Venthaiya mangaai with a twist

Summers when growing up.
Didnt need any fancy vacations.. Didnt need any summer camps..
All I needed was my paati.
Days were filled with Simple pleasures and happy times with her....

It wasn't summer,  if we didnt have fresh maavadu, fresh vadam, banganapalli and venthaiya mangaai..
Venthaiya mangai.. The simple yet perfect accompaniment for another staple - thayir sadam aka curd rice.

I remember hunting for kili mooku mangaai aka bengaloora..
It was like an unwritten law, that if there was any mangaai lying around in the house, it should either be in the form of maavadu or venthaiya mangaai..

Venthaiya mangaai was my favorite.. I love the fusion of the different tastes..

It is just in the past couple of months, that my kitchen is a part of the house I am visiting often:-).
With a difficult pregnancy and then an infant, full time job, elder sibling, cooking was the last thing in my mind and life...
Now slowly getting a hang of things..

Warmer weather and summer fast approaching, the first thing that came in mind, was of course, Venthaiya Mangaai.
While at Whole Foods, fresh, bright and colorful, I couldn't resist picking up a bunch of fresh raw turmeric rhizomes along with raw ginger.And so it all came together.

Venthaiya Mangaai, with a twist - A Healthy, anti oxidant packed, tangy side dish..

Here are few of the benefits of this yummy side dish..

• Raw tumeric - Digestive aid, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, sugar level regulator and anti-carcinogenic. The single all powerful weapon from the Indian kitchen arsenal.
• Raw ginger - Mr.I-take-care-of-your-gastric-tracts.
• Raw mango - Vitamic B, C and strengthens the immune system
• Lime - Gem of citruses, rich in calcium and folate. And good for cholestrol..  

Without further delay, heres presenting, Venthaiya Mangaai with a twist


My mortar and pestle.. Nothing even closely matches the texture and taste of herbs hand ground in this...

Venthaiya Mangaai with a twist

Preparation Time : 10 min
Ingredients

• 1 cup Raw mango, finely chopped
• 1 cup Raw turmeric, finely chopped
• 1 cup Raw giner, finely chopped
• 2 tsp gingely oil
• as per taste, about 1/2 tsp salt
• a sprinkle chilly powder(optional)
• a sprinkle hing
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp methi seeds
• mortar and pestle
• 1 lime

Cooking Directions

1.  Wash the raw turmeric and ginger rhizomes nicely and peel the skin
2.  Finely chop raw mango, raw turmeric, and raw ginger to get 1 cup each.
3.  In a mixing bowl, mix all three and sprinkle salt.
4.  Take the mortar and pestle and hand grind the methi seeds
5.  Sprinkle the ground methi on the pickle mix in the bowl
6. In a small kadai, heat 2 tsp gingely oil. When hot add the mustard seeds and hing. Pour this on the pickle mix.
7. Toss all the ingredients to coat all the pickle pieces nicely
8. You can have it immediately or give it a day for the tastes to blend.

Optional :

1. You can add a dash of chilly powder or 1 or 2 finely chopped green chillies, if you like it spicy, like me.
2. As another variation, add the juice of 1 green lime and allow this to marinate for a day to get the sourness set.

After thoughts...... : I made both the versions, with and without lime juice, and still trying to figure out which I like better. Love both of them equally. 

Please dont grow up fast.

March 1 2015

I should be happy. Deliriously happy.

Yesterday you started pivoting on your tummy.

Like a wallclock needle, you followed your brother as he sang and danced around you..

He was happy.Yes. Deliriously happy..

Today, you gained more confidence. I saw you pivoting clockwise and anticlockwise in super speed..

And suddenly, you started moving.

On a wooden floor, in your footie, it looked like a little penguin, sliding on the tummy.

I should have been happy.

This is HUGE step for you.

But I had tears in my eyes.

Like I have tears in my eyes now.

You are growing up. Growing up fast.

