Adhi Potoba

If you grew up in Pune you’d remember of a mildly annoying siren that would go off at 10:00 a.m. every day and last for a good 10 minutes. I never figured out what it was for, where it came from or if anyone was supposed to do anything about it. We just knew that it was there and we ignored it, much like the coloured ‘Terror Alert System" compliments of the Department of Homeland Security. The one thing I can always remember about it though was that when the ‘bhonga’ (as it was called) would go off aayi would be making her dabba of chapatis for the day. And during the holidays my brother and I would sit cross-legged on the cold floor of our humble dining-table-less kitchen and wait for aayi to give us a hot chapati slathered with some ghee and sugar and rolled up on dented steel plates. After a generous helping of chapati rolls, all young members of the galli would then emerge from their respective homes. for a good day of galli cricket. I have tried recreate that taste at home ma...

A big part of one’s childhood in Pune includes going to every useless function your mother drags you to. ‘ Satyanarayana chi Puja ’ is on of those events. Having attended my share of Satyanarayans, I still couldn’t tell you what it is for. What I do know is that the ‘Prasad’ is the most awesome Sheera you’ll ever have. Actually, it is worth hauling your behind to a Satyanarayan just for the Sheera. I happend to talk to my mother about why that particular version of Sheera tastes good as opposed to the low-budget version we sometime have with out afternoon tea. Apparently all ingredients come in a 1:1 ratio. i.e. 1 cup sugar : I cup ghee : I cup of milk : I cup dried fruit. I think it should also come with a defibrillator. So in the interest of coronary health, here’s a recipe for everyday Sheera. You’ll need: I cup Rawa Sooji or Semolina) ½ Sugar (3/4 cup if you like it sweeter) 1 tbsp Ghee ½ cup Dried Fruit (almonds, cashews, raisins) ½ cup
 Milk ½ cup
Water ½ tsp Cardamom powder o...