WOW – ‘Time Machine, Green Sofa and a Diary’

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Every new year,papa used to get many diaries especially from his office stamped SAIL in bold letter ,a few colorful ones with golden letters inscribed on the cover ,gifted by his friends and most of them, he used to distribute back to other friends and family as well, except two ,that he would carefully place it in the little worn out and color chipped, brown Godrej almirah in our bedroom.

My paa being a very organized person , I didn't find anything unusual about it.However, during childhood days , every storage place like pantry to cupboards to almirah used to be quite mysterious places for me that piqued my curiosity,curiosity that what exactly are maa and paa hiding in there ; pantries that got refilled with snacks and other edible goodies,cupboards filled with old forgotten books or stuffs like a pair of broken crayons ,paint box ,old broken yet functional paint brushes or some old clothes which would fit me somehow then,almirahs where paa , maa would keep their valuable things-dresses ,jewelleries ,files,sets of new pens-Reynolds, or fountain pens to be specific ,couple of Camel ink pots in a brown box ,bunch of Natraj pencils and other HB pencils ,few leaves of black /blue carbon copy sheets ,stack of plain white papers covered in plastic etc etc neatly arranged in every compartment of the almirah.

Did I tell you that once my (stray yet pet ) cat after delivering six kittens,she kept them safe in my cupboard and just left for good and until she was back, and I used to take care of those small kittens with fevicol-ed eyes - fed them milk using the empty and cleaned eye-drop solution dispenser .. So, see I was so used to find surprises in such places ....

One day I planned to scan the almirah ,took the small stool near to the study table,climbed on it and started my 007 spy work and one of paa's diary fell on the ground .Before my maa would find out my spy work which she was quite used to and was not happy about ,as I would mess up all the clothes mom kept nicely,I took the diary,cleaned the evidence and ran for my life. Mission successful ! Mom had no idea what happened .She ran to the kitchen instead thinking that nasty brown fluffy cat would be raiding her domain.


That sight made me one happy girl .However ,my mission to scan the entire almirah was unsuccessful.Since, whenever I got disturbed about anything, I would doodle something anywhere like paper,magazine,a piece of paper and likewise, whatever was handy at that moment ,this time it was my dad's diary that faced my wrath..I don't know why even my school books/copies had my signature drawings at the back pages as if I was allergic to the plain papers....So,I was doodling my heart out and venting out in my paa's diary.....

Suddenly ,I heard a voice,"Mone ,endo edukkuva? " (Dear ,what are you doing ?) .I was so carried away with my masterpiece that I didn't quite hear properly.Again,"Money athu pappeyudey diary alley,endo cheyuvva athil nee ? "(Dear ,that's my diary,what are you doing with that ?) I felt like I was caught red handed and without a word, I quickly gave the diary back to my dad.

Days passed,one fine day ,saw my dad fetching that diary from the almirah and sitting on our green wicker sofa he was quite proud of ,as he used to paint that wicker sofa all by himself on every Diwali eve in dark green color with a diamond shaped design in the center in yellow (Like dad,like daughter!) .

Though dad is not a scolding type like my mom, I thought he would certainly ask me why I messed up his precious diary .However,I saw him jotting down something in his diary. To my surprise, this continued every now and then and seems to be his habit since long which I did not pay attention before. I asked him one day, what is he writing in his diary always. He smiled and dismissed off saying, "Onnum illa mone"(Nothing dear just like that).

That was not what I wanted to hear.Now ,that challenged my curiosity. So,I put my 007 cap on and planned for my next raid of almirah . This time, I didn't check anything inside the almirah other than that brown diary and Eureka,it was right in front of me,I didn't have to strain much.. I got it !

I took the diary,locked the almirah cautiously and escaped from the room to our verandah . No crayons,no sketch pens,no candies ,nothing fascinated me like this diary. I didn't care if I completed my homework or not or I failed at the upcoming mid-term test or bhaiya/bro got the big piece of cake ,all I wanted was to, just find the ultimate secret behind this diary.

