My First IPL Cricket Match

Actually - not just my first IPL cricket match, but my first cricket match ever!  Coming from the land that invented cricket and then introduced it to India, that's a pretty poor show.  But then again, cricket (or at least 'test' cricket) is extremely boring and the rules are too impossible for a 'girl' to understand.  Boooooo!!! I hear you say!

However, I recommend anyone who finds 'normal' cricket sleep inducing - as I do - to go and watch an India Premier League (IPL) match. Or at least watch it on the telly.   The game is condensed into only three hours - as opposed to days for test cricket; each team has a Bollywood style cheerleading team (my favourite bit); there's loads of music and a brilliant atmosphere.  

Last night, we went to see the Mumbai Indians play the Rajasthan Royals at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium (very unfortunately misnomered for us Brits - please pronounce it Venkerdy!) We were very luckily treated to some seats in the Grandstand, which included free food, beer and wine!  If we had known that, we would not have bothered to get filled up on chicken kebab and cocktails at the Dome Bar prior to the game.

The "Venkerdy' Stadium filled to its 45,000 capacity. Due to my camera battery being confiscated, I had to take these pictures on my Blackberry.  Thankfully Sachin Tendulkar was NOT playing last night or I would have been most upset about not being able to get a close up!

Of course there was the usual security farce whilst trying to enter the stadium. There were masses of armed policemen and guards everywhere, and after passing through the gate, we were virtually strip searched.  I had the battery of my camera confiscated (but given back to me later) and my bag was thoroughly looted for the complimentary horns and clappers that I had been given - anything that would make a loud noise.  I am not quite sure why the Mumbai Indians merchandise this stuff if you can't actually take it into the stadium. Typical.  Then after passing through a bleeper, I was searched for a second time - head to toe. They rifled through my camera AGAIN and seemed to be disconcerted when I told them that my battery had already been taken.  Inexplicable.

To get to our seats, we had to proceed through several ticket check-points (after all, once is not enough), until we reached the third floor of the stadium. Then there was a fourth and final ticket inspection where theme-park style bands were strapped on to our wrists (which required two members of staff to put on, and which could only be taken off with scissors much to the annoyance of Mr Jules). These would identify us as 'special' people entitled to enter the free drinking and eating area...which we could surely not complain about! From here on in everything ran smoothly and once seated, we began to thoroughly enjoy the experience.

Wankhede Stadium (pronounce it properly please...VENKERDY) is certainly very impressive and when filled to its 45,000 capacity - exudes an electric atmosphere.  Indians are such good sports and supporters of both teams can sit together without fear of violence and retribution.  Not something you may necessarily see at an English football match for example.

Mumbai Indians fans look on tensely as the game reaches the closing stages

After a thorough explanation of the rules by Mr Jules (ooh that rhymes), I did get into the swing of the game. Every time one of the sides scored a 4 or a 6 (see, I've learnt something!), the cheerleaders - dressed in short ra-ra skirts, cropped tops and pompoms - would get up and jive to funky Bollywood music (which included 'Gangnam Style'). I loved that!  Although I wish someone would explain to me why all cheerleaders in this country are white skinned - probably because western chicks are the only ones willing to bare their flesh in public?

Mumbai is described as the cricket capital of India and we were especially lucky to be watching two of the top IPL teams in the country playing against each other. Unfortunately Sachin Tendulkar - the absolute No.1 'God' of Indian cricket was not playing last night due to injury, but some of the other players more than made up for that.  I am too inexperienced to go into the nuances of IPL (such a 'girl'!) - but luckily for us - and the whole of Bombay - the Mumbai Indians won the match! Hoorah!

Mr Jules is a big fan of IPL now so I bet he will be going to another match or two next year...and I definitely won't complain if he asks me to join him!

Why I Had to Buy an Iron

Look at the scene below. How could this possibly relate to buying an iron you may ask yourselves!?  I will tell you:

The destruction pictured above is in the lane that leads up to the gates of our apartment building. When I walked past and first saw this mess - around two months ago, I asked our driver what on earth had happened. It seemed so shocking.

