Well, the NOC certificate from the police to aid my application for a visa extension never happened because my landlord decided to be extremely unhelpful and refused to co-operate..."I've given you everything I need to, I don't have to do anything else." Ggggrrrrr, some people just make life more difficult!
On top of that, I need to go to Delhi to sort out my visa (long and complicated story here) which is easier said than done, as all the trains are fully booked, with waitlists of at least 40. I think paying an agent a small fee may help. Don't think I'll get to see much whilst I'm there - it'll be all business and paying large "fees" for fast processing so I can get there and back quickly.
It's still cool in Mumbai. Breezy, perfect kite flying weather (I can see one out of my window right now). So at 3pm on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I'm sat here in my standard shorts and vest, but the fan's switched off. In a few hours when the sun sets, I'll have to change into my t-shirt and joggers. Most of the northern hemisphere seems to be going through a cold spell right now... so I'm a little worried about the trip to Delhi, as it's cold there and I really don't have suitable clothes for cold weather anymore.
I am looking forward to some good food whilst I'm there though, and now that I'm on holiday for a couple of weeks I'm looking forward to hunting down and trying out some new recipes. One that I've made a few times recently is Channa Masala, and it's come out pretty good each time. Channa masala is made from chickpeas and is quite filling - the only problem is you have to plan ahead if you're using dried channa, coz they need to be soaked for at least 8 hours. And I'd also suggest using a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time. If you're using tinned chickpeas, then it's a quick dish to make.
Channa Masala:
1 cup kabuli channa (dried chickpeas)
4 cups water
1 black cardamom
1 bay leaf
1 inch stick cinammon
1 teabag
salt to taste
1 tablespoon oil
pinch hing
3-4 tomatoes, skinned and pureed
2 teaspoons channa (chole) masala powder
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon chaat masala
1/4 teaspoon amchoor (dried mango) powder
1. Soak the channa overnight in plenty of water
2. Put the channa in the pressure cooker with 4 cups water, cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, teabag and salt. Mix well.
3. Cook for three whistles, then reduce heat and continue to cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, then turn off heat and let pressure go down.
4. Once cooled, separate channa and cooking water - don't discard the water.
5. Heat oil on a medium heat and add tomatoes. Cook until oil separates.
6. Add channa masala, chaat masala, chilli and amchoor powders. Cook through for a minute or two.
7. Add channa and mix well.
8. Add water a little at a time.
9. Cover and cook, mixing occasionally, until thickened.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with chappati or rice and sliced onions.
Let's hope I get to enjoy some of my time off over the next few weeks - keeping my fingers crossed! I can't believe it's nearly Christmas!
Merry Christmas everyone :D
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