Jan 26, 2011 08:26 PM
40399 Views
(Updated Jan 27, 2011 01:11 AM)
Plumetted for breakfast ideas as Wife was away and my Girl was always wanting a change, a variety from the regular, I decided to pick up some Ready to Mix / Heat and Eat options from the Departmental store nearby.
Got the hang of things once I moved up and down the aisles a couple of times, looking at the various options there.
Picked some, saw the method and ingredients, checked in my head the convenience, as it has to be done at 7:00 am and will be consumed around 11:00 am....
Weighing the pros and cons vis a vis the cost also, I lay me hands on the MTR Daily Favourites - Breakfast Mix UPMA.
20 years ago I was posted in Bangalore, as a bachelor boy, we had tried MTR stuff at restaurants and were aware of the superior tastes and good quality products. We had on many occassions carried home thier masala mix also, though it was not an organised retail, but some outlets did sell packed spice mix for a couple of kind of rice and vegetable preparations and sambhar of course.
With this back ground still fresh in the memory, and a pretty attractive packaging, invited me to try this Ready to Mix product.
Net weight of 200 grams, @ Rs 20.00, with a shelf life of 9 months, and the date of manufacture as December 2010, ensured freshness of the product, and value for money as the method said add contents to 500 ml of water, to serve 2-3 people.
The recipe was simple and it would be ready in minutes.
The alarm rang at 7:10, daily ablutions over in 5 minutes, the kitchen light on....
ACTION :
Lit the gas stove, put 500 ml of water to boil.
Meanwhile got a glass of Milk getting ready to put in the micro wave oven as the girl will come down, dressed for school.
The sandwich griller is switched on, Multi grain bread, buttered and sprinkled with black pepper and salt, is put in, takes about 4-5 minuts to grill well.
Cut open the MTR packet and emptied it into the boiling water, used a wooden spoon to stir it well, added 20 gms of ghee, and mixed it.
I could smell the ghee seeping into the Semolina and the spices as they warmed up.
Stirred it for another 2 minutes and lo it was ready.
Packed it in sufficient quantity, got the girls tiffin box ready, and at 7:25 am, she was off to school.
The clock showed 1425 hours and the bell rang, and our daughter was back, her eyes red with anger, throat parched to say anything, flung her bag right at the entrance and slumped on the dining chair....
Dad : Kya huwa?
Girl : Dont talk to me!
Dad : But why?
Girl : Meri be-izzati kra di aaj.
Dad : Kaise?
Girl : What sh!t did you give in the lunch box?
Dad : Upma thha.
Girl : Aap hi khaao, aal of it is there, get me some food fast. I am famished.
Does that explain all?
She did not have the second spoon and neither did her friends touch it.
Has commercialisation and INSTANT stardom made them compromise on quality, or the R & D has not been done properly for people to do the same at home. Under test conditions is a different ball game. I am myself a Chef for the last over 20 years and was surprised what I saw of the product at 1425 hrs that I had made at 0720 hrs same morning.
It was like a Semolina BRICK.
