The Yin, Yang and the Yum of it all.....

My friend , Shruti Nargundkar of Melbourne, posted a wonderful post about Matar Karanji/Gujiya/Calzones on her blog , in a post , "Less is more, More is Less". 

Karanji's made with a pastry of Rawa(cream of wheat), Maida(all purpose flour), woth a lashing of hot melted butter, allowed to sit a bit, nicely covered in a cool corner, and then stuffed with a spicy concoction of green peas, crushed potatoes, and tongue tickling spices, finally fried an served. 

Read Shruti's recipe on her blog.

Perfect for the approaching festive season in India.....

and even more so for a dedication in Marathi and English ...:-)

वर्गशिक्षिका आणि मुख्याध्यापिका बाई , आपल्या ए. सी. दालनात बसून , आपल्याच विचारात मुरल्या आहेत ; तशी मोहन रावांची मदत आहे म्हणा , पण आज काल वर्गात दंगा करणारी मुलं जरा ज्यास्तच करतायत .... बाहेर  येउन बघतात तर काय , सर्व मटार व बटाटे  आपापल्या जागा सोडून , वर्गातील  तिखट मसालेदार टग्या मंडळीन बरोबर चकाट्या पिटत बसली आहेत .... थोडा लाटण्याचा वापर, थोडा वरवणट्याचा दणका , आणि सर्व मुलं शिस्तीत मध्ये जमा  होतात , बाई सर्वांना एकत्र गोळा करतात, गुंडाळून घेतात , आणि मुलांना भाजणार नाही अश्या प्रकारे स्वताहाला गरम तेलात झोकून देतात . थोडे रुसणे फुगणे चालतेच, काही तर थोडे लाल पण होतात, पण जरा शांत झाले, कि चटणी ताईला बघून खूप खुश होतात . थोड्क्यात  काय ,  आता मुलांची गडबड एका मोठ्या प्लेट मध्ये चालूच राहते ......

Rawa Ma'am and Princi Maida ma'am deep in thought, in their cool airconditioned room, resting a bit after tangling with some Hot Fat melting types; and they wonder, given what they notice, if children in class today are more indisciplined..... They emerge outside, in time to see the peas and potato kids running haywire messing around with the wild and young spicy masala mafia types, nicely ensconced, gossipping away..... A few lessons in action with the rolling pin, a few with a hefty pestle, and they all fall in together, as the ladies gather them close, wrapping around them, before throwing themselves into a cauldron of a festively hot oil. Some puffing up, some anger some burning of the cheeks, but they calm down as they cool, away from the heat, and rejoice at the sight of their comrade-in-hands, Chutney. After all, they are children. And the excitement continues unabated, as they pile up in the large plate.....

Mung Makeovers

This has to be the first time someone got overcome with the sight of mung usal  (a vegetable preparation of sprouted whole mung )  cooked Maharashtrian style, and clicked a wonderful picture, and immediately posted it on Pinterest.

My friend Magiceye, did just that .  Then a lady commented asking for a recipe. 

What she didn't know, was that she was about to get it in the form of poetry . Like here...

(photo by Deepak Amembal Magiceye).

Little jade
elongated globules
Getting a beauty bath
and a longish dip ,
overnight,
covered
from prying eyes.

A rich well-fed
emergence
from the long bath,
scrubbed
and wrapped in
soft muslin ,
as they
crowd together,
jostling with each other,
sprouting some
pushy
idle chitchat,
trying to ignore
the
slight warming of tempers.

So they rise
sprouting with the rising sun,
when
someone decides
to give them
a hot oil massage
as they lie in a wok,
making
sizzling small talk
with
Madame Chilly**, and Monsieur Kaddipatta***,
amidst
some wayward mustard seeds
bursting
with childish excitement.

Life has changed,
the jade green
has been replaced
now
by a sunny lemon pearly glow
all
without recourse
to Fair and Lovely..

It has been a coming out
into a new world
for the jade maidens
earlier so protected
on shelves.

While
we think
they need some spice
in their new lives,
there is a happy shower of
salt
and cumin,
and coconut and coriander,
with a great sprinkle of lemon.

The sprouted jade maidens
are on their way
to a pink sasuraal****,
and this
was just a bridal shower



** jalapeno peppers
*** curry leaves
**** in laws' house