September chronicle!

Septembers have been always special. Its my month, my birth month to be specific.

A month full of activities, highs and lows, joys and confusions, it indeed is a memorable month. Here I am reminiscing about a month so hectic, so packed, so tiring, so full of food, friends and fun just before a voyage...err..I am setting off for yet another trip.

October will be different, I am sure. For its gonna be a different month, a different time, in a different terrain, different temperature....also so different. My mind is full of Pacific Ocean and Rocky Mountain!

I am all set for watching fabulous sunsets by the Pacific and see moon rise over Rocky Mountain with a nice nice cocktail by my side. I have that nice cocktail dress from Paris sitting pretty in my suitcase and I surely haven't forgotten that sexy stilettos. I am sure life at 35th floor would be pretty exciting too. Umm...I am all set for some amazing time!

Adios and see you soon! Life has been a roller coaster ride and I ain't complaining.

Shoe bite

I had to look into my blog today and to update it even when it meant stealing time from other activities as I went to work after four long days.

This was a long weekend for me. I celebrated my birthday and treated myself really well. I had a fabulous time this weekend, complete with family time, eating out, meeting family (brother’s family to be precise) and friends and then friends visiting home over home cooked food and collected loads of gifts (the little girl in me had a happy time unwrapping all the gifts and guessing what is what with a funny grin on her face!). There are a lot new stuffs around. And I got a pair of pretty clogs too....

And then I had to write today, on my blog. There were too many mentions about my not updating it regularly in recent times. I realised there are people who like to read my blog and keep looking for new posts. Hmm, it definitely boosts my confidence. And then again on my way to work this morning I got a similar request from an old friend as she complained about seeing only one new post after months.

I blabber to myself, ‘I will write more; writing helps me, it clears my thought and it’s kinda therapeutic’. I call it cathartic!

Hmm...I did that yesterday. It was yesterday ‘Lonely Planet’ and his cute little daughter visited my place from across so many places. (This family really travels and knows how to land up in places so beautiful or dangerous or so out of reach. I really envy them.) And it made me happy ‘happy-HappPPy’yesterday. I am happy not just because I met them or just because LP talked about my blog but I am happy that I could be home to host them, I am happy that I could cook for them, I am happy that it was a special day. Well, it was my birthday and I was home to celebrate the special day. And I am happy that he surprised me with his precision!

Whoa....I gotta be explaining here.....

Talking about LP, I just cannot stop praising him. I have hosted quite a few get-togethers at my place and as a practice I send a standard set of instruction to friends well in advance on how to reach my place (you know, I am so very well organised...umm.. professional!). And now that it’s a regular thing to have friends visiting me from different places, from within Delhi, from other cities in India, from other countries, I almost keep that 10 point list very handy. It’s just a matter of copying and pasting and sending an email and voila (I think) its all clear. And invariably there would be frantic phone calls on the day when I will be busy tossing mushroom in my kitchen or when I will just be setting the table or clearing some clutter in my living room, in the middle of some clumsy last minute preparation or in the middle of a clear-all shower. And I would talk to them muttering ‘was not my instruction on ‘how to find my place’ sent for this, so that there is no confusion’. I least expect such phone calls when there is a step by step instruction. Giving directions and making sure the petrol pump is on the left and that you are facing the road are the least liked things for me. Urgh... And it never so happened all these while that anyone landed at my place without getting confused or without making those phone calls, well, until yesterday.

So, in a way, I almost thought my way of instruction does not work and said to myself ‘maybe I am confusing’. But when there is no room for confusion and there is no other way but to land up at my place if one really ‘reads’ those 10 points, I very sarcastically wondered what made people call me from middle of a ride, is it that they like to call me, or they have a cheap mobile connection or they are simply confused people or they take my step by step instruction lightly and don’t read my instruction before starting for my place.

