Father's Day & Durdanto Dorades

Ok, he does not cook traditional recipes which I can blog about. In fact he does not cook at all. But is it not unfair  to write about "Ma-er hather Palong Ghonto" only? and ignore all his non-cooking contributions?
Happy Father's Day. 
His list of contributions include....

1. Eating whatever we are cooking (with fair and diplomatic comments)

2. Gardening  (when the sun is up and running)...
3. Brushing up Arno's skills in cricket, table tennis, chess, monopoly,......
4. Regular visits to the local vegetable shop even if it is for cucumber only....
5.  ......

Scene 1:

A dinner table where he is sitting with his family. Wife, son and daughter-in-law , daughter and son-in-law and grandson. The topic (as usual the most popular one) is food, cooks and cooking.
The son:  I think my sisters cooking is the best. 
(No No, I did not bribe my brother in any way..cross my heart). 

I smiled. 
(and already started thinking of what more to cook for my brother after such a HUGE compliment)! 

So far so good. 
Suddenly the son looks at his father and asks " So, whose cooking do YOU think is the best?"

Now, THAT is a tough question!
(For someone who is sitting at the dinner table with his wife on one side, daughter in front and daughter-in-law on the other side. 
On Zee, this scene would have been the one where the camera would have flashed on his face multiple times from different angles with a spine-chilling background music!
ZyannnnGGGGG!ZyannnnGGGGG!ZyannnnGGGGG!)

 After a moments thought, he said..

" Look there are three types of good cooking.........."

He then went on to explain how his wife excels in "simple daily healthy" cooking, how daughter-in-law excels in "elaborate tasty" cooking and how daughter excels in "variety tasty cooking" etc etc...

Moral of the story: 

Men (especially when surrounded by the women in their life) need to be very careful with what they say!!!

 

Scene2:
A garden which is not exactly one of those sprawling green things that needs lot of attention. The owners are basically lazy people and even struggle to maintain the two small patches of ground they have in between a large expanse of tiles. Once a year they buy some colorful-off-the-shelf-about-to-bloom flowers and decorate the garden which is enough for the few almost non-existing summer months of Holland. He is working in the garden every morning keeping it spotlessly clean. For him, it is a very good time pass.The grandson assists him with lot of interest .The grandson wants the garden clean to play cricket.
Whatever the objectives, the owners (as they sit on their living room sofa sipping their afternoon tea and watching  dadu-nati play cricket) are very happy!
 
 

 Durdanto Dorades

This recipe is dedicated to my father. The main reason is his love for fish. The mention of  fish  brings the same gleam in his eyes as does the mention of  "you can watch TV" to Arno's eyes. A few days back, we were walking on the streets of The Hague. Suddenly I remembered that I needed to buy some fish. But since the walk was a long one , I asked my parents to sit on a canal-side bench and enjoy the spring-view while I get the fish. When I reached the shop, I thought of trying out a new fish. The names were all in Dutch and I do not possess the skill set of recognizing a fish by its looks.....So I picked one which looked "nice". I rushed back to the place where my parents were sitting and opened the fish packet a tiny-wiiiiiny-bit to show it to my father, just to get the confirmation that I did not buy something totally inedible.

His reply was ( with gleaming eyes):"Are e to Real Bhetki"[This is real Bhetki!]

I am sure after that nothing else in The Hague center caught his attention any more.

;-) 

So ma made "Bhetki-Fulkopi-r jhol" as soon as we were back home.

I call  it  "Durdanto Dorades"

(My naming convention is inspired by "Bombaiyer Bombete" , Gangtokey Gondogol", etc.

I did some google-ing later to see what Dorades really is.....some call it Mahi-mahi, some call it Dolphin fish......whatever it is, it tastes "wonderful"... try it.

