Somebody I used to know-- Goyte

I somehow like this song... end of relationships.. the happiness that the hurt ended with the relationship but the awareness that this potentially means the person is no longer the part of your life. Nice song

Somebody I used to know

Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember

You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Like resignation to the end
Always the end
So when we found that we could not make sense
Well you said that we would still be friends
But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over

CHORUS
But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened
And that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger
And that feels so rough
You didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records
And then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
But had me believing it was always something that I'd done
And I don't wanna live that way
Reading into every word you say
You said that you could let it go
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know...

Garama Garam Kheer

Today I have been literally dreaming of having " Kheer"... warm kheer in a bowl/katori with pista/chilgoze/kishmish on a winter day is like dream come true.

Kheer is an Indian Sub-continent sweet dish. It is made of rice, milk, sugar or jaggery.
Usually rice is soaked in water for half an hour before the preparation. Milk ( 1/2 the quantity) is poured in a vessel and is boiled, sugar as per taste is added to, then soaked or cooked rice ( as desirable) is added to the milk and cooked on slow heat. Important to keep using a kadchi or spatula so the rice does not stick.
Another to cook is using a pressure cooker.

Once the kheer is cooked it is served warm with flavored saffron, caradamom, cashews, badams etc.or way to serve is to keep the cooked kheer in refrigerator for 2 hours and served cold. It tastes like ice-cream. In some places- coconut milk, jaggery are used extensively.

In India there are various names or versions of Kheer :-

• Kheer- in Northern parts of India and Pakistan Punjab
• Payesh-  In Bengal/Orissa
• Payasam- In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala in South India
• Chawal ki Kheer

If you wish to taste Kheer I would suggest you can walk in to or any friends from any part of the Indian Sub-continent and taste their version of Kheer.
Other options are the visit some restaurants in any part of India/Pakistan/Bangladesh and can ask for your share of kheer.

Enjoy yummy garama garam kheer :)

Lovely Thandi Lassi

I am an almost-everyday Lassi drinker for large part of the year except the cold winters. Lassi is heavenly and divine in any form... always quenching the thirst !!!!!

Lassi is actually yogurt/Dai based mixed with water and served cold at households in the Indian Sub continent. There are many variations of the traditional lassi- like salt, sweet, mixed, water like, thick with cream etc. this is more dependent on the time of the year and the location. You can add ice as per you need/coolness .

Lassi is once said to be a special lunch drink for the Maharajas, it is said to keep the body cool, helps is digestion and balances most of the doshas ( Vata, Pitta, Kapha). It is said to rehydrate and refresh the body instantly.

How to make traditional Lassi -

• For Normal Lassi  Take part of Curd/Dahi, if you have set normal yogurt take some part of it whisk it add about 3/4 water and either use the traditional mixer, or modern day mixer container and mix it well, Add Sugar or salt or rose, cardamom etc as per your taste or need

• Thick Sweet lassi is usually made with yogurt/dahi mixed with ample amount of sugar with milk( some part water) majorly and flavoured rose/mango essence with cardomoms, grated badams, pieced cashews are added and blended with a blender or a mixer. when served it will have a froth on top and one can add kishmish/grated badam or cashews or best lump of fresh cream on top ... YUM YUM . Sweet Lassi was used during ancient hindu rituals, or early aryans.

Traditionally Lassi is served in tall Steel Glasses :)

Types of Lassi-

• Salt lassi- taken in very hot weather in afternoon
• Sweet Lassi- variant of above lassi but with sugar
• Thick Sweet Lassi
• Mango lassi-  Milk and mango with sugar
• Mint lassi usually chaas-  Salt lassi with mint/pudina excellent for digestion, add cummin/jeera and try and remove the fat from the yogurt
• Makhan Lassi- Variant of Sweet Lassi but with loads of fresh makhan or white cream and thoroughly mixed.
• Bhang/Cannabis Lassi- 
• Rose/Almond/Coconut/Pineapple/Strawberry lassi- Mainly sweet lassi with more milkor part milk and part water

Recommendations -

• Traditional Punjabi Lassi- Made in any Punjabi/Sikh Household- You can go to their place for lunch esp choley bhatoore or rajma chawal with lassi
• Any Place in Punjab, India or Pakistan ... every village, every town will be offering this drink in summer season
• Places around Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab have excellent Thick sweet lassi apart from other variants of Lassi
• Commercial street, in Bangalore serves thick creamy sweet lassi with fresh cream
• Karol Bagh, Chandini Chowk, West delhi all have excellent yummy cheap lassis
• Ghats of Ganga in Rishikesh, Haridwar
• Some local places in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu served as Mambazham Lassi or Aam Lassi mainly 
• Ghats of Varanasi, Benaras, Allahabad in Uttar pradesh, India ( sweet thick lassi)
• Lebur Lassi which Bengali Tradition- east part of India.
• Chaaz in Bihar or any bihari family will serve you one.
• Lassi in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Pushkar, Udaipur is cool esp with the local food which is served .
• Agra, near taj Mahal--dont miss the KULAD Lassi  :)

BURPPP......LOVELY THANDI LASSI

Sadde Choley Bhatoore !!!!