I finally opened the diary . I felt like I was reading a beautiful novel . Every page was like a memoir in progress - as if paa was capturing all those small moments like when mom tried a new recipe and that made us - myself and my bro super happy ,the new black shoe for the school that I got on my birthday that made me glee,how my bro would mimic Kapil dev with his brand new cricket bat,how pretty amma looked in that dark green color saree ,how bhaiya/bro forgot to zip up his school uniform/pant,how I got 2/10 in unit test in a row and mom scolded me quite bad and though Dad didn't approve my achievement either,he equally felt helpless to see me crying out loud as if I was innocent,How he hated to see any one of us-me/bro/amma fell ill ,how he regretted, he was not able to buy me the huge costly teddy bear I always wanted, how he struggled at one side to send money to his family back in Kerala and other side to take care of us (to make both ends meet) and keep everyone happy ,how family was his only priority...basically ,it was pearls of small moments he was looping into a beautiful necklace of memoir...

I always hated diaries as they reminded me of the school diaries we used to get ,some pages with complains by my teacher addressed to my parents,or full of prayers/slokas as if I was not praying enough at home with my conservative family etc and the only place I really knew what technically personal diary entry was in my English class ,when Joseph sir taught us. However,it was after reading my paa's diary that I realized the true importance of diary entry - how one can still capture those precious little details, bygone moments and rekindle ,revisit and cherish it forever.

As a matter of fact, he still continues to pen down everything that matters to him and I still read it whenever I get a chance,even his old stack of diaries and it is indeed like a nostalgic time travel from my hurry-bury life to the much peaceful ,simple,forgotten golden periods of our life with hidden lessons in between . It is like recollecting and reconnecting missing dots in my mundane life.It is like reliving,refreshing and reinvigorating diary spa. It is indeed a time travel - from present to past where memories are sealed and forever they will last................


Live well,laugh often and love a lot,

P.S :This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

Kerala chicken curry/Naadan kozhi curry

"The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it."

 Says who ?? Well , originally said by Arnold H. Glasgow but practically felt and implemented by none other than my better 1/2 . Remember ,the egg story I told you recently - *What came first eggs or chicken ...not in this world but to my humble jumble home sweet home ?? What ? You don't remember,how amnesia-tic of you? Did you just say ,"All because of your company ?"  Not fair !

 There can be only one more Ghajini on this planet,and that lady Ghajini is "ME".Ok now go and check out the above *blue link .Will you ? And those who are like ,"What is she speaking "? - Well,YOU TOO - check that above link and come back .THEN this post will make more sense to you ;Come on enlighten your brain and wake up those idle brain cells ! If you did - Read next !

I love chicken legs !

So,dear friends, this is the story of - How I used to chicken out ..err..I mean ...how chicken came to my new ,re-defining ,re-designing phase of my life (after my marriage) and made it completely topsy-turvy .
 
I remember, how I used to escape or pretend that I didn't see that aisle in the supermarket, haunted with skinless chicken dead bodies but deep in my heart how I wished someone would make a chicken curry for me everyday..one day hubby did try, only to realize later that it has got a potential to become an inevitable habit for his cooking illiterate wife ..so he hesitated .As kind as I am ,I felt deep mercy for him too .So,I didn't bother him either. All those chicken curries from restaurants ,as much as I hated but thinking of the bigger picture ,a part of the order, I always got it packed to go. But you know,they finish VERY quickly!

So,as time went by ,tired of my ways to satisfy my cravings for chicken and chicken being the only non-veg (meat) item my hubby would love to eat ,I had no other option than to roll over my sleeves, put my chef cap on and gear up,once a month at least, to prepare a chicken curry Indian style especially .

But as lady luck is my best foe , whenever I tried to make a Chicken curry ,my hubby was like ,"Oh wow honey,is it a Filipino style chicken curry ?" Next month ,it would be ,"Is it a Thai chicken curry?" and continued ,"Is it North Indian-East Indian-West Indian but not like South Indian ?" What is it Honey ?

That left me speechless but this saga continued for couple more years till my amma/mother came to US of A .When I was narrating this story to her ,I thought she will be lol-ing but how did I forget - She rolled my ears and my earrings were hanging upside down....poor thing - it was new !

As usual,mom's class started ,"Now you know ,why I used to ask you to help me out in the kitchen ."
I was like ,"A a aaaa oo Ouch ,I know I know." She thought she was successful in giving me another lecture though I was only trying to get rid of her hands from my beautiful ears and my new earrings.

