Sharing: THE OBAMAS VISIT INDIA

What is it about the Obamas that makes us want to get closer, hear the speeches and get to know the interactions and more?

I heard a few people on TV say that the Indian media is giving too much coverage to the US President’s visit. It was mentioned that the US media would not care two hoots about our President’s visit to their country. There was a channel that went on and on about the 900+ crore rupees spent on security and what a waste it was, etc.

But what really struck me were these points at the end of the Obamas’ trip to India:

1.    Both Barack Obama and his wife Michelle came across as very down-to-earth with no pomp or ceremony governing their actions.
2.    There was an innate honesty in everything that Prez Obama uttered, I thought. A very rare thing that could be seen in politicians.
3.    When Barack Obama spoke about Mahatma Gandhi, it was obvious that he meant every word he said. Could any of our local politicians swear by the Mahatma’s principles?
4.    I could not see the US President making any promises that he did not intend keeping.

I, for one, was totally enamoured with the President’s visit to our country, his speeches and especially the Q & A at St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai. One part that I liked best from this was: 

“It's hard to preach to an empty stomach. If people have severe, immediate material needs - shelter, food, clothing - then that is their focus. And economic growth and development that is self-sustaining can liberate people, allow them - it forms the basis for folks to get an education and to expand their horizons. And that's all for the good.”

Recipe: MATTAR PANEER

Mattar Paneer gravy

The next few recipes are for the dishes I made for lunch on Diwali. The spices used may seem the similar but give or take one or more makes all the difference to the taste. Indian spices – each of them has its own exotic flavour and give out a different aroma when used differently. For eg.: garlic tastes one way when you grind it and very different when you grate it. The same goes for tomatoes too.

If it is a quick method you are looking for then check out the Quick-fix Recipes section of my blog. The section with ‘Recipes’ is all about proper cooking methods that bring out the flavour and aroma of the dishes created.

Mattar Paneer is a gravy with peas and paneer just as the name suggests. It is not so difficult to make and tastes delicious too.

Ingredients:

Peas – ½ kg (I used frozen ones as fresh peas were not available) 
Paneer (cottage cheese) – ¼ kg (cut into cubes)
Tomatoes – 2 (cut into pieces)
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder – 1 pinch

Masala ingredients

Red Chilli powder – 1 pinch
Oil – 2 tsp (for the gravy)
Cream – ½ cup (you can use less)
Chopped Kotmir (Coriander leaves) – 2 tsp
Some oil for frying the paneer

Masala:

Garlic – 2-3 cloves
Green chillies – 4
Ginger – ½ inch piece

Masala cooking

Onions – 2 (cut into pieces)
Dhania – 1 tbsp
Jeera – 1 tbsp
Saunf (Sombu) – 1 tbsp
Cloves – 3
Black pepper – 3
Cinnamon Bar – 1 tiny piece
Elaichi (Elakkaai) – 1
Khuskhus (khasakhasa) – ½ tsp

Method:

1. Boil the peas in water with ½ tsp salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Switch off gas and drain the water when peas are soft.

Tomatoes added to masala

2. Grind the masala ingredients along with some water into a smooth paste. Ensure that all ingredients are well ground.
3. Place a saucepan (kadai) on the stove and add the oil to it. When hot, add the ground masala to the oil. Allow it to cook for a while, stirring regularly. Add a bit of turmeric powder and the red chilli powder before adding salt. Let it cook some more. You can cover the saucepan with a lid and keep the flame at a medium level.
4. Grind the tomatoes and add to the saucepan as well.

Fried paneer

5. Stir for a short while and add the peas to the mixture. Cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Beat the cream and add to the peas gravy and cook for 2-3 minutes before switching off the gas.
7. In another saucepan, heat some oil and shallow fry the paneer cubes in two or three batches till golden brown. Drain the oil and place them on a plate.

Add the fried paneer to the peas-gravy along with kotmir before serving hot along with Puris or Rotis.

Festival: HAPPY DEEPAVALI 2010

Wish everyone of my readers a very Happy Deepavali 2010!

These are diyas that I lighted at the entrance of our flat. I wish each and everyone a very Happy & Prosperous Diwali and a Happy New Year too!

We decided to 'go green' this Deepavali and did not purchase any fire-crackers. Looks like the sentiment has been shared by many as the noise level is quite low this year. 

