Sunday, September 20, 2009

Hungry ????

Guys (sorry gals, i m not a sexist but you would have better options :)), what do u do when, on a nice, sunny, lazy Sunday afternoon, you find yourself starving and craving for good, healthy, home cooked meal; something other than ready to eat meals, pastas, jacket potatoes, baked beans, curd-rice etc.


I was in one such dire straits (which unfortunately is the case every 6 hours with me here in Swansea :)) today ... and was contemplating to go to a nearby (so called) Indian restaurant. That’s when heavens decided to smile my way and help me out of today's craving. I was unexpectedly enlightened and like a programmed robot went to the kitchen and prepared a finger licking, hunger satisfying, scrumptious and healthy feast... I am jotting down the recipe below … so mates, go confront your hunger with this weapon …

Besides, friends, I am sure most of you all will be tempted to lift this recipe and post in your blogs or forward it to many others… (ceedy, I know that by now, you would have also thought of a nice title for posting this recipe on ambrosia ) … Don’t worry peepz, please feel free to spread this recipe without any fear of plagiarism … I believe that GOD has enlightened me so that I can pass this life saving message to as many hungry, helpless and lonely souls … I think I was the chosen ONE for this noble deed.

I request not that credit be given to me for this recipe when you guys spread it but I do request you all to ensure that my fiancĂ© doesn’t come to know that I can do something in the kitchen. Hope you all understand the repercussions of that. :)

So, here goes the recipe:

  • Take half an average sized onion and dice it finely,
  • Take one average sized tomato and chop it into tiny pieces,
  • Take half capsicum (green pepper) and chop that too finely,
  • Take some cucumber and cut it into small thin pieces,
  • Take 2 bowls of sev mamra* in a big salad bowl
  • Add the chopped stuff into the salad bowl
  • Sprinkle some salt and some chat masala to that
  • Take 8-10 pieces of grapes (not too sour not too sweet ones) and chop it into small bits and add them to the salad bowl
  • Mix the contents in the bowl well
  • Squeeze half a lemon into the bowl (readymade lemon juice can be a substitute:)) (aint I talking like Sanjeev Kapoor ??? :P)
  • Mix the contents in the bowl well again …
  • Now sprinkle just a small amount of sev as garnishing (coriander leaves would be a good idea too but I didn’t have it at home:))
  • Take a glass of Tropicana Orange Juice (not the plain one but the one with pieces of orange) to drink while relishing the feast.

Now savor your meal directly from the salad bowl. I repeat DO NOT transfer contents in another plate or bowl to eat; eat directly from the salad bowl. This enhances the taste and reduces the number of utensils to be washed :)

Well, the dish can be called as BHEL … actually SUKI BHEL (dry BHEL, since there are no chutneys). Remember that the grapes and lemon squeeze deliver the killer punch.

Cheers peepz,
~ hiren

*sev mamra = "kurmura + sev (in hindi)", "puffed rice + spicy dry indian gram noodles (in english) :D"

P.S. My naivety is so obvious in writing up recipes … I should have clicked a picture of the bhel to augment my recipe … but I was too starved to NOT to eat and click pictures for the blog :P Maybe next time when heavens decide to smile my way again :)

12 comments:

Serendipity… said...

Wow!!! You make it sound like the Bhel that Taj might serve its firang guests!:))
Poonam should know about your culinary skills... :)
U sure will make a good cook if you take it up as a career! :P

J said...

Hiren..you are multi-skilled. One more feather in your cap.
Hope you would remember this skill once you are back :)
Someone would like to see this skill being utilized more frequently..hehe

Poonam said...

Hiren, now that i know u can prepare bhel,we can have that for meals more frequently ;)i love bhel ,sev puri..Hiren ke haath ki chai, bhel...lucky me :)

Mysterious Mia said...

@hiren

I cudnt stop laughing reading the post and am glad poonam knows u can make bhel...come on :)

btw its navaratri time, r there no dandiya festivals where u can binge around or am i asking the wrong question?k

Hiren said...

@Manallii -> Taj ka cook ... hmmm .... i m sure he must earn much more than i do ... and roj mast khaana bhi ... i will surely give it a thought ;)

Hiren said...

@bhaven -> when i come back i will leave my cap with all its feathers back here in the UK :P

Hiren said...

@Poonam -> what? where? kya ????? :)

Hiren said...

@Anvita -> glad that my post made you laugh ... that was the main intention behind this post ... humour ... :)

no yaar ... no dandiya this time ... there are hardly any indian communities arnd here ... hope u are having fun doing garba on tamil and english songs :) :)

btw how is ur gujju learning coming along ??

ceedy said...

Hehe - ok I will post this to Ambrosia - I think you give me an idea to do a series on Survival Food for the Lonely....(now do I sound like deepak chopra :P)

And next time add some dadam (pomegranate), kaachi keri (sour mango), roasted garlic in butter or olive oil (that is if you want to go anti jain)........

BTW I assume that you have taken these exotic items to firang desh....

Scribblers Inc said...

Hiren, my man!! How have you been? Besides snacking on Indian fare in the land of the queen!! :D

Scribblers Inc.

KP said...

new post plz??

Juls said...

have been reading all your posts today (ofcourse for the second time), seems it has been a year you wrote...long time!
awaiting a new post!!!