Book Review: Half Girlfriend (by Chetan Bhagat)

(Buy online Here)

Oops....he did it again!!! Chetan Bhagat's latest could easily be another Hindi blockbuster. Hardly surprising for a guy who is quoted to be the largest selling English language novelist in Indian History. He thrives on mass appeal. Something which the Dan Browns, Jeffery Archers and the Sidney Sheldons lack. They do not touch the soul of the Indian reader simply because the plot, the settings and even the English is so alien. Bhagat has his finger on the pulse of the average Indian who just like Madhav, the lead protagonist, thinks first in vernacular and then translates it into English. Akin to providing the proverbial icing on the cake, he intersperses English with Bhojpuri, sometimes even crass stuff like 'Deti hai to de, varna kat le'.

The story which moves between Delhi, Bihar and New York, is a poor boy meets rich chick plot with a very realistic twist. "Rich chick falling for a poor guy?? Dude that happens only in our Hindi movies". A standard reaction. But what makes this convincing is that the chick, who is portrayed as being commitment phobic, does not fall for our poor Bihari guy until the end. She agrees to be his half-girlfriend but no more. The reason behind it revealed much later. For a story that is largely narrated in flashback, Bhagat maintains a good grip on the plot.

The main protagonists meet in college as teenagers. Their love for basketball brings them close but their bliss does not last. Both take off their separate ways to pursue individual dreams but destiny has other plans for them. They meet after three years, both older and wiser. Only to be separated by another twist of fate. They meet yet again in the climax, this time to end up together.

The book has quite a few sparkling moments including one when Madhav, the Bihari guy who has always nursed a complex about his English, delivers a speech (a section of which is impromptu) in English in front of Bill Gates and bags a grant from the Gates Foundation. Both the leads are flesh and blood characters who have 'hatke' dreams and are not afraid of pursuing them.

Bhagat has fleetingly touched upon a lot of sensitive topics including child abuse, marital abuse and secondary status of the girl child in society. But in typical Bhagat style, he does not dissect them. No intellectual reflections. No philosophical views. Highly recommended (even for those folks who rather prefer his movies)!

If you have any reservations about Bhagat's English which sounds rather juvenile given his pedigree, read this article (click here). English elitist's eat your heart out. The rest of India is catching up and how.

Roasted Pumpkin Raita (Kaddu ka raita)

A simple raita served during the Navratri days, this one may sound a bit weird but tastes just awesome. While one can also boil or steam the pumpkin before mashing it into the yogurt with spices, I wanted to give it as twist by roasting it to get the caramelized effect and release its natural sweetness.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 10-15 mins (depending on the size of pumpkin pieces)

Ingredients -

5-6 slices of pumpkin/kaddu ( 5mm to 7 mm thick )
1 cup yogurt
1/2 tsp roasted cumin-chili powder
salt to taste
2 pinch sugar
cilantro for garnishing

Preparation - Beat the yogurt lightly. Add a little water and season with salt and roasted cumin chili powder.

Cooking - Roast the pumpkin slices with some sugar sprinkled over them. Use an oven or do it on a non-stick pan which has been greased lightly. Once brown /black spots start to appear on the pumpkin slices, remove from heat and keep aside till cool.

Mash the pumpkin and add to the seasoned yogurt. Mix well.

Serve chilled.

Spicy Sweet Potatoes (Chatpati Shakarkandi)

An easy and spicy curry made with sweet potatoes, this one goes well with Kuttu (buckwheat) parathas/puris or Rajgira ( Amaranthus ) parathas/puris. Spiced generously with chili and peppers, and dry mango powder providing the necessary tang, this one is a sure winner.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 sweet potatoes (or 2 cups boiled, peeled & cubed )
• 1-2 green chili
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 pinch asafoetida
• 1/3 tsp chili powder
• 2 pinch pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp amchur/dry mango powder
• black salt/rock salt/sendha namak
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp ghee/clarified butter

Preparation - Cut the sweet potato into 3 inch long pieces. Put in a pressure cooker with 1 cup water and cook for 2-3 whistles. Keep aside till steam escapes.

Peel them and cut into smaller discs.

