Bhindi fry-ight!

'Bheja Fry' got better reviews at the cinema than the Bhindi fry served up recently at a Bangalorean hotel.

If software experts 'KISS' their designs to keep them short and simple, then why can't chefs 'MISS' their fries? Ever tried to tell a newbie chef to 'Make It Simple, Stupid'!

These days, desi chefs tend to overcook, under-fry, reboil, re-hash, remake, remix vegetables like never before. And why not? If movies like 'Bheja Fry' take inspiration from cooking, then why can't cooks get inspired by all the endless movie remakes and music remixes? (One hears that they tried to remake 'The Exorcist' in Latin, but the ghost apparently ran away).

Wassat?

The bhindi fry on my plate reminded me of all the principles of Darwin. I never could remember them at school, but I guess tough times like this call for tough thinking.

I tried to retrieve the Bhindi pieces from the gravy but soon realized that the Darwinian principles were attacking the situation with fierce determination.

Bhindi was swiftly losing out to Natural selection. After such an undigni-fried situation, Bhindi might just give up all hope of improving its own genes and decide to go extinct.

I noticed a Struggle for existence thingummy going on here. Bhindi was constantly swimming against the tide of choking, simmering, reeking gravy.

Survival of the fittest was a sure eventuality. Only the fattest bhindi pieces would emerge victorious while the others would get charred beyond recognition.

At least the globally acclaimed 'Gumbo' sets your expectations properly right at the beginning. You expect (look forward, actually) to see a watery, gooey mass on your plate.

But a good, wholesome bhindi fry sets one's imagination on the roll.

Green, moist, no -nonsense bhindis fried crisply to a nice brown color in fragrance-free oil. Add the salt and pepper generously and the bhindi fry has a fine place on a dining table. A hint of tamarind juice stirred into the fry will have the BBC at your doorstep, demanding the recipe for its global viewers. Mix in some Cumin powder and the bhindi fry deserves a place in Madame Tussaud's.

So you see, it's all a matter of taste. And a bit o' evolution.