Spicy affair

It’s been a season of bingeing, what with the festivals of Lohri and Sankranti which are synonymous with til ladoos, gajak, rewari, all yummy goodies but fattening too! Then it was also the wedding season ... so more mithai and of course added to that it was winters, the cold weather  makes you all the more ravenous and one can't seem to have enough of  the seasonal specialties like methi and cauliflower paranthas.

I was loathed to step on the weighing scale knowing that it wouldn't lie, healthy eating was in order, starting with breakfast and what could be better than munching on sprouts which are packed with nutrition, taste good and are easy to prepare, just need a dash of lemon and some chaat masala and pronto they are ready.

Chaat masala is a mix of spices that can be sprinkled on almost anything from fresh fruits, to snacks, to pakoris (fritters) and even fries, the tangy flavor adds a lot of zing to any dish. It’s the perfect seasoning for all kinds of chaat and is an integral part of Indian street food - like alu chaat and sweet potato chaat (a winter specialty).

One can go in for the readymade mix but if you, like me, are partial to eating freshly ground masalas (spices) then here is a tasty, spicy chaat masala recipe for you. Buy good quality whole spices and grind them individually before making the chaat masala. I make it in small batches so that the freshness remains.

Whole spices 

CHAAT MASALA

1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (roasted and powdered)

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder

1/2 teaspoon dry ginger (ground)

1/4 teaspoon dry mint (powdered)
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)

1 teaspoon black salt

3 teaspoon dried mango powder (amchoor)

1 teaspoon salt

Mix the powdered spices and store in an airtight container. This condiment keeps well for a long time. The taste and flavor of home ground spices is unparalleled and having tasted it once you will be hooked to making this masala at home. The very taste of this Indian seasoning does wonders to virtually any dish! Try it and you would stop buying the processed mix variety.

Always live it up ... 'zindagi na milegi dobara'

The bell rang I was wondering who could it be, too early for the hubby to come home, unless he has decided to surprise me, nah he was supposed to attend an office dinner, couldn’t be him. The cable guy, too late for him, I was mentally ticking off the options of who the visitor was at this late hour on a wintry evening.

It's one of the safer places in the capital city of Delhi but still I inadvertently switched on all the lights leading to the front door. A wee bit apprehensive maybe, but opened the door all the same to find this charming old lady from our building smiling at me. She had dropped in to say hello. She enquired about my well being and asked me what I did. It was good talking to her though I knew that it would be forgotten soon for she has asked me my name several times in the past and has been to my place earlier too. Aunty J suffers from memory lapses but I simply adore her innocent manner and simplicity, such timeless qualities are unfortunately lost by most of us in the city's maddening rat race.

Her joie de vivre was infectious, she laughed and said spiritedly “isn't it the perfect weather to meet up with friends and chat". She enquired about my parents and when I said that I miss them she told me not to be sad for they wouldn't like to see me feeling sorrowful. I told her about my daughter who was here for the Christmas break and how for the first week she slept the entire time and would just get up to eat  and then crash out again- just recuperating from jet lag and a hectic college semester.

She enjoyed my tales about my children's antics in a foreign land and how they were coping with their demanding engineering studies. Before leaving she asked me my name again and told me that she would love to have me visit her. When she was leaving I pressed a jar of marmalade in her hand as I know she and her husband would enjoy it ... as I recalled she had made it a point to tell me that they had enjoyed my chutneys and preserves I had gifted them earlier. I resisted the impulse to write my name on the jar - as long as she enjoyed it, didn't matter where it came from.

I could not help noticing that how love surmounts illness ... she might forget trivial stuff but what was very amazing was that she still remembered her husband's name ... was very bothered that she should be going home as he would be worrying about her. She is a very keen gardening enthusiast and even in her 80’s can be seen pottering in the building lawns and diligently supervising the gardener. I admire her for being an artless person and for her exceptionally happy and calming disposition. She is ever so full of life and does everything with a lot of zest.

After she left I came back to my room feeling very joyful, what a wonderful person Aunty J was ... came so innocuously and brought cheer on a day when it was grey outside and cold inside. Hope that I too continue to have the same indomitable spirit and love for life as I get older.

Bangalore Club - tryst with our colonial past

When in Bengaluru, do partake of a slice of history by staying at the Bangalore Club. It is the city's oldest and finest club having been around since British times and has had luminaries like Sir Winston Churchill and Maharaja of Mysore as its members. Located in the heart of the city on Residency Road, you could not ask for a more central place to stay. The ambience of this heritage club is unbeatable and wins hands down over an impersonal hotel stay.

Bangalore Club

It's very close to all the tourist landmarks in the city - M G Road, Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha. The club's architecture and culture is reminiscent of the colonial times and it is still maintained in the pucca British manner with a 'men's only' bar still around. The perfectly clipped lawns add to the charm of this place and sitting out in the manicured gardens amidst the green foliage makes for a very pleasant evening.

Spread over a large expanse it encompasses a world in itself offering a multitude of facilities from a state of the art health club, spa, tennis, badminton and squash courts, a swimming pool and for the bookworms a library to immerse yourself in.

The rooms are very well appointed and tastefully done up with each room having its own private balcony. Though it's frequented by members all through the day but evenings are the time when it truly comes alive and one can see Bangaloreans thronging this place, the bar area being the hotspot and a  hang out place to unwind with friends.

The club is a stone's throw away from all major touristy places including the iconic Pecos on Brigade Road. A worth mentioning feature of this club were their meals, particularly the breakfast which was truly delectable. The fare was mostly South Indian, dosa, idli, vada and different types of bhath both sweet and namkeen (savory) and some Continental dishes too thrown in.

