Mango Madness

Sunday was relaxing and time to try some recipes. We had picked up a box of Mexican mangoes which were surprisingly good. Combine that with a picture of a tart I had seen in the train. Perfect inspiration for a Mango turnover and a Mango tart.



For the turnover, I patted a central square of a pastry sheet, ladled two teaspoons of mango pulp (alphonso), skinned slices of mango, folded over and pressed the edges. I wish I could find my edge cutter. Lightly sprayed butter. Placed in the oven along with the tart below.



For the tart, I spread out the pastry sheet, cut strips and pressed on the edges, creating sort of a tray. Patted and poked holes in the center with a fork to prevent the pastry from rising and spooned copious amounts of mango pulp. Placed on a cookie sheet and in the oven for 20 minutes (400 deg). Taking it out of the oven, I placed the mango slices and allowed to cool.

Surprisingly very simple. No added sugar, or any other thing. Just pastry sheet, and mango. Ate (and shared) while slightly warm. The turnover was delicious. The pulp had thickened in the oven and was not runny. The edges could have been sealed better. The tart was just superb. The mango slices had become warm. A scoop of vanilla icecream would have been heavenly - but we didn't have the icecream at home and I could not wait to dig in.

All in all a culinary delight!

Meet Gafar, on Colaba Causeway

My earliest memory of Gafar is either in the first or second standard, running on the foot-path in front of our home in Colaba. He would grab and hurl me up in the air. As I screamed, he would gently let me down. Tentatively I would ask him to do it again, ... and again.

Gafar tends this little hosiery stall in front of our building. At the start of every school year, all of us cousins would buy our socks, handkerchiefs, banyans and underwear at his stall. Even though his stall appears tiny, he had everything any of us needed. He knew our sizes, and would reach up and pull out a box from the shelves. It was always the right box with the correct things we needed. As we moved away to College, every visit home included a trip to his stall to stock up on necessities. Even now when I visit India, I stop by his stall and buy banyans and handkerchiefs. Now I don't lose my handkerchiefs as often, but I still pick up a dozen of the finest on every visit. I probably have 3 or 4 doz sitting in my closet drawer. Its become a tradition now!

If you walk around Colaba Causeway, you may see him standing in front of his stall. Or maybe sitting on the wooden stool in front, or maybe sipping a chai. Give him my Salaam, and buy a few handkerchiefs.

dopi

The alabaster skin was cool to the touch. As the bulbous tip of my index finger glided gently down the delicate curve, a warm sensation filled me. This was the moment I had been waiting for since I first laid eyes on her.

I caressed my finger around the rim and again marveled at the silky softness. As if attracted by a higher force, my finger tip slipped to the raised center and paused. Every cell in my body eager with anticipation, I pressed lightly. Instantly, the delicious sound in my ears confirmed I had hit the spot. My eyes lit up. ... Its going to be a looooong night.





Thank you Dada for this gift!

Family Time

My parents were visiting from India on their annual trip. So I took a few days off and just lazed around the house. Caught up on general gossip from Mumbai; what each cousin, nephew or niece is up to; as well as the recent elections, lazy garbage collectors, casual attitude of BMC corruption, and other such stuff.

With my brothers visiting as well, we caught up on the really important things such as the latest computer software, cameras, gadgets and toys. Wait till you see what my brother got me for my b’day! :)) Shopping is as always a pleasant distraction, particularly an outdoor outlet mall in Maine.

The initial concerns of ‘invasion of privacy’ were given away to a relaxing family time. Food represented the only occasional, minor source of irritation. It is no secret that I love food. But I am very finicky about what, and how much I eat. Breakfast is usually two slices of heavy whole wheat, or sourdough bread (with nutella of course), a piece of fruit serves as a snack, a cup of soup and a quick fruit yogurt for lunch and a decent dinner early in the evening. That too after a nice workout. Weekends we splurge on extending our culinary horizons. My parents were used to a large sit-down breakfast, a full-lunch and a proper dinner. While we all enjoy traditional konkani cuisine, I am just not used to eating constantly. With a house full of folks, I did not get a chance to go running or workout, so there was a constant feeling of being bloated.

