Book Review – Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai

Title: Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai

Author: Rishi Vohra

Plot: Babloo has been diagnosed as autistic, schizophrenic and psychotic, which has left his traditional middle class Indian parents with no clue as to how to deal with him. After taking longer than usual to complete his college course, Babloo doesn’t have a clue either – about what to do with his life. Menial jobs suggested by his father don’t work with him, since he feels that destiny has more in store. All he knows for sure is that he loves Vandana, the beauty of their rail side colony, but doesn’t know what to do about it. As his life seems to hit an all time low, something happens that transforms Babloo’s boring life into something much, much bigger. Is this destiny’s big break for Babloo? Will this make his dreams come true?

Review: This book is author Rishi Vohra’s debut novel and is not a bad effort at that. The first half to three quarters of the book tend to drag along, slowly planting you in the midst of Mumbai, among all the bustling trains and crowds and noise. That, in my opinion, is the best thing the author has accomplished in this book – created a perfect stage. Mumbai actually feels like it’s come alive through the descriptions of the various areas, stations and even of the different people. The characters have been colored well, and you feel like you’ve either seen or heard of people like them in real life. Few people are painted completely in black or white, and even the minor characters have distinct personalities.

Babloo, the protagonist, is a friendless man, a victim of assorted mental problems. Given that, I feel the book would have made more of an impact had the narrative been in the third person. It’s not that Babloo isn’t a well etched character, after a while, you even get used to his blank staring; but the narrative sort of gets a little mixed up when talking from Babloo’s standpoint and when it shifts to the lives of the other characters in the book.  

Another impressive feature is how the author has got a pretty good understanding of the female psyche. And that is not a minor feat for a man!! I could completely empathize with Vandana’s situation though I’d have liked her to have a little more gumption. But I guess that’s okay since the story is, after all, Babloo’s story.

As it is, the plot is an interesting concept, but like I mentioned earlier, it takes a while to pick up the pace. Rail Man’s entry is the catalyst that takes it into page turner territory. I wish he had appeared a little earlier in the story so that we could relish a few more of his adventures.

Verdict: Worth a read. Perfect for a long train journey, when the sound of the train’s wheels on its tracks provides the perfect background score.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for review purposes, but all opinions mentioned are my own.

Recipe for the Week – New York Style Pizza (Baking Partners Challenge #10)

If you’re one of my long time readers, you’ve probably seen a few pizza recipes here already. But this one is a ‘New York Style Pizza’ and hence different from the ones featured. Allow me to explain.

Most traditional pizzas have a thick crust, sometimes filled with cheese, sausage etc. But New York Pizzas are hand tossed so that they become very thin and flat. As a result, you have to almost fold the slice to get it into your mouth, since it is unwieldy to eat like a regular pizza.

As for the pizza I made, I didn’t hand toss it since I didn’t want to risk tearing the dough. Also, I couldn’t make it as wide and flat as required, since it then wouldn’t fit into my oven.

As with all other Baking Partners Challenges, this was again a completely new recipe for me and I enjoyed researching and finally, making it.

The recipes for both the crust and sauce are adapted from Serious Eats and have been recommended by Archana of Tangy Minds.

(All quantities mentioned below are for two medium pizzas which serve 3-4)

For the Crust:

What you’ll need:

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

¾ tbsp sugar

1.5 tsp salt

1 tsp instant yeast

1.5 tbsp olive oil

225 ml lukewarm water

What you’re going to do:

1. Sift the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a bowl. Whisk together till well combined.

2. Add the olive oil and water in stages, forming a smooth dough.

3. Knead well till the dough is completely smooth and passes the windowpane test*.

4. Divide the dough into two balls and place in two separate bowls, covered with cling wrap. Refrigerate for at least a day and up to 5 days. I left it in for 24 hours.

5. Two hours before baking, take out the dough, form into smooth balls by pulling in the dough towards the centre at the bottom. Place in separate mixing bowls, cover tightly with cling wrap and leave to rise till doubled.

