Friday, January 07, 2011

Slowing down the Network

It was New year. Left, right and center everyone was making resolutions. Work towards a better career, lose weight, see the world, learn to do shirsana....there were all kinds.
Me ? I hadn't decided anything.. Too much work, will not happen, I wish, too difficult...naah, there was nothing I resolved to do. It is not that I did not need resolutions to make a better me.Only it would be a huge overhaul and would need an entire stripping to my basic core and then loads of makeover. Phew...did I not say too much work...naah.

Then I thought hard as what was my primary role and how I could be better in it.Motherhood, my mind piped in.

I am not a bad Mother. But again, I am not exemplary in my role.I am just ok. I have several faults. I get irritated if BS doesn't grasp her Math problem quickly, I get physically tired when I reach home and that often dampens my enthusiasm to play with the girls and I check blog comments on my phone when I actually should be finger-painting with the littlest one.

Yes, the last one clearly proves I am a blog addict.
So to be a better Mother,
I need to become calmer -- count from 1 to 100 when irritation strikes,
fitter -- get exercise to build energy
and get over my blog addiction -- How?.

Blogging gives me a high like few other thing does and is the only thing I do in my free time(which btw is after 10pm on weekdays and some days at lunch in work). I get immense happiness putting together a post, photo-shopping and writing.I get to be creative by my own rules and often think my life would have a big void if I did not blog. I also love just fleeting from one blog to another and nosing around in total stranger's lives. Sounds like a crack addict?Well almost.

But really is all of it worth it, I think. The few real life people who know I blog have expressed their own doubts to shake my belief in my blogging philosophy. "What have you achieved in 4 years of blogging?", they ask. Errrr....ummmm...well nothing."Why do you waste so much time?", they would love to ask. Again, err...ummm...not sure.They seem baffled by my urge to put cholar dal on the internet and shake their head in disbelief.

When I started my reasons were more or less as summed in this. As I continued, I discovered a love of writing and photography and that fueled me.But if I am totally honest, I think that I also like the instant gratification that I get out of blogging. The comments rarely critical lull me into a false sense of belief. The increasing number of subscribers or page hits makes me complacent.But really, do they even mean anything ?

I think I need a break to put my thoughts in order, to justify going on doing something just because it makes me happy with no benefit to people in my real life. I need to slow down on the internet and I could have done it without this long post, but being out there in the open it can hold me accountable if I falter.

I will come back once I have it all figured out and broken free of addictions.

After all resolutions are to be broken.

Meanwhile I would still love to write so if any of you can help me with any writing opportunity, I will be more than happy.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Eggless Date Cake -- goodness does not spell butter

I had resolved to be un-floured and unen-doughed for the first few days of my New year. But that did not happen. So I decided to push my New year to next week, Jan 9th to be precise. Till then I am living in the old decade.

This Date Cake is my friend's recipe. She is a very good cook and has been making this cake for a while now. I myself have had it several times baked by her and each time have been floored by it's taste. However, I never asked for the recipe.

You would think a foodie will instantly ask for a recipe when she eyes one. Not me.

I thought Date + Cake ? Too difficult. Plus she has those shiny Kitchen Aid Stand Mixers. Anything can be done with those. I don't have a shiny Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. Don't even plan to buy one. So I cannot bake Date Cake.
QED.

Then she baked it for one of our parties during the holidays. Everyone "oohed" and "aahed" and then asked for the recipe. Not me, mind you.

But then it was a small place, not a haveli(huge palace) or something and you could clearly overhear even if you did not wish to.Of course I could have excused myself and gone to the loo but that would be too much. So I overheard and it was so simple that I could not believe it. I thought she might have skipped one whole chapter what with the wine and all that noise. Just to be sure, I asked her the recipe again, over the phone on the evening of 1st Jan.

And guess what ? It was really T..H..A..T simple. Hallelujah, one more reason not to buy a shiny red Kitchen Aid stand mixer.

The cake called for no eggs, no butter and I did not have to even take out my hand mixer. What relief !
And it tasted best of all the eggless versions I have tried so far. In fact it tasted much better than my pound cake did.Moist, fluffy, studded with nuts, just right sweet, what more could you ask for in a cake ?

But then what makes it rise and become so soft and fluffy ? There has to be science and this did not fit the bill of my earlier explanations. Except for the baking soda, there was nothing to make air, air and more air.

It seems the baking soda does the trick. Baking soda is a “base.” It needs an “acid” ingredient in order to start the chemical reaction that makes it work, such as buttermilk, cocoa powder, chocolate, honey, lemon or orange juice, etc. I guess the dates have some acidic ingredient which reacts with the baking soda to create carbon dioxide and thus bubbles in the batter. With this theory I am thinking you could substitute dates with some other dried fruits and make an yummy cake too. If you notice this is the reason the raspberry cup cakes turned out very well too. Vinegar worked with baking soda in that recipe.Do not try to replace baking soda with baking powder as baking powder already has the acidic ingredient, so further reaction with an acid in the batter might ruin the cake like this.

