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 fiancé 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 :)

Got no LOVE ???

Got no love ... don’t chaa worry now ... your problem ends right here...

Stumbled upon this smirky picture today ... seems that there is a desi version of the hitch budding somewhere in Karjat ... no, wait.... my apologies ... that position’s already taken by our Sallu miya ... okay maybe this guy (just a convenient assumption or writer’s liberty ... I am by no means a male chauvinist, this can very well be a gal :)) is an updated sophisticated version of the good old Baba Bengali ... “prem ki samasya? pyaar ka ijhaar? kisi bhi samasyaa ke liye sampark kare” types ;)

And come to think of it ... these guys are a touch better than our cinematic love gurus WS & SK ... they not only stop at getting two people in love.... but also guarantee the marriage ... talk about value added services :) Move away shaadi.com ... arranging a marriage is outdated ... :)

have fun friends !!!

ciao
~ hiren

P.S. if anyone of you actually end up using their services please let us know about the experience ... it would be very interesting to hear the customer testimonials ;)

** Disclaimer**
I haven’t started any such side business as an aftermath of the USA subprime crisis and this is not a marketing post :) I am in no way related to the business shown above ... for further details and clarifications please contact the numbers mentioned in the above photo... :)

JoJhol

I am back to end another of self imposed exiles of sorts by writing about Jo-Jhol ... nay... this has got nothing to do with the "Namesake" character Gogol ... this is a creative union of names of my friend aka “Jhol” and his latest* love interest “Jo” (as he likes to call her) …

I won’t bore ya’all by writing the nitigrities of their love isstory (read as none of us “close” friends too were aware of any of the happenings until his avowal very recently :)) ... just that this incident has reinstated my faith in a couple of maxims; so jotting those down on ma blog for the benefit of rest of my single friends …

--> Keep trying unless you succeed ...

Almost on the verge of giving away his dream (the one that he was dreaming since his adolescence days) of a love marriage; to the extent that he had also seen 3-4 girls following the dreaded process of arranged marriage (add to it he had met girls from remote places outta mumbai too :))... but then this kamina was still trying to pataofy girls ... and (unfortunately for Jo :)) he finally succeeded after 10 years** …. So friends, never lose hope and give up; success might just be round the corner J … (Always have the story of King Bruce and the Spider going on at the back of your mind …)

--> Destiny can strike out of the blue ...

Things that are meant to be are just meant to be … and totally unexpected situations can lead to what is destined which in itself is unbelievable until it happens … like who would have thought that two people from vastly different cultures and backgrounds, who have met in person just for handful number of days and are sited about 650 kms apart would decide to spend the rest of their life together …

hmmmm … will end this post with hearty Congratulations to Jhol & Jo and wish them luck for an awesome life together.

ciao friends n take care,
hiren

* use of the word “latest” here is intended to mean recent just in context of time and not in numeric context; although people knowing Jhol might want to disagree :P

** 5 in college + 5 at workplace. Efforts below the age of 18 do not count, so school & junior college years not considered.

P.S. 1: Real identities concealed only after extreme pleading by Jhol :) (m writing this with a smirky & devilish smile on my face ;)) & all brutes who might get itchy to cash on this post for their sadistic pleasures are forewarned not to reveal true names in the comment section …else they might face severe consequences (jhol dost, don’t worry, I will set the comment section to be moderated:))

P.S. 2: Most important of all; no one is allowed to use this post and write comments to the effect of giving advice to me for settling down etc etc …. In short no comments about me getting married and all will be entertained. :)