Well, for the first time in almost 12 months I had a visitor who landed at my place bang on and surprised me. First because he reached well before the time I thought he would (my assumption was hugely based on my previous experiences with my other friends). Secondly, he is not from Delhi and not even from India. And most amazing part, he was travelling with a little kid and used public transport to commute to my place from where he is staying (that seven star place)! And I somehow now know that my instructions work and that the list is very clear and you cannot miss but reach the destination bang on! Hmmm...btw, I have been copying and pasting the same list without any edit all these times just in case you wondered whether I modified or changed anything (oops, making sure I used same instrument for all the episodes...ahh...see, its coming from someone who is into hardcore research!!)

And I am amazed with LP for other reasons also. I met him after a good five years and it felt as if it was yesterday. We have been neighbors once and then I ‘almost’ traveled wherever they went as I would either get vivid descriptions from all the travelogue he would post from time to time or from my own travel plans to visit them (so far all flopped!). Hmmm....

And at the end of it, it brought me back to my blog and I drafted this after a long day at work, from the middle of working on a presentation for my lecture tomorrow.

I will write more, surely, I will. There is a lot to write, so many update, those fermented beans recipes I learnt from my friend from Manipur over lunch today (ahh...my birthday bash is so very long this time!), those tips on Oddissi dance from my bro’s fiancée, those recipes mom ‘taught’ me over that sumptuous luncheon my bro planned for my birthday. I need to write about ‘Oh! Calcutta’ too, I love the place and it seems I was quite a head-turner of sorts that day...or maybe they all knew it was my birthday! About how I ended up with some good French red wine in ‘bad’ state and how I am desperately looking for good recipes to use this ‘bad’ wine! And I will write about other stuff happening in life in general.

So, watch this space for more...if not less!

Eatopia

Food is something that keeps me happy. Well, to tell you the truth- I just need to eat yummy food (more variety the better) and talk a lot. I guess these are the two most important things in my life. And the result is a happy and ‘satisfied’ me.

Tsk tsk…its so easy for you now, well….

Talking about food: food has been part of my life, this has marked many important occasions in my life, making food, entering people’s kitchens, getting people in my own kitchen, sharing recipes, recipes on emails, emails on recipe-sites, and once got a whole recipe dedicated to me ..hmm …how can I forget that blog? I am sure people are used to getting songs dedicated or such things when experiencing, you know, those blissful moments. And I was showered with, guess what, a recipe I was curious to learn and eat eventually (a tale of transcontinental, long distance romance!). Well…coming back to food and a blog on that, well, this is not to woo any nice guy but to ‘please’ two damsels in distress (if I may say so!).

Hmm…wait a bit…..I am explaining!

I just had a cozy little get-together at my new place last weekend and I got an opportunity to cook for an elaborate lunch. I am mostly into experimental cuisine (if that’s a term!) and most often add variety to the menu with food/ideas from different corners of the globe. I know I disappoint friends who come jumping to my place expecting Bengali cuisine complete with ‘maachher-jhol’ (read: fish curries); but then, I did make fish and curries, only thing is that these were two separate items this time around…ha ha..

But there must be something with Bengalis and fish. Because, of all the things I prepared, my fish preparation was liked, actually way too much for my expectation. This was a Portuguese style preparation in white sauce (ahh…there is something about white sauce and me these days…may be I am becoming Calcium deficient!) I learnt from a friend’s mother who's from Portuguese descent.

Before I delve deeper into that Portuguese fish thingy, the other items that landed on the table from my kitchen were (BTW, everything was prepared at home by me) as under:

Salad: fruity-veggie type with diced cucumber and apple with pomegranate, and a dash of lime just before tossing them together before serving

Mexican wild rice (ahh…. my paella fixation!): I collected this wild brown rice which grows in the wild, marshy areas in the Americas(I am into collecting brown rice or what?). My procedure is pretty simple. Soak rice overnight; put it on low flame with double the amount of water and add some salt, let it boil. Meanwhile on another pan heat oil, add garlic and ginger cubes- one teaspoonful, add spring onion with about two inches of stem- sliced vertically -about six of them, diced tomatoes- two medium sized, two green chilies, let this get cooked, little brownish. And when you get nice aroma as they are getting fried/cooked add three eggs to the mixture. Turn slowly and try to mix in with the veggies for nice scrambled eggs. Throw in peas, and sprinkle some tofu (I take a handful, crush them and spread it on top of the egg-veggie-scramble). Then take out rice (by this time rice is already boiled and cooked, try to check that from time to time- its easy for me as I have a big four burner stove) in a bowl (the serving bowl) and layer it with veggie-egg thingy. Mix it loosely. And you are ready for some healthy fiesta.

