SUBHO BIJOYA!

It has been quite a while since my last post.
In the meantime, a lot of things happened…….I resigned from my job, we went to Kolkata, we relocated to uk, we stayed at a lodge for 3 weeks where chicken ticca masala is a starter and green salad is a main entrée, we moved in to our flat, we tried to unpack things and get settled down but finding it too backbreaking, we gave up…………….

So now you know why I did not get enough time to write.
NO, silly! “not-getting-enough-time-to-write” has nothing to do with relocation.
I meant ‘leaving office’. Leaving office has really taken its toll on me-having-enough-free-time-(to write this blog).
Anyway, I hope things will look up from now on as A(my husband) has no immediate plan to change job again soon and eventually we would be done with those unopened packing boxes which are strewn all over our place at the moment. Hopefully!!!
Meanwhile another Pujo passed me by. Quite a few Durga Pujas are held in and around London. We went to see one one on Oshtomi.
It was organized inside a Town hall. The ambience was very festive till the Dhakis (almost 5 or 6 of them) started drumming things up. It being a huge hall, the sound of 6 Dhaks reverberated profoundly which prompted most of the little kids cry out real loud. Have you ever heard the chorus of 6 dhaks and at least 50 crying kids? Within a few moments, all the senses of festivity got washed away and it felt like I am in the middle of a “Naroboli scene” being shot for a tacky “kapalkundala” remake.
Other than that, things were more or less uneventful during pujo.
Anyway, Subho Bijoya to you all.
Sending you all a real easy recipe for Narkel Naaru !!













Narkel Naru

Ingredients:
Evaporated milk/*Condensed milk 1 tin (400gm);
Water (as needed);
Desiccated coconut (2-3cups); Sugar (if needed);
* Do not use any sugar if you are using condensed milk .
Cardamom small (5-6).

Procedure:
1. Empty the evaporated/condensed milk in a non-stick pan. Add water only if you are using condensed milk. *Add sugar as per your taste. Simmer it for 5-8 minutes till the sugar dissolves.
* Do not use any sugar if you are using condensed milk which is in most cases sweetened.

2. Now add coconut and cardamom seeds in the milk and stir for approx 1-2 minutes till it turns into a thick consistent dough.

3. Put the dough in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 2 minutes maximum. It would take away the raw taste of the coconut and you would get a real cooked taste. If you do not have microwave,no worries, you may otherwise roast the coconut for a while in a pan and then add it to the milk.

4. Let the dough cool off a little. While still warm, roll it into Naaru.
5. Enjoy!!!