FOOD.

The Endemic Parfait. 

Kolhapur, my home town is well known for its spicy, hot and zesty food. But it is piquant only to the Kolhapurians. The food there is awesomely pungent and spicy. Only they can stomach it. It's a land of passionate meat eaters. It comes as a surprise to a lot of my friends that I hail from such a place and yet be  a  vegetarian. Once,  I read somewhere that you are what you eat... Does that make these people caustic? Or hot headed? I wonder... 

Famous for wrestlers. Could it mean that possibilities are u will be a pulverized pulp if you accidentally collide into some behemoth? It is also a land of high quality milk and milk products. So just imagine the human produce that emerges from consuming this lardy food from the child hood. 

The Akhaadas (Sandy  patios for wrestling practices) are found everywhere. Traditionally, a wrestler has his ear broken by keeping a beetle nut behind it. A freestanding ear is a wrestlers' Achilles Heel. Also, this process makes him tough enough to endure pain of all kinds. It emboldens him into a free- swinging fighter. 

Descendants of Shivaji Maharaj, and worshipers of  Tulja Bhavani Mata... Who has bestowed upon them the legendary Bhawani Talwar known to demolish the demons and enemies. Has all this brought in the man-at-arms who emerges  into a warrior of the ruthless, bravest and the most indurate kind?  Does this mean that people here are sans emotions? A stolid heartbreaker who understands nothing of heartbreak?

 No. 

There is a flip side to this story of the great warriors. 

The Sugar Lobby. Huge, broad, and the most fertile belt. Sweet as ever. With help of which emerges one of the most delectable of the desserts. The famous "Fruit Cocktail." I have gone through the menu cards of so many restaurants around places. But I have never come across this unique name offering such a unique dessert. You can only find it in these small Parlors that dot most of the streets in Kolhapur.

As a child, the outings taken  to Bhawani Mandap were memorable. We looked forward to gorging down Bhel with square paper spoon made of thick cardboard, in news paper cones. A takeaway consisted of it expertly wrapped in paper, tied all around in thick white thread and the spoon would be tucked in under the layer of wound thread. After bhel came the most interesting part. A walk down the road to the most famous Imperial Ice Cream parlor for the Fruit Cocktail. My cousins from Mumbai,who visited us in May vacations, swore that they ate nothing like this one. As we would enter the parlor, the aroma of the Ice Cream  would fill our  brains and send  us all in a tizzy. A wait for the cocktail to be served took only a few minutes since that was the only thing on the menu, and people visited the parlor only to slurp down this delicacy. All the waiters had to do was count the heads at the table and ask "4?"It was understood that u are to be served the Cocktails. And it took only minutes before he walked briskly towards our table with four tall glasses in the tray, expertly dodging other waiters and the customers, swaying the tray form one side to the other. But even that wait was unbearable....like spending eons and eons of yearning....

The glasses placed on the table would bring  instant smile to one and all... The sight was sheer ecstasy. And the empty glass which stood in front of you within minutes after consuming it was sheer agony. It was an Herculean task to persuade Ma for another one. "You will have a tummy upset",she would warn us. But we would not settle down for anything less. Come home. Throw up. Rest of the night would be one spewing hell.(with inputs of,"I TOLD you so!" From Ma!) But it was worth every luscious dollop that we downed into our stomachs. 

The other day, on one of my trips, we all visited the Ice  Cream  parlor. The ambience sent me into gamut of stances.  The waiter approached us.. What would you like to have? Obviously a lot of new things had been added to the menu card. "5 Fruit Cocktails, please".

