OMG! (Oh My God) Movie Review

Oh My God (OMG), is a very brave movie and a good one at that. I say it is a brave movie because the courage the film makers have exhibited in making this movie given the current repressive atmosphere against freely expressing anything about religion. Even though we live in a world that is more civilized and less violent than the last century, religious intolerance and conflicts in the name of God have only increased manifold and the world is deeply divided than ever before. 

Kanjibhai (Paresh Rawal) is an atheist and owns a small business of selling idols of god. He is a shrewd businessman but has no respect for religion and is always sarcastic about religious practices around him. Kanjibhai's wife and people around him are religious and he has fun ridiculing them at every give opportunity. Everything is fine and business is exceptional and a scene where Kanjibhai sells a Lord Krishna idol to a businessman is hilarious.At this point though there is a twist in the tale when a 3.3 richter scale earthquake brings down only his shop and Kanjibhai loses all his merchandise and the shop. People around Kanjibhai are swift to blame that the incident occurred due to his irreverent attitude towards God. To add salt to his wounds, Kanjibhai learns from his insurance company that the insurance does not cover any 'act of god' scenario. Watch our for another priceless scene at the insurance company when Kanjibhai learns about his insurance claim rejection.
Hurt by his claim rejection and to salvage his business and save his family, Kanjihbhai takes on the insurance company and religious trusts (that claim to represent god) by dragging them to court. Kanjbhai's contention is that either the insurance company or the religious trusts has to compensate him as an 'act of god' demolished his shop so he is liable to get compensated from one of them. Kanjibhai files a case against GOD! and sends notices to the insurance company and a number of religious institutions. Watch out for Mithun in a fantastic portrayal of an self obsessed godman, I think his character brings out on what is clearly wrong with religious leaders and institutions in India.

Kanjibhai faces a lot of hardships after his case is accepted by the Mumbai high court and his own family does not stand by him, he faces a lot of social and media pressure and threats from political goons. What I loved is the brave portrayal of how the society reacts when someone questions the status quo with respect to religion and god, even in a democracy there seems to be no allowance for a fair religious debate and respect for an individual's freedom of expression.
Enter Akshay Kumar in very restrained performance of the Lord Krishna and the way he tries to help out Kanjibhai by showing him the path is very touching, subtle and not over the top. What unfolds later and how Kanjibhai goes on to fight the case forms the rest of the story.

Paresh Rawal's is the pillar of the movie and performance is really outstanding. A host of supporting characters including Swami Siddheshwar, Paresh Rawal's friend, Om Puri and others are commendable. Overall the movie never loses its comic touch to the proceedings and there is never a dull moment and all scenes are pretty logical and not over the top.
All in all a wholesome entertainer and with a very timely and a valid message. I especially loved some of the dialogues in the movie like 'Religion is for people and not the other way around' and hard hitting messages about our superstition and belief systems without understanding the real meaning of religion and its goodness. The movie also narrates a grim commentary on the role of godmen and religious institutions in the world which are only acting as franchise's of God and not imparting any true knowledge to people.

 I will go with 3.5 stars out of 5 for the movie. Kudos to the director, producers and the writer of the Gujarati play on which the movie is based.
God bless such endeavors which are entertaining and contain a social message. Did I say god bless!

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Tofu Curry Pasta

I am a big fan of Italian pasta.I invariably order pastas in most Italian restaurants that I visit in the US ! I love the smell of cheese melting over the hot pasta flavored with basil leaves...whoa what an aroma !! Nonetheless,its not possible to have this very often as it is loaded with calories. All those who want to enjoy pasta without those extra calories will love this protein rich pasta dish ! Its called the Tofu Curry Pasta ! Tofu as you would know is a soy bean product loaded with protein.Its a staple food for the Japanese.Off late there has been a lot of controversy regarding the health benefits of Tofu as most of the modern day Tofu is processed containing GMO which is unhealthy according to recent researches. The Japanese prepare tofu traditionally using fermentation process and hence is nutritious but modern day tofu is not prepared this way.Hence I prefer to use organic non GMO tofu which will eliminate the health concerns of using tofu !! I am touching on the nutritional aspects of food as it is as important as the taste itself ! Now onto the recipe...
Ingredients

1/2 cup organic tofu
1/2 cup minced onions
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup green peas
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp cilantro leaves
1 tsp paprika or red pepper flakes
2-3 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 cup cooked fusilli pasta
Salt to taste

Preparation

Heat oil in a sauce pan and add the cumin seeds and turmeric powder.After the cumin seeds splutter,add the chopped onions and salt.Cook till onions become tender. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a few minutes.

Add the shredded carrots and peas and cook for few more minutes.

Now,add the minced tofu and cook well until soft.You may sprinkle some water if the gravy becomes very dry.

Now add red paprika powder and chopped tomatoes and cook on a high flame till the tomatoes are completely mushy. Transfer it onto a plate and garnish with cilantro leaves.Sprinkle some cheese on top .

Now take the cooked fusilli pasta and mix it well with the tofu curry.

The protein rich tofu curry pasta is ready to be served hot !

