text:
"What is my color, Mummy", she said, among all the prattling from the backseat.
The only things I love listening to while driving is NPR, Kishore, Rafi, Asha, Indranil and myself. But as fate has it, as soon as S is strapped into her car seat, she demands NPR to be switched off and the stereo volume cranked up blaring "Malish…tel malish…" or "baranday roddur…" at my eardrums.
On top of this she prattles, stating her opinion about life in general and throws questions at me now & then. I usually get by saying that I need to pay attention to my driving else I may bang onto someone and given my bang-bang history she leaves me alone and continues with her opinions.
This unassuming question caught me unprepared though. I was almost about to bump into the Ford Focus in front as words like racism, apartheid, mutiny, dowry deaths and what not crossed my mind. You know how I over react.
She was not white and no it definitely didn't look brown.
Was it India, I like my Ma would have steadfastly stuck to fair while the neighbours, the milkman, the bai and everyone else insisted on medium or even dark. Now those are not colors, and I was a dumb child.
Given the L'Oreal swatches and half an hour I could maybe figure out that she might be dangling between Nude Beige and Sand Beige, but of course I couldn't say that. Whoever says "Please my colour is Nude Beige….arrrrrgh"
And then she wanted a color that was in her Crayola box of twelve's and not a shade in Benjamin Moore color palette. So I was at a loss and said what a clever, articulate, smart, loving, domestic diva and non-domestic smartass Mommy would do.
I said "What do you think?"
She said "Umm… orange"
Very carefully with fear in my heart I asked "And me…what is my color?"
She said " You are orange too… baba is orange, thammi (paternal grandma) is orange"
Huh, United Colors Of Benetton, please take note while I have some nicely browned Fish Chops.
These fish chops were baked instead of frying. Fish Chop or Macher Chop is something which every Bengali household holds a patent on. They are traditionally deep fried and also the actual macher chop has a spicy mashed potato casing stuffed with spicy fish stuffing.
I did not want to use to much potato so did not make the version with the casing this time. The fried ones taste better and if you want to you can deep fry them. I wanted to bake and not deep fry so I tried out the baked version over the weekend.
Read more...
Made 15 of them. sizes were on the smaller side though
What You Need
Onion Paste ~ 8 tbsp
Ginger & Garlic paste ~ 2 tbsp
Tuna ~ 2 cans of Light Tuna in Water. My Ma who does not get tuna uses fish filet , cooks them and mashes them to a kind of a paste !!!
Mashed Potato ~ 1 cup (I cooked 2 large size potatoes and mashed them up.)
Tomato Ketchup ~ 1 -2 tbsp. I used Maggi Hot & Sweet which is a spicy yet sweet tomato sauce
Red Chilli Powder ~ 1 tsp or more depending on your spice level
Bhaja Masala or Garam masala ~ 1 tsp loosely packed
Raisins ~ 1/3 cup
Green Chillies ~ 6-7 or less
Fresh Green Corriander ~ finely chopped about a handful
Sugar ~ 1/2 tsp heaped
Oil ~ 3 tbsp for making the stuffing + 1 tsp for greasing the tawa/griddle
How I Did It
Making of Mashed Potato (Yeah, as if you needed to know that)
Boil 2 Potatoes large sized. I used my Pressure Cooker. You can also microwave if you know how
Got rid of the skin
Mashed them with the back of a flat spatula till there were no more lumps and added a little salt and red chilli powder. Smooth it was. Used 1 cup of this. Leftovers if any, were had with rice with and a dash of mustard oil and green chillies
Make the Onion Paste
Make the fresh Ginger-Garlic Paste. You can always do this beforehand as I do. You can also use straight out of the jar.
Open the can of tuna and drain all the water . Best to dump it on a sieve and drain the last drop of water out.
Heat Oil in a Kadhai/Frying Pan
Add the Onion Paste and about 1/2 tsp of sugar and fry till they turn pinkish brown
Add the Ginger-Garlic paste and the chopped Green Chillies and sauté till the masala looks done
Add the drained tuna and cook mixing the masala well with the tuna till fish is cooked
Add 1 tbsp of my all time favorite Magii Hot&Sweet. Go with your favorite if you have any
Add the 1 cup of mashed potato
Add Red chilli powder and salt
Fry till the masala mixes well with the whole stuff.
