Indo-American News: December 25, 2020

Friday, December 25, 2020 | Vol. 39, No. 52

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December 25, 2020

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December 25, 2020

COMMUNITY

Hindus of Greater Houston Present 2020 Youth Awards

By Manu Shah

Houston: Hindus of Greater Houston closed out 2020 with an uplifting event, honoring ten Hindu youth who live their Hindu values by finding enterprising ways to serve the community. Nominated by various Hindu faith based organizations, they were recognized for their service to the community and promoting Hindu culture at the 10th Virtual Annual Hindu Youth Awards. The event was hosted by Vallabh Priti Seva Samaj (VPSS), Houston.

The celebration was energized with the recognition of the youth and their efforts by none less than the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. In a letter addressed to HGH, he called these awards an opportunity for the youth to “ further strengthen the connect with their roots.” The awards were presented by Chief Guest Con- Anusha Sathyanarayan, Anish Nayak, Nithya Ramankulangara, Vipaschit Nanda,Consulate General Shri Aseem Mahajan, Rajit Shah, sul General Aseem Mahajan who Abhimanyu Aggarwal, Namita Pallod, Sandeep Prabhakar, Kruthi Patel, Komal Luthra (not in the picture). Photo by Bijay Dixit lauded the youth for displaying leadership and their participation cies, accidents, medical issues, try they live in. NRI’s, he asserted, ing accolades to India and raising cal glitches.” in the community as “it builds a death and bereavement and fam- are India’s Peace Ambassadors.

India’s image in the world.

A short cultural program by strong foundation and binds the ily disputes.

Sharing another perspective, he HGH Past President Partha children and women formed the community.”

Dr. Luthra, 73, delivered grocer- emphasized the importance of en- Krishnaswamy was quoted as say- entertainment segment of the eveAt the outset, VPSS Trustee ies at the doorsteps of COVID-19 couraging the next generation to ing “Among the dedicated team ning.

Rashesh Dalal welcomed the vir- affected families, arranged the not only learn about their Indian of volunteers, tual participants and the minimal final rites for grieving families, roots but experience it for them- we find that the gathering of awardees and their tapped Sewa’s network to find selves. Using the word “anubhuti” technical experfamilies who maintained strict so- accommodation for stranded in- to describe the sense of fulfilment tise is limited, cial distancing norms. ternational students and even that comes from experience, he which is necesAn overview of HGH’s activities navigated insurance details for said this happiness can be achieved sary for an onduring 2020 was offered by Presi- those who didn’t understand the by understanding the tenets of line event. The dent Thara Narasimhan. HGH process. One of his biggest con- Hinduism, practicing our rituals Hindu Youth participated in 20 city and inter- tributions was to start a plasma and celebrating our festivals.

