Academic and Creative Writing Journal Vikram Karve: fast

Showing posts with label fast. Show all posts

Monday, April 3, 2017

“Fast” Food – Kachori – How to Cook it and How to Eat it

My Favorite “Fast” Food

How to Cook it and How to Eat it

VIKRAM KARVE

“Fast” Food

My “Better Half” observes various “fasts” – and she consequently subjects me to all types of fasts.

No – she does not go on a hunger strike – but “fasts” with food – “fast” food.

“Fast” food includes fruits, roots, milk/milk products and non-cereal dishes.

In fact – there is plenty of “fast” food to eat on a “fast”.

She fasts on Monday, Chaturthi, Festivals – or on any occasion she wants to fast – and I have no choice but to “fast” along with her too.

Actually – her fasts are not extreme rigorous fasts in the ascetic Spartan sense.

In fact – they are delicious satiating fulfilling “fasts” – an appetizing change of cuisine.

Instead of the routine normal food – she enjoys what I call lip-smacking “fast” food – which is quite mouth-wateringly yummy – and – maybe – a bit more calorie-rich than normal food.

That’s the “fast” food I am referring to – not the “fast food” like burgers and pizza that you probably thought about when you saw the title of this blog post.

Kachori – My Favorite “Fast” Food

My favorite “fast” food is the Kachori.

No! No!

It is not the scrumptious Rajasthani style lip-smacking “Khasta Kachori” that I am referring to.

I am referring to the “Sweet” Crunchy Coconut Kachori served by most Udipi eateries in Mumbai and Pune.

Recipe – The Art of Cooking Kachori

It is quite simple to make this scrumptious vegetarian delicacy.

Just take boiled mashed potato – add a bit of sabudana peeth (sago flour) for binding – a pinch of salt and sugar – and knead into a dough.

This is for the outer crust of the Kachori.

Now – let us make the inner filling to go inside the outer crust.

In a pan – heat pure ghee – and roast fresh juicy grated coconut with sugar, khus khus, dry fruit like raisins, cashews – till it is nice and crispy (khamang) – and your filling is ready.

You must use roast the filling in Pure Ghee – since oil is not permitted for “fast” food.

Make largish round patties with the potato dough on the outside – and a generous portion of the roasted sweet coconut filling inside.

Heat plenty of pure ghee in curved pan – and deep fry the patties till nicely crusty, crisp and light brown – and your “Fast” Food Kachori is done.

Fast and simple recipe – isn’t it...?

Serve the freshly made Kachori with a bowl of whipped sweetened Curd and your “Fast” Food Kachori is ready to eat.

This is how your “Fast” Food Kachori will look like when served with a bowl of whipped sweetened curd (I have clicked this picture on 28 June 2014 of my favourite Kachori served by Apsara Restaurant Tilak Road Pune)

“Fast” Food – Kachori with Sweet Curd

The Art of Eating “Fast” Food Kachori

You will be tempted to break a piece of Kachori – dip it in the curds – and then eat it.

Please don’t do this.

That is not the right way to eat “Fast” Food Kachori.

You will ruin the eating experience as the concoction will turn soggy.

What you must do is as follows.

First – place a chunk of crisp hot kachori on your tongue.

Then – close your eyes.

Now – savor the khamang crunchy taste of the lively roasted coconut filling for some time

Then – press your tongue on your palate – and roll on your tongue – till the heavenly sweet filling and the crisp potato covering amalgamate.

Then – savour the heavenly taste.

Tell me – dear fellow foodie – it tastes really yummy – isn’t it...?

Now – it is the time to open your mouth and pop in a spoon of sweet whipped curds.

Then – close your mouth (and eyes) – and let the feisty assortment of flavors dance and mingle on your tongue till the food dissolves in your mouth – and disappears into you – giving you a feeling of supreme satisfaction.

I once saw a movie called “Blow Hot Blow Cold” in the 1970’s.

The art of eating “Fast” Food Kachori is similar – hot and cold – hot and cold – crunchy and soft – crunchy and soft – sweet and sour – sweet and sour...

I first tasted this delicious dish (“Fast Food” Kachori) long long back – maybe around 45 years ago in the early 1970’s – at a cafe called Apsara near Hirabaug on Tilak Road in Pune.

The Kachori served at Apsara is still my favorite “Fast” Food Kachori.

I have enjoyed this delectable snack at many restaurants like Vihar – at Churchgate (Mumbai) – and Vaishali, on Fergusson College Road in Pune – and many Maharashtrian/Udipi restaurants/cafes serve excellent Coconut Sweet Kachori too.

I am sure you will find it on the menu of almost all Udipi restaurants.

