Don't worry, be happy

Read it to the very end .
A great note for all to read it will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared , is doubled.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.
"Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."

Quote

Quote from a diary of Eugene Delacroix

I have been reading about an English judge who desired to live to a great age and accordingly proceeded to question every old man he met about his diet and the kind of life he led- whether his longevity had any connexion with food, alcoholic liquor, and so forth. It appears the only thing they had in common was early rising and, above all, not dozing off once they were awake. Most important.

Pasta recipe

Penne Pasta in Indian Curry sauce
Ingredients
4 cups penne pasta
Salt—to taste
½ tsf fresh ground Pepper
3 tbsf olive pomace oil
5 cardamom
1” stick cinnamon
3 cloves
1” piece ginger—chopped finely
3 cloves garlic—made into paste
2 medium style onions- diced
3 ripe tomatoes- pureed
3 tbsf tomato sauce
½ tsf Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsf soya sauce
(optional) 2 tbsf Teriyaki sauce
Dash of Green /Red Tabasco
5 strands saffron dissolved in 2 tbsf warm milk, later crushed

Method
Boil the pasta in about 8 cups of salty water for about 7-8 mins. After water comes to a boil—pasta should be al dente. Drain off extra water and wash pasta with cold water. Keep aside.
Add 2 tbsf olive oil in a stew pot and heat the oil until it emits an aroma. Add whole spices (card/ cinn /cloves). Add onions and sauté until golden brown. Add ginger and garlic and sauté for a minute. Remove all ingredients and grind to a paste.
Take 1 tbsf olive oil in the same vessel and return the onion paste to it. (if using teriyaki sauce add it now until it caramelizes slightly). Add the tomato puree and all the sauces, stirring constantly until a thick sauce consistency is reached. Lastly add the saffron and sauté for a minute or so. Toss the pasta with this sauce and serve hot.
You may garnish with some oregano and parsley, if you so desire.

veg recipes

Veg recipe

Green channa or Sweet corn biryani

INGREDIENTS
2 cups green chana - dried and soaked overnight or 3 cups choliya or 2 cups sweet corn or 2 cups boiled green peas
2 carrots - diced
10 almonds- blanched and then sauteed lightly in desi ghee or white butter
3 cups basmati rice
5 onions - cut in half and sliced length-wise
2 tbsp ghee
For spices-6 green cardamom
6 cloves
2" piece cinnamon
10 pepper corns
3 tsp jeera
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch nutmeg powder

2 bay leaves
2 sprigs curry leaves

To Garnish-fried onions, coriander leaves and rose water ( if desired)

METHOD
Boil the green chana with 1 tbsp grated ginger and salt to taste.
Boil rice with twice its quantity of water and adequate salt, until almost done (al dente) add 1 tsp of fresh lime juice and drain off the excess water.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan and add 2 tsp jeera to it.Add the onions, fry until pearly white (do not brown) then add the rice and mix well. Keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a non-stick pan, add bay leaves and curry leaves and 1 tsp jeera and mustard seeds.Add the vegetables and chana or peas or sweet corn and saute till the vegetables are cooked. Add salt, red chillies and garam masala.
Mix the rice and vegetables together, put into a greased pan and top it up with fried onions.
Cover with aluminium foil and bake in a pre-heated oven at medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves and browned onion strips; serve hot along with mint raita.

Grand mother's Spicy Multani Moth

Ingredients:
200 gm moth
1 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1" ginger- shredded
2 tsp salt

Tadka (tempering)
2 tbsp desi ghee
2 tsp jeera
3 green cardamom- crushed
3 cloves-paste
2" piece cinnamon-paste
2 onions diced
1" ginger-ground to a paste
3 garlic cloves-ground to paste
2 tomatoes pureed

Garnish
1 sprig coriander(cilantro) leaves
1 onion cut in half and then lengthwise
2 tbsp anardana powder
2 tsp chaat masala
tamarind chutney-to taste

Method:
Soak moth overnight. Put moth with 4 cups water, coriander powder, red chili powder, shredded ginger and salt in a pressure cooker and bring to steam, simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a non-stick pan or wok, heat desi ghee, add jeera and cardamom, add onions and fry until golden brown, add cinnamon-clove paste, ginger-garlic paste, saute for 5 minutes, add tomato puree and saute until oil separates.
Before serving add tamarind chutney (to taste), anardana powder, chaat masala, onions and coriander.