She used:

• Bhetki/Dorades/Mahi-mahi:  ~800 gms (6-7 pieces)
• Cauliflower:  1 (chopped into medium sized florets)
• Egg plant: 1 ( sliced in long pieces)
• Onion : 1 small
• Ginger: grated (1  tsp)
• Potatoes: 2  ( small, cut into thick slices)
• Tomato: 1
• Cooking oil
• Coriander powder: 1 tbsp
• Cumin powder: 1 tbsp
• Green chilli: 1
• Salt 

Ready steady cook:

1. Fry the fish ( I grilled the pieces in the oven with 2 tbsp oil. This is the way I "fry" all fish these days. Less work. Less smell. Shorter time. ) 
2. Keep aside.
3. In another pan,heat the oil.  Add the onion and chilli . Fry for a while and add potatoes, egg plant and cauliflower florets.
4. Next add the tomatoes, coriander powder ,cumin powder and grated ginger.
5. Fry till you can smell the spices cooking.
6. Add salt  and turmeric powder.
7. Add water , enough to cover all the material plus 1 cup extra.
8. When it starts to boil (check if potatoes are cooked), add the fish pieces, cook for 5 mins more.
9. Enjoy with white rice.

Warning: You might want an afternoon siesta after this.

Ma-er hather Palong ghonto. Lights..Camera..Action!

She has been cooking this for forty odd years now. Almost the same way. No measuring spoons, no fancy mixers, no kitchen timers, no cook books...fully "andaaj-e"..pure feel and experience...a day to day routine to feed the family.

This time it was a bit different though. Her daughter (a budding blogger..hi hi..), now cooks with the camera on! Instructions were given that cooking can only start after she is back from work to take photos for her blog. So in the evening as the mom prepared and cooked and mixed, click click click..the camera worked continuously trying to capture "Ma-er hather Palong Ghonto". From the smile on moms face, it felt like she enjoyed it a lot too. Small shy hesitant comments like "ei alo ta jele nebo? "(shall I switch on this overhead light?),  or "masala-r chobi tulbi na?" (will you not take photos of the spices?) proved that she was fully IN! Hesitant because this "blog world" or "whatever the daughter does" is not her domain. Its new, its high tech, its unknown..but definitely cool!

....and above all the fact that a mundane "Palong ghonto" that she has been cooking for years can attract so much attention and so many clicks definitely was exciting. I could feel it.

Now even though I observed the recipe from close quarters , I doubt if I can reproduce the exact taste. This does not come in a day. Maybe not FORTY years , but definitely each year contributes substantially to the "andaaj"...

Whatever went into the pan was absolutely "unmeasured"....

"ektu"  (a little) cumin powder.

"olpo" (a little) coriander powder

"andaj moton" salt and sugar

"ek chimte" (a little) holud...

Well, there goes the accuracy of  tbsp, tsp, cc, ml  ....etc. out of the window. How on earth can I reproduce the exact taste?

Honestly, I myself do not like accurate measurements. I feel more comfortable and relaxed with the units of "ektu" or "olpo". This allows me total stress-free cooking. But the downside is that even reproducing one of my own recipes and getting the exact taste like last time becomes difficult. A-senior finds this very amusing--He is a cook book man.

My disclaimer in this case is,
Try this recipe....use the guidelines but the results are not guaranteed because that is what makes it a "Ma-er hather Palong Ghonto" and not just "Palong Ghonto".
;-)

The glamour behind the word "ghonto" only revealed itself to me a few years back. When Ma made ghonto all those years ago , I definitely did not appreciate. I must have made a face, wrinkled my nose in disgust and asked " ajke abar ghonto?"[ghonto again today?]

To be honest, I do not even remember if I ever asked the name of the dish. The attitude was more like I HAVE to eat this mish-mash-unglamorous-stinky thing on my plate anyway..so better do it without asking ANYTHING! I must have gulped it down with water while glancing fearfully at the eyes of my mother...which were different in those days! (I still get goose bumps thinking of her angry looks..hihi..Now, offcourse I understand those looks much better , being a mother myself!!!)
The same me, LOOOOOVVEEE ghonto now. Again I know some of you would nod your heads and say.."with years (read age) things do change..."