Sprinkle a little of the Dry Roasted Masala
Add about 1/2 cup of chopped corriander to get that fresh dhaniya smell
Add the raisins
Cool and keep aside
Make small flat round balls of this mixture. Not very flat they should have a 3rd dimension.
Dip in a batter of egg wash, roll in bread crumbs and refrigerate for half an hour or more
In a flat non-stick Tawa or griddle smear about 1 tsp of oil or grease with Pam spray.
Brown the fish balls on both sides.
Sprinkle semolina/sooji on a baking tray and arrange the browned flat balls on it. Alternately you can lightly grease the bake tray and put the balls on it.
Heat oven to 400F.
Bake for 30-40 minutes (this time may vary). They would be nicely browned by this time.
Enjoy with some home made chutney or my favorite Maggi Hot & Sweet
But seriously what do you say when your kid asks such questions, whatever part of the world you are from ? Do we just let them figure it out or do we really need to find the right color ?
Edited to Add: First of all maybe I should make it clear, S asked this question out of pure interest, more I think because she was wondering what she would paint her paper figurine ( a life size paper cut out of herself) with.
I don't think there were discussions as such in her school, those discussions will surely come later.
Trivia:Fresh tuna is an oily fish, high in fatty acids. But when it's canned, these fatty acids are reduced to levels similar to white fish. So, although canned tuna is a healthy choice for most people, it doesn't count as oily fish.


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Saturday, May 8, 2010
Strawberry Yogurt Pie (Mansikkapiiras) - Pink Saturday
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's been a while since we've had a real "peasant" style dessert. While local berries won't be in markets for another six to eight weeks, the strawberries that are available to us are passably good. Years ago, I regularly made a dessert from Finland that used thick yogurt and blueberries to make a light custard pie called Mustikkapiiras. The custard filling covered a layer of berries that was baked in a cookie crust. It was light and not too sweet. The recipe I used came from the Moosewood Restaurant. I must admit I've played with this one. The recipe, as written, produced a scant amount of custard, so I've doubled the ingredients to produce a thicker layer of filling that gives this homely dessert more eye appeal. While any type of berry can be used, it's especially nice with seedless blackberries or strawberries. When strawberries replace blueberries, the Mustikkapiiras becomes a Mansikkapiiras. Here's the recipe I've adapted from the Moosewood original.
Strawberry Yogurt Pie...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by a recipe from Sunday at the Moosewood
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Custard (this portion of the recipe has been doubled)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups thick Greek-style plain yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups sliced strawberries or other fresh berries
1) To make crust: Butter and flour a 9-inch quiche pan with 1-1/2-inch sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, and blend well. Combine flour and baking powder and sift into wet ingredients to form a soft dough. With flour dusted fingers, pat dough into bottom of prepared pan. Push dough up to cover sides of the pan. Refrigerate while making custard.
2) To make custard: Mix eggs, sugar, yogurt, lemon juice, vanilla extract, almond extract and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Beat until smooth. Place berries in bottom of pie shell. Pour in filling and smooth to coat berries. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes, until crust is browned and custard has set. Chill well before serving. Yield: 8 - 10 servings.
You might also enjoy these recipes:
Frozen Lemon Yogurt - One Perfect Bite
Yogurt Cheese Cake - One Perfect Bite
Raspberry Yogurt Parfait - One Perfect Bite
This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.
39 comments :
- Susi's Kochen und Backen said...
Yum, I love baking with greek yogurt. It resembles quark cheese which is essentially what I grew up with and I prefer the lightness it gives a "cheesecake". Great recipe, can't wait to try it myself. :o)
- May 8, 2010 at 1:05 AM
- Choclette said...
This pie looks wonderful - I love custard in a pie. I don't know that I've ever come across Finnish food before. I know it's been adapted, but it still gives an idea.
- May 8, 2010 at 1:47 AM
- Regina said...
Happy Pink Saturday Mary dearest.
Looks fabulous and yummy.
Enjoy your weekend. - May 8, 2010 at 1:55 AM
- Diane said...
i love Yoghurt but have never tried using it in a custard before this is a definite must. Have a good weekend. Diane
- May 8, 2010 at 2:43 AM
- Ana Powell said...
Happy Pink Saturday.
Congratulations, that is the perfect pie.
Awesome, delicious and so good looking.
Lovely photo x - May 8, 2010 at 4:04 AM
- My Little Space said...
