Coming to the LINK~Your Recipes of Potato, which was the first theme of LINK event, I am Thankful to those sweet bloggers who took out time to submit their recipes of Potato. I am really sorry if you are yet to hear from me a Note of thanks for your efforts,  but be sure I am obliged !

Time to announce another LINK, and this time its LINK~Your Recipes of Taro Root .

Picture Courtesy: 3dsupra

Taro Root or Kachalu or Arbi, or Arvi, is one favorite Tuber of mine. I love the nutty and fishy flavor of it. Though Peeling this sticky tuber is something I dread as it leaves my hands itchy, but that doesn’t stop me to add this tuber in my meals .
Let’s check it’s Health quotient….

Dietary Fiber and Fat

Like many vegetables, taro root is great for those who are trying to watch their fat intake. One serving of taro root (132 g) has only .1 g of fat per serving. This fails to even register as a single percentage of your daily amount of fat.

Taro is high in beneficial nutrients, such as dietary fiber. One serving has 7 g of dietary fiber. This is 27 percent of your daily recommended amount of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is important for two main reasons. Dietary fiber is great for the digestive system, as it helps to speed up the process and make the system regular. It can also help to lower cholesterol.
Cholesterol and Sodium
One serving of Taro has 0 mg of cholesterol. This same serving only has 20 mg of sodium. This is only 1 percent of your daily value of sodium.
Vitamins
Taro is high in a few vitamins that are important for the body. One serving has 11 percent of your daily value of Vitamin C. One cup of taro also has 19 percent of your daily amount of Vitamin E and 22 percent of your daily amount of Vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is important for the immune system as well, whereas Vitamin E can help to reduce your risk of a heart attack (according to NutritionData).
Minerals
One serving has 10 percent of your daily value of magnesium and phosphorus, while also offering 13 percent of your daily value of copper. Taro is an excellent source of potassium and manganese, with 18 percent of your daily value of potassium and 30 percent of your daily value of manganese. Potassium is important for the regulation of your heart functions and your blood pressure, while allowing your muscles to work as they should. Manganese is important for the “metabolism of proteins and fat” while helping out the immune system .

Source : ehow.

So what are you waiting for ? Just share your recipes of Taro root and help us relish it in number of ways.Just link your recipes in comment section and link back this post to that recipe in your blog. Non Bloggers can TYPE their recipes in comment area

Still any doubts? Read this !

Saye Masale waara Kachalu ( Taro Root stuffed with green spicy mixture)

Ingredients to cook Stuffed Taro Roots

• Kachalu 6 -Select the large ones
• Salt as per taste
• Coriander leaves 1 small bowl
• Green chillies 4
• Garlic 10 cloves
• Ginger 1 inch piece
  
• Coriander powder 1 tspn
• Turmeric Powder 1/4 tspn
• Oil for Frying

Method :

• Wash Kachalu and boil them in salted water till half cooked.You can pressure cook these for one  whistle.
• Cool, peel them, and fry for sometime till slightly golden in colour.
  Let them cool and meanwhile pound Coriander leaves, green chillies, ginger and garlic in mortar pestle (Hamam dasta) till a coarse mixture is obtained.
• Add some salt, turmeric powder and coriander powder and mix properly.
• Now slit each piece of kachalu, holding it with the tapering end upwards and the broader end downwards, moving the knife gently in the center, from the top to bottom and slit till 3/4th of length.Repeat procedure for each piece and stuff each one with coriander mixture.
• Take a nonstick pan and pour little oil and cook the stuffed kachalu on slow flame, with a lid on.
• Keep tossing at regular intervals to avoid burning or charring of these and cook these till the rawness of green mixture is gone,approximately for 5-8 minutes.
• Serve with Dal rice or any Pulav/Biryani and enjoy the awesome Fish like taste of stuffed Arbi.

Today many Sindhi women might be busy cooking for Thadri, the festival of Sindhis in honour of Mata Sitladevi, wherein food is cooked a day prior to Thadri and the same is served on the Thadri, since it is the day of eating Cold Food.

