Recipe: CAULI FLOWER METHI SABZI

I learned to make this yummy sabzi from my friend Pooja. I understand that this is a Sindhi recipe. Pooja had taught me to add potatoes to this mix. But I realized that all of us in my family prefer this side dish without potatoes. So, you have a choice there.

INGREDIENTS:

Cauli-flower – 1 kg (cut into flowerets)
Methi greens – 1 bunch (remove the stalks and chop the leaves fine)
Tomatoes – 2 (medium sized – chopped fine)
Green chillies – 3 (chopped fine)
Dhania Powder – 1 tsp
Haldi Powder – ¼ tsp
Mirchi Powder – ¼ tsp
Cooking oil – 3 tbsp
Salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Take a non-stick saucepan and heat the oil in it. Add the cauli-flower to it and shallow fry it till the vegetable is partly cooked. It might turn a little brown in parts and that’s normal. Do not close the pan. The cauli-flower will turn soggy if you keep it covered.
2. Add the chopped methi greens, tomatoes and green chillies to the partly cooked cauli-flower and mix well. The sabzi will let out some water.
3. Now add the dhania powder, haldi powder, mirchi powder and salt. Mix the lot, now cover the saucepan with a lid.
4. Keep stirring from time to time and cook till the water gets absorbed.

The fragrant and delicious cauli-flower methi sabzi is ready to eat and can be had with hot rotis or puris.

Customer is King: WWW.FLIPKART.COM

I ordered these books from www.flipkart.com

Well, this is a new venture as you can see. I felt that I have to write about my experiences with a couple of websites that I dealt with in the recent past.

www.flipkart.com brings to mind ‘books’. Actually, you can order a variety of items from this website – books, CDs, electronics, home appliances, etc. They accept online payment with credit cards, cash on delivery or even credit card payment on delivery. One can order everything by phone or place an order online.

Crossword Bookstore used to be my favourite place to purchase books. But, later, I got introduced to www.flipkart.com by a colleague who casually mentioned how she ordered regularly from them.

I have had two experiences while purchasing books from flipkart. I check out the website to find out whether the books I need are available, pick the phone and call them. Their sales people are totally friendly and extremely helpful.

The first time, I placed an order for two books and was told that they will be delivered within 3-4 days. I was amazed when I received my order in just 16 hours – beautifully packaged, along with a bill and at a terrific discount of 45%. Incredible, isn’t that?

How can they afford the discount? Well, I concluded that they don’t need to spend on overheads such as a showroom for the books and display cases, etc. For whatever reason, this works for me perfectly.

The second time I placed the order, the salesman apologized for their system being down, took my mobile number and promised to call me back in a couple of hours. He called me within the hour. This time I ordered four books with a promise of delivery in 3-4 days’ time. I got two consignments as the books were available at different warehouses, I think. Both deliveries happened within two days.

I like someone who sticks to the schedule promised. Delivery beforehand is simply superb! I am impressed!

I have had a bad experience when my credit card was misused by someone on the internet and hence a mite wary of swiping mine online. As flipkart gives their customers an option of paying cash on delivery, it suits me just perfectly.

Great work, www.flipkart.com - THUMBS UP ALL THE WAY!

Film Review: KAHAANI

One more feather in Vidya Balan's cap!

Cast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Saswata Chatterjee, Indraneil Sengupta, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Director: Sujoy Ghosh

The film was released on March 9 and I got to watch it only on April 1. It was more out of choice. In fact, Venkat had already seen it and came along with me to watch it a second time. I was rather reluctant believing that the film may be violent. But the call of Vidya Balan finally won me over and I went to watch it. Am I glad!

THE STORY:

A bio-chemical weapon is used to wipe out all the travelers in one compartment of a Kolkata Metro. The police are unable to trace the terrorists responsible for this.

Two years later, a very pregnant Vidya Venkatesan Bagchi (Vidya Balan) arrives in Kolkata from London. She directly goes to the police station to lodge a complaint about her missing husband Arnab Bagchi (Indraneil Sengupta). Arnab had arrived in Kolkata a couple of months ago and had been in touch with his wife for a few days before he stopped calling. After that, he had gone missing – it seems without a trace, as Vidya finds out.

