Chilke ke pakode / Fritters made from vegetable peels

 "Munh ki baat sune har koi, dil ke dard ko jaane kaun,
Awaazon ke bazaaron mein, khamoshi pehchane kaun .... "

My favourite ghazal singer mourns soulfully as I sit at the window, watching the light rain outside.
The room fills with his deep, heavy voice and spreads a blanket of sighs all over.
The grey from outside seeps in through the large glass windows; doing little to add any brightness.
I wish I had changed the dark, heavy curtains of summer earlier ... I think.
Now I do not feel like. So they too do their bit to add to the sense of grey.

I sit there, snuggled into a warm comforter, a picture of laziness personified, and watch the rain dance on the branches and the leaves of trees.
And the birds too.
Soaked to their skin, a crow and two koyels sit in different branches of the coconut tree, fluffing up and shaking vigorously in an futile attempt to dry themselves.
A bulbul sits atop a heavy branch, right at the top. But not for long.
The rain is too heavy for it to bear.

I sit and soak in the quiet all around.
Of late, I do not feel like talking or writing much. Too much of noise all around.
Too many people talking; too many opinions.
Too much aggression and force to put points forth.
Too loud thoughts. Too few listeners.
Everybody talking at once.
Too tiring; too overbearing.
Too overwhelming.

So I go through the days saying nothing. Or hearing nothing.
I like this quiet in me and am going to savour it for as long as I like it.

I like the dark, rainy days.
There is a sense of soothing severity in them.
They push us to quieten down. And take in the beautiful transition that goes on in nature.
While the soul soothing and all nourishing rain dances outside, the mind is pushed into sitting back and rest.

"Kiran kiran alsaata sooraj, palak palak khulti needein,
Dheeme dheeme bikhar raha hai, zarra zarra jaane kaun ... "

Unnh huh.
No bikharna.
I am trying to get a grip on myself.
Pick up my cup of tea that is fast getting cold and take a sip.
And turn to my blog.

I often make these pakodas, especially when I am making the Chorchori or any other mixed vegetable curry. Using different kinds of vegetables allows me to have all kinds of peels and this is a good way to use them.
Just make sure the vegetables are fresh.

Need :

 Vegetable peels -
I used potato, ridge gourd (turai), pumpkin and pointed gourd (parwal / potol ), around 1 cup
Onion - 1 medium
Green chillies - 2 or more
Besan - 4 tbsp
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Haldi powder - 1 pinch
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - a little pinch
Fresh coriander leaves - chopped
A little water
Salt - to taste
Oil for deep frying

How to :

Wash the vegetables well.
Peel them with a knife ... keeping the skin slightly thicker than usual.
Soak them in salt water for a while.

Slice them into thin, long pieces.

Slice the onions.

Mix everything, except the oil, together with a little water to make a thick paste.

Heat enough oil in a deep, heavy kadahi.

Scoop out small balls and let into the oil carefully.

Fry on low heat till golden brown.

Drain and remove. Keep on paper napkins to drain extra oil.

 Serve hot with ketchup, any chutney or kasundi.
And of course, a cup of very hot drink.

Perfect for these rainy days when the heart longs for something hot, spicy and deep fried goodies.

"Aankhon se aansooon ka marasim purane hai,
Mehmaan yeh ghar mein aaye toh chubhta nahi dhuaan .... " Yes.
Tears will be treated as guests in our lives.
Will be welcomed with warm hearts.


Stay well friends.

Aam kasundi diye Chingri or Prawns cooked in raw mango and mustard paste

 

I am suddenly very tired.
And drained.
For so long, I have been rushing so hard that I finally had a breakdown last week.
And not surprising too. The way I have been pushing myself ... living in denial; believing that every new morrow is going to bring me peace. That if I bury myself with numerous and more things to do, I will get far, far away from what I am running away from.

I have been running away from memories ... painful memories rather.  From the live video that plays in front of my eyes and in my mind every single waking moment. It drives me insane. 
Does this happen to everyone who goes through loss? I do not know.
All I know is what I have been doing to help myself definitely is not working.
Rather, it has overwhelmed me to the extent that I cannot keep up the pretense any longer.