This looks wonderful & delicious! Are you having this with your grandsons? I'm sure they'll be arrive at anytime by now! Have a wonderful Mother's day, Mary!
May God blessed you & your family.
Kristy - May 8, 2010 at 4:14 AM
- Dajana said...
My type of dessert, nice crust and soft custard with fruit. Wonderful!!! Have a beautiful weekend
- May 8, 2010 at 4:23 AM
- Sushma Mallya said...
Perfect pie, looks awesome, happy a lovely weekend & happy mothers day mary..
- May 8, 2010 at 5:24 AM
- Allie and Pattie said...
Yum! Our local berries are in and have been quite good this year. I'm trying this one!
xoxo Pattie - May 8, 2010 at 5:58 AM
- Deb in Hawaii said...
This looks like a delicious pie--loving the yogurt custard and strawberry pairing--perfect!
- May 8, 2010 at 6:27 AM
- giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...
Hello Mary,
devo proprio dire che sei una fantastica cuoca !
Che bello sarebbe averti in casa !!
La casa sicuramente sarebbe innondata di profumi deliziosi.
Una buona giornata e felice festa della mamma.
Myriam - May 8, 2010 at 7:28 AM
- Martha said...
That looks so good and I'm always looking for a new strawberry recipe!
- May 8, 2010 at 7:39 AM
- From the Kitchen said...
Mmm, delicious! I've actually made this dessert from the Moosewood cookbook! I have notes on the recipe that I made it 8/09 and we enjoyed! My husband and I stopped in Ithica on the way home from our son's wedding last September. We had dinner at the Moosewood Restaurant. It's in the original place, still co-owned by a number of people and delicious.
Bonnie - May 8, 2010 at 7:42 AM
- Ciao Chow Linda said...
Sounds good Mary. Thanks for the tip on doubling the custard. I may try this with rhubarb.
- May 8, 2010 at 7:50 AM
- Angie's Recipes said...
What a great yoghurt/cheese pie!
Have a beautiful Saturday!
ANgie - May 8, 2010 at 8:20 AM
- Jacalyn @ rmebathproducts.com said...
Oh my gosh that looks sooooo yummy!
Happy PS,
Jacalyn - May 8, 2010 at 8:25 AM
- Cara said...
Love the use of the yogurt here. Heck, I love yogurt anywhere!
- May 8, 2010 at 8:33 AM
- Rachel Cotterill said...
This looks really interesting - I've never had anything quite like that.
- May 8, 2010 at 8:49 AM
- PeggyR said...
Happy Pink Saturday! Oh yum it looks like another winner to try! Happy Mother's Day as well.
- May 8, 2010 at 8:53 AM
- penny aka jeroxie said...
Happy pink saturday :) This pie looks super mourish! YUM
- May 8, 2010 at 9:22 AM
- P. said...
This looks so good!
Alfazema - May 8, 2010 at 9:26 AM
- Joe Ambrosino said...
Mary, you continue to amaze me with the number and quality of your posts. This one is another I will try.
- May 8, 2010 at 10:11 AM
- Unknown said...
Happy Pink Saturday!!!
That pie looks delicious!!!
Happy Mother's Day!!
Charo - May 8, 2010 at 10:37 AM
- Penny said...
I love the sound of this. My husband's Mother was Finnish. Her family settled in the UP of Michigan and had a bakery called Trennary Bakery. Her father made something called Trenary toast which is still available by mail order today.
- May 8, 2010 at 10:44 AM
- Lucie said...
Love this custard pie! A great way to showcase berries.
- May 8, 2010 at 1:01 PM
- LittleRed said...
That does look delicious:) I'm guessing you would call it Mansikkapiiras (strawberry=mansikka) I've had terrible luck with strawberries this year, but I do have plenty of Huckleberries in the freezer....I just might try the blueberry recipe. Thanks for sharing:)
- May 8, 2010 at 1:06 PM
- Federica Simoni said...
Ciao! questo dolce mi piace moltissimo, con lo yogurt greco poi deve essere una delizia! complimenti!! buone week end!!! un abbraccio! ciao!
- May 8, 2010 at 1:19 PM
- Hayley said...
This pie new to me..looks awesome and perfectly baked...
- May 8, 2010 at 1:26 PM
- Mary Bergfeld said...
