year of the tiger

the chinese year of the tiger started a fortnight on february 14th as per their lunar calendar.ironically, instead of celebrating such a beautiful animal, we have to fight for their survival as they they have become the most endangered species in the world. tigers reflect the health of our forests. if they survive our forests will survive too.

we all know how our tiger population is fast vanishing.we are left with 1411 tigers only as per official reports issued by the NCTA (national tiger conservation authority). jairam ramesh,environment and forest minister thinks the figure is much less and that they are diminishing day by day.one of the mangroves where the tigers live is in sunderbans in West Bengal.there is a disturbing report that in another 60 years the entire sunderbans will get completely submerged.it is a frightening thought.according to a former director of Project Tiger,the tiger population in most reserves has diminished excepting in Corbett Park in Uttarkhand.because of the high density of tigers there,there is a concerted attempt to kill them.

what a sad state of affairs. from about 44,000 tigers at the turn of the century,we are now looking at a figure of about 1000.time is running out.let us join kiran bedi and others in contributing our mite for their preservation.

join the roar and save the tigers.

one lemon,seven green chillies and a piece of charcoal.

yes,this combination can keep the evil away. if you are superstitious and think that evil eyes are being cast on you and your loved ones by some petty and jealous people, you can do what many in mumbai do. tie a lemon chilli charcoal combo and tie it up to your vehicle or the main door of your home. you will find the negative energies generated by your enemies diminishing.

rahul gandhi says it is not a bad idea when it was suggested that along the indo- china border we should tie the lemon-chilli-charcoal combo to prevent the chinese from trying to capture our territory. this is one instance where bjp also supports the congress party.

we are a superstitious lot, whether we like it or not. we run cars over lemons, we apply colyrium to our babies' eyes to ward off evil. we burn camphor in front of the gods so that no'drishti' befalls them. we also burn camphor and circambulate the camphor stand three times in front of our children so that no "bura nazar" falls on them."chashme bud dur"-kisi ki nagar na lage!

i bought this combo some time back and have kept it safely in my room. i think it is working.i might one day soon even get a german-silver vaastu/ fengshui compliant limboo- mirchi- charcoal to add to the numerous other 'totkas"(charm) that i keep, to bring me good luck. i even keep a "e-limboo" as dhrishti pariharam.

as the north indian would say "tere mukh kalo ho buri nazar waale" (oh man with evil eyes let your face be black)

backbiters

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my name is khan

i tried to see this movie on the first show on the first day at inox,nariman point.it was house full for all the shows. the whole area looked like a battlefield with the police in every nook and corner to prevent any untoward incidents courtesy shiv sen/mns. the security arrangements had to be good. after all 'congress sarkar ka izzat ka savaal tha'.

then, after a long wait we went to see it to last saturday. i liked the film. a great tear-jerker; but then it also helps to unwind like that once in a while. shar rukh khan as rizvan and kajol as mandira make an awesome pair.having met kajol recently in a function,i was pretty excited to see her in her latest movie. she did not let the audience down. her acting was superb particularly in the highly emotional scene when she cries over the dead body of her son who was killed in his school's soccer ground after the 9/11 tragedy. shah rukh does a great job as an autist affected person. actually rizvan suffers from asperger's syndrome which is a mild form of autism. albert einstein suffered from this and even bill gates is supposed to be a victim of this form of autism.

the story is pretty simple and straightforward. rizvan and his brother are brought up by their mother(zareena wahab) after the premature death of their father.rizvan's mom is particularly fond of her autist son much to the envy of his younger brother who is good in academics and goes to the usa for further studies.she teaches him that there are only two types of people in this world. good persons and bad persons.their mother dies suddenly leaving rizvan all alone in the world.the brother sponsors rizvan's visit to usa and gets him a job to sell cosmetic products in san fransisco.the asperger affected rizwan walks and talks in a different manner.he gets nervous on hearing loud noises and is terribly scared of the yellow colour.all these things bring him one day close to death. he is saved by mandira (kajol) who works in a beauty parlour. she is a single mother and has a son to whom she is very attached.

mandira is struck by rizwan's simplicity and honesty.and his intelligence.rizwan tells mandira again and again "marry me".they fall in love and get married.the son likes the new father and it is one happy family till tragedy strikes.in the 9/11 aftermath,while playing soccer the son has an altercation with some american boys.there is a fight and the killer shoots the football right in the middle of the son's stomach. his spleen is badly damaged and the boy dies.mandira feels strongly that had he not taken the name khan,the boy would have survived.she is shattered and asks rizwan to get out of her life.

he leaves and wanders from place to place.during these movements he meets an afro-american family in willamina,georgia and becomes friendly with them.later when he hears that willamina is devastated by a cyclone with many people killed,he rushes to find out whether they are alive. he does a fantastic job of helping the victims.after all his claim while travelling in the american countryside is that "i can repair anything".he has a strong mechanical aptitude and can fix any mechanical contrivance.

