Soup and Pastas

I just love Italian food, especially pasta.  Pizzas are good, but not exactly healthy.  I can eat them once in a while, but give me pasta everyday, I would be only too happy.  There are many Italian joints around (wonder if there is any specific reason why the Italian cuisine has become so popular in India these days - is this a "foreign hand" at work????? ).

Anyway, coming back to the point, pastas when eaten outside are delicious and yummmmmmmm......  but not exactly healthy - they generally have a lot of cheese and olive oil.  OK, olive oil is healthy, but oil being oil, moderation is of the essence.

Today I was a bit fed up with the usual kind of menu and was craving a change.  So it was asparagus-broccoli soup, pasta with green pesto sauce (Sacla italia - Wild garlic pesto) and tomato based sauce (Dr. Oetker's Fun Foods - Pasta and Pizza sauce).

Lunch menu

Asparagus - Broccoli soup

The asparagus-broccoli soup was made according to a recipe I found on the net (http://chefinyou.com/2007/12/healthy-leekbroccoli-and-asparagus-soup/).  Although the recipe involved adding leek, I did not have any at home and so substituted with one additional onion. 

Coming to pastas:  Making pasta at home is advantageous in that it can be made really healthy by adding vegetables and cutting out cheese.  There are a variety of sauces available in the market - some imported like Sacla's pesto (green and red - made of sundried tomatoes), Ragu's or Prego or local brands too.  Ragu's or Prego sauces are far less oily.  The pesto sauces generally have a lot of olive oil.  So if I am using a ready made pesto, I generally do not add any additional olive oil.  I just use some of the oil in the sauce to saute the vegetables before cooking and then add the pesto with as little oil as possible (just drain out excess oil).

It is also possible to make one's own sauces or pesto with as little oil as possible.

Talking of health quotient, my individual choice of sauces would be in this order:

Home made tomato sauce = Home made pesto (no preservatives) - Ready made tomato sauce (preservatives present) = Ready made pesto (preservatives present).

The tomato sauce has no oil, but green pesto, although it has a lot more olive oil, is healthy as it has fresh basil leaves and pine nuts in it.  So it really is a trade off.  While buying readymade sauce/ pesto, please look for the green dot if you are a vegetarian.  If you are an eggetarian, check the labels carefully.  They might have a brown dot and other non vegetarian components such as fish, beef etc. or just eggs.

Vegetable pasta made with Sacla's wild garlic pesto

Recipe for home made green pesto:  There are many variations available on the net.  Here I have given the ingredients I use.

Ingredients:  

1 big bunch corriander

1 small bunch pudina (mint)

4-5 leaves of ajwain / omavalli (bishop's weed / caraway)

1 bunch of basil leaves (available in organic food stores) or a handful of tulsi leaves

1 handful of pine nuts (can be substitute with walnuts or cashew nuts or a mixture of both)

Salt to taste

Olive oil - enough to cover the pesto (or vary according to individual preference)

Method:        

Blend all the above in a blender, add salt to taste.  Mix in some olive oil.  Preserve in a glass jar.  Use immediately or freeze to preserve. 

*I have never made pesto with sun dried tomatoes. 

                                                     

       

Vegetable pasta made with Dr. Oetker's Fun Foods - Pasta and Pizza sauce

Recipe for tomato based sauce:

Chop a few tomatoes, puree them and add a few Italian herbs to them.  Also add a little bit of salt to taste.  If you like, you can defer adding salt to when you use the tomato sauce.  Use immediately or store in the freezer.

Making the pasta:  

Boil the pasta in some water.  When boiling use a teaspoonful of olive oil to ensure that the individual pieces do not stick to each other.  When the pasta is cooked (you can see the change in colour - it looks almost white and turns soft - just make sure you do not overcook the pasta otherwise it will turn into a paste), drain the excess water.

Take 2 teaspoons full of olive oil in a wok (kadai).  Add the chopped vegetables to it (you can include whatever vegetables you like), saute them.  Add a little water along with a bit of salt (1/2 teaspoonful) and allow them to cook.  Then add some pureed tomatoes or pesto to the cooked vegetables.  Add the cooked pasta to this along with whatever Italian herbs and spices you like.   Mix the vegetables, pasta, herbs and pesto / tomato sauce and cover the wok for a minute.  The pasta is now ready to be eaten.      