6. Preheat the oven with the pizza stone inside. I don't have a pizza stone, so I used an inverted baking dish. Place it in the oven and then preheat to 260 deg Celsius.

7. Take your pizza peel and flour it well. I don’t have a peel, so I used a plastic chopping board.

8. Take a ball of dough and pat to form a small, thick circle.

9. Press down the middle with your knuckles, all around the circle.

10. Toss the circle into the air a few times, till you get the desired size. The dough should NOT tear. Well, at least that’s how you’re actually supposed to do it. I did try, but not much. So I just pulled and stretched gently in this direction and that, till it reached the size of my baking dish.

Now you’re ready for the sauce and toppings.

*Note: Window pane test - This is basically to check if you've kneaded the dough enough so that gluten has developed in it sufficiently. Just take a small ball of dough, smooth it and then stretch it to a thin film. It shouldn't tear and should allow light to pass through, a.k.a. a window pane. It took me about 15 min to reach that stage with this amount of dough. Check here for more.

For the Sauce:

What you’ll need:

400 g firm red tomatoes

1/2 T butter

1/2 T olive oil

2 cloves garlic, grated

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t chilli flakes

salt to taste

1 t dry basil

1/2 onion chopped

What you’re going to do:

1. Blanch the tomatoes and peel them. Roughly chop instead of pureeing to a paste to keep the sauce chunky.

2. Melt butter with olive oil, toss in garlic, onion, oregano, chilli flakes and salt and fry but don't brown.

3. Add the chunky tomato puree and basil.

4. Simmer till reduced by half.

Final Assembly:

What you’ll need (to top two pizza bases prepared as described above):

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Salami as required

½ cup sliced green olives

1 tsp oregano

What you’re going to do:

1. Spread the tomato sauce on the base in circles, leaving out the edge.

2.  Sprinkle ½ cup cheese over the sauce.

3. Arrange the Salami on the cheese.

4. Sprinkle ½ cup cheese and distribute the green olives on top. Sprinkle oregano over it.

5. Shake the peel/board to ensure that the pizza is not stuck to it. Open the oven door and slide the pizza off the peel/board and onto the pizza stone/pan. You might need a wide spatula to help with this.

6.  Close oven door and bake for 12-15 minutes at 260 deg Celsius.

7. Try to see if the bottom of the pizza has browned, and the cheese is bubbling. That’s a sign that it’s done.

8. Repeat with the other pizza. Let pizzas cool for 10 minutes and then slice and serve.

I served this predominantly non vegetarian pizza with a simple broccoli salad, recipe of which I got from here.

It was a lovely, satisfying meal, and all of us really enjoyed it. Cub is a huge fan of homemade pizza now!! As for me, now that I can make pizza at home, I find the commercial ones too salty for my taste, and just thinking of the calories that come with them is enough to make me go up a kilo J.

Have you guys ever tried a proper New York Pizza? How was it like?

Check out other bloggers' pizzas here!

Weekly Goal Update – 12 May 2013

Wow, it’s been such a long time since I’ve updated my goals, I’m actually embarrassedJ. I’ve been busy, had some stressful times which took their toll on me. Just when I was beginning to cheer up, Cub goes and gets a fracture. He had a little accident with a desk at school, which ended up breaking the ends of two fingers of his left hand. He’s walking about with a cast now, though it doesn’t really stop him from hunting for the right chocolate.

Now, that’s commitmentJ.

Moving on to my goals, I have been faring badly overall. Here’s how the past few weeks have been:

1. I have been more mindful of what I’m eating. The ‘when’ and ‘how much’ still need work. I’ve cut down on meat, increased my fruit and veggie intake. Carbs and chocolate are a problem, though J.

2. I have been reading quite a bit. Three books in the past month J

3. I have been spending time with Cub – reading, playing and crafting.

4. I haven’t nagged much – it’s actually easier to put that towel back on the hanger myself than do the whole ‘ how many times do I have to say this’ lecture yet again.