"my name is khan and i am not a terrorist" arouses suspicion among the fbi authorities. his passion to meet george bush,the president of usa costs him dear.he is arrested,tortured and thrown into prison.he informs the fbi about the whereabouts of the fanatic muslim rabblerouser and as a reward he gets freed.his acts of heroism in willamina gets wide tv coverage and when the newly elected president of usa obama comes to georgia,rizvan gets the opportunity of directly meeting him. later the friend of the extremist stabs him in a public gathering and rizvan fights for his life. he survives and mandira and he are back together.

produced and directed by karan johar,the movie's message is that let us all love each other.let there be no artificial walls between us.there should be no mutual hatred but only love. the music is outstanding.shankar mahadevan,ihsaan and loy mendonca have done a wonderful job.with heavy sufi flavor,the songs sung by rashid,adnan sani,shankar,shreya ghosal,ruchi sharma and others are soul-stirring. sajda,noor-e-khuda,tere naina,allah hi raham,rang de and my name is khan sung by a paksitani troupe are all melodious.cinematography is of a high order.

it is a movie worth watching.

what's life's greatest little pleasure?

"god bless the inventor of sleep,the cloak that covers all men's thoughts".-cervantes

a recent survey conducted in britain on about 3000 people by 'batchelor's cup-a-soup' puts a good night's sleep on top of the greatest little pleasures of life. can you put a price tag on these pleasures? maybe we should check with paul frijters,an australian economist who has recently worked out the value of various milestones in life.frijters has discoveered a formula to determine the cost of happiness. declared as the best economist under age 40,he says,"money has a greater effect on happiness than previously thought". if you have any suggestions on the greatest little pleasures of life, submit it to www.cupasoupmomnets.co.uk.

the top 50 greatest little pleasures as per the survey are:

1.a good night's sleep
2.finding a forgotten tenner in your pocket
3.cuddling up with a partner in bed
4.crying with laughter
5.having a lie-in
6.sleeping in newly laundered bedding
7.getting a bargain
8.making someone smile
9.catching up with an old friend
10.laughing at things that have happened in the past
11.eating a Sunday roast with your family
12.someone saying you look nice
13.curling up on the sofa with a good book and a hot drink or soup
14.discovering you've lost a few pounds
15.breakfast in bed
16.waking up thinking it's a work day and then realising it's the weekend
17.a random person smiling at you in the street
18.looking through old photo albums
19.eating a takeaway
20.first snow fall of the year
21.Singing your heart out to your favourite song in car
22.having lunch with friends
23.listening to a baby laughing
24.having a massage
25.reading a book or listening to your iPod on holiday by the pool
26.playing in snow
27.finding a pair of jeans that fit perfectly
28.being chatted up
29.a girly-night in
30.a pampering session at home
31.the smell of freshly cut grass
32.sitting in the pub with your friends
33.looking at a baby asleep in a cot
34.waking up in a room with an amazing view
35.clothes shopping
36.receiving a letter from a friend
37.fitting into an old pair of jeans again after losing some weight
38.staying up all night getting to know someone special
39.your mum's cooking
40.getting dressed up for a night out
41.watching a live band
42.drinking a cold beer after work
43.browsing in a secondhand book shop
44.going to the cinema
45.getting a new hairstyle
46.your queue being the quickest in the supermarket
47.the cold side of the pillow
48.watching a DVD
49.getting tipsy
50.popping bubble wrap. (ANI)

have a good night's sleep!

the french loaf

recently i have been visiting chennai quite frequently. twice on business and once on a personal visit in the last one month. on the business trips, i decided to try out some restaurants that i have not visited so far.my colleague and i had lunch at an ayurvedic joint. i will come to that in my next blog. during another visit,we decided to have a light lunch and after some research,we zeroed in on 'the french loaf' at harrington road chetpet. run by chennai based oriental cuisines private limited,french loaf has some 18 outlets in the country,with their dominant presence in chennai of 7 of these restaurants.their tag line is appropriately worded-"we personify the art of baking".

