I don't know if the problem
is with my husband only or if the trait is common among all men that they don't
do things unless reminded 100 times over. One very interesting quirk of my
husband is if I tell him to do a certain thing in kitchen, he comes and engages
himself in doing all sorts of other nonsense other than the work I assign him
to. Any work requiring gentle handling if I assign mindlessly to my hubby, sure
he is going to ruin it. Once while going to a party I was trying to wrap a
bracelet, that I beaded myself painstakingly through many days, around my wrist
but somehow could not manage to bind the clasp when I had to call my hubby for
help. He came, jerked the clasp with
such a force that the bracelet intricately woven in beads fell pell-mell into
tiny bits on the ground, to my utter dismay. Our refrigerator is another item
subjected to his force of strength every now and then. Recently while opening
the fridge he pulled the door with such might that the buckle around the front
shelf on the door came loose and all the things stuffed in the shelf tumbled out on
to the floor, splinters of a jar of cherry preserves flying through the air. It
was not the first time he made such a mess by the way, whenever I see him
around the fridge knowing his nature I tell him to practice caution while
opening the door but he is he; my words go in with one ear and out with the
other.
Then the other day I sent
him to the market to buy boneless chicken and chicken broth. He returned home
with two packages of chicken broth but there was no sight of boneless chicken.
When enquired, he scratching his head told me that he forgot about the chicken
and accused me rather that I should have reminded him when he was going out.
Now I don't know how many times I need to echo the reminders. Again he rushed
to the market to buy boneless chicken. I think I can write an entire diary
narrating episodes of such breakage and losing of items caused by my hubby's
carefree calamitous nature. Recollection of those incidents later brings a smile on my face but at the time of occurrence, all I feel
is sheer irritation.
Hilsa in Vinegar Sauce is
an interesting concoction the recipe of which I picked up essentially from a
cookery show. It is interesting because it has no hassle of chopping veggies
involved. It can be made in one of those busy days when you want to cook fish
curry speedily with little preparation .
Ingredients:
Cooking time: 20 minutes
ü 6 pieces of Hilsa or Elish
ü 1/2 tbsp dark soya sauce
ü 2 tbsp rice vinegar
ü 1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
ü Black pepper, taste wise
ü Salt to taste
ü 1 tsp sugar
ü 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
ü White oil for cooking
For dry red chilli paste:
ü 6-7 dry red chillies (deseeded and soaked
in 1 tbsp of rice vinegar for half an hour at least)
Method:
1) Marinate the fish with
salt, black pepper and vinegar. Grind the vinegar soaked red chillies into
fine paste. Keep aside.
2) Heat oil in a non-stick
skillet and shallow fry the fish pieces, gently turning over on the other
side. (Hilsa is a very soft fish, so
you ought to be careful.)
3) Meanwhile, in a mixing
bowl, mix 3/4 cup of water, dark soya sauce, ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 tsp
black pepper, dry red chilli paste, salt and sugar together. When the fishes
are shallow-fried on both the sides, add the water mixture into the skillet
and cook on medium low heat for 5-7 minutes till the fishes are tender.
4) Add 1 tbsp vinegar
into the gravy and simmer on low heat for 2 more minutes.
5) Garnish with roasted
sesame seeds and serve hot with steamed rice.
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