Twenty- five Seven

March has begun

March 2, 2022

February’s focus has been on meeting and eating. Meeting old friends and relatives!

I had 10 posts planned for February. Some of them made it to this page while some remain as drafts. Will they make it as blog posts or will they languish as drafts till one day I actually bin them?

February being my birthday month is special. What makes it really special is the celebrations with family and friends. Yes! multiple celebrations for one birthday because in these busy times it is difficult to organise one big do that everyone can attend. And over the years I find that meaningful interactions are only possible when you meet in smaller more intimate gatherings.

The Saturday a week before my birthday Prima Donna and Anna Shetty booked a wonderful experience at ‘Mag. St.Kitchen’. You can read all about it here.

Later that week I met up with old friends, one of whom I was meeting after 40 years or more! Of course, Prima Donna wondered how I could have such an old friend and not so much as mention her name in all these years! But in all honesty, I did occasionally think of her but it was only late last year when I saw her Mum’s obituary in the newspaper was I struck by a sudden urge to meet her and condole with her.

One of my learnings from the pandemic has been the transience of life. Surprisingly, the Universe seemed to agree with me for no sooner had this thought crossed my mind than another old friend called me up and re-connected me to the long lost friend. So I got my wish and a chance phone call from a common friend allowed me to reconnect with my old friend and condole with her.

But more than the condolences, I got a chance to catch up with her and share news and exchange gossip of the old times. Sharing news of old friends, hearing names associated with my childhood was in a strange way reassuring though often the news of old acquaintances wasn’t exactly pleasant. Many had passed away in sad circumstances and for many life hadn’t been exactly kind.

That very week I met up with two more sets of friends which meant more eating and more laughing on two different occasions. And the meeting and eating went on for the following week as well when I met up with cousins at Bandra.

This was a real surprise because the cousins are out of towners and we don’t meet very often ( especially with the Pandemic). The sisters hosted a special birthday lunch at Seefah one of the many trendy, quaint cafes that Bandra is famous for. Once again it was a delightful combination of exquisite flavours and invigorating company, reminiscing about our childhood and memories and sharing our anxieties for the future

This meeting was bookended by a lazy walk through Ranwar village, (a tiny slice of yesterday’s Bandra deceptively camouflaged by the busy main road) and a browse through one of Mumbai’s latest Malls – JioWorld.

The meetings and eating continued well into the last week of February and it didn’t come as a surprise when I found myself 2 kg heavier but much lighter in spirit.

February also saw the re-opening of physical school, a sign that things are slowly limping back to normal.

So while I have a lot to be grateful for February, I am anxious about what March will bring.

With the war currently raging in Europe, names like Lvov and Kiev which were once consigned to our History and Geography books have suddenly become as commonplace as Thane and Dombivili.

Like the rest of the world, I am praying that it soon comes to an end.

Till the next time,

Ciao
Chutney Friday

February 11, 2022
It’s the end of the week already and my weekend has officially begun .

This week was very busy as the Little People began school. Though there was some anxiety returning to school after nearly two years, by the middle of the week, they were going to school like they did pre-pandemic – with smiles on their faces and backpacks on their backs.

Even though school is only for two hours every alternate week ( maintaining CoVid protocol) it still gave me some time to try out some new stuff in the kitchen.

Many years ago when I used to contribute frequently as a freelancer in mainstream media, I had written an article about Odiya cooking.

Orissa (as it was known then) has always fascinated me with its pictures of the Jagannath Temple and the beaches of Puri. Sadly, the closest I came to the State was my daily interaction with Mrs. Das who lived on the 5th floor . Every morning, while the lift going down was filled with school children, she would rush out on landing, stop the lift door from shutting while she yelled inside the house ‘ GIGI COME QUICK !!! PEOPLE ARE WAITING !!!! LIFT IS HERE !!!!!!’

And a few seconds later, Gigi and her sister would enter the lift with sheepish looks , equally embarrassed for holding us up as they were by their mother.

However, last week I remembered the Das’ when I saw the market flooded with plump Indian tomatoes. I wished I could make them into a delicious chutney or a spicy tomato curry. Sadly no one in my family enjoys either of the tomato dishes so I was pleasantly surprised when Prima Donna mentioned that the best tomato chutney she had ever eaten was the one made by Mrs. Das and that I should make it again.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a copy of the magazine in which it was published nor do I have Mrs. Das’ number to call her up for the recipe.

So I went online ( a favourite resource these days) and made a pot full of chutney to accompany our meals this weekend.

Panch phoran made of 2 tablespoons each of kalonji ( nigella) , zeera ( cumin ), saunf ( fennel) , rai ( mustard seed) and 1 tablespoon of methi seed ( fenugreek)

I have relied mainly on Daasana’s Kitchen for the recipe ( especially for the panch phoran).

Ingredients:
- 5-6 ripe red tomato chopped
- 2 red dry chillies cut into two
- 2 green chillies finely chopped
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil
- 1 tablespoon of panch phoran
- 4-5 cashews split into halves
- A handful of raisins
- Salt, grain sugar and Aamchur ( dried mango powder) to add as per your taste
Method :

1. In a pot kept on medium heat, add the oil and bring to smoking point before adding the panch phoran , curry leaves, chillies and ginger paste .

These should be added separately one by one and sauted till the aromas are released . Take care not to burn the spices .

2. Add the tomato, cashew and raisins and stir well . Cover with lid and allow to cook till tomato is almost done.

All mixed up and sizzling in the pot

3. Add salt, sugar and Aamchur as per your taste ensuring that you get a tasty blend of sweet and sour with a hint of spice to set your taste buds tingling.

Serve as a relish with your meals or just eat it with a hot Chapati when you are in a bind .

Enjoy your weekend .

Ciao

Time to enjoy!
Looking back on January

February 8, 2022

And we’re already into the second month of the year. The way time flies, it won’t be long before I’m saying hello to 2023.

But that’s still 11 months away so let me concentrate on the present.

Mindfulness or living in the present is a much practiced Mantra of the times. It is quite similar to previous mantras that advocated living in the NOW or being rooted in the PRESENT. The only difference I suppose would be in the intensity and awareness with which one lives in each moment. So when you actually live mindfully, you are more conscious of what you are doing.

That said, I think I lived more in the now in the month of January rather than more mindfully because it was a pretty intense month. It began with more family and friends with several family members coming home from overseas. This time round there was another little one who had grown bigger which made our meetings all the more interesting. How our Little Ones cope with their Little Ones never ceases to amaze me because these new parents seem to have everything under control: their jobs, their children and their lives.

But the joys of gatherings quickly faded with a bout of CoVid that struck our household. The silver lining was that since all of us were affected at the same time, our quarantine was consolidated rather than stretched out to weeks, had we fallen sick one after the other

But January had its moments that made me smile : the two really wonderful meetings with friends. The Pandemic has made us all realise how tenuous and unpredictable life can be. It has made us appreciate life more and count every little blessing that comes our way.

Lunching in the dappled sunlight of the Yacht Club was an afternoon of pure relaxation . And the tea the following afternoon in another Club verandah made me appreciate how blessed I was to have dear friends to spend time with .

So thank you January for the fun times!

How has you January been ?

Ciao