The heat is punishing to say the least.
It’s early morning, yet the sun is at its repressive best. I toss and turn on the bed, desperately attempting those coveted last minutes of sleep before the annoying alarm sets off yet again, unfazed by the fact that I shall in all possibility, with disdainful disregard, hit the snooze button.
No point, I counsel myself, after an odd minute that feels like eternity, trying to get any more sleep.
S is already up, I discover, groggy-eyed and exasperated, engrossed in his crossword puzzle.
It’s such a listless morning, S comments, not looking up from the crossword. A freshly brewed coffee rests on his side, fatigued smoke from the coffee mug, swirling up in lazy despair, just about the only movement I can detect.
Not a leaf flutters. Not a bird coos. A dull throbbing heat has enveloped the universe, coaxing all life to succumb to a slothful inertia.
The mercury has been climbing steadily, every summer hotter than the previous one, every summer drier than the previous one, I rant, and yet there are cynics who even today want to believe that global warming is an unreal myth.
S looks up. It’s true, sad but true.
The metropolis has grown, far far removed from the tranquil time-stops-still town it used to be.
There is a price for everything isn’t ?
We consciously chose rampant urbanisation over nature. We need to pay the price.
What have we done to this city, S continues to ruminate, now that his crossword is solved, that even a decade and a half back boasted of never needing a fan, forget ACs.
No one to blame other than us. My instant rejoinder.
And thus continues the sultry morning.
More filter coffee.
More prognosis of gloom and doom.
Aquifers that desperately need the monsoons to recharge.
The tanker mafia that needs to be controlled.
Water politics across states that needs to be overcome.
And the rains that need to arrive.
Lunch is a light, fuss-free affair.
Rice.
Kolai Dal, S’ go-to soul food through the tormenting summer, (even I, strangely enough, have developed a liking for this fennel and ginger scented dal ) paired with aloo posto.
And a light earthy Lau Boal er jhol. Boal that the fishermonger delivered over the weekend paired with bottlegourd. Just as Maa would cook through the oppressive summers of Karimganj.
Lau boal er jhol. Boal maach paired with bottlegourd. Perfumed with fenugreek. Perfect for sultry summers. Food heaven.
Lau Boal er Jhol
Ingredients
- 4-5 Boal maach steaks
- 1/2 small sized tender Lau sliced into half moon or triangular pieces as shown in the picture
- 1 tbsp onion paste
- 3 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 5-6 green chillies slit
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin paste freshly made
- 1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 2 tbsp corinader leaves finely chopped
Instructions
- Smear the fish with a little turmeric powder, salt and 1 tsp oil.
- Add a little water to the cumin paste and remaining turmeric powder and make a paste.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, shallow fry the fish steaks. Keep aside .
- Into the same oil, throw in the fenugreek seeds, allow the seeds to turn dark brown. Carefully discard the burnt seeds.
- Now add the onion paste, ginger paste, tomato purée into the same pan, sauté over a medium flame till the raw smell of onions is gone and the tomatoes are cooked.
- Add the cumin - turmeric paste, continue to cook till oil is released.
- Add the bottlegourd slices, sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add 1.5 cups of warm water, cover and cook over low flame until the bottlegourd is tender.
- Add the fish pieces and green chilies, cook for another 5-7 minutes. Switch off the flame.
- Finish with chopped coriander leaves and a generous drizzle of mustard oil. Allow to rest for 10 odd minutes. Serve with piping hot rice.
amazing recipes. amazing blog. love your writing, made me soo happy. also, great photography!!