My rendezvous with Hema Malini and trysts with Poha-makin:)

I've met the actress Hema Malini twice in my whole time on this planet...Once at my best friend's wedding and this other time at this airport security check (she was right in front of me in the queue and  we collected our belongings in, what I'd like to consider, companionable silence). The first time I laid eyes on her was at the wedding, when she and her youngest daughter/son(couldn't tell going by the size of the shoulders) were walking towards me...The starlet looked stunning in her elaborate Zardosi adorned Sari.Visions of goat/snake/pigeon sacrifices and the many deals with Satan/Lucifer/ his ilk drifted in and out as I marveled at   just how she managed to look this drop dead gorgeous in her 60's!. But when she drew closer I discovered that she was a perfect Monet...a sight to behold from afar but not so stunning when you saw her face upclose ( what with the makeup caking up around the lines under her eyes and the crow's feet!). It was  kinda hard  not  to notice the tell-tale signs of ageing on her face but when your gaze dropped to those mesmerizing, shiny and very youthful looking cheeks of her's you soon forgot all about the lines. And when she walked away you couldn't help but notice the dignified air with which she carried herself -the arched back, dancer's poise - plain winsome...

Plus in addition to all her well preserved allure she had the warmest smile I ever saw. It reached her eyes.

...and I'm gushing...I blame her aura and the bewitching spell she cast! 

So smitten kitten that I was, I never dismissed a single article on filmi mags that featured her. Be it her Satvik diet , her dedication to dance, her aspirations as a Rajya sabha member , her political leanings , her dreams and hopes for her sturdy son daughter, Esha Deol. I read them all with relish...and that's when I stumbled onto a tit-bit that had her proclaiming that she could not make Upma to save her life.I never get the water proportions right either. She claimed she was a rasam expert... well, so am I !!!(AND the similarity stops there..so u can breathe..I DO NOT suffer from any grandiose delusions of inflated worth:P)...

Anyhoo..it felt nice to have some company out there as far as epic debacle's in Upma-making went... Sigh! even a picture perfect dream girl had suffered a life filled of issues with it!gleeee was meee...But fear not, my few but faithful readers, I'll get there someday...

For now, it's all about the baby-steps. My brother helped me figure out how to cook poha(Upma's northie cousin)! Couldn't believe just how simple it was to make it... (Learn Upma , learn!!!:x)

Ingredients:

2 cups flattened rice or poha

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 tbs mustard seeds

2 green chillies

2 Onions- chop them up

1 cup finely diced red pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

7-8 curry leaves & mint leaves

a bunch of unsalted peanuts (for the peanut tolerant)

So here's what you should do:

Place the flattened rice on a colander and pour some water thru it. Once the flattened rice meets water some strange phenom happens that miraculously makes the rice ready. Water touches it and it's ready. It's almost magical. Don't let the water sit for too long as it tends to make the rice very soggy. So it's all touch and go to the next step kinds...

Next take a wok, pour some oil in and roast the unsalted peanuts until they turn a nice golden color and set aside. Wipe the wok, add some oil, bung in the mustard seeds, curry leaves and  green chillies.

 In go the diced onions and red pepper to add to  the spluttering.Once the onions get all translucent and golden, add a pinch of turmeric and salt to the veggies.

Next pour the poha in and mix well for 2-4 minutes on a medium flame.Add salt to taste. Once it is properly mixed and radiating a nice rich yellowness garnish with roasted peanuts & coriander or mint:).