Wake up ! wake up !
I live under this fear always that one should never wake up at night.The night is dark and black and with it comes the power of the unknown.
No, I wouldn’t…my bewildered hubby says come I have to show you something.
We like two naughty kids fearing we would wake up another kid tip-toe to the window.
My,My what do I see a white sheath is spread over the entire driveway, parking , rooftop and cars. I pinch myself Am I dreaming.No its actually snow….and I literally chuckle.
I share a silent moment with my beloved looking at the beauty of nature.Its been almost two years since we had seen a snowfall rather I went to Cairngorms last year to see the snow-clad mountains but never to see a snowfall.
Its ironical while the west is walloped by heavy snow storm and pummelled residents and forced them to stay indoors.Here I am looking dreamy-eyed at the very snow.
Sometimes abundance and lack both drive extreme emotions even though the subject is the same.
It’s weird how I always fascinated to play in the snow as a child and the excitement still continues.I would dream that I am sleeping on a bed of snow and making snow castles (mind it kid kids dream of sand castles).
White always calmed me down and I find it as one of the most humble colour.Scientists believe that white is a mixture of all colours yet binomial written as #000000.I symbolically consider its greatness as it gives other colours the aura yet be plain.Thats why they say white is so pure.But as a world we amalgamate so many cultures and traditions and following a certain religious dogma is silly.White for some is virginal while for others it means sorrow.
To me white gives warmth and happiness.White is the warmest colour.
Its snowing and my family is hungry for something hot so I couldn’t think of anything easier than the Indian risotto or kichidi.This is called the poor man’s food and yet again it gives the same taste to all the rich and poor equal.It combines grains, lentils, fresh vegetables, aromatic and subtle spicing and Ghee. It’s a filler and best eaten piping hot with your favourite mango pickle,fried aubergines and popaddum.
- 1 cup basmati rice washed and drained
- 3/4 cup yellow Moong dal/lentil washed and drained
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 Carrot cut into circles
- 1/2 finely chopped cabbage
- 1 potato cut into cubes
- handful of peas
- 1 tomato finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 green chilli crushed
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- salt to taste
- few springs of fresh coriander for garnish
- A slice of lemon
- In a heavy bottomed pan add ghee and put the cumin seeds and let it splutter.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and green chilli.Fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato and stir fry until they soften and blend (roughly 5 minutes.)
- Add the veggies one by one and sauté them for 3 minutes.
- Add your lentils and let it fry with the veggies for 3 minutes.
- Then add dry spice powders like cumin,coriander,red chilli and turmeric.
- Finally add your basmati rice and mix everything together.Add salt according to your taste.
- Add three cups of hot water and let it simmer on medium heat covered for 30 minutes.
- Stir up every 10 minutes the risotto.
- Then use a masher to run through the risotto once or twice n the final stage so that the rice and lentils are blended.
- While serving sprinkle the coriander leaves and add a table-spoon of ghee.