Ma-er hather Palong Ghonto

She used: 

• Fresh spinach : a big bunch 
• Potatoes:     1 large (diced)
• Radish: 1 large (diced) 
• Yellow moong dal:  1 fistful  (yes yes, your own fist!)
• Flat beans(sheem): a few chopped
• Beans: : a few chopped
• Ginger: 1.5 in piece (grated)
• Panchphoron : 1 tsp
• Green chillie: 2      (you can also use dry red chillies)
• Bay leaves: 2
• Cumin powder: 1 tsp
• Coriander powder: 1 tsp
• salt (to taste) "andaj moton"
• sugar  1/2 tsp "andaj moton"
• turmeric powder : 1 pinch 
• Cooking oil : 2 tbsp
• Ghee : 1 tsp

Ready steady cook: 

1. Heat the oil in a pan.  As it starts to smoke a bit, add the green chillies, bay leaves and the panch phoron. 
2. As it starts to emit the strong smell of the spices, add the moong daal. Fry for a minute on medium heat.
3. Add the vegetables (potato,radish, beans and flat beans). Fry for a while.
4. Add the spinach leaves.
5. Let it cook for a while till the spinach wilts and becomes mushy.
6. Add the cumin powder,coriander powder, salt, sugar and turmeric.
7. Cover and cook till all vegetables are cooked.
8. Add the ginger paste and the ghee and stir properly, cook for another minute or so and you are done.
9. Have it with steaming white rice.

These recipes need to be preserved some way or the other...forever.

  

Grey spring with a "Komola" cake

Now THIS is what I call Spring.

Gloomy days, temperatures staying well below 10 deg C, strong winds that shake and rattle you till the bone, almost continuous rain, permanently hidden sun...what more do you want?

Offcourse I am being sarcastic. I want to complain and complain and complain to everyone and everywhere (my blog being no exception).

What is it with the weather this year ? Hello GUY-UP-THERE, seriously, what are you thinking?

Complaint lodged. Feeling light. Hope actions will be taken.

Time to shift attention to the other positive aspects of life that make me want to continue living in spite of the sun-less days. Yes, food and family rank the highest. Not necessarily in that order though.

Last week Sunday was a beautiful day. The ONLY beautiful day in months!It was as if someone just switched on the sun and all the rest of the good things that come with it for a few hours so that my friend S'da who had come all the way from Houston could take fantastic photos of tulips in Holland and prove me and my blog wrong to the rest of the world.

The good news is instead of posting the grey dull heavy cloudy gloomy photos with a gloomy blog post, I can now share some bright colourful nice and beautiful photos of our one and only spring day.

Salute to the one who created these colours and thanks S'da for capturing them so beautifully.
[I hate it when people look at a good photo and say, "thats a wonderful camera you have there". NO!..thats a wonderful PHOTOGRAPHER....ok....with a good camera!!]
;-)

I stop complaining about the gloomy grey colours of the sky and start appreciating the  colourful beauties-- lovely tulips, almost like each has been hand painted by someone in his own free time. What lovely colours !! Life is indeed colourful! GUY-UP-THERE, well done!
I lose myself in the lovely photos of Mother Nature and.... I wonder...I wonder...I wonder...
What shall we have for dinner today? 

I wanted to make something colourful.
What I am posting today is definitely not dinner material but it is colourful.
Colour colour what colour do you choose? (Remember one of our childhood games?)
I choose Orange!

Komola cake (Almond orange pudding cake)
This recipe is dedicated to Paulda....as promised. He loved it. 
This is a very simple cake. Even I can make it. Really. The beauty of the recipe is nothing can go wrong. Promise! If not, paisa wapas (money back!)!!
The recipe is based on (almost copy pasted) Nigella Lawsons "Clementine cake".
"Komola" means Orange colour in Bengali.

I used:

• 6 oranges (mandarin/clementine)
• 4 large eggs
• 200 grams white sugar
• 250 grams ground almonds
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Ready steady cook:

1. Put the oranges in a pan with some cold water.
2. Boil for 30 mins till they are soft. Drain and when cool,remove the seeds.
3. Put them in a food processor (yes, with the skin) and add the sugar, baking powder and the almond powder.
4. Prepare the cake bake pan by buttering the inside of it.
5. Preheat oven to 200ºC.
6. Bake for 50 mins. Test with a skewer..it should come out clean and dry.(not very dry hence the name "pudding" cake)
7. Let it cool. Decorate with some fresh oranges.
8. Enjoy your effort.
9. Delicious! I told you nothing can go wrong here!!

My pretty orange seller

My cake batter -- easy easy easy!

I choose orange

Delicious...I told you nothing can go wrong here!!

Rong-Chong-e Daal & Mother's Day

Mother's Day definitely deserves a post, some stories and some food.

The reason for creation of a mother is clear from my last post, right? 