Awards 2020 national events during the year, donor registry for COVID-19 paA powerful example of Sanatan was made possiorganized multiple food drives tients with Sewa volunteer Kavita Dharma is its emphasis on peace. ble by the HGH and one blood drive. The president Tewary. In every case and situa- Some challenge Krishna being de- technical team of also highlighted the sincere efforts tion, Dr. Luthra put his philosophy scribed as a messenger of peace or Sathyanarayanand achievements of the youth of Nar Seva Narayan Seva (serv- “shanti dhoot” because they be- an Nagarajan who had been nominated by their ing humanity is serving divinity) lieve that he was the initiator of the and Somansh respective organizations. in practice. Likewise, he encour- war. Krishna, the keynote speaker Agarwal, who Emcee Gayathri Mullapudi in- aged the youth to continue their explained, tried his level best to put in long troduced the awardees and invited spirit of service, find unique ways stop the war but when he realized hours to get the them to say a few words about to serve and inspire others. it was inevitable, he participated in event as close their inspiration, service and aswhat was a “Dharma Yudh.” to live as pospirations. The awardees were AnActor Nitish Bharadwaj’s conReferring to awards, which may sible, promoting ish Nayak (Seva International), vincing portrayal of Krishna in B. not conform to the Bhagwad Gita’s it through soAnusha Sathyanarayan (Eternal R. Chopra’s immensely popular oft quoted line of working without cial media and Gandhi Museum of Houston), television serial Mahabharat won any expectation of rewards, he ensuring that Nithya Ramankulangara (Sri him millions of fans. He keynoted emphasized that awards encourage the event was Meenakshi Temple Society), San- the 2007 Janmashtami celebrations and motivate awardees to strive streamed withdeep Prabhakar (Global Organi- and was welcomed by throngs of higher. We must do our “bit for out any technization of Divinity), Kruthi Patel Houstonians. The actor, who is Hinduism,” he urged, and spread (BAPS), Vipaschit Nanda (Arya also a veterinarian, returned once goodness, peace Samaj), Abhimanyu Aggarwal again as keynote speaker for the and benevolence. o Life Insurance (Hindu Heritage Youth Camp) Hindu Youth Awards event. While He also added o Long-­‐Term Care Insurance and Rajit Shah (Vallabh Vidya introducing him, community lead- that words can Mandir). Two special awards were er Vijay Pallod shared an incident represent inteno Variable+ and FiUed AnnuiVes presented to Namita Pallod (Sa- with the actor. In 2007, when he tions, but actions o Disability Insurance* natan Hindu Dharma) and Komal asked Nitish Bharadwaj which speak louder o Health Insurance* Luthra (Young Hindus of Greater hotel he’d like to stay in, the ac- than words and For More InformaVon Contact Me Houston). tor replied: “aapka ghar itna chota positive actions Described as a “silent but per- hai?” (Is your house that small?) must be consisServices: Divyendu Singh, Ph.D. sistence karyakarta (worker),” Dr. The endearing simplicity, tently performed • Life Insurance # Financial Services Professional and Madan Luthra was awarded the the twinkle in his eyes and his because “this is • College funding Licensed Agent 2020 Akhil Chopra Unsung Heroes thoughtful approach to the values what the world award for his selfless service espe- of Hinduism was on full display in needs today.”

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December 25, 2020

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COMMUNITY

December 25, 2020

Two Pune Teens Discover Six Asteroids

Arya Pulate (left) and Shreya Waghmare discovered six potential asteroids.

Pune: Two 13-year-olds from Vikhe Patil Memorial School in Lohegaon are being credited with the discovery of six preliminary asteroids. Arya Pulate and Shreya Waghmare took part in the Kalam Centre Asteroid Search Campaign organised by Kalam Centre in association with International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC), under which participants got the opportunity to locate nearEarth objects or main-belt asteroids.

Chasing her passion towards the study of space and celestial bodies, Pulate utilised her time at home to attend online webinars and courses on astronomy. “I was attending webinars and courses organised by Homi Labs. I attended one called the ‘Making of an astronaut’ with Sunita Williams and the talk inspired me,” she said.

While doing an online course on interstellar travel, Pulate chanced upon the Kalam Centre Asteroid Search Campaign and enrolled herself. “It had to be a team of two, so I teamed up with my friend Shreya,” she said.

After rigorous selection, both

were part of the worldwide event organised from November 9 to December 3. “We were trained and guided through online meetings with members of the Kalam Centre. We were introduced to a software called Astrometrica, which we had to put on our devices; it helped us locate celestial bodies,” Waghmare said.

The team, named SLV III, got practice image sets taken by Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (PanSTARRS) located at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii, US. Subsequently, they received real-time images of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, in which they had to locate moving objects. “It was rather interesting as we were told to look out for black spots that moved or changed positions. We then had to tag what we felt were asteroids. We had to use letters and numbers to name them. I remember naming one ‘AVP2007’, which is my initials and year of birth,” Pulate said.

Waghmare said factors such as signal to noise ratio (SNR), line graphs and comparisons between

images helped them locate the asteroids. “Arya and I divided the sets we received. We sometimes shared online screens to locate together and tried to avoid keeping a backlog. We made a report as soon as we detected what could be an asteroid, or its shadow,” she said.

