WHO COINS THEM ?

This post is purely a fragment of my imagination ! Quite like Unreal News.Com !

Note that the countries come in alphabetical order !

A portmanteau of the words British and Exit is BREXIT.
Would that cause to render an union decrepit ?
or would the union bounce back better ?
grow by leaps and bounds, stronger and greater ?

Immersed in thoughts and tales of history,
of relinquishments, annexures and victory,
of subjugations and the fight for freedom,
I was playing scrabble in the quest for wisdom.

Portmanteau of Oust and Austria is OUSTRIA.
Bye to Belgium for BYEGIUM in all it's gloria,
Czech and off and CZECHOFF it is.
Denmark to Quit as DENQUIT and I'm in splits.

ESTOVICT is morphed from Estonia and Evict.
and Finland headed for a Shift to a stable FINSHIFT.
Germany is set to run for a stronger GERRUN,
and now care to join me in this game, Anyone ?

The Brexits have set the ball rolling.
Playing with words is so fulfilling.
Hungary and please let's Break for dinner.
Some voted for HUNBREAK and an union got thinner.

Shown the way, Italy is all set to Leave
as ITALEAVE, leaving an union to grieve.
Luxemborg to Pass through to LUXEMPASS,
reducing the union to a tiny landmass.

Voting for a referendum too,
Malta is set to bid Adieu
as MALTADIEU, an economy self sufficient
and as a nation safer and independent.

As NETHERVALE, Netherlands followed suit
even as experts were trying to get to the root
of a larger problem as one that could impact
the world as a whole. Was it time to exercise prudence & tact ?

T'was the moment to Depart and the turn had come
for Portugal to take a stance from
either opting to remain or to follow the torchbearers.
Thus was born DEPARTUGAL in search of better pastures.

Are we moving out too ? Spain and Out ! exclaimed Senorita.

Handclapping and finger snapping, she danced, as the pretty Maria,

into SPAINOUT, expressing her anguish in a soulful melody

T'was an outpouring of emotions arising from separation and melancholy.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

Why should nations break away from where they belong ?
Should they not stay together in times of adversity ?
Does not strength comes from unity and diversity ?

Acknowledgement : Images from the internet.

Inspiration : Online Circulated Word play .

PARENTING.....SOME THOUGHTS !

So the summer break is over in India, which means ‘Back to school with heavy bags on tender backs, new water bottles hanging on shoulders , chart paper and cellophane sheets rolled in the hands and all. Time when parents have shift duties to perform, when they need to be up early to pull kids out of bed and drag them into the wash room to get their teeth brushed and awaken the sleepy brats with a water splash on the face followed by an immediate body shower. It's the story of going to bed the previous day with a mind full of school going and home coming, thoughts of sharing the stress of project-work, reading and writing together, mid term tests, a fixed waking-up time, drop and pick up, menu for the school lunch box, books arranged as per the time table, a properly equipped pencil box, geometry box, colour pencils and crayons, uniform, ironing, Bata shoes, black and white cherry blossom polish, socks, ties, bag packing, listening to complaints and stories of broken test tubes etc. etc. etc. 

Phew! The ‘My kid goes to school’ project is a difficult one. Planned Plan A could be the best but with kids, it would be good to keep reminding yourself about unpredictabilities and stay prepared with a back up plan say Plan B, C, D............Z to fall upon. How you act in a particular situation becomes the plan of that moment. 

The school working hours keep changing every year. From 1 hour at first in LKG to full working days on weekends and holidays in ClassXII, all that is required at the parent's end is presence of mind, the ability to stay alert and be prepared to adhere to the timings. 

Quarterlies , halfyearlies and finals are crucial testing times, sometimes in the forenoon and sometimes in the afternoons. But ! as a parent no matter what, you never give up on your kids  - No matter how trying the situations are, key is to remember "This too shall pass " and it does, I speak from experience here. 

Parenting in school is all about mediating and doing the patching up, explaining to your own child, teaching the child to be competitive with himself, to perform to the best of his capacity without comparison and sometimes talking to a parent whose child bullies others in the class. 