I was neither joking nor did I make that up. It is a fact and I believe in it strongly. Usually this belief and realization only comes much later in life . Not at 8 or 16 or 25! Things which I took for granted as HER DUTY when I was young, gradually metamorphosed with years and experience into genuine admiration and thankfulness. I realized (specially after giving birth myself) that this is a relation which is far beyond anything as mundane as duty. ...it is the umbilical bond that is designed to love and care and fight for her child..expecting nothing in return. 

A mother with her unconditional love- God's best gift to mankind.

This is getting a bit filmy, I know. But honestly if the above script reached the hands of a 1970s hindi movie director, this would have been the scene when the child would be singing "meri ma..achhi ma..bholi ma..." while the mom (Nirupa Ray, in most cases) would be coughing away to glory due to poverty and lack of medicine. 

Typical but hit. You would be watching with tears in your eyes.
If I had continued writing a few more lines on these lines, it might have even ended up in a more glamorous one like the one and only "Mere paas ma hai!" scene. 
Super hit! You would be clapping and watching the movie 25 times.Who knows?
(Unrelated, unnecessary information, but have to share: I love Amitabh Bachchan!!)

However, nothing like that happened.

It was Mother's Day. My parents are visiting us in Holland. I went to meet my Mom at my brother's place. She looked at me and said,

Ma: Ektu janla-r kache aye alo-te. Mukh ta dekhi. 
(Please come towards the window in the light, let me see your face)

I did.

Ma: Tor chokher opor abar ki shob jeno hoyeche....shei liver er problem theke noyto? 

(There is something on your eyelids, hope it is not the liver problem you had before!)

Me: MAaaaaa..that is MAKE UP -- Eye Shadow Ma!!!

So much so for wearing eye makeup on Mother's Day.

After the initial laugh is over, I have to say (in her defence) that she has not seen me so much with eye make up before. I never NEVER used it in my youth.

But things have changed. With the years (some of you might call it AGE) came wisdom and eye shadows. Part of life.

I also got a wonderful gift for Mother's Day. It is a hand painted clay piggy bank painted by the small hands that I love the most in this world. With the lovely gift came a lovely letter, heart shaped, pink, best handwriting..what more does a mother want? Opened the letter with lots of excitement.It read:

"To the world's best mom..from the WORLD's BEST SON"

and I thought it was MOTHER'S DAY!!!
;-)

Ideally this post should have a recipe from my Mom. But she will come to stay with me next week...so once she is with me...Lights ..Camera ..Action! I promise you.

Till then, lets eat something I cooked for you.
I cooked something very tasty, very colorful and very healthy (like a good mother should especially on Mother's Day).

Rong-Chong-e Daal 
Daal (Pulses), in my home is another gift of God to mankind! (Ok,ok, after Mothers unconditional love, Mutton Biriyani, Red wine, waterproof eyeliner, TomTom, etc....)
If there is a bowl of daal in any form in my fridge, I feel very relaxed. I solve problems at work, I attend meetings, I pick up Arno from school, I phone my car garage etc --all of this with a smile on my face just because there is "daal in the fridge". The reason for such relaxed mood is because even after a busy day I can just make some white rice, cut some salad and with the "daal in  the fridge" , I can serve a super dinner. If my mood permits, I can even convert the super dinner to a bit of a Michelin-starry-type-dinner by  just frying an omelette with it!
.....and on top of all that, if like a "good" mom, you can add some vegetables to your "daal in the fridge"..
Wa-La. you are SUPER MOM certified. For sure!

I used:

• Yellow Moong daal : 1 cup
• Fresh Spinach  leaves: 1 bunch
• Carrots:       2 large (chopped in big pieces)
• Green peas:  1/2 cup (optional)
• Tomato: 1 large
• Ginger: 1 tsp (cut in very small pieces)
• Whole cumin: 1 tbsp
• Sugar: 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Turmeric powder: 1 pinch
• Cooking oil: 1 TBSP
• Ghee:  1 TBSP (optional but surely makes a difference)

Ready -steady- cook:

1. Dry roast the moong daal till a few of the grains change to brown. Be careful not to over cook. Switch off heat as soon as you get the lovely smell of the roasted moong.

2. In a large bowl boil the carrots , spinach , tomato and the dry roasted daal with some salt, turmeric powder and sugar.

