Milking a cow!!

I was just thinking if there was any art I could write about that most of the bloggers wouldn't know. And I was thrilled to realize that I do have an art quite exceptional. I have milked a cow atleast a 100 times to date. Quite a proud feeling. That too in this age where people think that doing all this is degrading and dirty. On the contrary its quite an interesting job, imagine teats in your hands!!

Well let me tell u how to do it. First you need a stool and a container. Sit on the side of the cow, near the udder. Now clean the udder with water. Take a teat into your palm and press with your forefinger and thumb, with the thumb pointing down. Squeeze from top to the bottom of the teat. Continue till milk in that teat is done...then move on to the next teat. Thats it.

Isn't that fun! Especially when u see the milk collect in the container with froth on top....its thrilling.

But one thing u gotta be careful about is....u need a tame cow!

Life could be Easier!

I am sure all of us out here get quite sad and helpless when we see people sleep on footpaths. Footpath life....is something we wouldn't want to even imagine. Its bad.

Yesterday noon when I was on my way to pick my son from school,a little distance from my apartment, I saw this group of rajasthanis. There is an exhibition running somewhere there in the evenings....so these people sell balls and small toys outside the gate. They live right there during the day, sleep there, cook there, eat there....Their clothes were so tight and filled with dust. The sight was rather depressing. I bought some toys from them at a rather high rate. Thats all I could do anyway!

I came back home and thought about those people and their lives. I thought what might have compelled them to lead this sort of a life. Why is life so difficult for them? There were a lot of questions. I just realized then that these people have chosen this life. They are quite content with this life. We do feel sad looking at them...but they are not that sad. They are quite happy when they get a few bucks. They also enjoy. They are used to this life. There is no looking beyond this for them. This life is easier for them. The moment they start living better....their life would b all the more difficult. Standards would be set. They would have to live upto those standards and blablabla.....

But in this life they did not have to worry about the society. All they wanted in life is food to fill their stomachs....and some place to sleep safely. No standards. No failures. No disappointments.This was rather an escape for them.

Everything is so relative in this world. Its only when we have expectations that we become dissatisfied. Those people just needed the basics....and they got that. I am not saying they were not sad but they also did not seem to complain. Even if they got more money their lives would continue to be simple.

I think it is the same with us too. Why are we so complicated? Why can't our lives be simpler too? Why do we always want more than required? Why are we always so worried about what others will say? High standards, superficial lives!!!

We have so much in life and yet we always crib. And we feel pity for those satisfied bunch of people!!!! I think we should really learn to be satisfied with what we have....and learn to expect within our standards.

Authentic chicken biriyani!

One of the first recipes I ever tried, looking at a book, is chicken biriyani. A couple of times before my wedding and a couple of times after. Before my wedding no one ever appreciated my biriyani. Just a month after my wedding, I went to the US. There my hubby wanted to invite a few of his friends. And I again tried my luck at preparing some biriyani. And to my surprise all of them liked it. I prepared it almost 10 times in a matter of 45 days..and all the time people loved it! Even today all of our friends who have tried it just love my biriyani. Me being a muslim, it is no big deal to cook good biriyani. In the muslim community my biriyani can be given a 8/10. I think u all should try my recipe for all the appreciation I have received for it whenever prepared.
It is a long process(an hour long), but if done systematically , is quite easy.
So here goes........

Chicken biriyani

Ingredients

for the gravy
1 kg chicken (medium sized pieces)
10 medium sized onions
5 tomatoes
4 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
10 cloves
6 small pieces of cinnamon
1 cardamom
1 tsp fennel seeds
6-7 black pepper
12 green chillies
stems cut from 1 bunch coriander leaves
1 cup curd
oil
salt
juice of 1/2 lemon

for rice
1 kg biriyani rice
4 cloves
2 pieces of chakka
2 cardamoms

for layering
3 onions (thin sliced)
1 bunch coriander leaves (chopped finely)
1 cup pudina leaves
ghee

Method
First prepare the ingredients required for layering. Deep fry onions till golden brown. Chop coriander leaves finely. Keep them aside.

Roast slightly and grind cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel and pepper to a fine powder. Also grind green chillies, stem of coriander leaves and curd into another paste. Put oil in a vessel. Add onions, thin sliced. When golden brown, add ginger garlic paste. Stir a little. Add tomatoes. After 2 minutes, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt. Now add the above ground pastes (garam masala powder and green chilli paste). Then add the pieces of chicken and lemon juice. Cook till chicken pieces have just cooked. Keep this gravy aside.
While the chicken is cooking, soak rice after washing it. Boil water in another vessel to cook the rice. Add cloves, cardamon, cinnamon and salt. Add rice when the water boils. Now cook till the rice is just cooked. Don't overcook. Drain the water.
Now the layering. In another broad, deep vessel, put all the chicken pieces from the gravy. Now add some gravy. Now put one layer of rice. On top of that add some more gravy. Then add coriander leaves, pudina, fried onions and some ghee. Now add another layer of rice. Again add coriander leaves, pudina, fried onions and ghee. Now keep the vessel,well covered over a tava on a very small flame for 10 min. This procedure is called 'dum'.
Now your biriyani is ready to be served.
note: The above recipe can serve 8-10 people. For more biriyani increase the ingredients accordingly. The more the rice, the more layers should be formed. You can sprinkle colour or saffron soaked in warm milk while layering for better presentation and flavour.

Hope u people like it. Do let me know if u try it. Enjoy!

Kids...

Its been a year since I created my blog. But today is the first time i am going to actually blog. But as I sit down on my computer to type, I am at loss of words. There are a hundred things running in my mind. But when it comes to putting it in words I am a total disaster. I have always been a bad writer, be it my English exams, my diary or mails for that matter. I think this is a situation most bloggers face ...."what to write????"

As I think about a topic , I can see my two beautiful kids trying their best to be devils. One is trying to pull the mouse, the other almost on the verge of pushing me out of my chair! What better could I write about in my first blog.

Kids ... as said are one of the best creations of God . Their innocence, beauty, sweetness, naughtiness.... is all so refreshing. Nothing can be compared to them. We can just watch them do their own stuff for however long...and that too with a smile on our faces!

Well, these are just some of the good things....but they can also make ur thermometers rise as easily! Its really funny the way they find everything so inquisitive. Their questions can make u a liar in a matter of seconds. The other day in a party my son wanted to know what was the beautiful coloured juice one of our friends was drinking ( beer) and we had to lie to him that it was some very bitter juice ! He also wanted to try it! But seriously speaking, this is the phase in one's life where one grasps maximum amount of knowledge. So I always try my level best to answer his questions with all the patience.

We as grown ups sometimes think that kids could be taken for granted. We try to make them the best as far as manners are concerned (no matter however ill mannered we may be!). We want them to be the best in everything. We do not hesitate in insulting them, shouting at them. I really feel embarrassed for the way i behave with my kids when i think about it at a later point of time.

Its surprising, the way we parents sometimes pray for a girl child, boy child, fair one, intelligent one......coz at the end of the day what really counts is health. Having a healthy kid, no matter what is a treasure in itself.

I think its enuf i've written. But in the end, all i can say is, "Thank you God for blessing me with two beautiful, healthy kids!".