Curd based delicious foods like mishit doi, boondi raita and lassi

Milk and milk products have a good balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate and are a very important source of essential nutrients. In some places, milk is taken in the raw and children hate the very thought of gulping it down. They need to be coaxed into drinking it and for this, the parents resort to various tactics. These include use of additives like chocolate. In order to do this effectively, ad agencies come into the picture and introduce children who boast about various after effects like become taller, stronger and more energetic than others. When it comes to elders in the family, milk and milk products take a different shape. Very few of them drink milk in the original form unless they fall sick and the doctor prescribes something like a ‘glass of warm milk’ at bedtime. Yogurt (or dahi or mishti doi) is an important byproduct of milk and it lends itself easily to a number of tasty food items. 11 Things You Can Make With Yogurt. Raita and lassi are easy to prepare and very popular.

Raita is usually a side dish and ingredients can vary. Ingredients for a vegetable raita are usually finely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onion and chili. These are mixed in the bowl of curd with salt and sugar to create a heavenly taste. The combination is served in small containers for consumption on as required basis. Their addition to normal dishes helps to improve the overall taste. Another raita is of boondi. These are small roundals made of a mixture of besan (powdered chana dal) and water to make a batter. This batter is then passed through a sieve so that drops fall into hot oil and get fried. These end up as crisp roundals that are slightly larger in size than homeopathic globules. The process of making raita with this boondi is simple. Take a bowl of beaten curd along with additives like chopped green chili, coriander leaves, salt, powdered black pepper and a pinch of sugar. Once the mixture is ready, add a fistful of boondi and stir them to create a dish fit for the King. Some add pink pomegranate seeds to make the raita more colorful.

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Lord Shiva pities the people who try to beat the heat (satire)

It was afternoon and Lord Shiva had finished his lunch. Then, with nothing much to do, he took the binoculars and sat beneath the shade of the banyan tree. He began to peer at the people on the streets.
Durga has also sidled up to him.
‘What do you see?’ she asked.
‘People who are trying to beat the heat,’ Shiva replied.
Durga laughed.
‘It is summer and bound to be hot and humid – it’s an annual phenomenon and people should get used to it. This is planet Earth and it will always be hot in summer.’
‘Still they love to listen to the weather man who is always serious,’ Shiva muttered. ‘His prophecies are meaningless because no one can predict the weather.’
‘Don’t blame him, he has a duty to perform,’ Durga said. ‘He is employed by the Met Department and has to have his say. Anyway – what do you see happening down below?’

‘Roads look deserted, umbrellas are in plenty, the women have their faces covered, there are queues in front of stalls selling cold drinks, there is a rush for lassis and even sugarcane juice and plain water with a dash of nimbu – a mockery for nimbu pani.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘From the look on the faces of those who are buying it.’
‘Focus on the banks of the Hoogly – what do you see?’
‘Right now it all looks empty.’
‘But – things would be totally different if there was some cricket match,’ Durga said. ‘People are crazy for cricket. Moody should declare it as the national game and ask his sports ministry to take it over and introduce a uniform policy for players.’
‘You mean he should ask the players to wear uniforms? Like khaki half pants?’
‘That is a possibility,’ Durga said. ‘Right now there is a gross disparity in their earnings. Those who do not perform earn much more than those who do. And – there is no age limit.’
‘That is the problem,’ Lord Shiva sighed. ‘The summer heat is on the rise – a result of deforestation and industrialization. The extent of pollution is going out of control. Why do they not stop manufacturing automobiles?’
Suddenly Vishwakarma materialized from nowhere.
‘Please do not interfere in my affairs,’ he cautioned Lord Shiva. ‘Industry is my headache, not yours.’ (to be continued …)


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Kanpur and its freezing cold winters and scorching hot summers

Life in Kanpur was a sort of revelation for me in many ways. One thing was mobility which was ensured by two wheelers – in the 1960s, two wheelers meant bicycles because motorized two wheelers were the privilege of a select few. One of them was a friend of mine who had received in his dowry. He hailed from Bihar and early marriage in that part of the country was quite common.
Another of my friends bought an old Harley Davidson at an auction and would spend hours repairing it to make it roadworthy. He actually did make it serviceable and would ride it to the factory.
Anyway, Kanpur is well known for its extremes of weather because in winter, the temperature drops to near freezing point while in summer, it would become unbearably hot.
Summer meant air coolers to keep the rooms cool, and, everyone tried to complete all outdoor activities either early in the mornings of in the evenings. If they had to go out during the day, they would have to take precautions – there would be special green mango sherbets available on the roadside shops or lassis. If nothing else, there would be fresh lime sherbets to provide temporary relief from the summer heat.
Then there would be the sudden andhi or dust storms.
I had stayed for a few months in the quarters of J K Colony in Chakeri and saw that during summer, people slept in the open, under the sky. As evening fell, they would bring out their cots (better known as charpois), keep the portable lamp nearby and also an earthen pot of water. Then the radio would be tuned to Vividh Bharti and the families would have their dinner as they listened to the filmi songs. Dinner over, they would retire beneath the mosquito nets.
This schedule was followed by young and old alike – yes, even the newlyweds!!
In winter, the situation changed completely. It was all indoors with the heaters on – those who did not have room heaters would go in for ovens. And – to keep out the cold, the quilts and blankets would come out along with the pullovers, mufflers, monkey caps, gloves – yes, woolen gloves was necessary to ensure that the fingers did not freeze while cycling. (to be continued …)

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