyani recipe:


To Serve: 5 Persons

For marinade:
3 Onions
1 Ginger
5 gm mace and 2 Nutmegs
200 gm Curd
Sugar and salt to taste

Make a paste of all the above in blender.

5 to 6 Mutton pieces
Mix the above well with Mutton pieces and marinate overnight. At least 6 hrs. minimum.

More ingredients:

1. 2 Onions: Sliced in thin stripes. Fry till the onions turn into brown. Keep ready.
2. 500 gm: Basmati Rice. Soak the rice in water for 15 min. Then cook the rice. Then spread it on a plate and keep aside.
3. 2 Potatoes: Cut in half. Slightly boiled. Then fry it and keep aside.
4. Add saffron and 3 drops of sweet attor in half cup warm milk. Keep ready.
5. One table spoon Kewra water
6. 3 to 4 table spoon Ghee

Process:
Take out the Mutton pieces from the marinade and fry till brown. Then pressure cook the meat till the mutton is soft.In a handi, smear ghee at the bottom. Take half of the cooked rice and spread as a layer. Then  sprinkle half of the saffron and milk solution.
In the second layer place the fried mutton pieces, sliced onions and potatoes. In the final layer add remaining rice. Lastly sprinkle rest of the saffron and milk solution and one table spoon Kewra water.
Pour 1 table spoon ghee on the entire rice bed. 
Cover the Handi. Seal the lid with something heavy on Handi top so that the steam cannot escape. 
Place the handi on oven and simmer it for 5 to 7 minutes. Mutton Biriyani is ready.


Mutton Biriyani

Id ka Dawat : Mutton Rezala

For marinade:
3 Onions
2" Ginger
1 Garlic
5 gm mace and 2 Nutmegs
200 gm Curd
2 tea spoon black pepper powder
Sugar and salt to taste

Make a paste of all the above in blender.

 5 to 6 Mutton pieces

Mix the above well with Mutton pieces and marinate overnight. At least 6 hrs. minimum.

More ingredients:
1. 2 Onions: Sliced in thin stripes.
2. 1 Garlic : in paste form
3. 2" Ginger : in paste form
4. Add saffron and 3 drops of sweet attor in half cup warm milk. Keep ready.
5. Make paste of 200 gm curd, and 20 gm cashew nut
6. one table spoon Kewra water
7. 2 table spoon Ghee or white oil


For tempering:
1.Two red dry chillies,
2. One Bay leaf
3. Three cinamon sticks
4. Five cloves
5. Five small green cardamom
6. Two big black cardamom
7. 10 whole black pepper

Process:

Heat white oil / Ghee on a Kadai and add all spices for tempering. Then add sliced onion, garlic & ginger paste and fry slightly.Add mutton pieces, stir till he raw ness disappear. Meat will release some water. Then add the marinade mixture and stir for 5 minutes. Then transfer everything in a pressure cooker and add 1 tea spoon of keora water. When the mutton is cooked properly, add the nut and curd paste and stir. Adjust the seasoning and gravy. Remove from oven.

Add milk saffron and sweet attar and cover.


Mutton Rezala

Monday 21 July 2014

Chilli Chicken (Mom-in-law’s way)

This is one of the many things I have learnt from my Mom-in-law….

Ingredients :
600 gm Chicken (cut in small pieces)
3 Onions
1 Capsicum (optional)
5 Green Chillies
2 Tomatoes
1 tea spoon Kashmiri red Chilli Powder

Ingredients for marinade:
2 Table spoon Corn-flour powder
5 Table spoon Vinegar
3 Table spoon Soya sauce
1 Egg
2 Table spoon Garlic paste  
Salt & Sugar to taste

Process:
Marinate the chicken pieces for 6 hours. Then heat white oil in a Tawa and fry the Chicken pieces. Next fry the chopped Onions, Capsicum (optional), Green Chillies and Tomatoes. When vegetables become tender and brown in colour, add the fried Chicken pieces and fry together for 2 minutes. Pour the marinade gravy onto the mixture. Mix everything. Check & add sugar/salt according to your taste. Now sprinkle Kashmiri Chilli Powder on top & cover. When the chicken is cooked, uncover and adjust the level of gravy as per own wish.  



