Recipe: SAKKARAI PONGAL (சக்கரை பொங்கல்)

Wish all my readers a VERY HAPPY PONGAL!

Sakkarai Pongal or Sweet Pongal is the main prasadham that is made on Makar Sankranti, the harvest festival that is celebrated to thank the Sun God for the bounty one has received in the form of food grains.

Incidentally, while Sakkarai means sugar in Tamil, the word is used her to describe the sweetness of the dish. It is actually Jaggery that is used and not sugar.

I bring to you this recipe that is a favourite with all my family members. I make this in my own style after learning from both my mother and mother-in-law.

Ingredients:

அரிசி - Rice - 1 cup
பயத்தம் பருப்பு - Moong Dal - 1 cup
வெல்லம் - Jaggery - 2 1/2 cups
ஏலக்காய் பொடி - Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp
நெய் - Ghee - 1/2 cup
பால் - Milk - 1/2 cup
முந்திரி பருப்பு - Cashewnuts - 10 (cut into pieces)
கிஸ்மிஸ் - Raisins - 20

Method:

1. Pressure cook the rice and dal till the cooker gives off three whistles.
2. Melt the jaggery in half a cup of water and filter it and keep aside.
3. Take a saucepan and heat a spoon of ghee in it. Add the cashewnuts and shallow fry till golden brown. Add the kismis at this point, turn a couple of times and keep the mixture aside.
4. Heat the rest of the ghee in the saucepan and add the melted jaggery to it and allow it to come to a boil. Reduce the gas flame.
5. Gently mix the rice and dal before adding them to the boiling ghee-jaggery mixture on the gas.
6. While the above mixture is cooking, add the milk to it. Ensure that the milk is pre-boiled so that it does not get spoilt when coming in touch with the jaggery. (That can happen at times).
7. Cook well, stirring on and off till the mixture gets to the consistency of halwa.
8. Switch off the gas, add the cardamom powder and remove it to a serving vessel.
9. Garnish with the roasted cashewnuts and raisins.

Enjoy the yummy Sakkarai Pongal after offering prasadham to Sun God.

Wish you all a HAPPY PONGAL once again!

Recipe: KATHARIKKAAI PULI GOTHSU (கத்தரிக்காய் புளி கொத்சு)

Katharikkaai Puli Gothsu

I learned this in my mother’s kitchen. She used to make many variants of the big brinjal that is usually used in North India to make Baingan Bartha.

In Chennai, the large brinjal comes in many forms and shapes – both purple and green in colour. Each one has a subtle flavour of its own. Here, in Mumbai, I am used to making these dishes with the large purple brinjal that you see in the picture.

This recipe is one of my favourites…



Ingredients:

பெரிய கத்தரிக்காய் - Purple Brinjal – 2 (weighs about ½ kg)
புளி - Tamarind – 1 small ball (about the size of a lemon)
கடுகு - Mustard (राइ) – ½ tsp
பச்சை மிளகாய் - Green Chillies – 2 (cut into pieces)
வெத்த மிளகாய் - Red Chillies – 2 (cut into pieces)
கருவேப்பிலை - Curry Leaves – a few
வெந்தயப்பொடி - Methi Powder – ¼ tsp
மஞ்சப்பொடி - Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
பெருங்காயப்பொடி - Asafoetida (हिंग) – ¼ tsp
மிளகாய் பொடி - Chilli Powder – ¼ tsp
நல்லெண்ணை - Til Oil – 2 tbsp
உப்பு - Salt to taste

Method:

1. Smear the brinjals with a thin coating of oil and roast over slow flame, turning it from time to time. You can hold it by the thick stem and turn the brinjal. Cook till it turns black on the outside and soft within. Keep aside to cool.
2. Peel the brinjals, touching water from time to time so that the blackened skin does not stick. Once done, cut of the stem, slit the cooked brinjal in half to check for worms. Using a masher, mash the brinjals into pulp.
3. Extract two cups of tamarind juice by squeezing the tamarind in water.
4. Take a saucepan and heat the oil in it. Once hot, add the mustard and let it crackle. Then add both the red and green chillies and curry leaves and mix.
5. Add the four powders and mix well on a slow flame.
6. Then add the tamarind juice and salt. Allow this to boil for about 4-5 minutes.
7. Then add the mashed brinjal to the saucepan and mix well. Let the mixture cook on a slow flame for another 4-5 minutes. The mixture will thicken. Then switch off the stove.