I Rama - Age of Seers - Book 1

Like all young children of my generation, I grew up on stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata – the two major epics of India. I always loved the stories, but ever since I could think for myself and question right and wrong, I have always been critical of Rama whom I could never forgive for banishing Sita simply because of an ignorant dhobi questioning her chastity. I could never accept the explanation that as a king he was morally obliged to give up his personal rights in the interests of his “praja” or subjects. I could not help but ask “was Sita not a part of this same 'praja'? Did she not have rights as a subject/as a wife? One might argue that as a queen she was equally morally bound by the strict code for an upright human being. Well, we can keep arguing to and fro on this matter. However, this was the very reason I was really excited when I came across the title of this book “I Rama” which was announced on Blogadda. I was really curious now to know what Rama would have had to say on this matter.

The prologue talks of storm clouds brewing over the island of Lanka, which was surrounded by the sea and islands which “looked like pearl clusters in a necklace, linked with each other by backwaters”. This description heralds the kind of word imagery one comes across throughout the story.

The author (Ravi Venugopal) starts off by introducing the background of the story – about how the sages (beings who embodied all the positive energy of the universe) and the rakshasas or asuras (who represented the negative energies of the universe and were trying to stop the sages from achieving their goals) were at constant logger heads. The sages had to think of a way to fight Ravana who had become very powerful and arrogant. He controlled various galaxies and the cosmos and was virtually invincible and his demons were killing human beings and making life for the sages very difficult. The birth of Rama “a human blessed with the entire power of the cosmos” was the very event the sages were waiting for.

The story then takes off in the words of an aged Rama, as he sits on a rock along the Sarayu in reflective mood. He is met at sunset by his brother and faithful, loyal friend Hanuman. Hanuman expresses his desire to hear about Rama's story about his childhood. Rama has been waiting to tell his children this story and willingly decides to narrate it to Hanuman. It starts with the time when he was in his 7^th year of training.

Rama narrates the stories of various sages like Gautama, Vashishta, Vishwamatra, Agastya, his father Dashratha's childhood and life, Kaikeyi's background as well as his own early life.  While most of these are familiar to us, what is different is that the story is presented in a way as to show how a certain preordained cascade of events are inevitable if a specific event has to happen. To name just one example:  Dashratha shooting an arrow blindfolded at a target thinking it was a deer, lead to Sravan being killed. His bereaved, heart broken father cursed Dashratha and set the stage for the successive events of Dashratha being separated from his son.

Or for that matter Kaikeyi being offered two boons by Dashratha and her telling him that she would redeem the promise at a later date set the stage for Rama being sent to the forest, which led to other events which eventually culminated in the destruction of Ravana at the hands of Rama.

The other noteworthy point in this book is the way Rama's narration has been presented in terms of contemporary concepts – inter-galactic travel, portals from other galaxies opening up for travel to earth, energy conversions, ..... the very stuff sci-fi is made of.  A very rational and credible approach to the epic - well within the realms of possibility.

The author has also added an original touch - Sita is presented as an articulate young lady who knew the art of warfare, was well-read, was a cook par excellence, had a vision about the future, involved herself with schemes involving social welfare, ..... in other words Sita could very well have been a modern day woman placed in the context of those times.

The one interesting revelation by Rama is that Kaikeyi's drama just before the coronation was not coincidental. She had appraised him about what she was going to do, why, when and how. This was necessary to ensure that Rama got an opportunity at fulfilling his destiny which may not have been possible if he had been coronated as planned by Dashratha.

On the whole, a very well researched, gripping narration with elements of the contemporary and some imaginary characters.  The word imagery used by the author in describing various events, the beauty of Sita, the resplendence of Sage Vishwamitra (to name a few examples) is simply wonderful. In three words: “An un-put-downable book”. Looking forward to the sequels.

Here is the link to the website: http://www.i-rama.com/age-of-seers.html
ISBN 978-0615582504

This review is a part of the http://blog.blogadda.com/2011/05/04/indian-bloggers-book-reviews at  http://www.blogadda.com/. Participate now to get free books!

Love Is In The Air

Showing Off His Feathers

Colour No Bar - No Apartheid Amongst The Pigeons

Billy Coo

Oh I Love You So

The Message From Beyond

This poem is about an answer from my dad which came to me one evening when I was in the throes of utter despair and filled me with tremendous joy and cheer.  This I dedicate to my dad on the occasion of Fathers' Day.  Dad you are sorely missed, but I know you are always around whenever I need you.