the ambience here is cozy with an informal atmosphere all around.one can choose to sit on stylish chairs or opt for the bar with high stools.pictures depicting various french images including the eiffel tower adorn one side-wall near the bar.the service is excellent and personal.you get a wide array of breads,pastries,cakes,baguettes and croissants all in one place. the rye bread appears to be their speciality.it has good nutritive value and fibre content. and there are quite a few variety of european cheeses too,including my favourite gouda cheese. a one stop shoppe for bread and bread products. we had a sandwich made out of whole wheat bread with mexican vegetables as filling and we topped it up with some creamy cappucino.we enjoyed it and came out feeling light but fully satiated.

the icing on the cake was a chance encounter with south indian tv star khushboo when we were leaving. a sweet end to a pleasant dining experience.

sabudana( tapioca pearl) khichdi

our cook gb is a maharashtrian. when asked to prepare poha or sabudana khichdi, she is in her elements.i must say she prepares both these dishes exceedingly well. gb also makes excellent javirisi paayasam( one of my favourite desserts). not that she is weak in preparing our favourite tambrahm dishes.having worked for over a decade with us she has attained almost perfection in preparing iyengar cuisine. yet when it is the local stuff her face lights up.

sabaudana khichdi usually prepared by maharashtrians on fasting days is light on the stomach. at the same time gives the required energy to carry on with your tasks.the success of making this depends on the soaking period of the sabudana. too little soaking time or too long soaking time can ruin your efforts. the right soaking time is learnt out of experience and varies depending on the quality of the sabudana.hence soaking is the key.

roasted peanuts ground to powder,cumin seeds,sugar,grated coconut,coriander leaves with a dash of lemon,some salt and green chillies,small cubes of boiled potatoes all together make one helluva combination. to be taken hot with a cup of yogurt and hot pickles is what the doctor recommends for lifting your spirits.

raw materials:
1 cup sabudana
1/2 tsp sugar
2 green chillies finely chopped
1/2 cup crushed groundnuts(coarse)
1 boiled & peeled potato
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp rai (mustard seeds)
1 pinch hing (asfoetida)
2 tbsp grated fresh coconut
salt to taste
some coriander leaves and or some curry Leaves

how to make it :
Wash and soak sabudana in water. for minimum 2 hrs.
chop the potatoes into small cubes. mix crushed groundnuts,sugar and salt and keep aside.
heat the oil/ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds. when the mustard seed crackle(tadka). add cumin seeds, green chillies and curry leaves.
add potatoes and stir well. mix sabudana mixture gently.
mix the grated coconut and garnish with coriander leaves.
sprinkle some lemon juice over it and serve hot.
pickles and yogurt go well as accompaniments.

i will try sabudana vadi soon. that is also something to die for.

"patra"-curried taro leaves

patra is a gujarati specialty,an icon of gujerati cuisine. flavourfull, smokey and spicy. the chief ingredient for the recipe and the way the dish is prepared is extremely interesting to watch. when I was young and had gujerati neighbours, I used to believe that the colocassia leaves were actually lotus pads. they were humongous. i surfed and tried to find an easy recipe. here it goes for those who are learners like me:

preparation time: 20 mins
cooking ime: 60 mins
serves 4

ingredients
for the patra
6 black stemmed colocassia leaves(any other big edible leaf will also do)
60 g besan
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbps jaggery
4 green chillies
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 inch piece ginger, grated
3 tsp tamarind paste
2 tsp oil
salt to taste
handful of chopped coriander leaves
for The Garnish
1 tsp grated coconut.

now the hard part:
wash and dry the leaves.grind the green chillies and ginger. sieve the besan. make a pulp with the tamarind paste and jaggery. make a thick batter with the gram flour and the pulp. add the spices and baking soda. take one leaf and place on the wrong side. spread the batter evenly over the leaf and place another smaller leaf on top of the spread batter. place yet another leaf and more batter. now roll over from the base to the tip of the leaf. repeat for other leaves. Steam for an hour in a steamer or a water bath. leave until it cools down. slice the rolls into half- inch thick slices. temper mustard seeds in oil and sprinkle these on the patra slices and saute for thirty seconds.
garnish with coconut and coriander.

have a good time making the patras.

