Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts

Tuesday 7 July 2020

Mumbai ki wo pehli baarish

शायद बचपन में ही बारिश पसंद थी मुझे. बस. स्कूल से लौटकर अगर बारिश आ रही हो, तो खाना खाने से पहले बारिश में भीगना तो बनता ही था. अपने घर की हरी भरी बालकनी में मैं जमकर बारिश का मज़ा उठाती. क्यूंकि घर पहली मंज़िल पे था और मालती और चमेली की बेल काफी हद तक प्राइवेसी दिला देती थीं, मैं बारिश में ऐसे नाचती और नहाती की जैसे कोई देख न रहा हो! अंग्रेजी में कहते हैं न "dance like nobody is watching you" बस वैसे ही.

फिर पता नहीं कब बड़े हो गए.

जीवन में कितने सारे नियम बन गए. बालकनी से ज़्यादा देर तक नहीं झांकना. अच्छी लड़कियां ऐसे नहीं करती. सरे आम बारिश में नहीं नहा सकते. अच्छा नहीं लगता. और न जाने क्या क्या.

जैसे जैसे जीवन की व्यस्तता बढ़ती गयी, बारिश महज़ चाय पकोड़े लेकर बालकनी या खिड़की से बूंदों को देखने तक ही सीमित रह गयी. कभी कभी मैं और पतिदेव बारिश में लोधी गार्डन जाते सैर करने, और बेहद खुबसुरत अनुभव होता वह.

मुंबई ने इस सुखद अनुभव में भी ज़्यादा नमक डाल दिया.

मुंबई की वो पहली बारिश आज भी मुझे याद है...

मैं मुंबई कभी आना नहीं चाहती थी. दिल्ली ही मेरी सब कुछ थी. लेकिन जीवन इतना परिवर्तनशील और ज़िद्दी है की अक्सर जिस चीज़ से हम दूर भागते हैं, वही हमारे जीवन का एक अभिन्न अंग बन जाती है.

खैर....मैं मुंबई आ ही गयी.

संयोग तो देखिये, हम मुंबई में जिस दिन आये उसके अगले दिन ही बारिश ने दस्तक दे दी. मानो हमारा स्वागत कर रही हो.

मुंबई की बारिश दिल्ली की बारिश से काफी अलग है. न बादल, न आंधी, न गर्जन. बस ये तो कहीं भी, कभी भी, कैसे भी शुरू हो जाती है. दिल्ली की बारिश कुछ मिनटों में शांत हो जाती है. लेकिन मुंबई तो ऐसे बरसता है, मानो किसी ने पानी का नल ही खोल दिया हो. आप रुकें भी तो कितना. इसलिए यहां के लोग बारिश में भी चलते रहते हैं. रेनकोट, छाता और जूतों के सहारे. मुंबई नहीं रूकती।

कुछ दिन तो सब ठीक चला. सामान दिल्ली से नहीं आया था तो पतिदेव रोज़ दफ्तर छोड़ देते और शाम को लेने भी आ जाते. पर एक सप्ताह बाद मेरी गाड़ी घर के सामान के साथ आ गईं. फिर तो मुझे एकेले ही दफ्तर जाना था.  सोचा, जब ओखली में सर दे दिया है दो मूसल से क्या डरना!

वो सुबह मैं भूल ही नहीं सकती.

अपनी गाड़ी से मैं दफ्तर के सामने वाली पार्किंग में उतरी. हाथ में फोल्ड हो जाने वाली एक प्यारी सी छतरी, दिल्ली से लिया हुआ मेरा अच्छा सा महंगा बैग, सुंदर सैंडल्स पहने जैसे ही मैं गाड़ी से उतरी और पार्किंग के निकास की तरफ बढ़ी की एकाएक झमाझम बारिश शुरू हो गयी. बचने का तो सवाल ही नहीं उठता था. खुली पार्किंग में ऐसी कोई जगह नहीं थी जहाँ मैं पांच मिनट सर छुपा सकती।  लेकिन रुकने का फायदा भी कहाँ था. बारिश कौनसी रुकने वाली थी और दफ्तर के लिए वैसे ही देर हो रही थी.

अब सोचती हूँ, शायद रुक ही जाती तो यह कड़वी याद न बनती.