Pulate said although the experience of discovering asteroids was exciting, she has been passionate about space since she read about Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. “After I read about Kalam, I was intrigued with what lies in the vast cosmos. I have a telescope and I keep a track of any celestial movement, such as the Great Conjunction. While I am still debating between becoming an astronaut and a scientist, I do want to study more about wormholes, black holes, exoplanets, and also aliens that are extraterrestrial beings,” she said.

Waghmare said her interest in space was in the stars and the moon cycle. “I always keep a lookout for the moon and its different phases. After this campaign, I am definitely opting for similar campaigns that will help me broaden my horizon,” she said. -- IE

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December25, 25,2020 2020 December

December December25, 25,2020 2020

HINDU WORSHIP SOCIETY

invites devotees to attend a Virtual Puja

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Watch the Live stream in 3 ways: • Zoom Meeting ID: 868-8831-2945 or link: https://us02 web.zoom. us/j/86888312945 (cameras off, mics muted) Only 4 live cameras will be allowed

• Facebook using @HWSTemple (currently used each week) • Youtube at “HW Mata Chowki 2021” All Patrons & Sponsors will be recognized by Shri Puneet Khurana ji & will receive chunnis after offering during week of Jan 2, 2021

PATRONS

Susheela & Durga Agarwal family Anuradha & Vidya R. Bhakshi family Nisha & Raj Bhatia family Aruna & Ravi Goel family Pushpak & Virender Kapur family Shakun, Ashna, Avina & Parti family Ashima & Dilip Patel family Rita & Bal Sareen family Diana & Narin Sehgal family Aarti Soni family

VOLUNTEER SPONSORS

Rajni & Pramod Barnwal family Shanta Chawla family Meena Datt & family Prem & Baru Goel family Usha & Ved Gupta family Shobha & Rakesh Joshi Alka & Ranjan Laskhari family Indu Puri family

HWS Pandit Bhawani Shankar Shastri ji

Zoom Webinar Panelists: Ravi Goel, Bal Sareen & Puneet Khurana

SPONSORS

Network & ANKUR GOEL 832-692-0779 Communication Team BINA VYAS 832-871-2320

For General Information or to be a PATRON/SPONSOR contact: BAL SAREEN 337-540-6001 RAVI GOEL 281-235-5413 RAJINDER SONI 281-565-5952 For Puja information, contact Pandit Bhawani Shankar Shastri ji 832-278-0100 Overall Coodination & Food Delivery Team PRAMOD BARNWAL 281-415-3909 RANJAN LASHKARI 281-798-8064 ASHIMA PATEL 832-563-6689 Food Coordinators ARUNA GOEL 281-589-9748 INDU PURI 832-520-3547 MEERA SONI 281-565-5952 SANDHYA SINGH 832-512-6393

Kirti & Devki Agarwal family Dr. Saroj & Vishwa Bahl family Program starts with a puja by Pandit Bhawani Shankar Shastri ji at 5pm Vanita & Vijay Bhagi family Sangeeta & Dinesh Bhakshi family Kiran & Ramesh Garg family 5pm, Friday, January 1, 2021 Radha & Ram Gupta family Dr. Sudesh & Bhisham Gupta family All Pandemic requirements of Harris County and the City of Houston Balwant Khurana family will be strictly observed and enforced.

Surita & Satish Malhotra family Rama & Navin Patni family Support music by Rishab Lamisal and his sister Rucchi Lamisal.

Amy & Kevin Sareen Vijay & Suresh Sachdev family • Prabhat Sharma will • Chunnis will be available at the Poonam & Raj Sehgal family coordinate offerings by devotees. Mandir for $21 each.

Dipi & Raj Sethi family • Checks written to HWS will be accepted.

