Finally able to prepare Rajma dal in a proper way

I started cooking on my own, only after coming over here. Before this, never had even thought of making something on my own. Because, my mother always fed me with good food. Now that the need for me to cook had arised, I too joined the bandwagon.

In the last 3 months, I have learnt to cook rice, chapathi, dal. I cook semiya too, but in a different way. I assume not many people would agree with my way of cooking semiya.

Though I could cook few stuffs, cooking other things was literally eluding me. Like making vegetable curry. I was too lazy to cut onions and tomatoes, boil the vegetables and then mix them with other ingredients to make a curry.

Even after repeated suggestions from Kapil and family, I was still reluctant to go by the normal approach. I was not interested in deep frying onions in oil. But as I realized, it was the only way to make proper curry.

So yesterday, made up plans to cook Rajma dal. Thought I could do it in the same way as Toor Dal.

But I was advised to soak Rajma for 3-4 hrs before steaming it in a pressure cooker. So I did soak some Rajma yesterday. Since I went to swimming 2 times yesterday, I could not prepare Rajma yesterday.

Today I had to prepare Rajma in the morning. I tried my normal way of preparing Rajma, steaming it, then heating oil in a pan and then adding mustard and then Rajma and then water plus salt.

This did not work out. The water and Rajma did not mix very well. So when I spoke to Kapil, they again advised me to go with making masala by deep frying onions and then adding tomatoes, coriander powder. After which I needed to whip the solution.

So I thought, let me do in this way and try it. Believe me or not. It actually worked. The Rajma mixed quite well with the paste prepared out of Onions and tomatoes. Now I have invited my friend to have some Rajma for dinner, let me see what his feedback actually is.

I hope its proper. In that case, I can try out the same way for different vegetables as well.

+2 lessons learnt.

Lesson 1.. To cook Rajma.
Lesson 2.. Never be reluctant to come out of ur shell and try something different, by listening to friends' advice.

Cheers,
Sandeep

Time to post something

These days, I am getting lazy. I end up posting nothing for days together. So a few days back, I joined a nearby swimming center, not that I know how to swim, but to learn infact. So after two weeks, I can say that, I am satisfied with my progress.

Apart from that made new friends at the swimming pool, One person turned out from the same organization where I work, he sits in the same building as I do. So these days, he gives me company at the swimming pool. Unwinding after a stressful day seems to be so much fun. Each day, I just wait to run from work, rite across to hit the pool. Wow. Something to look forward, That makes me happy.

I can recall the song by Sheryl Crow " If it makes you happy :)- ", what a cute song.

Met two new people at the pool. Nice !!

Cheers,
Sandeep

PS:: You may think I have eaten few words in this post.. Yep.. Time for my dinner :)-

Its been a while :)

Its almost 2 weeks since I have posted. Not that I am too busy to post, but a pinch of laziness here and there. So finally after 26 years, I started with swimming classes. Its almost 12 years since I last entered the pool. So this time, spent around 3 hours at the swimming complex which is at 5 mins walk from my place.

Had the first day's session, and tried practicing whatever the trainer had taught. It has resulted in tremendous amounts of pain. Shoulders, arms, triceps, thighs, chest, now everything's in pain :)-

But yes, kinda good feeling, I am getting to learn swimming :)-

Cheers,
Sandeep