Besan Ka Cheela

Happy Republic Day to one and all. I missed those days when I used to go to the republic day parade with my dad and mom. My father was a 1st class air force officer and therefore,we always got the best seats to view the parade. Though I was pretty young, I loved to sit on a cold winter morning and view the lovely parade. Every time my father would stand up to salute, I would do the same imitating him. I would eagerly wait for each state representation to come and tell my dad which one I liked the best that year. I get nostalgic every year on this day and yearn to go back home.

Did you guys get to see the new "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara"??? What a let down!!! Although there were a few good points that I should mention. The Salman Khan's dumb and deaf act was cute; Prianka Chopra promoting education was good; Shilpa Shetty with solar cell manufacturing was nice and not to forget the Shobhana and Shaimak Davar dance sequence!

Where is APJ Kalam, Sachin Tendulkar or Sachin Pilot (youngest MP)???? The sports category were given only a few seconds. Neither scientists nor any important business men (Narayan Murthy, Anil Ambani or Azim Premji) were shown. Why couldn't Deepika Padukode dress a little modest when everyone else were dressed appropriately? Her dress was terrible and she herself was a misfit! We were supposed to promote patriotism and unity in our country through this video. If you wanted to show the modern aspect of India, Deepika could have appeared with Shiamak Davar or Shahid Kapoor. Except for Shobhana's bharatanatyam, no other dance forms were shown. They should have included kuchipudi, kathakalli, kathak, manipuri dance form or odissi.
There is more to India than Bollywood. The video was more of a Bollywood promotion. Verdict:- Disappointing over all!

Anyways, you guys enjoy the below gujju dish:-

Ingredients
2 cups Besan/chickpea flour/gram flour
1 large onion finely chopped
3 green chilli finely chopped
2 tble spns of coriander/cilantro leaves finely chopped
1tsp of jeera/cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
Salt to taste
1 cup of water to make a batter
Oil for cooking (I used olive oil)


Method:-
Mix all the above ingredients except oil. Add water and make a spreadable batter like dosa batter.
Smear 1 tsp of oil on a heated pan and pour a ladle full of batter on pan and spread like dosa, as thin as possible.
Pour 1/2 tsp of oil on the corners and cook on medium flame until one side is golden, then flip and cook other side until golden.
Serve with mint chutney or pickle.

Thanks to the Duchess of Rose Tea Cottage for honoring me with this award:-