Sooji ka Upma

Today I cooked Sooji ka Upma for breakfast. I had this for the first time at my Mother-in-law's. I had the opportunity to spend some time with her before my marriage, when Ankit was still in the States. One morning, for breakfast, she cooked sooji ka upma for me. I had never eaten it before, but it was delicious and different than other conventional breakfasts. It's also quite healthy for you. This breakfast is rich in proteins, carbohydrates, vitamin B and iron. For all those who are wondering what sooji ka upma means: Sooji (rava) is semolina and upma is a popular South Indian breakfast dish; so a South Indian breakfast made of semolina :)

Ingedients:

1 cup sooji/rava (semolina)

2 tbsp fried cashew nuts

1 tbsp chana dal

1 inch ginger chopped

2 cloves of garlic chopped

1 green chili chopped (or serrano pepper)

1 medium potato chopped

1/2 an onion chopped

1/2 a capsicum chopped

1/2 a carrot chopped

1/4 cup green peas

1 green onion chopped

1 tsp mustard seeds

6-8 curry leaves

1/2 tsp haldi powder (turmeric powder)

1/2 tsp chili powder

2 tbsp oil (vegetable or olive)

1 tbsp ghee

Chopped coriander/cilantro leaves for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Lemon juice to taste

Method:

1. In a pan, add 1 tbsp of ghee (or unsalted butter) and cook the sooji until it turns into a light brown color. Keep stirring constantly to keep the sooji from burning. Keep aside after it is cooked.

2. In another pan, heat some oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and chana dal. Cook until the dal turns red.

3. Now add ginger, garlic and green chili and cook until they start to brown.

4. Then add the onions and cook until they become transparent.

5. Add the rest of the vegetables. Cook for a few minutes and then add turmeric powder, chili powder, salt and pepper. 

6. Cook for a few minutes and then add 3 cups of water. Close the lid and let the vegetables simmer on low heat until they are soft. 

7. Once the veggies are tender, add the pre-cooked sooji into this pan and stir constantly. The sooji will soak up all the water in no time.

8. Once all the water has been soaked up, your upma is done. Garnish with chopped fried cashew and cilantro leaves.

Enjoy your upma with tomato ketchup :)

Have a nice day!

x

Apple Pie

Yesterday, I was so bored (that I wrote a whole post about a phone cover; ha!) that I watched three Harry Potter movies, went to the gym, wore different dresses and clicked random pictures, painted my nails and made apple pie! Yes, I actually got around to making a dessert that is NOT made of chocolate (pat on the back!). Actually, now I think about it, I should have written a post on my recent trips to Zion National Park, Grand Canyon and Tulsa. Hmm, I wonder why I didn't think of that. 

But, this post is about apple pie which didn't turn out to be a disaster (yay!) so here's is a recipe which is tried, true and works. 

Ingredients:

Crust

2 cups all purpose flour

90g of unsalted butter (3/4 of a stick)

1 tsp salt

Apple cider for kneading (or water)

1 egg (for brushing)

Filling

6 regular size apples, chopped

1/3 cup of white sugar (80 ml)

1/3 cup of brown sugar (80 ml)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

3 tbsp flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC).

2. In a large bowl, put flour, salt and butter. Use a fork to mash up the butter in the flour until it forms tiny balls. Then slowly start adding apple cider (or water) and knead.

Note: Use chilled butter for kneading. If you want a flaky crust, don't over knead. 

Apple cider make the pie more flavorful, but if you don't have cider, just use water. 

3. Divide the dough into two. Take one half, cover in clear film and refrigerate for half an hour.

4. Meanwhile, use a rolling pin and roll out the second dough into a large circle. Make sure it is big enough to cover the entire pie bowl. Cut off any overhanging edges.

Note: Make sure your bowl isn't too deep. We need to make sure the apples fill the bowl all the way to the top and an inch more.

5. Now put the dough covered dish into the fridge and refrigerate for half an hour.

6. Now in another bowl, take your chopped apples and add white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, salt and lemon juice. Mix it well.

7. Now pour the mix into the dough covered bowl and refrigerate.

Note: Make sure the apples cover the entire bowl and one inch extra above the bowl. Once they have been cooked, they will decrease in size, so make sure there are more apples in the bowl. 

8. Meanwhile, pull the other half of the dough out, roll it out and slice it up into 4 to 5 inch long strips. Make at least 10 strips (I apologize for forgetting to click a picture of this step).

