Instant pav-bhaji and other food re-cycling tales.

Ok, so I have been feeling low for long enough. So I have problems. Who doesn't? For my own sanity, though, I need to bounce back, and go on. One always does.

As I had said in this post, "I am not much of a foodie. I do like to eat good food, but I'm more a person who eats to live rather than live to eat." Let me clarify immediately that I am not much of a cook either. My repertoire is quite limited, comprising typically Maharashtrian food, even where delicacies and festival foods are concerned. I cook this food by instinct, and by the grace of God, it does not usually go wrong.

Cooking by instinct entails cooking a bit absent-mindedly too. While reading a book standing in the kitchen. While talking on the phone. While trying to solve some homework problem of A's. While answering some query about Harry Potter again. While trying to get her to get ready for something, looking for something in the wardrobe for something the husband wants at the same time, with the iron man ringing the doorbell and requiring me to count out and hand over the clothes simultaneously. It's a madhouse. Most of the time.

So the inevitable sometimes happens. And I land up burning the milk, the rice, the veggies, whatever. Or overcooking / undercooking stuff. Or there's no salt / double the amount of salt, sugar, whatever.

No wonder the husband decided on his own that he would cook on weekends. At least we get well cooked, tasty stuff then. Not to mention food from various cuisines. a) He's the better cook. b) He uses recipe books.

Sometimes the food gets ruined through no such fault.

The day before yesterday I had made a cauliflower curry. The newly bought green chillies were not pungent enough, but I did not know that. I made the vegetable as usual, with an ordinary mustard-asafoetida-turmeric-green chillies tempering, and adding just salt for seasoning, cooking till tender but not mushy. Result, an absolutely tasteless curry, which the husband and daughter ate only out of politeness, refusing second servings.

So I had more left-overs than usual. Even my palate refused to eat that cauliflower. So I decided to make an impromptu pav-bhaji out of it. I put it to heat in a pan, with a little more water, added some garam masala and few tablespoons of beaten curd /yogurt to it, stirred it through, and let it steam till a bit mushy. Added fresh coriander garnish, toasted some sliced bread, and there was my piping hot pav-bhaji. Meal for one was served, with a sliced tomato and a bowl of curd on the side.

Yesterday's leftover veggies, dal, etc. are usually converted to today's breakfast. I mash them up roughly, add gram flour, maize flour, rice flour, jowar flour, wheat flour, whatever flour that is at hand, some more chilli power, salt, cumin seeds and make it into a soft dough using water as needed. I apply some oil to a pan, take a ball of the dough, and pat it down to make a flat thalipith. Cover and cook it till well done on both sides, and serve it with some pickle and curd. Nutritious and tasty breakfast.

I make ghee at home. The dregs left after the ghee has been strained out are rich in proteins and fat, and I hate to waste them. So I put sugar / jaggery in them, and make a stuffed sweet paratha out of them. A loves this sweet poLi with some chilled milk.

Leftover idli batter, make dosas. Not enough to make dosas for 3 people? Add some rava /sooji and some beaten curd, salt to taste, stand for some time, make instant rava dosas. Leftover sour curds /yogurt? Perfect for making some hot, tasty kaDhi with rice. Leftover rice after guests have gone? Make fried rice / lemon rice /curd rice etc. for breakfast the next day. Leftover rotis? A loves a laddoo I make out of them, crumbling them and adding ghee and jaggery. Taste like choorma laddoos!

So, are there any leftovers for me to finish today?