Ever notice how it is
the little things in life that give us the most pleasure?
- Snuggling up with a good book on a rainy afternoon.
- Sniffing at the aroma of just baked bread, cakes and other goodies
- Walking hand in hand in a leaf strewn park
- Laaaazzzzing in bed on a Saturday morning
- Sharing a glass of wine with someone you love
- Inhaling the fragrance of freshly brewed coffee
- Laughing your guts out at a silly joke
- Enjoying a cool, refreshing nimbu paani under a sweltering sun
- Listening to “Silent Night” at midnight on Christmas
- Melting a pat of butter on a steaming paratha
- Looking forward to a long planned holiday
- Unwrapping a surprise gift
- Losing yourself in the comfort of best friends.....
Well, I could go on and on. I certainly don't want to sound all preachy
and talk about how we all let the rat-race consume us totally, and how we
should not lose sight of what's important and all that jazz. But what I'd like to share in this post is a
glimpse of a life simply lived.
My parents have a little weekend home in a
place called Khardi. This is located off
the Mumbai – Nasik
route, just before Igatpuri. A and I go
there sometimes just to unwind and re-energize ourselves. We often take different sets of friends to
experience a bucolic weekend, and once a year we also get together there as a
family especially when my sis, brother-in-law and niece come to Mumbai. A had once written a piece about his
favourite getaway... here's the link
 |
| A walk in the Khardi woods |
The picture that you see in the newspaper
article is a rain-washed village road not too far from my parents' home, taken
by A. The best thing about Khardi is
that there is nothing to do there but chill out. Go for long walks. Listen to birdsong. And enjoy simple food. Mr and Mrs Pai, a Mumbai couple set up home
in Khardi over a decade ago. They cater
meals for lazy city dwellers like us, hiring local help when the demand gets
heavy especially on long weekends.
Nothing fancy, mind you, just simple, rustic fare that satiates the
appetite and warms the heart. We both
love Mrs. Pai's Kachryaas or Kaap, as some folk call them – potato and brinjal
roundels, dusted with spices and flour and then shallow fried on an iron
griddle. A is also partial to her Tomato
Saar. It tastes quite like Rasam, but
has coconut milk added to it.
Another endearing quality of the Pais is
that they open their home to all the strays around.... dogs, cats, cows,
calves, monkeys, goats, chickens, rabbits... you name it and they're
around. In fact, the local villagers
always bring any injured animal to the Pais, knowing that the poor creature
will get all the TLC it needs.
In
keeping with the theme of simple living, today's recipe features an everyday
staple – good ol' daal. Last night, I
rustled up Lasooni Daal Paalak using leftover daal from the previous day. I'm sending this post to Vardhini of Cook'sJoy, who is hosting the November edition of Dish It Out.
Lasooni Daal Paalak
Ingredients
Leftover daal - 4 cups
Spinach – 1 bunch
Spinach – 1 bunch
Onions – 1 large, thinly sliced
Tomatoes – 1 large, finely chopped
Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tbsps, heaped
Green chillies – 1, finely chopped
Turmeric, red chilli, coriander-cumin, sambhar powders –
about a tsp each
Lemon juice – ½ a lemon
Salt – to taste
Salt – to taste
Coriander leaves – finely chopped for garnishing
For
Tempering
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Garlic – 10 cloves, thinly sliced
Hing – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 2 sprigs, roughly torn
Method
1. Heat a spoon
of oil and add onions, green chilli and ginger-garlic paste.
2. Cook well
till onions start browning. Add salt to
quicken the process.
3. Next add
all the dry masalas and mix well.
4. Tip in the
tomatoes and cook till well done.
5. Add spinach
and cook till wilted and done.
6. Pour in the
daal and simmer on low fire till it boils and all the flavours are well mixed.
7. Squeeze in
the lemon juice.
8. Prepare the
tempering in a separate vessel and pour it over the prepared daal.
9. Garnish
with finely chopped coriander leaves.
