Oye ! Bhappa Doi !

My friend Shruti Nargundkar of Melbourne, first cooks brilliant stuff, then she takes amazing photographs of the same. This is followed by an fantastic blogpost, linking the dish with some ethos of her childhood and family.

This time, she used left over basundi/rabdi/payasam along with hung/thick/greek yogurt, to make an amazing Bhappa Doi, which is a sweet bengali yogurt based dessert. (Recipe at the link indicated).

This time Shruti also made a poem based on this dish , called "The Ballad of Mishti and Bhappa", confirming her place as a brilliant delicious poet and/or poetic foodie.

Her posts and recipes often inspire Marathi poems, and she is always kind enough to let me put them here.

This time I am also putting the poem she made alongside. I am more than a decade older than Shruti. We are settled in different cultures. And our two poems, are living proof, of how we have slightly different ways of looking at stuff .

 Possibly in keeping with our ages . And possibly indicative of how much we both love food.

दिवसभराच्या समारंभाने तृप्त झालेल्या , सर्वांचे गोड आशीर्वाद, आहेर , आणि कुटुम्बात नवीन अलेल्या बदामी सुनेच्या कौतुकात बुडलेल्या वरमाई, वेलदोड्याच्या आणि केशराच्या ठिपक्यांनी सजलेली शुभ्र सोनेरी साडी, आणि सर्व पाहुणे परतल्यावर टेकून बसलेल्या नवीन सासूबाई ... आणि एकीकडे अचानक एकट एकट वाटून, भावनिक श्रमाने पिळून गेलेल्या दिवसभराच्या समारंभां नंतर , मनात आणि डोळ्यात अश्रु ढाळणार्या वधुमाई आवरा अवर झाल्यावर , वधुवर मधुचान्द्रास निघून गेल्यावर त्या दोघी पहाटेच्या गारव्यात भेटतात. थोड्या उबेसाठी आतल्या गरम खोलीत बसतात एकीची नवीन मिळालेली मुलगी , आणि एकांचा नवीन मिळालेला मुलगा यांच्या आनंदात एकीमेकीच्या घट्ट मैत्रिणी होउन जातात.... पहाटेची वार्याची एक मिशकील झुळूक , जाई जुइच्या वेलात खुदकन हसते , आणि म्हणते भप्पा, भप्पा, वाहवा !

The Ballad of Mishti and Bhappa by Shruti Nargundkar A cream come true when they set, Both of the deserted milk ilk, Bhapa and his lady love dulcet Were desserts not to forget! Mishti was sweet and coy, Of saffron smooth complexion While burly brawny Bhapa boy A bhadra Banga mahashoy! Then tragedy smote the duo As a matron thrifty ‘n crafty Prudently wouldn’t a thing throw Separated the belle from her beau! Mishti resolved to meet her fate Adorned with sparkling zigzags Bhapa sweltered in the grate Vowing reunion at the pearly gate!