Every Day.

I wish I could blog every day, especially my every day in India. But days at home move quickly that sometimes it is hard to tell when the day begins, and when it ends.

I am in Bangalore, the city I grew up in, and the city I love. However, the Bangalore I knew once upon a time is changing so fast that there is some of the familiar and a lot of the new. Glass buildings, crazy traffic, the namma Metro project or subway construction, SO MANY PEOPLE. So many people, so many malls, so many cars, so many stores. So much on the backs of those who have so very little. We will save that for another day.




I spend some of my time at the archives of one of the oldest newspapers in Bangalore. It is a big but refreshing change--from interacting with people via interviews earlier this year, to looking at old, bulky folders for that one news clipping that has the power to make your day. I have a great spot between two large bookcases and here is where I do my reading. And yes, random spurts of knitting.


I also get to hang out with really cool, politically minded archivists. They are always ready to vehemently discuss and debate...something that I always look forward to. The archivists do some of the most painstaking manual work--every day, they go through all the newspapers circulated in the city and archive every piece of paper under subject.




Of course, they also love goofing off and posing like Rajnikant.


When I am at home, my mother makes all my favourite Mangalorean food, the most yummiest of all time being Mutli-Kube (or Clams with Rice Balls). This was today's lunch and she dictated the recipe as she cooked. Here it is.




Mutli-Kube (Clams with Rice Balls)

Beware. This is a time-consuming recipe. But once your work is done, you will agree that it is one of the yummiest things you have ever eaten.

Ingredients
1. two cups boiled rice (this is a special kind of Indian rice; you will be able to find it in an Indian store) soaked in water overnight
2. three pounds steamed clams (more the merrier). You will not have the whole family fighting for clams.
3. three large onions, coarsely chopped
4. one large onion, finely chopped lengthwise
4. two large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
5. two tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
6. two teaspoon garam masala
7. two teaspoon coriander powder
8. two teaspoon chilli powder
two tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste

1. Grind the rice in a food processor and add water as you when you feel that the processor wont move without it. The point being, we are interested in making a white mass and not a rice paste. Steam this mass for about half hour and when still warm, make little rice balls.
2. Under medium frame, fry the ginger-garlic paste in one tablespoon oil. Read more about this procedure in this recipe.
3. Add the coarsely chopped onions (add more oil if you think something will get burnt). Fry until light brown. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for another two minutes. Add the garam masala, coriander powder, and chilli powder. Fry for another 30 seconds.
4. Cool this mixture and make a paste in a food processor.
5. Under medium frame, sautee the finely chopped unions in one tablespoon oil. When browned, add the paste from the food processor. Continue to cook for another minute or so.
6. Add the clams and rice balls to this mixture. Add 1.5 cups of water and bring the whole thing to a boil. If you feel that most of the water has evaporated/absorbed by the rice balls, add a little more water. If the dish turns out a little "liquidy", that is fine.
7. Writing this whole recipe down made me so hungry that I am going to go to the kitchen to dig into the leftovers. I hope my brother did not get there already.