So – next time you want to relish your “Fast” – you know which “Fast” Food to eat – in addition to the usual sabudana khichadi, sabudana wade, ratalyacha kees etc

Happy “Fasting”

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve
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This is an extract from my Foodie Book APPETITE FOR A STROLL by VIKRAM KARVE and I have also posted this online earlier on my blogs a number of times including at urls: https://vwkarve.wordpress.com/2007/05/29/kachori-my-favorite-fast-food-2/ and http://food.sulekha.com/coconut-kachori-a-tasty-snack-id22678-24470-recipe.htm and https://karve.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/academic-and-creative-writing-journal-vikram-karve-fast-food/ andhttp://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/03/feasting-while-fasting-ultimate-fast.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/09/fast-food-and-fast-food-pure-vegetarian.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/03/my-favorite-fast-food-how-to-cook-it.html

Monday, November 10, 2014

LIEUTENANT ON “FAST” - Humor in Uniform

HUMOUR IN UNIFORM

LIEUTENANT ON “FAST”
A Spoof
By
VIKRAM KARVE

Today is a Monday.

Today is Sankashti Chaturthi (संकष्टी चतुर्थी)

So, my wife is on a “double fast”.

She fasts on Mondays – and she fasts on Chaturthies – and tonight she will break her fast at Moonrise scheduled tonight at 2101 Hrs (One Minute Past 9 PM).

Since we are on the topic of fasts, I suddenly remembered the story of the Lieutenant who was on a fast.

So, Dear Reader, from my Humour in Uniform Archives, here is the Story of The Lieutenant on “Fast”

THE STORY OF THE LIEUTENANT ON “FAST” – A Spoof By Vikram Karve

The gangs of Dockyard “Mateys” were working incessantly throughout the day in engine room of the ship.

Lieutenant “S” was personally supervising the dockyard gangs.

The ship was due to sail next morning and the job had to be completed on top priority.

I stood on the quarterdeck, near the gangway.

Outside, it was getting dark.

It was raining heavily.

On one side of the ship was an angry dark grey sea, with white peaks and black troughs of the turbulent waves violently lashing against the ship’s side.

And on the other side of the ship, the jetty was barely visible as the torrential rain lashed down on the wharf.

It was quite an eerie and scary atmosphere.

At 7 in the evening, Lieutenant “S” came up to the gangway.

“Finished, Sir?” I asked.

“Almost – we’re boxing up now – should be finished in an hour or so,” he said.

“Shall I tell the Old Man?” I asked.

“Yes, I think you do that,” he said.

I dialled the Captain’s home number from the shore telephone.

“Very Good,” the Captain said after I told him that the repairs had been completed and the Dockyard Team was boxing up.

I saw Lieutenant “S” gesturing that he would like to speak to the Captain.

So I said to the Captain, “Sir, Lieutenant “S” of the Dockyard would like to speak to you.”

“Oh – he’s still on board, is he? Yes, yes, give him the phone,” the Captain said.

Lieutenant “S” spoke to the Captain for a long time. He seemed to explaining everything – the nature of the defect, what repairs they had carried out – all the details.

Then he held out the phone and said that the Captain wanted to speak to me.

“I have told him to carry out a proper test and trial. I’ll speak to the GM about extending the overtime. You make sure that the Dockyard Mateys are looked after properly. It’s raining heavily – see that they get a hot meal and don’t let them go ashore till the rain clears up. And make sure you look after Lieutenant “S” personally – he is an old shipmate of mine,” the Captain said.

“Aye Aye, Sir,” I said and put down the phone.

(That’s what I liked about my Captain – his human touch, the way he cared for his men and others like the dockyard mateys too. He was a hard taskmaster, but he always put humans first. Qualification-wise, the Captain was a matriculate, but I learnt more about Human Resource Management from him than from the many HR Management Courses I did later).

I arranged for a hot meal for the dockyard mateys and some bunks in the mess-decks for them to rest.

I asked Lieutenant “S” whether he would like to have a drink in the wardroom while I took my evening rounds.

“Sure,” he said, brightening up.

Having observed Lieutenant “S” downing peg after peg of whisky at various parties, I knew that he enjoyed his drinks and that he particularly loved drinking Whisky.

(Lieutenant “S” was a very senior Lieutenant, on the verge of becoming a Lieutenant Commander – this story happened in the 1970’s, much before the Ajai Vikram Singh (AVS) Report Bonanza in 2006. In earlier times, you were promoted as Lieutenant after 3 years service as a Naval Officer, and you remained in the rank of Lieutenant for 8 long years before being promoted as Lieutenant Commander after a total of 11 years of commissioned service. Those days, most of the officers on board a ship were Lieutenants, but now, after the AVS Cadre Review, the significance of rank has been so diluted, that now you probably have Commanders performing the duties of First Lieutenant (“number one” or XO) and Captains are XO’s of shore establishments).