1. Worked out on an average of about two - three days

2. Blogging has been kind of random

3. Prayers have been irregular and hurried.

4. My time management still sucks.

5. No improvement on the job hunting front.

So, now you know where I’m at. I have actually gained 3 kg since the start of the year. Yes, it’s that bad L. Anyway, I haven’t given up hope. I found this on Facebook recently and made it my mantra for now:

Let’s see, what else has been happening at my end?? A little trip to Bangalore (which was perfect timing, just after my shopping banJ), my 10^th wedding anniversary, a family get together of my Mom’s extended family and Cub’s accident (see above). Coming up later this month: my birthday, a wedding at Kozhikode,  getting Cub ready to start big boy school and looking forward to the rains.

May has been unbearably hot this year, though it’s really breezy today. The good thing is that it’s put me off heavy food; I’m really into salads right now – veggie, fruit or a mix of both!!

So tell me guys, how has it been so far?? Are your New Year resolutions still alive, or have they turned to dust??

Recipe for the Week – High Fibre Low Fat Curd Rice

“It’s getting hot in here…so take off all your clothes…” – no, I’m not suggesting anything blasphemous, just humming to the tune of a Nelly song. But honestly, don’t you just feel like doing that sometimes?? When I see Cub pulling off his T shirt and prancing about shirtless, I can’t help but feel a little envious. It would be perfect for this weather, pity I can’t do the same L.

Well, we can find less shocking ways to cool ourselves, and one summer staple that always comes to mind is Curd Rice. I just love it with some spicy seafood on the side. Here, I’ve healthed it up by using high fibre Kerala red rice and vegetables.

Red rice is a lunch staple at our home. My parents and in laws still use white parboiled rice for their lunch time meals, but not us!! We’ve become so used to this that eating white parboiled rice feels odd nowadays J.

What you’ll need (1-2 servings):

1 cup cooked and cooled red rice/brown rice

½ medium cucumber, finely chopped

1 small carrot, grated

½ cup low fat curd or more, as needed

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 dried red chilli

Salt to taste

¼ tsp vegetable oil

Note:If you are cooking Kerala red rice, you usually have to cook it with large amounts of water, in a pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles, depending on the kind of rice. Then you have to drain the rice in a colander for some time, till all the water is gone. It gets really starchy and sticky if you over cook it.

What you’re going to do:

1. Mix together your vegetables and whisk the curd with salt till smooth.

2. Put the rice in a large bowl and add the vegetables along with the whisked curd. Mix everything together.

3. Heat a little oil, pop in the mustard seeds and wait for all the seeds to stop sputtering. Then add in a broken red chilli and fry for a few seconds.

4. Pour this tempering over the rice-vegetable-curd combo and stir it through.

5. Serve in individual bowls topped with chopped coriander leaves. Accompaniments include pappad, pickle, grilled chicken or seafood J.

I don’t know if having non veg with curd rice is an abomination, but we usually have it that way, especially with prawns. So do try out my version of curd rice and let me know what you think!!

Book Review – Salvation of a Saint

Title: Salvation of a Saint

Author: Keigo Higashino

Plot: A rich businessman is found dead in his home, seemingly poisoned by his coffee. But he was home alone, and a suicide is ruled out. So how on earth was the man killed? All the people connected with him are accounted for, and his friends and family are more than ready to cooperate with the investigation. Yet, Inspector Kusanagi can’t seem to connect the various clues that seem to go in every possible direction. The only one with a motive is the dead man’s wife, but she was hundreds of miles away when the murder took place. As Kusanagi finds himself getting attracted to the beautiful widow, his assistant and old friend must do some investigating of their own. Did she actually do the deed? But how do you poison someone from far away? Or is there another killer lurking in the shadows, yet unseen?

Review: After having thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Devotion of Suspect X’ by Keigo Higashino, I was elated at having the chance to review his next book. Mr. Higashino comes up with yet another page turner, and tries again to create the ‘perfect crime’ as he did in his earlier book.

I have to say that it is a little difficult to review this without any spoilers J. I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun of a good thriller!

