The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Sometimes I feel I am on the wrong side of the line when a book that has won accolades from a huge number of readers, fails to make a significant impact on me.  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak falls in that category for me. To tell you what the book is all about, I am quoting the blurb:

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s ground-breaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meagre existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbours during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

 I have not read a lot of Holocaust fiction. In fact, I had read my first on it just last year. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne had the kind of impact on me, a holocaust book should have. I think what worked there was the innocence of the narrator, how he was oblivious of the things happening around him. Another one on the subject, Beatrice and Virgil byYann Martel was the most bizarre book I have ever read. The author tried an innovative approach, but for me it failed completely to convey the message. The Book Thief falls in between these two books. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. It was just another book that will fade from my memory as time passes.

Holocaust is one of the most horrendous periods in human history and to read about it is not a joyful experience.  Stories about it should wreck and wrench the reader’s heart (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne did exactly that). This book didn’t live up in that aspect. I like the idea of Death being the narrator and the Holocaust being the busiest period for him. But, somehow the story didn’t hold together as one. It kept me engrossed till half the way through the book and then it faltered. I found it a bit monotonous and bland. Not that I expect Holocaust fiction to be spiced up, but I felt it just went on for the sake of it. Even if I skipped a few pages, it didn’t affect the flow of the story. 

It summed up to this - Even Death was sorry to see the state of Jews in the Holocaust period, how could humans (who have a heart and a soul) inflict such atrocities on their fellow beings and be oblivious to their sufferings.

Having said all this, there were some things about the book that made me kept reading. The observations of the narrator - Death on the human race were often profound and even witty. Here are some:

“I am haunted by humans.”

“Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it twenty-four hours a day.”

“My heart is so tired”

“A small fact:
You are going to die....does this worry you?”

“People observe the colors of a day only at its beginnings and ends, but to me it's quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations with each passing moment. A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors. Waxy yellows, cloud-spot blues. Murky darkness. In my line of work, I make it a point to notice them.”

“I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sand castles, houses of cards, that's where they begin. Their great skills is their capacity to escalate.”

“I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race - that rarely do I ever simply estimate it.”

I hate writing a bad review. But, this is not one. I just can't pin point at any thing in particular, as to why I didn't enjoy reading this book as most people did, or as much I hoped I would. I would give it a generous 3/5.

Hello World!

Knock knock! Any one there?

It is unusual but this space has been silent for over a week. It was not the plan.

 But, the good news is that I am back and hopefully will be regular from now on. I was down with a sudden illness and the medicines (how I hate them) made me drowsy and tired. For a few days, I felt as if all energies have been drained off me and I felt sorely clumsy. Thankfully, I am far better now and back in action.

Hope you all had a great Easter weekend. Mine was somewhat quiet, largely because I was not feeling well and partly because the weather wasn't that great. After a nice month of March, temperature are plummeting now and it rains so often. I hope it gets better soon. It was one of the rare weekends when I didn't do much cooking (I will make up for it soon). On the reading front, I have been ever so lazy. I am still reading the book I had started two weeks back 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak. Hopefully, I will finish it in a day or two and post the review here. This space has been starving for book reviews for some time now.

On the personal front, a very good friend is relocating to a different country. I have silently shed a few tears and I know how I would miss her. It is only in these circumstances, I realise how we take things for granted. She is a very good cook and there has been always something to learn from her. An interested reader, I have often shared my enthusiasm about some books with her. All I can say know that I will miss here dearly. People come, people go. But some makes a place in your heart. She is one such person, I am glad to have known.

I have a good number of recipes in my draft to keep this space going. But, I don't really feel like posting one. But, I think I am going to do exactly that later. For now, I just wanted to talk.

Enough of my rants for now. I will be up with something more interesting soon. Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Chocolate Cornets

For Egg less Bakes this month Gayathri chose this Chocolate Cornet recipe. The recipe had eggs and all bakers had to try out the egg less version. The cornet is made of bread dough and is filled with chocolate custard. For the dough, I substituted eggs with a mixture of yogurt and milk and for the chocolate custard I used corn flour.

