In My Hands Today…

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The Gift of Rain – Tan Twan Eng

1219949Set in Penang, 1939, this book presents a story of betrayal, barbaric cruelty, steadfast courage and enduring love.

In 1939, sixteen-year-old Philip Hutton-the half-Chinese, half-English youngest child of the head of one of Penang’s great trading families-feels alienated from both the Chinese and British communities. He at last discovers a sense of belonging in his unexpected friendship with Hayato Endo, a Japanese diplomat. Philip proudly shows his new friend around his adored island, and in return Endo teaches him about Japanese language and culture and trains him in the art and discipline of aikido. But such knowledge comes at a terrible price. When the Japanese savagely invade Malaya, Philip realizes that his mentor and sensei-to whom he owes absolute loyalty-is a Japanese spy. Young Philip has been an unwitting traitor, and must now work in secret to save as many lives as possible, even as his own family is brought to its knees.

Recipe: Bhindi Masala aka Spiced Okra Curry

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IMG_5911I stumbled across this recipe by sheer accident. I was planning to make something else but ended up making this, which turned out very tasty and was a definite keeper.

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Bhindi, Okra or Ladies Finger is a vegetable which many people do not cook often as it starts to become slimy when you start cooking it. Many people prefer to deep fry it to remove the sliminess and it’s quite a common dish in my home as it is one of my favourite vegetables. When I was young, my grandma (both maternal and paternal) used to tell us to eat this vegetable as it was supposed to make you smarter. I don’t know if it was because of this brainwashing or otherwise, but this is one of my favourites. Even BB & GG love this and when they were younger, they called this vegetable ‘Star Curry’ as the shape is star-shaped when chopped!

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Bhindi Masala

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg Bhindi, Ladies Finger or Okra, chopped into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 onions, roughly chopped
  • 1-inch piece of ginger
  • 4-5 pods of garlic
  • 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 4-5 cashew nuts
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seed powder
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp dried mango or amchur powder (optional)
  • 4-6 tbsps oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Fry the bhindi in the oil till it becomes crisp and remove on a kitchen paper. Let it cool completely.
  • In the same pan, take the cumin seed and let them pop. Next add the garlic, ginger and saute for a couple of minutes.
  • Add the cashew nuts and let them brown a bit.
  • Add the onions and let them become translucent and soft and add the tomatoes next.
  • Add some soft to help cook the onion-tomato mixture and add all the dry masalas next (turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander seed powder and cumin seed powder).
  • Let the tomatoes cook completely and when it becomes mushy, switch off the gas and let the mixture cool.
  • Blend this mixture to a smooth paste and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, pour the blended mixture and bring it to a boil.
  • Add the fried bhindi and let it all come together. Add more water if needed (this depends on what consistency you want the dish to be, but don’t add too much water).
  • Check for seasoning and garnish with coriander leaves.

Enjoy delicious Bhindi Masala. This tastes yummy both with rice and with Rotis (Indian flatbreads)

IMG_5915Notes:

When cutting the bhindi, make sure it is completely dry before you cut it. You will need to dry it with a clean cloth before cutting. Also, when cutting, make sure your knife is dry. When cutting, the pods ooze a bit and so you need to make sure you wipe your knife in-between regularly to keep it dry.

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In My Hands Today…

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The Paths of Marriage – Mala Kumar

21805654Lakshmi, a bright student who grew up in poverty, marries and immigrates to the United States from India to provide a better life for herself and her family. Clinging to her cultural realities, she forces her American daughter, Pooja, into an arranged marriage, creating a rift of resentment. Pooja’s daughter, Deepa, is an out lesbian to everyone but her family. The woman Deepa loves presents an ultimatum—come out to Pooja or break up—and Deepa is forced to confront her greatest fear.

Three generations of Indian and Indian-American women navigate the harsh slums of Chennai to the bustle of New York City, struggling through a cathartic generational collision to try to come together as a family.

Job Search Woes

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As you all know (reading my weekly rants), I’ve been actively looking for a new job the last few months. As it happens, nothing has yet materialized, but I have been mulling about this for the past few days.

 

 

In addition to corporate organisations, I have also been applying to educational institutions and government agencies. Most of these have a form that you have to fill in, which includes your credentials. These credentials include transcripts and marks for all the subjects you gave exams for from as far as the equivalent of your O and A levels. I understand that if you are a fresh graduate applying for your first job, these marks would make a difference to the hiring manager, especially if the position is in your field of expertise and your marks reflect your understanding of the subject.

But what if the position in question is for someone with a couple (or more) years experience? Why would your ‘O’, or ‘A’, or even graduate degree marks and grades matter? Most likely than not (except for some specialised fields), the person’s educational qualifications have nothing to do with the position in question. I mean a marketing or admissions officer would not have studied anything of this sort in school? At the most, the most relevant qualification in question to the position should be taken into consideration when asking for transcripts.

 

I can never understand this obsession with irrelevant grades here (though I am not sure how this works elsewhere). Recently the government made much-needed changes to the PSLE exams (which BB & GG went through last year) and the goal is not to compare children against each year and remove the dreaded T-score but allow for a more holistic educational experience. But with this in their lives 10-15 years down the line, what message does that send to children?

 

Another thing which really bugs me no end is the ghosting by companies. When you send applications for a position, you mostly don’t hear back from them, unless you have been short-listed for an initial interview. While I understand this, given the sheer number of applications each position must receive, what I don’t understand is a similar stand when they call applicants for an interview. Unless you are the successful applicant, you will have no idea on the status of your application – it’s all floating in the ether! Surely when companies take the time to speak to an applicant to gauge if he/she are a good fit for the organisation, then surely, they can take 5 minutes of their time to let the applicant know if they make the cut or not.

 

After going through years of my applications being lost in space, I’ve learnt not to take anything for granted. I will consider the job mine, only after signing on the dotted line and perhaps completing the probation period. After all, anytime between the signing of the contract and becoming permanent, the company is still within its means to say goodbye to me summarily.

What about you? Do you have any interesting job search woes? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section…

In My Hands Today…

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Love Songs From A Shallow Grave (Dr. Siri Paiboun #7) – Colin Cotterill

7182566Three young Laotian women have died of fencing sword wounds. Each of them had studied abroad in an Eastern bloc country. Before he can complete his investigation, Dr. Siri is lured to Cambodia by an all-expenses-paid trip. Accused of spying for the Vietnamese, he is imprisoned, beaten, and threatened with death. The Khmer Rouge is relentless, and it is touch and go for the dauntless, seventy-four-year-old national-and only-coroner of Laos.