This is again, not your regular whodunit, though he does keep you guessing for a long time. The only problem is that, in order to extend the climax and keep the pace going, he sort of jams a lot of action into the last quarter of the book. By no means is the book boring at any point, but you feel a little rushed towards the end, when the pieces seem to come together.

Each and every character has been very well described, and the places can almost be seen in your mind’s eye. The writing is crisp and concise, and the language doesn’t show any of the clumsiness seen in some translated works. I especially love the dialogue delivery; you can feel the tension in the air in some of the scenes!! Further, the author hasn’t cluttered his story with too many unnecessary characters and kept the focus on the main ones involved.

The problem I have with this book is actually one that I created myself – comparing it with its predecessor. I know I shouldn’t, but I just couldn’t help myself J. It is definitely not as puzzling or nail biting as the earlier one. Again, there is some kind of reverse programming as the investigators’ main aim seems to be figuring out how the crime was committed. But the twist in this felt a little bland compared to ‘The Devotion of Suspect X’. Also, the title seems a little confusing. Who exactly is the saint here?

Verdict: This book is definitely worth buying. If you haven’t read the earlier book, you will no doubt be bowled over by Mr. Higashino’s writing. If you have read it, just forget about it, keep an open mind and you’ll be happy. All said and done, I’m a fan of Keigo Higashino!!

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Recipe for the Week – Eggless Mango Cheesecake (Baking Partners Challenge #9)

I’ve been missing for some days, haven’t I?? Blame it on the endless weddings happening around me!! There are about 2-3 weddings every week, and they all insist the guests participate in all the functions – so do the math and calculate the number of biryani I’ll end up eating!! It’s playing havoc with my healthy diet, although I do restrict the number of invites I attend J.

Coming to this month’s Baking Partner’s Challenge – it’s something I’ve been wanting to try for quite some time – Cheesecake without cream cheese! Where I live, it’s extremely rare to find cream cheese on supermarket shelves, and even if it’s available, the price is a putoff. So this recipe’s paneer-hung curd combo has worked like a dream!!

The original recipe is from Divine Taste, and I’ve followed it to the T. I don’t have much experience with cheesecake, so I didn’t dare experiment much J.

What you’ll need:

For the Crust:

160 g digestive biscuits crushed (I used Britannia)

100 g salted butter, softened and cut into cubes

For the Cheesecake Filling:

160 g powdered sugar

800 g thick yogurt (I used Milky Mist)

400 g Paneer (I used Milky Mist)

375 ml water

15 g China Grass (I used Bakers)

1 cup of mango puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Mango Glaze:

½ cup mango puree

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp lime juice

What you’re going to do:

Overnight Prep:

Place the yogurt in a muslin cloth placed in a colander, over a bowl and let it drain overnight. By morning, you should get about 400 g of thick, creamy hung curd.

Note: I used low fat curd (mistake), and so I ended up with about 300 g of hung curd. I went ahead anyway without any major disasters J.

For the Crust:

1. Break the biscuits into pieces and grind them to a powder. Drop in the butter and process again till well combined.

2. Remove the mixture and press it evenly into the base of an 8” deep round springform pan. Chill in the fridge for half an hour.

For the Cheesecake Filling:

1. Break the china grass into small pieces and soak in 375 ml water for about 10 minutes till soft.

2. Squeeze the paneer to get rid of all the excess water. In a blender jar, process the paneer and hung curd till smooth and creamy. Transfer this mix to a large bowl.

3. In a saucepan, heat the mango puree over a medium flame, without letting it boil.

4. In another saucepan, place the softened china grass-water mix and stir on low heat till completely melted, for about 5-6 minutes. Do not let it boil.

5. Pour this hot melted china grass solution into the hot mango puree, stirring continuously. Both mixtures need to be very hot. Slowly add this mango mix into the yogurt-cheese mixture.

6. Stir in the sugar and vanilla, and whisk well till completely blended.

7. Pour this mixture over the prepared crust, level with a spoon and chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or till firm.