Last three weekends i.e: Saturday and Sundays  have been visiting the near by North Indian Eating Joint and eating the ever so yummy, delicious, supercilious, yummylicious CHOLEY Bhatoore or kulche. Bhatura is one of the awesome bread in Indian Continent. It is Loud, Theeka (spicy), Big, Happy like the Punjabis  :)

My First stint with Choley Kulche or Bhatura was when I was 6/7 years old and it costed merely 2-3 Rupees !! 

CK /CB was first introduced in Punjab. 

• Choley ( chickepeas) are soaked overnight in some salt and boiled in the morning.
A thick gravy is made of onions and tomatoes, chilly, ginger, salt, garam masala and Choleys are added to it and cooked in pressure cooker. Once cooked it is served with raw cut onions, dhaniya and green chilly.

• Kuclha again is a flat bread /Naan is made of maida flour. It is extremely popular in India and Pakistan esp. Punjab areas. ANyways round balls are made from the kneaded flour and flattened by Belana and each baked usually in clay oven ( substitute is tandoor) and baked until golden brown. It is then served with white makhan(butter) or normal butter..
Sometimes Kulcha can be stuffed with potatoes/onions/ Methi.

• Bhatura is again made from Maida Flour ( but curd/yeast depends are added) , just like Kulcha -small round balls are made and flattened but instead they are deep fried unless light golden and seem chewable.

Choley Bhature/Kulche are served and eaten hot, served with fresh cut onions, green chilly smeared in Sarso ka Tel ( Oil), Achaar ( Pickle) and raita ( yogurt with grated onions, kaala namak).
Another way of eating is by taking two small kulchas and stuffing choley/channas  (like a burger) ...YUM YUM YUM.
These are mainly eaten are breakfast along with lassi ( either sweet or salt )... YUM TUM YUM

Recommendations :-

• Local Street Vendors especially in North India any-state, wont cost more than 20 rupees

• Old delhi and Nizam-ud-din areas in Delhi serve excellent Choley Bhature

• Amritsari- Naan, Kulche, BHature are famous, any eating joint is recommended

• Around Golden temple- in Amritsar there is small shop which serves amazing Choley Kulche eg: bharwan da dhaba

• Local Shops in Karol Bagh in Delhi

• Paranthe wali gali in Chandini Chowk, Delhi, Red Fort in Delhi, Sarojini Nagar ,Lajpat Nagar 

• Once met a girl on the border of Indo-Pak during a brief chit chat got to know Lahore has famous spots for CHoley Kulche/Naan

• West Delhi- Hari Nagar, Tilak Nagar has variations of Choley Kulche/Naan

• Ghats of Ganga at Haridwar/ And Civil Lines at Roorkee 

• On the way from Delhi to Punjab- the highways- 

• Surprisingly Wolvehampton, UK and Dudley street also has nice Choley Bhatur

• Parts of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Pali in Rajasthan

Enjoy the THEEKA- CHATKARa Choley Bhatoora ....

Truly Divine- Vincent Van Gogh

I am huge fan of Vincent Van Gogh- there is so much to him--his paintings, his life, his story, his eccentricity, his colors, his illusions, his inspirational quotes.... endless infact...He inspires me to this very day.

Few of his quotes which I like and make me think

sometimes & alter my thoughts & perceptions-

* Great things are done not by impulse, but by series of small things brought together :)

* Let us keep courage and try to be patient and gentle, Let us mind not being eccentric & make distinction between good and evil ...

* I wish they would take me as I am

* One may have a blazing hearth in one's soul & yet no one ever came to sit by it. Passers by only see wisp of smoke from the chimney & continue on their way

* The sunflower is mine

* There is no blue without yellow and orange

Uska mukh ek jhoth hai... Ghoonghat ek sansar ....

This one of my favourite ghazal...


Zahid Ne Mera Hausla-e-iman nahi dekha
Rukh pe teri zulfon ko pareshan nahi dekha

Har Hal mein bas Pesh- nazar hai wahi soorat
Main ne kabhi e- roohe- shab -e hijra nahi dekha

Aaye the sabhi tarah ke jalvey mere aagey
Maine magar e- deeda e-hairan nahi dekha

Kiya kya hua hungame junoon yeh nahi maloom
Kuch hosh jo aaya tu gareeba nahi dekha

Broken Soul ----

Last few days trail of Cards have been --- Transformation ( death) --- Outsider----Let Go ---Tower--- 5 of cups in the Osho Zen .. Most predominatly for the nth time the Card of " Death" I guess this time with a shock....

Today I saw the cards of "Broken Souls " ... so this what it signifies :(

There will come a time when all things end; a death that leaves one gasping for hope; fighting to cling on; afraid to let go. There will come a time when dreams of happy endings are rudely awakened by reality; wisps of wishful thinking disappearing into smoke; gone without a trace.

There will come a time when the human heart breaks under such punishment; giving way to grief; dying bit by bit until it beats no more.One needs to learn to accept death as part of a natural cycle of life; deal with processes of letting things go; the need to move on.

Denotes an ending; thus we may need to ask ourselves if holding on to something or someone may be detrimental to our growth. The time to let go will come when we acknowledge the need to do so.