Chilli Chicken

Friday 18 July 2014

Posto bora (Poppy seed Fritters)


Days when we have Posto bora (or Vada) & rice in lunch everything else in the menu seem like extra. May be we actually don’t need too many things to be happy.    

Process:
Shallow fry sliced onions and green chillies in white oil. Next add powdered Poppy seeds and water. Add salt and sugar to taste. Then keep stirring till water dries up completely. Let it cool down. Lastly make small round shaped balls and pan fry them on a flat tawa. Done!  
  

Ingredients :
Powdered Poppy Seed: 50 g
2 Onions : chopped in thin slices
4 Green Chillies : chopped crosswise
Salt & Sugar to taste
Water in a small bowl
2 table spoon White oil to fry


Posto bora (Poppy seed Fritters)

Tuesday 15 July 2014

Crispy fried bitter-gourd : bitter love or love for bitterness ?

This is a very common starter item in Bengali lunch menu. Just cut fine stripes of bitter-gourd. Sprinkle turmeric powder and salt according to taste. Then stir fry till the colour turns brown. I love to fry it till black. Isn’t it easy ?
So that is all about my bitter love or love for bitterness …. J


Fried Bitter Gourd

Monday 7 July 2014

Sukto

I cook 'Sukto' when I am in my rare golden mood for cooking an elaborate and authentic Bengali lunch. Below is how:

Ingredients :
2 big Potatoes
3 or 4 medium size Sweet Potatoes
Drum Sticks
7 or 8 small sized Bitter Gourds
2 medium sized Brinjal/ Egg Plants
2 Green bananas 
1 Green Papaya
½ bowl Milk 
10 Bori
1 table spoon Ginger paste
1 table spoon Mustard paste
1 table spoon Ghee
1 table spoon Panch phoron
2 Dried red chillies 
Sugar & salt to taste
Mustard oil
1 table spoon Turmeric powder
2 bay leaves

Sukto
Procedure:
Cut Bitter Gourd into very thin pieces. Then sprinkle salt & Turmeric powder and mix with it. Keep aside. Cut all other vegetables in medium pieces. Then stir fry other vegetables & bori separately, one type at a time. Then put all vegetables (except Sweet Potato, Drum Stick, Brinjal & Bitter Gourd) in a Pressure cooker with water, turmeric powder & salt. Allow two whistles. 
Heat mustard oil in a Kadai. Add dried red chillies, bay leaves and panch phoron. When the spices start to splutter add the boiled vegetables from pressure cooker along with the stock. Also add rest of the fried vegetables (except Bitter Gourd) and bori in the Kadai. 
Adjust the salt & sugar per taste. Add water per your requirement of gravy. Cover the kadai and cook for 10 minutes in low heat. Check if all the vegetables (specially which you added later) are cooked. When all the vegetables are cooked add the ginger paste. Simmer it for 2 minutes.Then spread the crispy fried Bitter Gourds on top. Again cover & simmer for 2 minutes then turn off the oven.Mix mustard paste and milk in a bowl. When the 'Sukto' is cooled a little bit add this mixture of milk & mustard paste while stirring. Never add milk straight into the hot 'Sukto' because then the milk may disintegrate & spoil the entire dish. Finally sprinkle ghee on top to add a nice aroma.  

Saturday 5 July 2014

Quilled Greeting Cards

Sometime it is best to quill names on Greeting cards ….because one's own name is the sweetest sound to him/her...

Quilled Greeting Card

Thursday 26 June 2014

Aloo Paratha (my Mom’s style)

Ingredients:
3 medium size potatoes
Salt to taste
White refined flour : One medium size bowl
White oil to fry the Parathas (Optional)

Process:
Boil the potatoes with salt to taste.
Mash the boiled potatoes well till no lump left.
First add half of the flour and knead together.
Add rest of the flour. Keep kneading to make a soft dough.
Knead till the dough become soft & pliable. You may add little more flour to remove any stickiness.    
Make medium size round balls. With the measurement given you will get approximately 10 to 12 balls.