The Katharikkaai Puli Gothsu is ready to eat with Rice/Idli/Dosa as you prefer. It tastes simply yummy!

Nostalgia: A VISIT TO KAPALI KOIL

The entrance to Kapali Koil. That's my sister Jayashree 

Writing about temples, especially those in Tamil Nadu, is my sister Lakshmi’s forte. Check here for her Temple Trails of Tamil Nadu.

One of the Gopurams. This type is special to Tamil Nadu Temples. Isn't it gorgeous?

I visited Kapali Koil in Mylapore during my recent visit to Chennai. I was going there after more than a decade and felt quite nostalgic. I am sharing here a few pictures that I had clicked there.

The cows and a bull that are kept on the temple premises

While the temple’s main deity – Kapaleeswarar – is a Shivalingam, the temple is more renowned for the Ambal presiding there – Karpagambal.

The huge prakaram where we did the pradakshinam

Jayashree and I entered the Karpagambal Sannidhi and saw the beautiful Ambal. Paying Rs. 20 per person, we managed to get quite close to the sanctum sanctorum and had a good darshan.

Another Gopuram

Next in line was Kapaleeswarar and then came Subrahmanyar with his consorts. We did a pradakshinam around the huge prakaram - compound - and saw the many other sannidhis.

The peacock performing the puja. I could not get a clearer shot as the Sannidhi was locked

There was one small one of a Peacock offering flowers to a Shivalingam. I believe this was the reason why the area is called Mylapore – where a myil (peacock) offers its prayers to the Lord.

The third Gopuram

The temple has four huge gopurams - towers - that look simply gorgeous. These are usually built over the entrances that are placed in four different directions - the north, south, east and west. I managed to click a few pictures of those.

Dwajasthambam

Finally, we reached the dwajasthambam - flagstaff - where we did a namaskaram and stepped out with a feeling of satisfaction.

The sculpture decorating one of the Gopurams - you can see the peacock praying and the second half is of
Shiva and Parvathi

This sacred tank is outside the temple. It was full due to recent rains. Watch the sunlight dance on the water

The flower-vendor at the temple entrance was quite thrilled to have her photo taken

Sharing: THE DAWN OF THE GOLDEN AGE

Pic courtesy: http://www.paradoxian.org/eu3wiki/The_Golden_Age

It has finally arrived – the year when we will move into the New Age of Peace, Happiness, Prosperity, Oneness, Abundance and more; the age where we will be able to walk and talk with God! All the waiting is finally coming to an end.

WELCOME 2012!

Click here to read more about what the advent of 2012 entails...

I am sure most of you are aware of the changing energies on the earth that we are living on. The earthquakes, the volcanoes, the tsunamis, the cyclones, the changing weather patterns, the changing attitudes in people – well, all of these should move forward to the Venus Transit.

Sri AMMA BHAGAVAN! Pic courtesy: www.indyarocks.com

This will bring about a great change in the consciousness levels of humankind, says Sri Bhagavan of Oneness University. He is the avatar for enlightenment along with his consort Amma. Sri Bhagavan is the tenth avatar of Lord Vishnu and is walking the earth today to bring about the end of the Kaliyuga and to ring in Sathyuga aka The Golden Age aka The Aquarian Age.

Kalki Avatar is depicted to be Lord Vishnu on earth, riding a white horse and wielding a sword. The sword is used to remove the ‘kali’ within man. Read that as the ‘ego’ that rules man today. Once the ego is removed, man returns to his divine state and realizes the God within him.

KALKI AVATAR! Pic courtesy: www.mylot.com

Click here to read more on Kaliyuga and Sathyuga.

The final date for the transition is December 21, 2012. While the media has been predicting ‘doom and gloom’ and the ‘end of the ages’, all that is just NOT TRUE. How do I know? Well, I connect deep within myself and hence I KNOW.

Fear is the predominant factor that assails the human being today with the change in energies. Things are moving too fast at all levels – to the point where many believe that their lives are crashing down about them; that the carpet has been pulled from under their feet.