"Dad where are you?"
My mind calls out
"Where are you? 
I did not miss you these years throughout
You were by my side
Why then does my inner eye
Not see you now, please tell me, do"?
T'was more than 8 years ago
That leaving us behind
You went, whither, we do not know
My mind I pacified
The body dies, the soul lives on, I sighed
Every time I needed help I called to you, 
And lo! Help came, my job was done
And problems were easily overcome
“Now I do not see you, I do not feel your presence, why?
Please come to me dad, please, I'll wait for your reply”.
A cousin's wife calls and chats
Another's son drops in just like that
And while we chat, another calls
And offers to help when the chips are down
Dad, you heard me, you called through them
And was I totally overwhelmed!
You heard me dad, you heard my call
I know now should I ever fall
You will come to me through family or friends
Or through perfect strangers, at every bend
On any road in any clime
You'll be with me till the end of time
You shall forever watch over me
Never again let me feel lonely.

A Bowlful of Butterflies - Ritu Lalit

The place: A sleepy town in North India called Majhi Nagar.

Time period: Contemporary.

A story of an average middle class family - father, mother, two sons, one daughter - the only daughter in 3 generations, a cousin, uncle and aunt.

Father: Very down to earth. Has his own small business and is content with his lot in life. Harbours no great ambitions. This contentment was not born out of a lack of aspiration; it was born out of experience. He knew that this was his place in the world and accepted it, simply.

Mother: The quintessential housewife - lives between her kitchen, TV and looking after her family. Has a special corner in her heart for the oldest son.

Uncle: Father's younger brother who looks up to his older brother.

Aunty: Has a water tap in her eyes, which is ever-ready for every occasion.

Uncle and Aunty are on the verge of a divorce.

Cousin: Jogi - their son - who has been sent to Majhi Nagar in the hope of keeping him away from the unpleasant situation in the house.

Vicky: Oldest son who is mamma's darling (much to the resentment of the other two siblings), wants to make a life out of his singing and is gay.

Vinni: Second son. Hates older brother, loves younger sister. Is shattered by the discovery that the older brother is gay.

Chandni: The only daughter in 3 generations who is loved dearly by all the members of the family. Referred to as Chutki by Vinni's friends and hates the sobriquet. Feels everything is always about Vicky and Vinny. She feels like a "footnote on the family page" and wants to do something about it. Believes if things continue the way they are, she will end up being a footnote on her own wedding card, which she fears will read something like this:

Dear Mrs and Mr
You are cordially invited to attend

The wedding of the beloved daughter
Of Subhash and Sarita Ratra
And sister of Vickramjeet Ratra
and
Vikrant Ratra
She is known as Chandni aka Chandu aka Chutki

Amrit: One of the three witches (Vinni's name for Chandu and her two school friends). A Panjaban who is always ready for a good fight and to stand up to defend her friends. A modern day Rani of Jhansi.

Soma: Comes from a Bengali family. Her mother aspires to see the daughter become a chartered accountant, but Soma has different plans for her life. She is deeply into philosophy and loves to write poetry in the class as an escape from the drudgery of having to listen to the droning of her teacher.

It's my mother. Tell me something, if she has to do the thinking for me, if she has to make my choices, then why should I have been born or given a brain? It is my damn life! Forget it, it doens't matter anymore. I don't even feel I need to listen to her anymore. I just sit there; blank, like in Mrs. Lamba's class. I care two hoots now.

The story revolves around "the three witches", their aspirations and the growing up pains of the younger generation.

The story makes for very gripping reading and is one everyone can identify with. It is your story, my story, the story of all normal people living in modern day India amidst changing realities, values and norms.

"And they lived happily ever after" at the end.

O Zis Inglish Tung

I alvays vant to lern nu languages. No, my speling is not bad. Zis is European Inglish.  
Rid zis:

The European Union commissioners have announced that agreement has been reached to adopt English as the preferred language for European communications, rather than German, which was the other possibility.

Sertainly sivil servants will resieve this news with joy. Also the hard "c" will be replased with "k." Not only will this klear up konfusion, but typewriters kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the second year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replased by "f." This will make words like "fotograf" 20 persent shorter.

In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expected to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will encourage the removal of double leters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of silent "e"s in the languag is disgrasful and they woud go.

