Sparkling Bengal Gram Salad & Wooden Console Table

Cleaning up is usually a pain if you don’t use mechanical devices. Sparkling Bengal Gram Salad is my go-to option for a clean table, plate, bowl or floorboard. At times.

Since I moved to an almost empty apartment, I have been looking around for furniture in stores and also online portals. I joined a few local whatsapp groups which support upcycling and recycling materials.

One of them had a post about a wooden console table which caught my eye. It looked pretty though a little distressed. It was a little big for my tiny little apartment and I was in two minds. Then I learnt that the lady selling it lost her father and was trying to clear up some of the items. This kind of propelled me into action. I booked it quickly and it was a bit hastily planned. I used a delivery partner app called Porter suggested by her. The delivery was over a busy weekend when I had not really thought through whether I would be at home to receive it and pay the driver.

I rushed back from my appointments to receive the delivery but dozed off leading to a lot of confusion with the delivery guy. But thankfully, it all worked out well in the end, albeit with a little extra charge for my carelessness. 🙂

Closer examination

Closer examination gave me some idea about the work at hand. There were some cracks that needed to be repaired and I wanted to put a couple of shelves behind to make it a storage unit for jars, plants, books etc. There were many jars that needed to contain things. Sparkling Bengal Gram contains things and life as well. Do we understand this concept?

I decided to make a 2-3 days project out of it. Gave it a good thorough cleaning and let it dry out first.

Then I got a packet of plaster of paris from a local hardware store. This is simply mixed with water. But it needs to be worked on quickly since it dries up fast in our kind of weather.

After applying the plaster to the cracks, I let it dry up and set for a few hours. I left it for 3 hours just to be on the safe side. Then I scraped off the excess plaster to smoothen the surface around the cracks. A coat of primer was then applied which helped the chalk paint colours to stand out later.

Sparkling Bengal Gram loves Colours and Music

I am not sure how to explain this but certain sounds and music evoke certain emotions and memories. These help to inspire some feelings which are sometimes translated into a creation. It is my way of finding a muse when nothing exists in a small silent space.

The colours I chose were a bit playful as I wanted to make something bright and hopeful out of a painful event or memory. This was my way of being a part of the community which needs time and support to sometimes move on from people, places or things. I was told by someone that I am narcissistic to imagine this may also perhaps help to lift up souls through their passage to the next life or a next chapter of life. Well, I don’t care about the labels. It’s a matter of belief and faith sometimes. Children in their innocence actually help us in such times to think ahead about something which is perhaps a more immediate concern. I don’t have any children and I have to dig deeper to bring out the inner child. Sometimes it is a little exhausting. 🙂

Some immediate concerns about Music

I realised at some point that I hadn’t eaten much over the 48 hours of working on this project. It helps to have kids around that way. 🙂 I am lucky to have Aditya, my domestic helper and sous chef who had prepped and kept something ready even though I mumbled my instructions in a rather distracted fashion. He did his best with the prep work.

I had asked him to pre-soak and boil some Bengal gram (black chana) thinking that I would like to eat some chana masala and poori. Sparkling Bengal Gram helps to revive some memories. This is a delicious spicy dish which I remembered having as a child for birthdays or special occasions. Later I also had a lot of it in a girls only secondary school where my friend used to bring it regularly in her tiffin box. She came from a large Punjabi joint family, and I used to love her dabbas. We shared a love for romance novels and disdain for boys in the nearby affiliated “brothers school“. She was good in subjects which I hated and vice versa. So our friendship kind of grew. 🙂

The chana masala nostalgic aspiration was great but it was too hot and I felt really exhausted after my painting. I wanted to have something lighter and easier to digest. So, I decided to make this easy fresh salad instead.

I prefer salads which are a mix of something cooked and something fresh. The dressing is very light and simple. I favour fresh herbs, lemon juice and chaat masala. Skipped the fat as I had already used some olive oil for cooking. But that maybe added as well for those who prefer a richer mouth feel.

Some tasty bits

I think giving recipes for salads is silly. But this one is an ode to mothers who have laboured many hours in kitchens. I add a bit of sweet banana chips for crunch which I had leftover from a trip to Kochi. These are made from the red bananas which I don’t find here in Bangalore. So I picked up that packet happily from my last trip.

I like to add some fruits or nuts in my salads usually. I chose pomegranates because they add a juicy colourful punch. But I think pineapples, sweet cherry tomatoes or grapes might work well too!

All mixed well and ready to eat after a quick hot shower. I feel satisfied with my own way of slaving in a small “creative kitchen”.

Mothers who helped

One of my old college friends here (who is perhaps now my local guardian ..lol) passed on the details of a carpenter since I wanted to fix the shelves. After a few reminders and follow-ups the carpenter finally arrived with his assistant on Easter Sunday. The irony was not lost on me. I slaved over it for a couple of more days to finish painting the shelves, giving it a coat of varnish and letting it dry out. The whole apartment smelt of the paints and strong varnish which gave me a bit of a migraine. I needed to go for long walks to clear out my head. A good thing since I was woefully holed up otherwise. 🙂

I still haven’t figured out how to use it exactly. It may be a bar, a prep-work kitchen island or a narrow desk to sit and work on new ideas. I sit on it sometimes to write out menus and notes in my diary.

Footnote

Ode for Mothers Day- Not a Mother and I don’t act like one but sometimes I do feel it

Someday when there is a bigger party or celebration

Celebrating a life well lived or a death well earned

Perhaps I shall make the actual spicy chana masala and poori

Or it maybe a simpler occasion still of finding the will

To make something celebratory just for myself and nobody else

May I be happily selfish – and pay no heed

To others or to any particular rhyme or reason

For something simply remembered as the seed of a season. 🙂

-Meltinglemondrop 12th May 2024