Jaya & Prabhat Sharma family Neelu & Ashok Sharma family This year again, Diana & Narin Sehgal, owners of Bombay soecial needs for delivery, contact Sandhya & S.P. Singh family Brasserie will provide prasad packets to all the devotees at For Barnwal at 281-415-3909 Meera & Rajinder Soni family the Temple. Bombay Brasserie will also deliver the food to Pramod Tej & Janak Tewari family all patrons & sponsors at their homes after 12 noon on Jan 1 or Ranjan Lashkari at 281-798-8064

HWS Virtual Puja

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TEMPLE: 713-957-4608 www.hwstemple.org; hws.temple@gmail.com; Facebook: @hwstemple

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December 25, 2020

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OBITUARY9

December 25, 2020

Sri Hanumanbagas Gilda, 97, Leaves a Rich Legacy of Wisdom

By Manu Shah On 5th December, Sri Hanumanbagas Gilda woke up at his usual hour and asked one of his caretakers to give him a bath. The man was puzzled by this unusual request as Sri Hanumanbagasji normally had a bath later in the day. At 9:16 am, the patriarch of the Gilda family breathed his last peacefully in his ancestral town of Sedam, Karnataka. His son Govind Lalji says that his father “never troubled anyone” all his life and after his mother’s death lived independently in the family’s ancestral house with three people who took care of his needs.

A highly respected man, Sri Hanumanbagasji was 97 years old when he passed away, but left behind a legacy of wisdom for “those who were fortunate to know him.”

At 6 feet tall, he was in relatively good health till his last days and attributed it to a lifelong ethic of hard work.

An early riser, he abstained from addictive habits like tea, led a spartan life and would often remark that his health was by “God’s grace” He was never admitted to a hospital, nor did he suffer from any illnesses such as blood pressure or diabetes. He devoted some time every day to prayer and scriptural study and had an aura of saintliness in the final years of his life.

The most striking trait about

him, his grandchildren College and Degree Colrecall, was his genulege for Girls in Sedam. ine concern for people.

Thousands of students When asked how he have passed from the was doing, he would, in colleges. Former Memchaste Marwari, reply ber of Parliament Bas“The raja khushi raho, waraj Patil also admired byo hi mane raja khushi him and often sought his bana de”(If you’re doguidance. ing well, that’ll make He lived through the me happy). As decided British administration, by his brothers and him, the Nizam’s rule and after his death, the anindependent India. He cestral house will be was infuriated when handed over to a charithe Nizam of Hyderatable organization. bad imposed restrictions Sri Hanumanbagasji on placing deities in was not born to riches temples. His success in and luxuries but created erecting a temple in Sehis wealth little by little dam during the Nizam’s with years of hard work Five generations of Pallod family: Shri Hanumanbhagas rule is just one instance and determination. As a Gilada, Daughter-Kaushalya devi Pallod, Grandson-Vijay of his enterprising underKumar Pallod, Great grandson-Bharat Pallod, Great Great young boy, he worked grandson-Veer Pallod takings. The Maheshwari as a cashier – a job that community in the village innate business acumen and knack paid him a paltry 1500 was successful in buildrupees a year. He would go to bed for accounting led to a string of ing the temple but were not allate at night and wake up early successful businesses. He also lowed to install the deity. Instead, to catch the train from Sedam to took his responsibility as head of they installed a picture of BhagHyderabad and back again. At the the family seriously and ensured wan Laxminarayan and Sri Hanuage of 14, his parents got him mar- that his brothers were settled, and manbagasji remained the temple’s ried. Since they didn’t attach too parents well taken care of. The Sri managing trustee for many years. much importance to education, he Kottala Basaveshwara Bharateeya Every evening at 4 pm, Sri Hahad to give up his studies, despite Shikshana Samiti, a charitable or- numanbagasji would sit on his vehis wish to finish high school, and ganization in a heartfelt tribute, randah with a packet of chocolates began earning for his family at the called attention to his many phil- and distribute it to all the children anthropic endeavors including who came to greet him. When his age of fifteen.

He would walk 12 kms every day the establishment of the Sheth Sri sons Govind Lalji and Ramakantji when he was setting up his stone Tulsiram Gilda Nrupatunga First asked him to move to Hyderabad business and was a pioneer in the Grade Degree college and the Smt. and stay with them, Sri Hanumanmining business in Karnataka. An Nirmala Devi Gilda School, Inter bagasji would serenely remark, “I

Indo-American News • Friday december 25, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com

have 100 sons here but only two in Hyderabad.” He would live in Sedam all his life.