Generally Food like Lolo (both cooked and fried ), Koki, Besani, Dal waro Phulko, Dhai Wada, Dhaas Karela, Dhaas Bhindi, Mirchi Pakora, Methi subzi, Sayi chutney etc. is prepared to be consumed cold, on Thadri. What’s cooking at your place today ?

Happy Thadri to All of You !

Macaronis got infused in Sindhi Cuisine long back and still remains a hot favorite amongst us. The traditional Sindhi style of Onion Curry combined with the macaronis and  Potatoes and dried lotus seeds (Phool makhana or Phool Patasha), when served with traditional  bhugha chhanwaran (Sindhi Style rice), make up a hearty meal.

Today’s  recipe is slightly different from the way Sindhis generally make a curry. Instead of browning onions, I made a paste of onions along with some other ingredients which was then cooked and flavored with herbs and spices. A style, highly inspired from Soybean nuggets curry recipe from here. I tried it with soybean nuggets and it turned out to be awesome, so I went ahead and experimented it with Macaronis and phoolpatashas and it goes without saying that it was finger-lickingly good…Give it a shot !

But before jumping to the recipe of the day, let me share some of my childhood memories associated with lotus seeds. Fresh pods of lotus seeds were abundantly available during Monsoon, and as a kid I used to love to munch upon the fresh lotus seeds. After ages, I recently stumbled upon the fresh lotus pods and of course was smitten by the green seeds. Just take a look !

Fresh Green lotus seeds in Lotus pod, called Pabhoore or Dhodi in Sindhi

The irresistible greens…So fresh !

Lotus seeds peeled and sliced

The phool batasha or makhane are the dried white lotus seeds used in Curries and also in Kheer. Here is what Wikipedia says about Lotus seeds

Two types of dried lotus seeds can be found commercially; brown peel and white. The former is harvested when the seed head of the lotus is ripe or nearly ripe and the latter is harvested when the seed head is still fully green, but with almost fully developed seeds. White lotus seeds are de-shelled and de-membraned. The bitter tasting germ of the seed is also removed at the time of harvest using a hollow needle, though some may still remain in the seed due to production oversight. Brown peel lotus seeds are brown because the ripened seed has adhered to its membrane. These seeds are usually cracked in half in order to remove the germ since the seeds are hard enough to make the germs’ removal by needle difficult

And now the recipe…….

Ingredients for Indian Style Macaroni and Lotus seeds Curry:

• Onions 3
• Tomato 1 large sized, grated
  
• Green chillies 2-3
• Ginger 1 inch piece
• Garlic 3-4 cloves
• Curd/yogurt 2-3 tsp (adjust curd and tomato ratio to suit your palate)
• Oil 1 tbsp
  
• Bay leaf 1
• Black cardamom 1
• Clove 1
  
• Potatoes 2 large
• Macaronis 1/2 cup
• Dried lotus seeds 1/2 cup
• Salt as per taste
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
• Coriander powder 1/2 -1 tsp
• Garam masala powder few pinches
• Kasoori methi and kitchen king masala( just one pinch each..optional)
• Water to adjust consistency of gravy
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Procedure:

