After 2 years...

It's been more than 2 years, that I had stopped writing. But you know, when you feel that there is no one that you can talk to or to pour your heart out, you come back to blogging again.

Lot of things happened in between... Let me write them down randomly.

My mother went through a major surgery last year January. She is doing Ok now. But during that phase, I wiped out couple of relations from my life. those people do not mean anything to me till now and I will make it sure that they will never mean anything to me in future too.

I went to US for a 6 months long project. Stayed in Florida's Coral Springs town and worked in Fort Lauderdale. Those were the best 6 months of my life as of now.

While in US, went to Disneyland and SeaWorld, met an old friend, Alankar in Orlando. Joyanta had come over to my place from Chicago, to join me on this Disneyland trip.

Made some new friends, Ankit, Sudipta and Madhuparna; Went to Bahamas on a 3 night long cruise. A life time experience for me.

Went to visit Ladakh recently. Though I enjoyed a lot, I would have liked it to be a little less hectic. I had to miss Tso-Moriri as I was sick due to oxygen deficiency while coming back from Pangong Tso. I am planning to write a detailed post on this Ladakh trip. Please bear with me.

I am becoming more and more weak, both physically and mentally. I am not aging gracefully as they expect everyone else to do. I am aging with a bad knee, a disgusting plantar fasciitis and now, to add to that, I am a having a left side lower back pain too. These things make sure that I have disturbed and pathetic waking hours.

If I start whining, then this post will go on and on. Hence I think, I will stop here. Next time, I will write in a happier note. Till then, let the tea boil. It will bring out the taste you know...

Aate ka Halwaa (Wheat flour Halwaa)

This is a dish/desert which I learnt from once-my-roommate, Richa's mother. I am not a sweets enthusiastic normally, but this one tastes heavenly. I tried to manipulate the sugar and ghee/butter amount in this dish, but after many manipulations, I am assured now, that the ratio I had learnt first is the best one. Though, it is little risky for my day by day increasing weight, occasional pampering is Okay :)

So let's start then

Ingredients :

1 cup Aataa (Wheat Flour) (1 Cup Wheat flour can make enough to serve 4-5 people)
1 cup melted desi ghee or butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cashew, raisin and almond mix (crushed and slightly fried in butter)
3 cups water

Method :
1. Heat the ghee/butter and add the wheat flour to it. Use a big vessel... one like a kadaai. Mix them with the help of a ladle on one stove using medium heat. In the mean while heat the water in a saucepan and add the sugar to it.
2. Stir the wheat and butter mix till the wheat gets a golden brown texture and it starts to smell really good. Keep in mind to always stir the mixture as it is prone to get burnt.
3. The sugar and water mixture is ready once, the sugar is mixed well. Now add this sugar water to the wheat-butter mixture in the kadaai. At this stage be careful as the hot water splatters a lot.
4. Now start mixing the water with the wheat so that no lumps are formed. And stir constantly.
5. After stirring for 10-15 minutes, the water is completely absorbed and the halwaa starts to leave butter/ghee at the sides.
6. At this stage add the fried dry fruits and mix them well.
7. Serve when warm.

Let's Start Again...

A new platform... a new Snigdha :)
Toh jee uthaa lijie apni apni chai ki cup... suru karte hain baatein... kuch apni ... kuch aapki ;)