9. Now pull the pie dish out, brush the edges of the pie with a beaten egg.

10. Lay the sliced top crust over the pie in a criss-cross pattern and weave to make a lattice effect. Cut off any overhanging pastry and press down the sides to seal.

Note: This way, the filling can breathe and won't break through the sides. 

11. Brush the lattice with egg and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the top crust.

12. Put the pie into a preheated over for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 375ºF (190ºC) for 45 minutes.

Note: After the first 15 minutes, you may put a sheet of aluminum foil over the top to keep the crust from over browning. 

Enjoy the yummy goodness with a dollop of vanilla icecream! It'll be lovely :)

x

My New iPhone Case

I've been so bored all day that I actually ended up going to the gym for a change. I shouldn't have cleaned up so much yesterday; feels like I don't have enough to do. Ankit left really early in the morning for some meetings and I spent hours talking on the phone with family. Yet, it seems like the day is never-ending. Ever since Daylight Saving Time ended, the days just feel so long. Or maybe it's because I still haven't changed the clocks around the house :p 

Today, I received my long-awaited iPhone 5 case. I went to the malls last month to look for one but they were all so crazy expensive, ranging between $40-80. I was so not ready to spend that much but came across a deal online. I bought a $20 coupon on livingsocial.com for a custom case on this website called mycustomcase.com. I did however have to pay shipping, so in total, I ended up spending $26. It's definitely not as bad as buying it from the mall. The ones in the mall weren't even that pretty, to be honest. 

On this website, you can choose the background, the font, the colors. You can even get a monogram of your initials put on it. I wanted something that would look nice with my white iPhone and also look a little girly :) 

I love it! It's so pretty and girly and has my name on it!

I'll be honest, though, it took forever for them to send it. I think it took nearly a month for it to be delivered (their excuse for delay: overwhelming and unanticipated demand for iPhone 5 cases). Either way, I'm happy with the end product and wouldn't mind recommending their website for people who don't mind waiting a long time.

They do ship international as well, for those who don't live in the States.

Love!
x

Karva Chauth -- 11/02/2012

Karva Chauth is a fast that married Hindu women keep for their husbands. This is primarily a Northern and Western Indian tradition. They do this for the prosperity, longevity and well-being of their husbands. This fast means no form of food or drink is allowed after sunrise until the moon is seen. The term Karva means an earthen pot with a spout, which is a symbol of peace and prosperity and Chauth means fourth, because this festival falls on the fourth day after the full moon, immediately after Dussehra, in the month of Karthik (October-November).

Mehendi (Henna) by me

This happens to be the toughest fast observed by married Hindu women. The fast can only be broken after the moon is sighted. Now, if there are too many clouds, you might end up waiting a long time. My husband tells me this year, the moon is expected to rise after 11:00 pm. I don't know if he's just messing with me or if he's serious. Haha. Either way, I guess we'll find out. I'm glad I'm with my Sister-in-Law, Astha, this year or I'd have been alone in Utah on this day. Ankit said he'd fast with me, too :) I think that's super sweet. It's usually not hard to go without food. The tricky part is going without water and I feel thirsty all the time. I guess we should try to sleep a lot and talk less ;)

Karva Chauth is fun because married women dress up in pretty sarees or lehengas. Most newly weds wear their wedding outfit for their first Kava Chauth. I didn't bring mine to the states because it was way too heavy, but I would've liked to wear my wedding dress again. On this day, we are not supposed to do any work in the kitchen (yay), we are to dress up, wear heavy jewelry, do a lot of make up, put mehendi (henna) on our hands, look pretty and just chill :) Sounds fun minus the not-being-able-to-drink-water bit. On this day, we are supposed to exchange gifts with our mother-in-law and of course, expect lavish gifts from our husbands *hint hint, Ankit* ;)...then our husbands take us out for dinner :p

How I dressed up on my first Karva Chauth

Women in India usually exchange gifts such as bangles, a clay pot, a ribbon, bindi, sindoor, and sweets, etc (called Suhaagi). The Mother-in-Law sends a sargi which is a basket of goodies, such as fruits, mathadi, dry fruits, sweets, jewelry or saree. In the morning before the sun rises, we eat from the sargi which has to have seven different items. We have to perform a ritual and cleanse the food before eating it. 

Our Sargi this year.
**Now pizza is not part of a sargi but we figured if we were going to be fasting all day, we might as well eat something fulfilling along with the rest of it before the sun rises.
**The plates covered in shiny red cloth are our puja thalis.

