By The Water Cooler by Parul Sharma

By the Water Cooler by Parul Sharma is another book I bought during my India visit after my blogger friends recommended it to me for a light read.It was a very enjoyable read.

To give you an idea about the story line I am quoting the blurb from the back of the book.

Synopsis:

  

Restless and discontent at their jobs in an advertising agency, Mini and Tanya quit and make their way to JR Enterprises. Corporate stardom seems to be only a few PowerPoint slides away. This, however is before the HR Manager who hired them gets fired and reveals in a moment of rare honesty that the organization is a madhouse. The CEO, a committed megalomaniac believes that the two girls are perfect examples of recruitment error. With this first impression to her credit, Mini needs to manage a critical project while keeping her paranoid and obnoxious boss at bay. Tanya could have lent her a shoulder to cry on, except that she is serving time in the office boondocks and is slowly giving in to prenuptial madness. 

Join Mini and Tanya on a wild ride full of impossible deadlines, dirty office politics and espionage even as they lock horns with an office full of eccentric characters. A smart, witty tale of messy work, quirky colleagues and the wily attempt to tame both. By The Water Cooler is the hilarious struggle of holding down a job.

 My take:

It was an easy and light read. The story started slowly but picked up the flow as it progressed. The author has sketched the characters in good detail that the readers could easily make up their image in their minds, they seemed so real and relatable. I had an instant liking for Mini for her 'never say die' attitude. I loved the way she got hold of herself and managed to survive in her job against all the odd circumstances and amidst uncooperative  people. There are some hilarious terms used throughout the book like the nicknames used to denote a person of which 'Lardie' is one, I will always remember.I found Tanya a bit more melodramatic than I would have liked. All the other characters in the novel are distinct and add a different hue to the story. As the story progressed, there were twists and turns and the climax was just perfect. 

Overall the story has a perfect balance of spice, humor and thrill. The title is very aptly given as a lot happens by the water cooler in a corporate office. It is meeting spot for the people to take a break from their work and stretch their arms, to get update on the office gossip and politics etc. It is a breezy and hilarious read that will have you reading in anticipation at one moment and laughing out loud in another.It will definitely make you smile, worth picking it up.

 Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

The Reward by R. Singh

I received this book for review by the publisher. After going through the synopsis, I was interested in reading it and reviewing it.

The Reward by R Singh is set is Tijuana where the protagonist, Antonio spent his childhood. Before Tijuana became a murder capital, it was a land of stereotypes for tourists. For many, it has always been home. The novel starts with a flashback to 1970 and builds to a cartel killing in 2002. Along the way, kids grow up, live their dreams and face their nightmares. Scattered details turn out to be pieces of a frightening puzzle that locks together perfectly.

Antonio is dying of kidney failure and it is in his end moments that he writes this memoirs for his loved ones. Reading it today we realize how it was to be growing up in Tijuana in a tumultuous period, how the surrounding shaped the mindset and future of the people like Antonio and his friend Ramon. The author takes you through the changes that has occurred in the region over the years and how the transformed Mexico shaped Antonio's destiny. The author has given such vivid description of the regions, of the roads and the coastal areas that you can actually visualize it in your mind. I enjoyed reading about the childhood days of Antonio and how he took pleasure in surfing in the sea, walking and running on the beach. It seemed refreshing. I could well understand why his mother wanted him to learn English, as she could foresee that in future that would be language through which he would be able to communicate with the world.

But there was something about the novel that did not appeal me. It constantly takes you to the darker side of life and makes you feel helpless to the point that it is depressing. Perhaps that is the reason that even the book was of only 145 pages, I took around 6 days to complete reading it. It is a thought provoking story that kept me engaged and I had to keep coming back to it to read it till the end.

A evocative and well paced story that takes you through the journey of a young Mexican who grew up in a place that transformed radically with time and so was his destiny.

Coffee and Chocolate Pudding (Eggless) | How to Make Coffee and Chocolate Pudding | Chocolate Recipes

Coffee and Chocolate Pudding #Recipes

Coffee and Chocolate Pudding is a self-saucing dessert. It is chocolatey (quite evident), gooey and almost tastes like a fudge brownie.

I had somehow missed the mail from Divya about the November Sweet Punch but as the time came emails were pouring into my inbox with links from bloggers who participated in the punch this month. The first thought that came to my mind that maybe I was thrown out of the group for not participating in the event for the last 2 consecutive times. But, then I scanned my emails and found the original mail from Divya which I had probably inadvertently missed. Baked pudding is something I had not tried yet and I was very tempted to try it as soon as I saw beautiful pictures floating around in the blog world. And I did give it a try and it came out great!

The recipe chosen for the month is Coffee and Chocolate Pudding from here. I have used only a quarter of the measurements given to get 2 medium size servings. Also, I replaced the egg used in it with yoghurt and a pinch of baking soda. The result was awesome! The pudding when warm was gooey and saucy. I had mine with a generous scoop of Vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. A chocolate lover can't ask for more!

Coffee and Chocolate Pudding

Serves 2:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cocoa
Pinch salt
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp butter, melted
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp yoghurt
A generous pinch baking soda
2 tbsp hazelnuts, chopped.

For the topping

2 tbsp brown sugar.
2 tsp cocoa
1/2 tsp instant coffee powder mixed with 1/4 cup of water.

