Raw Peanuts and Mango Curry

I heard this interview with the author of the book "Fingerprints of God" on the Diane Rehm show on the local NPR affiliate WAMU. It got me thinking about God in my life. I will confess I am not even remotely religious but we try to visit the temple at least once a month. I feel a sense of calm and burst of energy after every visit. I am not sure if seeing the deities and following the poojai brings on the calm or the socializing that does it. It just might be a combination of all of the above. In the same breath I am also wary of people who are overtly religious, their zeal scares the God out of me. It bothers me that more wars have been fought and continue to be fought in the name of religion and God than almost anything else. Visiting the temple or even saying a small prayer gives a peace of mind like nothing else can.

What got me into this line of thought is during the interview her statement "people who believe in God are healthier/happier than those who do not". This might very well be true but I strongly believe living a healthy life is also part of keeping God in you by which I mean eating right, exercising regularly and doing physical activity that stimulates both the mind and body. Enjoyed physical activity, cooking, gardening or even spending time with the kids brings happiness and also keeps one healthy. How can I forget the water, especially rivers, have the calming effect that I can never completely describe. Spending time cleaning up the pond gave me immense satisfaction and it continues to please whenever I think about it. May be therin lies what I need to do in the future. I know people spend a lifetime in the quest for happiness but everybody has certain activities they do to bring on a collective calm in their day to day life. For me the activities that bring on the calm are mostly physical than spiritual like swimming, taking a walk in the early morning cool hours or cooking leisurely. What brings on the Zen for you? Is it praying or other every day activities?

Recently I have started stocking up on raw peanuts regularly so much that I forget I have one sitting in the pantry and go and buy another. But no worries, they get used up pretty easily usually in the form of a sundal like this one on Akshayapaatram minus the turmeric powder. I also added chopped green mangoes and it is definitely a very tasty snack. But this time I wanted to use the peanuts and the mango and make a curry out of it. It turned out to be good. Peanuts and green mango, can anything go wrong really?

Raw Peanuts and Mango Curry
Ingredients
1. 1 1/2 Cups Raw Peanuts soaked overnight
2. 1 Raw Mango Chopped into bit sized pieces
3. 1/2 tbsp sambhar powder (substitute with coriander,cumin and chili powder)
4. 3/4 tbsp tomato paste (or pureed 2 medium sized tomatoes, reduce the amount of water if using puree)
5. 1/2 onion chopped
6. 2 garlic cloves (optional, I forgot to add them)
7. 1/2 inch ginger grated
8. salt to taste
9. 1 tsp oil
10. seasonings: mustard,cumin, curry leaves

Method
1. Pressure cook the peanuts, drain the water and set aside.
2. Now in a pan heat the oil and add the seasonings
3. add the onions and saute till translucent, add the garlic and grated ginger
4. add the mango pieces and saute for a few minutes.
5. Add the tomato paste and a 1/2 cup of water and let them cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the drained peanuts and 1/4 cup more water if required and let it cook till the mango becomes soft.

Tastes great with rice. We also had them with chapatis.