Chooda

 Happy New Year to all of my readers and thank you for supporting and encouraging me to write. It's been a while, I blogged and today I thought I should just do it and get connected with my readers.

  My kids goes to after school Math and Reading program, and they are liking it and learning a lot.  It's twice a week and they get home work for the rest of the week. After certain level kids will be doing the work on their own and if needed teachers will be there to assist, but the basic idea is to do work independently and the work should be finished in 20-25 mins, depending on what level they are doing. All kinds of cultural groups of people come there and majority is Asians!

 So while they are doing their work, parents wait outside, in the waiting area, trying hard not to disturb the kids!  They have a board "Great minds at work,please be silent and silence your cell phones"! But it's human nature.......still the phone rings and some people just grab the phone and go outside to talk and others, do not even bother to get out of the chair!

 So last week when I was waiting for my kids......a elderly person came inside with a cup of coffee, there is a coffee shop in the same building and people usually get coffee from there, after the kids goes inside to do their math and/or reading.  And I have seen this elderly person when I go there, having coffee always.  And that day also, guess his grand kids went inside and he got himself coffee and came and sat in the chair.  In the middle chair, nobody was sitting and next to that, a guy was sitting with his Ipad.

 So this elderly person started to look what the guy was doing in the Ipad!  And the guy started to look at the elderly person, but he did not understand why he was looking at him, but he continued to peep into his Ipad.  The guy started to get irritated and he showed his irritation by swinging his head to side ways and changing his positions..........but none of them were understood by the elderly gentlemen and further leaned on the other chair, so that he can see the Ipad properly and was enjoying his coffee!!!!!!

  By that time, guess, the coffee was over, he went and threw the cup and while coming back to his chair, he had a loud long burp!!!!!!!!!! And this time he came and sat next to the guy with Ipad so that he do not have to lean to look into his Ipad, and suddenly the guy got off from his chair and said "Jesus, Oh my God" and pushed the door and went out!

 Well.........there were some 10 people sitting so silently watching the whole thing.....now did not know what and how to react to this.......I saw people trying to hide their laugh! And above all, the elderly person, did not even understand what happened and he just closed his eyes and started to doze.......!

 Hmm.........I always take a book with me and read while I wait for my kids to finish their work and never lift my head, until kids come out.  But that day, it was raining and I had to manage, umbrella,kids bag etc, so I left the book in the van, since I did not want my library book to get wet! So I happened to witness the whole scene and started to think about human nature, the upbringing,culture,sophistication!

 We, Indians are generally very caring,affectionate and we always lend a helping hand to others! We always share ours and listen to others issues or problems.  We are never, like, mind our business, types! We do tend to show curiosity in other people lives and basically I always thought it's human nature to be curious!

 So I guess, that elderly person was generally curious to see what he was doing and I think he was playing a game on Ipad, which of course has become like a epidemic disease now, according to me.  Everybody has a Ipad, most of them playing games on that. And in general curiosity the elderly person must have peeped into it, without having any ill or bad intentions.

 Burping loud.........well, I too dislike that, but getting up and going out, was little too much of a reaction, according to my opinion!

 When you are in a public place, you tend to see, meet, people with different looks,expressions,behaviour and some talk loud.......!

 I have been in this country for more than 10 years now and understand that people do not bother or interfere with other people life. And everything seems to be sort of superficial and they do take breaks from their own family people to be alone and have fun and they call it as peaceful time and relaxation. They have limitations to what ever they do regarding their kids or parents or siblings......! To say it one word, they are self-centered and give lot of self importance!

 I am not criticizing the behaviour or culture but I am just analysing........and it is not the question of right or wrong, it is only how you are and what you think, that is all to it!

 Anyways.........if I had the book that day, all these analysis would not have happened, I would have just mind my business! But still, if somebody else is reading a book, as a human nature, I might want to know, what book it is and peep into the book...........LOL, but from now on I will be careful! But I am sure I will not burp loud!

 OK, coming back to my recipes.....today I like to share a tasty snack, which compared to chips or pakodas, can be considered as healthy, since it's not a deep fried snack.  It's my mom's recipe and I like to share that with you, my kids really likes it very much.

 Generally I do not listen to my husband!!!!! But today I thought let listen to him and do what he said! He always asks me, why do I need to do a picture collage instead I can just put the final picture but I like to do a collage of all the possible steps for a recipe.  Today I listened to him and not made any collage but just put the picture of "Chooda"!