That is true, that is what is happening. This is an end of a 26000-year-old cycle and it also ends with a balancing of accounts – our karmic accounts. We have led many lives through the past years and have been accumulating karma. To move into the Golden Age, we will need to go with a clean slate and hence a major clean up in happening in our lives. It is akin to passing through the eye of the needle. It is also happening to The Earth itself and hence the earthquakes, tsunamis, et al.

We are almost at the end of all these upheavals at the start of Year 2012. It is time to celebrate, enjoy the fruits of our labour (that through the very many lives that we have lived on earth) and just experience the joy that is ours to come. It is kind of difficult to visualize at this juncture, but then we create our futures as we see it. So, fear is a No-No.

This year promises to fly by with miracles galore. Consider it a fun-ride on a roller-coaster and be prepared to get off directly into the GOLDEN AGE.

Click here to catch up on all the latest happenings in the Western World regarding the 2012 effect.

WISH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU A SUPER-DUPER NEW YEAR 2012!


Most importantly, one for the road. Click here for the Coca Cola ad. Please understand that I am promoting the ad rather than the product. Gives a lot of hope in life, just the need of the hour!

Sharing: “OCCUPY” NATESAN PARK

Natesan Park, Chinmaya Nagar, Chennai

Well, all of you must be aware of the protests that are happening around the world – all against corruption. The movements are generally termed “Occupy” movements beginning with Occupy Wall Street. I also need to mention here that they have all been a roaring success with the changing levels of energy on the advent of the Aquarian Age aka Golden Age.

My sister Lakshmi and I did our bit for the movement that I would like to call “Occupy” Natesan Park. This is a park that is right across my parents’ home in Chinmaya Nagar.

During my recent visit to Chennai, I got in touch with my friend Jayashree after 15-16 years and could not wait to go meet her at Adyar. Transport in Chennai is terribly expensive, auto-rickshaws fleecing customers. Since I had a long way to travel from Chinmaya Nagar to Adyar, I arranged for a metered cab from Friends Cabs.

My friend Jayashree and me

The taxi service is quite friendly going by their name. I got a call from the cab driver and went out to find a Tavera waiting for me. I told the guy that I was just one person travelling and how come they had sent me such a big vehicle. He told me that he had been in the vicinity and that’s why had been sent but the charges were the same.

He asked me whether I wanted AC and when I said, “No”, he switched the meter on to Rs. 120. I asked him if that was the minimum rate and he said, “Yes”. Not having been to Chennai in the past 9 months, I thought that must be it and did not say anything further. When I got off at Adyar, the meter showed Rs. 234. I paid the cash and insisted on a bill (I usually don’t bother) and the driver gave it to me very reluctantly (or so it seemed to me then).

In the evening, I booked another cab for my return and by now knowing what was required, I told Friends Cabs that I needed a non-AC cab for one person. A cabbie promptly got an Indica for my return journey.

He switched on the meter and it showed Rs. 100. I was surprised and asked him about the rate. He told me that that was the rate for a single person travelling non-AC. I told him about my morning ride and he said that that was probably because a Tavera was a big cab. I could not relate to the logic as it was only me travelling and I had not asked for a big cab. As the driver had no answer, I called the cab service.

No one was interested in listening to me. I called six times and they kept transferring me to the Complaints Department with no on answering my call. On my sixth call, I insisted on explaining my problem and one lady (Viji was her name, she said) said that maybe I could pay Rs. 20 less on my return journey. I felt that it was not fair as the meter keeps registering a different rate when it starts at Rs. 120. I had probably paid Rs. 50 more than what should have been charged me. When I told her that, she told me to talk to Complaints. I stopped her from transferring me and said, “No one is picking there. Get them to call me. I have called you 6 times from my Mumbai cell number. This is not fair to me at all. If I don’t get a call within half-an-hour when I get off, I will pay Rs. 50 less to this cabbie.” She told me that she will get Complaints to call me and disconnected.

The Indica driver had a lot of advice to give me. He even told me to call the earlier cab driver. I was clear that I had hired a cab from Friends Cabs and not picked one off the road. I was only going to talk to the company.