• Blend in food processor or mixie, peeled and sliced onions along with  curd, ginger, garlic and some salt to make a smooth paste.
• Peel and cut potatoes into large chunks, rinse well with water and add some salt. Keep these aside for a while. Add some water if they tend to turn black.
• Take  1 tbsp of oil in a pressure cooker and heat it. Add bay leaf, clove, black cardamom and saute  for few seconds.
• Add the onion paste and mix well. Keep stirring and sprinkle some drops of water if the mixture tends to stick to the bottom of the pressure cooker.
• Cook it till the paste turns golden brown in color, but make sure that it isn’t charred. Keep sprinkling some water drops to avoid burning.
• Now add grated tomatoes,chopped green chillies, turmeric powder, coriander powder and mix well on high heat, till the tomatoes are cooked. Add the potatoes and around one cup of water and mix well. Close the lid of pressure cooker and cook the curry till pressure is released once ( One whistle). Put off the burner and wait till the pressure subsides.
• Now add the Macaronis and lotus seeds (Note: some prefer to dry roast the seeds before adding to curry, while others deep fry, some soaks these in water before adding to curry. But I like to cook them in curry directly….make your choice  ) and adjust the salt (There is already some salt in onion paste and potatoes, so be careful while adding more salt for macaronis and lotus seeds).
• Sprinkle a dash of kasoori methi and kitchen king (optional) and some garam masala powder and add about one more cup of water. Close the lid of cooker and cook further for one more whistle or you can cook it without the lid, on high flame till macaronis and lotus seeds are Al dente (Just cooked).
• Adjust the consistency of gravy and garnish with coriander leaves
• Serve it with Bhugha Chhanwaran, a typical Sindhi Style of Rice and enjoy the heavenly taste.

Submitting this Potato Curry for Link Your Recipes Of  Potato ….Have you linked yours???

LYRO is an ongoing event at Sindhirasoi, an event wherein I request you all (Especially, the adorable and awesome food bloggers here!) to link back here, the recipes from you blog. If that recipe is not yet published , write in brief about the ingredients , measurements and the procedure in the comment section.This holds valid for non food bloggers too, who want to share their recipes.

So to begin with, we need to choose an ingredient which will be in spotlight for a week.And is it hard to know which ingredient rules  our kitchens? Ofcourse a Potato.

Pic. courtesy here

Boil it, roast it, fry it, stuff it, add to curries, fill in  Pita breads, make parathas, make sandwiches, group it with bittergourds, pair it with peas, mix it in salads or fill it in wraps, make Tikkis, or make koftas..its importance cannot be neglected, when it comes to pick the most versatile vegetable. So I am sure you have plenty of recipes to share with us, where potato shines as a main ingredient.

So what are you waiting for? Dig in your blogs and update your blogposts, where you have shared  a magical recipe with potato.Post it in comment section.

Waiting to be flooded with the variety of recipes…..share your skills and your recipes,  you lovely bloggers !

The event is as simple as it could be, wherein every week we will pick an ingredient (Like potato, Paneer etc) or a  cuisine (like Maharashtrian, Manglorean etc) or a particular style  of cooking (like Dry/ curry/ Stirfries) and all you have to do is to dig in your blogs and  find the recipes that you have posted , that fits in the announced category.

No need to make a fresh post, just update the old post with a link back to the post on my blog, announcing the event of the week, and then submit the link in the comment section. But if you have ample number of posts published on your blog, for that particular category, then you can make a single post on your blog, providing just the links, and then linking it back to the post in my blog. Confused? Well, I will try to explain with an example !

Suppose we picked Potato as our star ingredient, then the event will be called as  LINK YOUR RECIPES OF# POTATO

So all you have to do is search your blog for the recipes having potato as a main ingredient (Or at least an important one), edit that blog post with a link back to the post announcing that event, and then submit the link of your recipe in the comment section. No need to intimate me via mail, no fuss of sending pictures of food…just the permalinks !

Since this event will be ongoing one, once an ingredient is announced, you can link your recipes every time you cook something with that ingredient. Like if you submit some potato recipes now, and later after few weeks you make anything else with potato, you can come back again, link your recipe to ” LYRO# Potato” and accept my gratitude 

But don’t forget to put a link back of the “LYRO# Potato”  in your blog post, or else the entry will be invalid ( C’mmon dearies, talk about some mutual benefits..no???)

Regarding submission of your entries, then kindly put the name of the recipe, and then hyperlink it with the permalink of that recipe. Here is the image to clarify your doubts if any .

The text appearing in the comment should be the name of the recipe and not the URL of the recipe. As in above picture the text is  ‘ TOOK PATATA ‘ which is the name of the recipe, and then click on the ‘ link ‘ button, copy paste the permalink of that recipe (in this case, the TOOK PATATA RECIPE ). Kindly make sure you are providing the link for particular recipe and not of the home homepage. Eeesh..I know all of you are smart enough, but just in case….you know..just to make myself  loud and clear, I have to go in details..sorry about that !