Before the sun sets, all the women who are fasting get together at a place for puja (ritual). Usually an elderly woman narrates the legend of Karva Chauth. Women sit together in a circle, the story is narrated and after each chapter, all the women sing a song and rotate their thalis (plates; the plate has a pot, almonds, uncooked rice, a small oil lamp, sindoor, red string, and sweets). 

In the temple, before the evening puja

The Song:

Veero Kudiye Karwada

Sarv Suhaagan Karwada

Ae Katti Na Atteri Na

Khumb Ch Rakhda Pheri Na

Gavaand Pair Paayi Na

Sui Ch Dhaaga Paayi Na

Ruthhda Manai Na

Sutda Jagayi Na

Behen Pyari Veera

Chand Chadhe Te Paani Peena

Le Veero Kudiye Karwada

Le Sarv Suhaagan Karwada

The Story:

The story is about a girl called Veerawali who is married to a King. She is the youngest daughter with seven loving brothers. She is young and naive and to keep herself distracted and busy, she spends her day sewing, on her first Karva Chauth. Her brothers are so protective about her that when Veera has her first Karva Chauth, they become worried about her fast. They worry about her being able to go all day without eating and drinking, so they create a fake moon in the jungle and trick her into breaking her fast sooner. Because she does this, her husband dies (also he is pricked with hundreds of needles in his body, because she was sewing all day). A Goddess tells her to complete her Karva Chauth. She spends all year pulling needles out of her husband's body and waiting for Karva Chauth to come around again. On the day of Karva Chauth, she goes out to buy her karwadas (typical Karva Chauth delicacy) and leaves her maid behind with her husband. The maid pulls out the last needle out of the King's body and he is revived. Upon waking up, the King mistakes the maid for his wife and the maid does not correct him. Because of this Veera is reduced to a servant's status in her own home and the maid becomes the Queen. She becomes shocked and spends her spare time talking to her doll and repeatedly saying "Jo rani si so goli hoyi, jo goli si so rani hoyi" (the Queen became the maid, the maid became the Queen). Curious about her words, the king demands her to tell him why she says this again and again. Veera recites her story of Karva Chauth and the King realizes his mistake. Veera becomes Queen again and lives happily ever after. 

Now there are various different versions of this story but the idea is what I just explained above, briefly. Most Hindu women in the North take Karva Chauth very seriously because they believe this ritual will extend their husband's life.

When the moon finally rises, we are to sight it through a sieve, offer it water (arg) and pray to it. After this ritual, we are allowed to drink water, eat and our Karva Chauth is completed.

Now, I seriously don't see logic in the story:

--Why is it that no one in Veera's home tells her not to sew? I mean, she had seven brothers who all had wives, too. Why didn't any of them, including her own mother, tell her what to do and what not to do, or even stop the men from ruining her Karva Chauth? 

--Why is it that the seven men were oblivious to the sacrifice of this ritual when their own wives fasted for them every year?

--Why did she have to go off on her own to buy the karwadas when she had a maid working for her? 

--Shouldn't she be concerned about her husband at this point when there was just one needle remaining?

--Why didn't anyone tell the King that Veera was his wife? Where did all the relatives go (especially the seven protective brothers) when the King mistook the maid for his wife? Shouldn't the brothers have been furious when their darling little sister became a maid?

--Why couldn't Veera open her mouth when this injustice was happening? I mean, she is Queen after all and has a right to speak up even in front of the King. King aside, he is her husband first. 

Women are not to wake their sleeping husbands or solve a quarrel because this day is considered to be a holiday for them. Their mother-in-laws can't ask them to cook in the kitchen or sew. They are to just look pretty and expect gifts. Why is it that they can't have this sort of a holiday without starving themselves? Who came up with the idea of Karva Chauth? Why is it that it is just for extending the husband's life? Why did no one come up with a ritual for men to fast for their wife's life? Why was this ritual placed on a day when the moon takes the longest to rise? Lucky for us who have sweet husbands, who want to fast with us but a lot of men don't and are not even required to.

Over the years, I've learned that a lot of the stories and legends from the past don't really make sense and a lot of them defy logic. But we go ahead with it anyway because it's a long, continuing tradition and part of the culture. I do it, too, because -- what can I say? I'm superstitious and worry about my husband all the time. It's just the way it is.

Right now I'm waiting for the moon to rise so we can all go out to eat!

Hope all you pretty ladies have a lovely Karva Chauth and your husbands shower you with all the love in the world, because that's what is more important. :)

God bless you.

xx