 I am not sure, many people may call it differently, but I know this as "Chooda", which is a great snack on any day with tea or coffee. So here goes the recipe, hope you will enjoy Chooda, with a cup of coffee or tea, while you watch your favorite show on TV or reading a nice book!

Ingredients:

Pooha (Very thin) 3 cups
Dry coconut 1/2 cup
Red chillies  8-10 (Or adjust according to taste)
Peanuts or Cashews
Salt to taste
Sugar 1/4 tsp
Oil   1 Tbsp
Mustard seeds
Turmeric 1/2 Tsp
Asafoetida
Few Curry leaves


Method:

  In a deep pan heat the oil and add mustard seeds and when it starts to pop up, add asafoetida,turmeric, red chillies, curry leaves,peanuts or cashews and fry them on a light flame, making sure that peanuts or cashews will not turn black.  Once they are done, add the pooha and turn the flame to sim and mix well, making sure that all the ingredients are mixed well with pooha and then salt and sugar, again mix well and then add the dry coconut and mix well.  Before taking off turn the heat to medium for a minute mix well and take out from heat and store it in a air tight container.

Tips:
  You get 2-3 varieties of pooha in Patel Brothers.  The one which says Pooha thin and it's slightly bigger than the other varieties, is the one used for chooda.




  

Chakali

  Couple of years ago, I had watched a documentary about "Old age homes", I am forgetting the name of that documentary movie, which is made in our local language,Kannada.  We speak "kannada" at home.  And some how I could not forget the characters in that movie, the faces, their expressions, it haunted me for quite some time. And even now if I think of that, I still remember the movie very clearly, if I come to remember the name of that movie, before I finish my blog, I will definitely mention it.

  So it was about the current generation of children, with their modern thoughts, their life style and entirely different thought process and out look about life,parents,Indian culture and traditions and practices. Before I move on, on this subject, I will try to throw a light on our culture and practices, so that it might give you an idea of what I am trying to express. Children are supposed to take care of their parents in their old age.  According to Indian culture, a son has to take care of their parents, since the daughter goes away after getting married.  So parents live with their son, together as a joint family.  That's how it's been from many many years.

 But from past 15-20 years, things are changing and people are getting modern,and getting influenced by other cultures, since they are getting exposed to various things, which is making them selfish,ungrateful and self centered which has gone to an extent of forgetting our duties towards our parents and elders! So the result you could see the "old age homes", coming up in our country! It's a facility where you leave your parents there, pay some money, every month, to take care of them and giving them some false hope, that one day you would take them back to their home!

 So each and every day, they would wait for their children to come and take them back, which would never happen.  And the documentary was about this, where they show 4-5 families, where the children who are married and wants some "independent" life, feels parents as burden, live their parents in a old age home and some children, don't even bother to tell their parents that they are going to leave them there, but just ask them to be there, until they come back and of course they would never come back.

 Those aged parents, used to look out of the windows every single day, expecting their children to come back........and that's how the documentary ended, showing the parents face, filled with anxious,eager,desperate,pain, looking through those windows which had bars, which sort of looks like a prison!!!!

 And some how I could not forget those faces and that movie haunted me for a long time and it was sort of faded away these days........!  But suddenly I started to remember those faces and that movie..........when I go to my younger daughter's preschool, to pick her up!

  Just to get the idea about school and get used to the routine of getting up early and get going to school next year, we thought of sending our younger daughter to preschool, from couple of months she is going to preschool only couple of days in a week and only for half day for 4 hours.  I go in the noon to pick her up and as soon as I open the door, 5-6 kids come running to me and everybody trying to say something to me and trying to catch my attention at the same time. One of them really pleads to take her home with me and keep on telling things, what all she did on that day and the teacher has to distract her, by saying, I want you to go and put all the toys away so that you can have a nap...or something like that!

 It becomes difficult to come out of that door, and I some how feel so sad and guilty turning my back on them and closing the door and walking away with my daughter........!

 Some of the kids there, are even younger to my daughter! Every time you drop off or pick up your kid, you need to sign in and out the time. So while signing I have observed that most of the kids are signed in as early in the morning at 6.45 and signed out at 6 in the evening!

 In a room from morning till evening, every single day, doing some activity, sometimes it's the same or similar activities and whether the kids is feeling sick or not in a mood or may want something else to do.......has no choice but to stay in that room every single day, because parents has to work!!!!