Now its up to you if you want to put multiple comments for each recipe, or many links in same comment or make a blog post on your blog and archive all the potato recipes , and as obvious, link back that post to the announcement page on my blog….thats it !

The whole idea of this linking back is to provide the visitors a choice of many recipes from various food bloggers, to select and cook. I seriously hope that you all will pitch in, and make this event a successful one.

We are still working upon the way the whole concept will look like in terms of arrangement, accessibility and proper presentation, so kindly bear with us.As for now, just submit links in comment section

Coming up next on SindhiRasoi is a curry with Macronis and Lotus seeds…a damn favorite of mine !

So see you soon …first with the event announcement and then with the Curry recipe. Stay around !

Smiles………

The work is still in progress…but I just cant wait any more to share this sweet news with you all..  a  sweet moment to cherish , made  me and my family feel ecstatic, came in the form of an article ‘Unfeignedly Sindhi‘  penned down by yours truly, that is published in the July Edition of  the  Magazine ‘ Food and Nightlife ‘.

I am thrilled to get rave reviews from the people of great caliber…..I feel obliged. Thanks everyone, for the wishes that came pouring in, all these days… its a feeling well beyond description.

The magazine is available in Mumbai and Delhi. Besides, it is available online too.

The article on Sindhi Cuisine, was published in July Issue of the magazine, on page number 14/15. Click  here to read the article on the  magazine website.

And for those who are unable to access the link, you can read the article in text form right here, though it is an unedited version, but then, the matter remains more or less the same.

Hope you will enjoy reading the Summary of Sindhi Cuisine. I do not claim to be an expert, when it comes to Sindhi Cuisine, so goof ups of  facts, if any, be kindly ignored/ reported (Please soften your tone before lashing out..lol)/brought to notice/ mentioned in comments.

I am open to your views, suggestions, add-ons and basically any thing that you would like to share about Sindhi cuisine, it’s food history, cultural background….any thing, just anything.

Let the rest of the world have a glimpse of Sindhi Food and culture…share it here….let the Sindhi food be counted in the popular cuisines of the world.

Without further ado, lets hop over to the article…..

Unfeignedly Sindhi !

Sindhi, a culture having its roots in Sindh (Now in Pakistan), proudly belongs to ancient Indus valley civilization as discovered from the Moen-jo-Daro excavation. The culture rich, the art unbeatable, the Sufi music unmatched and the Cuisine simply invincible, at least for true blooded Sindhis !

Sindhi Cuisine , apart from having unique flavors of its own, have the unmistakable mark of other dynasties like Mughals, Arabs, Turkhans, Soomras etc that influenced Sindhi cuisine while they ruled the Province. The mighty Koftas, the scrumptious Biryanis, amazing Gosht (meat) Curries, got infused in Sindhi cuisine during that era. Post partition in 1947, Hindu Sindhis got scattered around the world, and since then, a long battle to keep ourselves rooted to our culture while simultaneously absorbing the culture of our surroundings, is being fought.

As various other cuisines of India, Sindhi cuisine is also a vibrant one , sizzling and dazzling with lots of flavors, a wonderful amalgamation of Delish sweets, perfectly tangy curries, mildly flavored gravies, rich and wholesome biryanis, wide array of seasonal vegetables, awesome variety of Flatbreads, and not to forget the world famous Sindhi Papad and Sindhi Pickles.