3i

last saturday we watched '3 idiots', a comedy film, stylishly referred to as 3i. directed by raj kumar hirani,produced by vidhu vinod chopra and starring aamir khan (rancho), r madhavan. sharman joshi, kareena kapoor(pia) and boman irani(v.sahasrabudhe nicknamed virus). it is a thoroughly entertaining movie. i have not read chetan bhagat's 'five point someone'; hence,i am not able to either fuel the controversy or snuff it. the movie appeals to young and old alike. it has all the ingredients for a box-office hit combined in the right proportions.

the three musketeers do a great job. aamir khan's acting versatality is awesome. three engineering students who share a room in the hostel have joined the 'imperial college of engineering' for different reasons.one (madhavan) is fond of wild life photography but due to the insistence of his father accepts admission to the engineering college. another idiot(aamir khan) is actually extremely talented while working with any machine/contraption. engineering is in his veins but he is unconventional and is against the system of roting. the third one (sherman joshi) like the first idiot pursues engineering studies so that he will be able to pull his family out of the morass of poverty.

there is lot of fun in the competition that rancho has with the USA returned classmate (chatur ramalingam nicknamed 'silencer') who always comes second but wants to be the topper at any cost. the story is compelling and there is no dull moment. though there are no great songs,music is good. choreography is excellent and hirani's direction is outstanding. he continues in the same standard set by himself in the munnabhai series.boman irani(virus) as the autocratic head of the engineering college puts in an extraordinary performance. kareena kapoor does not have much of a role as the daughter of the principal who eventually falls in love with rancho (aamir khan)- the achilees heel of the principal.the scene where kareena uses the webcam to instruct rancho to help in the delivery of her elder sister's baby and the vaccum cleaner brought in to create a vaccum for the delivery of the child though very funny is quite original and creative.the child is stillborn but rancho breathes into the baby's mouth and resuscitates it.virus reconciles with the three idiots,allows them to take their exams and they all graduate.rancho is the topper and virus gifts him his coveted pen which he has been keeping for years only to hand over to a worthy match.raju rastogi (sherman joshi) and farhan (madhavan) share the booby prize between themselves.

the movie starts as a flashback when 'silencer' who had challenged rancho to meet exactly after ten years after their graduation to exchange notes to see who has been more succesful in their careers sees no sign of rancho at the pre-decided place of meeting. the other two idiots are summoned by text messages by the 'silencer' to jointly go in search of rancho who supposedly is in simla.the chase ends in ladakh where the genius rancho has settled down. he teaches the local school children while continuing his profession as a scientist.he has won many awards and has numerous patents to his credit.'silencer' is humbled when he realises that rancho is none other than the famous scientist(phunsukh wangdu) with whom he had drawn up an agreement to jointly start a business. he accepts defeat finally.

in sum, a great entertainer which deserves all the smashing records in the box office.as rancho says in the movie,"if you really want to do something to become someone in the world,don't run after money.create ideas that change the world. money will follow. well said aamir. tussi great hai.

if you haven't seen it yet, just drop everything and make a beeline to your nearest multiplex.you will not regret it.

walking cherrymango is good for health

the british government recommends half an hour of cardio-vascular exercise three to five times a week to stay fit as a fiddle. they have now come out with a surprising finding that most of the british dog owners take their pets for a walk twice a day on normal weekdays for about an average of 24 minutes each totalling 5 hours and 38 minutes.also that there are three longer outings every week that add another 2 hours and 33 minutes to the grand total.that places them in a better position than those who do their rigorous exercises . walking mango & cherry is good for me and my better half. many prefer to take their dogs for a walk over gym workouts. the moral of the story is that pets are good for health besides being friendly and helpful companions.

arbi (colocasia) fry

known as seppaankizhangu in tamil and arbi in hindi, it is a delectable root vegetable. in kerala it is an extremely popular vegetable and used as even a main staple food. in gujerat,the leaves of arbi are used to prepare a dish called "patra" which consists of tamarind and other spices. used in morekuzhambu (buttermilk kuzhambu) and in plain kozhambu as a vegetable,it is perhaps most liked as a deepfried curry in tamil nadu and known as seppankizhangu vadhakkal.

the skin of arbi is not edible. therefore, after pressure cooking without any water,the skin has to be peeled off. it is very simple to make but needs a bit of caution so that the vegetable does not get overheated.