Well this is apparently what happens when the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) decide that your building/home/chawl/pavement dwelling should not be there.  They come down with their bulldozer and they mow it down.  Or they get men with hatchets to do a hatchet job.  Prior to being reduced to rubble without warning, this unit was a tiny office belonging to a hard working man.  But apparently he did not have the appropriate permissions to run his business there.  And not only did they take down his premises, but the BMC's men caused so much damage to the barber's shop next door in doing so, that they too had to close down their business. The poor barber had nothing to do with this other than being a neighbour - he was running a 'legitimate' operation.

The MonoStar barbers next door - virtually reduced to rubble as well

Two months later and this mess has still not been cleared up.  I am not sure who is going to sort it out - perhaps someone is trying to get the right permissions to resurrect a shop or office there.  No doubt resolving whatever issues there are, will take not days or weeks, but many months or even years.  In the meantime, I wish I could get a giant dustpan and brush and sweep up this eyesore.

So why did I have to buy an iron?  Well, two units to the right of this scene - was the shop/dwelling belonging to our 'Ironing Man'.  The guy that I mentioned in one of my first blogs who used to press all of Mr Jules's shirts for 10 rupees a throw and then deliver them back to our apartment.  And I say shop/dwelling, as the Ironing Man used to sleep during the hottest hours of the day on a little bed tucked away at the back of his 10ft x 8ft cubicle, and then iron away the neighbourhood's accumulation of shirts, kurtas and bedlinen in the cooler hours. 

Following the bulldozing of the 'illegal' office premises and the subsequent damage to the barber's shop next door, the barber made an offer to the Ironing Man to take over his unit.  The Ironing Man took up the offer, closed his ironing business and went back to his village in Uttar Pradesh!  What a loss!

The trusty Ironing Wallah and his father in their shop-cum-home -
before recently returning to their village in Uttar Pradesh

Without the Ironing Man (and naturally my refusal to do ironing), Reetha gladly took up the mantle as part of her duties.  Actually she was very pleased about being able to use one of her many skills - she always seemed a bit put out that we gave our ironing to the man at the bottom of the drive.  So at least one person has been made happy by this unhappy situation.  

And as we did not even have an iron for 'emergency situations' (i.e. creased underpants and napkins), I bought her the best one I could find from Croma and a sturdy ironing board from a shop on Pali Market. Now Reetha presses a few items of clothing and bedlinen every day - and whilst the ironing is not quite up to the industrial standard of the Ironing Man, I suppose I can't really complain! ;)

Mincing Beef - A Chilli Con Carne Recipe

I mentioned in my last food blog (about peeling almonds for Lamb Rogan Josh) that I wasn't one for posting recipes.  However, that particular post got me thinking about how food preparation can vary in India compared to in the UK. Or how difficult it can be. And that perhaps writing about making dinner in Mumbai, would provide some useful tips for other expats (whilst also showing the folks back home some of the lengths one may have to go to make non-Indian dishes!).  

So here we have my favourite Chilli Con Carne recipe by Jo Pratt, which contains spices other than chilli - a subtle amount of cumin and coriander - as well as Brit favourites such as Worcester sauce and an Oxo cube. All the ingredients for this dish are available on Pali Market in Bandra and probably at Nature's Basket (branches around the city).  Mr Jules also made a side salad to go with the Chilli - but I will talk about preparing salads in another post. A whole other story!

Lean tenderloin/undercut from Joseph's in Bandra

On the same theme of having to peel almonds for my Rogan Josh (gosh, such an inconvenience!), this blog is about beef - and mincing it (or grinding it if you are from the US).  You can simply not (yet) get UK supermarket style minced beef in India. Don't forget that the majority of Hindu Indians do not eat beef anyway, so it can be quite difficult obtain it, let alone get it minced.  You can buy minced beef from my favourite butchers -  Joseph's in Bandra - but it is too finely ground for a majority of western recipes. Such as Bolognese sauce or beef-burgers.  I think it is probably more 'Keema' in style.  

