Sunday, May 31, 2009

Bhandang To Spice Up Life

This picture is to remind myself of the chanawala at Fort who sat at a height in the shop and measured out "Sher" of the roasted chana, peanuts or puffed rice and handed out paper bags full to the customers standing on the road as they strained their neck to look up at him. Those shops have vanished from Mumbai city's landscape.

Zoom in today...The rains have started in Blr and the evenings are cold and wet. Bhadang is what puts you in a good mood.

Spicy puffed rice and tea with a warm Chimi cuddled behind me as I work on my laptop, is a recipe for a perfect evening.

I have been singing to her...

Ek Chimi chotisi,
dekho karti hai kaisi,
usko chahiye bas...
huggy huggy aur kissy kissy !!
She loves to spread out leisurely on the floor or cuddle in her bed. Intermittently rushes to me for a cuddle and some lick licks. When I am cooking she is next to me with the forepaws on the counter supervising my cooking.

Yesterday she managed to take away 2 slices of bread even after she had her dinner. I was making Dad's and mine. I am quite watchful but she sneaked them away so I broke up the slices into bits and put it in her bowl. It is better to legalize some behavior :), what say?


In general life is spiced up a bit. Besides Chimi's cutesy pampering there is pampering from another quarter so am thrilled. I am excited, can't wait for tomorrow morning, will tell you why but that is for later.

Chalo, but I can share this spicy Bhadang with you right away. Go get a steaming hot cuppa.

Ingredients

1/2 kg Puffed rice, thick variety
1 cup peanuts
1/4 cup roasted and split chickpeas/ dahale
5-6 green chilies chopped
1/ cup curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 tablespoon oil
salt to taste

The star ingredient
4-5 pieces of Kokum or 1 teaspoon of Aamchur

Heat oil in a big vessel big enough to hold all the ingredients put together or about 10 litre capacity. Fry the peanuts to a golden brown. In the same vessel add the mustard seeds and crackle them. Add the curry leaves and chopped green chilies and fry them to crispiness. Now let in the asafoetida, turmeric, red chili powders. Follow in with the Kokum pieces. Mix in the puffed rice. On slow heat keep mixing till the puffed rice turns crunchy.

Put off the heat, add the salt and mix well. Let is cool completely and then store in a plastic bin or steel box. This quantity lasts us about a week.

2 comments:

  1. My husband absolutely adores Bhadang. I have been procrastinating the activity under the argument that I just made two batches of chivda but I won't be able to hold the fort much longer. And if the rains are in B'lore, they'll be here any minute now! I'm off to pick my curry leaves!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anjali,

    i am in Seattle and thoroughly enjoy your blog....it was an instant trip across the globe to the fragrance of the bhadang phodni! keep it up and i LOVED reading about the Koli community ....they were such a visible integral part of my youth in Santacruz but not once did I get peek into your close knit community...until in 2002 i maanaged to stroll trhu the Koliwada at Juhu and was compeltely entranced overwhelmed by the love, hospitality and warmth....and their pride in their culture, the spotless immaculate homes and devotion to their profession.

    ReplyDelete

Thank You for taking the time to leave your thoughts here.

On Trail