To add fuel to the fire which I was trying hard to extinguish ,my dad would also remind her ,"Teach her everything ,all Kerala curries especially ." 

Needless to mention,momma taught me step by step ,how to make a chicken curry Indian style especially Kerala style and I was like an assistant ,who was silently taking down the notes .There on ,chicken curry became one of my specialty .

So,this is how I make Kerala style chicken curry a.k.a naadan kozhi curry ,

Amma's Kerala Chicken curry recipe

Ingredients 

Chicken,whole,chopped into bite size pieces - 1 kg

Onion,medium,finely sliced - 3 nos.

Green chillies,chopped - 3-4 nos.

Ginger paste - 2 teaspoons

Garlic paste - 2 teaspoons

Tomato ,medium ,chopped - 2 nos

Coriander powder - 3 tablespoons

Red chilly powder - 2 tablespoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Kerala Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon

Pepper powder - 1/2 tablespoon

 Fennel powder - 1/2 tablespoon

Coconut oil - 4-5 tablespoons

Mustard seeds - 1-2 teaspoon 

Salt to taste

Water - 1 1/2 cup

Coconut milk - 1/2 cup (optional)

Curry leaves - a few

For marinating : (optional)

Salt 1 teaspoon OR

Yogurt -3/4 cup OR

Lime juice - 2 teaspoon

Method:

1. Clean and wash the chicken well and cut them into bite size pieces.
2. Marinate the chicken with salt/yogurt/lime juice and keep it aside for about 20-30 minutes.
3. Heat oil in a wide pan/Kadai.Add mustard seeds to it and allow it to splutter (on high-low flame).
4. Sprinkle little salt to cook brown onion faster.
5. Add the onion slices and green chillies,saute until onions turn dark brown on medium flame.
6. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute it on low flame until the raw smell of ginger-garlic is gone.
7. Add a few curry leaves to it.
8. Add the chopped tomatoes to it and saute.
9. Add all spices to it and saute on low flame for a minute or two.
10. Cover it until tomatoes turn soft .
11. Add the chicken pieces to it.Mix everything well.
12. Add water to it and allow it to boil.
13. Once it reaches the boiling point,lower the flame,cover it with a lid and let it simmer for a while.
14. Once the chicken pieces are well cooked and the curry becomes thick,then add the coconut milk.(Don't allow it to boil )
15. Add remaining curry leaves and after a minute or two ,put off the flame.
16. Serve hot with boiled rice or chapathi/roti,pulao,paratha,idiappam,appam,naan or as YOU wish.

Notes:

• Marinating with any of those ingredients makes the chicken tender and juicy.You can avoid it and still make tasty curry.
•  The taste of the curry may vary according to the garam masala or any chicken masala used.Try to use any Kerala special masala for sure.
• Coconut oil and coconut milk makes it extra special,Kerala special taste.
• Adjust the spices as per your taste.This is a spicy curry!!
• This curry tastes best when served the next day.

So,that's how my hubby's patience paid off eventually.Not only this curry ,I also made other delicious Indian chicken curries like Mughlai zafrani chicken curry, Puransingh chicken curry , Patiala chicken curry and more coming up .

I say for the time being ,YOU also have patience ,just wait and watch,

Eat,love,live DELICIOUSLY,

Instant Rava idli/Semolina idli/Sooji idli

All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast ~ John Gunther .

So true !! Especially if you are like me not a morning person (now it is much better ,there is some improvement though ..I am working on it ). However,when it is weekend ,it becomes a competition NOT who will wake up early INSTEAD who will wake up late .(You see,the luxury of having no kids yet and enjoying each others company to the utmost even sleeping ...This for me falls under "Simple pleasures of life" :)).

As if on Fridays,we (myself & hubby) are trying hard to prove .."Hey,weekdays are over INDEED! "...Weekend is gonna start and we will do anything we want - we'll go out , eat in a nice restaurant and forget about being a weight watcher ,watch movies in a theater perhaps, as if it's the first and last day of the show and then again at home watch movies after movies as if there is no tomorrow,we will not sleep as if we love to be insomniacs , we will snack again even if it's 2 am ,so what if we don't have popcorn ,next day we will sleep long because of the overnight haul and morning ,we will scan our refrigerator for any quick bites and we will not find any eggs for even omelets singing "Sunday ho ya Monday roz khao anday "(an old ad .aired in DD1 when I was little meaning whether it is Sunday or Monday,eat eggs everyday" ) and hubby will yawn "I-want-Idli" and I'll be like but honey P ,I forgot to make the idli batter ...Interval! ...after scratching my head as if I've severe dry itchy scalp ,I will say ..Alright let us make Rava idli !!

