My life-long love affair with biryani is an open relationship. While my bestie likes Hyderabadi, my favorite is Moradabadi since it has a distinctive flavor. Last year, Zomato, the food delivery app, sent out two biryanis every two seconds while its rival Swiggy received 115 orders a minute.
If Biryani is a G.O.A.T dish, the crunchy bhelpuri is an equal gastronomic adventure. As a starter, we will taste the spicy bhelpuri, and then we will have the iconic dish as a main course, but please Raita Nahi phehlana.
We build our base on the plate of Bhelpuri. Scientific researches suggest that the age of mental and emotional growth of a child completes till the age of 7.
Nowadays, parenting is being avoided and a cell phone takes care of the toddler’s upbringing at this vulnerable age. s/he consumes violent and aggressive cartoon content. It makes the child confrontational. He doesn’t listen to you anymore.
Such structures crumble easily with a jarring jolt, architects believe. Please sit down with your kids and talk to them. Thank me later.
We mix our bhel by developing habits, good or bad. Watch out for the company. Don’t mix with toxic people. Our spouse adds zing to our routine. Choose your partner wisely. Just like raw mango and onion make it mouthwatering, we look for exciting things in our lives.
How well are chutney’s mixed everyday designs the taste of your life? We have different choices of bhel from person to person. Similarly, everyone is creative. So, please don’t underestimate anyone. Belittling others will make the taste of life bitter since ego is an enemy.
Not being open to others’ opinions is a sign of a radical and brainwashed mind. Some like life to be peppy and tangy, while many happen to be finicky, unknowingly. Spice a dish with love and it pleases every palate. Life is a matter of choices, just like Bhelpuri.
You keep adding and adjusting the flavours and spices as per the demand, time & occasion. There is no perfect bhel. So, don’t compare yourself with others. Otherwise, you will needlessly get anxious, freak out and fail to taste the colours of life. The choice is entirely yours.
You are what you eat. Let’s learn how to prepare a yummy biryani of life. Lit the gas stove burner with a small spark. Spark of zeal, warmth & enthusiasm. Once the flames are up, take one kg of good-quality rice. Let’s call it determination. Stand firm. Mind you, without this basic ingredient, you can’t prepare the biryani of your choice.
Mix a few teaspoons of assertiveness (garam masala) and yearning (salt) and boil it on the burning furnace of life. To succeed in any of your endeavours, make sure you have a target in mind. Vanity, jealousy, and insecurity will rob you of your happiness. A ‘perfectly’ executed biryani will boost your confidence. It will satiate your hunger.
If you are relentless in your efforts, it means, half the work is done. Haters may spew venom against you and troll you (because that is their worth). You may feel hurt. That is Okay. Stay grounded. Don’t give up. Bitching and conspiracy don’t last long. A word of caution: Don’t think of revenge. Success is a relative term.
Once the royal delicacy is ready, even the enemies will become your friends. Chefs wear an apron and toque, a dress to impress! Do you want to wear what comforts you? Go ahead. But remember, “jazbaet quom” will take high moral ground and lynch you online ((Aroosa Pervez, Class 12 topper is the latest example). We become judge and jury and deliver decrees as if we are custodians of faith. Now, start cooking.
Put these unkind remarks in a sizzling oil of indifference, the way you do with onion slices. Don’t stop blending unless their taste changes from bitter to sweet. Mark my words, it will change its color and composition. Now, the onion will turn golden brown. Didn’t I tell you above? People change colours as per the requirement.
Next, two spoons full of ginger garlic paste have to be mixed with garam masala. Take a few onion slices out and keep half of it in the cauldron. Cook it on low heat. The overcooked onion slices will turn black. Hence harmful. Keep a low-key profile. Fear and self-doubts are like fire – if in excess will burn and destroy the individual.
If one is carefree, one can become overconfident about ones’ capabilities. If anxieties and fears are kept under control it brings the best out of us. Now, put 1 Kg smart work (read chicken/mutton) in it and mix it carefully. Cohesiveness and self-confidence are important to achieve your goal.
Put one spoon full of passion (Lal-Mirch powder). Half teaspoon turmeric (Skill) and a few pinches of Coriander powder (read perseverance). Make sure to mix it. Without two cups full of tomatoes (persistency), you can’t have a scrumptious biryani.
It is very important to mix one bowl of yogurt (prayerful palms skyward). Now trust God’s plan and mix dhania. Be grateful to God. If you are a thankless creature, your biryani will be tasteless, or worse, it will taste bitter. I think I forgot something! yes, mint. The reward of deeds depends upon intention. Do it for the Almighty. Naiki kar magar Facebook par mat daal. Avoid show-off.
Now, the meat is ready. Put layers of good quality rice. In this biryani of life, put food-coloring (luck) as per necessity & help from your partner/parents/siblings. Ghee is not really important. Makhan lagane ki buri aadat chodh do. In between the layers, add lemon wedges and saffron milk. Remember, in the beginning, you had put the harsh words, criticism, allegations in the hot oil.
They are fried, roasted & hence lifeless. That criticism doesn’t carry water anymore. It is hollow. It has changed its nature; appreciation is its new name. It takes time to heal the wounds. Feels like we are done? Almost. The last stage is Patience. We need to use a technique called “Dumm” to finish cooking the dish.
This method uses steam to cook the food inside a sealed pot. Damm is the secret to success. Sabr-o-Tahammul ka damm. Put the lid on the secrets of others. Exposing them may make you a hero for a day but you will earn zero in life.
At this stage, people may instigate you for some violent or anti-social act, they may try to sell their agendas. Don’t lose your cool. Remember, you are close to your goal. Yaaay! We just finished cooking the Biryani of life. Now, how to serve it? Serve it with Raita of humility and Sherbet of gratitude.
It gives a blissful feeling to have food in your hand. I would suggest against using the spoon. Trashcan is the final fate of chamcha. Don’t be one. Enjoy and share with your near and dear ones. sharing is caring. Ah! You recharged your belly.
The strongest muscle of our body-tongue experiences five basic tastes– sweet, salty, bitter, sour & umami, which are messages that tell us something about what we put into our mouth. Tongue makes and breaks relations. Kindly note that Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a controversial food additive, a harmful flavor enhancer, avoid it. Taming the tongue is the best dessert.
Done? Say Alhamdulillah. You are not among the millions of patients who are lying at home or in hospital beds, they can’t have solid food or can’t taste a delicacy the way you did. Thousands of patients in Kashmir can’t have sugar or salt in a tea or dish.
Many avoid sweet dishes. Now, shouldn’t you be grateful that you are perfectly fine? Why send complaints to God every day? Globally, millions are dying on roads due to hunger. If you are able to have panun hakha bata, you are a blessed soul on earth.
Bottom line:
You will have many choices in life, just like biryani, choose the person who loves you. Remember, when you like a flower, you pluck it because you like its fragrance. When you love the flower, you want to cherish it forever.
You go to the garden and water it daily just to see it bloom. It makes you happy. Nobody comes empty-handed in our lives.
They bring their broken and wretched past, pain, struggles, memories, scratches, and marks along. Just accept the differences and move on.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.
The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK