Konda Kadalai Kuzhambu (Kala Channa Gravy)

Its been a really long time since I wrote anything here. Lots of changes over the last few months. Moved to a new city in CA and I am still getting used to the new environment here. I quit my job and that explains what brought me to write again. Yes! Boredom.. :P

Now that I am home, I have been cooking quiet a bit and I thought its probably a good idea to write them down here. One reason is to share but the other main reason is for me not to forget these recipes . I still dont have my signature recipes yet coz all I do is timely cooking. Nevertheless, I am going to put some dishes here that turned out really well.

On to the recipe,
Konda Kadalai ( Kala Channa)

For Masala

• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Cardamom
• Cumin
• Fennel Seeds
• Khus Khus
• Dry red chillies
• Onion
• Garlic
• Tomatoes

Tempering

• Oil
• Mustard
• Fennel Seeds
• Chopped Onion
• Curry Leaves
• Chilly powder - only if required
• Salt to taste
• Cilantro or coriander leaves to garnish

I soaked the channa dhal overnight and pressure cooked it with some salt and oil for 10-12 minutes until it is 95% done.

To make the masala, add the ingredients one by one under "For Masala" in a pan with oil heated in the order listed above. You can make this in bulk and store for a week or so. I generally like it fresh. So I make it on an as needed basis. Once all the tomatoes are completely cooked and turned brown, cool down this mixture and grind it silky smooth. You can also add some coconut while grinding if required. I did.

Now in a sauce pan, add some oil and have some mustard and fennel seeds splutter. Then add the onions, curry leaves, salt, chilly powder if you need more spice and add the cooked channa dhal once the onion caramelizes. Then add the ground masala and water required for appropriate consistency. Garnish with cilantro.

This goes very well with Idly, Dosa, Chapathi & Rice.

Punch your problems in the face !

Tired of a life of struggle, a young woman sought her mother's advice. She told her how things were so hard for her and how she was unable to cope with problems. Her mother took her to the kitchen and filled three pots with water. In the first, she put carrots, in the second she put eggs and in the last, she placed coffee beans. She let them boil without saying a word. Twenty minutes later, she turned off the burners and asked her daughter, "What do you see?""Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the daughter replied. The mother drew her closer and told her to feel the carrots. She did and saw that they were soft. She was then asked to take an egg and break it. On shelling, the daughter found a hard-boiled egg. Finally, she was asked to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.Perplexed, she asked, "What's your point, mother?" Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity -boiling water - but each had reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but soon turned soft and weak. The egg, when put to the test, had hardened. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. They had changed the texture of the water and filled it with their aroma. "Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When problems knock on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"There is much to learn from that fable. Which one are you? Are you the carrot that seems strong, but wilts in the face of pain and adversity? Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but hardens when in adversity? Or, are you like the coffee bean, which actually changes the water, the very circumstance that brings the pain, by its fragrance and flavour. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level? There lies the secret to solving problems and handling adversity.Problems are part and parcel of life. But as they say, where there's a will there's a way. For every problem, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it.The most natural course of action is to evade the problem or just wish it away, but problems, like cancers, usually stay around and spread. So, it's better to confront the situation before it becomes an emergency.The real problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem. When you accept problems, you also learn to have a contingency plan. For instance, when you know there is a danger of fire, you keep extinguishers handy. The important thing to remember about conflicts is that they happen all the time and they are actually opportunities disguised as problems. They provide us with better ways to fix what needs to be fixed and improve what needs to be improved.And since most problems are man-made, solutions are within our reach. There are two reasons why we tend to see a problem as a problem: the fact that it has to be solved; and our apprehension about the outcome of the solution.

Source

Formula for Success in Life!

The following is one of the many formulas that my dad gave me to be successful in all walks of life - be it Personal, Professional or Educational!

DHIPSP

D - Discipline in all places, in all matters, at all times

H - Honesty

I - Interest, Involvement, Intelligence

P - Perseverance

S - Self-confidence

P - Piety

Problem Solving

Often by ignoring problems, we allow them to grow. Resolution should be quick so that problems do not become overwhelming. While the problem is still relatively small, attempt to decipher exactly what would be needed to have it resolved for good. Ascertaining this information before you begin is actually the first step to ensuring that the problem is rendered powerless. Acting quickly will also guarantee that the problem hasn't gotten completely out of hand. Here are a few tips on effective problem solving:

• Get all the facts
• Weigh all the facts - then come to a decision
• Once a decision is reached - ACT!!
• Answer the following questions:
• What is the problem?
• What are the causes of the problem?
• What are the possible solutions?
• What is the best possible solution?

A Word in the Wild

Expressions - Like it says in my blog name - this is atleast the fifth blog that I have created to express my brights & blues. I am this great thinker and a poor writer. Like now, I always have a 1000 things to say and when I sit down to write 'em I am just blanked out. I am mostly inspired to write by my fellow bloggers. Some people would just make us live the situation with their narration just like R.K. Narayanan. BTW I have grown up reading R.K.N's and I think he is such a simple and wonderful writer. I always feel nostalgic when I think of him. Life was so simple and fun back then.

"It would be Saturday morning 8 am when I wake up and Dad would have gotten ready to go to work. Dad is a lover of languages and he made sure I and my brother are pretty good at it - Tamil and English especially. He would give us assignments in English grammar and if we finish it by the time he gets home, he would take us to a movie that evening. After Dad leaves to work, mom and kalimamma( will write about her in a separate blog) would drench me in oil and they say, it would cool me down. (At least that's the belief). And then, they would treat me with a hot water bath and finally Kalimamma (Kma) would take me to the Patio to feed me while telling stories. Those are the cutest stories I have ever heard. I still remember some of those. Around 11 am, I would be ready with my books ( RKN's "Swami and his friends" and my grammar assignments) in the patio. The day would be so bright and sunny with the birds chirping, vegetable vendors selling vegetables around the streets, the warm breeze from my neighbor's huge coconut tree, and my mom and kma's cooking aroma from inside my house. With all this in the background, and having taken a warm oil bath I would almost doze off with my book. At the end of the day, I would have finished my home-work and be ready to go to a movie with mom,dad & my bro. This is a typical Saturday routine 10 - 15 years back."

The very thought of all this brings such a warm smile in my heart. I wish I could get those days back.