How to make chicken kothu parotta at home

I got requests for posting recipes (not slide shows and pics) after my blog post "LoveCriminal also knows to cook - Recipes on Demand."  As usual I got a little busy over time and it has been a little over a month since I posted anything related to food.

Today, I am going to share my own way of making Kothu Parotta.  I did a lot of research on this topic both on the web and on various Thattu Kadais and have come up with this recipe.  Yeah, a complete recipe this time.  I understand that my readers got a little irritated with my KFC Chicken Bucket Clone Recipe (Read it to know it).  I am bad with numbers but I have honestly tried to remember everything  this time.  I hope  I would be able to type it out on this blogspot Dashboard.

I have had best kothu parottas in Madurai.  I have seen people in Madurai boasting that Kothu Parotta actually originated there.  I can strongly say that parotta and kothu parotta will stand forever as a symbol of Thattu Kadais of South India, especially Tamil Nadu.  The ingredients and method of preparation is almost the same everywhere but each kothu parotta you have is unique in taste.

When I was young, I could hear the metal spatulas being hit vigorously on the iron girdle by the infamous parotta shop masters.  Then those spatulas transformed into metal cups; then they started cutting and tearing the parottas; I have even seen a shop which uses a mixer grinder to mince it.  The best kothu parottas I ever had are the ones my father used to buy for us at home (many, many years back).

I have never done any cooking lately, but today morning I decided to make some kothu parotta as I had some frozen parottas in the refrigerator and also some chicken curry made by my mom intended for idlis.  I prefer chicken curry over sambar - hope most of us do.  Here comes the chicken kothu parotta recipe,

Ingredients:

Onion -  2 cups chopped; Parottas - 8 nos. ; Tomato- 1 (medium-sized); red chilli powder-1 tbsp. (table spoon); eggs - 3 (4 would be better - I used only 3); chicken curry (if it is really spicy 1/2 cup is enough - depends on individuals); shredded chicken (from the curry); salt to taste; and curry leaves (fresh ones would be great).

Note: If you don't have chicken curry,  you can use the 'salna' which comes free with parottas in street shops - but I strongly urge you to use chicken curry. I will post the recipe of the curry soon (can't wait  - Google and YouTube are our great friends).
 

Before firing the stove:

Finely chop the onions.
Cut the tomato into thin slices.
Shred the chicken in the chicken curry.
Cut the parotta into thin slices (see above).  Refrigerate them for a few hours - this will greatly help while cutting.

After firing the stove:

Step 1:  Saute the cut parotta pieces along with little chicken curry (5 tbsp or more to taste).  Saute till it slightly browns as shown below (Kadai is better - I used a saucepan (kinda addicted)).

Step 2: Saute the chopped onions with salt as needed and a tbsp of red chilli powder (add more or less as per the hotness required).  Once the onions start to become translucent move them to the opposite side and crack 4 eggs (I used 3) onto the other side and make it like scrabbled eggs.  Then mix everything together on the saucepan (eggs and the onion).  Add a little more curry (5 tbsp or more to taste).

Step 3:  Add in the parotta pieces and mix them thoroughly and smash them as much as possible (thinking of a person you hate helps).  Next add in the shredded chicken pieces taken from the curry and mix them.  Throw some fresh curry leaves along with a drizzle of oil and give it a light mix and switch off the flame.  Place the thinly sliced tomatoes over it and let the tomato steam for a few minutes.

Step 4: Very Easy (Eat it or pack it).

Happiness Outsourced :)

This post is going to be about BPO industry in India and how it has been keeping thousands of Indians "happy" - hence the title "Happiness Outsourced."  This is going to be a quick short post by me and this post does not intend to analyze the pros and cons of working in a BPO, so please do not leave comments of the same - may be I could save it for another post.

BPO is a segment which constantly keeps on growing  without looking back in the ITES industry.  Companies with international market presence (especially US and UK) are convinced that outsourcing a process to India means effective and efficient work flow at reduced costs.  The ITES/BPO sector has grown so big in the past 10 years to a point where we could find several successful BPO units running even in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.  Few years back, this industry was restricted to Tier-1 cities (Mumbai/Chennai/Bangalore rocked and still rocks).  Today it is a different story, companies in Tier-1 cities are looking for options in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities due to reduced infrastructure costs and possible quality work force.  India is recognized as the world's best destination to outsource and it is because of the large English speaking Internet savvy youth available and the unique geographical location.

I remember hearing the word BPO first time in the late 1990s while I was still at school.  I never knew the real meaning of the same at that point of time.  The first outsourced service I remember is medical transcription which spread like a wild fire with new units mushrooming everywhere.  I was very skeptical about that industry but later on had a very long satisfactory run working in the same industry.  The BPO industry transformed greatly in the early 2000 as state dominated telecommunication services where pushed backward by private telecommunication providers.  It was the time I started to hear words like "call center," "inbound," "outbound," "voice," "non-voice" and many.  This time I was able to understand all these jargon because I had a couple of friends working in call centers.