Little Red, thank you. While I should have realized the name would have to change depending on type of berry I used, I dropped the ball. Thanks for letting me know.
- May 8, 2010 at 1:31 PM
- Alessandra said...
Yum, this is so good!!!! No oven yet...hopefully next week, I fell like making this...
- May 8, 2010 at 5:43 PM
- CC said...
Once again Mary..you have made a dish look so good, that I'm just instantly wanting what you're featuring..and again..I so enjoy the background you present. I just love reading along.. Happy Pinks.. and have a most blessed and wonderful Mothers Day..
- May 8, 2010 at 5:47 PM
- Bob said...
I can't pronounce it, but I totally want to eat it.
- May 8, 2010 at 6:32 PM
- Gloria Baker said...
Dera Mary this look amazing and delicious, have a nice day, gloria
I love yogurt to cook!! - May 8, 2010 at 8:43 PM
- Unknown said...
DEar Mary, Wish Happy Mother's Day..the pie looks so perfect and grt....take care and have a nice day....
- May 9, 2010 at 12:24 AM
- Elena said...
The pie looks & sounds delicious, Mmmm. It's been a while since I've visited & looks like I've missed a number of yummy recipes from your blog. I'll have to have a little browse before I leave.
Wishing you a Happy Pink Saturday Mary. Have a wonderful day!
ciao for now,
Elena :) - May 9, 2010 at 4:29 AM
- Alicia Foodycat said...
I've never tried Finnish food before! I think you are right about a thicker layer of custard. The more custard the better!
- May 9, 2010 at 6:11 AM
- Susie Jefferson said...
I love Greek yoghourt - I love strawberries. This combo is To Die For! delicious!
Happy Pink Saturday and Happy Mother's Day (sorry to be late - Himself whisked off for a day out yesterday, which ended up with dinner, so I'm doing my visiting today). - May 9, 2010 at 11:53 AM
- Jamie said...
Yummy! I've been looking for mre dessert recipes for the berries that are just starting to come out and this will make the list! Great that you use yogurt in it as I can replace it with lowfat fromage frais so husband won't complain! Beautiful!
- May 12, 2010 at 5:22 AM
- Beverly said...
Happy Pink Saturday, Mary.
This looks and sounds delicious, and I just got some fresh strawberries today. - May 14, 2010 at 2:35 PM

subset: commoncrawl


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The good things are fairly straightforward. It's always good when there's an increase in employment opportunities, especially in the current economy. There will undoubtedly be educational benefits. Pixar will bring their rigs, their pipeline and their software tools and more people will have the opportunity to use them. While they are proprietary, the nature of software is such that once something exists, it is relatively easy to imitate. Just as Disney knowledge spread into the larger animation industry at the time of the 1941 strike, Pixar's approach will spread into Canada.
The Pixar name will enhance people's resumes and job opportunities. A commenter in the previous post seemed to believe I was endorsing Pixar by praising them "for being THE place." I was not praising them so much as pointing out a Canadian reality.
To date, Canada has no animation studios that can compete with Pixar, Disney, DreamWorks, Blue Sky, etc. Canadian studios have yet to produce an animated feature that grossed $100 million or attracted the same kind of critical attention. Furthermore, those features that have come out of Canada are based on scripts and stories that originated outside the country (Pinocchio 3000, The Wild, Everyone's Hero, 9, etc.) so even if any of those films had done well at the box office, it would have been a mixed endorsement of Canadian studios at best.
Canadian studios are aware of this. Therefore, when they see a resume with a big name studio on it, they see it as a mark of excellence. A studio better than a Canadian studio has seen fit to hire this person, therefore, they have no reason to question the person's skills. This attitude is not unique to Canadian animation. Many people go to Harvard for the opportunity to have it on their resume and many employers are happy to welcome Harvard graduates.
This does not mean that all graduates of Harvard or all former big studio employees are uniformly excellent. It also doesn't mean that people who came from other places are unworthy. However, when the hiring is being done by someone who is unqualified to judge someone's skills -- and that person might be from Human Resources or be a producer -- or if a company is in a hurry to fill a position, the right name on a resume is a shortcut to a solution. This is not fair, but it is a fact of life. Those people who work at Pixar Vancouver will be taken more seriously than those who work at other Canadian studios.
