How To Use The Leftover Roties?

Most of us live in nuclear families in urban areas in this age of modernisation so what do you do with the Roties you and your family members fail to consume at meal times? Earlier we used to feed them to the stray cows roaming in the streets. Those stray cows have been rounded up and given accommodation in Goashalas on the outskirts of the Urban areas to chew their cud in peace. Milk giving cows are expensive animals and are not allowed on the streets and are housed outside the Urban areas in Dairies any way. Not everybody has a dog. And you can not just throw away food! So only thing you can do is consume them yourself.

Here are five ways you can consume them depending on your taste.

1. Chach-Roti

Tear the Roties in little pieces and put them in a bowl and soak them in enough buttermilk so that they will be able to become soft. Add salt and red chilli to taste. If you like onions mince some and put them in the bowl and mix properly. Refrigarate the preparation before serving. It is a popular cooling delicacy in the harsh heat of Rajasthani summers. It is also perfect for people with teeth issues.

2. Anda-Roti

Here is a preparation for the egg lovers. Make preparations to cook omelettes in proportion to the leftover Roties. Put required amount of oil in a non- stick pan put a roti in the pan pour the egg mixture with salt, chilli and minced onions on the roti and cook them together in the pan so that the roti and the egg mixture meld together. A delicious preparation is prepared. Serve hot.

3. Parathas

This one, though a no, no for the calorie conscious is a very easy option to prepare. Just before sitting down for a meal fry the left over Roties in a non-stick pan like you would prepare a Paratha and they will be as good as new.
If you like your Parathas crisp, fry them on a low flame for a little while longer. If you like your Parathas soft like a roti, fry them on high flame for just a little while only. Depending on your taste you can use ordinary refined oil or desi ghee as a frying medium.

4.Churma

Finally an option for the people with a sweet tooth! Break the Roties in little pieces and grind them in a mixer. Add sugar powder and hot desi ghee to taste in the roti powder. Mix well. It can be served as a sweet dish or with fresh Dal.

Last but not the least you can always heat up the leftover Roties on open gas flame before serving. If you like them soft heat them up for a little while only on high flame but if you like them crisp heat them on low flame for a little while longer.

How To Cook ‘Kaleji’

A simple Rajasthani recipe to cook spicy, red hot, Goat or Lamb Liver Curry.

Serves: Two persons
Time taken to prepare: 150 minutes
Ingredients:
Goat/Lamb Liver: 300 grams
Minced Onions: Four Medium Sized
Minced Green Chili: Four
Fresh Curd: 200 grams
Oil of your choice: 200 grams
Red Chili Powder: Two Tea Spoons heaping
Green Coriander Powder: One Tea Spoon heaping
Turmeric Powder: Half a Tea Spoon
Salt: One Tea Spoon not heaping
Ginger/ Garlic Paste: 30 grams
Vinegar: Two Tea Spoons (optional)
Method:
Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan like a pressure cooker and add the minced onions once the oil is hot. Fry the onions on low flame till their colour turns light brown. Add the Ginger/Garlic paste with a little water so that the ingredients do not burn. Add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt with some water. Fry the masala on low flame till it is cooked. Turn up the flame and add the curd while stirring the mixture till it comes to boil. Add the minced green chili. Cook the mixture on low flame till the masala takes on a deep red colour. Wash the raw liver and add it to the masala with some more water and cook on low flame till the liver turns hard. Unlike other meats liver will turn hard when fully cooked. Just before taking the pan off the flame add the vinegar. Serve with hot chapaties as a full meal or it can also be served as a delicious snack with cocktails before the main meal.

CHICKEN LOVER’S RECIPE EXCHANGE

Click photo for A recipe for Chicken curry from Rajasthan

The idea for this post was triggered by the recent news report  about thousands of chicken consumed everyday in Delhi. It got me thinking about the number of different ways we can prepare chicken for our daily consumption.

We all have a pet recipe to prepare chicken or any other food for that matter. As you know chicken is white meat and good for health. Furthermore, what we eat everyday at home is way more tastier than any dish cooked in any restaurant.

So, why not, let us share that recipe with everybody thru a post on your Blog or thru the comments section of this post.