In yet another incident, Vijay narrates how he rarely argued with his mother but on one occasion, he was traveling to Hyderabad with her and was running late. In the interests of time, he requested his mother to forgo the visit to the Hanuman temple, but she was insistent. When they reached Hyderabad, he complained to his Nanaji and assumed that he would side with Vijay. Instead, his grandfather explained that finding excuses not to visit the temple can easily become a habit.

His great granddaughter Radhika remembers how he would wear his formal cap when the family was leaving and apply the tilak, feed them a betel leaf and press some money in their hands as a token of his love and blessings. Before she left for her higher studies in London, she went to meet him to ask for his blessings and promised him that she would come to see him when she returned. In what turned out to be prophetic, he told her that they may not meet again.

Radhika can still evoke the taste of the betel leaf and his hand on her head.

With inputs from his grandchildren -- Vijay Pallod, Sneha Gilda and great granddaughter Radhika Pallod.

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SPORTS

December 25, 2020

Let Science Guide The identification of a new strain of the novel coronavirus has set off alarm bells in several parts of the world.

On Monday, India joined a growing list of countries that have suspended air links with the UK, where the strain is reported to have become the dominant pathogen — it also seems to have appeared in South Africa, Italy, Denmark, Netherlands and Australia. Stock markets have plunged in several countries, including India.

In a world reeling under the ravages of the battle with the novel coronavirus, such reaction is understandable. And, there is no doubt that the new strain needs to be taken seriously. But scientists have learned much about the novel coronavirus in the past one year. It’s this work in laboratories, research institutes, hospitals and data centres that should obviate pessimism, even as the contagion dons a new avatar.

Viruses mutate. Though the novel coronavirus has mutated at a far slower pace than most other flu viruses, the new strain — referred to as VUI (variant under investigation) or B.1.1.7 lineage — is not the first mutant of the contagion. Earlier mutations do not seem to have increased the health risks posed by the novel coronavirus. Public Health England — the executive wing of the UK’s healthcare department — does reckon that VUI “transmits more easily than other strains”. But the agency has also pointed out that there is no evidence “that the variant is more lethal than other strains” of the contagion.

So far, according to the UK government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, four deaths in around 1,000 cases have been identified. It has also said that further work “is needed to compare this fatality rate with data sets”. Though the UK’s health secretary has warned that the VUI “is out of control”, the World Health Organisation has disputed this negative prognosis.

“We have had a much higher contamination rate at different points in this pandemic and we’ve got it under control,” the head of the global health agency’s emergency unit, Michael Ryan, is reported to have said.

Will the new strain bypass the vaccines that are in the final stage of development in different parts of the world?

It’s too early for a conclusive answer. However, one of the protocols of vaccine development is to look at a virus as a moving target.

So, safeguards against new strains are built into most vaccines. The UK’s PHE, for instance, is confident that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine currently being deployed in the country can take on VUI. Given that the anti-COVID-19 vaccines are first generation preventives, some tweaks cannot, of course, be ruled out.

Researchers, in any case, have consistently been underlining that the vaccines have to be fine-tuned. It’s this state of preparedness and the confidence amongst the scientific community that should guide responses to the new variant of the contagion — there’s no cause for panic.

-- Indian Express

Letter to Farmers from Agriculture Minister

By Narendra Singh Tomar Being the Agriculture Minister of the country, It is my duty to clear up the confusion of each and every farmer, and to make every farmer free from worries.

It is my responsibility to bring the reality and actual position before you about the conspiracy creating a wall of lies between the government and the farmer in Delhi and the surrounding areas.

I myself belong to a farmer family. I grew up looking and understanding the specifics of farming and the challenges of farming, waking up late at night to water to the field, running to close the weir when it was broken by running water, fear of untimely rain - all these have been the part of my life too. I have also waited for weeks after harvest to sell it.