Hence why we have invested in a very handy little machine for grinding meat ourselves (available on Amazon, follow this link - you may have to pay for international delivery).  Once you have worked out how to put it together, the rest is easy.  You simply pass the beef through the machine whilst vigorously turning the handle, ending up with the sort of perfect mince that you will find at a supermarket back home.  And because the beef from Joseph's is so lean (ask for 'tenderloin/undercut'), you will end up with a nice low fat bit of mince.

All of this does require a little more effort than usual, but now Mr Jules and I have the ability to enjoy the perfect home-made Spag Bol, Chilli or Meatballs.  Yum.

My mincer delivered by Amazon - very easy to operate and it hasn't yet faltered after many many uses.

Now that we've got that sorted, here is the recipe.  I love the bit about adding the wine and then pouring yourself a glass!

Ingredients (serves 6 - 8)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 chopped onions

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 kg lean minced beef

2 glasses red wine (Sula is fine!)

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

3 tbsp tomato puree

2 red chillies thinly sliced or 3-4 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 stick cinnamon

Good shake Worcestershire Sauce

1 beef stock cube

Salt and pepper

2 x 440g kidney beans, drained

1 large bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped 

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy based saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until softened.  Increase the heat and add the mince, cooking quickly until browned and breaking down and chunks of meat with a wooden spoon.
2. Pour in the red wine and boil for 2-3 minutes.  While waiting, pour a glass for yourself.
3. Stir in the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, fresh chilli or chilli flakes, cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon, and Worcestershire sauce and crumble in the stock cube.
4. Season well with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for about 50 minutes to an hour.  Stir occasionally until the mixture is rich and thickened.
5. Add the kidney beans and fresh coriander.  Cook for a further 10 minutes uncovered.
6. Taste and add seasoning as you feel necessary before removing from the heat.
7. Ideal served with plain basmati rice and wedges of lime.  You can also try it with french bread, guacamole and soured cream, jacked potatoes etc etc.

Tip

This dish is even tastier a day or two after cooking when the flavours have developed and the texture becomes richer.

Frying off the onions and garlic

Browning the hand-minced beef before throwing in a glass of red wine (whilst polishing off a glass yourself)

After adding the tomatoes, add the spices and cinnamon stick (this one is from a spice farm in Goa!)

The finished product.  Serve with fluffy basmati rice and a side salad

Sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander (which I forgot)

All the ingredients are available locally (except perhaps for Oxo cubes
which I brought from the UK - but you can discount it from the recipe anyway, as the
undercut beef from Joseph's is so beefy you won't need it.

Mr Jules's simple avocado and spring onion salad - will write about preparing salad another time.

Bandra Scenes Photographed by a Dharavi Kid

Yesterday, we went along to an exhibition by Bombay Underground - showcasing art and photography produced by the children of Dharavi ("Asia's biggest slum").  This is being held at the False Ceiling Gallery in Pali Naka very close by to where we live.  Another initiative of Reality Gives, the event aims to dispel the negative attitudes many people have towards Dharavi by showing those outside, an intimate, first person perspective of life inside the slum.  

There are about 50 children in the Bombay Underground art and photography club, who are given tuition by a professional photographer and volunteers once a week (or every day during the summer holidays).  The exhibition is the culmination of the best work they have achieved - which can also be bought for only 1,000 Rs a piece.  

Yesterday, the kids themselves were brought to the the False Ceiling Gallery in Bandra to see their work being displayed. They must have been so proud to see their art hung up in such a professional environment! Afterwards, a few of us had the privilege of taking small groups of the children around our neighbourhood, so that they could use what they have learnt to take photographs.   Mr Jules and I went with a member of Reality Gives staff (we needed a 'responsible adult'!), two girls aged 9 and an older boy to whom I lent our Canon Powershot camera (not quite a DSLR but a little more complex than his usual point-and-shoot).

