Paneer + peanut gravy + Andhra tadka

Well, if you think this is some sort of a recipe, you will be disappointed and not at the same time. Paneer is Indian cottage cheese, popular solely in North India, Andhra (short for Andhra Pradesh) is a state in southern India while Tadka is an Indian word for seasoning.

It all started on a pretty hot evening. My room mate 'S' (not to be confused with the S in my previous post. In fact, all my current room mates are S's) announced we were going to have some Paneer dish for dinner and set about preparing it. I for one, hate Paneer. The chewy feeling that it gives totally puts me off. I can tolerate it only if its in some Paratha (Indian bread). So seeing a chunk of Paneer lying on the counter ready to be sliced was enough to get me skeptical about dinner. But S, lets call her Ms.Chef, seemed resolute. 

Now, Ms.Chef is crazy about peanuts and started roasting them vigorously with red chillies. As if Paneer was not enough, she next announced that its going to be peanut gravy. WHAT?!? Really? Did the other S (I'll call her Ms.Energy because I have not seen anyone more enthusiastic about life than she is) who was washing vessels allow both her jaw and a vessel to drop? I would never know because my senses stopped functioning for a while. I was aghast. Ms.Chef was of course nonchalant and said "Aye baavuntundiiiiiiii" (the way she drags every final syllable in Telugu words) - meaning "hey, it would be good". 

The third S in our house happened to pass by and was equally mortified at the thought of the ultimate paneer peanut combination. In an attempt to address the impending doom, she suggested meekly.. "Er.. would it not be better if you just cooked it the usual North Indian way.. in tomato gravy?"... For a moment we thought Ms.Chef would give in. She considered things for a few seconds and announced again - "Ok. lets add tomatoes to the peanuts". DEAD !!!

Well, the peanut, red chillies, onion, tomato gravy was made, Ms.chef kept smiling (should I say wickedly?) at us while we tried every theory to prove that the whole thing is going to make us puke and die (forgive the hyperbole). To what avail? The "Aye baagane untundiiiiiiiii. Meeku teleeduuu"  (Hey, its going to be ok, you guys dont know) song continued and ended with Ms.Chef doing the unthinkable. She seasoned this dish with South Indian Tadka (Mustard, cumin, pulses). Now any self respecting Indian would admit that this is a strictly unholy combination.  If paneer+peanut can make one die, this tadka combination would force the dead to turn in their graves. But it seemed Ms.Chef would not rest until we "rest"ed for ever. END OF STORY !!!

Epilogue: The dish turned out to be life-giving and not life-taking. In other words, super yummy - "pure unpolluted awesomeness". We ate it for two days, licking our fingers and drooling for more (very much like dogs). In fact, anybody who reads this post and can guess who Ms.Chef is in real life and also knows her personally, should beg/request/demand/command her to cook the same for him/her. I do not know if its the peanuts or the tadka or the paneer or the chef's skillful hand or "love" (if you will :P) or all, but Paneer +Peanut gravy +Andhra tadka is one of the best Paneer dishes I ever had with Rotis (Indian bread). 

* bows solemnly to Ms.Chef*

'Cat'astrophy !!!

Getting ready in the morning has always been a rush affair for me. It doesnt matter how early I get up. I always end up running hither and thither and just about manage to catch my bus. (Alas !). Anyway, today was no exception. But guess what I should see in the hall while eating carrots, combing hair and searching for my mobile (yes, all at the same time)?!? Horrors of horrors...A FAT BROWN CAT !!! It sprang behind the TV and managed to slide out through the front door. I was aghast !!! The feline species have not forgiven me. Everytime they HAVE to appear in the most unexpected of places, in the most unexpected of moments and make my heart jump out of my body, hit the opposite wall and jump back in just in time to save my life.

This reminds me of a nightmarish early morning in college. I was in my third year and it was summer. We all slept with our balcony doors open in our respective rooms in hostel. I was in good sleep when I suddenly woke up having a feeling I was not alone in that room. I was not wrong. Yes, a thin black cat with green eyes was sitting right next to me on my bed. Then two things happened in a single instant - I had my first attack of paralysis, it had its first experience of being PT Usha's feline counterpart(atleast I think so) - in short, it jumped past me out of the window and disappeared into the darkness in lightning speed.

All said and done, I am not so much of an animal lover. My love for animals extends only to the point where I can manage to not hate them and can manage to not interfere in their existence. My sincere prayer to all the feline, cannine, whatever-ine species of the world (though they cannot read this) - " Please stay away from me. Good fences make good neighbours :- "