Even under these conditions and circumstances, the farmer of the country is endeavoring to produce more and more grains for the country. We have seen the endeavors of the farmers of India during this crisis of Corona. Our farmers helped to accelerate the country’s economy by bumper production.

During this time, record sowing broke ensured better yields in the future.

It is a matter of great satisfaction for me as an Agriculture Minister that after the new law came into force, all previous records of government procurement on MSP have also been broken. At a time when our government is creating new records of procurement on MSP and increasing the number of procurement centres, some people are lying to the farmer that the MSP will be done away with.

I urge the farmers to recognize this white lie being spread by some people motivated by political interests and reject it outright. The government which gave MSP one and a half times of the cost to the farmers, the government which in the last 6 years, has almost doubled the amount of MSP in the account of farmers, such government will never stop MSP. MSP continues and will continue.

For the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, farmer welfare is one of the most important com-

mitment of his life. To increase the income of the farmers and to bring prosperity in their lives, this government is constantly taking decisions under the leadership of Prime Minister.

In order to empower the farmer, our government has taken every decision from seed to market for the last 6 years, which will make farming easier for farmers, reduce difficulties and increase their profits.

You also know that 80 per cent of the small farmers in our country have holding of only one or two acres. Such farmers have been engaged in farming since independence for their survival. These small farmers are being benefitted to a large extent by the steps taken by the government.

The motive behind giving you 6 thousand rupees annually through PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is that you do not need to take loan in difficult times. Crop insurance cover compensates you for the crop damaged by natural calamities.

The Soil Health Card provides information about the the health of the farmer’s land. On the other hand, Neem Coated Urea has given great relief to the farmers by stopping the black marketing of fertilizer. May the Annadata be also Urjadata, the country is moving forward to achive this goal.

One another problem of the farmers has also been that most of the warehouses, cold storages and processing centers are located near the big towns rather than villages. Due to this, farmers can not avail full benefit of these facilities. To overcome this imbalance, now an Agricultural Infrastructure Fund of Rs 1 lakh crore has been created.

In the midst of these efforts, we have also seen how some people used to buy the hard toiled produce of the farmer at a throwaway price due to lack of market availability. The farmer of India did not even have the right to fix the price of the produce of his field, to sell it wherever he wanted.

Everyone knew and understood this compulsion of the farmer. The earlier governments also used to advocate for providing open market along with the mandi to the

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farmers. The process of dialogue about this started in the year 2001 during the period of Atal government. After Atal ji, there was a Congress government at the Center for 10 years and it was also in support of these reforms, mentioning these reforms in its manifesto.

The fact is that no one never supported the old system that binds the farmers. Today, I want to tell you by this letter that not even any farmer leader or organization has given a single statement for the last 20-25 years, that farmers would not get other alternative to sell their produce and the system that is going on is better. In our country, many big farmers have been in protest for freeing themselves against the restrictions of prevailing system.

Agricultural experts have been saying that without these reforms it is difficult to change the life of the farmers of India.

When the NDA government was formed in the year 2014, we started discussion these reforms afresh.

Model laws were sent to state governments. Discussions were held in the committees of Chief Ministers.

Within six months, we took this matter to crores of farmers of our country. Through about 1.5 lakh trainings and webinar sessions, various matters related to farmers and the provisions of the new agricultural law were discussed and then these new agricultural laws have come into existence.

Dear farmer brothers and sisters, The mandis are in operation and will be operational. APMC is being strengthened further. Along with this, the open market will also give you the option of selling your produce at good prices at your door. Besides, the transporting cost of produce from the farm to the mandi will also be saved.

The ownership of farmer will remain on the land. The government which is also providing ownership of the house to every family living in villages through ownership sceme, will never permit anyone to arrogate even an inch of land of the farmers.

Our government is committed to the farmers both by intention and policy.

Please visit indoamerican-news for the full version of this letter.