Now, when I count the money, I would have spent on transport, school projects, annual functions and excursions, I thank my stars. As compared to the exorbitant fees charged now school fees were much cheaper a few years ago and convent education came with several concessions. The annual fees in Class X came to around Rs 8000/- only. Text books and notebooks were provided by the school at a nominal cost. School authorities took orders for the uniforms. All that the students had to do was to assemble class wise as per the dates mentioned, form a line roll no wise, give the measurements and go back to class. Pay and take atleast a minimum of three sets at a time was the option given to the parents. The weekends, vacations and rainy days were time for parents to celebrate and take it easy. 

The school provided free education to under priviliged children. Call it a pitfall or a blessing of studying in a school which accomodated girl children only  from all strata of society, while the children learned to be friendly with all, they came back home with heads loaded with lice. Though holidays meant leisure from pressure, at the same time it meant looking into various options on eradication of lice and how to prevent further infestation...

LETTER FROM A MOM TO HER DAUGHTERS !

Some memories of my daily sermonising routine a few years back when my girls were in piggy tails and in school.....

Dearest daughters,

Now that you are in high school, I request you to take responsibility of taking care of yourselves. You can fend for yourselves, and I, your mother, have made it easy for you to do so. Anyway that is my job and when you are grown up, taller than me and competent enough to stand on your own legs, I will still be doing as much as I can to make things easy for you.

I am at work and when the two of you come back from school, here's what you should be doing and what not till I arrive.

Step 1 : "For making you happy "

"There are cakes.... spongy cup cakes and black forest pastries, sweet buns, bread, cream, cheese, butter, milk and curd in the refriegerator. There is the colourful fruit salad which I made specially for the two of you. There are two small alphonso mangoes on the kitchen table . I forgot to tell you about the cold chocolate milk and orange juice inside the fridge...But hey wait. The first thing that you are going to do once you get home is to open the fridge door...I know that, but..do not partake of any of these till you have followed the instructions in Step 2."

Step 2 :" For lunch at 3PM when you are back from school."

"That is your designated lunch hour as fixed by me, your mother. Adhere to it. I made aviyal and aloo roast today. I have kept rasam satham and curd rice in two separate containers on the dining table. Please share it equally. Do not waste the vegetables. Do remember to have the salad and the boiled vegetables too. No, there isn’t much pickle left. And no, I am not inclined to buy any pickle on my way home from work...Anyway you may have curd rice with the tangy puli inji..That's good for you...Now you may move to Step 1 and you are free to ransack the fridge."

"Dear girls, I am sorry if you feel you must call me at the office with your tales of discontent and displeasure of having to consume the same rice every day. I am sorry if you feel deprived because I said "No" when you wanted to make maggi or order a pizza and garlic bread."

Dear girls, I cooked with a generous dollop of love. Please have the food without complaining. Otherwise Goddess Annapoorani will weep. After finishing, clean the table and go to play outside. I have checked the air in the cycles. I got a new set of badminton corks. I have kept them on your study table. Studies and homework can wait till Uma Amma gets home...

..

Your loving Mother 

smile emoti

I could write about politics. No ! I will write a novel, maybe I should be writing a film review, or better still be participating in a debate or a story telling workshop.. I let that all pass, because official notes and draft letters are within my writing purview, so is blogging but the aforesaid mentioned are beyond my grasp. I will stick to what I can do best and no prizes for guessing that.

On that note, I begin. Today the 16th of June, Circa Two thousand and fifteen, I resolve to stay close to the topic and so even as I will write, I will keep reminding myself..." Please remember the topic "..." Oh ! dear !...do not stray away from what you wish to say.." Please, that is not the subject."

So, dear friends how do you begin your day ? If you are past fifty, it must be pretty tough to get out of bed, right ? At the crack of dawn with the sound of joints creaking and cracking what is foremost in your mind ? Is it exercise ? If so, you are on the right track. Get into those track suits and start running.

If you are up daily, groggy and grumpy faced, you were probably tossing all night singing

करवटें बदलते रहे,

 सारी रात हम,

आप की कसम,

आप की कसम with a background score, a medley of

सो जा राजकुमारी.....