So go and bake this eggless butterless date cake. It really is the best and I usually do not impose on unless it is the family or it is something that will change your life...

If you have started your newest year have a good one.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Bangali Triangle Parota ar Alu Bati Charchari

Parota with Alu Bati Charchari -- Divine

1.We had an amazing Christmas party.

2.The Liberty Science Center is a whole lot of fun when there is no one around.

3.The kids faith in Santa was re-instilled. BS got her toy which changes hair color only it needs icy cold water to do that and I am unable to provide icy cold water in this icy cold weather. LS got her "geef",a Thomas engine and couple of books.

4."Pippi Longstocking" and "Katie Kazoo" are some new series that I got for BS.

3.I must edit my last post to add that Sheela and Munni are now the mainstays of Bong parties. So move over Ms.Lahiri.

4.Indian Chinese for Christmas works perfect.

5.We have been snowed in and housebound for the last 3 days and I wish Santa had gotten me a gift, a transmogrifer.

6.I saw "Up" after every one in the world has seen and said everything about it.

7.Teen kona parota or Bengali Triangular Parotas are not all that difficult and can be made without the aid of a compass and protractor. I say Bengali because I have not seen Triangular Parathas in any of my non-Bong friend's house.

Parota with Notun Gur(Palm Jaggery) sent from home for Winter -- Priceless

I have been so afraid of making the standard Bengali Triangle Parota all my life that I never ever attempted them. I would wait patiently for the Ma or Ma-in-law to turn up and serve them. I had such a mind block that I never even stood beside them while they rolled out the perfect isosceles triangles. And geometry wasn't even my weak point.

Honestly, I wasn't even sure why they were better than the circular ones and I thought it was just a lot of hype. My doubt still continues.

Then everything changed on a sunny November Sunday morning, when I told a friend staying the weekend with us, "Chal Parota banai"(Let's make Parota). Timidly I asked her if she knew to make triangular Parotas. She pooh-poohed the whole thing, saying it was no big deal and showed me how. While she expertly made 10 of them in 5 minutes, I struggled with two but at least I got some bell like shape out of it.

There after I got into the groove and made them again. They now looked better. After some more attempts I can now say, Triangle Parotas are easy to make. Why they are important I cannot tell.

Repeat after me.

You guys have a great next year. Make your resolutions and stick by them. When making teen kona parota is the high point of my life, it is natural that I resolve to do nothing better.

Happy 2011

Bengali Triangle Parota

What You Need

AP Flour/Maida ~ 1 cup
Whole Wheat Flour ~ 1 cup
White Oil for shortening ~ 1&1/2 tbsp. many people use ghee as shortening too.
Salt ~ a pinch or say 1/4tsp
Warm Water ~ 1 cup(added gradually). Some people add warm milk to make a softer dough, I haven't, you can try.
Dry Flour ~ in a plate for rolling the Paratha.

How I Did It

In a wide mouthed bowl add the flour, the salt and the oil for shortening.
With your finger tips rub in the oil into the flour.
Now gradually add the warm water working the flour into a dough. If it becomes too watery don't panic and add a smattering of flour but it is smart to be cautious with the water.
Knead the dough till it does not stick to your fingers at all.
Keep on kneading till the dough becomes alabaster smooth, soft and pliable.

Cover with a damp cloth or damp kitchen towel and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.

Once again pummel/knead the dough and make small ping-pong sized balls from it.

Now start rolling as follows

Take a ping-pong size ball, flatten it between your palms, dust with flour.

Roll a small circular disc

Fold along the diameter to form a semi-circle

Take the right end of the semi-circle, lift and fold along the radius to meet the left end

Gently roll and elongate the sides to get a triangular bell shape

Roll some more, maintaining the shape. Thickness should be like the regular paratha.

Heat a skillet/tawa. Place the rolled paratha on the heated tawa and cook on one side until bubbles starts to appear.
Flip the other side and pour oil in drops around the edges of the paratha or spray the surface with cooking oil.
After half a minute or so flip again and again add oil around the edges. Keep doing this, every side half a minute or so until the paratha is cooked on bot sides. There will be little brown spots on the surface and then you know you are done.

Alu Bati Charchari

I have a post on bati charchari with a lot of vegetables

This one is done only with potatoes

Peel and chop 3 medium sized potatoes in 2" long pieces.

In a heavy-bottomed deep pan heat 3 tsp of Mustard Oil

Add 4 hot Indian green chili, slit halfway

Add the potatoes

Add salt to taste + 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and mix well. Saute for a minute

Add 1 to 1&1/2 cups of water.

Cover and cook without any stirring till potatoes are cooked and water dries up. If needed add more water for cooking

Once done, add 1-2 tsp of Mustard oil on top before serving

Best enjoyed with Parota, Luchi or Roti