Young Police Officer Satyoki Sinha aka Rana (Parambrata Chattopadhyay) helps her a lot as he feels sorry for the pregnant woman with a missing husband. Vidya goes to the company Arnab had been contracted to work for and later to the hotel he had been staying in. She draws a blank at every point. It seems that Arnab had never been in Kolkata. But he had arrived there and spoken to her many times over the phone. Are things as they should be? Where is Arnab? Is he alive or dead?

MY TAKE ON IT:

Better late than never, I thought as I watched this thriller. Vidya Balan has done an excellent job of playing the pregnant lady in search of her missing husband. Then, giving a great performance is a regular habit with Vidya. Kudos yet again!

Parambrata Chattopadhyay as Rana has done an equally good job as he has the next biggest role to play in the film. Congratulations!

Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the rude Intelligence Bureau Agent Khan and Saswata Chatterjee as the innocent faced paid assassin Bob Biswas were both too good.

The film had a great story, excellent script with a perfect director at the helm. Sujoy Ghosh has reeled out a superb film that keeps you hooked till the end. And over and above, the movie was less than a couple of hours.

Amitabh Bachchan croons a very cute song in the film that fits in very well – in between and as the credits roll. It sounds wonderful!

The only thing that rankled was the idea of a fully pregnant woman – at least 8 months pregnant – undergoing those gymnastics that Vidya did. That just cannot be possible. If a real woman had done what the character did in the film, she would have delivered on the roadside. And Vidya does spend a couple of weeks there that take her further into her pregnancy. I am taking away half-a-star for this reason.

VERDICT: Don’t miss the film.

RATING: ****1/2 Super (almost)

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

Official website: www.kahaanithefilm.com

Recipe: Milagai Podi (மிளகாய் பொடி)

This is a spicy chutney powder that is eaten with idli and dosa. I simply love to have it with even rotis and bread toast. You need to add til oil to it while serving.

Ingredients:

1. Mustard Seeds (கடுகு) (राइ) - 1/4 cup
2. White Sesame Seeds (வெள்ளை எள்ளு) (सफ़ेद तिल) - 1/2 cup
3. Channa Dal (கடலை பருப்பு) (चन्ना दाल) - 1 cup
4. Urad Dal (உளுத்தம்பருப்பு) (उरद दाल) - 1 cup
5. Chutni Dal (பொட்டுகடலை) (भूना चन्ना दाल) - 1 cup (optional)
6. Groundnuts (வேர்கடலை) (सींगदाने) - 1 cup (optional)
7. Asafoetida (பெருங்காயப்பொடி) (हिंग) - 2 tbsp
8. Jaggery (வெல்லம்) (गुर) - 1/2 cup
9. Salt to taste
10. Til Oil (நல்லெண்ணெய்) (तिल का तेल) - 5 tsp
11. Red Chillies (வெத்த மிளகாய்) (लाल मिर्ची) - 150 gm (if very spicy, take less)

Method:

1. Take a saucepan and roast the mustard seeds and sesame seeds separately till they crackle and keep aside in a steel bowl.

2. Add one tsp oil each time and roast the dals one by one till golden brown in colour. Keep adding these to the bowl.

3. Take the last spoon of oil and roast the red chillies in it. Make sure that they don't turn too dark or black. This will spoil the colour of the chutney.

4. Allow all of these to cool down before coarse grinding in the mixer.

5. Add the jaggery, asafoetida and salt in between and grind those too.

6. Mix everything thoroughly before storing in an air-tight container after the mixture cools down.

The red chutney powder is ready for use and can be stored for about a couple of months. Use it along with til oil when you serve idlis or dosas. Tastes absolutely yummy!

Travel: CRUISING ON SUPERSTAR VIRGO

The magnificent SUPERSTAR VIRGO
(Don't miss the cable car crossing over the cruise ship)

I am reposting this blog after almost 3 years just because we managed to get all our original photographs scanned. 