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Pumpkin Spice Pie

Its officially fall time in the US and its literally raining pumpkins here ! I just picked a pumpkin while shopping today,could not resist the urge to make a pumpkin pie;a traditional fall dessert.I am already in the mood for halloween :)
Ok now back to business ! Basically there are 2 types of pumpkins,the bigger one is used for carvings/decorations during halloween and also for savories and soups(it usually has more fibre).The ones that are used for desserts are called SUGAR PUMPKINS ! These are the small pumpkins that taste sweet. So quickly onto the recipe.....
Ingredients

For the pie crust

1 cup All purpose flour
1/4 cup cold butter
3-4 tbsp cold water
1/2 cup crushed graham crackers or ginger cookies(This forms the base for the pie crust)
1 tsp salt

For the filling

2 cups pumpkin puree
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk(I made it at home)
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp clove powder
1 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt

Preparation

Cut the pumpkin into 2 halves and remove the fibre and seeds(The seeds are nutritious and can be used for later use).

Place them on a greased baking tray(cut side facing down)and bake it in oven at 400F for 35 minutes.

Scoop out the baked pumpkin flesh once cooled and make it into a fine puree with the help of a spoon.Meanwhile mix all the dry ingredients for the pie crust and prepare the dough.Its important that the pie crust ingredients are all cold.The prepared pie crust dough should be wrapped in a plastic sheet and refrigerated for 30 minutes. This makes the pie crust crisp when baked.

Preheat the oven to 400F and start working on the filling and pie crust. Mix all the ingredients for the filling in a vessel and prepare a nice batter.I added some peanut butter to the filling mixture but its entirely optional. Now roll out the pie crust dough into 9 inch diameter(or according to the size of your baking tray) and prepare the crust as shown below.Place the crust in a 9 inch baking tray.

Cover the bottom of the pie crust with graham crackers or ginger cookies.This is essential since the pie filling when poured directly into the crust may make the pie soggy and soft.In order to give the pie a hard base this filling is required.

Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake it in an oven at 400F for 15 minutes and reduce the temperature to 350F and bake it for another 25-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and perform the tooth pick test to see if the pie has baked well. Allow to cool and cut the pie into your desired shape and refrigerate well before serving.

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Fruit & Nut Cake

Christmas is just a couple of months away and what better than baking your own cake for Christmas ! Personally Christmas reminds me of the delicious fruit cakes that I get to have from my neighbours back home during my childhood days.
Fruit cakes are perfect for gifting too,they can be prepared well ahead of time, refrigerated and gifted during the festive season.Since most fruit cakes incorporate rum or brandy(alcohol),they age well with time and the flavor matures just in time for the festival.Since I am making this cake for everyone in my family including elders who are very specific about the ingredients that goes into the cake,I am sharing an alcohol/egg free version of the fruit cake here. Nonetheless believe me the taste of the fruit cake is definitely not compromised !
Ingredients
1 cup nuts(broken cashew,sliced almonds,pista)
1 cup dry fruits(raisins,prunes,cranberry,apricots)
1 cup self rising flour
1/2 a cup plain white sugar
1/3 cup of almond powder(I used MTR Badam drink mix)
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp cranberry syrup
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Preparation

Take 2 cups of water in a deep bottom vessel and bring it to boil.Drop the nuts and dry fruits into the boiling water and allow to cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Now add the butter to the nut and fruit mixture and stir in till the butter melts into the mixture.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F or 180C before you start proceeding to the cake batter.

Add the rest of the ingredients one by one and keep stirring continuously in order to get a smooth batter.Pour the cake batter into a greased 9 inch baking tray and place it on the lower rack of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the baking tray and test the cake with a tooth pick to see if it has baked completely.(The tooth pick should easily come out without sticking).

Slice the fruit cake once cooled into pie shaped pieces or squares according to your preference.

Store the pieces in a nice air tight container and refrigerate.The fruit and nut cake tastes good when served cold !

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Schezwan Noodles

Schezwan noodles are one of my favourite Indo-Chinese noodles.You can make them with any vegetable readily available like cabbage,peppers,carrots,sprouts,french beans,shallots etc
Like I mentioned earlier in one of my blogs,you can use the home made schezwan sauce for this recipe ,your total cooking time is significantly reduced if your sauce is ready to use. And now to the recipe,here it goes !
Ingredients
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 cup noodles
3 tsps schezwan sauce(Look for this recipe in my recipe index)
1 cup sliced peppers(red,green and yellow)
1 cup spring onion or shallots( just the white part)
1 cup julienne carrots
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp vinegar
A dash of salt to taste

Preparation

Heat oil in a sauce pan and add the minced garlic and ginger.Saute for a few seconds. Now add all the vegetables one after the other and cook until all the veggies are semi crisp.

Now add the schezwan sauce ,soy sauce and vinegar and cook for a few more minutes till the sauce is well incorporated into the veggies.

Meanwhile bring water to a rolling boil in a deep bottomed container and add a pinch of salt and sesame oil.Drop in the noodles and cook untill you notice the broth raising up.

Now turn off the heat and strain the noodles with a colander.Transfer the noodles into the sauce pan and give a nice stir to mix it with the cooked vegetables.
Garnish the schezwan noodles with spring onions on top.
Yummy schezwan noodles is ready to be served !

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