To those who are not aware of ,"Idli" is a very famous South Indian breakfast item . However,to make the regular idli batter it is time consuming - you have to soak the ingredients of the recipe for couple of hours and then grind them into a smooth batter and allow it to rest for like 7-8 hours and then steam them into regular idlis . So, this is something you have to plan in advance or have store bought ready made batter at home .As amnesia-tic as I am ,I most of the time forget and most of the weekend my hubby reminds me that he loves idli. However,if you have similar situation or if you want to have idlis that can be quickly made without any soaking or long fermentation ,then make rava idlis.

All you need are rava ,suji/sooji a.k.a semolina ,yogurt,water to make it into a batter and then something like "Eno" to activate the batter to rise , turn soft and spongy instant idlis plus very little spices and then to make little more healthier, I also add vegetable mix ..well rest is your creativity I say ! and all it takes is about 10-15 minutes of cooking time to make instant idlis.

By the way these idlis are quite healthy just like the regular idlis because of the semolina :

Did you know ?

• Semolina is a good source of protein,carbohydrates and fiber.
• Semolina is loaded with vitamins like Potassium,selenium,Iron especially .
• Semolina falls under "Low glycemic index " food item meaning it is digested and absorbed in the body slowly and so is very good for weight management and diabetic people.
• Good source of energy.
• The downside,it is not gluten free.

  So,this is how I make rava idli at home

Rava Idli recipe

Ingredients

Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 1 cup

Water - 1-3 cups

Yogurt/Curd - 3/4 cup

Eno salt - 1 teaspoon

Ginger ,chopped - 1 teaspoon

Green Chilly ,large,chopped - 2 nos

Afew curry leaves ,chopped

Salt to taste

Mixed vegetable (Carrots,beans,corns,peas),frozen - 1/4 cup (optional)

To temper :

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Urad dal/Black lentil - 1 teaspoon

Chana daal/Bengal Gram lentil - 1 teaspoon

Hing/Asafoetida - A pinch

Ghee/oil - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Oil to spray 

Method:

 

• Heat a pan with ghee or oil and add mustard seeds.
• When mustard seeds splutter,add everything under "To temper" on low flame so that the dals /lentils don't get burnt.
• To that add the chopped ginger, green chilly ,curry leaves and saute for a minute.
• Now add the rava/semolina and saute for a few minutes on medium flame until it becomes light brown.
• Switch off the flame.Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes.
• Boil the mixed vegetables,make a paste of them in a food processor.
• Now add 1 cup water,yogurt ,salt and mixed vegetable paste to it.
• Mix well.Allow the batter to sit for 8-10 minutes.
• Now take the idli maker ,add two cups of water and allow it to boil.
• Once it reaches the boiling point,lower the flame .
• Now spray or smear some oil on each idli moulds.
• Put the eno into the batter ,a tablespoon of water on top of it and give a stir .
• Pour the batter immediately into each idli mould in the idli maker.
• Close the idli maker and allow it to steam on medium flame for 10-15 minutes.
• Switch off.Let it rest for a minute.
• Carefully,open the idli maker and remove every idli using a spoon
• Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.

Note:

1. "Eno" is must to use to activate the batter to rise and become soft and spongy.Use it ONLY at last, just before you pour batter into idli moulds . Put a tablespoon of water on top of it and you'll see bubbles on the surface of the batter that's when you should mix batter well and pour it instantly .
2. Make sure the batter is lump free.
3. Don't use fat free yogurt if you don't want to compromise the taste.
4. When you add water to the batter,add little by little till you get the right consistency.It should be neither too thick nor too thin ,should be pourable .
5. People usually add cashews too but I don't prefer.You can.

Isn't that one healthy ,filling food to break the fast I mean breakfast item you can make anytime instantly ,leisurely and start the day to a happy weekend ?

For me it is :).