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December 25, 2020

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Mama’s Punjabi Recipes Soya Bean Te Khumban di Sabzi

(SOYA BEAN & SAUTEED MUSHROOMS) In the past two decades, mushrooms have become a more than a delicacy as farmers have developed ways to cultivate them in many countries in controlled environments.And this has brought the cost down and exposed many more people to the benefits of eating mushrooms.

One popular variety is the small, round, pointy type called button mushrooms, usually sold in cans. But most mushrooms available in grocery stores are the white type (technical term: Agaricus bisporus), but other common varieties are crimini and the large capped portobello. Others with exciting textures and taste are shiitake, maitake or hen-of-thewoods, oyster and enoki.

The small, one-inch cylindrical soyabean wadiyan (dumplings) are now available everywhere and are popular because of their reasonable price, spongy texture and health and protein benefits.

Soyabean helps lower cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides, and is also an antioxidant, minimizing diabetes and reducing inflammation. Soyabean oil is high in beneficial omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and alphalinolenic acid.

Soyabean wadiyan plump up by soaking up the flavor of the curry and the result is a soft spongy texture that gives a mouthful of juicy flavor with each bite. So, it is important to concentrate on making the curry correctly and not too watery.

Ingredients: • 250 gm khumban (mushrooms) • 2 cups soyabean wadiyan (soyabean lentil dumpling) • 2 medium pyaaz (onion) • 2 cups of pani (water) • 3 tbsp of vegetable or olive oil • 1 tsp tamater paste (tomato paste) • 1 tbsp adrak (ginger) – peeled and finely chopped • ½ teaspoon of lasan (garlic) powder (if desired) • Spices (to taste): namak (salt), mirch (red pepper), haldi (turmeric), dhania (coriander), garam masala Directions: 1. Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. If you prefer, you can quickly dip them in water and then make sure to dry the mushrooms off completely, leaving them on a towel for some time to air out.

2. Cut off the stems of the mushrooms and aside.

3. Peel the onions, slice and keep to the side.

4. Place the wadiyan in a small pot of water and bring it to a boil for 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Test a waddi to see if it is soft to chew. If it is, drain the hot water and then immerse the boiled wadiyan in cold water to cool them down.

6. Drain the cold water, then press the wadiyan in your palms to squeeze out the soya smell and all the water.

7. In a medium frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat, then add the onions and brown them, stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom. When the slightly brown, add the tomato paste, salt, pepper and garlic and stir well.

8. Pour in the wadiyan into the masala, add ½ a cup of water, add the mushrooms and stir for 2 minutes.

9. Cover the pot and let the water come to a boil. Turn the heat to low

and let it simmer for five more minutes to let the flavor soak into the wadiyan.

10. Uncover the pot and check that the wadiyan have become plump and the curry is not too thin. Turn the heat off, sprinkle with garam masala and the shredded fresh dhania and let it sit uncovered. monds, pistachios, raisins and Shakuntla Malhotra is a skilled cook of Punjabi dishes made in the old-fashioned style that she learnt as a young woman in her ancestral home in Lyallpur, India (since renamed Faisalabad) before it became part of Pakistan after the Partition in 1947.

People have often admired her cooking for its simplicity and taste that comes with each mouthful. Even in her early-nineties, she continues to cook daily and agreed to share her delectable Punjabi recipes for future generations.

MAMA’S TIP O F THE

WEEK FOR A FIRM DISH , CAREFULLY CL EAN MUSHROOMS WIT H O U T W A T E R Though white mus hr

ooms are widely have problems wh av en co ok ing them so that thailable, most people are tasty to bite in to .

O fte n it is because they ey are stay firm and high heat, shed th are ov ei down in too much r water and become limp and thercooked over en left to cool liquid.

But there is anothe r re as on th at cooked and this mushrooms beco mushrooms, makestarts before they are cooked. Beme limp when su they can hold a lo re to clean them well by dippin fore cooking towel dry them wet of dirt in the top cap but then, sh g in water as as any extra wate ll and leave them to air dry. Thisake them and r will turn to steam is rooms. and will overcook necessary the mush-

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December 25, 2020

Indo-American News • Friday, december 25, 2020 • www.indoamerican-news.com