It is coming to be a complete year since I was back home. And yet, it seems like it was just yesterday.
I tried to blog like a possessed person, write all the happy things I could see around or think of.
I went out to lunches and dinners and movies, bought and read books, drowned myself in music.
Immersed myself with numerous activities ... people praised me for being able to do so many things together. But what do the loving souls know?
They could not see the desperate me inside ... clutching on to whatever I could get my hands on ... to be able to escape from reality.

But nothing worked.
And all those memories and painful times swelled up high and high and built into a giant storm that swept me and my resolves and will power far away into the horizon just as it would a few grains of dust or some  dry leaves.

I had burned myself out.
And then came the nightmares.
I had stopped crying and avoided going out into the balcony in the evenings ... that time when I missed Bapi the most. That built up into suppressed trauma and returned to haunt me.
After not getting to sleep for a whole week straight, we consulted our doc.
And as usual, the only thing they know is to be an ostrich.
But I am not going to give up and let myself go in the hands of anti depressants and sleeping pills.

And have promised myself that I will get up again soon. Strong and stout.
Maybe I will be able to laugh too ... I live in hope.

Right now, I am learning to rest.
Have dug out all the books that I had got from the Boi mela at Kolkata.
My bedside table holds two by Samaresh Majumdar, that are in line and sequel to the first one that I have started reading.
Rabindra sangeet is my constant companion, especially in the kitchen, these days ... much to B's discomfort.
Since the rains have started, they are playing a part too. Pune's light, soothing rain is more like a balm on a parched soul. Not unruly, wild and noisy .... rather a light, soundless, steady drizzle with that cold wet breeze that stops you in your tracks as soon as you step out or open a window.
Take a deep breath and you can feel the insides of your heart and mind wash afresh with that sharp, clean and wet air.

I have been cooking too ... but not too much though.
The days and nights are perfect for hot, nutritious soups. And I am making a lot of them.
Very filling; very quick to make; very easily warming you up and your insides with that comforting hug of spices.
I do not feel like clicking any photographs and I am not pushing myself much.
Will take one day and one evening at a time.
I do not feel like communicating much these days ... so no friends or guests allowed. The family will be visiting soon ... that I am looking forward to.

Right now, I have this beautiful Prawn curry that I had made a few weeks ago.
Fuss free, no garam masala, redolent with the flavour of prawns and coconut milk. 
Fresh prawns, my aam kasundi and some coconut milk thrown in together to a boil and voila!, you have a beautiful, light almost malaikari like jhol in your hands.
 Some plain boiled rice to go with it and you will need nothing more on the side.

Need :

Prawns - 6 pieces, medium sized, cleaned and deveined
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Aam kasundi - 2 tbsp
If you do not have aam kasundi, just make a paste of mustard seeds + green chillies + salt + a little lemon juice
Thick coconut milk - 4 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Water - to make gravy
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp ( I used mustard oil )

How to :

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed kadahi / wok.
Marinate the prawns with a little turmeric powder + salt.
Fry them lightly and remove.

In the same oil add the aam kasundi and a little water.
Add turmeric powder and bring to a boil.

Lower heat and add the coconut milk.
Add salt and water, if required.

Let in the fried prawns and cover and cook for 5 minutes.

 Serve hot with steaming hot boiled rice.

Enjoy!!

Aam Shorshe Rui or Rohu fish cooked with Raw mangoes and Mustard paste

 This is a wonderfully light, almost soupy,  jhol that I made this morning.
Yes, this morning.
The beauty of this jhol lies in its simplicity. With nothing other than the flavour of slightly sour raw mangoes, it brings summer to you all over again, in a fresh new way.

I decided to make a post pronto so that you can try this while the raw mangoes are still available in the markets.
Since monsoon has been predicted to arrive by early next month, I know it is just a matter of time before we won't find raw mangoes any more ... not for one whole year at least.

It has rained heavily for the last two days ... the first day saw rain throughout the night.
The parched earth and plants and birds and everyone of us were waiting eagerly for it.
This year we did not see the rain in January .... we get a shower at least once then ... and neither in April.
I sorely missed the April showers.
But after the last two days, Pune is back to being wonderful, as before.
A lovely, perpetual breeze, bright mornings without the haze of the blinding sun and cooler nights are back. Even the birds seem chirpier now.

