Lazy Bone .. Amba Khata (Mango etc)

Someone very very intelligent had once said.. "When the going gets tough.. the tough gets going" ! It essentially means, that when life throws you off the road.. you've gotta be very tough to get through its challenges..

Well, in my opinion.. everyone has their own way to get out of tough situations. We don't really need anyone to tell us how to manage our problems or how to get out of crappy situations.. somehow I feel.. we do approach people when we are lost.. but in the process of getting suggestions and consolations and what not... we eventually figure out our own way... do you guys agree??

Anyways... why am I talking about all this?? Well.. I came across a very similar situation myself.. and I had no one to reach out to.. I wanted to make the very famous Odiya "Amba Khata" at my sister's place.. but the her spinster pad kitchen had no jaggery .. no chili-cumin powder.. and no curry leaves.. but she wanted "amba khata".. and it put me in a fix.. how am I going to make her smile.. I am not my mom..

Mom?? Well.. it was very very late.. and I could not call her.. so I started thinking myself.. and here's what I came up with.. the end product was delicious.. and everyone loved it !!

Ingredients:

• 1 big green mango (cut into big cubes .. ensure that the seed in the middle is cut out of course)
• 1 tea spoon cumin seeds
• 1 tea spoon mustard seeds
• 4 tbl spoon sugar
• salt to taste
• mustard oil

Process:

• Heat oil in a flat pan (which will make it easy to saute' the big mango pieces)
• When oil is hot, add 3 tbl spoons of sugar in it. Make sure it dissolves and does not turn dark brown.. just enough brown is good.
• Now add cumin + mustard seeds now and let it splutter.
• Now add the mango pieces and add a little salt (to taste)
• Saute' until mango seems to be coated enough with the browned sugar
• After 2-3 minutes, add 1/4 cup water and the rest of sugar
• Let it all simmer away together. When the simmering is done the mangoes will be soft and juicy with sugar+salt mixture.
• Sprinkle a wee bit of red chili powder and mix everything well.

This dish is usually a side dish in Odiya kitchen. We have it with rice+dal+subzee etc. Little girls like my sister, would just take it in a small bowl and use their fingers and tongue to take the juicy mango away !!

Enjoy this chatpata mango stuff.. have fun !!

Egg Plant .. what do I make of it ???

Egg Plants.. or brinjals.. I think.. are the most ignored vegetables.. but in the great Odiya kitchen, they are a life saver...

Of all things, if you are dull and too tired to make anything special.. a big bowl of "pakhala bhata" and "baigana" (egg plan or brinjal) anything will make it your day...

Picture this... hot summer afternoon.. the family is back from the morning school.. and the mom is way too sun-struck to cook anything desirably wonderful for them for the afternoon.... so then.. what does she do ??

No Fear.. "ignored" Egg-Plant is Here... a quick.. easy.. breezy.. egg-plan stir fry or hash will make a perfect side for the summer-saver "pakhala bhata" !! With some raw onions and green chillies this will make the greatest after-school meal for everyone at home... So eat and enjoy !!

Ingredients:

• Egg plants (I used 2 long ones, you could use 4-5 round ones) cut into cubes (little longer)
• 1 small white/red onion cut into long slices
• 1 small tomato cut into long slices
• 1 tea-spoon mustard seeds + 1 tea-spoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 tea-spoon Red chili powder
• 1/2 tea-spoon cumin+coriander powder
• Wee bit turmeric powder
• Mustard Oil and salt

Process:

• Heat oil in a open pan and splutter cumin and mustard seeds
• Add onions and fry till onion is softer.. but not very very brown. Slight light brown is good enough.
• Then add the egg plants + the powders and mix well.

• Cover and cook the egg-plants till they are soft.
• When soft, add the tomatoes + salt
• Mix well and keep it all on the stove till the tomato is all mushed up.. if its not, its fine too..

• Ensure that the egg-plants are cooked well and coated good with the tomatoes.

As stated before.. this tastes good with "pakhala bhata" but you can also eat it with simple roti or plain paratha.. but the best is the best !!

Kakharu Phoola Bhaja (Pan Seared Pumpkin Flower)

Summers always bring sweet memories back to me from where I come from.. from where I grew up...Its the vacation, I think which always has a deep down effect..No school.. no home work.. and yes the best part...the whole big family will stay in the same house in my village.. and we will all have so much fun..

In all this, the moms of the family, would be also rejoiced because they get to spend time with their "jethanis" and "devraanis". In my family, they are more like sisters. They gossip and they laugh and they cry together. A scene which I did not see in many other joint families.

Any hoo..how can I ever forget the food aspect of the vacations. Since mom does not have to go to work, she spends a lot of time in the kitchen thinking what special to make for lunch...thats when we all get all greedy. We keep running in and out of the kitchen, just to get a glance of what is cooking. They will scold us, asking us to stay out of the area where fire has been lit to start the one fine summer lunch...

Summers usually are very very hot, so we stick to "pakhala" (rice cooked and water added to that)...we add yoghurt to add coolness...What goes with that? Well.. almost everything I'd say.. but my favorites are more on the pan seared pumpkin flowers... they are ample in summer.. and its so easy to make them.. that we'd have them almost every day..

I am sharing my mom's way to do "Kakharu Phoola Bhaja" (Pan Seared Pumpkin Flower)

What she uses for the batter:

1 cup polished rice (arua or basmati) soaked in water for at least 30 mins.

1 inch ginger

4-5 cloves of garlic

4-5 green chillies

1/4th cup water

1/2 spoon red chilli powder

salt to taste

To start with, she'd first cut the stems off the flowers..No.. she won't throw them away.. she'd store them for later.. you'll see how smart she is !!

Wash the individual flowers under slow running water.

Since the flowers are very very delicate, she'd stuff one flower into another. Just like a cup into a cup.

Then wet grind everything under the batter section.

Now.. here's her battering station..

Place 1: flowers

Place 2: batter

She'd heat the pan so much that you can see the warm smoke coming off.. and yes.. it is mustard oil.. I was a freak to use PAM.. but this one tastes the best with mustard oil..

1. Pick the flower...

2. Dunk it in the batter...

3. Shake off excess liquid...

4. cchhheeewwwwnnn.... add to the pan..

Fry until the flower is golden brown on both side..

You know the stems she stored, she'd chop them real fine and add to the left out batter and make one big fat pancake with the mix...See I told you.. she will use them all..

How simple yet delicious. We would just grab one or two while they are on the hot plate..and run along.. who cares if mom is scolding.. she'd understand.. I am sure.. she would have done the same to her mom as well..

Enjoy your odiya favorite.