To begin with, a royal breakfast preferred by Sindhis, is ought to be The Dal Pakwan, the crisp fried Maida flatbreads, served with simple Chanadal, garnished  with chutney and chopped onion. Apart from this, Bori (Kutti or crushed koki tempered with hot oil, and sweetened with sugar), Sindhi Koki, a wholewheat flour flatbread, kneaded with onion, chillies, dried pomegranate seeds, cumin and a generous amount of oil, double cooked on griddle ,or Lolo (sweet flatbread) Dodo (Flatbread with millet flour, jowar, bajra etc), stuffed parathas with Curd are most popular.Juar (jowar) or Bhaat (crackedr wheat) porridge,  are favorites of elders of the family. And bread dunked in chickpea curry called Chola dhabhala or the two lentils cooked together called Dal moong are still the most sought after breakfasts in many Sindhi families.

Sindhis love simple Dal chaawal- subzi -roti combo.They have some popular style of cooking like Daagh (curry with browned onions), Seyal (cooking food with onions or ginger garlic as base, with little or no water), Tamatey mein (In tomato gravy), saye masaley mein (with Green base, that of coriander leaves and fresh garlic) and  Dhaas vegetables (Stuffed vegetables like Okra, Apple gourds, Capsicum etc).Though seasonal vegetables, and plenty of lentils /pulses, are included in daily cooking, but when fresh vegetables are unavailable, Sindhis tend to make use of Besan, and hence Chilra (Gramflour savory pancakes), Chilra kadhi, Aani ji bhaji (Besan dumplings in Onion tomato base) are immensely popular. And not to forget a Sindhi specialty called Sindhi Kadhi , which is a tangy tamarind and gram flour based curry, flavored with some spices and Vakhar like cluster beans, okra, drumsticks etc.This is again generally made for guests and is served with hot plain boiled white rice and sweet boondi. Amritsari wadis cooked along with potatoes, is one spicy curry you cannot afford to miss, and so is Sindhi Saibahji, the yummiest concoction of spinach with fenugreek leaves, sorrel leaves, beans, potatoes, carrot, eggplant, okra, chana dal etc.

Though now paneer rules menu of marriage buffets and festival food, there was a time when Bhee (Bhein) i.e Lotus stem hold the Numero Uno position.During marriage ceremonies decades back, relatives and neighbors were offered the Bheepatata and Degh Waara chaanwara. Huge Iron or aluminum pots or containers  were kept in open spaces, on logs of wood, or coal (sighri) or stove,and a generous quantity of rice and curry was cooked on it. It was called Degh. A spicy curry of   lotus stem, potato, peas, cooked in the base of onions, tomatoes and eggplants, when served with Simple pulav,will make you slave of Sindhi degh . Even today this curry is cooked and distributed at Langars in various temples ,on religious occasions.

Sindhi Sanna Pakoda (Double fried Gram flour fritters) are famous as most crispy snacks, while Alu tikki, Batan papdi (A Sindhi Chaat), Mirchi Pakora, Bhein Tikki, Spinach Pakoda , are other guilty pleasures.
Sindhi Papad has a unique taste, not too spicy nor bland…just perfect. And so are the pickles…the regular oil based as well as Mustard seeds and water based pickles called as Paarianh  waari Khatairn have many loyal followers. Yet another typical Sindhi style pickle is Kadhookas (grated ), pickle made from raw shredded mangoes, seasoned with salt, turmeric, red chillies, nigella seeds,cloves of garlic, mixed and lumps of these mixture are tied in small white muslin cloth gathadis (like dumplings), pickled and enjoyed later. It’s called Gathadi aka Bheendi.

Summers are spend pickling, Turnips, onions, carrots,chillies, lemons , raw mangoes etc. While Sweet pickles like Raw mango Muraba, Awran jo Murbo (Awla )  and  grated mango pickles are  the hot favorites amongst Sindhis.

Festivals like Chetichand, Diwali, Holi, Akhand Teej ,Thadree,etc are celebrated with typical Sindhi Sweets like, Tosha, Praghuree, Geear, Khuskhus Halwa(Seero) , chabhu Halwo etc. While Sherbet and Thaadal (Thandai) are most popular beverages.

And to wind up, Sindhis satisfy their “Sweet cravings” with Gaajar ka halwa (Gajru’n jo seero), Maajun, Mohanthal, Gulabjamun, Rabri , Dried grated coconut mithai (Narel ji mithai), Singhar (Sev) Mithai, Falooda icecream etc.