By the fourth year peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" by "z" and "w" by "v." During ze fifz yer, ze unesasary "o" kan be droped from vords containing "ou", and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinatins of leters.

Und after ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German lik zey vonted in ze first plas.

As part of the negotiations, the British and American government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement. Consequently, they have adopted a five-year phased plan for what will be known as European English (Euro for short). In the first year, "s" will be used instead of the soft "c."

I zot I alredy nu Inglish. But no, zey sayz I dont. I ned to learn Inglish agen. Sory stat of afairs. I never zot I vud hav to lern, sory relern a languag so lat in lif. 

But vot a woman has to do, a woman has to do. So I am lerning zis nu vershun of European Inglish al over agen. As if British Inglish vos not bad enuf. So I am lerning zis nu vershun of European Inglish al over agen. As if British Inglish vos not bad enuf. 

Zer is gud sid to al zis. Zis nu Inglish has German fazer and Inglish mozer. I no a litl German. So zis internashunal hibrid not very dificult. 

Olso, bing a member of varius sochul netvorking sit and also moderatorin on a popular ledis sit helped me lern zis nu vershun of “Gerlish” or “Ingman” (sum Inglish bard sed "Vot's in a nem"?) very esily. Becoz meny members rit in SMS/Chat languag vich is short cut. Zank u ILits.  U just mad my lif very esy.  So vot u say? Am I doing gud job of lerning European Inglish? Am I gud studentin?

A Conversation

• How is your health? 
• I'm doing well, tell me how are you?
• Have you had your lunch?
• Yes, what about you?
• No, we have to eat still. How is your health?
• Amma, I'm doing fine. Tell me what are you doing?
• I'm talking to you.
•  . (Well, was that not obvious? What a silly question to ask! Silly me!) What did you do today?
• What do I do everyday? I eat, I drink, I sit around and get fat. And I trouble everyone around me. What news at your place?
• Nothing much is happening here ma. You tell me something. What is happening there?
• Have you had your lunch?
• Yes ma, I have had my lunch. What is the menu there today?
• What is there today? (Thinks). There is vegetable, (struggles to remember).....
• What vegetable has Sister made?
• (Thinks). She has made some vegetable. How is your health?
• Amma I am OK.
• How is your pain?
• It is still there.
• Are you taking your medicines?
• Yes, I am taking all my medicines.
• Take care of your health. Eat well. Don't go and hit yourself somewhere. Don't go roaming around unnecessarily. Don't eat anything outside and upset your stomach. Don't forget to take your medicines.
• OK ma. Will do. Shall I put the phone down?
• OK. Take care of your health.

This is a typical telephonic conversation with my dear mother every 2-3 days. She is 83 afflicted by dementia, causing her to lose her memory and her ability to do anything for herself. Very often she does not remember whether she has any children or she thinks my sister is her older sister (who is no more), but till date she remembers that I am her daughter and keeps saying to my sis "Poor Satchi, she is not well". What I suffer from she does not remember. But she remembers that there is something that was not OK with me and she should remind me to take my medicines, eat my food and take care of my health. She forgets during the course of the conversation that she has already asked me the same question about 3 times. But.....she remembers that her child is not doing well and needs to be told to take her medicines and to eat well. My sister tells me, if I don't call for 3-4 days, she keeps fretting that I have not called, keeps touching the phone as if nudging it will make it ring and get me at the other end.

Need I say more?

A Mother's Song

This is a poem dedicated to all mothers of this world and their children on the occasion of Mother's Day.

Welcome my little one into this world

Hold onto my finger with your tiny hand curled

Hold onto it with all your might

Oh you little fairy, you're such a blessed sight

You are the very incarnation divine

You are the continuation of a line

Of daughters of our Mother Eve

You are the Mother Goddess's gift, I firmly believe

Those rosy cheeks, those inquisitive eyes

The wrinkled forehead shows you are wise

What are you looking for in my face

Can you read in it what my heart says?