take 1/2 kg oil,4 tsp salt 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder and a bunch of curry leaves. boil the arbi in a pressure cooker.it has to become very soft. then allow it to cool and peel the skin.heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and add mustard seeds and green chilli.add urad dal when it splutters.when urad dal is roasted you can add the arbi taking care that you add them slowly and also mix them gradually so that they get an even coat of oil. then add chillipowder,salt,turmeric powder,sambar powder (you can even add 2 tsp of besan), a pinch of asfoetida and fry until it takes a golden brown colour.add curry leaves and stir.

what you have cooked is truly heavenly stuff.though it goes well with chapati,it is normally eaten alongwith sambhar or rasam.

a fine dining experience-'the dome' and the 'corleone'

my cousin from the us was on a business trip to india. i missed him the previous week when he arrived as i was travelling to chennai for my niece's wedding.while returning to the us,he stopped by at mumbai for a day which gave us an opportunity to meet. we planned for drinks at my place and a quiet meal in some good restaurant. we had a few things to discuss in privacy and i thought "the intercontinental" which is near home would be an apt choice. we first went to the "dome" which is at the rooftop to quench our thirst. the "dome" offers a fantastic view of the arabian sea. the ambience is superb and from the bar one gets a breathtaking view of the queen's necklace. post drinks, we decided to have dinner at the 'kabab korner' situated on the first floor."kabab corner" is one of my regular haunts. their service and food are excellent. my favourite steward is jaspal singh who does his best to keep a vegetarian like me happy and well-fed in a restaurant where most of the guests are eating nonvegetarian stuff.he makes it a point to get me hot and mouth-watering vegetarian kababs. as the decision to go to intercontinental was impromptu,i didn't book in advance and when we reached there from the "dome" we found the place was full. though there were a few empty tables they were all reserved. regretably,we left the place and went over to 'corleone' situated next to "kabab corner".

'corleone' is intercontinental's signature italian restaurant. i had never visited this place earlier. i thought i was taking a big risk. but my maiden experience proved otherwise. the ambience in 'corleone' is awesome,the sicilian food truly delectable and the service excellent. there were very few guests in the restaurant which meant that we could have our conversation peacefully. we ordered a plate of risotto and penne arrabbiata which we both liked. in italian, arrabbiata means angry.the arrabbiatta we ate was a roman sauce of tomatoes,garlic,red chili and basil cooked in olive oil.it was served with wheat tubular pasta and some fresh parsley sprinkled on top. the taste was hot and fiery and i liked it. the arrabbiata made me very calm. my cousin enjoyed the food as well though he might have liked it less spicy and less hot.

the restaurant is named after a small sicilian town which has the ignominy of being the birthplace of most of the 'mafiosi'. why this name was chosen is anybody's guess.

the carbon billionaire

you might think that i am hung up on billionaires after two recent postings on this subject and yet another one now. actually,for the first time,i came across the words carbon billionaire.i was intrigued and wanted to know what it meant. a tag which has been given to al gore, ex vp of usa and one who almost became president. he has taken up the cause of saving the planet.he has been relentlessly pursuing this cause and has travelled extensively all over the world to spread the awareness of climate change and the impact it can have on people and their lives.

he has also invested heavily in green companies. those companies that work for reducing pollution and making the planet greener and a safer place to live in for future generations.the projects these companies have taken up are solar power,biofuels,sustainable fish farming,waterless lavatories.his fortune has already risen from 1.2 million pounds to about 60 million pounds. these companies are all likely to become extremely profitable over time and that would give al gore excellent returns. in anticipation of this windfall al gore is likely to get,the us press is now referring to him as the first carbon billionaire. he very recently hit back at global warming sceptics who are labelling him the first "carbon billionaire" from his earnings as an investor in green technology. he dismissed them as "global-warming deniers". if all the carbon trading mandates go through in the next five years al gor they say would have multiplied his money multifold.

for the last eight years al gore has been a powerful advocate of government policies to limit carbon dioxide emissions. his latest book, 'our choice: a plan to solve the climate crisis' and a sequel to his earlier work, which was also a successful film, entitled 'an inconvenient truth' is being released very soon. his new book which expected to become a new york best seller,emphasises the need for political will if anything is to be effectively done on climate change. he covers a wide range of subjects like forest management,nuclear energy for generating power,geo thermal energy etc. these subjects were discussed and debated by him with likeminded experts which he refers to as "solution summits".