I am sure you guessed right that no one bothered to call me. I picked Lakshmi from her office on my way home and we got off at the Chinmaya Nagar Market. The meter showed Rs. 250 and true to my word, I paid the cabbie Rs. 200 and got off. He was so angry and he started shouting. I told him that I was ready to sign on the copy of the bill and say that I had paid Rs. 50 less in protest. I thought that was very fair and will make sure that he will not land in trouble. There was no way that I was going to part with Rs. 50. I refused to be cheated. Lakshmi was in full support.

We left and went into a restaurant to have a snack. That’s when the calls started coming - from Friends Cabs and from the Indica driver. Each of them must have called me half-a-dozen times. While the interruptions were irritating, a morbid side of me was enjoying them. When I had called, no one had bothered, but when I refused to pay up, they were calling me again and again. They even advised me to go to their head office at Mohappair which would have probably cost me another Rs. 250.

To continue with my story, Lakshmi and I went around the market purchasing a number of things and went down Natesan Nagar 3rd Main Road to reach our parents’ house. Lo and behold! The cabbie of the Indica was standing right in the middle of the street awaiting us. He walked along harassing us, shouting, threatening and cajoling us in turn to pay up the money. He insisted that he would be in trouble when we repeatedly told him that I didn’t mind signing on the bill mentioning the amount paid, but he was adamant. I told him that we could go to the police and he immediately started moving fast towards the police station outside Natesan Park.

The police station outside the park where we sought help

Lakshmi and I were a bit worried as our parents are quite old and stay by themselves directly across the Park. We did not want the cabbie to find the house to have him harassing them. We walked with him to the police station and waited patiently while he complained to the three Police Inspectors standing outside, obviously preparing to leave as they were not wearing their uniforms. Once he was done, I spoke my side. I explained how I was from outside Chennai and what had happened since the minute I had got into the Tavera in the afternoon.

I also mentioned that I had no intention of paying up the Rs. 50 and I did not want to be cheated. The policemen agreed with me completely and tried to persuade the cabbie to agree. But he went on arguing. I said that I was keen to meet the police mainly to ensure that my parents were not harassed after I left town after a couple of days. The policemen said, “Not to worry Ma’m, we are right here. No one will dare harass your parents. It is our job to protect them.” I felt quite relieved and happy and my faith was restored in the police force. God bless them!

The cabbie called up his office yet again and the police officer spoke to them and told them to get off the case and said that it was only fair that I refused to pay up the extra cash that I had been cheated out off earlier. Not having a choice, the cabbie left to do his work. The sad thing was that he probably missed another fare that could have earned him some more money. But then, that’s the mentality of most of the people driving transport around Chennai - very short-term thinking.

Lakshmi and I left for home after thanking the policemen and felt very satisfied with our mission – OCCUPY NATESAN PARK.

Picture Courtesy: Lakshmi Ranganathan (those of Natesan Park). Thank you Lak! For the pictures and your support in the Occupy venture :D

Film Review: LADIES vs RICKY BAHL

A light romance that was fun from the way go with excellent casting

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Dippanita Sharma, Parineeti Chopra, Aditi Sharma
Director: Maneesh Sharma

It’s been over a week since the film’s release. We had been wondering whether to watch it or not. Last night, Venkat and I decided to go to the film at Cinemax Sion.

THE STORY: Ricky Bahl (Ranveer Singh) goes under various aliases. He has only one purpose – to con young women into parting with their cash. He does not cheat them into physical relationships or any such thing. Ricky studies his targets thoroughly before jumping into the fray. He flatters them and manages to loot them. As Sunny, he becomes Dimple’s (Parineeti Chopra) boyfriend, impresses her parents and loots 20 lakh. He sells a fake MF Hussain painting to Raina’s (Dipannita Sharma) company for a crore and twenty lakh. But what he had not foreseen was Raina’s aggressive nature. She sets out to get in touch with the other women he has cheated and sets up a plan. That’s when the young widow Saira (Aditi Sharma) joins the group. She had been cheated of 10 lakh rupees by Iqbal, another alias of Ricky. Raina, Dimple and Saira get together and hire Ishika Desai (Anushka Sharma) to con Ricky Bahl ala Not-a-Penny-More-Not-a-Penny-Less-style. Watch the film to see how far they succeed.