You are the queen of your own fate

You will make with your destiny your own date

Go child, achieve whatever you will

Fly over every mountain, climb every hill

Do you want to be a doc, an engineer

An astronaut, painter or pilot dear

Would you like to make a career

For yourself or be content as a home maker

The choice is entirely yours my little star

I know, no matter what, you'll make a mark

On the sands of time you'll write your name

May success be yours, may you get a lot of fame

Be happy, be brave, my dearest one

My little sugary honey bun

You are my treasure, you are my joy

Who says you are less than any boy

Come, let me plant on your cheeks a kiss

This is my promise to my little miss

Darling should you have any fear

Know that your mom is ever near

I'll stand by you through thick and thin

No matter whether you lose or win

Losses and victory will come and go

Walk with your head held high even when you feel low

But for now my little bird rest

In your mother's arms, this is your nest

Sleep my child, you need to grow strong

You'll grow your wings and fly off 'ere long

A Mother's Plight

Today is mother's day.  There are many unfortunate mothers in India, whose daughters are deprived of the right to live even before they are born and who themselves are deprived of the right and joy to hold their little bundles of joy in their arms if they are daughters.  Unfortunately this practice of female foeticide  is very common even amongst highly educated families in big cities.

This poem is dedicated to these unfortunate women.

A loud plaintive scream rent the air

The pain was much more than she could bear

The life that within her had barely begun

Was not one that could be called "my son"

A daughter was growing inside her

A replica of herself as it were

This little angel she wished in her arms to hold

On this idea hubby and in-laws were not sold

Leave me alone, let my child be born

From begging and pleading she was utterly worn

Her job though was only children to bear

For her rights and opinions no one did care

A hasty appointment with the doctor was made

And so it was that on the table she was laid

In a room where little babies were born

Her little angel from her womb was torn

But who did for her screams ever care

Her pain was her own, alone to bear

She could rant, rave, scream or yell

Her life was one unending hell

She was obliged to give the family an heir

To fight for her rights, though, she did not dare

Did she even know her rights

If she did, why was she in this plight

Why is it that a son who worships his own mother

About the mother of his children does not bother

Why is his mother who is a woman

To her daughter in law so inhuman

This is a lady who was also once born

A girl child who was not of her right to live shorn

Where would this man be if she had been killed instead

Has this thought even entered their heads

The statistics are enough to scare

Girls as a population are growing ever rare

Wake up you ignoramuses, you better beware

Your race will be wiped out if you don't care

Women wake up, fight for your rights

Tolerating injustice, taking it light

Is just as wrong as being unjust

Protect your daughters is something you MUST.

Pirindai (bone setter) thokku (chutney)

I had mentioned a plant known as bone setter or "pirindai" in Tamil in a previous blog.  Here I shall be giving recipes for its use.

Pirindai can be used in many different ways e.g. it can be ground with the batter for adai (a South Indian dish made of fermented batter of rice, tur dal and whole black udad dal which is then made just like dosas).

It can be ground with spinach when making keerai molagutal or keerai mashyal (spinach mash).  It can also be used when making pappads, chutney or thokku.

I shall share my recipe for thokku here, which I made with a mish mash (quite literally :-)) of pirindai, corriander, pudina (mint), karavapillai (curry leaves) and kalpuravalli leaves (ajwain leaves).

Ingredients:

Pirindai (I used about 100 gms of it)

Corriander - 2 large bunches

Pudina (Mint) - 1 small bunch

Kalpuravalli (ajwain / bishop's weed leaves) - 6 to 8

Red chillies - 6-8 (add to taste)

Tamarind - a ball the size of a medium sized lemon

Ginger - 1 inch

Methi (fenugreek) seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Asafoetide (hing) 1/2 teaspoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tablespoons  

Procedure: 

Wash the pirindai well and break it into bits at each node.  Wash the corriander, the pudina, curry leaves and ajwain leaves well, remove the thick stalks while keeping the tender ones intact.  Roast the methi seeds and red chillies in 1 teaspoon of oil till they are browned.  Let this cool.  Then grind with asafoetida and salt in your dry grinder to a coarse consistency.

Heat one tablespoon of oil and add the pirindai, corriander, pudina and ajwain along with the tamarind.  Roast till the leaves wilt.  Cool this.

Add this mixture to the coarsely ground paste along with the ginger and grind in the blender.  It should not be too finely ground. 

Now heat the remaining oil, add mustard seeds, allow them to pop and then add the ground paste to it.  Saute it for 5-6 minutes on a dry flame and allow it turn a dark green.

This can be preserved in a bottle in a refrigerator for quite long.  You can even keep some amount for immediate use in the refrigerator and store the rest in the freezer section till required.  This can then be thawed and used later.

This can be eaten with chappatis, dosas, to mix with rice or as a chutney for sandwiches.