But it was fun to just spend time with my family. Yesterday they left to visit my other brother in NJ and then on to the Las Vegas and Grand Canyon. Now that is life!

For me it was tough getting back to work, but I relished by bread and nutella this morning and picked up the fruit for later in the day. As I packed gym clothes in my bag, I looked forward to indulging in my other love affair later this evening!

An Accidental Life

Nothing works out as I plan; Everything turns out different, totally unexpected, beautiful and just perfect. Better than even I could have imagined, or planned. My whole life, this has been the story. Like if there is an invisible hand guiding me to do its bidding. I just do everything with my heart and soul. Where I end up is anyone's guess. But you can be very sure, its going to be just perfect. A blessed life! Lucky me!

Do you feel that way?

Novels people are reading in Boston, June 2004

A few months ago, I posted my observations on the reading preferences of commuters in Boston. With a new summer upon us, the trees have dressed up, the grass grown taller and the skirts shorter. To match pansies in bloom, toes captured for the winter in heavy boots, are finally jumping with joy, free in sandals, in bright hues and occasionally toe-rings. ***arun! focus on the topic*** My earlier observations (on the reading preferences, that is) still hold, and I further emphasize that more women appear to read novels on the train than guys. The novels appearing now are very different from a few months ago.

Here is a quick list of what people were reading on the Red-Line in Boston over the last few days. As before, this is a random sampling. Any from this list you like? The novella seemed interesting to me.

Arranged Alphabetically by title:

• Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy, (L Volokhonsky & R Pevear, Translators)
  
• The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger (Two)
  
• Dirt Music, Tim Winton
  
• Four Past Midnight, Stephen King
  
• The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices, Xinran Xue
  
• Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, Jared Diamond
  
• In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences, Truman Capote
  
• Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden
  
• The Middle East and Islamic World Reader, Marvin E. Gettleman & Stuart Schaar (Editors)
  
• One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
  
• Ruby River, Lynn Pruett
  
• The Runelords, David Farland
  
• Seabiscuit: An American Legend, Laura Hillenbrand
  
• Shopgirl: A Novella, Steve Martin & Martin Steve
  
• The Stranger, Albert Camus,
  
• Sword of Shannara: In the Shadow of the Warlock Lord, Terry Brooks
  
• To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
  

Blue Skies: Breakfast with a View; Spartanburg, SC

Visiting my uncle in South Carolina, we had breakfast with this view outside the window. Much to everyone's consternation, I had pulled the grills off the window and stepped out onto the deck to take the picture. As I tried to convince my uncle that it really was a beautiful view (and worth the antics), he was probably thinking that I needed to get my head examined. What do you think?


Nov 2003; Nikon FM3a, ISO 200 Velvia Slide

Have you listened to a book lately?

Seeing many here and on LJ discuss their book lists has gotten me feeling a bit down. I was a voracious reader of fiction through college. Now my interests are primarily non-fiction (science, macroeconomics, spirituality, art, government, etc). While I can speed-read fiction, good non-fiction needs to be savoured. Enjoy well written sentences, re-read certain paragraphs, and look-up difficult words. Then I sit back, test and absorb the concepts before moving on. No doubt I only read a few pages each day. There are at least eight books around the house with bookmarks sticking out. During my daily train rides I usually read any of about a dozen magazine subscriptions. When then do I squeeze in fiction and keep the rest of my life going?

So last week I joined an online service for audio books, Audible.com, and downloaded the near 16 hours unabridged rendition of Dan Brown’s DaVinci Code.

I see some obvious advantages and disadvantages. Considering printing presses were only invented in the late 16th century, and millenia old oral traditions, does listening make more sense? What say you?

Ragda Pattis at Kailash Parbat

Ragda Pattis and Meetha Lassi at Kailash Parbat, Colaba



Aug 2002; Canon Elan II, ISO 200 Velvia Slide
cross posted on