Vegetarian hot pot: This one was a last minute addition as a few of my friends like to eat vegetables along with fish and flesh err meat. And I learned to make vegetable broth at home (see, I told you everything was cooked at home). In vegetable broth- about two litres- add diced ginger and garlic-one tablespoon, bring this to boil. Then keep it on low flame and simmer. In another pan pour some oil, add a lot of mushroom (I like to cut then vertically into fours), cook this for about three minutes till they change color and evenly cooked. Add strips of baby cabbage-very thinly cut, and cook for another two minutes; add slices of baby carrots-about half inches thick. Transfer this mixture to the broth, stir well. Then add large cubes of tofu. Take it off from heat and cover. Garnish with whole spring onions-cut into fours- let them float on the surface.

Portuguese Fish: Boneless varieties are better; usually marine fishes are preferable. But I used Rohu (actually I have always used), only the portions from the stomach (its easy to de-bone from this part), cut into pieces-four by two inches. This time I marinated for about an hour with olive oil and vinegar (this was very experimental) with black pepper powder. Fry these pieces nice and crispy and set aside. This recipe has a special trick: the way other ingredients are cut. Potatoes-big sizes are better, onions- big, round ones are better. Potatoes are cut in long-tall slices- in lateral sections; onions are cut in slices- in cross sections, so that we get a lot of onion rings. Use a thick bottomed pan, pour oil (not miserly or else it wont taste like the way I made), heat oil for some time. Start with potatoes, sprinkle some whole black pepper seeds, turn potatoes occasionally and continue till they are little brownish. Add onion slices; these will soon break into rings. Start to cook/fry till these two are softer. Add fish pieces. And cook for about three-four minutes. Remove from fire. After it’s cooled down cover it with white sauce- I make it with milk and cheese and some barley/wheat flour. Keep it aside. Before serving heat it for 5 minutes in microwave (one can broil for 1 minutes in 100deg C; I use auto-cook mode for vegetable- which is 5 minutes in medium heat), this gives a light-brownish coat and nice aroma.

Chicken-Indian style (I don’t know which region in India!): I am calling it Indian style as I used regular ‘garam masala’, bay leaf, ginger, garlic paste, etc. To begin with I marinated chicken in yogurt and garlic, ginger paste, tomato paste, sprinkled some ‘meat masala’ and kept it aside for about one hour. On a thick bottomed pan (I used my wide mouthed pressure cooker which comes with a thick and slender bottom) heat oil, add cumin seeds, bay leaf-2/3, big chunky onions- cut into fours, cook for sometime. Then transfer the whole marinated chicken to the pan, keep stirring. Continue till all the spices are cooked/fried, and a smooth gravy is formed. Cover it and cook it till the time fork can smoothly pass through chicken pieces. It can be pressure cooked as well but it might get over cooked/over boiled.


For dessert I had melons (I got two different colors) cut into boat shaped pieces- smeared with sugar powder and honey. I had put this in the freezer for sometime for a thin crystal like crust on melons. And there was a freshly baked cake-Czech style- thanks to my friend from Prague.

Ahhh…and there was some nice Darjeeling tea and some baked cookies. And this time there was no wine (I still don’t have a cork opener) and nobody volunteered to open one of those Rioja to say cheers (my attempt to tempt this man with muscles failed, he wanted beer instead!)

Hope ‘damsels in distress’ are happy with this elaborate blog.

