Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Ode to the Bhindi ! भेंडीची गोष्ट


Times have changed. Folks actually are going back to old tried and tested , simple recipes .

Like simple Bhindi(Okra) sabji, made in stirfry fashion , sometimes with onions and/or potatoes, , with sprinklings of salt, chilly powder, maybe cumin powder.

My blogger friend Shruti Nargundkar, of Melbourne,  posted a delicious capture of Bhindi sabji in her FB group Sikandalous Cuisine. As she mentions "For some, this is the only vegetable they eat apart from potato (is potato a vegetable?)  ....  Others hate it with a passion!   Goes well with rice or rotis, with dal, sambar, rasam or kadhi!"

This vegetable is sold at $12 a kilo in Melbourne!
I thought it deserved an Ode . In  Marathi and English.....

(photo by Shruti Nargundkar)
बाळबोध, साध्या,
दोन्ही खांद्या वरून
व खोपा घातलेल्या डोक्यावरून
हिरव्या साडीचा पदर लपेटून,
बायकांच्या गोतावळ्यात फिरणार्या ,
एक खूप हळव्या आजी .

कधी मनात छोटे विचार येतात
कधी लंबे लंबे विचार तंग करतात ,
पण आयुष्यात कढइवाले गरमीचे दिवस आले
कि खरच मसाला भरभरून रडू येत .
बिया सुद्धा जवळ रहात नाहीत ,
आणि चक्क साडीभर
बुट्ट्यानसारख्या सैर भैर होतात .

थोडा आंबट जवळ काही असलं तर बरं वाटतं,
रडारड कमी होते ....
समाधान एव्हडेच ,
कि कठीण दिवसात
कांदा भौजी , आणि बटाटा भौजी
नेहमीच साथ देतात,
आणि हल्डीबाई, हिंगोबा, मिर्चीमाव्शी
आणि नारळरावांनी
आजपर्यंत तरी नेहमीच साथ दिली आहे .
शेवटी, आपलं आयुष्य
भाकरीच्या तुकड्यावर अवलंबून असतं न ?
An innocent softhearted
green grandma,
hair in a simple khopa bun,
wraps her green saree
majorly around her
head and shoulders,
as she
hangs out with her folks
thinking of her life.

Sometimes small thoughts,
and sometimes,
some long worrying ones;
the trouble is,
that she weeps into the masala
in the heat
of a kadhai moment,
and even the seeds
go haywire
like the design dots on her green sari....

Of course,
having someone
sour and strong around
always works
at controlling the tears;
And she is grateful,
to Monsieurs Onion and Potato,
not to mention,
the loyal
ladies,
Turmerica, Asofoetida, and Jalapena,
who with the Coconut chaps
have always
stood by in support.

At the end of the day,
you are only good,
till the
Bhakri piece wraps you up
and goes away, isnt it!

13 comments:

  1. Nice one!

    Our whole family loves Bhendi in any form. It has got a lovely flavour of its own unlike potato, carrots, beans etc. So I stock it at home always.

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  2. I am thinking of writing my recipes in verse :-)
    Inspired big time seeing your posts :-)

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    Replies
    1. Sangeeta, Yay! and double yay! Waiting for some great recipes.....

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  3. Wah wah, an ode to the humble bhindi. Everyone in my family loves bhindi, the masaledar variety.

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  4. I must be possibly the only person who hates this vegetable, but the verse more than made up for the vegetable's undesirable quality :)

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    Replies
    1. Zephyr, Thank you. And a secret ....(I dont like Bhindi myself; its just that one makes it so that people get to taste all types of veggies in the house... no fuss etc:-))

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  5. I absolutely luvvv bhindi in any form :)

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