Being home

Time to resurrect the blog – maybe now, or it’s never. Reading my posts back from few years brings a smile to my face. Some are funny, some are silly, some are immature – but overall good, nice. Not a bad way to preserve a few memories and thoughts of my 20s. I wish I could have kept up with this online journal. Just so I can “hopefully”- read them a decade later and reminisce, given that the internet age remains or I grow into the whatever new age, if the internet became extinct. Btw, Google would not let me enter the blog unless I accepted one of those new formats available and said okay to a mini data migration to the new version.  Hence my worry for the future and fear of becoming archaic. 

Some growing up has happened over the last years. Most of it has been for good- I think. Six years forward....a job change, a new degree, two children and change of career to SAHM - most of it has been for good I believe. It was all about me earlier, the job, the mental need to be occupied and stretch it a bit, my other half P to some extent. Now, entrusted with two little ones, they are 3 and 1 respectively - life is overwhelming, busy, little scary, demanding and at the same time meaningful and rewarding. Having the children, does add a new dimension and goal to this life on earth one can say. All I pray for now is, that I do justice to this task I am entrusted with, and strength for the journey ahead. I certainly, totally, completely and do miss the job...tailoring and wearing the SAHM dress has not been easy in any way, after working for a long time..twelve years that is. Yes, this topic is a big deal today - coz in this era of empowered women we are supposed to see beyond material and financial needs. In a world where women CEOs exist, making a conscious choice to be home, is not welcome with a warm smile - be it among your erstwhile corporate friends, colleagues or your social circle. I did receive those unwarm smiles. These few months have been the first few months ever, I am home. Various events and situations necessitated this and at this time, all I can do is thank God for this time to reflect and re-purpose things. Thank God for this time to hit the pause button and look at a child's needs, needs beyond physical. To look at children in a deeper sense. Me, being me- knowing me - I could never have done some of that, with a full time job. Again, its just me. Not saying this for all working moms. I adore what all working moms accomplish and at the same time amazed at what all stay at home moms do - being in those shoes now. This has all led to a new sense of respect for my own mom who has above and beyond scarified herself for my sister and myself. Any regrets so far? No. Head over heels? No. Content? Absolutely. Yes.Godliness with contentment is great gain, they say. At least the latter is true. Ah, a zen moment.

Just ending with this line from a song "But life is not a snapshot, it might take a little time. But you'll see the bigger picture". Waiting for that next zen moment.

Moist banana bread

After some soup and curry, recipe for a dessert is in order. Nothing else said. No rambling.

Overripe bananas - 5 large
Butter - 1 stick
Egg - 1 large
Vanilla - 1 tsp (never ever use imitation, use the real extract - much better flavor)
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Pinch of salt
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Flour - 1.5 cups
Walnuts/Chocolate chips - optional

Mash 5 large overripe bananas with 1 stick of soft butter. Add 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 1/2 cup sugar. Beat till well mixed. I use the hand mixer for all my baking recipes.

Sprinkle a pinch of salt and 1 tsp baking soda. Mix 1.5 cups of flour and beat till it forms a smooth batter.

Fold in nuts/chocolate chips and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr 10 mins. Use the bread loaf pan.

Mutton Soup

Its the day to fill the gap between April and October with some timeless recipes I guess. Well, that is what I have been up to these few months. What filled the gap between 2007 and 2013 is a story for another day. A day when we all have the luxury to sit back and talk over several cups of hot chai.

I was never a fan of meat ever, ever - growing up that is. As a child, I ran away from "non-veg" sundays and hated third day wedding feasts where the kith and kin were served elaborate meaty delicacies. Doing complete justice to that taste of mine, I married a vegetarian. A so called vegetarian, I'll clarify that statement later. Anyways, after giving birth to children and learning a lot more about life in general and receiving real advice from older women - that I actually listen to these days...am coming to appreciate nutrient density. Food and nutrition has always been my passion but I had never cared about meat earlier. So, here it is - old fashioned traditional mutton soup. Its basically an Indian broth/stock - contains vital minerals. Grandma knew it best. This is THE soup that is given to new mothers for up to a month after birth. Many reliable sources have confirmed this to me.