3.Let is boil till the daal becomes totally soft.
4. In a separate pan heat the cooking oil. Add the whole cumin seeds and the ginger. Saute for a few seconds and add the boiled daal .
5. Let it come to a boil.
6. Adjust salt to taste and switch off heat.

7. Add the ghee , stir well and cover.
8. Serve with white rice.  (Make an omelette if you have time...cut some salad for sure)

Lamb tagine and a preponed Mother's day

When God was done creating most of the things like the mountains and the rivers and the trees and the MEN, he realized that something was missing. He needed something to hold these things together. He needed to make a creature who can take care of EVERYTHING that he has created.

Whether it is the laundry or the shopping list or the parent teacher meeting or the allergy to nuts or the misplaced i-phone charger or the swimming lessons or the cousins birthday ...whatever...this creature  must be able to handle EVERYTHING.
With such severe functional requirements, like any other project leader, HE too panicked.
I am sure there were sleepless nights, unfinished drinks and  black circles under HIS eyes.
But God being GOD, he finally had a solution. A perfect one. Ahem....
He created a creature called the "MOM". Problem solved.
Choice of such a popular/exciting/controversial/interesting topic today was triggered by two incidents at home.
1. The man of the house snored away to glory last night. Kicking, elbowing, pushing, pinching....nothing worked. The snoring Olympic continued uninterrupted through a terribly-coughing son and a sleep-deprived mom's struggle to pacify the son. Finally after some cajoling and some scoldings, son ended up in parent's bed. Early morning, the alarm went off. The man turned in bed, looked at the sleeping son beside him and asked with a surprised look  " eki ? Arno ekhane?" (Oh! Why is Arno here in our bed??)
Wife gave back "the looks" and decided to write about this in her blog.
 

2. Later in the day, I was sleepily shuffling through some advertisement brochures announcing discounts for "Mothers Day", which is three weeks away. Suddenly the living room door opened and A-senior came in (yes, yes the same one who won the Olympic snoring gold medal last night!!).  He called Arno, both of them went to the hallway..whispered something and then Arno came in with a  box , a smile and a "Happy Mothers Day Mama"!!

A lovely gift for me... a tagine....reminded me of our Visit to Morocco last year!! 
The snoring Olympics of last night was kind of forgiven....although for one moment I did feel that the above two incidents were somehow related!!! "the looks" worked?  Mothers day gift three weeks before time???hmmm...

In Morocco, almost all dishes were served in tagines. I fell in love with them. Specially two of them have lingered on my taste buds for the last two years. A Lamb with Apricots and a Chicken with Lemon. I only needed a tagine to try them out.

Wish fulfilled.  May God bless the snoring champion.!!!!!

Here is the one with Lamb....the Chicken will come later..stay tuned.

 This setting looked so green that could not help a click.

Lamb Tagine with Apricots

I used:

• Sunflower oil: 2 tbs 
• Lamb :     1.5 Kg (Shoulder cut in small  pieces)
• Onions : 1 large onions, 
• Garlic  :   5 cloves paste
• Garlic: 2 cloves chopped
• Apricots : 150g quartered dried
• Ginger: 1 tsp (paste)
• Cinnamon, 1 tsp ground c
• Cayenne pepper :1 tbs
• Cumin powder: 1 tbsp
• Tomatoes :  200g tinned chopped
• Chicken stock:  150 ml
• Coriander:  to garnish.
• I also used a pinch of turmeric (optional)

Ready ..steady ..go!!

1. Marinate lamb in the ginger paste, garlic paste, cumin powder and cayenne pepper.. Keep aside for 2 hrs.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan and brown lamb in batches. When browned, remove and put aside.
3. Add the chopped onions and garlic to the pan on a low heat. Cook for a while till they are soft.
4. Add the apricots, tomatoes and lamb. Add the stock just enough to cover the meat.
5. Bring to boil, season with coriander and cover with a lid. 
6. Cook on low heat for 2 hours.
7. Garnish with lots of coriander and serve either with couscous or rice.  

I served with tasty Couscous which A-senior made. Another reason to forgive the snoring Olympics.

 

    This is how it looked when it started to cook.

 

                                 

 This is is how it looked after it was done.