Diwali lunch

This is the lunch I made at home for today. I veered away from tradition to make a North Indian lunch and my family members were quite thrilled about this. You will get to read the recipes for the items made. The Paal payasam (kheer), Stuffed Capsicum, Mattar Paneer, Puris, Pulao and Raita were indeed yummy, even though I am saying so myself. ;)

Film Review: JHOOTHA HI SAHI

Cast: John Abraham, Pakhi, Raghu Ram, Manasi Scott, Anaitha Nair, Alishka Varde, Prashant Chawla, Omar Khan, George Nick, Madhavan, Nandana Sen
Director: Abbas Tyrewala

The Story: Siddharth Arya (John Abraham) lives in London and is in a live-in relationship with Krutikka. His best friend is Omar (Raghu Ram), a Pakistani whose unmarried sister is pregnant. By a quirk of fate, Sid ends up receiving calls meant for a 24/7 suicide helpline for Indians. He spends a sleepless night answering desperate callers on the verge of giving up their lives. That’s how he gets to know Mishka (Pakhi – Abbas Tyrewala’s wife, btw). She is about to swallow all the sleeping pills in a bottle when she decides to call the helpline. Siddharth talks Mishka out of committing suicide. Mishka continues to call him every night and Siddharth patiently listens to her. When he refuses to divulge his name, she calls him Fidhaatho, meaning ‘someone who is absolutely trustworthy’.

Unfortunately, Siddharth meets her and pretends to be someone else. He lives a dual life – one as the voice on the helpline and the other as Siddharth. He lies a lot – I am not sure I understand the purpose to it, except that it fits in with the title of the film. The film goes on to show whether their relationship will last after Mishka gets to know the truth.

My Perception: The concept of the plot – the helpline for people on the verge of committing suicide – is good. Siddharth helping Mishka is very acceptable. The film has been built on this strong premise. But how it has been fleshed out is another story all together. The characters are all believable. A pregnant woman who refuses to accept the baby’s father’s (a Japanese) marriage proposal; a Gay man trying to find the right partner; Omar having hidden feelings for his best friend’s girlfriend; Mishka feeling desolate when her mother commits suicide and her boyfriend Kabir (Madhavan) ditches her for another woman; Kabir feeling jealous of Mishka’s newfound happiness with Siddharth – everything is believable and acceptable.

But the most important point of Jhootha Hi Sahi – Siddharth feeling the urge to lie to Mishka – I am not able to quite swallow that one. It does not seem natural. I can quite understand people telling lies under exceptional circumstances. And then there are those who are compulsive liars. Siddharth is neither. Why does he feel the need to lie? I felt lost. And as this is supposed to be the backbone of the story, the film just falls apart as it does not work.

John Abraham – it’s a surprise that he has made a name for himself in competitive Bollywood and directors have the guts to make films with him as the only hero. I have never found his acting great. But it was quite appalling in this film. He goes through the film with a dumbstruck look most of the time with a bit of pathos thrown in on and off. It’s amazing how the producer and director thought that they could rely on such an actor (?) to make the film run.

Pakhi – she was not too bad in what I presume is her debut venture in Bollywood.

Raghu Ram of the MTV Roadies fame has does an excellent job in his role as Omar. If there is a reason to watch this film, I would say that this is the one. He is the saving grace of the film.

The music by AR Rahman was good. What surprised me was the stammering Siddharth breaking into songs that are sung perfectly.

One more scene that needs to be mentioned is the one at the Chinese restaurant where Sid and Mishka go for dinner. The waiter tries to be helpful when Sid stammers while reading the menu. Mishka turns around and tells the poor man off. I am still (2 days after seeing the film) trying to fathom why she is rude to him. One angle to the story is that Mishka is pleased that she has become confident enough to tell someone off for his bad behaviour. But what was wrong with the waiter’s behaviour? I am flummoxed.

Verdict: All in all, a waste of good money. If you are keen on seeing the film, would advise you to watch it on TV as the film is bound to get to the small screen pretty soon.

Rating: ** Shaky

* Silly
** Shaky
*** Smart
**** Snazzy
***** Super

Recipe: PANEER GOBI PARATHA

Paneer Gobi Paratha

This paratha filling I learned from my sister-in-law Hemli. It needs some effort but is not too difficult to make.