We went off down a side street into Pali Village and I let the boy snap away, guiding him on some good shots to take and how to frame them (the most I could do as a mere amateur).  I also encouraged him to take photos of some of the characters around the neighbourhood - ensuring that he asked their permission politely first but not to be shy to ask.  After all, I have become somewhat of an expert at this myself!  The other two little girls followed suit although they were rather more raucous and trying to outdo/copy each other on the camera they were sharing. Very amusing!

It was really a lovely experience for Mr Jules and I to take these children around an area they had never been to before and to see their perspective on all that was new and colourful.  It even made me open my eyes to the Pali neighbourhood and notice things I'd never noticed before. When we came back, I had a look through the boys pictures and I was amazed by what I saw - this kid really has a natural talent which I hope will develop into a career for him one day.  

Here is a selection of his photos (I have cropped and enhanced only one or two of them):

Pali bungalow dweller - through the bars of her door.

I pointed out this photo opportunity to the boy and then left him to it - I love the result!

I tried to explain to the (Hindu) children who Jesus was...I gave up in the end!

Shot of a milk delivery - he asked permission to come close in.

Bemused to say the least!

Close up of an advertising hoarding outside an opticians.

Local beggar - he didn't have to pay her for this shot thankfully!

The lighting is perfect at 5pm in the afternoon

I asked this guy if it was OK for the boy to take his photo - but I don't think he was too impressed!

The two little girls were of course attracted to this jewellery stall on Pali market.  Our boy took this great close up of these bracelets - love the shadows.

The boy took a photo of one of the girls concentrating on her next shot (more bemused onlookers in the background)

One of my favourite shots - I slightly cropped it but I was amazed that he observed the lady and framed the shot from across the road.

I asked the boy to appreciate the colours of this old door.  Lovely pic!

Our talented group!

The Dharavi Art Room Exhibition is on until 11th May at the False Ceiling Gallery, Pali Naka (a few doors up from Pali Village Cafe.  You can buy prints of photos for 1,000 Rs and art for 300 Rs (Images below)

PERSONAL MESSAGE TO MY READERS!

DO YOU HAVE A CAMERA THAT YOU NO LONGER USE? 
PLEASE DONATE IT TO REALITY GIVES VIA BOMBAYJULES!

Perhaps you have recently upgraded from your point-and-shoot or you took up the hobby and didn't continue it.  If so, please contact me on bombayjules@gmail.com and I will arrange to collect any disused cameras from you.  These talented and enthusiastic children are currently sharing one camera between four or five and I would love to help them out by finding more for the group.  This message goes out to everyone in the UK or Mumbai!!

A New Laptop

No, not for me.   

The lovely lady who helps out around the flat (sorry, but I still can't bear to say the word 'maid' and the word 'cleaner' seems to undermine everything she does for us) - has never once asked us for anything.  Reetha has never even requested a payrise.  This is in contrast to our driver who once asked for a 10 lakh (GBP 12,000) loan!! I will add that he is now, sadly, our ex-driver.  

It is quite common for people working in a westerner's household to ask for loans or gifts of money - either to help them with their housing needs or to pay for their children's education.  Expats who develop long relationships with their staff commonly pay for rent or school fees.  And from the perspective of the worker you can understand why they may come and ask you for money. They see and clean - and perhaps covet - the trappings of an expat on a daily basis.  Taking Reetha as an example: she lives in a chawl up near the airport (probably a room 12 ft x 12 ft) with her husband and two children.  Her husband is an alcoholic - rendering him virtually useless around the home. So she holds down three or four cleaning jobs to pay their way.  She comes to work on time every day and always with a smile on her face.  She is diligent and hard working and does the same, repeat jobs each day without faltering. Sometimes we chat about our lives and as it transpires, we are almost the same age.  It makes me think a lot about fate and how differently our lives have turned out.

As a result of her own hard work, Reetha has been able to provide the best education for her children that she can afford.  The children in turn, have been encouraged to work very hard at school in order to achieve the things they want most out of life.  Her older son has just graduated from college in Bandra with a Hotel Management degree and he will take up a position in a fancy hotel in Bandra Kurla in the summer.  Her younger daughter, who has just turned 15, is in the process of taking exams and thinking about her future.