The last bit of good news will be determined by the quality of films that come out of Pixar Vancouver. If they are good, then the people who work on them will have the pride and pleasure of doing good work in an industry where that is rarer than it should be.
Now, on to the bad. The following quote comes from an email list I'm on. The author is a Pixar animator who has given me permission to reprint the quote but has asked to remain anonymous.
There are some factual errors in this article (big surprise). The Vancouver studio will only be producing ancillary work with legacy characters, like Cars and Toy Story. All the stuff that Pixar doesn't have the time or money to do to keep the franchises alive. The original shorts and DVD shorts will still be done in Emeryville. As I understand it, Pixar will still generate all the stories for the ancillary work, and the Vancouver studio will be strictly for production.In other words, Pixar Vancouver is for outsourcing. It will be owned by Disney and not a service facility bidding on work, but will still be treated like a subcontractor. In essence, it will do the work that Pixar doesn't consider important enough to bother with itself. The article referenced above also states "John Lasseter, chief creative officer at both Pixar and Disney Animation, is not expected to spend much time at the Vancouver studio." That's because his time is too valuable to waste on what will be produced in Vancouver. I don't doubt that Lasseter will make an early appearance to give the staff a pep talk about what great work they're going to produce, but with the budgets, concepts and stories being worked out in Emeryville, Lasseter has no need to spend time in Vancouver. Should Vancouver not produce sufficiently good work, the Vancouver managers will be called to account in Emeryville. Lasseter's appearances in Vancouver will be more for morale and publicity purposes than for making creative or managerial decisions.
Now we get to the ugly, and I'm sorry to say that it relates more to Canada than it does to Pixar. While I've lived in Canada since 1980, I was born and raised in New York City. As a result, I've got a dual perspective on Canada. There is much about this country that I love; I feel more comfortable politically here than I did in the U.S. I value ethnic and cultural diversity and living in Toronto I am surrounded by people from all around the world.
However, Canada suffers from two major problems. The first is colonialism and the second is a small population. Canada never fought for its independence and has historically seen itself as a junior partner to a larger, protector nation. Canada entered World War II in 1939 when the British entered the war, even though Canada itself was not attacked. Since the war, Canada has seen itself as depending on the economic and defense largesse of the U.S. While Canada has not marched in lockstep with the U.S. (Viet Nam and Iraq being two examples), no political decision is ever made in Ottawa without first thinking about U.S. reaction. I don't doubt that if the U.S. was not so vehement about its war on drugs that marijuana would be legal in Canada.
Canada's population is 1/10 the size of the U.S. population. It is easier for U.S. companies to expand their products or services by 10% to take advantage of the Canadian market than it is for a Canadian company to grow by 1000% to compete in the U.S. market. Besides logistical problems, there is also the problem of securing the necessary capital.
Canada's economy can be roughly divided into three parts: natural resources, branch plants and protected industries (primarily culture and communications). The presence of resources is just a matter of luck. Because Canadian companies have difficulty competing with American companies 10 times their size, it has been easier to open branch plants of American companies than to create Canadian companies. For instance, many countries have their own car companies. The U.S., Japan, Korea, England, Germany, Italy, etc. all have cars identified with their countries. Canada has many auto manufacturing plants, but there is no Canadian car.
Entertainment falls in the area of protected industries and this is an area of particular annoyance to me. Canadians don't create markets. They wait until someone else creates a viable market and then Canadians go to the government and ask for protection in order to participate in the market. It's easy for American studios to dump TV shows in Canada for less money than it costs Canadians to create original programming. For the Americans, the money is pure gravy. On the face of it, it makes sense that the government should carve out a percentage of TV air time for Canadian programs and then figure out a way to fund them.
The danger of not doing this can be seen in the film industry. The U.S. walked into Canada in the 1920's and owned all the movie theaters. They treated Canada as part of the U.S. domestic market and the Canadian box office is still considered part of the U.S. domestic gross. Furthermore, on average only 3% of screen time in Canada is devoted to Canadian films. As low as that number seems, it's actually lower because the percentage is higher in Quebec due to language differences. So in English speaking Canada, the percentage of Canadian films is actually less than 3%. The government, not wanting this pattern to repeat in other aspects of popular culture, instituted various quotas and then fought to have culture exempt from the free trade agreement and it's successor, NAFTA.