‘AM’, chak chaare? Don’t forget to call me when you are trying this fish recipe, I will love to eat them without doing any effort…..I love food more if someone else is cooking and I get to do ‘only eating’!!

Bon Appétit !

Hair and Now

I had a very exciting Valentine’s Day eve this year. Complete with a new hairdo followed by a sexy dinner date at a Chinese place where we ate some yummy lamb with nicely stinking bamboo shoot and got drunk on some Vodka shots. And I did a tipsy walking on my way home. No one noticed, only I knew I was drunk. It was a very nice feeling as when I am drunk I am super efficient; I even ordered around and asked a man to vacate the ladies seat on Metro; that was the last train, btw!

Ummm..this new hairdo is really hot…I mean I am liking it.

It started like this: I have been growing my hair for quite sometime actually. Hmm, there is a history to it. Some background for the readers: I remember the last two visits to hair salons, one was in January 2007 in Tirupathi (a kind of annual ritual which has become irregular) and the very last visit to a hair dresser was in November 2007 (that was just before a trip to shed some baggage, well….). After that I spared my hair and allowed them to grow and get longer. (It actually grew quite long; you can see for yourself in the picture taken just before I went under the scissors again.) This long hair looked cool until this winter when I struggled every morning with my entangled hair and ended up making either a bun or an untidy looking plait And for some reasons that was not helping my nice façade (read: face). Hmmm.

So, I have been giving serious thoughts about a new hair cut (read: short hair cut). Voila!
I not only got a great suggestion but also had a friend accompanying me for the session.

And it happened just a day before Valentine’s Day. First, I could not wait to get a new hairdo and then I would be gone and away for another week after that.

So, I meet Mujeeb after a busy Friday at work and pleasntly realized I was at a heritage site as he is the third generation creating magic with scissors since 1930. Wow, such impressive bio. And he played with my hair, worked with it and ultimately came up with this new one for me. I was at one point feeling like a guinea pig with onlookers around me; I really created such a big thing out of this that my session took quite long and others in the salon got thoroughly entertained! BTW, I saw a very nice looking man who was waiting for his turn. And I later found out that he had come to shave off his hair as he lost a bet. Hmmm! But I rather liked him…shhhh. He even came prepared with a sexy cap; I quite liked his flowing hair, but they are all gone now…hmm.

Coming back to my new hairdo, I was really impressed, not just with the result but with the way he played with his scissors. He simply is superb in understanding your need, the person you are and the kind of look would go well on you. So, I am not only looking a few years younger (that’s a good thing!) and trendy but I am also having a very low maintenance look for my ‘on the go’ lifestyle (a very good thing!).

And at the end of it I was so excited that I had to celebrate, so went on to dine with my friend. And you know I had a fabulous time this Valentine’s Day. I am loving every bit of it.

So, now you know I had a great time this Valentine’s Day…..

P.S: I will back with my N-counter series once I am back from the fabulous land of Mizos.

He's got my drink....

Its been a long time I had updated my blog and you know why. Umm, I am in travel mode, you see! Yet I am being asked why I am not updating my blogspot. Sir, this one is for you.

I am in New York currently, holidaying, working, multi-tasking (don't ask me for details!). And the latest is that someone snatched my drink. Yes, you read that right; no mistake reading it.

I was in this fashionable restaurant in South of Houseton (SoHo) for a nice dinner with my friend; it was a nice evening after a rainy afternoon and we decided to sit out which is kinda sidewalks. We were excited, first with the food and drinks (especially, with the red wine I got to drink),then obviously with the environment and we were enjoying ourselves. We were talking as usual over a nice spread of food. Someone walks up to me: I look up thinking he is looking for something and before I could gather my friend gives a single and he leaves the scene. We continued.
Then someone dashes towards our table and this time he begs for food. I look up and so does my friend. It was like why these guys are coming to us? And not to other diners?
Well, we again continue with our eating-talking mode. We pretty much were engrossed with ourselves and food. Then again he strikes me (us)!

