The Play of Dark and Light

The soul is sad

Making me mad

Why do the dark clouds cover the light?

Making me lose sight

The priorities get jumbled

Like jigsaw pieces jumbled

Anxiety spreads

Anger spreads

Like waves from me

Like ripples of a pond leaving me

Let them spread so they leave

Hoping they miss others as they leave

Slowly the waters become calm

Ripples of the mind start to calm

The sun comes out from behind the clouds

The light comes piercing through the clouds

The black dog of darkness runs away

Pushing dark thoughts away

The heart feels gladdened

The soul uplifted

I smile again

Ready to spread joy again!

Bhindi Sabji (Okra)

This is one of my favourite vegetables and my eyes light up at the sight of the bhindi sabji. It is cooked in many different ways in many countries of the world. It is also called lady’s fingers (the green seed filled pod that is edible). The variety is slightly different in Australia than in India and UK. The vegetable is thicker and bigger than what I have been used to in the past. When I first saw it here I wondered if it would be actually tender. I was pleasantly surprised that it is nice and soft but the seeds do tend to be bigger. I also have to get used to the cooking time.. for some reason the change in variety and also electric hob makes my sabji turn to mush! So I would suggest that one keeps a sharp eye on the pot while it is cooking to get an estimate of the time. Having a heavy non-stick pan is good too as when I had thinner pans they burnt the bhindi very quickly. Another thing I love the taste of potatoes with it and so usually add that to it. 

Ingredients

300 gms of bhindi

2 medium potatoes

1 medium onion

2 small green chillies

1 inch piece of fresh ginger

Half spoon of mustard seeds

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt to taste

Half tea spoon of red chilli powder

Half teaspoon of turmeric powder

2 teaspoons of coriander powder

1 teaspoon of cumin powder

2 cloves

Small piece of cinnamon

1 small dry red chilli

Preparation

Finely chop onion, ginger and green chillies. Chop the okra in 1 to 1.5 cm size pieces. The potatoes are to be chopped to a similar size.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop add the cloves, dry chilli and cinnamon stick to it. It will heat up within a few seconds. Next add the finely chopped onion, ginger and green chillies. Fry until the onions are soft and golden. Then add potatoes to the pan. When the potatoes are half cooked add the bhindi into the pan. Leave the lid off the pan when cooking. Stir but not often as the bhindi starts breaking up when cooked. Once the bhindi is added you can wait a few minutes and add the spices to the sabji. The spices take a few minutes to cook and this time also allows the vegetable to all cook together. The bhindi should be just cooked but still crunchy. The spices have nicely blended in as well. Add freshly chopped coriander to garnish.

You can make it the same method but without potatoes. If you wish to have really crunchy bhindi then you can add more oil and so more or less shallow fry the bhindi. I have known people to add a table spoon of plain yogurt just before the sabji finishes cooking and this makes the bhindi less sticky. I have also known people to add fresh tomatoes along with the spices. This does add a sour flavour which tastes well. But alternately you can use some lime or lemon juice to give that sourness. Of course you can increase or decrease the amount of ginger and other condiments to suit your palate.

http://www.indianfoodforever.com/vegetables/bhindi-bhaji.html

 

http://www.tarladalal.com/recipesearch.aspx?term=bhindi this website gives about 59 different recipes for bhindi. I must say that I rarely make it any different as I prefer to not add any fluid to the bhindi as it increases the stickiness and can make the sabji pulpy if cooked a little too much.

http://indianfood.about.com/od/vegetarianrecipes/r/bharvaanbhindi.htm stuffed bhindi is another good recipe but not the one I attempt often as it is best when having all similar size bhindi for them to cook together. In this reciepe you find that a paste is made from stuffing. However, gujarati style you mx all the spices together (without any flour) (coriander, cumin, salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder and a couple of spoons of oil plus optional is a pinch of sugar) This mixture will allow you to fill the bhindi though the lengthwise slit that you make, going  just over half way deep into the bhindi. The onions and ginger can form the base like the earlier version and add the bhindi to the pan after the onions are softened. If any mixed spices are left over then they can also be added into the pan. Again leave the lid off the pan and do not stir the sabji much. You can toss them in the pan though to keep the heat even through the bhindis.

To Love

I look across a crowded room

Suddenly there is no one else in the room

It is such a cliché love at first sight

Love pushes into my heart with might

The breath quickens

The heartbeat quickens

The world suddenly seem lighter

The future dreamy and brighter

The touch of his eyes on my face

Makes a blush creep up my face

My eyes adore him

Wishing always to look at him

So much said with eyes

So much unsaid by eyes

The first look lingers

The love you can almost touch with fingers

We are drawn towards each other

Wishing just to be with each other

The gentle breeze playing with my hair

Fragrance of roses in the air

The scent of roses always bring

That first memory of loving

Now that you are gone

My eyes searching on and on

The heart slowed

The breath pained

The eyes flow hot tears

Your memory like hot spears

Life seems an endless waste

Refusing to make haste

Time to heal this broken heart

Time to move on from this part

Then once again my eyes meet another’s across a room

Suddenly there is no one else in the room

Again!!!

I Want

When am good

Am very very good

When am bad

I wanna be very very bad

I want to be loved

Oh I want so much to be loved

Is it too much to ask

Why should I wear a mask?

Pretend that all is well

When nothing is well

I want to break free of this pretence

The bad times in past tense

I refuse to be good any more

Do what is expected of me any more

I want to dance in the rain

I want to sing despite the pain

I want to punch some on in the face

Yell for them to get outta my face

I want to eat chocolate when I wish

Any food whenever I wish

How many frogs must I kiss

To find the one I would miss

I want to be bad

I want to be mad

I want to be happy

In an otherwise life so crappy……

Here Comes the Monsoon

The summer is always hot and dry

Temperatures soar high

On the pavement an egg you can fry

Lassitude from the heat makes you sigh

Everyone is waiting eagerly

To welcome the monsoon

To see the storm clouds gathering

To feel the coolness of rain soon

As the day grows old

Shadows made by the clouds

The sun becoming paler gold

Skies being darkened by the clouds

The breeze picks up slowly

The leaves begin to rustle

The wind soon whispers secretively

The flora also start doing the hustle

The first drop of rain

Earth welcomes the first drop

The dry earth ready to soak up the rain

Drop follows another drop

The smell of the wet earth

Makes you take a deep breath

The sweet smell of moistening earth

The dampening coolness filling your breath

The drops grow in size, big and fat

The downpour starts to increase

The rain collects in puddles fat

Looking like it will not cease

I rush out on to the rain

On to my terrace

To dance with joy in the rain

The cooling rain on my face

The joy of leaping about

The laughter at the fun

Of kicking the water spraying about

Seeing if you can get wetter at a run

When I see the first drops of monsoon rain

When I see the kids leaping in the rain

The joy of getting wet wandering in the rain

It takes me back to my childhood in the rain

Making me smile all over again

With the remembered joy again

Making me hum again

I am singing in the rain…. again