MY PERCEPTION: The film ran for approximately two hours and was well scripted, directed and edited. The only fault I could find there was the songs that keep cropping up mid-way. But I suppose one has to learn to live with them in Bollywood.

Dipannita Sharma has come a very long way since December 16. She has quite a chunky role in this film and she has performed quite well. With her height, I would presume that Dipannita must be a model. But she has terrible dress sense. The first few scenes were good. Later, at Goa, she was dressed horribly in every single scene.

Aditi Sharma as Saira was excellent. She probably will never make a heroine, but she looked very cute and acted very well.

Of these three women, the first prize goes to Parineeti Chopra as Dimple Chaddha. She was just too good as an irritating Punjabi, rich, spoilt brat. She acted extremely well and her dialogue delivery was just perfect.

Anushka Sharma looked gorgeous and acted very well too. Her on-screen chemistry with Ranveer Singh was superb. Her eyes are too expressive and her dressing sense gets better and better. Keep up the great work, Anushka!

Ranveer Singh was very good in his first film, Band Baaja Baaraat. In this, he is even more polished. He has walked through his role casually and done a fabulous job. Kudos!

I congratulate Yash Raj Films for bringing forth yet another light romance with excellent casting that I thoroughly enjoyed!

VERDICT: You should watch it if you are a fan of Ranveer Singh or Anushka Sharma and especially if you are fond of romances. A light movie!

RATING: *** Smart

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

Film Review: THE DIRTY PICTURE

I WAS TOTALLY FLOORED BY VIDYA BALAN’S ACTING SKILLS. SIMPLY AMAZING!

Cast: Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar Kapoor
Director: Milan Luthria

The film was released on December 2, 2011 (Silk Smitha’s birthday, I believe) while a lot of hype surrounding it has been doing the rounds since the last few weeks. A number of TV channels were interviewing Vidya Balan about the success of the film before we finally – Venkat, Vinitha and I – got around to seeing the film on Monday night. I, for one, was floored.

THE STORY: The story revolves around the real life story of Silk Smitha, a South Indian actor who used to do sexy item numbers and play the vamp in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. But of course, as the makers of the film claim, it could be the story of just any item girl. I don’t have an argument to offer.

The film is set in Tamil Nadu where Reshma (Vidya Balan) lives in a village. She has always believed there is more excitement beyond the borders of the village. No amount of discouragement from her mother changes the girl’s mind. The teenager runs away from home to go live in Chennai. She undergoes a lot of difficulty, many times going without food, to go around studios looking for acting parts to play. Reshma is discovered quite by chance when she does a dance in a flick when the original dancer does not arrive on time. She goes to the theatre to find that the scene has been cut as Director Abraham (Emraan Hashmi) has removed it out of the film, as he believes it’s too dirty to be a part of his movie. Reshma is extremely disappointed. But her fortunes change when the movie does not run. The producer adds her dance sequence back into the film and re-releases it to full houses. He gives Reshma the screen name of Silk and there is no looking back. Watch the film to see how the Sexy Silk rules the screen over the next few years and wears her sexuality proudly. The film also goes on to show her downfall as younger stars begin to appear on the scene.

MY PERCEPTION: The film belongs to Vidya Balan, Vidya Balan, Vidya Balan. She was simply amazing as she played Sexy Silk just perfectly. I remember seeing a number of Tamil films starring Silk Smitha during my college days and later. I had liked the actress as she is one of the few who could also act while performing sexy item numbers. She used to wear her sexuality like a second skin and it sat quite well on her. Vidya Balan has captured that on screen just perfectly. Need I say more?

I have to mention here that Vidya was perfectly made up and looked absolutely beautiful. I thought she always did, only many-a-time, her make-up used to be terrible and most of the time, her clothes. Everything was just perfect in this film.

All the other actors – Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi and the rest – well, they all complimented the heroine.

I wonder whether Tusshar Kapoor was in the film just because he is Ekta Kapoor’s brother? The film could have done as well without him.

The film sequences of the 1980s have been captured perfectly and Vidya adds life to each and every one of them. KUDOS! Looking forward to a lot more, Vidya Balan!

VERDICT: A must see, even if you are not a Vidya Balan fan. I am sure you will turn into one after watching this one.

RATING: ****Snazzy

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