While this works in theory, the reality is another story. What happens is that the companies who are protected under the quota spend more time working the system than creating work that would allow them to compete. As in most democracies, profitable companies make political contributions to protect their interests and are happy to hire former government officials to lobby for them at salaries higher than those people made in government. So while Canadian television has benefited from government intervention in ways that Canadian film has not, it has not done a significantly better job of creating popular work because the companies have been too busy protecting their profits.
Name a Canadian animated character who is a worldwide success. If you managed to name one (and I'd be surprised if you could), I'll bet that it was based on a children's book and was not an original character. The branch plant mentality combined with government protectionism has killed risk-taking in Canada and creative Canadians know this. That's why so many of them head to the U.S.
The problem is not the talent, the problem is the management. I can personally name dozens of Canadians who have worked at ILM, PDI, Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Sony, etc. and have done well at those studios. The U.S. welcomes people with ability while Canada is content to let them leave. There are no Canadian animation managements with the guts, brains and resources to create original material that entertains a worldwide audience.
That's why when a company like Pixar opens in Canada, people are so gleeful. Maybe here is an opportunity to go beyond the run of the mill Canadian product. Unfortunately, it's not going to happen. What comes out of Pixar Vancouver is going to be the equivalent of the direct-to-DVD Tinkerbell features. Those films make money for Disney, but nobody takes them seriously. They are there to bolster the bottom line, not to win awards, not to inspire critical essays, and are only known by parents with young daughters. With all due respect to the people who work on them, they are conceived as filler and they fulfill their corporate duty.
People in Vancouver have a right to be happy over Pixar's arrival, but keep it in perspective. The problems of Canadian animation (and entertainment generally) are still there and still awaiting solutions. When Canada produces its own Aardman or Ghibli, then no one will be cheering louder than me.


text:
I have a tough life you know. After I have done my days share and fed the kid, read to her and am almost dozing off to sleep, she nudges me.
"Hmmmmmm", I say
"Do you know what I want to be when I grow up?" the little one chirps.
I have no clue and this is not a good time to discuss career options I think, but who am I to decide anything
"I want to be a Painter, a Doctor, the One with the Hammer and also the Cleaning lady" she says very enthusiastically
Interesting combo I think and why not, this is a free country let her be whatever she wants to
"That's nice", I say and shut my eyes tighter only to be nudged again
"What do you want to be when You grow up?" she questions
I am being given a second chance here and what I really want to be is a billionaire lazing in a private island and enjoying good food and blogging about my high-falutin life maybe.
But that's not what you tell a kid if you are the mother
"Painter", I say deciding on a safer option
"But I am already going to be a Painter", she argues
"Then You decide" I say, hoping to resolve the problem quickly
"You can be the Base Ball Player", she suggests
Not my cup of tea that, so I say "But I don't know to play Base Ball"
"You just have to wear a white cap and hit a ball with a bat, it's easy, you can do it if you try" she says very knowledgeably
So I dream of how famous I am going to be hitting that ball and doze off to sleep thinking of Fame, Fortune and Fulkopi. Fulkopi in Bengali, Cauliflower in English and Gobi in Hindi that's G for Nupur's "A – Z of Indian Vegetables" this week. Now don't ask me why Fame & Fortune led me to dream of Fulkopi, ask Freud.
Chaal Kopi Or Cauliflower cooked in spices with a smattering of Rice is a very tasty and different dish. The rice is just that little bit and it's the Cauliflower that dominates the taste. This recipe is from my Bengali Recipe Book and my Ma never made this. The dish is dry and goes well with rice or Chapati.
Read more...
Chaal Kopi ~ Cauliflower cooked in spices with a smattering of rice
What You Need
Cauliflower ~ 1 cut into large sized florets. The large is the key here, do not chop into small fine pieces else they will turn mushy, see the pic.
Potato (optional) ~ 1 large cut into large longitudinal pieces
Tomato ~ 1 medium chopped into small pieces, you can also used canned whole tomatoes
Green Chillies ~ 3 chopped or slit
Green Peas ~ 1/3 cup
For Masala
Cumin Powder ~ 1 tsp
Ginger paste ~ 1" grated
Turmeric Powder ~ 1 tsp
For Phoron or Tempering
Tej Pata or Bay Leaves ~ 2
Elaichi or Cardamom ~ 4
Cinnamon sticks ~1" thin stick
Coarsely bruise the above Whole Garam Masala
Basmati Rice ~ 1/3 cup soaked in water
Peanuts ~ 1/3 cups
Raisins ~ 10/15
Sugar ~ 1/2 tsp
Ghee ~ 1 tsp
How I Did It
Chop the cauliflower in florets as shown in pic
Chop potatoes and dunk in water, chop tomatoes & green chillies real small.