Place one ball on a rolling board, dust little flour on it. Then start rolling the ball into a lean flat circle just like a regular Roti. Sprinkle little amount of flour time to time to avoid sticking to the rolling-board. 

Pour 1 tea spoon white oil on the tava and fry both side. When I am in a mood to avoid oil, I just fry them on dry, hot iron tava. In either way, these Parathas will be superb soft.

Due presence of potatoes it will be very delicate. So be careful while placing it on a hot tava else it will rip. 


It goes with any pickle, any sauce, curd, bhaji or simply with a hot cup of tea or coffee….
Sometimes I store the dry fried parathas in my refrigerator. Next day, all I need to do is to fry them with little oil. So within minutes my snack is ready to serve J



Aloo Paratha
Sent this to Rediff's Get ahead...Quick fix recipes

Monday 2 June 2014

Posto Chicken (Chicken in poppy paste)

Ingredients:
1.      Sliced onions
2.       White oil
3.       Chopped garlic
4.       Poppy paste (To make a fine poppy paste in Mixer/Grinder: Grind dry poppy seeds. Do not add any water while grinding. When grinding is over add little water with the powdered seeds as required) 
5.       Chicken pieces
6.       Salt
7.       Chopped green Chillies

Procedure: Fry the sliced onions in white oil. When Onions starts changing colour, add chopped garlic & green chillies. Fry a little more. Next add the chicken pieces. Add salt to taste. Fry it for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add poppy paste and give a stir. Cover the pan and cook till the chicken pieces become tender.
Adjust the amount of gravy by adding little water or drying the excess amount.  
Serve hot or cold with Rice J  


Posto Chicken


Wednesday 21 May 2014

Chapor ghanto

Being a “Bati” we inherited two totally different set of families from our parents. “Ba” comes from “Bangal” and “Ti” from “Ghati”. So our childhood memories are amalgamation of Opposites! 
Our maternal grandma (we call Nana) used to prepare this dish almost all the time till the day she stopped cooking forever!   Alas, we did not care for recipes those days and there is no way to ask Nana now.  So all I can do is to call my Mom. Though she never made it I have good faith on her guess. The finished product looked colourful, smelled pleasant & gentle on tongue. It is less oily and comprised of loads of vegetables. So obviously gave a healthy feeling. Last but not the least it fulfilled my nostalgia well.


Chapor ghanto

1st thing first: How to make the Chapor ?
Take 1 small bowl of Chana dal/cholar dal and soak it in water for overnight in 4 cups of water.
Then make a paste in a mixer/blender with a pinch of salt and red chilli powder.
Finally make small round shaped balls from the paste & shallow fry them in white vegetable oil. 
Hooray!! Our Chapor is ready.


For the Ghanto I used Potatoes, Pumpkin , raw Papaya and Brinjal. You can also add Jhinge (Ridge gourd) , Chichinge (Snake Gourd), Sweet Potato, Long yard beans.
So if you want to de-clutter the vegetable tray of your refrigerator go for this dish…. J
Cut all the vegetables into slim stripes. Heat oil in a Kadai / pan. Add some Panch foron and 1 dried red chilli. When the seeds will start to splutter add the chopped vegetables.
Reduce the flame to low and cover. Sauté time to time. Add salt & sugar to taste.
This is a dry dish and does not have any gravy. So sprinkle little water just to ensure that mix does not stick to bottom of the pan. Simmer till all the vegetables become tender.
Then pour them in a serving bowl.

Final step: Crush the Chapors by hand and add with the cooked vegetables. Sprinkle some shredded coconut for garnishing.
 