And this is where the laptop comes in. A while back, Reetha expressed that her 15 year old daughter needed a computer to do research for her studies.  She wasn't asking me outright (maybe just a little hint!) but I jumped in immediately and said we would buy one for her.  We always said that we would like to help her in some way - and assisting with the child's education seemed like the right thing to do. Especially as I know that Reetha would never directly ask us for money.

Yesterday, Reetha's lovely daughter came over to be introduced to her new computer and be shown how to use it...by me.  I was so charmed by her youth and confidence (bearing in mind her living circumstances).  She is a bright, funny, young girl who wears all the latest fashions.  Of course in the end, she ended up showing me how to use the laptop.  The computer's operating system is the new 'Windows 8' which rendered me clueless! However, and perhaps more importantly for a 15 year old, I helped her set up her first ever email account and her Facebook page.  

When we came to say goodbye later that morning, I told her "homework first, Facebook later!"...but I guess like all teenagers, it's bound to be the other way around!

The Handcart Men of Mumbai

When you are sitting in your nice air conditioned car - or bus, taxi or rickshaw - you will always see some poor bloke (or a pair of poor blokes) pushing an elongated handcart through Mumbai's manic traffic. This very long cart is usually piled extremely high with all manner of heavy items.  And I have to say, it is to these fellas that my heart always goes out.  Usually they are stick thin, older men who don't look like they could push a shopping trolley, let alone a two tonne cart.  

This photo is taken at a crossroads, just after the lights have changed.  You can't see the melee of traffic around them.

I have been thinking about them even more recently, now that temperatures are soaring towards 40 degrees in the city. I find it so hard to walk the smallest distance in this heat, that I can not begin to imagine what it must be like to push or pull such massive loads through the city.  Bear in mind that with the average salary for a slum dweller (which they likely will be) being something like $1.50-$2.00, there is also very little financial reward in what they do.  And also consider that India does actually have vans and trucks to transport large loads but evidently the human method is still the cheapest.  

I marvel at the way that they drag their load through the traffic as if they were just another van or truck.  They move at the same pace (Mumbai traffic is that slow!). They stop at the traffic lights, which no doubt gives them a little respite.  When the lights turn green, they will try to pick up some momentum to get the cart rolling - the guy at the front clenches his face, pulling as hard as he can whilst the man at the back pushes as hard as he can. Then they proceed to turn right or left through the ensuing melee at a crossroads, along with all the other cars, buses, cows and bikes.  Seriously...it's mental.  And I always wonder what on earth are actually in those tightly bound packages, boxes and sacks!

Of course - and as is usual - there is no regard for Health & Safety.  No steel toe-capped boots to protect their feet from the tyres of passing vehicles. The handcart men are usually to be seen wearing flip flops instead. There are no harnesses to help balance the load. No face-masks to prevent these men breathing in traffic fumes. No nothing.   Am I surprised?

Here are some pictures I have gathered over the last year:

Above and below - you can't really see just how long this hard cart is...but at least there two men pushing at the back of these ones!

A sight I often see - men pushing along extremely heavy gas canisters (whether empty or full, I do not know) 

A close up of the guy pulling from the front.

A close up of the guy pushing from the back. The cart behind is piled even higher with these mysterious white packages.

This was actually taken in Delhi - a lone man pulling a cart of neatly wrapped packages - containing I do not know what - vying for space with bicycle rickshaws in very narrow backstreets.

Another lone ranger -  pulling heavy sacks of laundry.

I saw this a year ago when I first came to Mumbai when I was staggered by the length of some of these handcarts and the way that the 'pullers' get to the front of the traffic at the lights.  

Taking a load off.  Quite right!

 A relatively light load of wooden battens. This is being dragged through a pedestrianised street - it's amazing how quick these fellas can go and you will have get out of the way sharpish if you see them coming your way!

