Waste Not...Want Not....

Today was the day I forgot to get up just a titch early and make the yummiest sandwiched ever - cheese and mint chutney sandwiches. There were herbs going bad so my grandmom made pudina chutney with mint, parsley, one or two chilis, garlic and tamarind. We sometimes add raw mango(the green, small, slightly hard ones). It is the most awesome thing ever but I can't quite master it. And this batch was sooooo amazing that I add to my meals too instead of lemon - it's deliciously minty and sour. So spreading that on a sandwich with cheddar and grilling it - mmmm mmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

My grandmother has taken the family 'thou shalt not waste food' to another level all together. There was some 4-day old rice - enough for one person perhaps - and mom was going to throw it. Instead of throwing it, my grandmother made kheer(a milk-rice pudding) out of it. And it tasted pretty good - made a good dessert after dinner.

That's not the only thing she's done either. She adds veggies to leftover dal and makes a hearty vegetable stew to have with khubs/roti/paratha. Or makes yummy omelettes with ghee and adds that to the dal. Make some papad and have it with rice or bread. Sometimes she takes the meat curry and old dal and makes em together. Anything but throw old stuff away. Of course, if its spoilt, she won't try rehashing it into something edible. That's a bit much even for her.

She's making it a point to finish most veggies, perishables and stuff I generally don't cook with and spoil easily before she leaves this Thursday. She and my mom knows that there's a possibility that the items will rot in the one week I'm left alone while mom accompanies her to Kenya. I tend to live like a male bachelor during the week long absences - slightly neater and cleaner though. I don't cook very much. And if I do, I cook one-portioned stuff so as to not waste food. And I end up eating out alot. My home-alone meals are mostly pasta, ramen noodles and other bachelor meals. I don't go all crazy in the kitchen unless there's something I really fancy, or there's someone else who's going to eat it.

I finished my guest post this weekend and TJ tells me that it's going to be on tomorrow at 12pm UK time, 4pm Dubai. For US peeps, that's anywhere between 4am-7am, depending on which ocean you face. Check it out, and check his blog out too. Also do leave a comment - there's a lil something for 500th commenter, as well as something for the guest blogger whose post the 500th comment occurs. As of now, I think it stands that there's about 50-60 comments left to the 500th mark. I'm sure TJ can correct me on that.