On a whitewashed saturday on this penultimate day of January, where outside errands have been halted, TV and food refreshingly emerged as the weekend buzzwords. Had lots planned for the day including some boring trips to local groceries and furniture stores. Jeez - Been three months since I bought a house and I am still lacking wood. Well it would need to wait another day. Thanks to the snow.
So the morning seemed to have passed off quietly. Dialed into ESPN2 for the expected - Serena - The Abusive Williams had already unleashed her abusive game in the third set on her way to winning the 13th slam at the expense of Henin dreaming a Clijsters-like comeback. But what a great run by the stodgy Henin. My sleeper cell (basement) felt awfully cold so had to turn on the heat to battle the 20 deg F outside. Made some mini trips to the front window of my kitchen staring at the precipitation and cursing the weather gods for ruining the day.
Next thing I see is wifey stepping into the kitchen with a sullen grumpy face. She appeared upset from the snow too, given how desperately she had wanted to venture out. She immediately pulled out an iron wok from some cranny that may have eluded me since I moved in. Glimmer of hope suddenly switched gears and now was brimming with confidence as she started to work her culinary magic on the gas. She pulled out a big spatula scooping out flour dough in lumps into the wok. With the burner on, she next poured out the pure Amul Ghee (Indian name for thick processed milkcream) which happens to be an Indian brand available in many Indian grocery stores such as Patel Brothers. With sugar sprinkled all over, it was time to mix em all up. She continued to saute the dough that looked like white sand (one you find on the Florida gulf coast) for the next 15--20 minutes. Eventually when the dough started putting on a brownish tinge, she added couple of cups of water that made the dough smoothen out. Another 5 mins of simmering and the dough was now ready for consumption. Wait a second, not yet. She sprinkled some cashews and raisins on top as the perfect garnish. This preparation in Indian circles is called "Sooji Halwa"(For more info, visit recipes at http://www.yummyindialounge.com)
Huddled cozily in my warm comforter in my sleeper cell, watching Fox Business airing a special on Growing your Own Business and making it big, I am doting on one of my favorite dishes my wife just prepared. Gajar Ka Halwa is another of my favorites. The taste is just perfect and the crunching of cashews while munching the Halwa drives your taste buds in unrestrained frenzy. A couple of more helpings and the tummy sounded off the warning bell, Enough dude..you are killing me. This one tasted more yummy given the holed up weekend.