सो जा....

सो जा राजकुमारी.....

सो जा...... and a modern remix of

नींद ना मुझे को आए,

दिल मेरा घबराए and

निंदिया ना आए........

निंदिया ना आए हाये

रैना बीती जाए .........leaving you wide awake for the rest of the night.

So, Please turn off the gadgets and sleep well.

Having doctors at home helps. They reassure me saying that most of the creaking sounds are harmless provided one is physically active. I am relieved and I ponder...Hmmmm !..." What better song for staying agile throughout the day, than this favourite one ? "...

উর্দ্ধও গগনে বাজে মাদল.

নিম্নে উতলা ধরণী তল.

ওরুণ প্রাতের তরুণ দল.

চলরে, চলরে, চল

চল ! চল ! চল  ...or even this one...

জাগো তুমি জাগো !

জাগো দুর্গা ! জাগো, দশ প্রহরণ ধারিনী!

অভায়া শক্তি ভালো প্রদাযিনি তুমি জাগো!

জাগো ! তুমি জাগো !

or a …मेरा नाम चिन चिन चू

चिन चिन चू बाबा चिन चिन चू......

रात चाँदनी, मैं और तुम.. ..Hello ! Mr, How do you do ? :-):-)

That motivates me to get up, stay brisk and active. I start my day with the filter coffee and I prepare the brew with the Rama Nama chant on my lips. I would not mind singing.." Ay malik tere bande hum, aise ho hamare kadam "...... but that would be a distraction to a better half who sings well and loves old Tamil melodies. I allow him to sing..

.Ayya Murugaiya...Murugaiya Kandhaiya...

or...

Thirupparangkunraththil Nee Siriththaal Murugaa

Thiruththani Malai Meedhu Edhirolikkum

Thirupparangkunraththil Nee Siriththaal Murugaa

Thiruththani Malai Meedhu Edhirolikkum…..

That's how you go about doing the morning chores. Ok !...Sing, do a chore which you are compelled to, sing and do a job you love. I love to cut veggies but I hate the cleaning work..So, in between cutting veggies and the cleaning, I tune into Vividh Bharati or listen to Saavn....

That's morning activity sorted out. Right !

Alternating smartly between tasks you love to do and tasks that you are forced to do, is the key to keeping your cool. The intervening period gives you the scope to do what you want . So please do destress and make best use of the time available.

Get going, go out into the garden, take a stroll in the park, admire the greenery and come back right in to continue from where you had left. Now you may sing... मधुबन  खुशबू देता है, सागर सावन् देता है...जीना उसका जीना है जो औरों को जीवन देता है...

Dear friends,

Stay healthy, Keep smiling, Stay positive, keep moving and sing along…..

सायोनारा सायोनारा

वादा निभाऊँगी सायोनारा

इठलाती और बलखाती

कल फिर आऊँगी सायोनारा.

सायोनारा, सायोनारा

HING LAGE NA PITKARI, RANG BHI CHOWKA AAYE !

With plans afoot for tomato onion oothappam, idlis and pongal for breakfast, steaming rice with capsicum sambhar, rasam and yummy aviyal for lunch, lehsuni makki palak and phulkas for dinner, I am depriving  myself of indulging in the sheer luxury of writing.

I do not know if I am going to step into the spotlight with this post of mine, but all of a sudden there is a surge of excitement, a craving to be a successful food writer. Generally speaking, consistency is the recipe to success, the key to a good recipe is practice and there is nothing sweeter than success.

The aroma of the herbs and spices, a drool, appetites that demand for more maketh a novice a chef. With a little inspiration and motivation the good chef becomes better and with some encouragement a better chef becomes the best...This is no great secret. Maybe applying the same logic, I will also be a great cook and an awesome food blogger some day.

Healthy food, recipes easy and mundane, recipes seemingly complex but actually rather simple, I try my hands only at those. In this post of mine, I will try to keep the taste buds far and near, tingling and the saliva drooling.

