Feeding the Void

I woke up this morning feeling empty. No more IPL. Just the thought of not having my daily entertainment fix to complete my day made me all sad. The IPL was the perfect ruse to get my Bossy Brain off it's high horse.Well , you see , I usually have these super-noisome heart vs brain conflicts...and this once even my brain allowed me to binge on my biggest weaknesses that are embodied by the sinful chocolates & cakes , sans any guilt.The thing is , when I get all overwrought with emotions & nervous I tend to crave sugar more than I normally do...and during the IPL season I was on pins and needles about something or the other so that explains why I ate my weight in junk food.


Now , just why  I can't be like those anorexic teens who starve themselves when they're upset is beyond me...instead I'm driven to eat my feelings and mourn de fact that I don't own considerable shares at  Cadbury & Lindt  whom I singlehandedly keep afloat....Bah!


So , feeling an odd mixture of defeat and relief  about the prospect of returning to a healthier lifestyle , I ambled toward my refrigerator and found spinach and corn staring at me. It was God's way of begging me to stay healthy. We'd just polished off an entire French double chocolate truffle cake to celebrate yesterday's spectacular win* Yum Yum Yum *. To continue with my craptacular binging would have just been wrong.Plain WRONG.

I decided to make some Malai Corn Palak sabzi with very little Malai ( I still had some organic whippin cream which I thought would make the gravy taste great and add great flourish to the look once I finished with it!). Again , like everything I make , this was also very simple and super healthy (given how its Popeye's panacea- spinach that I'm cooking and also by how sparingly I use oil).People don't add coconut at all while making this BUT I gave in to  my  unusual coconut hankering of the day and added some slices of freshly cut , minced coconut to the dish. But seriously , the Maki (corn) and plump coconut shavings seriously added to the crunch factor to this otherwise pureed concoction.I need my food to have some teeth.some bite. Trust me, this dish if made well can earn you respect from even the most hardnosed kind.

Here's how I did it-

• Dice some onions nicely & bung it into a hot pot which has some oil & seasoning ( mustard , cumin & broken black gram dal) and cook till it looks all shiny &  translucent. 
• Next , add the cleaned and finely cut spinach  (you obviously remove the tough stalky parts) to the onions. Add some water , turmeric , red chilli powder & salt to taste. 
• Bring the contents to a boil, then lower the flame to a simmer and close the lid. 
• Cook for about 5 minutes until the greens are absolutely tender and dainty in a spiffy green shade.
• Once this is done take the pot off the stove and let it cool for a bit.
• The palak is all ready to be pureed now , so bring  out that  food processor , add some desiccated coconut to the greens and whisk away.
• Now pour the puree back into the pot , for , its time to add the corn and coconut chunks and a spoon of pepper! The pepper really adds  the necessary zing to this entrée!:) 
• Finally , add some organic whippin cream as a garnish  and the Malai Maki Palak is all ready!:)

I knew this recipe was a hit when my otherwise consistently phlegmatic maid did her version of whooping with delight when I asked her to taste the dish to check the salt level.Of late she hasn't even flashed even the bleakest smile my way and is always mumbling unpleasantly to herself as she goes about her chores. But after the tasting session she did something with her face...like her mouth twitched ever so slightly at the corners and I saw 2 gleaming teeth ..and then I realized what it was!!!-It was her smile!!!. No sooner had I recovered,  from this ,  than she uttered the magic words - " Manchi ga undhi*"( *It is good!) and asked if she could give her son some to taste! She NEVER does that!!! I was happy to oblige:). You must be wondering why I'm making such a big deal out of this... well , its just that she usually   reserves her best and most unwarranted  "ur a kid playing house" look for me. (I can't help it if god made me drink from the fountain of eternal youth when I was a baby * hugggwood*... gawd, could she BE more jealous!!!). So all's well that ends well... I was immensely happy to see that infamous look of hers change to one of approval and grudging admiration (maybe!;)).


Ah well! Hope floats eternal... To many more rare smiles and tasty treats!:)