मैंने छतरी खोली और चलना शुरू कर दिया. चार कदम भी नहीं चली थी की बारिश से मेरी छतरी पलट गयी (बाद में समझ आया की मुंबई वाले इतने बड़े बड़े छाते लेकर क्यों चलते हैं). हवा इतनी तेज़ थी की लाख कोशिश के बावजूद वो छतरी ठीक नहीं हुई. जब तक मैं कुछ सम्भलती, मैं बुरी तरह भीग चुकी थी. बारिश के पानी से बैग और जूतों को दूर रखना चाहिए. यहां तो मेरा बैग और सैंडल्स बारिश के पानी में डूब चुके थे. चश्मे से कुछ नहीं दिख रहा था क्यूंकि बारिश ने उसे भी नहीं छोड़ा.

उस दिन हिंदी  फिल्मों की हेरोइन की तरह मैं भी बारिश में खूब रोइ. बारिश की बूंदो में मेरे आंसू भी घुल गए. मुंबई आने के निर्णय के लिए कभी ईश्वर को कोसा,  कभी अपने पति को, और सबसे ज़्यादा स्वयं को. पर अब पछताय होत क्या जब चिड़िया चुग गयी खेत!

आज मुंबई में रहते हुए ये मेरी छठी बारिश है. बारिश से मेरा नाता आज भी वैसा ही है. बस अब उतना रोना नहीं आता. बारिश के लिए बैग, जूते, कपड़े सब अलग होते हैं. बड़े बड़े छाते होते हैं.

बारिश से दोस्ती तो नहीं हुई, लेकिन इस दुश्मन से झूझना अब सीख लिया है. क्यूंकि मुंबई में रहना है तो बारिश का डटके सामना तो करना ही पड़ेगा.

पर मुंबई की वो सुबह, वो बारिश और वो आंसू मैं कभी नहीं भूल सकती.


Thursday 20 September 2018

Samosa Memories - Part 1

When I was a kid, it was a general practice to order Samosas when guests came over unannounced. Otherwise mom was prepared with her pakoda batter before the guests rang the doorbell. As I loved samosas I loved guests who came unnanounced! Anyway, all I had to do was to smile and do a quick Namaste! Lol!
While guests would be counted before sending my brother to the Samosa shop, mom ensured 2-3 extra samosas would be ordered just in case a guest wanted to have a second helping. Being a foodie by birth, I obviously eyed those extra samosas. While everyone would be busy to escort the guests to their car, I would swiftly slip back in the house and gobble up the remaining samosas in no time. Such a brat I was that my greed was not just limited to the extra samosas...if a guest didn't choose to eat the Samosa, I rejoiced secretly as it meant another extra samosa in my tummy 😄

All this may sound very cheap and silly now, but I think every foodie kid is like that 
What to do, Samosas are so irresistible 😋
Pampered myself to these Samosas during teatime and remembered my childhood 






When I was a kid, it was a general practice to order Samosas when guests came over unannounced. Otherwise mom was prepared with her pakoda batter before the guests rang the doorbell. As I loved samosas I loved guests who came unnanounced! Anyway, all I had to do was to smile and do a quick Namaste! Lol! While guests would be counted before sending my brother to the Samosa shop, mom ensured 2-3 extra samosas would be ordered just in case a guest wanted to have a second helping. Being a foodie by birth, I obviously eyed those extra samosas. While everyone would be busy to escort the guests to their car, I would swiftly slip back in the house and gobble up the remaining samosas in no time. Such a brat I was that my greed was not just limited to the extra samosas...if a guest didn't choose to eat the Samosa, I rejoiced secretly as it meant another extra samosa in my tummy 😄 All this may sound very cheap and silly now, but I think every foodie kid is like that 🤣 What to do, Samosas are so irresistible 😋 Pampered myself to these Samosas during teatime and remembered my childhood 😀 #samosa #snacks #foodie #foodblog #foodblogger #food #chaat #indianfood #samosas #childhoodmemories #children #childhood #downthememorylane #shaivikafunda #memories #stories #storiesuntold #foodstory #funny
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Sunday 1 July 2018

Easy Eggless Sweet Buns

I have a very old and loving bond with sweet buns, thanks to Harvest Gold brand of North India. 

