After a bit of rest we leave for the rest of our hike that would take almost 2-3 hrs. I am walking my own speed, knowing that I can make it easily to the top. Fast forward…. After a couple of hours you reach the ladders that take you right up to the forts entrance. No no, not proper concrete stairs, but metal ladders that have an angle of round about 60-65 degrees. They were not like that 4 centuries back, there were basically rock cut steps with very easy access. But later, they were destroyed or eroded we never know. So to go to the main door you have to ascend these ladders now. Its fun. Its creaky. Its easy. And its entertaining to look down and see a fall of Atleast 30ft. So after competing that part, we were there on the fort, and our halt of the day. It was just around the time of sunset and hence some of the more enthusiastic people were given to go a bit more above and see the sunset. But, I got to give the first ever command in my life, please fill up the water bottles, we will need water to cook. He he he . That is and will be one of the most remembered moments of my life. So now, it was my time to take centre stage. The gas that was carried by pinakin was taken out, and I sat down, to setup what would be “my” kitchen for the next 18 hrs or so. The first item, was tea. Ofcourse everyone needed that and that was what would be made. But, I just turned into an assistant, when the tea was made by Pinakin. Later even the rassa that was to be made, was made by pinakin.The food was good, it always is, no doubt about it.
And hence I slept with a small fear that I would not be able to tell my mom what I had cooked. But with a new day came a new hope and I stepped forward. Used a small strategy. Woke up early, and made tea. And it rocked. I mean everyone were quite pleased and even if none of the literally said that, it was clear with the fact that everybody had a second serving and that I had to make tea again. Cool na? Well not exactly cool, but that hot drink still is fresh in my mind. The recipe, is simple, the drink tastes amazing and everybody is pleased. And hence seeing my cooking abilities, I was given the right to cook the main breakfast “pohe”. I food that I hate, hate to have in the city. Its so boring to eat that , in your house, sitting on a counch, reading a newspaper and thinking, I need to complete that assignment today.
But on a fort its different. Making the ingredient, “poha” , soaked in a plastic bag. Then adding a fodni to the, utensil on the camping cylinder. The smell, the noise of the fodni. The popping of mohori, the colour of turmeric. The adding of the chilly powder. Making sure that is doesn’t get blown into your eyes. Then the way to add pohe, knowing that if you don’t do this carefully, the whole batch will have to go down on a empty stomach. So you add the soaked “poha” with ease and then try to mix with the fodni. Then you mix it. Now that is something that I thought was fun but let me tell you its not. Because, unlike cooking in the city, you don’t have all the utensils and hence the utensil you have is filled to the brim. You are sure, you are in no mood to make the batch wait, while you make the same stuff a second time. The burner is so small that a inch here and there the utensil will fall. So with ease, and by wasting your new handkerchief you mix the two together. Now the colour you want has appeared and the only thing left to do is dress. I mean you cant possible, call yourself a cook, if you don’t decorate anything you have made. So I also had to do something. The way out, use desiccated coconut and mixing it with red chilly powder. And after steaming it for sometime, the end result, “pohe”. A easy sounding food stuff to make, having a really good taste.
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