Your elder brother, is living proof of how fast time flies.

He is almost as tall as me.

He was my baby. He will always be my baby. Or thats what I thought..

If only..........

As you sucked my breasts, your little hands cradling them, I kept looking at you, tears swelling up.

It was as if you understood. May be the flutter of my heart... May be the tears that dropped on you.. Yes you understood me.

You stopped and looked at me and smiled.
It was like a tiny bud, blooming into a smile.

It made me want time to stand still.

If only..

With your brother, I celebrated his every month of his birth day.

With you, I dont want to.

He keeps reminding me. But I dont want to.

Not that I am forgetting it..

But because I cannot get myself to do it.

I cannot get myself to face that, you are growing up so fast.

Seven months already.
Wasn't it just yesterday that I found I was pregnant?

You are now fast asleep.

Oblivious to mommy's tears or my fears.
Your every step is going break my heart a little bit.

Cant you be my little baby for a little longer?

Please dont grow up fast.

Few pictures

The rest of India's daughter are alive for now...

One of India's daughter died...
The rest of India's daughter are alive for now...

I am here, trying my best to instill in my 5 year old, How he should be proud to be of Indian lineage, How we are all proud to be an Indian

- In India we live by the law of Dharma, I remember saying.............
- My Navarathiri invite screamed, "Celebrate the power of ladies"
- And so was my explanation of Navarathiri, to Nikhil's foreign friends
- In India, We honor and celebrate womanhood, I remember saying.............
- We are Hindus Nikhil, we have so many Girl Gods. We need to respect ladies. I remember saying.............
- See, Ravana was so powerful, yet the second he laid his hands on Sita, who didn't like him, all his powers were of no use. I remember saying.............
- Know what, I think I can proudly say, that we don't have any recorded history of the Indian, Hindu Kings using rape as a post win war tool.. I remember saying.............

Sentences that came out of my heart...
Now, I really don't know what to tell Nikhil about the values of being an Indian.

- Yes, We are so diverse yet we have a common trait, we cut across caste, age, society when it comes to raping women.

- Indian monsters, don't mind if the girl is educated, which caste/ religion she is, how old she is.
- A 3 year old preschooler, a 16 year old, a 42 year old, a 13 year old blind girl who now has given birth
- In the 21st century, we are one of the most ancient civilizations, talking about legalizing one of the most ancient professions. Arent We proud of our heritage.?
I still done get, how in the whole @#$#@$@#@ world is this going to stop the rape of a 3 year old.
- We have the most sensitive and sensible politicians, whose quotes should be inscribed in gold.
- We have the most comprehensive judicial systems, we look at every aspect of the cases, that we take decades before a case is closed.

Is there an Indian mother, who feels safe enough to leave their daughters out of their sight for more than 5 seconds?
.......உன்  விதி அப்போதே தெரிந்திருந்தாலே
கற்பத்தை நானே கலைத்திருபேனே .....

Name and shame? How long before it becomes the Hall of fame?

There was a mail thread sometime back, where people were offended when someone called out, why in your sane mind, do you want to go back to India?
I would have been too, when I was proud to be an Indian.

புறப்படு ....
யுத்தம் செய் ...

Here is a solution NRA would love.

After hearing in sheer disbelief, the NRA's reponse on the Sandy Hook murderous spree, 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-nras-simplistic-response-to-newtown-good-guy-with-a-gun/2012/12/21/d22ccfe0-4bbc-11e2-9a42-d1ce6d0ed278_story.html

I couldnt stop but coming up with a better solution.....

So here is a solution NRA would love...

Why stop with armed guards at the doors.
What happens if he is shot and the first to be killed?
Why not arm each teacher with guns?
Bullet proof class windows?
Issue bullet proof uniform vests to kids.
What if they are shot in the head, ok, go with bullet proof helmets
What about when they play outside?
construct 10 foot high, jail walls around the entire school?
Or have guards posted every 10m around them?
How about a Couple of assistant coach with more ammo?

