Food

Kheema (mince) In Green Masala

500g Lamb or Beef Mince
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vinegar

Ingredients required for Green Masala
1 cup fresh coriander
4-5 green chillies
1″ ginger piece
4-5 garlic cloves
Tamarind (lime size)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Water as required

Ingredients for cooking the dish
3 green cardamom
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
2 medium onions (chopped finely)
1 tbsp Jeerem Meerem Powder
1 cup water
1/3 cup green peas
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves – half a cup chopped

How to make Jeerem Meerem Powder or Cumin and black pepper( this can be made and stored)
1 tbsp black pepper corns
1/2 tbsp Cumin seeds
1/2″ cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 dried red chillies (optional)
4-5 cloves
(Grind into fine powder & use 1 tbsp)

Method
Marinate the raw mince ( after washing it) with vinegar and salt and set aside for ten minutes. Grind all the ingredients listed above for the green masala and set aside. A quick grind is all you need, don’t overdo it.

In a dish, heat about four tablespoons of oil (or as desired) and add the cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf. When it crackles and the oil is released from the condiments add the finely chopped onions. Fry this till it is translucent and then add the green masala and stir fry this for about half a minute. Now add the mince and stir well. Cook this for about five minutes on a high flame. Add the Jeerem Meerem (cumin and black pepper) powder and stir this well. Add about a cup of water and cook this for about ten to fifteen minutes on a low flame. If need be add a bit of water. Add the peas, salt to taste, sugar and cook for another five minutes. You want your dish preferably with a little gravy to keep it moist but you could also add water if you want a little more gravy. Mix in the cilantro and serve with bread. You could add a slit  green chilli too if you like extra spice. 

If you have left overs for breakfast, serve this with a fried egg. 

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Art/ Heritage


‘Swast ani mast’ – Shopping for tree ornaments in Crawford Market – Part 2 in my Christmas décor series

Each year I set upon a theme for my Christmas décor. This year was inspired by a trip to the Raffles Hotel in Udaipur which oozed luxury. Christmas décor is by no means or measure easy to obtain or cheap to buy. Growing up, there was one store on Hill Road in Mumbai that popped up at Christmastime. That store, while it dazzled the eye burnt a hole in your pocket. So how do you make your tree look like a million bucks without spending more than a thousand rupees?

This year I set out to achieve my goal of a luxurious looking tree but working it out on a low budget. Crawford market is the place that I went to and here I must add that you must be willing to explore the place so don’t be in a hurry. Here are a few tips that I want to offer you.

1. Invest in a few good pieces of tree décor – Don’t buy your tree décor all at once. Tree décor should be a collection and don’t be hesitant to spend some money on a few good pieces that will last a lifetime. These should be the show stoppers of your tree. Avoid anything with glitter because with our levels of pollution in the city it tarnishes quickly. Whites are wonderful provided you dust them often during the season and even better, purchase those that you can wipe and clean. Invest in a few pieces each year that are outstanding and unique and will look gorgeous on your tree.

2. Plan in advance – You need to visualise what will work for your house. Instagram and Pinterest may inspire you but imitation can be a limitation. You need to look at the colour of your walls, the space you plan to set up the tree and if the look that you want to copy from social media will match your existing décor at home. Tree décor is available in Crawford market immediately after Diwali with wholesale dealers. They will entertain you only if you are buying décor in sets of a dozen and you will get a mixed bag of colours. Plan in advance and get a few friends who would like to buy décor as a group. You can then split it up. Christmas décor, post first of December is available in the market but at a hundred percent markup.


3. Be creative – If you see something you like on social media try to make it. This year I purchased or put together five decoration pieces and most of them cost me about rupees fifty only. To give my tree a luxurious look, I bought imitation glass balls that look like Swarovski crystals for less the Rs 20. I purchased plastic diamond shaped decorations and attached them to a stylish chain. I got a packet of these for Rs 150/-. I also wanted shimmer and picked up imitation jewelry earrings and hung them on the tree and they cost me just Rs 50/-. I also picked up some unconventional looking artificial plants that I stuck into my tree and yes purchased tinsel shimmered artificial leaves for just Rs 15/- a piece. I also picked up applique embroidery and used it as decoration pieces. Look for the pictures that I have attached to this article.



4. Think out of the box – Most people just jog out and purchase Christmas décor to hang on their tree. I look at social media and set myself on recreating what I see but using stuff that is locally available. Yes, you can import your décor but a local market such as Crawford market has a lot of stuff that does not look like a Christmas décor but can easily be adapted with some embellishments to look fantastic. A few years ago, I took dried almond leaves which are very large, spray painted it gold and tinseled it. I added this to the ready-made green runners that are available for about Rs 600 for nine feet. It enhances the look and makes your Christmas décor unique and fashionable.

I am sharing several pictures with you hoping that you feel inspired go ahead and reproduce this look in your home this year. Do leave your thoughts and questions for me.

In case you missed the first article I wrote, please click on this link  https://www.pottypadre.com/things-you-need-to-know-while-decorating-a-christmas-tree-part-1/

‘Swast ani mast’ – Shopping for tree ornaments in Crawford Market – Part 2 in my Christmas décor series

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Is God to be found at the disco? Thursday, 3rd week of Advent – Isaiah 54:1-10/Luke 7:24-30

The Gospel of today takes off from yesterday’s Gospel. The disciples of John the Baptist have departed to report to John what they have seen and heard about Jesus. Jesus now addresses the crowds. He turns John’s question, ‘who are you?’ on its head. Jesus now asks the crowd who or what did they think John was? Jesus does this in a series of rapid-fire questions, two of which are rhetorical.