with the approaching copenhagen talks on climate change al gore's stock is likely to rise further.some of his critics ask whether his advocacy for reducing pollution has anything to do with swelling his own coffers. he is also a partner in a venture capital firm which has heavily invested in companies that are developing alternative energy sources and technologies which are energy-efficient.

al gore lobbies powerfully with members of the us congress for passing strict emission laws. sceptics who believe that this whole earth warming is all highly exaggerated, wonder whether he is doing all this for piling up a huge fortune.there is no altruism they say. recently al gore reacted to a critic by saying that if she thought greed was at play she didn't know him.

we need some al gores in india. i would like to see some carbon crorepatis in india who like al gore will push relentlessly the cause of climate change. our country would be a better place to live in.

extreme billionaires

i had not heard of this expression ever before.my interest aroused,i researched a bit on the net to find out who are these people and why are they called extreme billionaires.they have money pouring out of their ears;but,they are bored with the hobbies of daily life.they are looking for major adventures and risky endeavours.things that give them a kick,a rush of adrenalin in their blood so to say.

one such guy is guy laliberte.he is the billionaire founder of a psychedelic entertainment group.he blasted into space on a russian rocket at a cost of us$ 35 million (rs170 crores).his trip lasted 12 days which included a nine-day stay at the international space station.he put on a 2 hour web show featuring himself in space and featuring some celebrities on earth.laliberte worked rigorously to pursue this hobby.he learnt russian,underwent intense cardiovascular training to get into space shape,mastered the use of instruments on the space vessel.

maverick ceo richard branson is another example of an extreme billionaire. he is creating his own private space agency.his travel company virgin galactic will start carrying passengers out of the the earth's atmosphere in 2011. cost of ticket? 200,000US$.(rs 1 crore). total flight time will be 2.5 hours like from mumbai to kolkata. branson has broken many records on sea and in air.

there are others in this extreme billionaires' gallery. roger penske the mughal of auto racing,larry ellison the founder of oracle and ernesto bertarelli who do extremes just to get the thrill.

beyond money, it is self-actualisation that these people seem to crave for.

the indian curry is 'world's healthiest meal'

gurpareet bains is a 32 year-old anglo-indian chef and a british nutritional therapist who has created the 'world's healthiest meal'. the meal consists of a chicken and blueberry curry with goji berry(the himalayan superfood) and pulao rice. it is claimed that it is a superfood that can help fight cancer.while the spicy chicken meal does the job of fighting the cancerous cells,others like ginger,chili,turmeric and garlic which are known for their antibacterial and antiviral properies do their respective jobs and in aggregate the meal can take on diseases like dementia,alzheimer's and cancer. each serving is supposed to contain the nutritional equivalent of 49 helpings of spinach,23 bunches of grapes or nine proportions of brocolli.it is according to experts 20 times more nutritious than any specially formulated healthy meal.the winning factor appears to be the combination of two genres of food stuffs-spices and fruits, both known for their exceptional health benefits.it took the indian "superfood" pioneer almost two years to make the meal perfect.

the scientific measurement of antioxidant in foods is done on a ORAC scale(oxygen radical absorbance capacity).this superfood contains 25,000 ORAC units.salads which come under the healthy foods umbrella have less than 5000 ORAC units. and do you know that a single teaspoon of cinnamon is the equivalent of two portions of grapes or a glass of fresh pomegranate juice? gurpreet has carefully chosen all the ingredients. for example,chicken has low fat.chilli helps relieve pain.turmeric keeps the heart,brain and joints healthy.

bye bye to greasy curry. welcome the new superfood.and await the best development chef's indian superfood cookery book showcasing the best in our superfoods and superspices. gurpreet bains is currently chef at 'indian superfood' and lives in bedford,uk.

the curry and rice according to food critics tastes pretty good.and costs only about rs 200 per portion.

millionaires,billionaires and trillionaires

lakhpati and crorepatis are terms used for the rich in india.the former is for those whose wealth is more than a lakh of indian rupees. and the latter for those whose wealth runs into crores (one crore is equal to 100 lakhs).in the old days you could count on your fingers the number of crorepatis in india. today there are a dime a dozen.some have earned their riches using their entrepreneurial skills and with a lot of hard work,determination and luck.while others have made it on the fast lane by crookish means.the recent revelation of madhu koda,ex chief minister of jharkhand state is a case in point. rs 2500 cr scam says the cbi. it is surely much more than all that.he has swiss bank accounts,mines in liberia,companies in thailand and vietnem. that a tribal who started life as a porter could reach such dazzling heights of fortune in a very short period shows that there is something radically wrong in our system which is not able to detect such cases of fraud much earlier.

