Slow down is the new mantra!!!

Hiya J

Our mothers would remember the day we first went to school and they felt that drop of tear swelling up into a small lil river down their cheeks…… I had my taste of this experience a bit early; didn’t wait till my son starts school. I am one of those working moms who had to send her kid when he was barely 1.5 years to day care so she could continue working and manage her personal life together…. Well, those of us in that category will know what ‘together’ here really means…. It is definitely living on the edge, with the balance completely skewed to one side today and unexpectedly takes a steep move to the other side the next day. All I ask myself before going to bed each night is ‘was it worth all that running around’? And most days I ensure the answer is yes. Oh come on, let’s admit that it is a coerced yes on certain days so we avoid that inner voice taking over our emotions.  A lot of us are really lucky to have partners who are able to partake a lot of responsibilities because of which these runs remain as runs and not high jumps.

With all that running around, to keep your sanity levels under control is why I believe we all need friends.  I am blessed with this bunch of great friends – working or not, we talk daily….. one of those times that I am really thankful for advancement in communication technology. So what is this post all about really? It’s about a beautiful day we got to meet face to face after quite some time. I still can’t say it was a reunion in its full sense as one of us from the chatter group of 6 couldn’t make it. Reunion-1 was inclusive of our kids, so you can imagine how loud the chatter group would have been ;) . In between the kids’ naps and TV time, we managed some time for ourselves, engaged in a groupie session which was real fun - chewed the fat, reminiscing our college days.

Of course you can’t chew the fat without munching on some snacks. With the ready to eat versions, we needed something home made to relish with that cup of tea. Going by one of the snaps I shared of the bajjis I made some time back, we decided to go for it then. I am including its simple recipe here, though I hope I don’t miss any ingredient as this time I didn’t make it alone. All of us added one additional ingredient of their choice – and too many cooks didn’t spoil the broth this time. Infact it was very delicious J. So, onto the recipe.

Recipe

Ingredients

Gram Flour (besan) – 2 cups
Chilli powder – ½ tea spoon
Green Chilli – 1 no. (finely chopped) – we did not add this in the batch we made for the kids.
Chopped Onion – 1 large no.
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coriander leaves – few sprigs
Asafoetida – a pinch
Turmeric – a pinch
Garam Masala – a pinch (optional)
Fennel seeds – ¼ tea spoon (optional)
Carom seeds (ajwain) – ¼ tea spoon (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil – ¼ litre
Water to mix

Preparation

Heat oil in a wok/kadai.

Mix all of the ingredients mentioned above and add water to make it to a thick batter like consistency.
Tip1: Ensure not to make the mix watery as it will absorb extra oil; don’t make it too thick either.
Tip2: Some ingredients are marked optional as they give a strong flavor to the bajjis. So use it according to your palate.

When the oil is hot, using a spoon put small portions of the mix onto the wok and deep fry.

When the bajjis turn golden brown, flip them over to the other side.

Fry till the color is golden brown on that side. 

Serve hot with pudina chutney or ketchup J

Pudina chutney can be made by grinding together pudina (mint leaves), ½ cup grated coconut, a small piece of tamarind, 1 or 2 green chilli, a little water and salt to taste. Tip: If you use smoked tamarind, it makes the chutney extra delicious. Add mustard, urad dal, curry leaves, red chilli tempering.

Over tea and hot bajjis that kept vanishing as soon as a batch was made, we had a wonderful get-together.

In between our chats, one thing that stood out was how busy all our lives had become. Main concern still remains as to how to feed the kids with nutritious dishes that appeal to them. So here I am including another simple recipe which all of us can quickly cook for our kids.

Sundal/chundal  is a popular South Indian dish made with chick pea (chana). You can use white/black chana. Traditionally, a lot of households use the same recipe with black eyed pea , green pea, ground nut as well. Well, it is all about a nutritious snack J

Recipe

Ingredients

Soaked channa (white chick pea) – 1 cup.
Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon.
Red Chilli – 2 nos.

Urad dal – ½ teaspoon.
Grated coconut – ¼ cup.
Asafoetida – a pinch
Curry leaves – 1 sprig.
Water – 3 cups
Oil – 2 teaspoons.
Salt to taste.

Preparation

Soak channa overnight so it is easy to pressure cook the next day.
Pressure cook channa with about 3 cups of water and salt. About 3 whistles should be fine. Drain the remaining water and keep aside.
Heat oil in a wok.
Add mustard seeds.
When the seeds start to splutter, add urad dal and curry leaves.
Saute till urad dal turns slightly brown.
Add red chillies and asafoetida and sauté well.
Add chana and some salt.
Once the tempering ingredients have mixed well with chana on a medium flame, add the grated coconut.

Serve hot.

So a great day thus ended with a resolution to meet again, if possible just us. We all believe in that friends’ time and the importance of that time in our lives. Before we realized the weekend was over, and there was Monday waiting for all of us. But people, stop every now and then - take a moment to appreciate the people and things around you, enjoy your food, be thankful for what you have - you will appreciate life much better.

Girls, this post is for you…… Love you all J

Garnishing Note: Slow down seems to be the new mantra….. if only we could start to incorporate it!!!