The Table - A Tale of Brussels Sprouts

When I first visited Mumbai before actually moving here - around this time last year, Mr Jules took me to the relatively newly opened 'The Table' restaurant in Colaba. He said that the Brussels Sprouts 'were to do die for' there. This claim did not exactly sell it to me, but Mr Jules does love a good Brussels Sprout so I was happy to go with it. And I do have to admit, that the Brussels Sprout dish (stir fried with water chestnuts) was actually really rather good. I can't really remember what else we ate.

Then this weekend, a year later, Mr Jules thought he would treat me out to Saturday Lunch. How nice! He also mentioned something about wanting to have Brussels Sprouts again. Hmmm. So we went back to The Table. (For any Indian readers, you need to understand that in the UK, us Brits either hate Brussels Sprouts or we love them. Kids usually absolutely hate them. I tend to fall into the latter camp but as you can tell, Mr Jules loves them. Oh, and we tend to mostly eat them at Christmas time when they can be quite nice served up with crispy bacon).

View from the mezzanine seating area. I love the interior of The Table

When we got seated in The Table - a very elegantly designed restaurant, we were immediately handed the lunch menu which is divided into 'small plates', 'large plates', snacks and sides. Mr Jules - who is usually a laid-back kinda guy - was pretty insistent on ordering several 'small plates'. Sort of tapas style eating, instead of going for the whole three course shebang. I thought he was being cheap....call this a treat?! So he proceeded to pick out some of the 'small plates': beetroot salad (my choice); crispy chicken wings (we're not at KFC now you know!); pork belly 'sliders' (how very NYC); meatballs ("you lookin' at me??"); and of course the Brussels Sprouts. Actually the waiter tried to stop him once he had ordered the fourth small plate but we got in another for good measure. Especially as the fifth dish was of course the Brussels Sprouts.

It took no time at all before the beetroot salad and the chicken wings arrived, as well as the feted Brussels Sprouts. The small rounds of beetroot were served with juicy pieces of orange and creamy goats cheese. Lovely and refreshing. And the chicken wings were an absolute revelation. You can forget about any mention of KFC because these were boneless morsels of chicken that had somehow been moulded into neat squares and topped with its own crispy skin. Very clever! And they wouldn't mess up my lipstick! As for the Brussels Sprouts? - well I thought they were a little on the bitter side and not as good as they were this time last year. But not a bad effort and thankfully they did not bring back any of those childhood memories of being force-fed sprouts at Christmas. Mr Jules was pleased that I let him finish off the rest of the plate.

Beetroot salad

These are crispy chicken wings like you've never seen before!

Lastly came the pork belly sliders and the meatballs. I have a real penchant for pork belly - and the crispier the crackling, the better. This particular slider was made up of a slice of pork belly (no crackling to speak of) in between two halves of a small fluffy bread roll with a drizzle of mustard dressing. I was a bit gutted about the dressing as I didn't think it complimented the pork and it was far too tart. So I pulled the pork out of the bun, scraped off the dressing and ate it plain. Nice. The meatballs were delicious. Coated in a thick tomato sauce and topped off with parmessany matchstick potatoes. However, by this point I was too full to eat my half of the portion. The waiter was right - four small plates are really enough for two people.

Pork Belly Sliders topped off with onion rings

Meatballs with the parmessany matchstick potato garnish. Yum

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and I want to go back and try out all the other dishes (over time). Mr Jules thinks The Table is the best western style restaurant in Mumbai and I would tend to agree with him. They've sort of got it right. The interior is lovely, the staff are impeccable, the ingredients are excellent quality, the presentation of the food is top-notch and so is the cooking. I will forgive them for the tart mustard sauce on the pork belly.

And remember, Brussels Sprouts Are Not Just For Christmas!

Those controversial Brussels Sprouts

Swanky bar area of The Table

The above dishes, two bottles of sparkling water, two coffees, service and tax came to Rs 3,850 (GBP 45 or $68)

The Table

Kalash Peshi Building,

Near Hotel Suba Palace,

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Marg, Apollo Bandar,

Mumbai, Maharashtra 400005

Phone:022 2282 5000

www.thetable.in