 And this light jhol, redolent with the tang of raw mangoes and mustard, was perfect for today's lunch.
With some plain rice.
You won't need anything else on the side with this ... I promise.

I have grated the mango here because I love the texture. You can use slices if you want to.

Need :

Rui / Rohu fish - 2 pieces , lightly fried
( I had cut pieces from a big sized fish, you can use small ones too )
Raw mango - grated, 2 tbsp ( make sure it is slightly sour )
Mustard paste - 1 tbsp
Kalo jeere or Nigella seeds - ¼ tsp
Haldi or Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Mustard oil - 1 tsp
Green chiliies - 2, slit
Salt - to taste
Water - for gravy
Some fresh coriander leaves

How :

Heat the oil.

Add the nigella seeds and green chillies.

Add the grated mango and the haldi powder.
Fry a little.

Add water and the mustard paste.
Add salt.

Bring to a boil and add the fish.

Cover and cook for some time.

Remove cover and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice.

Enjoy!!

Aam kasundi or Instant kasundi or Not Kasundi

Who cares?
Why bother when you have this wonderfully pungent, spicy mixture of fresh mangoes and mustard seeds and garlic, redolent with that zing of raw mustard oil, right in front of you?

When you hold your mixie in front of you, just after you have zapped all of the above, bring your nose closer and take a whiff, you are sure to go back home in a second ... numerous memories nudging each other to get a space in your thoughts ... while your eyes will water a little and your nose will tingle a little ... and that will not be only because of memories.

While I have seen Thamma make numerous kinds of achaars back home ( here is a glimpse of those hilarious memories), I have never seen her make kasundi.
Neither have I seen Dida making it, ever.
It is said that making the real, authentic Kasundi takes a lot of dos and don'ts. So not many people ventured into making it other than the older generation of grandmas.
And today, even they have moved away from it. Especially due to availability off the shelves. 

 When I had made this instant kasundi long, long back when I was a new blogger, ... eight years ago to be precise,  I was floored by the taste.
And every year, when new mangoes appeared in the markets, I would first make this kasundi and then move on to other chaatnis or achars. And then, just before the raw mangoes disappeared, I would make a big batch and store it in the fridge for the rainy days ahead.
Yes, literally.
Because this is the perfect accompaniment to all those fried sinful stuff that we associate rainy days with.

But have never made a blog post on this.
Every year, I have the most honest intentions of making one. But that never happened.

So this time I decided I would make a post after all.
Though I know I am 8 years too late.
At the time I made this for the first time, Kasundi was not available anywhere outside of Bengal.
At least I did not get it in Pune.
But today, it is available everywhere ... off the shelves.
But somehow, while I do have a bottle of Kasundi in my fridge always these days, the freshness and tang of this freshly made instant kasundi touches my heart as well as taste buds with a different kind of love.

This post has this instant kasundi mentioned when I made it for the first time, after learning it from another blogger friend. 

I have used less garlic because it can easily overwhelm the flavours of the raw mango as well as the mustard.
Also, I always add the mustard oil only after grinding is done.

Do not skimp on the mustard oil if you plan to store it in the fridge. Better if there is a layer of oil on the top to stop it from spoiling.

This is one of the easiest condiments with the minimum of ingredients.

Need :

Raw mango - 1 medium
Black mustard seeds - 2 tbsp
Yellow mustard seeds - 1 tbsp
Garlic cloves - 4 cloves
Green chillies - 2 or 3
Salt - to taste
Mustard oil - around 5 tbsp or more if you are storing

How to :

Run everything in the mixer to make a paste.

Add the mustard oil and give a light mix.

Ready!!

While it is perfect on the side with snacks, my favourite, however is a dollop of this tangy, spicy stuff on plain, warm rice.
Try it.

And this is how I spent this hot, summer afternoon.

And this one is for all those wonderful women, balancing homes and work and children and relatives.
Even if you do have a store bought kasundi in your fridge, do go ahead and make this one day.
You will make a happy you. 

I am sure I made Thamma happy.