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Sift together dry ingredients.
3. Stir in butter, milk, yoghurt, baking soda and hazelnuts until well combined.
4. Spoon batter into 2 greased ramekins.
5. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cocoa then pour over coffee but do not stir.
6. Bake for 20 minutes.
7. Serve with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce if you like.

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Jaya by Devdutt Pattanaik

Sometimes back when I was trying to make a list of books by Indian authors to buy from India my blogger friend Vibha suggested this title to me. I bought this book from India and recently finished reading it. Firstly, I would like to thank Vibha for recommending me this fabulous book, I am so glad to have read it.

Jaya by Devdutt Pattanaik, as is evident from the cover of the book, is an illustrated retelling of the great epic Mahabharata. I have not read the original Mahabharata but I have fond memories of watching the TV serial by the same name on Doordarshan when I was a kid. The closest I have come about reading any literature relating to Mahabharata is the novel, 'The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (this was also recommended by Vibha), a take on Mahabharata through the viewpoint of Draupadi. The Mahabharata is the tale of the terrible war between the Kauravas and Pandavas over the ownership of crown of Hastinapur, that changed the course of Indian history.

To lure you a little more here are some one liners from the back of the book to give you an idea of the plots and complexity of this epic saga!

The Mahabharata is an ancient Hindu epic where:

A son renounces sex so that his old father can remarry

A daughter is a prize in an archery contest

A teacher demands half a kingdom as his tuition fee

A student is turned away because of his caste

A mother asks her sons to share a wife

A father curses his son-in-law to be old and impotent

A husband lets another man make his wife pregnant

A wife blindfolds herself to share her husband's blindness

A forest is destroyed for a new city

A family is divided over inheritance

A king gambles away his kingdom

A queen is forced to serve as a maid

A man is stripped of his manhood for a year

A woman is publicly disrobed

A war is fought where all rules are broken

A shift in sexuality secures victory

The vanquished go to paradise

The victors lose their children

The earth is bathed in blood

God is cursed

Until wisdom prevails

In Jaya, the author has meticulously tried to retell the epic saga, the events that lead to the war, incidents that happened during and post the war and how it affected the people around and those involved in it. The author has not only retold the epic in simple words but has also provided the readers with insights in to the stories and the lessons we can learn from it. Overall, a very well researched book, a must read for any one is remotely fascinated by or interested in Indian Mythology.

After reading this book, I can definitely say that my knowledge about Mahabharata has improved and that was evident to my Hubby too, when I could answer Mahabharata related questions asked on the show Kaun Banega Crorepati, of course, we all play KBC while watching it! My hubby looked impressed(although he would never say that) and I just smiled!

Thank you for stopping by. Cheers!

Pav Bhaaji

While going through my drafts today, I found that I had not yet posted some of the recipes which I intended to post during my India visit. In an attempt to use the vegetables in my pantry prior to my India visit, I was making something or the other every day. Finally, one of those recipes is seeing the light of the day!

If you have a number of vegetables lying around what could be better than making this famous street food -Pav Bhaaji. It is very popular dish in my house and I make it quite often. I prefer having this bhaaji at home as most of the time the bhaaji served in restaurants in laced with too much oil. You can use store bought buns or these home made buns will go very well too.

Pav Bhaaji is one of the most popular fast food served through out India right from the roadside vendor to the most upscale restaurants. The dish originally hails from the state of Maharashtra, India. It is basically a mixed vegetable potato curry served with pav buns, chopped onions and a lemon wedge.

Serves 4:

4 large potatoes.
1 carrot
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 onion finely chopped.
½ capsicum finely chopped.
½ cup of green peas.
3 tomatoes chopped
1 tsp red chilli powder
3-4 tsp pav bhaaji masala
1 tsp garam masala
2 green chilies chopped finely.
1/4 chopped coriander leaves.
Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.
½ tsp grated ginger.
2 cloves garlic chopped
Salt to taste.
Water as required
1 lemon
2-3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp butter.

Procedure:

1. Boil the potatoes. Once they are cool enough peel the skin off and mash them into a smooth mixture. Set aside
2. Pressure cook carrot and cauliflower till one whistle. When cool enough churn it in the mixer (not into a smooth paste but somewhat chunky).
3. Heat a frying pan. Add oil. When heated add the chopped chilies, chopped garlic and grated ginger. Stir for a few seconds. Then add the chopped onions. Sautee for 2-3 mins till the onion is slightly golden.
4. Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook till it melts into a liquidy form. Then add the chopped capsicum.
5. Then add the spices, salt and pav bhaaji masala and heat well for 5-7 mins. Keep stirring continuously to prevent it from over burning. The spices on being roasted will give out a nice aroma.
6.Add the cauliflower and carrot mixture, peas and mix well. Heat for 2 minutes. Add mashed potato paste and mix thoroughly. Add water to give it the desired consistency. Heat for 5 mins.

7. Squeeze out juice of one lemon and add to the bhaaji. Add the chopped coriander leaves and stir it nicely. Heat for a few more minutes. Transfer in a serving bowl. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and butter.

Pav:

16 buns.
Butter.

Procedure:

1. Heat a tava. Spread butter on the plain side of buns and heat them on the heated tava.
2. Serve the bhaaji hot with warm pav along with finely chopped onions and a wedge of lemon.

Enjoy! Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!