The Samosa Quest

If I had to choose to be any food in the world I'd choose to be a Samosa! I can never ever get tired of eating samosas.  Its one of my 'Happy' food! This article is just to proclaim my love for this food... No stories :P

Today as I left home to go to work as usual but soon as I got out of the building compound I thought I could smell samosas. I looked around to see if there was a samosa vendor nearby.  There's a school next to the building where I live and sometimes there are people who sell junk food / sweets, etc. to the school kids during recess or when they leave. No matter how many years pass there will always be these people outside the school who sell these things :) - I remember the man who sold samosas outside out school.  there was another who sold different flavoured ice-creams and kulfi.  Then there was a lady who sold a sweet (buddi ka baal :P) and sometimes cotton candy in a packet.  During the rainy season there was a man who sold sweet corn / bhutta (fried corn on the cob) and another who sold Guavas with a masala powder. There also used to be a Bhel Puri cart outside school... hmm those were some days! I was a road side foodie since those days (:P hehehe). 

Coming back to what happened today... So I was trying to look if I could spot the samosa seller and couldn't see outside the school but I was getting the aroma... they had to be around me somewhere! I spotted a boy carrying a tin dabba on his shoulder with a paper covering and I knew that's where the samosas must be! :) He was walking ahead of me about 12-15 feet away and I could smell the samosas! :P It was like the samosas were calling out to me much like the aroma of cheese pulls Jerry such that he almost floats toward it :P ... only I wasn't floating but you get the point :P

Since he was walking ahead of me I decided to anyway follow him and see where he will be taking the samosa - probably a shop to sell; they smelled really fresh and crispy I had to get one now! So I was walking behind wondering which shop he would enter to sell the samosas, I was getting hungry.  I realized he was taking the same route I do for the train station and was curious which shop he would turn to.  He did not go to any shop.. but he walked onto the station bridge I was wondering if he was going to the other side and wondered if I should still follow him.  What if he was going somewhere a little too far I could miss my train.  What to do.. samosa or train? While I thought I was stuck in a dilemma I noticed he was walking down onto the train platform.. phew! I thought if wasn't going to sell them is any shop I'd just buy them from him before he get's onto the train.  I saw him walking to a stall on the platform and he handed over the samosas to be sold! :) the moment I had been waiting for... I walked up to the stall and bought one (yes just one).  Nobody knew how long I had longed for it and since I had been following the aroma :D the quest finally ended and that samosa brought me a little bit of peace :)

I love food even otherwise but nothing can bring a smile on my face as a fresh crisp hot samosa I absolutely love it! :D I could never ever get bored of eating samosas. Doesn't matter even if I'm on a diet the Samosa goes on the exception list :D Its one of the items I cook well (ofcourse! Just had to learn to make this) Doesn't matter what kind it is - Samose ke maamle me koi bhed bhaav nahi, punjabi samosa ho ya patti samosa sabka swagat hai :)

Soul Food!

The Apple

She hadn't eaten anything for two days and was feeling weak from hunger.  There were days when she did not get anything to eat or just one meal a day.  This was one of those many.  Her father was the apple seller and a drunkard. Her mother had died 2 years ago, she was just eight then.

Today she was sitting at the bazaar selling apples. Fruit prices had really increased and her father had invested the little money he had to buy apples to be sold.  Oh how red and delicious they looked .  If she could have one little apple... just one apple.  Her father had told her they were bought to be sold. He had counted them all and warned her not to eat any.  "I will sell them at more value" he had said.  It was afternoon and he had gone to get his daily dose of venom.  She hated it when he got drunk.  He had no friends and got into fights every evening. She would have to go hungry when he forgot to buy food.

She couldn't stand it any longer, the beating she would get seemed like a small price for one apple.  She picked up the one closest within her reach and took a bite... and another and another.  The fruit was finished before she knew it.  She wanted another she did not realise the taste of the first because she gobbled up most of it. She already had one might as well have a second she knew she was going to pay for it.  The took a bite off a second and paused for a moment... oh how sweet it was! She almost finished the second, she had savored every bite. 

Suddenly she felt a cane hit her arm.  She turned around and saw him standing, his eyes red and he had been drinking.  She cowered and tried to explain how hungry she was.  Before she could say a word there was a second blow.  The cane felt like a whip of fire burning every time it touched her.  It was raining fire.  After some minutes she felt nothing just her body was moving and she could see her father beating her... but she felt nothing. There was blow after blow and then it became dark and she could not see or feel.  She felt at peace thinking how sweet the apple was.  She was just a child, a hungry child...

Note: This is fiction based on a true story I read where two poor girls were beaten to death because they had eaten some fruit.  they were hungry for days but the seller did not think of it they were beaten mercilessly till they were no more.

Office Mug Noodles

I love food and everything about it. I need to have my food dabbas full of food at all times. I can get a little insecure when stored food levels reach below the re-order level or if there is nothing to munch on. I have food stocked up not just in my  room but also in office :) Of three drawers one drawer is dedicated only to food :D It has everything I need; from salt, pepper to soup, noodles, tea, fruit and biscuits :P 

Click to maximize :)

These are not the normal cup noodles that you get but the packet ones.  I'm not promoting Horlicks Foodles but these are some tasty + healthy noodles which are better than Maggi because they are made from Wheat and other mix of flour instead of the usual refined flour (so they say on the packet).  Usually you would need fire to cook these but there is a fireless way to cook them too.  I shared it with couple of girls in office and they quiet liked it.  So thought of posting it for the benefit of those workaholic gastronomes :)

 Step 1: Buy a packet of Horlicks Foodles :)

 

Step 2: Before opening the packet crush the noodles (crush them lightly, don't turn them into powder).  You need to do this because you will be making them in a mug.

Step 3: Empty half of the crushed noodles in the mug (for convenience I make only half a packet at a time).  Pour boiling hot water on it just enough to soak them.  If you put extra water it will be soupy. Also  make sure the water is extremely hot so the noodles can sort of cook.  If you use only warm water then you will just end up with wet noodles (its a waste!)

Step 4: Put a lid on the mug and let the noodles sit in the hot boiling water for full 5 minutes.

Step 5: The noodles must have turned nice and fluffy now its time to add the tastemaker / Masala.

Step 6: Stir the noodles well.Viola!Yummy and healthy noodles ready to eat :D

 This is perfect when you have back to back calls and don't find time to go get something to eat.  If you think this is too much of efforts you can always keep biscuits, etc handy :)

For the love of food I wish you never know hunger pangs and ever face food shortage.  Happy Eating!