Let us talk of many things

The title, of course, comes from my favorite poem 'The Walrus and the Carpenter'.  I used to blog at scribblesside.blogspot.com but I cannot sign in anymore to that blog. Hence a new blog and a new beginning.

The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things...

I am going to talk today about my garden.  This year my gardener was inspired by the tiny plot of land that I have carved out in my apartment complex. The university gardeners had planted some evergreen plants which I rooted out and instead planted series of roses and jasmines. It was not enough for my gardener, Nanku Ram. He decided that the time has come to plant a vegetable garden. The first vegetable he chose was bhindi.   We planted it in mid-April and by mid-May I was plucking bhindis every day. 

I took some for my parents when I visited them in June end. Nanku Ram also was able to take them home at least twice. 

Today's menu featured bhindi with potatoes. I ate this long time back in the hostel. It used to be, as was norm with most hostel food, unedible. I tinkered around a bit to get it to my taste (not to my father's who believes that bhindi should be perfectly cooked such that no trace of the green color remains. It should, preferably, be black after cooking.  And in this world there is only one person who can cook bhindi to his specifications.  And it is not my mother.).  I also realized, as I was making it today, that I would hopeless giving out recipes because I cook as per my mood. Today, I decided to use panch phoran (Bengali spice) for tadka.  As I chopped the bhindi, I changed my decision and chopped one onion too.  So this version of my bhindi-potato contained panch phoran, onion, and no turmeric.  I heated the oil, added panch phoran, and then the onions. After the onions became translucent, I added bhindi.  It was hot, so while bhindi was cooking, I came out and played few games on the computer.  Once the bhindi was done, I added two small boiled potatoes, salt and one green chilli finely chopped. Few turns and it was done.  Some times I omit panch phoran and instead add cumin seeds. Some times I add a tomato or amchur powder. It all depends on my mood.

But one thing is certain: the bhindi from one's garden tastes heavenly.