During the Diwali holidays in November 1999, we went on a trip to Singapore. There was my husband Venkat, myself, our kids, Vinitha (14 years) and Vignesh (10 years) who went on the trip. And there were Suresh and his wife Madhu, friends of ours. This was my first trip abroad and I was really excited.

That's Venkat & me on the moving ramp that took us directly into the cruise ship

My husband had booked us on the luxury cruise on SuperStar Virgo for four days. At first, I was not too keen as I was more interested in sightseeing. Little did I know the kind of experience we were about to embark on.

That's me relaxing in the lobby of SUPERSTAR VIRGO with the welcome drink

My kids were totally excited and my son had studied the ship’s map thoroughly even before we left Mumbai. After spending three days in Singapore, we boarded the ship. It was just AMAZING! There is no other word to say. The entrance was like that of a five-star hotel and the décor was quite magnificent. The ceiling of the hall was four stories high and we were just thrilled to step on to the plush carpet and accept the welcome drinks. I just sank into one of the luxurious sofas there and stared around in awe.

That's Vinitha on the staircase leading off the lobby to the decks above.
The lobby was four floors high and simply gorgeous

There were three elevators with glass walls that looked over the reception area. In a few minutes we were whisked into one of them and taken to the tenth floor – the one that has rooms with balconies. This is where we spent the nights of the next few days.

That's Vini & Viggy posing in their bathrobes at the balcony off our cabin
on the 10th floor of SUPERSTAR VIRGO

The cabin could be best described as minuscule but with all the facilities possible. There was a double-bed, another sofa-cum-bed that could be opened up during the night for my children. The wash area was divided in three. You enter the main section with a washbasin with a huge mirror and towel racks, hair-dryer and anything that one would require in a washroom. On the left was the toilet and on the right, the shower cubicle. Gorgeous liquid soap and shampoo were available to use in the shower that could be set at perfect temperatures to suit the most difficult person.

I could not resist clicking a picture of the cute attached bathroom

We ensured that we got our luggage all in before taking a round of the ship.

The ship, the size of a small town, had thirteen floors in all, with three of them submerged inside the sea. There were eight restaurants, including a branch of the Taj Group. Then there was the Mediterranean Restaurant that served food and beverages round the clock.

Luckily for me, there was a lot of vegetarian food available even as the delicacy most on demand was the octopus. They ran out-of-stock pretty soon into the trip. And the coffee was oh-so-deh-licious! It took me ten days to get used to the filter coffee back home after tasting the coffee there over just four days.

That's Venkat, me and our friends Suresh and Madhu Shetty at the Taj Restaurant on SUPERSTAR VIRGO

There was an auditorium that could seat about 500 people and we watched a wonderful floor show there. There was a discotheque where I danced to my heart’s content along with my kids before the late night crowd arrived. One night we went to the Karaoke Lounge and another was spent at the casino.

The ship had a gorgeous library with a stylish selection of books and stuffed chairs to relax with books. There was this shopping arcade that sold everything from electronics to clothes and jewellery to accessories and make-up. There was a card room, a gym, a sauna, a few Jacuzzis, a huge swimming pool and another small one for kids. We all had a great time at the pool while I did not have the guts to let go of the railing as I don’t have much confidence with my swimming skills although I had learnt the skill from a professional coach. :)

Vinitha on the top deck (13th floor) of SUPERSTAR VIRGO

There was a live band to entertain the swimmers while we sipped on exotic drinks and munched on yummy snacks.

The breakfasts, lunches and dinners were wonderful with mouth-watering desserts that I liked best of all.

We got off the ship twice, one-day trips to Phuket, Thailand and Langkawi, Malaysia. But I realise that the smartest thing would have been to stay back on board and explore the SuperStar Virgo as we could not manage to see the whole ship during our trip as it was so huge.

That's Vignesh on the water slide at the water park for kids on the cruise ship

The best part was when I sat on the easy chair on our balcony late into the night, watching the dark blue sea and a sky full of stars, all by myself. I could not get myself to sleep as I felt that it was a waste of time as there was so much to see. I just relaxed on the balcony, enjoying the sea breeze and the tangy salt of the wide open ocean that surrounded us from all sides.