 Well, one thing worth to mention here is, this preschool is really awesome and take care of the kids so nicely and they try so hard to create a good healthy atmosphere for kids.

 But I keep wondering that is the job so necessary?????? Can that wait for 8-10 years when kids become totally independent physically and stable emotionally and have maturity enough to understand???? Kids need parents at every step of the way and once they are able to understand and can handle situations, then it is okay to go for work, while they are in school from morning till evening.

  When parents can afford to send to the day care, which is way too expensive, well it has to be expensive, if a day care has to provide every thing, right from feeding, putting them to nap in the noon, potty training, teaching them, and looking after them when they are sick or when they throw tantrums......! So when you have money, what is the need for you to send to the day care,leaving them alone,when they need you in every way,when it is so hard for them to adjust.

  So as I close the door of the class room and walk away with my daughter and turn back and see that the kids would be looking at us.......with tears,pain,and disappointed.......I remembered the movie about the "Old Age homes"!!!!!

 Well, it's just my thoughts about the Old Age homes and day care, which I thought of sharing with you today.

 Last week was Diwali, festival of lights, and we celebrated the festival with friends. I was remembering that, my mother used to make 5-6 kinds of sweets(desserts) and deep fried snacks and which I would eat for lunch,snack and dinner! And today I wondered that, was that really me, who ate so much of desserts and deep fried snacks??  Now I hardly eat any dessert or any snack and many of the things I have forgotten that I used to eat!

 Brr....chilly weather,cold winds,snow has started and it was Diwali and from 4-5 months there is a strict diet at home and I was remembering our old days of Diwali........so just thought to take a detour from my diet cooking and make something totally yummy,totally tasty,deep fried and for which your "heart" will say "thank you", for making me happy!

 This is my mom's recipe, which I tried for first and it came out well and kids loved it and my husband tasted and felt it was tasty and my heart sang to me "thank you.."!

 I love to share this recipe with you, hoping that you will try it, it is the most easy recipe of chakali, which is a deep fried snack. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Rice flour  2 cups
Roasted gram dhal(Hurigadale) 1 cup
Butter 3 tbsps
Green chillies  3-4 (Optional)
Asafoetida
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:

 Make a fine powder of roasted gram dhal and mix it with rice flour. Add salt to taste and mix well.  Make a paste of green chillies and asafoetida, if you are adding green chillies.  I did not make a paste of green chillies since, the moment my kids find it is green chillies they do not eat.  I just added asafoetida and butter and mixed well.  Now add little water to make dough without making any lumps.  It should be little bit more softer that chapathi dough so that when you fill and press it in the chakali maker it should come out easily, without lot of effort.

  Heat the oil in a deep pan and fill the dough in the chakali maker and press it, and it should come out easily, in to the oil. Deep fry until light brown on both the sides and take out gently from the oil and place it on a tissue paper.

 You can see the chakali maker in my picture above.

  Enjoy the chakali with your family once in a way!

Shankarpoli

    I came to this country in December! So December means freezing cold,snow!  One after noon, it was snowing, and my husband took me out for a walk, in the snow, to have an experience of walking in the snow!  After few blocks we walked I just hated, because the wind was blowing so heavily that, the snow was coming to my face, making me feel miserable and I made a fuss to get back home!

 Well, that's the last day I went out when it was snowing! At that time we were in apartment, so there was no need for us to clean the snow.  I used to watch from my kitchen window, people who were shoveling the snow and used to feel amazed how could they do that!  After couple of years, we moved to an independent house, where you need to mow the lawn and shovel the snow, on your drive way and walk way!

  But as soon as we moved to this house, we met with an accident and I took long time to recover and after that I had kids, so I did not get a chance to shovel the snow!  My husband did it all the time, all these years!

  Last couple of week ago, my husband was not well, he had fever, cough and he was really sick and it snowed!!!!  Well, it was the time of duty calling! All night it had snowed and I was the first one to wake up early in the morning and still kids and my husband were sleeping.  Also they had closed the school because of the weather conditions!

 So I came downstairs, and dressed up myself with jacket,cap,glows,snow shoes and went out and opened the garage door!

 Oops!  Well it was 6 inches of snow! I just took a deep breath and looked around in the garage and found the hand snow shovel, and started to shovel!  All these years, I did not even bother to look how to shovel the snow nor I asked my husband how to do it!

  I started pushing the snow and lifting it up with the shovel and putting it away....!  That way I cleaned half of my drive way and found that it was totally impossible to keep cleaning that way! My hands and shoulders started hurting and I was feeling very cold.