He walks, err.... almost dashes straight to me and asks if he could have my drink and grabs my drink gulps it down in no time before I could comprehend and hence react. I was like, whoa?
No one budged, no body went running after him; only some surprised faces.

It was such an awkward experience and I never imagined this could happen when you are in a nice place and when you are dining with dozen other diners. I was surprised and asked why was that?

The simple cheeky answer my friend had: you attract attention, don't you?
Well, I hope not.

That was scary and I would love to forget this to remember the nice dinner.

Sevilla Moments

I love food and I love to travel and I love to talk. And all these happened as I met my favorite boss at Sevilla over some very nice Mediterranean and Spanish dinner. And we had a very nice time.

First the meeting: I was meeting him exactly after a year and since we both had a real hectic time at work and home and we both had cribbed to each other about some extra pounds we had added since our last meeting. I was meeting him when he just recovered from a very nasty lung infection which most definitely kept him away from Tennis which is something he does not like to miss. Way back, when he had a ski accident and broke his knee, I remember him going to Tennis court and play some shots without moving much when he could barely walk (that did the damage to his recovery and he had to go for another surgery to rectify it). Well, the point is, nothing can keep him away from Tennis for long and when it happens then the only complain you hear from him is about his weight going north!!

So, I knew what to expect. I reached there before him and waited for him. And when he arrived, I was rather surprised. He is as stunning as before, charming, stylish and that same lithe frame. I was like, where are those extra pounds, man? Anyway, this man knows how to crib when he misses his Tennis or definitely knows how not to put on weight.

Now the setting: a nice big piano and the pianist belting out very romantic, soulful numbers and I was mischievously grinning thinking he must have mistaken us for a couple. Well, we did not have any way to tell him we were not and enjoyed those lilting music which could sneak in between our conversation. And it was soon at the background as we got engrossed in our discussion on life, or rather philosophies of life. Hmmm…..

Now the food: And he wanted to immediately order food before I get into that deep thinking-talking mode and delay the order as he was very hungry; had worked on his presentation and forgot to order lunch. Well, I don’t mind either..food and yummy food and I don’t complain. So, we went ahead with ordering food. There was this duck recipe in red wine sauce and some ‘paella’ with jumbo prawns, chorizo, squid, fishes and some more seafood. And it pleased our expectation. I am not a rice-person but for some reason ended up with that paella variation as other things on menu meant too much of food and I was not really so hungry. They served such huge portion that I needed help; my order was shared by him for me to decently finish the platter.

And finally the most crucial point, the reason why such a dinner meeting finds a place in my blog. Life is one big complication; we need to make it complicated to live it or else its not interesting and yet we say we want to live it simple. Do I make sense? Hmmm….

It has been a pattern so far with me. I have a real ‘hectic’ life and I still manage to crowd it with some other things and in the process I fail to prioritize things. I move on to newer things leaving behind half-finished older things. I try to look for fresher avenues, newer projects/assignments as if more is less. And in the process I spread thin and lose focus. I want to be good; good at everything. Or else it’s not satisfying. I would rather do it nicely or not do it at all; it sounds good at some level. But at more practical level is it wise to spread thin? Is it wise to move on to newer things when one has unfinished work (read PENDING job from old projects)? Or is this just a need to feel good with something which holds more hope than the one in hand? Well, he got me thinking and I want to think about it too.

Sevilla will remain in my mind for long. Not because of anything else but for that life-churning discussion, for those soothing words which never criticized but alerted a lost mind, for those reassuring eyes telling me that you are not alone and that everyone is doing their bit in walking the path of ‘one big complication called life’.

So, where are we heading from here? Hmmm…I only hope that I know.

P.S: I am still spreading thin again, diverting my creativity on this blogpost neglecting my presentation in hand. And its when you just told me how someone never works on her publications, but updates regularly on the blog. Well, I believe in being happy and live for the moment. So far, such ‘moments’ have given me big joys and I don’t complain even with a fewer publications and I still get hired and I still am known for what I do. But, I could do better. I know, you meant that. Thanks!