When it arrived, I realized, it was served in  a similar beautiful, colorful  tall glass. I stared at it  for a long time. Times had changed. But not this. The city had changed, but not these parlors.  The streets outside smelled of petrol and smog, but inside was this distinct aroma of the indigenous home style Ice Cream, Milk shakes and the  likes made out of rich local Milk. This colorful glass reminded me of the people here. They were just the same. Strong hearted, spice-eating brave warriors. But like this cocktail, they were sweet, soft and transparent to the core.  In the glass I could see the people of Kolhapur. They had all the goodness of the fruits. Layered by the sweetness of the Ice Cream in their hearts, and the softness of the cake in their souls. Down the crevices ran the creamy custard filled with the warmth of their genial disposition. All this topped up with the temperament of the jiggly jovial Jelly ...and a splash of colors. Something simple, yet adorable, that epitomizes the people of Kolhapur...

The Fruit Cocktail.....

You need..

A tall parfait glass.

1. Assorted fruits...seasonal or otherwise which will fill up 1/3 of the glass.

2. Two scoops  Ice cream. You can use in combination of two different flavors.

3. 1/2 a cup cake. (Plain Butter Vanilla).Crumbled roughly with fingers- not cut. 

4. 1/2 cup Custard made of plain Custard powder,Vanilla flavor. 

5. Jelly of any colors of your choice. Again, mashed coarsely. 

Layer the ingredients in the order of 1 to 5. 

Variations  can be made according to the fruits used. Eg. If you use Mango fruit, you can use Mango Ice Cream and plain custard, or visa versa. 

Mixed fruits of all sorts can have a combination of Rose-Vanilla Ice Cream. 

The concoctions are limitless....

The possibilities are endless...

The only possible concoction that limits the goodness of these people is yet to be discovered.....

Wedding over, and back to routine. A week of plethora of delicious food... Right from soul food, to exotic Italian. Binging out with family and close friends. Never once stopped to think.. Am I over eating?? No ways!! It was one grand galore of colors, decor and food...
Yesterday, the cooks wound up the temporary exotic kitchen. I finally opened my kitchen door. (which, incidentally creaked in protest) I realized my refrigerator was empty. No left overs, no curds. Only milk packets . (In a hurry burry of the marriage activities, I kept forgetting to tell the milk supplier to cut down the supplies.) And there were a few Lemons, Green Chilies. I look deeper into the fridge...then I see it...... the most important of them all. Lined up in Military fashion. Tins of All-Weather Black Cat Team....who often bail me out of the roughest and the scantiest of the kitchen situations.... My dry Chutney powders! I hunted more around the kitchen....shook some of the steel chapati Dabbas, and then of course, one of them rattled. Yes....I had a stock of Khakharas too! Delighted by the serendipity, I headed to the crockery drawer, fished out a bowl. Crushed in a few Khakharas, sprinkled the chutney powders, and poured the milk. And then I sank into my lounge. Relished the concoction... Crisp Khakharas, tangy chutneys doused in warm milk. After some time I added some Khakharas because I had some left over milk mixture, then I went on to add milk because the mixture became too dry, then added some chutneys again, because the mixture was too bland... It went on and on and on....
Meanwhile in the kitchen Atya and Nischal were in a mad rush to get fresh vegetables from the market, cook food and get the lunch boxes ready to be sent to the menfolk by 12.30. But that was not my liability....., I had cut my hand badly (LA+3 Stitches) and I was not supposed to work.....So, I snuggled further into the couch, and carried on with the linear spree of my favourite comestibles...

Golfing...