Well, as luck would have it, both my school and college were at different corners of the city. So, one way commuting used to take me atleast an hour. As both the places were very strict about entry timings, for a good 20 years of my life, I was always out of the house at 7 a.m. sharp, which meant often skipping breakfast. While mom would exercise her control during school days and hand me a dabba (tiiffin), college being IHM, no dabba was required. So I began to skip breakfast as well and always had the excuse of "who will carry the load" to answer my parents. But, parents being parents know how to have their way. So mom would often pack sandwiches in foil/tissue paper that I didn't have to carry till college. I could eat and discard the packing in any streetside dustbin. 

Then one day, when I went to buy milk with Papa, I spotted Harvest Gold sweet buns. While I asked Papa to buy me one just to try, I didn't know I would be hooked on to the taste for life! I remember until I was working in Delhi, when in hurry I would often buy a packet of sweet buns and have them for breakfast while on my way to college/work. Those days a packet of 2 buns came for just 10 bucks!

Sadly, ever since I moved to Mumbai, I haven't had them. Often when in the morning rush, I miss my breakfast I sit on my desk and wonder, "Kaash Mumbai mein bhi Harvest Gold ke buns milte" (wish we got Harvest Gold buns in Mumbai).

Then, few days ago when I was feeling lazy to prepare breakfast for Mr. Hubby, I again began to miss my sweet buns. Bas, fir kya thha, after a quick google search, I went through a few recipes, tweaked a bit and voila! I had my very own sweet buns smiling at me from the baking tray!

While most recipes used 100% All Purpose flour, I used a good amount of whole wheat flour. Also, few days ago I was shocked to know that the tooti frooti I had been loving all my life is actually raw papaya cooked in sugar syrup and coated with artificial colours! So, I used raisins and trust me, they give the buns a better flavour than tutti frutti. Most recipes I saw use milk powder however, I prefer to knead my buns with milk instead as the it gives an amazing flavour and softness to them. I also use only desi ghee as fat as I am partial to the goodness of Cow Ghee!

So, sharing the recipe for sweet buns, more so that I don't forget how I made them!

Ingredients

Instant Dry Yeast - 3/4 tbsp
Grain Sugar - 1 tbsp
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Wholewheat Flour - 1 Cup
Refined Flour - 1/2 Cup
Desi Ghee - 1 tbsp + for brushing
Powdered Sugar - 3 tbsp
Warm water - 2 tbsp for yeast activation
Warm Milk - 1 1/2 Cup + for milk wash
Raisins - 1/4 Cup

Method

1. In a bowl, take the yeast, sugar and mix well. Add warm water and mix. Cover and the let mixture rest undisturbed for 10 minutes for the yeast to be activated.


This is how the yeast looks after 10 minutes.

2. In a mixing bowl/Paraat, take the wholewheat flour, refined flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, salt and mix well. 

3. Add the activated yeast mixture. Now using warm milk, knead a soft dough. After you knead for 4-5 minutes the dough will start getting sticky. However, add the ghee to make things more manageable and knead well until the ghee gets absorbed in the dough making it soft and smooth.

4. Make an even ball of the dough by tucking all folds below and keep in a greased bowl for proving for one hour at a warm place. I use my switched off microwave to prove the dough.

After one hour, the dough has risen beautifully.

5. Dust the worktop (I used the same Paraat  that I used for kneading the dough) with some flour and gently knead and fold the bread for 1-2 minutes. Add the raisins and knead into the dough.





6. Make 5-6 balls of the mixture and keep for proving on a greased baking tray at a warm place for 30 minutes. 



This is how the buns look after second proving.


7. Brush with milk and bake in a pre heated convection oven at 200 degree Celsius for 20 minutes.

Here are the buns smiling at me from the baking tray!


These buns make up for excellent and filling breakfast on the go and even taste super yum as bun maska during teatime.



Thursday 7 June 2018

Easy Eggless Sandwich Bread

Only he can understand the joy of baking a bread, who has got his hands dirty in the bread dough! 

Bread making is therapeutic. From the day MIL and I baked our first bread, each bread that turns out great gives us a feel good factor which is difficult to understand, unless you get your hands dirty!

