PRETTY PRETTY YOU

O pretty pretty thy

a blooming rose so shy

like a fast beating wasp

i wander vagrant and amiss.

O pretty pretty thy

alluring as butterfly

humming on my knosp

i wonder see fragrant bliss.

O pretty pretty thy

kind as vast sky

cryptic to grasp

i dare not valiant kiss.

O pretty pretty thy.

Trial with HAIKU

i seen rayon

a fine seam

connecting YOU and me.

i see horizon

an endless journey

without destination.

Monsoon is Here.

This year it rained a little late. They said that almost 60% of cotton crop gone waste due to delayed monsoon. I was waiting for monsoon desperately. I love the fresh fragrance of earth with the first drizzle. It reminds me of YOU. YOU have that earthen smell which attracts me towards you like an ant for sugar. One evening, finally it rained. My camera was lying in my cupboard unused for a longer time. I picked up to try some shots from balcony. The serene ethereal beauty I saw.

HOOK

Brittle aspects of life

keep me hooked to rusty nail

fragile state of mind

wanders explosively without a trail.

LOST

I stand still

Frozen in moment

I stare

In an empty space

I point

To an unknown dimension

I look

As if a mannequin

I think

I AM LOST

Rajma masala ‘maa style’

Being a vegetarian, i crave for my protein.  I googled it and found that 184 g of kidney beans contain:
Calories: 54
Protein: 43.4 g
Carbohydrates: 110 g
Water: 21.6 g
Dietary fiber: 45.8 g
Starch: 45.8 g
Calcium: 263 mg
Iron: 15.1 mg

Well... not enough for a day’s requirement.  Today I decided to make Rajma Masala similar to what my mom always does.  My mom prefers to make ‘Chitra’ rajma instead of the regular bigger black/ red kidney beans. It’s easier to cook and tastes better than the usual red kidney beans. I prefer the tangy flavour of rajma than the spicy one.

The recipe says: soak rajma overnight (It’s good to soak pulses for a longer time, saves fuel and time when cooking) or at least a few hours before. Boil it, say 5 whistles. Gravy Preparation: In a chopper, add 3-4 cloves of garlic, few inches of ginger, some green chillies, 2 medium size onions and then sing my favourite jingle: Chop! Chop! Chop! ...And it’s done. In a pan, add 3 tsf vegetable oil. When heated, add cumin, carom (ajwain), whole black pepper and 2-3 cloves.  Add the chopped veggies. When golden brown, add 5-6 medium sized chopped tomatoes. (I prefer slightly unripe tomatoes as they are li’l bit tangy). Wait for few minutes. Add salt, turmeric, coriander powder. Mix the gravy with boiled rajma in pressure cooker. Add a pinch of homemade garam masala (the recipe I‘ll share one day though). Whistle again for say 4 -5 times. And it’s done.....

I prefer eating it with pilaf while Vishwa asks for chapattis!  

Muffins

My sweet tooth is an all time problem for my knees. But one has to suffer at the cost of another. Well am glad to announce that we finally bought a beater, blender cum chopper. Thanks to Vishwa for generous part payment. On a usual day, I am hardly awake past 10 pm. But the new gadget was tempting me to try the long lorn muffins, and so, at 11 pm that night, I finally decided to try my hand at the muffins with the newly purchased, opened the first time whisker. Haash!

The recipe is quite easy and quick. In a bowl, take 2 eggs, 100 gm powdered sugar, 50gm salted butter (Amul utterly butterly delicious!) and few drops of vanilla essence. It’s a shame we don’t have vanilla pods available in neighbourhood. Well, whisk it properly until it’s frothy. Add 100 gm refined flour, 1tsf baking powder and 1/4^thtsf baking soda (Yes! I use both egg and baking powder) sieving into the mixture. Whisk again. Pour the mixture in different shape silicon moulds. Bake in preheated oven at 120C for 20-25 minutes. The smell itself is sufficient to know when it’s done, though the best out there have their ways to check the muffin. Poke the knife in the middle. If it comes out clean, it’s done! But my experiment animal (Vishwa J) has his own way to check it. He will cut a wedge shape part of it over knife. If it doesn’t crumbles down, then its perfectly done. Huh! I say, “bade log! bade log!”

Time to enjoy the feast!!