Can be taken along with steamed rice as an accompaniment.

Non- veg Recipes

Some of my recent recipes

Mutton-Chana Dal Korma
Ingredients:
1 kg boneless mutton
4 onions - diced
1 cup curd - whipped
1 inch ginger- ground into paste
5 pods of garlic - ground into paste
3 tbsp desi ghee
12 green cardamoms - crushed
12 cloves
3 black cardamoms - powdered
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder
salt- to taste
5 strands of saffron - soaked in 2 tbsp milk
rose water- few drops
1 cup chana dal
coriander leaves
Method:
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and saute the onions in it till they turn golden brown in colour. Take out 3/4th of the fried onions and make a paste out of it. Add it back to the ghee.Also add ginger-garlic paste, whole spices and mutton to it. Cook till the mutton becomes soft. Add the chana dal and mix it well with the mutton. Add the powdered masalas and salt to it. Add curd and water and let it simmer till the mutton and the dal is well cooked. In the end add saffron and rose water to it. In case you don't have the patience for "dum" cooking, pressure cook for about 5 minutes. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.


Shahi Mutton Chaap Biryani

Ingredients:
750 gm mutton chaap large - beaten/flattened
1 1/2 cups mutton stock
For marination:
6 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp meat masala
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp haldi powder
1/2 tsp red chillies
3 cardamom
1 inch cinnamon
2 onions - chopped
1 inch ginger
3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp lemon juice
500 gm curd

For gravy:
2 tbsp ghee
4 onions - grated
3 tomatoes - pureed
3 cardamoms
3 cloves

For rice:
3 cups basmati rice
2 tsp jeera
2 cardamoms
2 tbsp ghee

For seasoning:
6 almonds, 6 raisins - soaked in warm water, blanched and cut into small pieces
2 tbsf warm milk , 10 strands of saffron (soaked in warm milk), kewra

Method:
Grind all the dry masalas coarsely. Make a fine paste of the onions, ginger and garlic.Mix lemon juice with the mutton.
Heat ghee in a pan and fry the mutton pieces in it. Take them out and roll them over the dry masalas and then soak them in beaten curd for at least 2-3 hours.
Heat ghee in a pan and add cardamoms, cloves and grated onions and saute until the onions turn golden brown in colour.
Add the tomato puree and simmer until the ghee separates. Now add the mutton pieces and cook well.
Pressure cook for one whistle, then simmer for five minutes.
Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds, cardamom and cooked rice in it. Also add almonds, raisins and half the saffron and milk mixture. Keep aside.
Grease an oven-proof dish with pure ghee.Add a layer of mutton stock, mutton chaaps, followed by rice and saffron and milk. The top layer should be of rice.Sprinkle kewra on top and season with onion slices.
Cover the dish with foil and cook in an oven (280 degrees) for five minutes.Followed by medium heat (180 degrees) for 10-15 minutes.Serve hot along with mint/ onion raita
posted by serendipity @ 6:45 AM

Keema Biryani

Ingredients:
500 gm chicken - minced
3 cups basmati rice
2 cups chicken stock
4 onions - diced
1 onion - sliced and browned
3 tomatoes - pureed
4 tbsp hung curd
4 tbsp lime juice
6 strands saffron - soaked in 3 tbsf warm milk
20 almonds - blanched and cut in pieces
20 raisins - soaked in water and cut in half
5 tbsp ghee
6 green cardamom
6 cloves
3 1 inch pieces of cinnamon
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds - powdered
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chillies
1/2 tsp haldi
salt -- to taste
3 tsp lime juice