INGREDIENTS:

For filling:

Cabbage – ½ kg

Paneer – 250 gm

Green Chillies – 4 (can use more if you like spicy)

Ginger – ½ inch piece

Garlic – 2 cloves

Coriander leaves (kotmir) – ½ a bunch

Salt to taste

Oil – 1 tsp

For dough:

Wheat flour – 2 cups

Salt to taste

1 tsp oil

Enough water to form a tight dough

For shallow frying:

A mixture of oil and ghee – ½ cup

METHOD:


1.       Cabbage should be cut finely after removing all the hard veins.
2.       Grate the paneer and keep aside.
3.       Coarse grind Green chillies, ginger and garlic.
4.       Chop coriander leaves finely.
5.       Pour a spoon of oil in a saucepan (kadai) and place on gas. Add the cabbage and salt and cook on medium flame till soft till the water that oozes dries up. Now switch off the gas.
6.       Add the grated paneer, chilli-ginger-garlic paste and coriander leaves to the cabbage and mix well with a spoon. The filling is ready when cooled.
7.       Mix the dough with the above-mentioned ingredients and make small balls of the same.
8.       Roll out a ball of dough into a circle. Add 2 tsp of paneer gobi filling to it and make it into a ball with the filling inside.
9.       Now gently roll out the paratha before placing on semi-hot tawa (iron girdle).
10.      Turn on both sides while cooking on medium flame before adding the oil-ghee mix to both sides.
11.      Cook till golden brown in colour.

Serve the parathas hot with sauce or any chutney of your choice. I love to eat it plain as it tastes just yummy.

Food Review: NOODLE BAR @ PHOENIX MILLS

Wall decor at Noodle Bar

My friend Chandra’s daughter Shwe and I went to see a dandiya programme at Kendriya Kreeda Mandal at Lower Parel before joining my daughter Vinitha for dinner at Noodle Bar at Phoenix Mills. This was my first visit to the restaurant. The wall decor was rather cute, I thought.

Vini & Shwe

Plus point 1: Vinitha ordered a Mango Mojito – mango syrup, white rum, soda with lots of ice and garnished with mint leaves – and enjoyed it thoroughly. 

Mango Mojito

Plus point 2: Shwe asked for a Wanton Soup. I am neither too fond of clear soups nor steamed wantons. But Shwe thought it was perfect and totally relished it.

Shwe with her Wanton Soup

Plus point 3: We ordered one portion of Thread Paneer that was fresh, crisp and hot while it tasted absolutely delicious. The portion was quite large too.

Thread Paneer

Plus point 4: The Burnt Chilli Noodles wok that we asked for the main course was simply humongous. Total paisa vasool! Although all three of us hogged and we hogged, we could not finish it. Delightfully yummy!

Burnt Chilli Noodles

Plus point 5: Shwe and I asked for Lemon Iced Teas that were just perfect with not too much ice, just the way we had ordered.

Lemon Iced Tea

Flop show 1: The Crispy Potatoes that we asked for starters were rather disappointing. I have definitely tasted better in other places. They were neither hot nor crisp enough and rather oily. Thumbs down for this one!

Not-so-crisp Crispy Potatoes

I cannot say much about the pricing as Shwe insisted on footing the bill. All in all, it was a good experience that I won’t mind repeating although I don't crave for a second visit.

JOURNEY OF THE GARBA – Part II

….to continue from Part I

Kathiawadi Chowk

The Kathiawadi Chowk Navratra fair is held on the first day of Navratri every year. This year, Tina and her family were up from 3 am on Friday morning, packing away the Garbas into a tempo to be taken to the fair. The auspicious time to leave home was 5 am and they left right then to reach the market at Malad East.

Neha, Payal & Tina at the Navratra Fair

Their wares were set up on the roadside in a colourful display along with many others. 9 o’clock was when the customers turned up in droves to inspect and buy the Garbas. I reached the venue at about 11 am and was thrilled to see the colour all around me.

Other vendors

Pink, yellow, red Garbas - your choice

More Garbas

Tina and her gang were busy selling their wares throughout the day to eager customers.

Tina selling her best Garba

It's going, going, gone!

One would be surprised to see the area that could pass off for a village but for the busy highway and some tall buildings. It was a combo of urban and rural in typical Mumbai-ishtyle.

Malad East - Village or City?

Well, those were scenes from the cute little village fair at Kathiawadi Chowk. I am glad to mention that while Tina and her family worked hard till 10 pm, they did manage to sell around 330 Garbas that day and she was left with a margin of about 10% unsold during this season.

Right now, Tina does not have any time to stand and stare. She is busy getting the Diyas ready for Diwali! Long live Tina and her family!