Recipes: Tangy and Sweet Chana Dal

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Monday was Ganesh Chaturthi and as usual I made traditional modak or the sweet dumplings filled with coconut and jaggery as an offering or neividhyam to the Lord. I had about 2 tbsp of the filling left over and was wondering what I should do with it when I thought of incorporating it into a dal. I know Maharastrians do something similar with the filling of puran poli, so I took a leaf out of their book.

Fret not if you haven’t made modak the day you want to make this dal, all you need to do is just add coconut and jaggery to the dal and you get a lipsmacking tangy, yet sweet dal to eat with your rice and rotis.

Tangy and Sweet Chana Dal

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup chana dal
  • 1 small piece of tamarind, soaked in hot water for 20-30 minutes
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/8 tsp asafoetida
  • 4-5 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp crushed green chillies or geeen chilli paste
  • 1-2 tbsp modak filling
  • I tbsp grated coconut, roasted (if not using the stuffing)
  • 1 tbsp grated jaggery (if not using the stuffing)
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Wash the chana dal and cook it either in the pressure cooker or on the stovetop till it is completely cooked and starts to lose its shape. Remove when cool and whisk it to a fine paste. Keep aside.
  • Mix and strain the tamarind pulp and get the juice. Keep aside.
  • Heat oil in a largish pan and when it starts to warm up, add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Then add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida and stir for a couple of seconds.
  • Then add the green chilli paste and stir for a few seconds. Now add the whisked chana dal and stir well. Add the tamarind juice slowly and taste test for the level of sourness you want. Season with salt.
  • Thin the dal with water to your preference and let it come to a boil. When the dal comes to a rolling boil, add the modak filling and stir well.
  • If you don’t have the modak filling, just add 2 tbsp roasted coconut plus the jaggery and continue boiling the dal.
  • Finely chop the coriander leaves and garnish the dal. Serve hot with any Indian bread or rice.

In My Hands Today…

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Rich People Problems – Kevin Kwan

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When Nicholas Young hears that his grandmother, Su Yi, is on her deathbed, he rushes to be by her bedside – but he’s not alone. It seems the entire Shang-Young clan has convened from all corners of the globe, ostensibly to care for their matriarch but truly to stake claim on the massive fortune that Su Yi controls.

With each family member secretly fantasizing about getting the keys to Tyersall Park – a trophy estate on 64 prime acres in the heart of Singapore–the place becomes a hotbed of intrigue and Nicholas finds himself blocked from entering the premises.

As relatives claw over heirlooms, Astrid Leong is at the centre of her own storm, desperately in love with her old sweetheart Charlie Wu, but tormented by his ex-wife – a woman hell-bent on destroying Astrid’s reputation and relationship. Meanwhile, Kitty Pong, married to billionaire Jack Bing, finds a formidable opponent in his fashionista daughter, Colette.

2019 Week 35 Update

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The Indian festive season has started and today is my favourite festival – the birthday of my ishtadev Lord Ganesh. Its during this time I really miss being in Mumbai and I hope that next year I manage to go there at least for a couple of days during the 11-day Ganesh festival and also make a side trip to Pune to see the famous Ganesh mandals there.

We had a good week because of BB and GG’s early admission offers, which means that a slight easure of the pressure that is on the children because of the O level exams.

Our stress levels are hitting the roof what with the O levels less than 50 days away. I am literally counting the days down. Another date I am counting down to is our holiday at the end of the year. I can’t wait for the exams to get over so we can finally relax!

To everyone celebrating, Happy Ganesh Chaturthi! Ganpati Bappa Morya, Mangal Murti Morya!

Have a wonderful week people.

2019 Secondary 4 Week 35 Update

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The week started on a fantastic note!

We spent the weekend and the morning of Monday on tenterhooks because Monday was the day the results of the Early Admission Exercise was supposed to be released. I was literally on tenterhooks and when 2 pm rolled out (the time the results were to be declared), I kept refeshing all the forums I was following to see if people were successful.

I knew that BB would be at tuition around the time of the results, but didn’t want to disturb him. So I texted him if he had received any email from the system. Then after about 10 minutes, BB called me. Before even saying “Hello”, I asked him if he heard something. I knew that it was either good news or horrible news. BB was so overcome with emotion that he took a full 10 seconds before he could make his voice work. He was estatic that he had received an offer for his first choice of course. This is his dream course, a dream he has had since he was around 4-5 years old. He will be studying Aeronatutical engineering and this will eventually lead to a degree in the same field. If you see my about post, which is around 10 years old, I have mentioned that BB wanted to become a pilot. While his dream of becoming a pilot has changed to becoming an aeronatical engineer, the field which he still has a passion for remains unchanged. He spent the rest of the week in smiles, he would randomly start smiling and I know it is because he was so happy!

GG was still in school and when she was done, she called me and I told her BB’s good news. I asked her to check her email and when she couldn’t connect to the site, I asked her for the password to the EAE portal. She was very worried that if BB has gotten the offer, its quite likely that she may not get one. After all what are the odds that both twins get an offer to a course of their choice. When I logged in, I could see her offer! When I told her over the phone, she could not believe it. The offer she got was for hrer third choice of school/course, but her first choice of course. She will be studying Accountancy, which she loved after taking it for the first time in Secondary 3 and doing very well in the subject.

BB’s best friends in school (they are called the three musketeers) also received offers, but not in the same polytechnic as BB, but that’s ok. A couple of other friends in BB’s school also received offers, so that is another piece of good news for us.

All in all, this week was dominated by the EAE offers which they both have now accepted. If all goes well and they meet the minimum entry requirements for the course (which I assume they will, since it’s only a pass for all subjects), they will get the confirmation when they get their O level results and will also not be able to take part in the joint admission exercise.

Anyway, have a great Sunday folks! GG still has her prelims while BB just finished his. We will start seeing his papers from tomorrow. Hope he has done well in the exams.

In My Hands Today…

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A Geisha’s Journey: My Life as a Kyoto Apprentice – Komomo 

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This is the story of a contemporary Japanese teenager who, in a search for an identity, became fascinated with the world of geisha, and discovered in herself the will and the commitment to embark on the many years of apprenticeship necessary to become one.

It is also the story of a young Japanese photographer who grew up overseas, and who also was captivated by the traditional lives of these women who choose to dedicate themselves to their art. He began following and documenting the life of teenager Komomo as she studied and grew into her role.

Naoyuki Oginos photographs follow Komomos entire journey, from her first tentative visits after finding the geisha house on the internet through her commitment to the hard schedule of an apprentice, learning arts that go back centuries, all the way to the ceremony where she officially became a geiko, as Kyotos geisha are known and beyond. From the cobbled streets where she walks in her elaborate dress to the inner sanctums of her dressing room, these pages offer a rare look at a unique, living art.

The photographs are accompanied by autobiographical text and captions by Komomo, as she shares her thoughts and emotions, and describes the day-to-day existence of a Kyoto apprentice. It is an illuminating view of seven years in the life of a very special young woman.