Method:
Boil the rice with 5 cups of water in a vessel till it is cooked al dente. Add 1 tsp fresh lime just before removing from fire. Drain excess water.
Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they start to splutter add the cardamoms and rice. Mix well with rice and keep aside.
Heat 4 tbsp ghee, add the remaining cardamoms, cinnmon and cloves. Add diced onions and saute until light golden in colour. Add keema (mince) and saute for about 8-10 mins. Add curd and tomato puree 2 tbsp at a time and simmer until keema is soft and oil separates.
Add turmeric, chillies, garam masala and salt to taste.
Take a large oven proof casserole and grease the bottom with about 1 tsp of ghee. Layer rice over the bottom of the pan add 2 tsp of chicken stock and saffron milk. Put the next layer of keema, sprinkle almonds and raisins over it.Add 2 tsp lime juice.
Repeat layers of rice and keema - top layer should be of rice.
Sprinkle over with fried onions and saffron milk.
Cover the dish with a foil paper.Preheat an oven to about 280 degrees. Put the casserole in the centre of oven and cook for 5 minutes. Then reduce heat to 150 degrees and cook for 15 minutes.
Serve hot with mint raita.

Fragrant Mutton Masala
Ingredients:
1 kg raan mutton - cleaned and washed
4 onions- chopped
3 tomatoes - blended into puree
1" ginger - paste
6 garlic cloves - paste
3 cardamoms - ground
3 cloves - ground
1" cinnamon - ground
200 gm curd - hung in a muslin cloth for 2 hrs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp desi ghee
2 tbsp dried garam masala (by dry grinding 3 cardamoms, 2 cloves, 2 tsp jeera, 1 tsp dhania seeds, 6 pepper pods, 1 dried red chilli)
Salt - to taste
1 tsp haldi
1 tsp red chilli powder
5-6 strands saffron - dissolved in 3 tbsp of warm milk
1 tsp kewra/rose water

Method:
Heat a handi or pressure cooker and add olive oil to it till it is very hot and then add desi ghee to it.
Add onions and fry until they turn golden brown in colour, then add cardamoms, clove and cinnamon paste and ginger-garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes. Add haldi and red chilli powder and mix well. Add the mutton and saute with the onion mixture until mutton is translucent, add garam masala powder and mix well.
Keep adding 2 tbsp of tomato puree and 1tbsp of curd at regular intervals and keep mixing till the gravy becomes thick.Keep on medium heat until the oil separates from the gravy.
Add milk and saffron, three cups of water and kewra/rose water.
Let it steam cook (either by sealing the lid of the handi with atta and keeping on slow fire for about 20-30 mins. or by pressure cooking for 5-7 mins.)
When done garnish with onion rings and coriander leaves.
Serve hot with tandoori rotis, naan, tava roti or romali roti.

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Sibling rivalry
I was wondering today how complicated our relationships have become because of sibling rivalry. I fail to understand why siblings cannot help one another along the way. Sharing, compassion, fraternal feelings, love are the building blocks of solid relationships in this world. Why don't people realize that our time in this world is limited- we don't know if tomorrow will come. And once we migrate to other worlds we cannot take our money and houses and wealth away with us. What will remain is the fond memories that people will have of you if you believe in maintaining good relationships. Share love, not hate, because the more you share either of these emotions the more they multiply.

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serendipity-open thread
Sundays are meant for relaxation and stress relief. Most of us indulge our hobbies on a Sunday. I love exercising, cooking and gardening and reading-- in that order. Yesterday it was sambar (spicy lentil soup) for lunch and Shepherd's pie for dinner. I could share some recipes with you if any one is interested. I normally read about 3-10 recipes of the dish I'm about to create and then follow what I feel will taste best. It's intuitive and innovative cooking, always with a slight twist to the dish. After a couple of attempts at the dish it settles down to a consistent taste. Been reading the Greatness Guide by Robin Sharma and a love story called Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif. The former contains a lot of cliched statements while the latter is rather boring as a love story. I wish I could put half read books down and pick up a new book, but I cannot put any book down without completely reading it. Take care.
Sandy

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serendipity

I've always wanted to do this on my own-- post something on the web and wait for it to come back to you. Reminds me of the carrier pigeons of yore-- sending a message out into the universe and waiting for a reply from some-one. And if someone does reply or read your blog it's as if there is some hidden cosmic connection between all these people. This is the true meaning and purpose of the web-- a quantum network of connected people ideas, atoms, emotions , sharing, caring and all that jazz.