If you have a Blog include this Post’s link in a post about a chicken recipe. ( It can be an old post also)

https://karansguesthouse.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/chicken-lovers-recipe-exchange/

& Tag the Post  #Chickenloversrecipe Exchange & post the link in the comments of this post.

If you do not have a Blog you can Post the recipe in the comments of this Post with a link of a photo posted on flickr.com

 

KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK,BHARATPUR IN IMAGES-3

Here are some more photos from Ghana Bird Sanctuary…

 

LORD SHIV TEMPLE IN THE SANCTUARY

A PLAQUE DECLARING THE STATUS OF THE PARK AS A WORLD HERITAGE SITE

 

PARAKEET

BLACK SHOULDERED KITE

 

 

COOTS

 

PAINTED STORK

 

 

 

 

BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY (BNHS)

KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK,BHARATPUR IN IMAGES-2

MONGOOSE

As you can gather from the last post that I have just returned from a visit to the Ghana Bird Sanctuary. It was a long day well spent. The point of these posts is to motivate you too to visit the park if you have any interest in the natural world. Because I personally feel that wildlife is going to get rare sooner than later.   And if you are living near Jaipur-Agra-Delhi-Bharatpur then it is done as easy as it is said. If like me you do not want the hassle of staying in a hotel, just go for a day visit. The park is open from 6am to 6pm, so pick your time. You also have a choice of mode of transport in the park, namely cycle rickshaw, tonga, bi-cycles, walking & electric van. Once you are inside the sylvan world of the park you will be hooked. If you are a novice it is a good idea to take along a field guide or hire a cycle rickshaw whose driver can point out the flora & fauna & the birds.Remember to bring along a camera with a good lens, besides binoculars & field guides, as these birds etc are living in a natural habitat & may be shy of the visitors.

A few do’s & don’ts while visiting the park.

Do not litter or smoke in the park or talk loudly or feed the birds.Keep safe distance from animals.

Here are some more pictures from the last days visit.

MONKEY

ARID AREA

TERMITE HILL

THE TRAIL

KINGFISHER

 

 

HOOPOE

 

 

 

 

 

PAINTED STORK

BLACK DRONGO

 

PADDY BIRD

WATER BODY

 

 

MONITOR LIZARD FEMALE

 

BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCITY (BNHS)

 

KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK,

BHARATPUR,

T.91-5644-222777

dirkeoladeo @ gmail.com

KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK,BHARATPUR IN IMAGES

Keoladev National Park is the official name of the Ghana Bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur, Rajasthan. The national park is named after a Lord Shiv temple in the park by the same name & ‘Ghana’ refers to dense forest cover. It is spread over 29 sq.kms. Prince Harbhanji of Morvi State in Gujarat developed the area as a duck hunting preserve for the Maharaja of Bharatpur in his tenure as an administrator of Bharatpur in 1899. He actively had constructed bandhs & dykes   to hold water to create marshes to attract the birds from far & near. The Bharatpur Maharaja handed over the sanctuary to the Rajasthan Government in 1956 to be run as a bird sanctuary & it was declared a National Park in 1981 &  a Word Heritage Site in 1985 by UNESCO.

TIME LINE (Click to enlarge to read)

THE BAG & THE GUNS  (Click to enlarge to read)

Anytime is a good time to visit the park because there is some or the other activity going on in the park.

From July to September The water fowls are nesting & breeding.

From October To February Migratory birds are arriving.

From March to June Resident birds are nesting & breeding.

The sanctuary is near the Golden Triangle of Jaipur-Delhi-Agra so is very well connected by road & rail while the nearest airports are Jaipur & Agra & Delhi.

According to the official records there are diverse species of water fowl, plants, mammals, fish,snakes, lizards,geckos,turtles, butterflies & other various life forms. But first & foremost it teems with birds & their call. 374 species of birds have been recorded.

The park is open from 6am to 6 pm. You have various option in how you visit the park. You can hire a cycle rickshaw to take you around the park (The driver doubles up as a guide too) or cycles, tongas & naturalist guides or electric van for big groups.