All one needs is a little common sense,  the passion to dabble, mix, match, blend herbs and spices, a head full of creative ideas and a lot of patience. With practice even  the seemingly tough to prepare dishes can become child's play.

Anyway ! Whoever said that "One who loves to eat will love to cook too," must have been an awesome chef.

I am a hard core vegan and I will swear by the benefits of vegetarianism. Before I get immersed in a topic I love, before I can just go on and on about yummy vegetarian delicacies and irresistible dishes, let me make one point very clear. Health and nutrition are the two main factors spearheading the cause of vegetarianism across the globe today .

On that note I begin with a small introduction of myself.  Born into a liberal Tambrahm family, I was raised in cosmopolitan Kolkata. I consider myself very fortunate for I had opportunity of growing up imbibing two great cultures, their food habits and in the process, I also learnt that great greater grandmother handed down recipes are the tastiest and the healthiest. The ones that have been handed down generations are still a part of traditional lunches and banquets.

In keeping with my Tamil upbringing and the Bong influence, listed below are a few common lip smacking dishes, easy on the purse and also on the belly, when consumed in moderation. Now maybe I could also write a snippet about the thief and the finger licking Pulikaachal. The Pulikaachal is a spicy tamarind chutney. It is a Tamilnadu speciality. The main ingredients are tamarind, (the older and darker,the tastier) red chillies, roasted and powdered coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds and peanuts. But since I have been designated with the job of writing about recipes that can make you drool I stick to that..So here you go...

One day, a few years later, when I will read this post, I will be still drooling and probably guffawing too, with a Pavlov in mind. I would be trying out newer versions of the recipes keeping in mind that times change and in order to keep boredom at bay, I will try to innovate......

Well ! Just that some of you tried to interrupt...let me add....I am indeed sorry.? Oh ! Let me get to the topic right away. I have started tapping on my keyboard and since there is nobody to stop me, I am drooling and typing..

This is a layman's guide to drooling and as the author of this post I am in no way responsible for incidents of tingling buds and dripping salivas that may be reported from across the globe. I will also not be held responsible if readers will start and bombarding Blogmint with hilarious anecdotes and time tested recipes...

Here's my list. I can see some of the readers drooling...Let's get started...

THE FILTER COFFEE !

If it's time to kick start your day, what better way to do it? So folks ! gear up and do a little homework. If you stay in that part of the world, where you have easy access to freshly ground coffee powder, you have reason to rejoice. Head to your nearest coffee outlet and buy a 50- 50 combination of Peaberry and Plantation beans. The shopkeeper will grind the roasted beans in your presence and you will be the proud owner of the most aromatic and fragrant coffee powder in the world. Invest in a humble coffee filter or a sophisticated coffee maker and enjoy the goodness of real frothy coffee with every sip.

THE IDLI AND THE DOSA ! 

Move out breads and buns. Make way for the delicious paper masala, sada, onion, paneer, dosas and creamy white soft and fluffy idles for a mouth watering breakfast experience. Essentially the trick in churning out the best batter lies in the grinding. Invest in a good quality table top grinder. The basic ingredients are the same for both the idli and the dosa. The difference is in the proportion of the Urad Dal and Rice. Ensure soft fluffy idles with the time tested combination of parboiled rice, urad dal and poha in the ratio 4:1:1 and yummy crispy dosas with my super success combination of raw rice, parboiled rice, urad dal and methi seeds in the ratio 1:1:1/4:1/8. Serve with yummy sambar, spicy onion, tangy tomato or a simple coconut chutney and spread the word that these are the one of the healthiest food items prescribed for breakfast. 

RASAM !

The simplest of all recipes, the heavenly Rasam is a South Indian delicacy. It is a clear soup made with the stock of boiled pulses, ripe cherry red tomatoes and tamarind. The rasam is served as an appetiser or partaken  with rice. The secret to a spicy rasam lies in the rasam powder which is a powdered mix of cummin, coriander, pepper, red chillies and asafoetida. The taste is enhanced with the final garnish...mustard seeds spluttered in pure ghee is dunked on top with finely chopped coriander and fresh curry leaves.

HOTEL SAMBAR !

