“Kabuliwala, O kabuliwala, tomar jholae ki ache? (what is in your bag)”, asked Mini
“ ete to ekta hathi ache (there is an elephant in here)”, replied the kabuliwala with a smile.
Kabuliwala, is a short story by Rabindranth Thakur. Written in a simple language it was my introudction to the vast world of Rabindranath Thakur’s literature. Aptly it was narrated by my father, because it is the story of a father more than a little girl. Mini is the small girl who befriends a kabuliwala (Rehmat) selling his dry fuits in the lanes of Calcutta. Sometime later Rehmat is arrested on charge of attacking a debtor and is sent to jail. The day he is released, Mini is getting married. I would not be a spoil sport by revealing all of it. Although it is not a particularly sad story, it felt sad to me. There are not many kids of my generation who can claim to have bedtime stories from their father.But I have had the pleasure.
Used to the five day week syndrome of the 21st century, after a six day week, I would not have the energy to even stammer. My father used the Sunday afternoons to read to us from nonte phonte, batul de great, abol tabol, stories from sukhtara and sometimes from his memories. He would doze off in between and start talking something about work. I thought it really funny and would relate that everyone in house who would listen how Baba started talking about a big tree girth and bessel area in midst of a ghost story.
Kabuliwala was shared on one such afternoon. While he dozed off I stayed awake thinking not about the girl but kabuliwala. How lonely he must be in a different country away from all whom he loved, learning new language, learning new practices, all because he had to earn money to support his family. It is not fair to compare him and me. I am comfortably off with a much loving husband(inspite of my efforts to test his patience) living a good life in a foreign land, but in the heart of the matter lies distances. When life trudges along in its routine, there is nothing much, but on odd occasions one feels a sudden yearning to be back and within easy reach of what has been home for 25 years of existence. It is also an yearning for the quiet afternoons spent listening to stories with Baba’s arm for a pillow. And also for the innocence which allowed feelings of tenderness. In my bid to be strong there seems to be a loss of the appreciation of feelings.
Much much later I saw the movie made in hindi by Bimal roy and bengali by Tapan Sinha. Balraj Sahni’s potrayal was heart wrenching, so was the song ‘ae mere pyare watan’ by manna dey.
I always thought of this story kabuliwala when I heard the word kabuli channa. Don’t ask why. In the weird way that mind works, I seem to have a look-up created against these two words in my database. This post was written in two parts, one was my diary entry and the other I was writing up for the blog. It does seem all right to combine them together, because in my mind they are connected together
Snacks are a headache. I cannot afford at best of times putting in an hour’s effort for something which is a filler item. Also when you feel like eating snacks you want it with immediate effect. How to conjure up something in 10-15 min? I feel the need of a wand, accompanied by a spell, similar to those from Harry Potter. Point at the stove and mutter abracadabra and voila! There is lovely snack sitting on the stove. But however much I search for Diagon alley and platform 93/4 in London, they have not condescended to reveal themselves to a muggle.
So till the time I get a wand of my own I make do with small tricks. One cardinal rule I have
decided to follow for snacks is, try not to use the gas/stove. Microwave and grillers are exempted from this. Once I put a pan on the gas, I end up spending at least 20-30 mins on it. Not worth it as I already mentioned. If we have muri (puffed rice) then there is nothing better than a jhalmuri. Then yesterday I recalled Aloo Kabli. This was not a frequent snack item in my childhood but its teasing taste had placed itself in a corner of my mind. A couple of years back when I went to a restaurant called Oh Calcutta! in Bombay they served this as a nibbler while we were waiting for the sumptuous bangali feast. A sudden hunger pang at 4pm Sunday evening triggered my forefathers instinct and I started foraging in my cupboards and fridge. I was rewarded with a tin of chick peas (yes it is not kabuli channa..you cannot be so fastidious) hiding behind the neglected food supplements bottles. I dragged it out and started thinking. That is when the memory of aloo kabli shone out in bright neon lights.
It is a medley of salty and citrus flavours. Things that make it different is the crunchiness of the onion, flakiness of the boiled potato and fragrance of the coriander expertly held together by the juices of the tomatoes. Here goes the recipe...
Ingredients
3 medium bolied potato
1 large or 2 small tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 cup kabuli channa , boiled (or use tinned chick peas)
Coriander – 2 tbsp
Chaat Masala – ½ tbsp
Lemon juice
Red chilli Powder
Salt
Quickest way to boil the potato is to put them a refrigerator bag and microwave for 5-6 mins. Let it stay for a couple of mins and then take out and remove the skins. The baking variety of the potato works best. But any will do.
Dice the boiled potato, tomato and onion into square sizes. We don’t want the potato to lose its identity and that is the reason to keep it big enough. Add the boiled kabuli channa to this. I have to confess here that when the fancy strikes to have aaloo kabli, I more than often resort to the tinned variety. I know it is not good for digestion, but try telling that after you have the first spoonful.Last time we had it, we added another word to our limited medical vocabulary..epigastric region pains. To be fair the blame should be shared by haldiram samosa, cheesy garlic bread, skipped lunch. So if you want to play safe and still want the fun...be patient, soak a cup of channa overnight and then boil them. You might even be like me on those odd weeks when healthy eating takes my fancy and the fridge is filled up with all sorts of sprouts. Mine rot away after the first couple days of zeal. On an extreme you can skip the kabuli channa altogether. Potato/tomato and onion is a star combination anyways.
So then, after this discourse on channa, mix all the items together in a bowl. Add the coriander leaves, chaat masala, salt, lemon juice and red chilli powder as per you taste. Give it a good toss. If you allow it to stay for about 10 mins the juices really become great and you can lick your bowl clean.
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