The probably only places that you could still enjoy Sindhi food are few eateries like Kailash parbat and Bhagat Tarachand , or else on the streets of Sindhi dominated areas like Ulhasnagar, Chembur, Bhopal etc.The vendors selling  dal pakwan, Sindhi Patties with chola and Dal moong are common sights at such places during early mornings.

Sadly the trend of fast food and exposure to national and international cuisine is drifting many youngsters away from the lovely Sindhi cuisine.The ‘Chips’ and ‘ french fries’ generation hardly cares for Sindhi Kheecha, papad. The biscuits and cookies overshadowed the humble Dal Nakul, that was initially offered to the guests. Mocktails and canned juices pushed into the corner, the home made Rose sherbet, chandan (sandalwood) sherbet .The artificially coloured, branded Mithai, killed the trend of sharing Maajoon, Khus khus jo seero, ladoo etc with near and dear ones. Packaged junk snacks diverted kids from the good old, pabhoree ( fresh lotus seeds), Jamun (berries) , saawa phota (fresh green peas), Dhadhri (tiny fresh green pods ) etc which used to be the  after school time snacks for the kids, eons ago.

Heading straight towards the update…As obvious, my virtual kitchen (SindhiRasoi) is undergoing renovation, hence I apologize,  if some features doesn’t work for you, right now. If possible do let me know about troubles/ glitches/ errors that you come across. Any suggestions/ Tips are most welcomed !

(Pic. courtesy: Oxlog)

I am aware of some problems with the new theme, and I am trying hard to fix those. Life is difficult for a non programmer when it comes to fixing bugs

Hope you will stay around, and we shall soon resume our regular chitchats, while discussing some yummy recipes, lined in my drafts, waiting impatiently to be shared with you all !

Have a nice weekend !

The horrible shooting up of prices of necessary commodities is alarming, with the Cooking gas( LPG) getting costlier , and so are the pulses, the legumes, the condiments, spices, fruits, and above all the local transport fares, everything becoming dearer and dearer. According to the figures  provided by NetIndian , the prices of pulses were up by 34.14 per cent from a year ago, milk by 21.12 per cent, fruits by 13.55 per cent, rice by 6.45 per cent, cereals by 5.11 per cent, wheat by 4.21 per cent and vegetables by 4.32 per cent.How is a common man supposed to survive ?

I am sure, like me, you too must have heard or read  what all the politicians, the wholesalers, the vendors, the mall owners etc. are ranting about the system, each alleging the other person for being responsible for the unreasonable  hike.

Now since I am not good at understanding economics , can anyone please explain me the reasons given by those in power, regarding the unreasonable hikes?

1: Short supply and increased demand…

The population do play a significant role in disrupting the balance of demand and supply, no doubts about that, but can someone explain me what are hundreds of sacks of sugar , wheat etc are doing in  dock or warehouses of India, if there is such a shortage of these commodities in market? Who is responsible for the black marketing of these ? Is the supply really short or is it being artificially inoculated  by people having vested interests ?

2: Fuel price hike in world markets: Now I can understand the global hike in petrol and diesel rates impacts the economy of India too. But can somebody explain me why is petrol and diesel used in fleet vehicles or the goods trucks? Why isn’t CNG used instead, its half the price of gasoline, it is  more environment friendly and is commonly used in developed countries like US, for the fleet vehicles or transport trucks. Secondly not all the transportation of  vegetables and fruits occurs via petrol and diesel driven trucks. There are carts used, CNG driven tempos and autorikshaws are used too. So isn’t quoting petrol rates hikes in global market the reason for inflation, sound bit illogical? I may be wrong, so kindly correct me !