For the Mango Glaze:

1. Place all the ingredients for the glaze in a saucepan and cook over medium heat.

2. When it begins to boil, reduce the flame and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. Allow to come to room temperature.

3. Spread the glaze over the cheesecake with a spoon. Allow the glaze to set over the cheesecake for 2 to 3 hours or more. 

4. Carefully take the cake out of the spring form pan and slice and serve.

All done!! I admit, it does require a bit of prep work – hanging the curd, peeling, chopping and pureeing mangoes. Also, pureeing the paneer and curd took some time for me, as also melting the china grass. But the best part is that this is a great dessert for a party, which can also be made ahead!! Even though I was 100 g short of hung curd, my cheesecake turned out quite soft and delish, although I found the glaze a little too tart for my taste. Maybe next time, I’ll skip the lime juice.

My cheesecake set perfectly well, but the glaze dripped a little on slicing. Not that I’m complaining much J.

This is a perfect dessert for this season, when mangoes are abundant. You may use more sugar if you’d like, but I had perfectly sweet mangoes to begin with, so didn’t need more. This recipe gives you a pretty big cake, so I shared with our neighbors and extended family. Everyone loved it, though my brother wasn’t a big fan of the glaze, like me J. Now that I’ve found a way to replace the cream cheese, a thousand opportunities have just opened up!! Check out other bloggers’ cheesecake versions here!

Book Review – Tantra

Title: Tantra

Author: Adi

Plot: Anu is a reputed, slightly hot-headed but sincere vampire killer from New York. Her near and dear ones are blissfully unaware of her activities, and Anu likes leading these double lives as threads separate from each other. Until the day the threads intertwine and chaos enters her life.

The loss of a loved one provokes Anu to seek vengeance and to this end she reaches New Delhi. But, the vampire scene here is completely different from New York, and no sooner has Anu found her bearings, than she encounters other darker, sinister forces at play, and the whole city seems to be in danger.

Anu’s usual weapons of choice are not going to work here, and there is hardly time to learn the new complex skills that might help her in this war. In a time when friends and foes are hard to differentiate, when Anu’s priorities are changing, will she be able to win??

Review: I have to say that I’m impressed with the book. Seeing the word ‘vampire’ might bring back memories of a sullen Mr. Cullen and his anemic Bella, but don’t worry, this book has nothing of the sort. I think the fact that the book has a female protagonist, and that too a bad-ass, weapon-wielding one – is one of the reasons the book impressed me J.

Mr. Adi has brought out a book that is probably going to open the doors to a whole new genre of Indian writing. This actually seems like a risk, but I think it’s worked. In this fantasy thriller, nothing is out of bounds, anything can happen and while the story does stick to the main plot, it offers frequent twists and turns to keep the reader interested. Vampires meet Indian saints meet Delhi clubs meet match making aunties. See, nothing is out of bounds!!! But though they may seem disparate, all the threads come together into a cohesive storyline.

The characters are well etched and you can sort of imagine them as people you know. The author has maintained a good balance between the east and the west, and you come to recognize the city he tries to depict. The protagonist, Anu, especially makes for a wonderful heroine. The writing is fast paced and keeps the reader intrigued. The action scenes are well described and you can’t help wondering how this would look like as a movie or TV Series. Way better than the current trash on Indian television, I’m guessing!!

Some of the characters and sequences reminded me of similar ones in the Harry Potter books – the significance of a mentor, having buddies to back you up, internal conflicts, taking on an evil superpower who will go to any lengths to maintain his power. The concept of ‘shifting’ was a little vague to me at first, but as the story progressed, I got an idea of what it meant. I wish there was some sort of closure for Anu’s initial quest for vengeance, but since that was left incomplete, I’m guessing there’s a sequel coming soon. Also a few proof reading mistakes are visible, though they don’t really mar the enjoyment of the book.

Verdict: A completely original story. Though not the kind of writing that touches you in deep places, you are guaranteed not to be bored. I recommend you pick it up at least for the sake of trying out something new!!

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