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Sad. Bored. Food.

Night. Sweet melancholy. One of those dark, salubrious times when the wind gently murmurs through open windows. Bugs look pretty against the lamplight. Yet, something sinister tiptoes about. I wait for blood to trickle down the crack on the wall and make a crimson puddle-pool on a shiny tile.

I was feeling sad and angry for no apparent reason. It is a mood I get into when I don’t eat read meat for a long time. I wonder if it is genetic. Someday, perhaps, adequate self-loathing/ absorption will drive me to study minutae of my every mood. Then, I will try and determine why fifteen days without eating MUTTON (and none of that wimpy boneless stuff – I’m talking about crunching bones and sucking marrow) makes me hate everything that moves and talks.

I indulged in a few moments of quiet contemplation. Slowly, the white-burning hatred mellowed to a soft dislike. Now, I did not crave red meat. But I did crave for something chewy, slightly sweet and tender, little juicy textures, flavored with at least two or three sharp tastes. So, in times like this when my mind is vexed and demanding, I start cooking up recipes.

What I conjure up with my eyes closed is a fresh, prawn salad. Young shrimps would do as well. Then I think of wet little pieces of pineapples, something ice-cold, green, and crunchy – maybe lettuce or celery kept on ice for a while. And a nice, dark, full-bodied sauce. I’m thinking maybe peanuts ground finely and mixed with two spoons of thick, pasty black bean sauce. The shrimps must be boiled just right, so that its natural juices are retained. They must be reasonably salted, good enough to be picked on without the sauce. The sauce is really for the greens. But if mixed well (with wooden spoons in a large wooden salad bowl), it is a good summery meal.

Then, there is this dish that my mother makes for me when I go to Mumbai. A little background: My mother will be watching ‘Ba, Bahu, aur Baby’. I will cringe and ask her ‘What! Why!?’ In response she will point and laugh at Deven Bhojani. (The guy is remarkably talented, though.) Then I will tell her how I haven’t eaten tasty meat for so long. And sulk. She will shush me and go back to hearty chortling. After the funny episode is over, she will go to the kitchen and cook. And the reason I think no cooking compares to a mother’s cooking is this – she will not ask me what I mean by ‘tasty meat’. But she will invariably rustle up something that will gratify my palate unerringly. It is uncanny.

This dish is simply kheema steamed with green chillies, pepper, and salt. There is absolutely no oil added but the fat from the kheema is enough to make it tender. While the mince is getting steamed, a little oil (very little – a spoon maybe) is smoked with red chillies, very finely diced capsicums, and garlic. The kheema is then added to this hot oil and tossed till it is evenly covered. Served hot with long-grained rice and spicy, red chutney.

Hmm. I have a good time being sad.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Such nice crunchy textured stuff! Difficult to believe you are conjuring it up.. go out there and buy up prawns and make this delicious salad and tell me how it was!! :)
Mukta Raut said…
me? cook? and i thought we were friends...
Anonymous said…
yummmy!!!!!

lucky you!

missing kheema :(

nadim
Madhuri Shinde said…
For a moment I thought, finally u have started experimenting in kitchen but one of ur comment proved me wrong...but awesome description...sure reason to be sad.
Anonymous said…
Your writing is so animated and vivid that i live a little vicariously. Love your blog. Your posts always appeal to the dreamer in me.
Anonymous said…
ya..ur post was vividnd graphic!! but do spare a thght fr occasional veggie hu visits ur blog! nt me! i hav no prblms! but my frnd left halfway readng ur post!

nadim
Anonymous said…
Mukta....Non veg? u had told me that u have stopped eating non-veg.....aren't you?....thats why last time when we met, we had gone to veggie restu. n then stupid mahabharata type movie...
well I won the bet again this time.. la la la la.....this is 4th one in row

-pravin
Mukta Raut said…
hey nadim,

me too! :-(

yes, magic..very tue..

MADHURI! MADHURI! How are you? We should meet up sometime..

Hi Sushma,

Thank you so much!

nadim...:-) well, what to do? I am a non-veg to the core.

Pravin,

Shut up! hee hee! Mail me!

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