Cooking - Heat the oil and ghee in a wok.

Add the green chili and cumin seeds. Once the spluttering stops, add the sweet potato and fry for 1-2 mins.

Add all the spice powders and salt. Sprinkle a bit of water. Fry them till the spices form a layer around the potato pieces.

Serve hot with Kuttu/Rajgire paratha/puris.

Sabudana Vada

Sabudana being loaded with carbohydrates (starch) is an ideal choice for fasting days. Most of the recipes are easy, quick and tasty. One such example is the Sabudana Vada, crispy and lightly spiced fritters of sago, potato and peanuts.

Quite happy with my first attempt. The vadas turned out crisp on the outside and soft inside without absorbing too much oil. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 15-20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1/2 cup sabudana
• 1 cup mashed potato
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 3-4 tbsp roasted and lightly crushed peanuts
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chilis
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• 1/2-1 tsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying

Preparation - Soak the sabudana overnight (or lesser time for smaller pearls). Strain to remove all excess water (this is important)

Take the sabudana in a mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients except for the oil. Mix into a dough.

Grease your palms with a little oil. Pinch small portions of the dough, roll into balls and flatten them. Make sure they are not very thick as the center will not be cooked properly.

Cooking - Heat sufficient oil in a wok. Add the flattened dics 2-3 at a time. Fry on both sides till light brown. Make sure that the flame is kept medium high so that the vadas do not absorb excess oil.

Remove from the wok and place on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Repeat for the remaining dough.

Serve hot with a chutney.

Note - It is important to test the soaking time of the sabudana before making the vadas. The tiny varieties need only half an hour to become soft and mushy. 

Plantain Chips

Another chips recipe for Navratri !! This time is it with green bananas. Very useful when entertaining guests/friends over those nine days of fasting.

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 1  green banana
• 2 pinch turmeric
• red chilli powder
• salt as per taste
• oil for deep frying (rice bran/sunflower/olive)

Preparation - Peel the banana and dip them in ice cold water to which salt and turmeric have been added. (this prevents discoloration)

Cooking - Heat oil in wok. Directly slice the bananas into the hot oil, a few at a time. Fry on both sides till crisp.

Remove from wok and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil Sprinkle the salt and pepper on the hot chips and toss to coat them. Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container once cooled.

Sweet Potato Chips

Another easy Navratri recipe with sweet potatoes (Shakarkandi) !! Comes handy when entertaining guests/friends over those nine days of fasting.

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 Sweet potato 
• freshly crushed pepper or pepper powder
• rock salt as per taste
• oil for deep frying (rice bran/sunflower/olive)

Preparation - Peel the sweet potato and make thin slices (thinner the better). 

Cooking - Heat oil in wok. Add the sweet potato slices a few at a time. Fry on both sides till crisp.

Remove from wok and place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil Sprinkle the rock salt and pepper on the hot chips and toss to coat them. Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container once cooled.

Note - One can also use table salt instead of rock salt.

Kacche kele ki subzi (Navratri special)

This is one of my the favorite Navratri recipes. Got it from Tarla Dalal's cookbook and have loved it ever since. Frugal and tasty without much effort. And green banana being one of its kind is a low calorie source of carbohydrates and is rich in dietary fiber. They make one feel full as well as help the body burn fats.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 10-15 mins

Ingredients -

• 2 green bananas
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1-2 green chili
• a sprig curry leaves
• 2 pinch asafoetida
• 4 tbsp curd
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp ghee
• salt to taste

Preparation - Peel and cube the bananas. Put them into salted cold water immediately.

Beat the curd with a little water to break any lumps.

Cooking - Boil water in a saucepan and add a little salt and turmeric to it. Add the banana pieces and cook till done but not mushy. Strain the water and keep aside.

Heat the oil and ghee in a wok. Add the broken green chili and cumin seeds followed by the asafoetida and curry leaves.

Add the banana pieces and fry for 2 mins.

Add the beaten curd along with salt and mix everything. Cook till the curd dries and forms a layer around the banana pieces. Remove from flame.

Serve with white rice or rotis.

Book Review: The Lives Of Others (By Neel Mukherjee)

This post has been moved to my other blog. Read HERE.

