Happy Meal

What does a happy meal mean to you?

The thought of some fast food outlet and some cute little toys come up on mind? May be.

Have you ever thought of school days? Did the meals make you happy? We all used to wait for that lunch break! No matter what the food was.   Those colourful Tiffin boxes, those impatient wait for lunch break bell and sometimes peeping into the box to find out what’s inside it. And then all friends sitting together and sharing the food. Most of the time, “Your mom makes such good food everyday” – yes the grass used to be greener the other side.

Sharing has always been fun.

I fail to understand why it changes over the period of time?

How does the working professional eat? Their executive lunch?

Alone? Sitting quietly? In some corner. May be eyes on laptop or phone. We behave we have doing some favour to someone by eating the lunch. Grabbing it quickly. Quicker and quieter the lunch is, the more efficient the executive is, indeed!

Different offices has different culture. I quite love the culture where people take their time out for lunch. May be half hour or so. They sit together. No matter what they bring, they share.

Food is the best way to bring people together, bring their inner most corners out! Doesn't matter department or hierarchy, it’s always fun to eat together and share.

Why I think eating together is fun (at work place):

·         We get a break from work!

·         We get to interact with people with whom we probably don’t interact for work

·         We get to eat variety and who doesn't love that?

·         We open up – we end up talking about out likes, dislikes, hobbies etc.

·         Eating together, sharing food and laughing together indeed bring people close erasing the line between hierarchy or departmental difference

There might be, I am sure there are many more reason why we should sharing our lunch break rather than eating alone, quietly in one corner, concentrating on the screen. The organization won’t really collapse for this 30 minutes happy meal break. 

A Chicken Recipe with lemon and chilli

Lebu Lonka Chicken 

Recipe: Lebu Lonka Chicken

There are times when our taste buds behave in a strange way! Specially when we are unwell. We crave for something spicy or tangy or chatpata! This recipe will bring that taste – tangy and hot! Quite a simple recipe, I too have learnt it from someone. Since I love food - I love experimenting with cooking too! 

You can customize it a little, e.g I like more garlic so I put more! If don’t like lemon, you can add a little less juice!

For the recipe you need:

•          Chicken 250gm
•          Onion juice (2 medium size onion)
•          Garlic paste ( take 4 table spoon full)
•          Ginger paste (take 2 table spoon full)
•          Lemon juice (preferably use Gondhoraj Lebu / Royal Aroma Lemon 1 full)
•          Pinch of sugar
•          Salt according to your taste
•          Curd (  2/3 table spoon)
•          Green chilli paste  (as per your taste)
•          Choti elaichi
•          Lemon leaves
•          Coriander powder (one and half spoon)

Procedure:

•          Marinate the chicken with ginger paste, garlic paste, chilly paste and onion paste/ juice. Add salt and coriander power, curd and edible oil.
•          Keep it in the fridge for half an hour
•          Take a frying pan. Give ghee / mustard oil / white oil( I prefer mustard oil)
•          Once the oil is warm give choti elaichi and then pour the marinated chicken
•       You can add some more onion juice and lemon juice in it. If you want you can add red chilli power ( ½ tea spoon Kashmiri mirch for color or keep it as it is) – add sugar
•          Cook it for 4/5 minutes and then give the lemon leaves. cook in a low flame
•          If you feel its dry enough, you can pour half a cup of water
•          Cover it with lid and let it cook for 4/5 minutes more
•          Once cooked, serve with rice

P.S. there is no turmeric in this recipe!

Hope you enjoy the recipe! 

The tale of Khejur Gur / Date Palm Jaggery

Winter for many Bengalis and foodies mean some authentic Khejur gur. The aroma itself creates the hunger pangs! Every year in West Bengal the people, who specialized in making Khejur gur, come and settle at Asansol from end of November till January (say winter). They tie a pot at the date tree and early in the morning they collect the juice from plam tree,. .The pot is hanged on the Khajur tree after the sunset and brought down before the sunrise (4a.m-5a.m).The sap is collected in a big container. Then the sap is put in an iron container and put it on heat so that it thickens! they are poured into mud container / pot and then kept till they are semi solid. Its a beautiful process. One needs to get up early to experience it, aound 4:30am or so. Well I am not an early riser so caught them a little late. Visited at the end of November 2014.

The gur / jaggery is sold here at Rs. 80 - 90 / kg. Available form November till end of January every year. Can be kept / stored for 5/6 for best aroma and taste.

P.S. DO not copy the images without permission.