Shinni Recipe

When Bengalis make a peace offering to the Hindu Creator Deity Vishnu (Narayana) they conduct a special puja called Satyanarayana puja (this puja is fairly common across many Hindu sects all over the world). The specialty of the Bengali version is the main prasad (food offering) a delectable sweet thing called shinni - below is the recipe:

Shinni Recipe

The proportions are important to maintain. Scale up or down as necessary.

Ingredients

• 300 g atta / wheat flour - preferably whole grain atta, don't use self-rising flour
• 300 g 'batasha' or dried drops of clarified (white) or jaggery (gur or unclarified sugar) -  Sugar / Jaggery -
• 300 ml raw (unboiled) cow milk
• Grated fresh coconut to taste (don't be too liberal with this, it gives it an 'oily' taste)
• A little green cardamom seeds (chhoto elach) (again keep it low, it has a very strong flavour)
• 5 nos. (4" x 1.5" diameter) ripe bananas (must be well ripened to avoid that faintly brackish taste, ideally use the 'martaman' (bananito) variety (probably grown only in E. India / SE Asia) the commercial cultivar Cavendish ('singapuri' in India) does not give that typical taste.
• (optional) Cut dry fruits to taste (avoid this to get the real taste of the offering)

Method

1. Start by mashing the bananas and sugar into a smooth paste with your hands in a steel or brass vessel.
2. Add milk, mix and then add atta in small parts till the consistency is that of a pourable cake batter

Notes

• Under no circumstance eat too much of this thing. It is known to cause stomach cramps and indigestion on account of the uncooked flour / raw milk combination.
• Most Hindus consider making this other than on occassion of the Satyanarayana Puja as inauspicious and forbidden.
• Needless to say, I looooo...oved this thing as a child and had had a few cramps on eating too much of it. Even now would love going to someone's house for the Satyanarayana Puja more to satiate the sweet craving rather than for any degree of piety.

Traveling

Traveling is something I have always liked. Yet, there is something to be said about lazing ... it always feels different and sometimes restful to comeback to "home-base". A fortnight back I took a road trip from eastern Washington state to the Pacific coast till the California redwood country.

Between the inevitable pitfalls of taking a 2000 mile trip and the 'sad' weather that that you chance upon, there was a lot to be seen. The Oregon Pacific coast is particularly beautiful with dense forests and breathtaking seascapes. I got to see sea-cliffs, rocky shores, a panoply of marine life, and generally enjoyed the unshackling from day-to-day work.

I traveled with an old friend from my college days. Probably for him too this was the longest trip of any sorts in his 6 year stay in the US. Our drive across Washington and Oregon (primarily) also allowed us the chance to see the variety of terrain that the US Pacific northwest offers. A list of sorts follows:

Palouse short grass prairie (South-eastern WA)
Semi arid scablands (South-central WA)
Volcanic mountains and temperate sub-boreal rainforests (Central Cascades in WA/OR)
Temperate coastal evergreen rainforests (OR/CA Pacific coast)
Alpine / sub-alpine forests (South Cascades, West-central OR)
Semi-arid scrublands (East of Cascades, Central OR)
Alpine / sub-alpine forests (North-eastern OR)

The geography of OR is perhaps one of the most varied among the states in the lower 48. It pretty much has everything ! The state is a nature photographers paradise !
The canyon lands in the northeast of OR are extensive and Hells Canyon on the Snake river on the OR/ID border are the deepest in the whole of the US ... though the access to the place is fairly limited for motor vehicles. Trail access is extensive, mostly following the old trails of the Nez Perce Native peoples.

Some photos are being put up here (as they are processed)
http://picasaweb.google.com/kachra.dabba/ORCAWATrip#

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In general the central business districts of most US cities are fairly similar. This weekend I am going to San Fransisco to meet my sister / bro' in law. I have heard much about the city, and its picturesque vicinity. Let us reserve judgment !