These Chocolate Cornets will be great for kids. I filled four of them with chocolate custard and rest with a savoury samosa filling. However, I am giving the measurement of custard need for 12 cornets here. Baking them was fun. though it seemed a lengthy process as I had to make the cornet's molds from scratch.

Recipe Source:  CookingWith Dog

Ingredients:

Makes 12 Cornets:

For the dough:

300gm flour +1/4 cup flour for dusting

1 tbsp milk powder

2tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

7 gm Instant Yeast

140ml warm Water

2 tbsp yogurt

2 tbsp milk

30 gm butter

For The Chocolate Custard:

350 ml silk

¼ cup sugar

2 tbsp corn starch

3/8 cup chopped chocolate (I used a combination of dark and milk chocolate)

1 tsp vanilla extract

For The Cornet molds:

Please refer tothis video to check how to make them

For The Bread Cone:

Process:

1.  In a bowl, mix flour, salt, and milk powder. In lukewarm water add the sugar and then sprinkle yeast over it and let it sit for 5 minutes to rise.

2. Make a whole in the flour mixture and add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture. Add yogurt and milk and prepare soft dough.

3. Knead the dough for 5 minutes and then flatten it on the counter dusted with flour. Place the chopped pieces of butter in the middle and cover it with the dough.

4. The dough will be very sticky at this point, use extra flour and knead it for another 5-7minutes until the butter is well incorporated and the dough becomes soft and elastic.

5. Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a plastic wrap.

6. Keep it in a warm place to rise till it is double in volume.

7. When well risen, punch the air out of it and divide it into 12 equal portions.

8. Roll each portion into a ball and keep it covered on the counter for 15 minutes.

9. Grease the cornet molds with butter

10. Flatter each ball and shape them into a long rope such that it is thin at edges and thicker in the middle.

11. Wrap it around the cornet molds. Start from the bottom to the top of the mold and then pinch the end of the rope to close it.

12. Place the prepared cornets on a greased tray and allow it to rise for 15-20minutess.

13. Preheat oven to 200C and bake the cornets for 10-12 minutes. When done place them on a wire rack to cool. Unmold the cornet and store cornets in an airtight box until needed.

Chocolate Custard: 

I prepared the custard in microwave.

Process:

1. Place the chopped chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat it in the microwave till it is melted. It will take 2 minutes.
2. Mix the corn starch, sugar in a large microwave safe bowl and add in the milk. Whisk to remove any lump. Microwave it for 2 minutes. Whisk again. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla essence. Whisk. Microwave it again for 3-5 minutes whisking after every 1 minute.
3. The custard is done the mixture comes thick and creamy. Time may vary from microwave to microwave. So, keep an eye on the process.

Assembling the Chocolate Cornets:

1. Fill the custard in a zip lock bag and make a small hole at one of the edges.

2. Place the tip inside the cornet and squeeze the bag to fill the cornet with the custard.

3. Repeat the same with other cornets. Serve with tea or coffee. Enjoy!

Linking it to Yeast Spotting

Onion Bhajji Recipe | Onion Fritters Recipe | How to Make Onion Bhajji | Indian Street Food Recipes

Onion Bhajji/ Onion Fritters #Recipe

Onion Bhajjis are Indian savoury onion fritters; they a crowd pleaser. It is one of the popular street foods in India. I love to have them hot with a cup of tea.

I had made them to take it to my work place and every body enjoyed it a lot. Few of them even remarked that they were really moist and flavourful unlike the ones you get in shops, which tend to be very dry when cold. The secret to it is adding a pinch of baking soda to the batter, it gives the inside of the bhajji a soft texture. I also add a couple of spoons of rice flour in the batter which gives a crispy crunch outside.

Without much ado, let's check out the Onion Bhajji recipe

Onion Bhajji Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup chickpea flour, shifted.
1 cup sliced onions (About 2 medium onions)
3 tbsp rice flour
1 green chili, de seeded and chopped
11/4 tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
A handful of chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
2 tsp crushed kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp baking soda.