like these indian terms for the super rich,the english and americans have coined the words millionaire and billionaire.i thought till recently that the word trillionaire did not exist. when i googled to check whether i was right, i found a list of trillionaires too! (100 billion dollars). that is what is called mindboggling wealth.in the us and europe too some have earned their money rightfully while others have illgotten wealth. after all, greed like many other human qualities is universal.

kela kofta curry(fried raw banana dumplings in a thick gravy)

kofta is a vegetarian alternative to meatballs.a few days ago,i asked my cook whether he can prepare some kaccha kela(raw banana) kofta curry.i had read about it in some magazine and desired to taste a well cooked kela kofta curry. our guest house cook,rao,is a quick learner and quite a talented guy and is able to spin out some remarkable stuff. this latest desire of mine was met with great success. i found it tasty and it went well with the chappatis and basmati rice that i ate alongwith.

here is a recipe which i picked up on the internet and passed it on to rao. if you are interested in whipping one up, you may try it.. it is not difficult to make.only you have to be careful while making the kofta.

ingredients for kofta

raw bananas- 500 gm
besan- 2 tablespoons
green chillies-2 to 3 cut into small pieces
ginger-1 inch long
green coriander-i table spoon
paneer-100 gm
salt to taste
oil-to fry the koftas

ingredients for the curry:

tomatoes--250 gm
green chillies-2 to 3
ginger-1 inch long
cashew 25(soak in water for i hour)
cream- 2 tablespoons
asfoetida-1 pinch
jeera-half teaspoon
turmeric powder-half teaspoon
dhaniya powder-1 teaspoon
red chilli powder-quarter teaspoon
salt to taste
garam masala-quarter teaspoon
green dhaniya-1 table spoon

method for the kofta:
boil the raw bananas in a pressure cooker. mash the bananas after they are well boiled.add besan,green mirchi,ginger,green dhaniya,paneer and salt.mix it up well. pour oil in a frying pan and heat.put the balls in the frying pan and keep on turning them till they turn brown.your kofta is now ready.

method for the curry:
grind finely the tomatoes,green chilli and ginger in your mixy.keep this paste separately in a bowl.
grind the cashews fine in the mixy.add cream and grind again. add oil into the frying pan and heat it up.add asfoetida and jeera and then add add turmeric poder and dhaniya powder after the jeer starts bursting. add the tomato paste kept in the bowl. add cashew cream paste and red mirchi powder and keep on mixing till the oil is fully exhausted. add 1 glass water in the masala and boil add salt and garam masala and mix well.now add the kofta in the mixture and allow to cook. in five minutes the koftas will become soft.

now the kela kofta curry is ready. dress with green coriander and voila! have fun.

in praise of idleness

idleness has its virtues. i have found that from practical experience. and not knowing what to do sometimes is very relaxing and destressing.i, therefore, recommend to every one to develop the habit of being lazy. but please don't go overboard on this recommendation. indulge in this luxury only at times. i am not espousing the cause of permanent laziness.

like getting up quite late on certain days,having coffee in bed,skipping your shave, enjoying a few mugs of chilled beer before lunch,having a siesta in the afternoon,listening to some soothing classical music and spending time in a spa in the evening.and playing with your children/grandchildren before going to bed.

and thanks to the latest gadget which prepares breakfast automatically you are in for some pampering for being lazy.
an omlette,toast,freshly squeezed orange juice and a cup of hot coffee-all by just pressing a button.design teacher 26 year old yuri suzuki and masa kimura of japan have designed and developed a fully automated 45 feet long real life breakfast machine.it is targetted at lazy people.the project cost suzuki only about 900 pounds sterling which is equivalent to about Rs 63,000.

suzuki,who studied in the royal school of arts,london says that he was inspired by hollywood films to create this cracking machine. almost eight decades ago,writer-philosopher bertrand russell in his eponymous essay,"in praise of idleness",provided all lazy guys a quote to justify their indulgence. he had a deeper meaning to convey though. he felt that the very purpose of the industrial revolution was getting negated. instead of lightning our burden and taking off our load of mundane activities,the new machines were only increasing our workload. instead of sitting and relaxing,man was working 24 x 7.

