Imagine a house whose windows or doors opens up to a green bed and where you can sit for hours and watch the endless beauty of nature and can anytime welcome the cool breeze in summers or warm sun rays in winters. Our home too was built keeping in mind all these aspect but later things around us changed drastically and we like poor helpless people could not do anything to stop and let the constructors or the Government policies do the harm on us. Now the situation is such that we are surrounded by very very tall buildings that have stopped or blocked almost all the sunlight in our house and now our windows and doors opens up to gives us a view of buildings.
Every year during these 3 to 4 month of winter season both my son and I have to pop lots of pills to fight against cold and cough. Our chest specialist told us that this problem is very common in houses where there is no proper sunlight (of course, pollution is the major reason). He suggested that on weekend you can call his friends in the park to play. I followed what he suggested and took my my son and his two best friends for cycling. My son, who is a sucker of friends and loves to spent time with them. Just call any of his friend home and he is most happy. But I have to cut his cycling adventure short because my cough worsens.
Whenever I was ill, my son took care of me emotionally and physically. In spite of a warning that viral and cough are contagious and he should maintain a distance from me you will found him hugging me more often than usual to make me feel better and he always made sure that no mess was created in the house, he even took charge of giving me medicines. Sometimes even pops the thermometer in my mouth with a instructions that only he would take it out and later forgot thankfully I don’t listen to him always. That’s not all, he even surprised me with these cute little presents a bookmark and a polka dot pen.
I didn’t realize when I too fall asleep with him while reading a story to him from a book which I purchased for him, which he rejected reading it’s first page. But very soon my sudden bout of cough woke me. I looked outside it was pitch dark, I check time from my mobile and slowly lifted my son’s leg which was rested over me and went into kitchen to have some warm water and prepare his favorite Paav Bhajhi. He came following me and said mom, I will take just parantha today(which otherwise he would never take if, I am well).
No baking happened for quite a week but luckily I have a very delicious recipe to share. These are the most healthy and tastiest muffin I ever had. I might not able to do justice in photographing them but believe me they were damn good. When I was preparing them I was a little apprehensive using so much bran in a recipe of a muffin, I thought it would make them drier but I was surprised to see how moist they came. Though they were not so sweet so I sprinkle some sugar on top.
Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz
Ingredients (makes 12)
- Wheat bran – 2 cup (125g)
- Dark raisins – 1 ½ cup (I used normal one)
- Water – 1 ½ cup (370ml total) cup water
- Buttermilk or curd – 1/2 cup (120g)
- fresh orange zest – 1 tsp
- packed powdered brown sugar – 1/2 cup (105g)
- Vegetable oil – 1/2 cup (125ml)
- 1 large egg or two small
- 1 large egg white or two small egg whites
- Whole wheat flour – 3/4 cup
- Baking powder – 1 teaspoon
- Baking soda -1 teaspoon
- Salt – 1/2 teaspoon
Preheat the oven at 180 degree C. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease them with oil. Toast the wheat bran in a pan on slow gas for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Let it cool. In another pan put ½ cup of water with 1 cup of raisins and let it simmer for ten minutes, or until the water is all absorbed. Let it cool. Make a puree of it. In a large bowl, mix together the toasted bran, buttermilk or yogurt, 1 cup (250ml) water, then mix in the raisin puree, orange zest, and brown sugar. Stir in the oil, egg and egg white.
Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and sift directly into the wet ingredients. Stir until the ingredients are just combined, then mix in the remaining 1/2 cup (55g) raisins. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.