Tuesday 20 May 2014

Chhana & Kacha aam er Paturi

I was in a mood of doing some experiments. So I just started mingling …. some chhana (home-made paneer or cottage cheese) with some shredded raw mango & coconut, then mustard oil, turmeric & red chilli powder, salt, sugar and green chillies. 
The result was just tongue blowing !! We loved it with rice. Next time, I want to try-out posto paste (i.e. paste of poppy seed) instead of  shredded coconut.  

With following measurement one will able to serve 5 grownups. Use these measures for a basic idea only and feel free to be governed by your intuition.  

Chhana (home-made paneer or cottage cheese) : Take 1.5 litre of whole Cow milk. Squeeze 1 lemon into the boiling milk and stir well. Let the mixture cool down before pouring it on a strainer to remove excess water.
Half of a raw mango : Peeled & Shredded with a shredder
Mustard oil : 1.5 table spoon (one can add more)
Mustard paste: 5 table spoon
Turmeric powder: 1 tea spoon
Red chilli powder: 1 tea spoon
Green chillies: 4 or more
Half of a coconut : Shredded 
Salt & Sugar to taste (I used to start by adding ½ tea spoon each. Then I keep adding gradually tasting over & over again like a lunatic :) )

Have everything mixed up in a Borosil bowl and microwave for 7 minutes. You may sprinkle little water to soften the blend.

Optional step: Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Mustard oil on top before placing the mixture in Microwave (only recommended for brave hearts :) )

 

Got published in Rediff ....yippee

Monday 19 May 2014

Handmade Gifts

Each gift carries a different message, different meaning. Each originates from different feelings, different emotions or pure social obligation. The hidden emotions, sacrifice, effort, remembrance, respect or motives are what makes each one unique.
In childhood we didn’t have the luxury of buying greeting cards. So we used to make them. That became a practice which I’m adhering till date. Not only me, our entire pack of sisters has this habit. And I want to pass on this practice to my kid too.

This Rose basket card was made after we created our blog.

Handmade Rose Basket Card

Doing nothing

You know, I just love to shut off my mind…. away from all my professional  & personal agendas, away from whips of daily routines, away from news, away from social networks, away from any media, away from all grown-up people (well except a chosen few J).  
Once I shut off myself, I Love spending time in doing nothing. I mean almost nothing like walking aimlessly, sleeping, thinking of nothing in particular, scribbling, babbling with children or with those chosen few J …….
That’s when I relish every moments I am living. That’s when I feel I am living a life at all !! But ….the catch is ….
Why these golden living moments are so short?
Who is stopping me?
Why I call this as “doing nothing” not “living”?
Why I have to return to the main stream?
Why I have to catch the superfast life express everyone is travelling?
Why I have no choice but to spend life without appreciating ?
May be someday I will find the answer to all these unfathomable questions!!  


Wednesday 7 May 2014

Quilling

“Oh again, again you are sitting with papers, scissors and glue! Not again Rumki, I had enough of this. Soon I’ll see cut papers flying all around the house and floors sticky with your glue. How many times I have to tell you ? I don’t like this”….Mom usual nagging begins. My Sis snap back, “How many times I have to tell you ? That I’m Chumki not Rumki. I don’t like this too”
Mom: “Now see that’s how you talk to your elder. Whatever, you know I’m speaking to you only. Have you finished your study? Don’t you have any homework left? Then better go and clean your almira, it is in a horrible condition.”
Then after having a close look, “Chumki, is this my new scissor? The one I just bought for my tailoring work! Oh, how many times I have to tell you not to use my scissors? You ruined my last scissor also. It became blunt because you used it to cut those rubbish papers.” Wailing ascended like a musical fountain. But my Sis, the primary cause of this turbulence kept doing her work.

That’s my sis, the born “Unmoved mover”.

This is a snap shot from 20 years ago. Now my sis leaves far away from mom. She still keep working with paper, scissors and glue whenever she find some free time and having the artistic mood. The scissors, she used now probably her own bought item! I don’t know if her minds still replays Mom’s chattering as back ground music. Or I don’t know if Mom miss her yelling with nobody to mess around.