Thali No.1

Truncated to its present size from here - I am getting way too chatty!

There are some songs that set your feet tapping, some to which you softly rock your body, some to which you just nod your head, and some which actually make you crave for food or conversely, while cooking you start craving for 'that' song - not that it has some food items in the lyrics, but it sort of sets off a string of memories! I have many many such songs on my lips, and in my mind, but my favourite as always dates back to my childhood - I do not recall the name of the movie. It was from the black and white days, a childrens' movie and a story of two orphaned siblings and the adventures they face, and it was a Hindi movie. There was a song in it which goes something like this -

"Pet me choohe daud rahein hain,
Choon, choon, choon, choon bol rahein hain,
Chuniya behna khana de,
Bhook lagi hai khaha de."

Roughly translated it is a little boy singing out to his sister asking for some food because hunger is gnawing at his stomach - in Hindi this is phrased as 'pet me choohe daud rahe hain'. It is a happy song though the lyrics might not reflect that!

After that my sister and I would sing this very often whenever we wanted supper much to my mother's irritation. We got rid of the habit as we grew up, and I completely forgot the song till once when my daughter was little and crying, and I involuntarily sang it. Now they do the singing just to irritate me!

Today's humble khana is in memory of 'Chuniya' Behna's khana:).

Giz at Equal Opportunity Kitchen is holding an event called 'Because we can help', because at Bloggeraid we have decided to do something about it. I could not think of better food to warm up a hungry visitor - everyday food that is nutritious, warm and tasty. Besides the idea is to share, and I could not think of anything better than what is on my plate almost everyday with a few variations! This does not mean that you become any less caring by not joining 'Bloggeraid'. But when there is a group, the ideas to tackle any situation are higher, and if you have an idea you now have a platform in 'Bloggeraid' to share with people who think alike - makes things easier and organized.

This is also my entry for jukebox. Hurry up guys! So far there has been only one entry - is our world of cooking an 'unsung' hero? The last date is 15th - you can send me posts even if you just listen to songs which inspire the cook in you. You do not have to sing - lipsynching is fine too:).

This is the dinner we had last night. As the days become shorter and the evening sets in faster, the mood is just right for hot rotis right from the tawa to the plate, rather than rice. A salad, a subzi, some onions, a lime and you are all set for a healthy dinner - and guests are most welcome:)

How to make phulkas (Light rotis) can be found here.

The method for making Stir fry bhindi or ladyfingers can be found here, and here.

The only other thing is 'Cauliflower salad' which is my own recipe and always works well.

Method for Cauliflower salad:

Ingredients:
Cauliflower (grated) - 2 cups
Salt and lime juice to taste
Coriander for garnishing
Jeera for seasoning
1 green chilly - chopped fine.
1 tsp. oil

Grate the flowerets through a medium sized grater (bigger than cheese graters), so that you get crumbs of flowerets.

Heat oil, add zeera. Add green chillies, followed by cauliflower.

Saute lightly for about a minute till cauliflower loses the raw smell but remains crunchy.

Add salt, and coriander. Mix lightly.

Squeeze half a lime to lend it a tang. (Optional)