The dining hall is huge with high ceilings and wooden flooring and it was good fun savoring the delicious freshly prepared food and sipping on filter coffee in such charming confines. The staff is unobtrusive, courteous and service is exemplary as one is well looked after. On Sundays the meal is laid out in the lawns, they would make hot appams (pancakes of fermented rice batter and coconut milk) and the affable chef would very sweetly fill up our plates coaxing us into having more of his melt in the mouth hoppers.

It is a focal point of many Bangaloreans social life and is far from being a geriatric haunt, a lot of second generation youngsters are its members and throng the club for the numerous events hosted here from fashion shows, to western music festivals and "May Queen Ball".

Yes, it sure is an elitist club and does suffer from a colonial hangover!  it even follows an archaic practice as men in Indian attire are still not allowed inside its precincts - the club holds that the dress code is a part and parcel of its traditional legacy.

They are for sure very rule bound, I walked into the bar exclusively for men (was trying to take the short cut through the bar) and it was amusing to see the startled expressions of its patrons and how the maitre d' rushed to guide me out, but ladies don't despair they have a mixed bar too.

I had an extremely enjoyable time in the city primarily because of my stay here. It's centrality adds to the convenience - not only was one spared the city's dreaded traffic but could also get a better sense and feel of Bangalore. The club and its environs left me totally enchanted and it was like a home away from home. Can never think of Bangalore without Bangalore Club !!!

To Son, with Love

It's a momentous day for me; my son has completed his post grad and is now making the leap into the real world of holding a job and independent living. There is a lot of happiness in my heart for him, for the fact that he has been able to accomplish his goals and achieve what he had wished for.

Five years back he had left home a typical teenager, not very verbose, given to moody silences, he has transitioned from a lad into a fine young adult. Not only has he grown into an affectionate son but also a caring elder brother. One, who loves to discuss politics and the state of the economy with his dad, with his sister his conversations are more on the lines of discussing stuff they wouldn't like us to know and with his mother, he has become more patient; he may not be in agreement with me but would not like to disregard my views. Realizes that for some things this mom is a no nonsense mother and would tick him off if the need arose ... even though she may love him and give in to most of what he may want.

As a mother any change in his life for me is always fraught with slight anxiety, though on hindsight one realizes that children adapt very well to new situations but I guess being concerned for your kids becomes second nature to any mom. 

Today as he steps into this new world, what I hope is that he is able to maintain his equanimity and in learning life's lessons he keeps his innate goodness intact.

I feel proud to be his mother not for what he has achieved, but for his being such a good human being and hope that he stays the way he is, uncomplicated and grounded.

Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If' moves me a lot and any thoughts of my son always bring me to it, as Kipling's words mirror my sentiments -

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

In today's times these lines might appear a tall order to uphold and too idealistic but as a parent we would always wish for our children to choose the right path.

Lemons - sweet and spicy !

When you get lemons what do you do? Make lemon soufflé, lemon cake, lemonade, lemon bars! I know countless options but all sweet! none of these would work for me as there had already been over-indulgence this holiday season and I needed to be on a detox diet. Instead, I chose to make a sweet and spicy lemon pickle - this one is a real winner for its simplicity and great taste.

A few days back I had gone vegetable shopping and came across these bright looking unblemished lemons and couldn’t resist buying a whole lot of them. They looked such beauties and were perfect for turning into marmalade, but these days all that time consuming work is on hold till the daughter is around so settled for something that can be turned around faster and doesn't involve much cooking - and that's this quick and easy lemon pickle which is a good digestive too! Winter is an ideal time for making this pickle when lemons are in peak season, as they are more juicy with a thinner peel.

Khatta Meetha Nimbu Achaar (Sweet & Sour Lemon Pickle)

1 kg lemons

1/2 kg sugar

8 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon ginger powder (sonth)

1 tablespoon red chiili powder

10 cloves (laung) and 10 brown cardamom (badi elaichi ) well pounded

Soak the lemons in cold water for 8 hours. Then remove from water and pat dry thoroughly and cut into rings 1/2 cm thick. Salt rings and leave overnight.

Separate the salt liquid and the lemon rings. Then combine sugar, ginger powder and pounded spices with the salt water from the lemon rings and boil until the sugar dissolves. Lastly add the red chilli powder and cool.

Add the lemon rings to this cooled spicy syrup. Mix well and pour into a clean sterilized glass jar and cover.

Keep in the sun daily until it is ready to be eaten. The pickle takes around 4-5 weeks to mature.

This pickle goes particularly well with mathris  

The Ultimate Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake is an all time favorite and something enjoyed by everyone in the family. The daughter is home for her winter break and I of course have been cooking her favorite stuff.

She is not much into sweets but a good chocolate cake is something she doesn't mind digging into. I had made this cake before for friends and knew that she too would love it. Sure enough she liked it immensely. The recipe calls for icing which I omitted as it tastes good on its own and also since we both prefer our cakes sans frosting.

It has to be said that it's a scrumptious cake, turns out absolutely feather light, and moist. The cocoa gives it a very intense chocolatey look as well as flavor. This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa (Beatty’s Chocolate Cake).

Chocolate Cake

13/4 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cups good cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 extra large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C. Butter a round cake pan or a square. 

Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and mix well.In another bowl add the eggs and sugar and beat well, then add the buttermilk, oil,  and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingrdients to the dry ones, then add the hot coffee and stir just to combine, taking care not to overbeat. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out on a cooling rack and cool.

 In case one wants to make it more rich it can be topped up with a chocolate frosting, though it tastes fabulous plain too. 


Four months ago: Celebrating summer with a pear spice cake
Five months ago: Whole wheat mango cake - sans guilt
Six months ago: Pear and Cinnamon Upside Down Cake