Called the hotel sambar, it differs from the sambar that is served with rice for meals in South Indian homes. Unlike the  normal sambar where tamarind is one of the main ingredient, hotel sambar is prepared with either less or no tamarind. The trick lies in cooking the pulses with the onions and tomatoes in a pressure cooker. Fried shallots and vegetables mostly capsicum or drumstick are added for the enhanced flavour. The seasoning is in ghee. Topped with mustard, methi seeds and curry leaves fried in ghee, this is a delectable recipe easy to make and very tasty.

Now I am really hungry and I need more food for my brain. It could be mid noon, lunch, dinner time or any time of the day. Let's go oriental and move eastwards for an irresistible lunch menu comprising of piping hot Basmati or Gobindobhog rice, cholar dal, Potol and Bhegun Bhaja, Luchi alu Dhom and Rosogollas. From the sesame oil that adds aroma to South Indian cooking, I have made a shift to the fragrant ghee and mustard oil that lends the unique taste to Bong cooking.

HOT STEAMING GOBINDOBHOG PULAO !

The very enjoyable Gobindo bhog rice has a lovely aroma. Cooked with the right amount of water and blended with spices such as nutmeg, bay leaf, cardamom, cumin and cinnamon it forms the main course in any traditional Bengali meal. Highly aromatic the rice can be used for making mouth watering kheers in a jiffy.

BEGUN AAR POTOL BHAJA !

A hard core Bong food lover will swear by his love for the Pointed Gourd (Parwal) and the Aubergine ( Big Brinjal). Any meal is incomplete without the bhajas. Cut into long slices and marinated in a mix of masala and spice powders, the deep fried or sauted vegetables disappear from the frying pan once they are cooked. A great hit with the masses, these starters have existed from time immemorial and will continue to top the starter charts across homes.

CHOLAR DHAL !

The cholar dal is a very easy to make dish. Boiled chana dal is tempered with a seasoning of panch phoran, green chillies and fried coconut pieces. Turmeric enhances the colour of the dish and makes it irresistible. Highly nutritious, it is a great accompaniment with rice and loochi.

TOMATO CHAAATNEY !

The tangy sweet tomato chutney derives its taste from the combination of fried sesame seeds, dates and tamarind. Lip smacking, the dish requires very little effort to create the special taste. A little jaggery or sugar is added to enhance the taste. Bright red chilly powder gives the dish the colour that can trigger to activate the salivary gland.

Ofcourse ! I could go on and on about the lip smacking rosogolla and the yummy mishti dhoi, the traditional Tamilnadu payasam and the Tirunelveli Halwa, ice creams, sundaes and gulab jamuns, the roadside puchka, jhal muri, bhel puri, chaat joints, the vada sambhar, kuzhi paniyaram and the aappam kurma, idiyaapam, rava dosa and the dahi vada. I am a novice writer and an amateur photographer. I am guilty of borrowing pictures from the web and I don't think it would be fair on my part to bombard a wall with more shared pictures and on a lighter note, under the influence of a harmless amateurish gastronomical post, fearing that people across the world may be reaching out desperately for emergency medical aid for the cessation of saliva, in the interests of mankind at large and as a kind hearted good samaritan....I cease to be a blogger temporarily...........................


This blog (Recipes to make you drool) is part of BloggerDreamTeam-Food & Travel Carnival. Pictures are courtesy Wikepedia and the World Wide Web, except for the Potol Bhaja, my own creation and as for the recipe which I have not shared here, I may consider applying for a patent :-) :-)

THANDA THANDA COOL COOL !

May is drawing to a close and the heat is getting on my nerves.

Add traffic to my list of woes and I encounter no swerves.

There is no looking back once I step out on the road.

I follow the vehicles and abide by the one way traffic code.

Summer is a pain in the neck but I know how to keep my cool.

Listed below you will find recipes that can make you drool.

Keep ample milk, curd, butter milk and greens in the refriegerator.

Load it with capsicum, cucumber, turnip, radish, mint and coriander.

Buy some shallots and peel  them at your leisure.

Store them in the refriegerator along  with ginger.