3: Bad Monsoon last year: Since India’s economy highly depends upon the agriculture, which in turn is at mercy of Monsoon, this reason might sound convincing. But wait a minute, read what India Reels have to say :

Government announced a drought in India which is assumed naturally to be the main reason behind the price rise. The facts, however, say otherwise. The possibility of a drought became apparent barely in late July 2009 and its effects – a below average crop of paddy, pulses, potatoes (Kharif crop) and sugar – would only begin to be felt with lower arrivals in the market from October onwards. Last year’s drought could account for the price rise over the last two months; prices however have been on the rise since the beginning of 2008.

4: Surge in purchasing( And Spending ) power of Middle and upper Middle class sector:

I guess this could be one of the most  debatable but sadly, a valid reason behind the inflation. Previously a common middle class lady, would hold herself back  to pick up over priced vegetables, and would think of substitutes. For eg. if tomatoes got dearer, she would avoid stocking it in regular quantities and would rather opt for lemons or Tamarind to bring the tangy-ness in her meals.  In past, if  Moong dal prices would go up, the family used to rely on other Pulses. Now its just the opposite. If sugar price is up, we stock more sugar , dreading its disappearance from market.Though nowadays almost everything cost a bomb, its hard to shun everything from the pantry but stocking pulses, vegetable oil , and other comparatively  slowly perishable things like potatoes and onions  is causing a ripple effect.  But does anyone agrees to the funda, that if consumers stop buying food commodities like sugar, dal, pulses that are overly priced, it could send a clear message to those hoarders in wholesale market , who stock these in huge amounts just to trigger inflation. What about a mass boycott of these essential commodities for few days? Would it help to combat the price hike or would it make matters more worse for genuine farmers and retailers?

Can’t there be more Farmers market , where the locally grown crops are sold by farmers directly, with no intervention of politicians and middle man.

The government could least allot places for farmers market, or better still, cant  housing societies organize such  temporary markets where the local farmers can sell off their crops  in  societies.

Regarding spending powers, here is one incident that happened last week that will prove my point.

After the News channels bombarded us with Petrol and diesel hikes , and the hikes in Rikshaw fares, I expected a daily tussle  with those ummm..not so modest Rikshaw wallahs. So while I waited for a Rick outside my home, I saw one approaching , and a  lady got down from the rick. As she and the rick wallah were working upon the amount of money as per meter, I was shocked to see the lady willingly paying more than actual rates. Assuming myself as a good citizen I pointed out that to lady, and she gave me one darn look but said politely ” Oh Dear, I sympathize with poor people its just matter of few rupees, and if affluent people wont help these poor, who else will? Besides didn’t you read the newspaper that states Petrol and diesel prices have surged.

I felt this strong urge to shoot back at her with ” Oh Dear, I sympathize with your hardworking husband and if educated people like you wont understand the core problem who else will? Besides didn’t you checked the label on Rick, that reads  CNG ? It was not  running on  Petrol or diesel !

But I stopped myself from uttering single word..sigh !

5: Growing Fetish of Indians for Imported food

Why can’t government concentrate on improving quality of fruits grown in India rather than importing those genetically tampered fruits or vegetables.Does transporting Apples from Kashmir cost more than importing from Chile or Washington ?By the way are you aware that those bright red looking Apples that you happily purchase at 140 Rs/Kg are actually more than 5-12 months old? Yeah as many of you might be knowing that these fruits are coated with shellac and carnauba wax for that extra sheen and to protect them from getting spoiled , and this wax coating  could be got rid only after scrubbing the apples with soap and water..now who does that to fruits?

Does oranges imported from US  requires less fuel than when transported from Nagpur or Nasik? Why is there more demand of Golden bananas than local Elaichi variety? Why do we seek seedless dates from abroad if you  can grow these in arid climatic conditions of  Northwest Rajasthan. Why do we generate demands for imported goods, when we know that majority of those are not organically grown and have highly tampered genes. Our purchasing power have shifted the demand from locally grown products towards  the imported ones. Since goods anywhere outside India are costlier than India(If sources are to be believed , In India, there is anywhere from 8- 50 % of custom duty on the fresh fruits and vegetables from abroad), so it  doesnt require a great Mathematician to calculate that how could this “Imported Food” fad could be  harmful for our home budgets. Yet we  generate huge demand, and then cry foul about inflation.

