Ash Gourd and Chickpeas with Alkali ( কোমোৰাৰ আগ আৰু বুটৰ সৈতে খাৰ)

Life has been hectic past few months! I had a very busy trip to India; before and after that I lived in different cities for different projects. Among all that, I have not been able to find time as well as inspiration to cook much at the comfort of my own kitchen!

Anyway, you guys know that I love authentic Assamese cuisine. One of the major reasons for that is my mother’s awesome cooking! Her style of cooking is simple and very fast and her dishes are never boring no matter how many times she prepares them! When I went to India in 2013 for vacation, I did not really have much chance to gorge on mom-made awesome food, but for this trip I made sure that I don’t miss any lunch and dinners at home among my cozy little family :-) There have been pigeon meat, duck curries, pork fries, different type of freshwater fish and lot of pitha-laru (delicious sweet snacks loved by every Assamese)! I have every intention of sharing all these recipes but let's first start with something green and healthy :-) This sabji (curry) is one of the many tricks my mom uses to jazz up an otherwise boring vegetarian meal! It's definitely different than the vegetarian recipes that I can prepare here in USA.

Ingredients: Young/budding leaves and vines of Ash Gourd tree (not the best description so please refer to the picture below :-)), Chickpeas (white ones known as Kabuli Boot or Brown ones known as Desi Boot in Assam), Ginger Paste, Pasfuron, Dry Red Chilies, Khar (alkali solution. you can also substitute it for Baking Powder), Salt, fresh Green Chilies. Turmeric powder is NOT needed.

1. Soak the chickpeas in water for at least 2-3 hrs.

2. We need to clean up the leaves and the stems. First peel away the outer layer (which is also covered with short coarse hair) of the stems and chop them into medium or to your preferred size.

3. Heat oil in a pan (I use mustard oil). Add the pasfuron and dry chilies.

4. Add the vegetables and chickpeas. Keep stirring.

5. Add ginger paste, you may add a clove of garlic if you want.

6. Add the khar/baking powder and salt.

7. When you can start seeing the vegetables have started to melt add the green chilies. This gives a fresh aroma to the sabji. Keep stirring.

8. This sabji does not really need a lot of time to cook. Add a little bit of water and bring to heavy-thick gravy like consistency.

9. Serve with rice, roti, bread or with whatever you wish for.

10. The other side-dish you see in the plate (at the bottom) consists of the vegetables seen on the picture at the side :-) (Very easy to prepare; add the vegetables in a heated oil and keep frying untill it melts with little ginger-garlic paste, that's it.)

In a proper Assamese meal this khar sabji serves as a side dish. :-) I am yet to figure out a grocery store here in USA where I can find these type of green stems so I don't really know when next I am going to taste this sabji again :-) I can only hope :-( 

Love,

~Arrru

Throwback Thursday: "Viswakarma Puja" - Now and Then!!

How time changes everything, well “almost” everything!! I am always amazed by this very true fact of life. Being an Engineer in India, September 17^th was always different than other days! Because, it is when “Vishwakarma Puja”  is celebrated. Viswakarma is the Architect God in Hindu mythology, and this particular Puja is celebrated mainly in the industrial sector across many different states in India...read more about "Viswakarma Puja" here :-)

I remember washing and cleaning all the machines in our home with my sister; when we were younger we handled small apparatus like refrigerator, mom's sewing machine, TV, VCR etc. :-) and as we grew older, we got promoted to washing the car! :-) Whether each of us personally believes in God or in the power of prayer, as Indians, Pujas are such an integral part of our culture. For this particular Puja, we pray and thank the almighty for blessing us with so much technology; that’s the essence. I also remember going to my uncle's office who worked in the Public Works Department where this Puja was a huge thing and being so overwhelmed by the amazing community consisting of technical personnel from all level. After that, I joined Engineering, and because my home was in the same city as my college, I was able to help mom with the household duties and still catch AEC (Assam Engineering College) Puja in action :-) I especially enjoyed the enthusiasm and vigor of the lab technicians while planning and organizing the Puja! After that I missed it for a bit as I was out-of-state for a few years. Then I joined ASEB (Assam State Electricity Board) and it was a whole different story! I worked at a divisional head-office and we supervised three sub-divisions. Each unit will organize their own Puja and after attending the Puja at our office, we will visit each subdivision. I do miss the joyous feeling of an otherwise extremely busy and comparatively tensed revenue office; it was really a refreshing change for me! Each subdivision would also organize a gourmet feast after the Puja; it was almost competitive among the subdivisions! As they would try to book the best available date for organizing the feast and not to mention, to plan the best menu J. Working in an electric utility where “limited resources” is a constant problem, can be really stressful for employees at every level; hence I really appreciated this kind of festivity once in a while!

Me with my wonderful ex-collegues; yes, we all dolled up and I can't believe how much
 I have changed in these years :-)

But now September 17^th is just another day - I wake up, get ready and go to office, come home, surf a bit, have dinner and get ready for the next day! And thanks to my nomadic work life, I don't even get to pray and do the Puja on my own, even on a minuscule level! But change is inevitable and I am hoping, someday again, I will be able to observe and enjoy these festivities again :-)