I am so glad that my husband was very insistent about going on this cruise that was an experience of a lifetime.

Recipe: AROMATIC CARROT SOUP

In a mood to have soup one night, I just put together the ingredients I had at home and created this soup. Believe me, it was absolutely yummy!

INGREDIENTS:

Carrots – 2 cups (peeled and chopped to one inch pieces)
Moong Dal – ¼ cup
Turmeric Powder – 1 pinch
Salt – to taste
Black pepper powder – ½ tsp
Corn flour – 1 tsp
Cheese – 2 cubes (grated)
Coconut – 1 cup (grated)
Clove – 1
Garlic – 2 cloves

METHOD:

1. Take a pressure cooker and cook the carrots, moong dal, turmeric powder and salt along with water for two whistles.
2. Allow the mixture to cool before running it in the mixer-blender to make a smooth puree.
3. Take a thick-bottomed vessel or a saucepan, pour the carrot puree and keep it on a slow gas.
4. Add the coconut, clove and garlic to the blender along with water and grind smoothly. Strain this mixture through a fine mesh to get thick coconut milk. Add some more water to the coconut and run in blender once again. Strain this milk also and add to the first one. Once the milk is strained, the leftover coconut pulp has to be thrown away. Do not use it in the soup.
5. Add the corn flour and grated cheese to the coconut milk. Mix well before slowly adding it to the carrot puree while stirring continuously.
6. Allow the mixture to boil for 8-10 minutes. Add water if necessary to reach the right consistency of a thick soup. Check for salt before switching the gas off.
7. Serve in a soup bowl and sprinkle some black pepper over it.

Delicious and aromatic carrot soup is ready to drink. It’s oh so yum!

Film Review: AGENT VINOD

The Desi James Bond is most definitely worth a watch

Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Ravi Kissen, Kareena Kapoor, Ram Kapoor, Prem Chopra, Gulshan Grover, Adil Hussain
Director: Sriram Raghavan

Venkat was very keen to watch this film on the day of its release. After a long time, all four of us could go for this one together. As usual, I have to thank Cinemax Sion for organizing the tickets at short notice.

THE STORY:

A nuclear bomb that could destroy everything within a 10 km radius has been created in Russia. It is up for auction and criminals are desperate to get their hands on it. Agent Vinod (Saif Ali Khan) works for RAW, India’s intelligence agency. He is sent on a mission to save the world.

Vinod takes off across Afghanistan, St. Petersburg, Morocco, New Delhi and a few other places, chasing criminals. Into the fray jumps Ruby Mendes (Kareena Kapoor). But is she friend or foe? Watch the film to find out what’s happening.

MY PERCEPTION:

Well, as you can see, I have mentioned very little of the story as it is barely 24 hours since the film’s release.

First of all, Congratulations to Saif Ali Khan on producing this excellent film! His acting has got to yet another level and Saif has done a great job of the desi James Bond. I would say that it’s not very fair to compare this film with James Bond, but everyone is automatically doing just that. Even considering that, Agent Vinod is a very good film.

Kareena Kapoor has a good role and she has executed that perfectly. Kudos!

Ram Kapoor has done an excellent job of his very short role as a mafia don based in Russia. Prem Chopra was very good as the criminal based in Morocco.

While Ravi Kissen, Rajat Kapoor and Gulshan Grover had minuscule roles, the characters fitted in very well with the flow of the film.

The music does not distract you from the film in any way and blends well. In fact, the drum beat that was used throughout formed a perfect background score. Simply loved it!

Adil Hussain as the Colonel was a class apart. I had seen this actor playing Vidya Balan’s husband in Ishqiya. He makes a cool villain.

The film has it all – a clear-cut plot, slick action, a savvy hero, a stylish heroine, villains galore, song, dance, foreign locations and more. The cinematography was excellent.

More importantly, the film runs for 2 hours and 40 minutes but still manages to keep the audience hooked. And that is something! The film moves quite fast and the director deserves a special Kudos for that one. Keep up the good work, Sriram Raghavan!

VERDICT: What are you waiting for? Catch the next show

RATING: **** Snazzy

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