To return back to the story, as I escorted Lieutenant “S” to the wardroom, I asked him, “Sir, the Old Man said that you were his shipmate.”

“Yes. I was his Senior Engineer in his previous command. Besides, we are related too – he is a distant cousin. I know your Captain very well. That is why I am personally on board,” he said.

I gave him a smile.

Now that I had this important piece of information, I knew that I would have to treat Lieutenant “S” in style – the choicest premium whisky we had on board, some good “small eats” like our special fried luncheon meat and fish fingers, followed by a sumptuous dinner – I’ll have to tell the cook to prepare a roast chicken or maybe butter chicken – whatever, Lieutenant “S” preferred.

When we were seated at the bar in the wardroom, I asked the steward, “Which is the best whisky we have?”

“Sir, we have got Chivas Regal and Royal Salute, and if you prefer Single Malt, there is The Glenlivet and Glenfiddich,” the bar steward said.

“No. No. Tonight I will like to have some Rum,” Lieutenant “S” said.

“Rum?” I asked, surprised.

“Yes, today I’ll have rum – but don’t worry – if you don’t have rum on board, then give me any soft drink,” he said.

“Of course, we’ll serve you rum – but I have always seen you drinking whisky and we have the best whiskies on board,” I said.

“I know. But I am fasting today,” Lieutenant “S” said.

“Fasting?” I asked, flabbergasted.

“Yes, I fast on Thursdays – it’s an old habit,” he said.

I looked at him in silence, trying to comprehend what his words.

Seeing my confusion, Lieutenant “S” said: “Let me explain. Some things are allowed during fasts, and some things are not allowed. For example, during fasts, you cannot eat grains like wheat, rice, or pulses like daal, or most vegetables, and of course, non-veg items like meat and eggs are totally prohibited. But you can eat starchy things like potatoes, sweet potato and sago, and all types of nuts, and you can have milk, curds and all milk products, all types of fruits and, of course, you can have sugar – that is why rum is allowed because rum is made from sugarcane.”

“I see. On your fasting days you don’t drink whisky and beer because they are made from grain but you can drink rum because rum is made from sugarcane.”

“Yes.”

“That means even Brandy and Wine, made from grapes, a fruit, is allowed.”

“Yes. But on my fasting days, I prefer rum,” Lieutenant “S” said.

I wondered whether the ship’s bar stocked Old Monk or Hercules Rum.

With the best quality of select duty free foreign liquor available on board, I had hardly seen anyone drinking Indian Rum on board ship.

Sensing what was going on in my mind, Lieutenant “S” said, “Hey – if you don’t have rum, it doesn’t matter – I will have a glass of fruit juice”.

“Of course we have rum, Sir – we have the best rum in the world,” the bar steward said, and he proudly placed a bottle of Lemon Hart Rum in front of Lieutenant “S”.

“Lemon Hart – the original Navy Rum – that’s really great,” a delighted Lieutenant “S” said, caressing the bottle.

Within seconds he was enjoying his stiff drink of Rum and Water, while I sipped on my Whisky Soda.

We sat and enjoyed our drinks, especially Lieutenant “S” who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his Rum.

At midnight, when it had stopped raining, I escorted Lieutenant “S” off the gangway.

Lieutenant “S” had thoroughly enjoyed his “fast” – he had polished off more than half the bottle of Lemon Hart Rum and was in the highest of spirits.

Of course, since he was “fasting”, Lieutenant “S” did not have any dinner.

He just had a few plates of peanuts and a few packets of potato wafers, both of which were permitted “fast food”, like Rum.

EPILOGUE – An Expert Opinion on permitted “Fast Food”

Later on, during my leave in Pune, I checked up with my grandmother whether Rum was allowed on fasts.

Though she did not approve of drinking alcohol, especially during fasts, she confirmed that “technically” speaking Lieutenant “S” was right.

Sugar was allowed for fasts.

And if rum was prepared from sugarcane, then at least theoretically, Rum was allowed as a “fast food” too.

Yes, Rum was a permitted “fast food”.

Unforgettable Characters I Met in the Navy

I met many unforgettable characters in the Navy, each with their own idiosyncrasies and eccentricities, but I can never forget Lieutenant “S” – The “Fast Food” Lieutenant.

I wonder where he is now, and hope he reads this “memoir” and has a laugh reminiscing those “good old days”, around 36 years ago, in the 1970’s...

