Confessions of a Chawal Eater

The brisk movements of kadhai on the stove as the melted butter skates around, enveloping the cumin seeds gradually. The soothing aura of ginger garlic paste blended perfectly well with finely chopped onions... A host of spices make their way next into the kadhai, sprinkled delicately with hands that care. A colourful squad of nutritious veggies dominate the mixture, awaiting the presence of the showstopper! Smoking hot puffed rice gains a royal entry, oblivious to the assembly of the already gathered ingredients. It is only after some gentle mixing that the vibrant uniformity pronounces itself.

Taaah Daaaah! Savage hunger knows no restrain while gulping down giant tablespoons of pulao! If you have time and again gobbled down any sort of rice delicacy and are alive only and only to gobble down some more, join the chawal club. The thing about rice is that, it loves you too much. It won’t let you starve. It won’t break your stomach’s heart. In comparison to the handful of chapattis you can half heartedly manage to consume, rice will emerge as your knight in shining gravy and complement your palate.

 There is lot to learn from rice. It befriends everyone and seldom discriminates. It gets along with anyone who goes with the flow, literally. A very pulse-friendly item which tastes great with veggies too! The more self acclaimed dietician aunties you come across, the more they will convince you that ‘you have gained a lot of weight’, or ‘omg, no boy is going to marry you’ or even ‘don’t we have similar ponch?’ (with a ghastly giggle). However, be strong. Smile and move a lot, like in a gym or on a court or a ground.

I cannot help challenging the traditional thought we are brought up with: Rice makes you fat! How can something so satiating be fattening? With every bite of the biryani you take, think of all those nations with ultra thin citizens consuming rice products for all three meals of the day. Don’t Korea and Japan consider rice as their staple food? Hence, proved. Go ahead for the second serving.

Doesn’t the colour white signify peace and harmony? Well, let us say that the world needs more rice then. Because what is the naive rajma to do without a welcoming partner? What is the delicious fish curry to do without a soul mate who truly defines the combination of mustard seeds and curry leaves with coconut? In which corner of the plate would maa ki dal and dal makhani lie abandoned without their true companion? 

To many such questions and more...

Keep calm and love rice!