Spotlight
Chauffeurs and reincarnation
There must be some truth in reincarnation. Check the roads and look at the drivers. They will exhibit animal qualities that existed in a previous life before they took the human form.
There are the obvious post-elephants who want to barge their way through the traffic. It doesn't matter if they are driving a tiny Maruti 800 among huge buses. It's all about the attitude. Think mighty even if you are not.
What about the drivers who have a love affair with the horn and cannot stop caressing it? They must have been those annoying crows or the barking dogs at night. Some must have been snakes or even earthworms as they slithered their way all through the roads, looking for the next gap to shoot through. For them, lane changing becomes an abstract form as even a four lane highway will merge into a single lane.
The problem arises when these reincarnated beings keep displaying their animal characteristics in a relatively civil setting. Survival of the fittest is a jungle rule that has morphed into our lives. It also becomes the driver's mantra as everybody is in a hurry to get everywhere. Drivers become speed freaks. Cars become their drug of choice.
Trying to get ahead of everyone else often results in traffic jams and accidents. How often have we had to sit in a two lane street for never ending minutes only because some smart drivers wanted to cut the line and go against the incoming lane? Admittedly a lot of them are rickshaw pullers, but car drivers are worse. They think they are faster and can get through before an incoming car blocks the exit. People curse, but sometimes, those same people also break the rules and never notice. Whoever is slower than you is a moron and anyone faster is a maniac. You are always right. As a result, rules are broken all the time, unfortunately these are needed to keep things flowing smoothly.
This isn't directed at the chauffeurs who do not and often cannot read. It's for the educated owners cum drivers who usually sit at the back enjoying their solitary ruminations. Yes, some read papers, while others pick their noses while vacantly staring out the window. Education is a responsibility and what's the point of having it if you cannot apply it? The worst is when you see a chauffeur making all the wrong moves while the owner is sitting smug at the back. One of their worst offenses is lane changing without any signal. Indicators are not just flashing ornaments stuck on a car for beautification purposes. It would have been if the car was made by the Bangladeshi government but it's not. It's a similar case with overtaking and driving on the wrong side of the road. It's your responsibility as a passenger to stay alive and in good mental condition. It won't help if you sit fuming in a jam or lie mangled in a crash. So the next time you see your driver making a wrong but macho move tell him otherwise. If you are better educated act that way and turn reckless driving into 'wreckless' driving.
By Ehsanur Raza Ronny
News flash
Business Lunch at Khazana
Khazana in Gulshan has recently launched a new item in its menu. Titled "Business Lunch" the set lunch menu is offered between 12 noon to 3:30 pm and has been on offer since the 20th of June.
Under the banner of "We value your time" Khazana has introduced this "Quick Business Lunch" item.
It includes an assortment of dishes, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian including the soup. Other things to choose from include salads, rice, assorted bread, tea/coffee and the best part is that to top it all off, you get a delicious ice-cream sundae for free.
As they put it- There is a sweet ending to your meal. For that sweet ending visit Khazana located at House # 12, Road # 55, Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan-2.
-LS Desk
A true taste of Asia
BY Tommy Miah
Futari (coconut milk pumpkin)
Ingredients:
2 cups peeled pumpkin, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (can substitute white potatoes)
1 onion, finely chopped, 1 tbsp oil
juice of ½ lemon, 2 cloves
1 ½ cups coconut milk, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, salt and pepper
Method
In a heavy pan, cook the onion in the oil until it is golden. Combine with the coconut and potatoes. Add the lemon juice, cloves and coconut milk. Cover and simmer slowly for 10 to 15 minutes. After this, add the cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cook uncovered another 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetable are tender, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Add more coconut milk if the mixture becomes too dry.
(You can make coconut milk by combining the meat from one fresh coconut, cut into chunks, with 3 c. (750 ml) hot, but not quite boiling water in a blender.
Blend for two to three minutes. Let stand for twenty minutes. Strain in a cloth, squeezing all the liquid from the coconut.
Aromatic Stir Fried Prawns
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
1 tbsp tomato purée
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp sugar
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp ground roasted cumin seeds
¼ tsp chilli powder or to taste
3 tbsp finely chopped green coriander
1 fresh hot green chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
200ml/7¼fl oz tinned coconut milk, well stirred, or single cream
For stir-frying the prawns:
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
10-15 curry leaves
560g/1lb 3¾oz medium-sized prawns, uncooked, peeled, de veined and washed, then patted dry
Method
Put the tomato purée in a bowl.
Add the salt, sugar, garam masala, ground roasted cumin seeds, chilli powder, green coriander, green chilli, lemon juice, and 1 tbsp water. Mix well.
Slowly add the coconut milk or cream, mixing as you go along. Set aside.
Stir-fry the prawns: put the oil in a wok or frying pan and set over high heat.
When hot, put in the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop--this takes just a few seconds--put in the garlic and curry leaves.
Stir until the garlic turns medium brown and put in the prawns.
Stir until the prawns turn opaque most of the way through, then add the sauce.
Turn the heat to medium and just heat the sauce through until it begins to simmer.