6. Liquidity shortage ( As pointed out by Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahulwalia(Source:Hindu.com)

The system was facing liquidity shortage owing to the more than Rs. 67,000-crore outgo for payment of the fees for 3G spectrum, and another Rs. 38,000 crore towards the spectrum fees for broadband wireless spectrum. Besides, corporates were paying advance taxes for the first quarter this fiscal.

Is going for 3G spectrum more necessary than to imply corrective measures to DEFLATE inflation ? Since the government  blamed  lack of ample Monsoon last year for the shortage, wasn’t it more practical to ban export of such commodities  or upgrade  methods of agriculture in India to harvest more goods ? Is having a world class wireless spectrum more important than curbing inflation?

7.Corruption: Well you go anywhere in the world, in any  official or commercial department, you are bound to bump into at least some  corrupt people. The way people in power are getting rich in current  scenario, makes me ponder why isn’t inflation pinching their pockets?

I  seek explanations for  many more things like that, but I guess I have to stop myself at one point or other, since  its hard for a naive person like me to understand the nitty gritty of economics, inflation, market talks, GDP, global influence and commodity markets, fiscal policies etc.

I just want to know one thing……Are there any solutions?

After enjoying a relaxing vacation of  my baby, from school, the life is back on routine tracks. The hectic mornings are back in fashion and the Summer blues  paved the way for Monsoon Grey(s). The weather is  turning as beautiful as one can wish for, with misty mornings, cloudy sky, drizzling rains  with intermittent thunder showers…A perfect season to indulge in fried delicacies, like Samosa, Pakora (Bhaji) or Choley Bhaturey ……well we chose the last one, and ended up relishing bhatura with kala chana (Black chickpeas) curry, instead of regular Kabuli chana.

Kala chana or Black Chickpeas in Onion Tomato gravy

• Black Chickpeas or kala chana 200 gms
• Onions 2 large
• Tomatoes 2
• Garlic 8-10 cloves
• Ginger
• Green chillies 3 (or as per need)
• Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp
• Salt
• Turmeric powder
• Red chilly powder
• Chana Masala powder 1/4 tsp ( optional)
• Oil 2 tspn or more

Method

• Wash and soak chickpeas for atleast 7 hrs. USe these as such or let these sprout for a day or so.
• Boil them with salt, till half cooked.But if you are using sprouted Black chickpeas, then skip boiling these separately as the sprouted chickpeas get cooked fast even if cooked along with gravy.
• In a pressure cooker, pour some oil and fry onion till brown in colour
• Cool and grind fried onions along with ginger, garlic, chillies and tomatoes.
• Now pour this mixture again in pressure cooker , add some salt(remember there is already some amount of salt in chickpeas), garam masala powder, chana masala(optional) and fry it for 2-3 minutes, or till the oil starts separating out.
• Now add half boiled chana and Bhuno it further for about 5 min.
• Add some water,close lid of cooker and wait till 3-5 whistles. Do not worry as the black chickpeas are thick skinned, so there is hardly any risk of mushy surprises .
• Adjust the consistency of gravy , it should be not too watery, nor too dense.Enjoy with roti, rice or Bhature.

And now here comes and interesting info….

Remember my post on “Wanna be on National Tv” ?

Well here are some other details for all of you who wish to showcase their culinary powers on a television show.

Auditions for MASTERCHEF INDIA in MUMBAI (To be aired on Starplus) from Thrusday 24th June till Saturday 26th June … ALL DAY !!!

Just get food prepared from home , 2 photographs and an Id proof.

TIMINGS :- 11am to 7 pm

ADDRESS – COLOSCEUM MEDIA PVT LTD, 105 – 110 , Sangeet Plaza, Marol Maroshi Road , Near Marol Fire Brigade , Andheri East, Mumbai – 59

Phone – 9820125231

Do check out..who knows you might turn out to be a Master Chef !