As years passed by, whenever I visited Chennai or Bangalore I could find MNCs establishing subsidiaries of their parent companies in these cities.  As I worked for one of the leading health providers in  the US,  I could avail only the US holidays and the US weekends.  Whenever I needed a break, I used to hit the cities as I had friends and family there.  On these days,  I could find a large number of  BPO executives hanging out in all kinds of places -  they were everywhere - call it theaters, pubs, food joints.  It was like you could find one every 2 steps you take and they were very sociable.  Some of these executives (good friends of mine) I met were very outspoken and I felt as if they were bringing in a new cultural shift  - obviously now I could say they (we) definitely did.  On Monday evenings, the scene shifted and I could find the same large number of people hooked on to their mobiles and going to work - the same group which buzzed all the "hangout spots" sometime back.  All  faces going to work - happy.

BPOs have helped the Indian youth greatly.  I remember reading somewhere that almost 70% of  today's Indian youth work for BPOs.  They help fresh graduates to jump start their career as an executive and get attractive pay packages - making these jobs the best option for everyone with English language skills could get their hands at.  I dislike people when they say that BPO culture is bad and it has promoted the "pub" culture and also the "casual sex" culture.  Pubs existed long before BPOs existed and they were busy during the old times too.  The media has been very successful in amplifying news on sexscapades of BPO executives although everyone know the fact that it can happen anywhere and not limited to the BPO industry alone.  BPO executives are classic examples of the tweaked corporate cultural philosophy 'work hard smart, play party hard.'  I do not intend to get more into the "culture," will save it for another post - may be.

I honestly feel this post needs a sequel and definitely I will post one with more deeper insight.  Here comes the last few lines of this post:

I have been working in this sector for many years and so do lot of good friends of mine and I always feel that it is not just work outsourced by companies - it is indeed "Happiness Outsourced" which keeps thousands of Indians like me smiling and happy 24x7.

 

Japan Earthquake talks to the World

It will be a month in a few days since Japan experienced a massive earthquake.  The 23-foot tsunami  (it is a Japanese word) triggered by the earthquake shattered Japan's coast and engulfed homes, cars, boats and THOUSANDS OF LIVES.  I was heartbroken by the images and videos in the media.  In spite of this tragedy, on close monitoring of the situation I found Japan people to be very unique.  No wonder why Japan is called the land of the rising sun.  The world grieved for what happened in Japan - "hope, hope, hope, and infinite hope" is what I found in Japanese people on how they faced the disaster.

I still remember December 26, 2004 (Black Day in the history of India) and the memories still bring out tears.  I particularly witnessed the tsunami torn areas.  Me and my dad drove through one of the tsunami struck shoreline minutes before the tsunami hit the shore.  I remember seeing the sea waters bubbling.  It was a close death call but me and my dad were fortunate to survive that black day.  I remember women and men crying and running and beating their chest.  There was chaos everywhere.   It was in contrary in the case of Japan.  I could see people staying extremely calm and there was absolutely no chaos.  Everyone behaved normal as though they weren't hit by a natural disaster.  I wonder how they  remained so calm where everybody else would be panic stricken.  Their faces reflected the grief  but not fear -  strong minds and I bow down.

The Japanese people never stopped surprising me after the natural disaster also.  I could find them standing in queues in superstores to buy groceries and daily supplies like water and fuel to name a few.  I also saw a picture in which people were patiently waiting for banking services in a temporary makeshift arrangement.  I could find no pushing or fighting among the crowd.  Everyone were patiently waiting for their turn.  It showed how well the Japanese people understood the situation and behaved accordingly.  This was very much surprising - they looked so much organized.  I could find them patiently waiting for trains or other transport modes.  People behaved as if nothing happened (comparing the magnitude of the damage caused) but obviously we could see their grief struck faces.

I have seen movies on World War II where Japanese soldiers came attacking with bayonets against the Allied Forces equipped with 50 caliber machine guns and Thompson machine guns.  They were so brave and would sacrifice their lives for the country.  I am not going to key in more on this as America and Japan have a very bitter past.  Thanks to the U.S. Marines who extended invaluable helping hands during this disaster.  Now let me talk about the real heroes - about more than 50 people including workers, medical staff and scientists who battled  to save the Fukushima nuclear plant and their fellow citizens.  The radioactivity level was 10 million times higher than the usual level and still these brave men fought bravely and pumped water in and out and brought the situation (ticking time bomb) under control.  They have made great sacrifices which will be remembered through generations.  The Japanese people are greatly indebted to these heroes.

I viewed many videos in YouTube and I found ships hitting bridges and ships breaking into pieces.  Many people were taking amateur reality videos from their homes of the tsunami and the earthquake.  Did those people believe that Japanese construction can withstand anything? Lovecriminal can't answer.  Many houses were washed away but some (may be a few) of the big structures cracked, partially collapsed and stood still.  The bridges and roads  showed massive cracks. With an earthquake of such an high magnitude some of these partially collapsed buildings stood as evidences for the reliability and strength of Japanese architecture.

I stood up with the entire world during the Japanese earthquake through my prayers.  I never thought of writing this blog post until a good friend of mine Shabi Jordan wanted me to write a post on it.  I told her that this earthquake has got a lot of coverage and all I could do is pray for the victims.  I went through photos and videos of the disaster and the above thoughts on the earthquake struck my mind.  In spite of the great damage caused by this natural disaster - the Japan Earthquake talks back strongly to the world .