Process:

1. Peel the onion and cut it into four halves. Slice them thinly. Put the sliced onions in a large bowl and toss with the salt. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Add the chickpea flour, rice flour, chile powder, cumin, turmeric, ajwain, coriander leaves, baking soda,kasoori methi, green chilli and stir well. Add a couple of tablespoon of water to form a thick batter. Do not add water add water all at once, add spoon by spoon and stir with a spatula to check the consistency.
3. Heat 500 ml oil in a frying pan. When bubbles appear at the bottom of the pan lower it to medium. Drop tablespoon of batter into the hot oil. Fry 5-6 bhaajis at a time. If the pan is too crowded they will not cook evenly. Fry them till they are golden in colour. Stir it occasionally so that they are fried evenly.
4. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towel. Serve hot with coriander chutney or tamarind chutney. It can also be served with ketchup, pairs best with a cup of hot tea or coffee.

Notes:

1. Shifting chickpea flour helps in avoiding lump.
2. Make sure baking soda also has no lumps. Once the batter is made, don't let it sit for too long. Start preparing the bhajis in 5-7 minutes.
3. It is best to drop the batter in the oil using your finger. It can be a bit messy but helps in getting uniform shapes which in turn helps in uniform frying.
4. You can make them in advance and heat them in the microwave before serving.

Have a nice weekend. Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Nimki/ Namakpaare Recipe | Papdi Recipe | How to Make Nimki and Papdi using the same dough

Nimki/ Namakpaare Recipe | Papdi Recipe

Nimki or Namak Paare are diamond shaped savoury fried crackers. They go very well with tea. Using the same dough that is used to make nimki, I also make papdi, the round crackers that are quite used in Indian Chaats. In this post, I am showing you how to make nimki as well as papdi.

I have lots of memories attached to these Nimki. My mom makes the best Nimki in our home. I remember her making them in big batches during the festive season and we, kids used to poke around the kitchen to grab a few to munch on.

Even though I make them now myself, I still have not got the shapes perfect. Not that it matters when it comes to taste, but evenly shaped nimki looks way better.



Papdis are essentially same as nimki, they just differ in shape. I use the same dough to make both of these. The best papdi are those which are crunchy and yet breaks easily. Nimki are more crunchy, their shape helps in their texture. Papdis are the most essential elements of the most popular Indian snacks like Papdi Chaat and Sev Puri. Today, I am sharing how I make 'Nimki' and 'Papdi' with the same dough.

This recipe makes about 50 Papdis.

How to Make Nimki/Papdi/Namakpaare

Ingredients:

1 cup maida or all purpose flour
1/4 cup semolina
2 tablespoons oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ tsp black onion seeds.
Water to form a firm dough

Oil for brushing the dough and for frying

Process:

1. Mix maida or all purpose flour, semolina, salt and black onion seeds. Add the oil and use lukewarm water to make a firm dough. Keep it aside for 15-20 minutes before working on it.

2. Divide the dough in about 50 equal parts and roll them individually into 2 1/2 inch even rounds. Prick with a fork in about 4 to 5 place.

3. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. The frying pan should have at least 1 1/2 inch of oil. Fry the papdi on medium to medium-high heat until both sides are light golden-brown in colour.

4. Transfer them to a paper towel so that excess oil is soaked out. Let it cool completely before storing. They can be stored in airtight container for 1 month.



Nimki is same as papdi but different in shape. To make them make the dough as made for papdi and follow the instructions below.

1. Divide the dough into five equal parts and shape them into smooth balls.

2. Roll one dough ball at a time into thin chapati like discs. Using a knife or a pizza cutter cut thin strips of the dough and cut the strips diagonally to get diamond shaped pieces.

3. Fry them in medium hot oil till they are golden brown in colour. Do the same with rest of the dough balls. Keep the rest covered when you are rolling one.

4. Cool them completely before storing.

Here is a link to video of making nimki to help you understand the process of making them, even though the recipes are not same.

They are great to munch with afternoon tea.



Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!