The lamps are alight in most parts of the country as people welcome Vinayaka, the Hindu God of wisdom. At the same time, another part of the country has gone up in flames over yet overweight self-styled God. No, wait ! He calls himself just a 'Messenger of God' or MSG but happens to be no less toxic than the Chinese seasoning which goes by the same name. And we have good reason to stay away from both of them. Did you just ask "Why"?? Horrors. Aren't we taught to keep quite and put our brains in the cold storage lest our entire 'khandaan' loses it's olfactory powers ?
I often keep wondering about that much abused joke wherein a bunch of scientists discuss the price of the brains pickled in formaldehyde. Had the joke been about nationalities instead of personalities, the Indian specimens would surely have made it to the top !! Shouldn't we blast off of few of these morons to space and monitor if their brains show sign of heightened activity in zero gravity ? or maybe we shouldn't . Who know some aliens might just discover our much guarded secrets !! Woh kehte hain na, 'ghar ki baat agar ghar mein hi rahe......'.
Sadly, everyone knows that this madness is going to continue. No matter of ranting and raving on the part of people like 'us' will change the reality at the grass root level. Where ever people are hungry, needy or just plain desperate, some uncanny asshole is going to come along with fake promises of showing them the right path and delivering them from their misery. And every time people will fall for it, and end up surrendering their brains and even more. And vested interests will ensure that this cycle of shame continues to run smoothly. Well greased as it is. With their greed.
This was not the preamble that I had initially planned for my first post of the festive season. Somehow I tried to push back those images to the back of my mind and every time they kept coming back. Had to get this out of the system. Hope it makes you sit back and ruminate for a few minutes on your feelings about religion. Maybe it is time that we stop looking at others and start looking into our souls for the answers. After all, that is where it all started.
Today's recipe is just a extension of my 'Eat Healthy' journey. Laddoos are an integral part of any Indian wedding or festival . But since they come loaded with sugar and ghee, I decided to make my own 'guiltfree version'. Couscous is loaded with fiber and an excellent medium for making a healthy version.
Read on for the recipe -
Preparation Time - 30 mins
Ingredients -
Preparation - Bring 1 2/3 cups of water to boil in a saucepan.
Toss in the couscous and cook on a medium flame till it is still chewy ( a few degrees less than al-dente). Keep the couscous covered for 10 mins.
Heat the ghee in a wok. Add the besan and rose petals and fry till the besan turns fragrant.
Toss in the couscous and cook for 3-4 mins. Add the honey and cook for another 3-4 mins till it kind of starts getting sticky.
Remove from the flame .
Grease your palms with a little ghee. Pinch out small portions and roll into tight balls.
Garnish with the silver foil. Serve warm.
Enjoy these guiltfree laddoos anyday and anytime !!
And don't forget to ruminate over these lines :)
I often keep wondering about that much abused joke wherein a bunch of scientists discuss the price of the brains pickled in formaldehyde. Had the joke been about nationalities instead of personalities, the Indian specimens would surely have made it to the top !! Shouldn't we blast off of few of these morons to space and monitor if their brains show sign of heightened activity in zero gravity ? or maybe we shouldn't . Who know some aliens might just discover our much guarded secrets !! Woh kehte hain na, 'ghar ki baat agar ghar mein hi rahe......'.
Sadly, everyone knows that this madness is going to continue. No matter of ranting and raving on the part of people like 'us' will change the reality at the grass root level. Where ever people are hungry, needy or just plain desperate, some uncanny asshole is going to come along with fake promises of showing them the right path and delivering them from their misery. And every time people will fall for it, and end up surrendering their brains and even more. And vested interests will ensure that this cycle of shame continues to run smoothly. Well greased as it is. With their greed.
This was not the preamble that I had initially planned for my first post of the festive season. Somehow I tried to push back those images to the back of my mind and every time they kept coming back. Had to get this out of the system. Hope it makes you sit back and ruminate for a few minutes on your feelings about religion. Maybe it is time that we stop looking at others and start looking into our souls for the answers. After all, that is where it all started.
Today's recipe is just a extension of my 'Eat Healthy' journey. Laddoos are an integral part of any Indian wedding or festival . But since they come loaded with sugar and ghee, I decided to make my own 'guiltfree version'. Couscous is loaded with fiber and an excellent medium for making a healthy version.
Read on for the recipe -
Preparation Time - 30 mins
Ingredients -
- 1 cup pearl couscous
- 3-4 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp besan
- 1 tsp ghee
- 2 tbsp coarsely chopped rose petals
- silver foil for garnish (optional)
Preparation - Bring 1 2/3 cups of water to boil in a saucepan.
Toss in the couscous and cook on a medium flame till it is still chewy ( a few degrees less than al-dente). Keep the couscous covered for 10 mins.
Heat the ghee in a wok. Add the besan and rose petals and fry till the besan turns fragrant.
Toss in the couscous and cook for 3-4 mins. Add the honey and cook for another 3-4 mins till it kind of starts getting sticky.
Remove from the flame .
Grease your palms with a little ghee. Pinch out small portions and roll into tight balls.
Garnish with the silver foil. Serve warm.
Enjoy these guiltfree laddoos anyday and anytime !!
And don't forget to ruminate over these lines :)