the creation of suzuki and kimura perhaps will to some extent ease our lives and may sooth bertrand russell in his grave.
the breakfast machine is fine.but how many have the space to put such a long machine in their homes? can not the design team of suzki and kimura condense it to a much smaller size?

perhaps,it may be a winner then.

a chinese deepavali

the title is an oxymoron.how can there be a chinese deepavali one would ask. after all,isn't deepavali a hindu festival? but then can you imagine a deepavali without chinese firecrackers. you cannot. 90% of the world's firecrackers are made in china. in liuyang city. and 80% of fircrackers made in india are manufactured in a small,dirty town south of temple town madurai called sivakasi,and some biggies have chinese consultants to help them improve their product profile and productivity. sivakasi entrepreneurs are a smart lot. they are now tieing up with chinese firms like jin yi fireworks,hangzhou international and zhezhang fireworks to obtain technology transfer and make firecrackers at low cost,higher volumes and of good quality.

the chinese have a long history of crackermaking.some sivakasi manufacturers have setup shop in china and from there they export the world over. exports from india are banned. like during ganesha or durga puja many of the idols are chinese made,crackers made for deepavali have a chinese stamp on them.

the birthplace of fireworks is generally recognized as china. the first explosive mixture- black powder was found when the sungs ruled china ( 960-1279 ). the story goes that a cook in ancient china found that a mixture of sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal was very flammable and would explode if enclosed in a small space. the first application of this formula was for entertainment. as they say there was no looking back after this invention for the chinese.the chinese are the undisputed leaders in the production of fireworks. once the recipe for black powder was perfected, they found that it was easily used as rocket fuel, and they made hand carved wooden rockets in the shape of a dragon. these rockets shot rocket powered arrows from their mouth, and were used against the Mongol invaders of 1279. the principle behind these rockets is still used in rocket powered fireworks today.until the 19th century, fireworks lacked a major aesthetically essential characteristic: color. pyrotechnicians began to use a combination of potassium chlorate and various metallic salts to make brilliant colors. the salts of these metals produce the different colors: strontium burns red; copper makes blue; barium glows green; and sodium, yellow. magnesium, aluminum, and titanium were found to give off white sparkles or a flash.the science of pyrotechnics has now advanced greatly in germany and italy.

besides causing us sleepless nights by their claims in arunachal pradesh,buiding a dam across brahmaputra and intrusions along our borders,the chinese have also seeped into our religious and social events by providing modern and cheap idols and crackers for our religious festivals.new delhi has many feng shui stores scattered over the city selling idols of goddess lakshmi and ganesha.feng shui which symbolises channelising positive energy has another popular item-the shri yantra which is supposed to bring prosperity to the family. and the chinese have also adopted some of our food habits.consultants(there are about 50 of them in sivakasi) like wong chong liu love their idlis,vadas and dosas.

we better beware of the chinese dragon or sumo wrestler.it is an untrustworthy cracker.we might end up burning our fingers.

the princes of orissa

22nd august is a day which orissans will not easily forget. a dance troupe from berhampur,a sleepy little town in east orissa,created a sensation,by winning the first prize in the 'india has got talent'reality show conducted by the colors channel.'yes,we can' was the mental power that drove the 26-member troupe of students,daily wage earners,small-time traders and two polio-affected children.the leader of the group is krishna mohan reddy under whom the group displayed mindboggling synchronization and dazzling choreography.

without any formal training in dance or theatre they put up an awesome performance with their presentation of 'dashavatara'-the ten incarnations of lord vishnu.and they won a cash award of rs 50 lakhs and a car.

earlier, a huge sms campaign was unleashed by bureaucrats,film stars,corporate houses and the general public in orissa to send favourable votes. even the chief minister openly campaigned for this group's success in the finals.
shekhar kapur,sonali bendre and kiron kher were in tears and spellbound to see the performance of these troupe members mostly from the lower sections of society.

nothing succeeds like success.the orissa government has decided to send them to london and new york in order to enable them "to gain more ideas about dance art."
the expenses will be borne by the orissa mining corporation.
the prince troupe has plans to set up a dance school with part of the rs 50 lakhs that it has won.well done princes,keep it up.