All that you have to do is mix, match and blend.

Grind, filter the veggie pulp and serve the coolant to a friend.

If this sounds confusing, let me make it more clear.

I wanted to say “ When I am here, why fear.”

Pick up any green or any vegetable from the list above.

Remember ! the vegetable breathes too. Handle it with love.

Wash it, peel and grind it to a smooth paste.

Add buttermilk, a green chilly, ginger and salt to taste.

Determine the number of veggies as per your choice.

Gulp in a couple of glasses without making too much noise.

For example, for a litre of butter milk you could add juice of one lemon,

liquid extract of one cucumber,one onion, one garlic and a cinnamon.

Replace cucumber with any salad vegetable as you please,

Churn out coolants like a professional, just like that and ensure peace.

These are some coolers to keep you cool throughout the day.

Forget not your constant companion, the H2O, the elixir of life they say.

Drink water to your heart's content and live in cool harmony.

Also know that the way to anybody’s heart is through the stomach..Isn’t that true but funny ?

               

CHAI MUSINGS !

Time and again I repeat…”Please do not pull me out of hibernation and more so when I am happily engrossed doing the same mundane chores over and over again.” But I also understand that friends who care are friends for keeps and that invariably brings me back to cybernation. Clearly understand that I am not addicted to the web. I am a blogaddict and if you so wish you are most welcome to address me as Blogaddictakka . 

It’s been a great Saturday so far spent with family, friends on the web and Madan Mohan. Please do not mistake him to be a Malviya. Long back I took a vacation from politics and recently installed the Gaana and Saavn apps on my smart phone. Very recently, unable to hold on to the pressure of continuous charging, my Samsung Galaxy went for a six and inspite of several resurrections, continues to be in a comatose condition. The Madan Mohan I refer to is the famous Hindi lyricist. I love the lyrics he composed and the music………..and I am now back to listening to old melodies on the web.

If music is therapy, good food is sacrament and so I continue from where I had signed off earlier during the day. It was coffee in the morning. How about a tea trip now ?

Its unbearably warm in Chennai and the last one week has been scorching hot. In fact the mention of the word “Tea” has raised my morale for the moment and since afternoon I have been virtually travelling up to the hills, into the tea gardens and beyond.

I have friends in Ooty, Kodai and Coonoor.One of these days I am going to gate crash into one of their homes. I know they will welcome me with open arms. I am friendly you see. Mind you I am not bragging. My friends here, there and everywhere are good natured and compassionate. I am sure that they are not going to mind my company for a few days.

But ! still ! Instead of delving deep into fantasies of a visit to a hill station, which I do not see happening as of now or even next month, let us get into tea basics right away…

My favourite brand is Brooke Bond Red Label and in case you happen to be around in my vicinity please feel free to drop in. Do let me know if you would like your Tea light or strong. I am not a connoisseur of tea in the strict sense of the term. All that I can say is when brewed well , the aroma of the tea is certainly inviting.

A true connoisseur of tea will never have it with ginger, cardamom,fennel or basil. These kill the aroma of fine tea. The shiny golden brown transparent liquid gold has to be had without additives. That is the sign of a true connoisseur.

 Tea making, my way, is child’s play. As opposed to tea making as a ritual in some parts of the world, here at home it’s yet another mundane chore. In order to bring some variety into tea making and make the process interesting I have this habit of investing in colourful tea pots. That, I never use them is a topic for another blog post. Kindly bear with me. Here is how you brew it my way.

Pour water in a vessel. Add tea leaves and bring it to a boil till a fine infusion of the golden red colour is achieved. If you wish to have flavoured tea, you may add cardamom powder, ground ginger, basil leaves or fennel seeds as per your choice. Strain the tea water. Add milk and sugar and serve with pride. Chilled tea with lime is another favourite drink of mine.

I appreciate your patience for reading my post and if you have any doubts feel free to email me with your queries. I would only be too glad to help and I could also suggest choosing the best brew.

Incidentally the best aroma and flavours are experienced only on the hills, in the midst of tea gardens to be more specific and well ! for that I think all we need to do is arrange for a simple tea party…..