Heat Oil in Kadhai/Frying Pan
Sauté the cauliflower florets with a little turmeric and salt till they take on a light golden hue. Remove and keep aside
Sauté the potatoes till they too turn a light golden and remove and keep aside
Sauté the rice and the peanuts and when you get that nice smell, remove and keep aside
To the hot oil add the phoron i.e. the Bay Leaves, Cardamom, Cinnamon Sticks (coarsely bruisely the cardamom & cinnamon sticks)
When they start sputtering add the tomatoes & green chillies and sauté till the tomatoes are well done and are mushy
Add the Cumin Powder, Red Chili Powder and the Ginger paste and fry the masala till you see the oil separating from the masala
Add the peas and potatoes and mix well. Next, add the cauliflower florets and mix well so that the masala coats all the veggies
Now add the rice and the peanuts and mix
Add salt and ½ tsp of sugar and the raisins
Add water. I added about 1 and ½ cup to start with. Basically the veggies etc. should be partly immersed in the water, as they along with the rice need to be cooked. But since you do not want the cauliflower to overcook, be careful with the water and start with less to be cautious
Cook covered on medium heat and check in between, if needed add a little more water
Check to see that rice, and the veggies are cooked. If done add ½ tsp of Ghee. The recipe called for 1 tsp but I added only ½ tsp
The end result should be dry but do not overcook to dry off the water, so I again reiterate add water consciously
Sprinkle a little Garam Masala Powder if the cauliflower is not the freshest one and has a slightly pungent smell
Note for the Busy Mom: If you are cooking on a busy weekday, cut all the vegetables in this recipe before hand as in the previous day when you have no cooking chores. Remember to soak chopped potatoes in water else they develop a ugly black spot
Trivia:This dish has a prominent role in the movie Bend It
Like Beckham—the film's DVD contains a featurette titled How to cook Aloo
gobi., with the film's director making the dish. This led to the pickup line
'Why cook aloo gobi, when you can Bend It Like Beckham".


text:
After all the hoopla about embedded giving (including this story that ran on the front page of Sunday's Washington Post) I am tempted to hang up on the list of 10 buzzwords. I'm guessing that nothing else will compete with the buzz of that one.
Of course, since the point of this list of buzzwords is to point out some silly ideas, flag some valuable ones, remind myself and you that the jargon and hype grows faster and with more flourish than meaningful change, and, really, just to have a little fun, I figured I'd better finish off the list.
In the spirit of New Year's Eve countdowns, everywhere, here then is the full list of 2007 philanthropy buzzwords.
10. Philanthropy 2.0
This is the newest one to the list so here's an explanation. Philanthropy 2.0 (or giving 2.0, charity 2.0, etc.) is a riff on Web 2.0 and refers to any of the zillion efforts or applications out there that are trying to make philanthropy more interactive and user-generated. Examples include the spread of charity badges and widgets, community giving sites such as change.org or the much hyped causes application for Facebook, Kiva.org, etc. etc.
9. B Corporation
8. Endorsement Philanthropy
7. Social Stock Exchanges
6. Embedded Giving
5. Aligned investing
4. Open Philanthropy
3. Microfranchising
2. Microphilanthropy
1. Hyperlocal
Being named a buzzword doesn't mean that the ideas matter. It also doesn't mean that an idea is nothing but fluff. This list is deliberately a mix of both fluff and matter.
I believe that some of these ideas matter in profound and meaningful ways - whether or not the actual buzzword is the term that sticks. Notably, the ideas, purposes, and mechanics behind B Corporations, Social Stock Exchanges, Aligned Investing, and Endorsement Philanthropy have the potential to make lasting and significant change in the business of giving. Microfranchising also stands to change how aid and development efforts are organized. The concepts that underpin open philanthropy are critical to a more transparent, accountable, and leveraged set of giving practices - let's hope they take hold.
If I'm right, these buzzwords will go far beyond buzz to actual impact and acceptance. That would make for a good 2008. Regardless, starting January 1, I'll be on the lookout for the next ten buzzwords.