Oh what about the field trips the kids take?
Issue a gun to the driver too, as well as blacken the windows and bulletproof the buses.

Oh I forgot the rare cases about high school kids.
Have a metal detectors at every entrance.. TSA would surely be able to help here....

So now we have kids surrounded by gun-carrying adults...
And who is going to guarantee, that tantruming 5 year olds or the 13 year adolescents, wont drive these adults crazy...
and these "temporarily" crazy adults, wont stop from using the Government issued guns to silence the kids???????

So lets go a step more, and come up with new approach,
Design guns for toddlers..
As we all know, children stuff is an inviting market.. Sure profit..
Boys will get super hero themed guns
and girls pink and purple princess/fairy ones...

After all, this is just the beginning of an end.....

Family Page in FaceBook, What If

Thanks to Couples Page,and the questions from FB "To help us show you a better ad, tell us what you like.", for inspiring me write this entry

Seriously, what would life be if Facebook automatically created a Family page and sent us updates.
You went on a vacation, and after a few days of bliss which made you forget FB, which alerts the FB usage collector, that they are losing their addictive power, and sends you a mail, saying FB missed you.

 On these lines, imagine,
1) Son-in-law posts a photo, and gets an update from FB after a few days..
You mother-in-law is yet to like the photo. But she has liked/commented on posts, posted after yours.
Here is a suggestion of family counselors, based on your locality.

Or...
2) "We see that you are married to so-and-so, who has mom-in-law as her mother, but mom-in-law has not included in her family circle. Is there a problem brewing?

Or....
3) Wife/Girlfriend posts a foto with a new haircut.
If the spouse had girlfriend-updater app installed, would get.
"Girlfriend has new haircut. You are yet to comment on it."

If he didnt have the app, the girlfriend would get, "The person you are in relationship with hasnt commented on your new haircut. But your other friend, SO-SO=SO likes your haircut. Can we suggest you update your relationship status"

Or.....
4)Hubby updates ( a pvt msg to wifey) "Thanks to wifey, for the best pumpkin pie ever..."
But, Mommy reads this in the family page and updates 
Mommy: "Have you forgotten the taste of the pies I made"
Son( a pvt msg to mommy, which wifey sees in family page) : "Mommy, i was to say
Thanks to wifey, for the best pumpkin pie ever, after mommy dearest"
Didnt finish the sentence for obvious reasons. wink wink!
Wifey : Darling, "Obviously", I cant wait to see u in person wink wink wink!!!
Son/Husband : I am out of here and deletes his Facebook account

he!he!he!

Deepavali 2012 - Diyas

Is there a festival to beat this Queen of All Hindu Festivals?
Deepavali, the most celebrated festival of the Hindus.
Deepavali, the Festival of lights
Everywhere you turn around, it is rich and colorful, sparkling in all glory...
The light of prosperity, winning over the darkness of  failure and loss.

I am here explaining if it is Diwali or Deepavali...
He is interested, in the stories and festivities...
"Mommy, what are we going to decorate for Deepavali", an innocent quip from my Super Hero, and I had to think of something including him...

And so we started, painting and decorating the diyas..
Thanks to being in the Bay Area, I could get unpainted clay diyas...
We had a great time, mommy and son..
Nikhil creating a few of his own, and helping me out with ALL the base coats for all the diyas.

Geek time... Here's Super Hero diyas..
It is upto all the geeks, to decipher, who is who

And here are a few clicks of what I made ....
Took around 4 hrs for this batch.
The first one the longest, as I got used to the texture and was generally an expirement..
Costwise, yes this is much cheaper than buying in the store..
And design wise, colors of my choice and designs of my choise.
Each one, is a memory of the time I spent with my kid, having fun creating something beautiful..
Hoping to make this a Deepavali tradition in our home..
Cant wait to repaint them for Karthigai...