ENTRANCE TO THE PARK & THE CYCLE RICKSHAW STAND

PAINTED STORK

WATER BODY

POND HERON-PADDY BIRD

PAINTED STORK

SPOTTED DEER

THE PYTHON

PADDY BIRD IN FLIGHT

WATER SNAKE

SPOTTED DEER

ANTELOPE

BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY (BNHS)

Some Images From The Pushkar Fair 2013

Prachin Pushkar Sarovar or Budha Pushkar

Jansailab  Devotees

Devotees

 

Shopping

 

Shopping at the mela

A By lane

Busstand

Bandanwar display at the pushkar fair 2013

 

 A display of Colorful Worry beads at a shop in pushkar

A man dressed as goddess parvati at the pushkar mela 2013

 

An Encounter With The Naga King Chillies

Chicken Preparation with Naga King Chillie

All trades & hobbies naturally have their pitfalls for a novice. By happenstance I cook as a hobby & am also an admin for a Facebook group about food for the city of Jaipur. When a member procured some Naga King Chillies & offered to share some with the group members I naturally also asked for some. He kindly brought some over when he visited the Guesthouse for dinner one evening.

You can imagine my apprehension when I saw that the jar in which the chillies came was pasted with a write up and also instructions on how to use them safely.

Anyway I decided to use them in a very simple recipe of Junglee Maans. This recipe is from the book “Cooking Delights of Maharajas” by Maharaja Digvijay Singh ji of the princely house of Sailana.

The recipe was intended for the use of the Shikari who would not have any measuring tools or the various comforts of the kitchen & would have very limited masalas at hand.

So he uses only 5 ingredients mutton,whole red chillies,salt,water & Desi ghee or Oil. The measures are also approximate only.

Instead of mutton I used 1/2 a Kg of Broiler & for the whole red chillies I put just ONE Whole Naga King Chilli in 250 gms of desighee with some salt.

Later on I added little water at regular intervals to ensure that the chicken did not fry nor boil till it was cooked.

When I tasted it the slight bite of the chillies came when I swallowed the chicken bite.

Even if I say so myself it was a tasty preparation.

Now, the trouble started because I underestimated the punch of the chillies( The Desighee had taken off the full bite of the chillies) & on the next day made the same preparation but with 3 Naga King Chillies & had the whole dish all by my self.

Everything was fine till I finished eating, I could not get enough. But once I was through eating, my outer mouth area started burning. I drank copious amounts of water & ate large quantities of icecream, before things settled down.

When I related my experience to my wife who had been away at an opening ceremony of a Spa at a famous hotel, she very kindly suggested for me to avoid taking any laxative that night!

A Visit To KCK Simriti Ban

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,canopy

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,walkway

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,bamboo

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,frangipani

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur, yellow water lily

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur, Almanda

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,purple water lilly

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,bridge

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur,bamboo

Simriti Ban, Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, Jaipur, canopy

(Click on Image to view in gallery)

It is always a pleasure to visit the Karpur Chandra Kulish Simriti Ban on the Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg,Jaipur,Rajasthan. The fascinating aspect is the green oasis in a world dominated by sand as Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan a desert state in India. It has water & trees & plants to attract the local birds and other insects & butterflies etc.  It has lot of secluded corners where benches are provided by the administration for the young and not so young couples visiting the park.

My only suggestion is that they should provide an hour each in the morning & evening for nature lovers who would like to photograph the birds and the flora & fauna as the park is very busy during the visiting hours for a serious study to be done. Furthermore boys being boys some of the boys are  intentionally disruptive to the peaceful atmosphere in the park.

A Walk At The Man Sagar Lake

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake, Dhatura

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake, Sanjay Sharma Museum

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake, Jal Mahal Palace

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake

Clouds at sunset from the Karans Guesthouse,Jaipur

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake, Paddy Bird

Sunrise At The Man Sagar Lake

( Click on the image to view in Gallery)

Whenever I get a chance, I take a morning walk along the Mansagar Lake, just like so many other Jaipur residents and tourists from outside Jaipur. It does not have any thing to do with getting exercise in the morning. It is just a fascination of  a resident of a desert state with a large body of water, greenery, sunrise & birds. I also took a few pictures which are enclosed herewith.

The dirt & general neglect were a pathetic site. This site is THE prime tourist spot of Jaipur. Any tourist visiting Jaipur visits here once at least.

Some stop gap arrangement should be made for the up keep of the site till the courts have their say.