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| Biryani and sheer qurma brought by Noorbanu, sheer qumar without sugar by Erika in bowl & tarantula jalebi from the Mukhis (it’s not called that & is yum) |
The holy month of Ramzan had just ended and Eid was being celebrated last Tuesday. Baby Loaf, little Nimki and I were sitting with long faces. K was leaving for Bangalore on work and would be back on Saturday. Her first work travel since the pandemic begun. The first time the three of us boys were left by ourselves and …might I add that the Baby Loaf did help me with the housework while she was away. He stayed quietly inside the bed room at night after I shut the door and let me take out the garbage cans out in peace after I cleaned up the kitchen. Nimki did peep out of the door while I put them out.
I went down with K to see her off to her her cab when I saw Banu walk in with a little girl. She had earlier told us that she was taking an off for Eid. Did the moon not come out, I wondered.
“We have come to wish you on Eid. This is my granddaughter Sumaira. You have not met her in person before this. Just seen her pictures”
I asked them to go up to our apartment while I waved goodbye to K.
‘I have brought biryani and sheer qurma for you’, said Banu when I went up. ‘I had taken the container from here.’
She emptied the food in to serving dishes in the kitchen while the little girl stood by her grand mom.
“Mujhe billi dekhna hain,” I want to see the cats she told her granny.
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| Little Nimki. The early days. |
Sumaira wasn’t fond of stepping out Banu told us and she had to tell her about the our cats to tempt her.
Nimki was just two months old when he moved in. He used to be fascinated by Banu back then. He would sit and watch her work in the kitchen and follow her everywhere. A few weeks later a ‘Sadma’ moment (from the movie) happened and he suddenly acted as if he did not recognise her. She had grown quite attached to him and was rather sad. K and I felt bad too.
For the last couple of months Baby Loaf, who has seen Banu ever since he began coming to our house in Dec 19 but was largely indifferent to her, has become a Banu bhakt. He flops on the floor when she comes to work when she comes to work to be patted be her. On the table, when she’s drying clothes, on the bed when she is straightening it. ‘Mujhe dekh kai saila jaati hai,’ she says with an excited smile if I got it right.
The thing about cats, unlike dogs, is that they run to their own beat. They will not come running if you whistle. The boys will sulk and mope if K or I go out but will ignore us when we return. While a pup would be all over us.
So I could not really commandeer Loaf and Nimki to come out for Sumaira.
I suddenly noticed little Nimki in the passage between the bedroom and the study. He normally runs and hides when strangers come in while Loaf tries to run out if he finds the hall door open.
I guess little Nimki had never seen as ‘little’ a human as Sumaira in the 1 year and 11months of his existence in this planet and was fascinated by her. He stood a few feet behind Sumaira and inspected her. Staying close to the bedroom door so that he could escape if required.
‘Woh dekho billi,’ there’s the cat said Banu, and Sumaira turned around. Little Nimki darted off and hid behind the bed. This continued for a while. He would come out to look at her and then she would turn and he would squeal and run. Now you know why they say curiosity killed the cat!
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| Banu and her grandson a few Eids back |
Banu had finished unloading the food and I requested her to stand for a pic with Sumaira just as I had when she had brought her grandson, Arman, a few years back on Eid.
Banu is not one to smile for pictures. Little Sumaira scowled too. This was not working.
‘Do you like biryani more or sheer qurma,’ I asked the child.
‘Biryani,’ she said with a smile.
‘Mujhe bhi.” I smiled back when I heard this, for years back we had enjoyed lovely biryani at the wedding feast Banu had organised for Sumaira’s parents’ wedding.
‘Then you hold the biryani and give granny the sheer qurma bowl for the picture.’
This worked. Sumaira broke into a smile. As all biryani lovers do when they have a tray of biryani in their hands.
‘They all like my biryani but it was too hot this year so I ordered this for everyone. It is not as good as mine of course,’ said Banu as she left with the supreme confidence in her own cooking in her cooking that was typical of her.
I wished them Eid Mubarak, gave wafers for the girl and some money to Banu and bid them goodbye.
Biryani….7 letters that spell love to me, but the new Kalyan is all about #EatBetter. I am trying to be on top of my blood sugar levels which had spiked post covid, and am guided by Dr Ria Ankola’s diet tips and Dr Manisha Talim’s medication. Basmati rice does not fall in it. Nor does sheer qurma.
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| Tok dal, chorchori, pink rice and dahi. My #EatBetter lunch on Eid |
I sat down to the simple vegetarian lunch that our morning cook had made for me. The previous night our neighbour and friend, Erika, had most kindly cooked and brought sheer qurma for me. “I did not add sugar. You can add your own sweetener and enjoy.” The biryani sat quietly in the fridge.
More Eid sweets came in from our neighbours to tempt me. Sutarfeni from Iffat. Gigantic orange jalebi from the Mukhis. Both from Eros sweets. Both sweets I am familiar with thanks to Kainaz. These are gifted on auspicious occasions by Parsis too.
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| Little Nimki was the stylist for my shoot in the evening with the sutarfeni from Iffat joining the party |
I edited the first video of my new YouTube series, Eat Better with Kalyan Karmakar, through the day.
I had done a number of 1 minute talk to camera reels for Instagram over the past month where I would explain the principles of the diet I was following at home and how it consisted of our day to day Indian food. Nothing exotic. And it was working.
‘What would happen when I step out’, I asked Ria. ‘Will I not be able to eat outside again? ‘
‘Not at all,’ replied Ria. ‘I am a foodie and we foodies love to eat. I will give you guidelines on what to eat when you go to different types of restaurants and you will be able to enjoy your food and stay within your diet,’ she promised.
She did so when I went to Ming Yang at the Taj Land’s End recently. I decided to make a video out of the experience and that turned out to be the first episode of my new series which debuted on youtube on Eid. It is self shot and self self edited by a 48 year old food writer and is rather raw, but hey if it helps even one person #EatBetter, I am happy.
Plus in the best traditions of Bollywood my new YouTube had an Eid release. What more could one want?
A platinum jubilee on Diwali perhaps!
I was pretty tired by the time I was done with releasing and posting the video. I sat to eat at mid-night.
I decided to have the biryani and boy, it was rather good. I took seconds. And thirds.
That’s why I stay away from biryani. A good one breaks my sankalp (resolve).
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| Cleaning up after my solo dinner on Eid |
Cleaning up the messy kitchen was quite an ordeal and I was pooped by the end of it.
I gave in and had a bite of the other ring of the jalebi. The another. And another till I finished the two outer rings!!!!
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| Jalebi! Baby!!!! |
I did not dare till Ria, who is also the expert consultant of my #EatBetter show, about it. She hit the roof seeing me have one tiny jalebi at Noor Sweets.
My excuse, ‘it was mostly air,’ did not cut much ice with her that night!
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| Eid’i Mumbaiyya chicken biryani courtesy Banu possibly by a local bhatiyara/ caterer |
Here’s the first episode of #EatBetter.
I hope you like it and if you do, do show it some love by clicking like, sharing it and subscribing to my YouTube channel. Let’s prove K that its worth staying organic even if I am not an onion!
True to form #bunkinbanu has been bunking ever since I wrote this 😂