Long weekends call for longer Golfing activities. Which mean short stays at home. Which means still shorter time spent in the kitchen. That's when I need to find good, fast and tasty food, and keep the rest of the family happy, and have guilt-free Golfing rounds.
Shuttling between gathering the ingredients for cooking to assembling the Golfing equipment, is one frenzied activity. Pitching wedge is in the lawn where the practicing takes place. Achaari masala is with my neighboring sis-in-law, who wanted to give it a try. My domestic help has to shelve off the regular cleaning activity till I finish mine, and give them a breather.
But things don't end there. Concocting a tasty dish is very important. My family will not settle down for some inane Kaddu fry. It has to have the look that I have enswathed it with laborious mixture of spices, ground pastes. All elbow grease for my loving family. Only then I would earn the visa to the Golf Course.
And of course, knowing the nature of the weekend, a few preparations need to be made the earlier day. I came up with a tasty, yet simple, make-in-a-jiffy dish.....Happy Golfing to me.
AACHARI PANEER.
Marinate Paneer cubes overnight in the following Marination Mixture:
Paste of fried Onion Ginger, and Garlic (browned) in Ghee, plain Curds, some Milk, plain Chillie Powder, Aamchoor powder, Tumeric, Salt, Sugar, Hing, Aachari masala, ( any company) I used Roopaks.
Heat Ghee in a pan, add Jeera, and let splutter. Add tender Peas (optional). Let cook. Add the marinated Paneer, lots of chopped Coriander. Add 1/2 cup water, and cook till water dries out. To serve, heat in Microwave only.

Winter Weddings....

Winter Weddings.
Belgaum has a small, cozy, and a close knit populace, where everybody knows everybody. Many are related to many. Community weddings are always in the limelight, watched by all, discussed enthusiastically in hushed voices. Right from the Boy coming to "see" the girl, to honeymoon or thereafter. If its a love marriage, a-priori deliberations are around the whole town except with the parents. So when you meet a friend at the wedding, the cliche question goes:"Are you from the girls side or the boys side?"
Sometimes, the boy or the girl comes from a different city. Curiosity levels are high. Apprehensions are afloat. How is the family? What does the father do? How does the Bride/Groom look?? Do they suit each other? Nonetheless, the wedding goes off smoothly, and while the initial euphoria of the new comers last, its time for yet another wedding-The one that takes place in my kitchen. The Winter Wedding....
It does not have any curiosity, or apprehension. It's just excitement. More than any weddings of the season. The Bride? Like any nuptial Baraat, she does not come with a Band Baaja. In all placidity, she tip toes like a shy bride- to-be in the city. As you are walking around the market, suddenly you see the lush green heap quietly sitting in a corner. She is there.. The naive verdant... The Pea...Situates a lively smile on every passerby who sights her. Looks fresh, young and delicate, ready to be trussed into a wedlock.
This is a marriage that recurs every winter in my kitchen. Without much pomp, but with a lot of enthusiasm, without the technicolor tastemaker of culinary world, but clad in a humble Green Bridal dress....and with the simplicity in taste....
The Groom?Oh! He is the ever charming, elegant Guy, always sports an off white Coat ..... A culinary Diva himself, who advocates the most exquisite delicacy to anything he espouses. Our local Paneer.
Come together to celebrate the season's most delicious marriage:
Peas Paneer Paratha.

PEAS AND PANEER PARATHA:
250 gms Peas, peeled, washed and wiped, and processed in a food processor, till coarsely done.
Crumbled Paneer made out of 1liter high fat Milk.
Green Chillies, Ginger, Garlic, chopped fine.
4 chopped Onions.
Salt, Sugar, Lemon Juice, to taste. 2 Cupfuls chopped fresh Coriander.
Oil for sautéing.
Heat Oil in a pan, and sauté Onions till golden brown. Add Chillies, Ginger, and Garlic. Add the Peas. Sauté till they are cooked. Add the Paneer, and the Coriander. Sauté for a few more minutes. Then add the Salt, Sugar, An Lemon Juice, and mix well. Spread on a plate and let cool and dry out a bit.
To make Parathas, use Wheat flour and plain flour, H /H. Add Oil, and Salt, and knead into a medium consistency dough. Take 2 lemon sized balls of dough. Roll it to 6 inches Chapatis. Spread the filling on one. Close it with the other. Firmly seal the edges, roll again till the filling evens out, and roast in Ghee till well done. Serve hot with Home made Butter, Sauce, or Pickle of choice. (Makes around 12 Parathas of 8" Dia.)