Recipe credits go to my mother, but I tweaked it to include 3 more ingredients - lemon, ginger and coriander seeds. Any meat and lemon marry well together I feel.

Mutton bones - 1/2 pound (this is goat, not lamb)
Pinch of turmeric
Onion - 1 medium
Tomato - 1 medium
Cumin, Black pepper, Coriander seeds - 1 tsp each
Garlic - 5 pods
Ginger - an inch
Salt - few tsp
Curry leaves - few

Wash mutton in turmeric and water. Add salt and lemon, let it sit for 1/2 hour.

In a pressure cooker fry onion pieces in oil. Make a coarse paste of jeera/cumin, corriander, black pepper, ginger and garlic. Add this to onions and fry. The aroma is just wonderful and fills the air. Keep the exhaust on and kitchen windows open. Add in chopped tomato pieces, curry leaves and salt. Fry for few minutes.

Add the bones and fry for 5 minutes. Pour in water - Mutton:Water - 1:4.

Cook for 10 whistles. Filter extract.

Take second extract with few more cups of water and pressure cook again for 6 whistles.

Mix 1st and 2nd extract for soup. You will see the natural fat of the mutton in the form of oil floating on top, that is the good stuff. Stuff that's good for your body. Plus, no one makes these soups everyday....and a little fat did no one any harm.

Comfort food - Chicken tikka masala

Before jumping into the recipe - let me try to talk about comfort food. Several years ago, one of the guys at work asked me what classifies as comfort food for Indians. He being a Wisconsin person, called out Mac n Cheese as his. I, just focusing on the 'comfort' involved in preparing it, in a literal sense mentioned Maggi - like any desi would have - in my shoes. While that may have fit the definition in my 20s single, crazy life - 10 years later....with changed taste buds and preferences that run a zillion miles away from Maggi, I would like to call comfort food as something else. It is food that's uplifting - uplifting...just elevates you. Wiki defines it as - traditional, sentimental, soft, easy, rich in calories/nutrients, flavorful, easy to make. So here is my comfort food- that fits into both my definition and wiki's.

For Marinade

(this is what I do for any chicken marinade)

Boneless skinless chicken breast - 1 pound chopped into chunks

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 small lemon

2 tbsp yogurt

Soak the chicken in these items overnight in fridge – covered, it tenderizes the chicken tremendously and flavors it deeply.

For gravy

Butter - 1/4 stick (don't skimp on it, comfort food)
Red Onion - 1 large

Ginger garlic green chilli paste - 5 tbsps
Tomatoes - 2 medium/1 large, pureed
Salt - per taste
Garam Masala - per taste
Dry methi/fenugreek leaves - 2/3 tsps
Heavy Cream - 1 cup

Melt ¼ stick of butter, add in chopped red onions and fry. Add ginger garlic green chilly paste and fry. Add the tomato puree and fry well. Now add salt and few teaspoons of garam masala. I do not struggle and make my own garam masala, this is comfort food remember :) Add in some dry fenugreek leaves. Let the mixture fry on low flame, pour in one cup of heavy cream.

Meantime- while the flavors are developing, have the chicken pieces broiled in oven for a total of 15 mins – turning the sides midway. If you don't broil usually...just bake it in an oven proof dish for 20 minutes at 400F.

Add the broiled chicken into the gravy mix and cook on low flame for about 15 mins till you see the oil separating out.

Chicken tikka masala ready to eat.

It tastes good, trust me. Like any curry or gravy, this tastes better the next day - once the ingredients have "set" well - in my mother's words. These days am liking lesser ingredient recipes - that way am able to taste clean flavors. This sells well with my 3 yr old girl K (for those with picky eaters).

I make a gravy of panner and peppers in similar fashion, which turns out good in taste as well.