 

 

KALLOL junior in "Khelar Putul"

Yes, we "KALLOL junior" have done it again. After gaining confidence from "Abol Tabol Shopno", we the "Khude Kallol" have gone up on stage and rocked it again!

It was indeed fun. 

Fun to rehearse together.

Fun to play together.
Fun to perform together.

Fun to be applauded together.

ক্ষুদে কল্লোল   (Kallol junior)

একটু নাটক, একটু ছড়া,
আমাদেরকে জড়ো করা |
একটু কঠিন একটু সোজা,
অনেক কাজ তবে অনেক মজা|
কখনো বা বুঝি না মানে,
হাসছি কেন কেউ কি জানে?
তবে একটু মোদের বুঝিয়ে দিলে
 হাসি তখন সবাই মিলে ।
মনে মনে বাড়ছে টান ,
আবোল তাবোল-এর অবদান।
দূর বিদেশে থেকেও মোরা ,
বাঁচিয়ে রাখব মোদের গোড়া ,
পুরনো নতুন মিলে মিশে
সুন্দর দুনিয়া গড়ব শেষে ,
বিলোবো খুশী , ছড়াবো হাসি
আমরা global ভারতবাসী ।।

The target was to bring the kids TOGETHER and enjoy the TOGETHERNESS. I think we have succeeded. After the final performance, one child walked up to me and asked, "when is the next rehearsal?" .That is big evidence, right?
 

As the curtain opened and the lights switched on.....oh what a scene! A room full of kids dressed up as the most beautiful toys that you have ever seen. 
Smart, sweet, handsome, cute and beautiful ! --OUR kids !
Kids who put in so much effort to make this happen!
KALLOL junior! Khude Kallol! Well done...we are so proud of you.

Now for the plot and the performance.
With the advent of super technical games like Wii and Play station and DS and what not, the charm of simple toys are gradually vanishing. Kids have been exposed to so much action at their finger tips (literally) that simple, stationary and soundless toys do not appeal to them anymore. The plot is of such a toy shop in a small town where the shopkeeper is frustrated and unhappy because he cannot sell his simple toys anymore. Everyday, he and his wife still opens the shop with hopes of selling some toys. They look at each toy and wish that the toy  could do a bit more to attract customers. With each such wish, the toy comes alive and performs. Finally their wish is granted and a customer comes and buys all the toys of his shop!!!
What a performance !!!Each single toy, "woke up" at the right cue and walked up to the microphone and performed their best. Brilliant! We had flawless recitations, cool guitarists, smart keyboard players, humorous actors, beautiful dancers, classical violinists... 
Yes, the kids were undoubtedly the stars. 
But the adults who helped were no less.
A-da, makes sets with passion and it shows...brightened up the stage totally.
K, arranges and plays the music..one big box of flickering lights and buttons totally under his control.
T has personally visited each light (up on a ladder near the ceiling), hence he knows them so well that magic happens when he switches them on.
T, on my request became the prompter. But at one point , I was so so so off the script that she said, "ki prompt korbo, kono line-i to bolcho na script theke!!"[ What shall I prompt, you are not saying ANY line from the script]. I hope she will still prompt next time.
S controlled the curtains perfectly. No rehearsals...first time..instant hit!  I recruit him as our curtain-man from now on.

All the rest proudly and happily clapped and encouraged us from the audience.
Now, with so many kids, their instruments, the microphones, the set and the toys on stage.....the script demanded for adult presence on the stage...for control and safety. That is how Panchur baba (shopkeeper) and Khendir ma(his wife) were born, in the script. Both turned out to be equally bad in memorizing the script. Between you and me, one had his script in his "hisheber khata (notebook)" , the other had the script stitched on the back of her duster!!
Anyway,the way they were talking on stage, mainly about sharing work loads in the family, it was clear that they were both married people in real life, quite accustomed to the daily khit-khits and did not need a script to continue!! Their real life partners smiled from the audience as they recognized bits and pieces of the conversation.
Panchur baba struggled a bit with his moustache while Khendir ma definitely suffered from a very misfitting hair cut!
But all ended well and alls well that ends well.

Look at the fantastic toys we had in our shop....

Hoping to continue like this for years to come....ALL TOGETHER....
Are you guys with me??
 

The special recipe for Junior Kallol  will follow soon.....

No story is complete without food and no food is complete without story.