Pulihora/Tamarind Rice (Navratri Special)

Pulihora is one of the offerings (Neivaidyams) made to the goddess in South Indian during Navratri. A simple recipe without any fussy ingredients, it is quick to make and quite tasty. While one does get some packaged Pulihora mixes in the supermarkets, it can be easily made at home without one.

Read for the easy recipe -

Preparation Time - 15 mins.

Ingredients - 

1/3 cup raw rice

4-5 cashews

a fistful of peanuts

2-3 tbsp gram/chana dal

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

2 red chilis

a sprig of curry leaves

1 tbsp tamarind paste (adjust as per taste)

1 tsp jaggery (powdered)

salt to taste

3 tsp oil

Cooking - Cook the rice in a pressure cooker or an open pan till it is soft. Keep aside.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds followed by the chana dal and peanuts. Allow to brown a little. At last, add the cashews and curry leaves. Fry for 15 seconds.

Add the tamarind paste with a little water, jaggery and salt. Cook for 3-4 mins.

Add the rice and mix thouroughly.

Serve hot.

Watch out this space for more Navratri recipes (both from North & South India) ......

Shakarkandi Chaat (Navratri Special)

Shakarkandi Chaat is a famous Delhi street food that it very common during the winters. While I have never seen it in any of the cities that I have lived in, I came to know about it from a neighbor of mine. We happened to be discussing pregnancy cravings and she mentioned that she had lost all her appetite during those nine months. "Lucky you", all the ladies chipped in. A very natural reaction (and laced with some envy too) for all those who had experienced such cravings and were still in the process of losing all those pounds gained as a result of gorging on sweets and other high calorie stuff. Coming back to my neighbour, as she continued to share her stories about how people around her would try and get her to eat, one particular recipe caught my attention. The description of a yummy sweet potato and fruit chaat prepared by her grandmother-in-law almost reduced my mouth into a pool of saliva. This was something I had to try at least once.

I made a small change in her recipe by omitting the fruit. And it turned out to be just yummylicious. Read on for this simple 'phalahari' chaat which is very apt for the Navratri -

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

2 cups boiled/baked, peeled & cubed sweet potato
1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp lemon juice
rock salt as desired

Preparation - Take all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Toss well.

Serve immediately.


Note - One can also add sliced bananas, pomegranate, nylon sev, amchur/chaat masala, coriander leaves, green chilis, etc to spice it up further.

Capsicum- Mushroom Korma

An easy vegetarian korma !! Or a toned down version of the luxurious gravy dish that most people remember savoring at a restaurant !! My modified version is one that can be had on a everyday basis and it goes equally good with both rice and rotis.

It is somewhat similar to ( and inspired by ) the mushroom-capsicum curry that we make with mustard sauce in Odisha. Do check the recipe (HERE)

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20-25 mins

Ingredients -

• 200 gm button mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped capsicum
• 1 medium sized boiled potato (boiled, peeled & cubed)
• 1 medium sized tomato 
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 4-5 garlic flakes
• 1-2 dry red chilli
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1-2 green cardamom
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 8-9 cashews
• 3 tsp oil
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• salt to taste
• coriander for garnishing

Preparation - Clean the mushrooms and cut each one into 4 pieces along the length.

Chop the tomato into small pieces.

Grind the onion, ginger, garlic, red chili, 2/3 tsp cumin seeds, cardamom and cinnamon into a smooth paste using as little water as possible. Keep aside.

Similarly, soak the cashews for half an hour in warm water before grinding them into a smooth paste.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the cumin seeds and allow them to splutter.

Add the onion and spices paste to the wok. Fry lightly till the raw smell just goes off. Add the tomato and cover for 1 minute to allow the tomatoes to soften.

Add the mushrooms, capsicum and potato to the wok. Stir fry on high heat for 3-4 mins till you can see the mushrooms starting to shrink.

Add 1 cup hot water to the wok along with salt and turmeric. Bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and allow to simmer on low flame.

Once the mushrooms are cooked, add the cashew paste and mix well. Allow the curry to simmer for 3-4 mins. Finally garnish with corinader leaves before removing from the flame.

Serve hot or warm.