VERY random post, mostly due to boredom

*I finally spoke to S for like an hour and our call ended due to this cross connection thing that happened about 50 minutes into it. Then, well, neither of us called because we had to get back to work, etc. Didn't talk about fun things though. And spent considerable amount of time talking about the recession, people we know who've been hit by it, crazy S plans and the like. I mostly did the listening and the scolding. Hee. I like it when I get to do the scolding.

*I can't WAIT for Wednesday because that is when my exams will be over. Wheeee. However, there are other imminent tasks to be taken care of. I will OBV keep beloved blog updated on all bloggable events.

*I was supposed to pick up my PRETTY tailored clothes from the tailor guy today but I couldn't go because I had to study and didn't want to waste a lot of time going there. So will go there on Wednesday. CANNOT wait. You see my Dilli Haat cloth pieces are supposed to have been made into kurtas :D Joy!

*I have been stealthily stealing After Eights from Fish (well, not really stealing... I stole only once, the remaining were taken with her permission) which had been gifted to her. If Fish were S, I'd have shamelessly stolen and eaten all. When Dad used to get S and me tubs of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream from BnR, which btw is my standard order there, I'd immediately consume mine while S saved her for "later" when she'd "feel like some ice cream". At times I'd be sick and horrible and just eat it up before she could get hands on her tub. But I think this never happened with BnR ice cream; only with Feast bars or other random ice cream. BnR she'd save and consume later, IN MY PRESENCE, dangling it in front of me and basically torturing me. But she'd also be kind enough to give me a generous spoon or two of some of it and I'd end up with net profit of those many extra spoons which I got BECAUSE I'd finished mine earlier. Score.

*Can you believe this? Cosmo ezine?!?! Well, there's nothing like printed copies of anything but I don't mind saving 100 bucks a month AND having an additional source of online tp.

*I LOVE Suri Cruise. She's incredibly adorable. I CANNOT get enough of her on popsugar.com. I got very excited when I heard rumours that Katie Holmes is expecting again or is trying to conceive. I want Suri Cruise part II! The more the merrier :) What? I love babies and they love me too.

Watch Out! Food Ahead!

This is my off-to-college year which is one of the reasons why my mom has been very co-operative in giving me pointers on everyday cooking. Even though I won’t be cooking in hostel, I feel I should make good use of this summer to learn some basic dishes as I really want to be able to cook for myself after I graduate (etc etc). I don’t really like the idea of someone else (read: cook) cooking for me and me having to complain about the salt, the mirchi, the masala and what not. Better to just be independent, right? PLUS, it’s a helluva lot of fun :)

Okay. So I haven’t really learnt any everyday-dishes so far because I always get tempted to make yummy snacks and that’s exactly what I did!

Yesterday, I made dosa for breakfast. Onion dosa, my personal favourite. It was the first time I was making the actual, thin and crisp dosa. I have made the normal thickness ones umpteen times before, but would think twice before making these. To my amazement, they came out to be perfectly golden and absolutely delectable! Thanks to the new non-stick pan, of course! Here’s a picture!

Last Sunday, I’d made onion pakodas (which are called ‘piyaji’ in Oriya. Onions are called ‘piyaja’(pronounced as piya-jaw)). They are my mom’s ALL TIME favourite snack. She totally loved them and also shot a few my-little-girl-is-growing-up-so-fast type dialogues which I’m not repeating over here! ;)

Here, take a look!

And another :) I can’t get enough of these!

I had also tried out Asha’s Kodubale but had substituted maida with atta. They tasted real good and everyone liked them but their shapes were all messed up! They looked like famished bangles *sheepish grin* So I’m not putting up a pic! Heehee. I hope next time I try them, I get the shapes right!

Feeling wonderful!!

Maid was on leave, mom was to return home at 10 p.m. after a hectic day at work and S didn’t feel like cooking. So I, the blogowner set out with newly found inspiration to cook more, from Asha, and with nothing else but the taste of my mother’s rassam or charu or whatever it’s called (!) to make dinner for the night.

I couldn’t think of any dish that I would want to try neither did I feel like finding the dusty old Sanjeev Kapoor and Tarla Dalal recipe books. So, like everytime I’ve made something for the first time, I trudged along with with only my instincts (which actually must be enough for seasoned cooks since my mom (and everybody else’s of course!) keeps coming up with new innovative ideas every now and then).

The charu I made-

Yea well, it doesn't look great but it did taste so! Yes, i have no modesty left in me!

It took me about half an hour to prepare the charu. It took me 10 more minutes to toast some bread and cut it in shapes. My mom was home by then. I immediately served all I had made (hot hot!! Yay! it all tastes best when it’s hot :)) and she, being the understanding mom who has spent 20 odd years of her life trying to make a slow-eater S eat while the food is still warm, got down to the eating business. Of course, she told me it was wonderful and called up my dad to tell him about the Sneha-making-actual-dinner story! God! That feeling, watching mom have the food I’d made was most heart-warming. I was so happy to actually see her…. Okay well, istead of trying to put the feeling down in words I’ll just leave it on the hindi saying – Khaane se zyada khilane me mazaa aata hai!

UPDATE!!!

Okay, so originally I had not included the procedure that I had followed to make this charu (I don't use the word recipe here, because it's not the real recipe!). Anyway, here goes....

1) I heated some oil (about 3 teaspoons) in a kadai and added a little mustard seeds, saunf or fennel seeds and asafoetida or hing powder till the mustard seeds spluttered (which was very early!!). I then addded some curry leaves, crushed ginger and about 3 cloves of garlic which had also been crushed.


These are mustard seeds!

Saunf (or fennel seeds)

Asafoetida Powder.


2) I then added some salt (to taste of course!), some curry powder, a little chilli powder and finally 3 (I didn't really know how many tomatoes I should be using, however since I was cooking for 3 people, i thought why not 3?!) tomatoes which had been cut in thin slices. The tomatoes were medium sized.

3) I cooked the contents of the kadai for a while (till the water from the tomato had almost evaporated). Then, I added about 3-4 cups of water (I was really generous with the water :)).

4) I added a lid and let the water come to a boil. After it came to a boil, I cooked it further for about4-5 minutes (till the salt-water balance came ie!) with stirring from time to time.

5) Then....... my charu was ready! :)

Enjoy!

PS. I added the pictures (which I found from the net) of those 3 components because I thought it would be easier for other novice cooks like me to figure out what all these ingredients actually mean. I didn't know those black chaunk seeds were mustard seeds till I googled it this morning!!