Clearly, says Jesus, one does not go out into the Judean desert to see some prosperity preacher dressed in an Armani suit. Even more, they would not go out into the dessert to meet this ascetic prophet who could be swayed by political muscle like Herod the ruler. This was John the Baptist they went out to see, a man who wore his credentials on his sleeve and never had a hidden agenda. This was one clear thinking and straight talking man of God.

Clearly, John did not belong in a palace; that was not who he was nor was that his calling. So why, asks Jesus, would you want to hear otherwise from a man whose mission was not to pad up the immorality of Kings or the sins of commoners? When John preached, the message he preached was the same for all. God’s message does not change according to one’s social status or bank balance.

The point that Jesus is making is clear; what are your looking for? If you went looking for a king in the desert you are looking in the wrong place and if you went seeking John in a palace you would be wasting your time. If you want to truly get what you are looking for then where you look and what you look for is crucial.

Could God be found in a disco bar? I presume nothing is impossible for God but most likely your chances are slim considering that the primary purpose of a disco bar is not oriented to finding God. But it is not only where you are looking but also, who or what you are looking for? If we are seeking Jesus this Advent then we have to seek him in the solitude of our hearts and it is helpful if that solitude we seek is also matched by a place of solitude. I could pray while on the train or bus to work, but that should be my last resort and not the first and easiest option I make.

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Things you need to know while decorating a Christmas tree – Part 1

I grew up in a family of creative and talented siblings. All three of us have unique skill sets when it comes to the arts. From painting, fashion designing, cartooning, photography, designing; you name it we got it. My skill set at which I excel, kicks in at the Christmas season. I could be planning the next Christmas season in my head the day Christmas gets over; that’s how much I love the Christmas season.

One such fun activity is decorating the Christmas tree. I grew up at a time when Christmas decorations were limited and standard. Today, you have a choice of trees and decorations to pick and choose from and if you don’t have a few basics in place you can end up with a lot of money spent and an ugly looking tree.

I plan to give you a few tips on how and where to purchase a Christmas tree, how to light it up and how to decorate it. I plan to limit these articles to a page for easy reading so look for the next part of this article which will give you many tips.

Let me tackle the most difficult part of decorating a tree; purchasing one! The Golden rule is to figure out where you want to set your tree up. Most residential homes in Mumbai are apartments. If you live in one, identify a nice corner that works well for you. This way you don’t have to decorate the entire tree but just the side that faces everyone in the room. Consider moving your furniture around at Christmastime. Make the tree the focal point of the room and let your other pieces of furniture take a back seat. Pick a tree that towers to the ceiling of your room. It won’t occupy much space if you don’t open up the leaves that face the corner of the room. Once you have found a nice spot, tuck the tree far back as I can into the corner.

There are several shapes and types of artificial trees that you can buy. A ten-foot tree from a wholesaler at Crawford market can cost you Rs 9,000/-. A ten-foot tree will touch the ceiling of any apartment in Mumbai but a word of caution, the base of the tree can spread out to a little more than a meter and five inches even if you tuck the back leaves upwards to fit in the corner. So, take a tape and measure out the space you have identified before you buy a large tree.

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God has no grandchildren – Wednesday, 3rd Week in Advent/Isaiah 45:6b-8,18,21-25/Luke 7:19-23

This text throws us several beautiful reflections for the Advent season. Remember that John is the precursor, the one who announced the coming of the Messiah, the Elijah that the Jews did not recognize. The Gospels tell us that John is in prison and perhaps the fears of human worry have overtaken his godly ministry.

Clearly John has doubts and seeks a clarification by summoning two his disciples whom he sent the Lord. What should immediately cross our minds is that simple matter of fact question, ‘why does John have doubts?’ Was it not John who while pointing to Jesus proclaimed, “behold the lamb who takes away the sins of the world?” Yet now he sends a message to enquire, “are you the one or should we wait for another?” Was John conflicted or confused?

The simple truth is that even saints have doubts. To doubt is not a sin though many faithful Catholics subscribe to such a thought. “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief” is not so much a confession of doubt but a cry out to increase the faith I have. Again, and to reiterate a point; to doubt is not sinful however to live in constant doubt is a sinful because it constantly demands proof.

The messengers carry the message to the tee; not a word is changed. They knew who Jesus was and they knew that they were sent by one whom Jesus himself had hailed in Matthew 11:11 “Truly, I say to you, among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.” Personally, I would not like to trade places with these messengers for a second. Privileged though that I would be, this was not an easy message to carry. The two disciples of John do not soften the doubt of their master nor do they sugar coat it. They come from one who has authority to another who is THE authority. The message is conveyed in its entirety and its truth. Truth speaks to Truth.

The Gospel interjects this narrative with an immediate report of the works performed by Jesus. This is done so that the response of Jesus is clearly understood by us, the readers, as to who Jesus is. We are told that Jesus has cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits and had given sight to many who were blind.

Jesus’ answer to John via the disciples is a path to evangelization for us today. “Go tell him what you have seen and heard” Jesus does not dictate a carefully crafted statement of belief. His response is not a formulation of doctrinal belief. His response is direct and simple; tell him what YOU hear and what YOU see. The stress is on the YOU! The answer that should be taken to John must be from a personal testimony that stems from personal experience. The disciples of John must experience first-hand the ministry and message of Jesus and filled with conviction they will communicate their experience. John will no longer be in doubt!

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