Let me make an honest confession. Till now it was always my MIL who was kneading the dough. In her words, kneading dough is an activity she loves soooo much that she can even wake up at 3am and knead a dough! Now, can there be a better thing than this for a lazy daughter in law like me? Yes, I am counting my blessings!

However, I wanted to do everything by myself this time around. We hadn't baked the sandwich bread so far. Mr. Hubby insisted we bake our own sandwich bread, since commercially available breads have chemicals. So, I got on to the task. 

Since I had to use the bread to prepare grilled sandwiches, I did keep a good share of all purpose flour, in addition to my favourite wholewheat chakki wala Punjabi Atta from Sion. The bread came out so well that I was beaming with pride!

Try it out and I am sure you too will stop buying bread from outside.

Ingredients

Wholewheat flour/Atta - 1 Cup
All purpose flour/Maida - 1 1/2 Cup
Instant dry yeast - 1 tbsp
Grain Sugar - 2 tbsp
Warm Milk - 1 Cup
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Water - 3-4 tbsp
Ghee/Butter - 1 tbsp for dough + 1 tbsp for greasing tin and brushing the bread

Method

1. In a clean bowl, take the sugar and instant dry yeast. Mix well.

2. Add 2-3 tbsp warm water. Mix well. Cover with a plate and keep aside undisturbed for 10 minutes. 

3. After 10 minutes, you will see that the yeast has risen beautifully.

4. In a bowl/Paraat take the wholewheat flour, all purpose flour and salt. Mix well while it is still dry.

5. Add the activated yeast mixture and knead well to form a smooth dough. After few minutes of kneading the dough will begin to stick to your hands but do not fret and continue kneading. The dough will automatically leave your hands. However, in total you will have to knead for a good 5-7 minutes to get a good dough. Also, stretch and knead the dough for good results.

6. Add 1 tbsp ghee/soft butter to the dough and knead well to form a soft dough. 

7. Shape the dough into a smooth ball with all the folds tucked below.

8. Transfer to a greased bowl. Cover with a dry cloth and keep for proving in a warm place (I use my switched off microwave oven) for about an hour or till the dough doubles.


This is how the dough looked after an hour.

9. Punch the dough in the middle to knock off the air.

10. Dust some plain flour on a clean kitchen platform/chopping board (I used the same Paraat I had used to knead the dough). Start kneading the dough by stretching and folding. 



11. After 2 minutes of kneading, spread the dough in an oval shape.

12. From one end, start rolling the dough, with soft hands but give a tight fold so as to avoid gaps in the bread. 

13. Pinch and seal the last fold and seal the sides as well.

14. Transfer to a 8" greased loaf tin. Spread the dough to cover the corners and lightly even the surface.




15. Cover with a dry cloth and keep at a warm place for proving for 30-40 minutes.

This is how the dough looked after 2nd proving.

16. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 200 degree centigrade for 10 minutes.  Then lower the heat and bake a 180 degree centigrade for 20 minutes.

17. Brush some ghee/butter on the bread as soon as it is out of the oven. Cool for few minutes and demould. Cool on a wire rack to avoid perspiration at the base. Once the bread is cooled, cut into slices and enjoy as a sandwich or just with a slice of butter. 







Few Tips

1. As soon as you are done with the yeast, wrap the packet really tight and store in refrigerator.
2. Do not disturb the yeast bowl when kept for activation.
3. Keep the warm milk handy before you start kneading the bread. I once got the milk few minutes late and my bread did not take the wait very well.
4. If you don't find a warm place to prove the bread, your oven is your saviour. No matter how the weather is, I always keep the dough bowl for proving in the empty oven (switched off, obviously!). It gives a wonderful rise plus saves accidental disturbance to the bread, in case there is space constraint or you have children at home.
5. Cool the bread completely before you cut the slices. You will get much neat slices. If you try to cut slices while the bread is still warm, there will be a lot many crumbles. If you notice my pics, you will notice few crumbles. This is because my overenthusiastic MIL couldn't resist the aroma of the bread and enjoyed a slice before the bread could cool completely. 
6. The water used to activate the yeast should neither be too hot nor too cold else the yeast won't rise. It should just be warm enough so that your fingers can tolerate the warmth. 
7. Always use good quality yeast.
8. Never ever leave the bread in the loaf tin for cooling else the bread will have perspiration at the base. Always cool on a wire rack.