  I came back to garage, and by this time I had made up my mind, not to give up!  So I looked around and saw the snow blower!  I just accidentally pressed some button I guess and it started!

 Well, now I figured it out how to start the snow blower and I took it out and started shoveling, thinking that my life was saved!  But no, I felt hard in pushing it back and forth and since it was 6 inches it took long time to do it.  And by this time, I had figured it out how to do it and in between I also did in hand shovel and it has been 2 hours since I started cleaning the snow!

 My neighbour, then came out, to clean his drive way and saw me cleaning and said, "Wow, for the first time, you have done a great job, and now do not bother cleaning the side walk, I will clean it for you, you can now switch on the Van and car for 10 min's and the snow on the car and van will melt because of heat".

  I thanked him and came inside the house to take the keys of van and car and my husband had just woke up and was wondering where I have gone early in the morning!

 And he was totally surprised and shocked that I had already cleaned the snow!  He felt bad that I had to do it!  But I was so glad that I was able to do it and wondered myself that I did it!

  And well, mother nature, I guess is so happy about me, cleaning the snow, that from then on, it's been snowing every other day!!!!!  And since my husband has to travel for work, I have been cleaning and getting better at it each and every time I do it........!

 And this morning, I cleaned when it was snowing, and it was little windy also, the snow flakes going to my mouth and eyes and when I went inside the house, my elder daughter said "Oh, amma(Mommy), you had snow shower"?  Snow was all over me!!!!!

    And it's been 10 years now, when first time I hated, when the snow flakes went into my eyes and mouth and I totally stopped going out when it was snowing, and today I shoveled the snow, when it was snowing.........so was remembering my resolution of not going out in snow, ten years ago.......and felt that, life and experiences can make anything and everything out of you, whether you are willing or not!  My daughter has to go to school, I need to go out for shopping, library, with the kids......so it's so essential that I have to clean the snow, I cannot sit at home, not doing anything, not trying out anything.

  Certain things become compelled or necessary or part of your life, though you may not have thought or may not have imagined doing it one day!

  So as I went down the memory lane of 10 years about snow..........the same way, I went down the memory lane of 15-20 years ago, when my mom used to make yummy,sweet,spicy,deep fried snacks for the evening times, where we used to enjoy it so much eating that, either watching a movie or reading a book......!

  Recently we had been to a store where we can get both spicy/sweet/salt snacks and we got couple of them, thinking kids might want to try it.  One of them was "Shankarpolli", its a deep fried snack, which can be made both spicy and sweet.  We got the sweet one and both my daughters liked it!

  And then I went down the memory lane, where my mother used to do it, a lot, both the spicy and the sweet ones and store it in big containers and me and my brother used to always enjoy it and eat it until its finished totally!

 So thought, why not try making that at home, so I called my mom and got the recipe and made it!  It came out very nice, and my daughters enjoyed it and am glad that they liked it!  So today I would like to share the yummy recipe of "Shankarpolli", of my mom's and hope you will enjoy it as much as we did!  So here goes the recipe!

Ingredients:

All purpose flour or Maida flour  1 cup
Sugar  6-8 spoons
Butter  1/3 cup
Oil for deep frying

Method:

   If sugar is crystal, then make it powder in the mixer, but here the sugar is powdered, it looks like salt, so I did not need to powder them.

  Mix powdered sugar to all purpose flour or maida flour.  Then add butter and mix it thoroughly.  And add little water to it and make it a dough, and the dough should not be sticky, so add very little water while mixing and if you require more you can add more.

  Take a small piece from the dough and roll it by the rolling pin,as you do for chapathi or poori.  Make sure you do not roll too thin or too thick.

  Now make marks either using a knife or from the edge of a sharp ladle, or you can use pizza cutter, if you have, I used pizza cutter, to cut into small square shapes.  Well, its traditionally diamond shaped, but since this was my first attempt, I did not get the diamond shape, but I made square shapes.

  Now heat oil for deep frying.  Once the oil is hot enough, put the small square or diamond shapes and fry them until golden brown.

 Now do the same thing for the rest of the dough,rolling them,cutting them and deep frying them!  Enjoy as a evening snack with your family!

  The spicy one is the same method, except, instead of sugar, you put salt to taste and red chili powder to taste and mix them with butter and water and the rest is the same method!  I have not tried the spicy one, will try it soon! Enjoy!