VIKRAM KARVE

Disclaimer:

1. This story is a spoof, a yarn, just for a laugh, no offence meant to anyone, so please take it with a pinch of salt.

2. This story is a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

This Story First Posted by me Vikram Karve at 10/07/2013 02:56:00 PM in this blog at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/10/humor-in-uniform-fast-lieutenant-from.html

Monday, January 13, 2014

HUMOR IN UNIFORM - A RUM TALE

Here is a “Rum Tale” from my HUMOUR IN UNIFORM archives:

Unforgettable Characters I Met in the Navy

A RUM TALE

VIKRAM KARVE

Disclaimer:

1. Please read this story only if you have a sense of humour. This is a spoof, a yarn, just for a laugh, no offence meant to anyone, so please take it with a pinch of salt.

2. This story is a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice

A RUM TALE By Vikram Karve

The gangs of Dockyard “Mateys” were working incessantly throughout the day in engine room of the ship.

Lieutenant “S” was personally supervising the dockyard gangs.

The ship was due to sail next morning and the job had to be completed on top priority.

I stood on the quarterdeck, near the gangway.

Outside, it was getting dark.

It was raining heavily.

On one side of the ship was an angry dark grey sea, with white peaks and black troughs of the turbulent waves violently lashing against the ship’s side.

And on the other side of the ship, the jetty was barely visible as the torrential rain lashed down on the wharf.

It was quite an eerie and scary atmosphere.

At 7 in the evening, Lieutenant “S” came up to the gangway.

“Finished, Sir?” I asked.

“Almost – we’re boxing up now – should be finished in an hour or so,” he said.

“Shall I tell the Old Man?” I asked.

“Yes, I think you do that,” he said.

I dialled the Captain’s home number from the shore telephone.

“Very Good,” the Captain said after I told him that the repairs had been completed and the Dockyard Team was boxing up.

I saw Lieutenant “S” gesturing that he would like to speak to the Captain.

So I said to the Captain, “Sir, Lieutenant “S” of the Dockyard would like to speak to you.”

“Oh – he’s still on board, is he? Yes, yes, give him the phone,” the Captain said.

Lieutenant “S” spoke to the Captain for a long time. He seemed to explaining everything – the nature of the defect, what repairs they had carried out – all the details.

Then he held out the phone and said that the Captain wanted to speak to me.

“Aye Aye, Sir,” I said and put down the phone.

I arranged for a hot meal for the dockyard mateys and some bunks in the mess-decks for them to rest.

I asked Lieutenant “S” whether he would like to have a drink in the wardroom while I took my evening rounds.

“Sure,” he said, brightening up.

Having observed Lieutenant “S” downing peg after peg of whisky at various parties, I knew that he enjoyed his drinks and that he particularly loved drinking Whisky.

To return back to the story, as I escorted Lieutenant “S” to the wardroom, I asked him, “Sir, the Old Man said that you were his shipmate.”

“Yes. I was his Senior Engineer in his previous command. Besides, we are related too – he is a distant cousin. I know your Captain very well. That is why I am personally on board,” he said.

I gave him a smile.

When we were seated at the bar in the wardroom, I asked the steward, “Which is the best whisky we have?”

“Sir, we have got Chivas Regal and Royal Salute, and if you prefer Single Malt, there is The Glenlivet and Glenfiddich,” the bar steward said.

“No. No. Tonight I will like to have some Rum,” Lieutenant “S” said.

“Rum?” I asked, surprised.

“Yes, today I’ll have rum – but don’t worry – if you don’t have rum on board, then give me any soft drink,” he said.

“Of course, we’ll serve you rum – but I have always seen you drinking whisky and we have the best whiskies on board,” I said.

“I know. But I am fasting today,” Lieutenant “S” said.

“Fasting?” I asked, flabbergasted.

“Yes, I fast on Thursdays – it’s an old habit,” he said.

I looked at him in silence, trying to comprehend what his words.

“I see. On your fasting days you don’t drink whisky and beer because they are made from grain but you can drink rum because rum is made from sugarcane.”

“Yes.”

“That means even Brandy and Wine, made from grapes, a fruit, is allowed.”

“Yes. But on my fasting days, I prefer rum,” Lieutenant “S” said.

I wondered whether the ship’s bar stocked Old Monk or Hercules Rum.

With the best quality of select duty free foreign liquor available on board, I had hardly seen anyone drinking Indian Rum on board ship.

Sensing what was going on in my mind, Lieutenant “S” said, “Hey – if you don’t have rum, it doesn’t matter – I’ll have a glass of fruit juice”.