Gutti vankaya kura / Stuffed Eggplant

Ingredients

Brinjals - 1/2 kg
Onions - 3 nos. big
tamarind - 1 medium lemon size
Channa Dal (Senagapappu) - 5 tsp
Urad Dal (Minapa pappu) - 3 tsp
Coriander seeds (dhaniyalu) - 3 tsp
Cumin (jeera) - 1 tsp
mustard seeds (aavalu) - 2 tsp
red chilly powder - 2 tsp
Oil - 100 gms
salt to taste

- Heat 2 tsp oil in the frying pan.
- Add channa dal, urad dal, coriander seeds, cumins and mustard seeds.
- Once these are fried, add red chilli powder and a pinch of asafoetida towards the end.
- Grind this along with tamarind into a coarse powder. Add salt and chopped onions and grind again to make paste of all these.
- Slit brinjal on both sides (slit half on one side and similarly on the other side also so that the stuffing fills brinjal completely) or else in + shape with crown intact. Brinjal should be cooked as a whole and not in pieces
- Stuff the brinjal from both the sides or into the + shape. You should take care that the brinjal is not broken into pieces.
- Heat oil in the pan, use oil generously.
- Put the stuffed brinjals carefully into the heated oil in the pan carefully. Cover the pan with a lid for about 10 minutes.
- Cook them on medium flame first. Keep checking and turning the brinjals slowly. Once half cooked, then turn on to slow flame till the raw smell of the onion is completely gone and the oil leaves on the sides.

To make this curry slightly gravy:
Instead of grinding tamarind while making powder, take tamarind pulp (soak tamarind for 15 minutes in water and use its pulp) and add this when the curry is half cooked and complete the cooking.

Serves 6 to 8

Aditya Bhamidipati Upanayanam 2

Vinayakudiki meedu kattadam (Ganesh puja)


The muhurat has been fixed for Ganesh puja to start off the Upanayanam related activities.

The procedure I was told for 'meedu kattadam' is:

We'll need 1 white towel, 1.25 kgs rice, chennas (brown coloured), pasupu vinayakudu (made of turmeric powder), regular puja items like flowers, fruits, beetle leaves, etc.

We'll have to put the rice on the white towel and place the turmeric ganesha on tamalapaku (beetle leaf), do the puja.

Then take the chennas, if possible, put in tiragali (stone grinder) or grind them lightly.

Put the chenna dal in the rice (remove pasupu vinayakudu from the rice) and tie the rice and chenna dal in the towel and keep the 'meedu' aside.

This rice will be used to make undrallu (modak) after the upanayanam, in the function performed on 16th day (padahaaru rojula panduga).

Aditya Bhamidipati Upanayanam 1

Finally, we could convince SP to perform Adi's Upanayanam :-)


SP was not sure, since the Upanayanam of his nephew who is older than Adi, has not been done yet by his brother... Thankfully, my brothers-in-law, gave a go ahead and now it is get set go :-)


I started feeling the heat from my parents side since past four years, Adi being the eldest grandson and ofcourse, pampered one... All the relatives have the same question, when are you performing his vadugu (upanayanam)???


The D-day is now fixed, June 2nd...


Now, I'm a bit nervous... Will we be able to manage the whole affair smoothly? God's great and I leave it to Him...

Another pink slip story

RK had put in his papers… What’s wrong with him? He’s such a brilliant guy. How could the company let him go???

JP was asked to resign on non-performance grounds. He’s not a non-performer. He could have been given a chance to prove… What’s wrong with his manager??? Hope good sense prevails in the management...

Pinky resigned. Why did she leave? Was she asked to go???

X, Y, Z left the company. Why ???
Noida office is at the verge of closing down due to change in strategies. This office opened only 6 months back and the people have been asked to leave??? We feel sorry for them. Anyway! It does not affect us since we have projects on hand :-) At least we are safe in our city. Poor guys at Noida office! They are all such experienced and brilliant employees.
This is what we all thought till a few months ago… We are safe at least…

Then started the flow of news…
Suddenly we could see a change in the work place… The tempo got reduced... Colleagues talking in a hush-hush tone; spending more time at pantry than at their desk… many gossips more tittle-tattle than actual work happening… Lots of anxiety… No instructions from the head office…
Lots of calls to colleagues at head office… Trying to comprehend the situation…
Is it like ‘mera number kab ayega’ ??? Hey no yaar!!! We have 2 big projects on hand!!! But still…

Don’t worry! Even if there is a change in strategy, they need to sell the product.. right! Nothing to worry man, cheer up!
How can the management run a team without admin? On site team will any way not have a problem…
Hey Fin guys, you have no reason to worry!!! You will be last persons to leave… You need to wind up the project :-) Be happy!!!
Each one just trying to pep up the other ones!!!
Finally, one day, the head of the local office resigned… GHOSH!!!
What’s wrong?? May be he did not gel well with the new CEO!! That doesn’t affect us, hopefully.
Even the HR head at head office resigned… Something is really going wrong in the company :-(
One fine day the entire senior management, including those from abroad, landed in the office… Not a single soul is aware of their arrival.
Why did they keep their travel under wraps??? What’s in store??? May be, they are here to discuss new strategies in the context of the economic downturn…
Just keeping the fingers crossed and pray!!! God give us the courage to handle anything that’s going to come in the way now… Most of us know that it is a call away…
With shrinking hopes and masking a brave face, we awaited for our turn to be told ‘we are sorry’.
Thank God!!! I was able to handle this whole scene bravely… I was able to get out of that office with a smile…
But I know not many are not brave and also lucky enough to do so…

Now a few tens of us are on the roads…
Qualified, with proven track records, looking out again…
We wished that we have not taken up this offer at all…
Since many of us are not job hoppers…
We know that no consultant is going to haunt us now…
We are going to haunt the consultants…
We just wished each other good luck and …
We left praying for self and others too…
Happy job hunting…