Kashmira Sheth's Weblog

Shiro! Shiro! Shiro!

A few weeks ago someone wanted recipes for shiro and tal-sankali. Both these dishes were mentioned in Blue Jasmine. I panicked, not because I don’t know how to make them, but because I don’t have recipes for them. My mother and grandmother taught me how to cook and we never measured any ingredients. We didn’t have a single cook book or measuring spoon in our home. Even though I now have several cookbooks I hardly ever use them. When I cook something new, like eggplant parmesan or humus, I refer to a recipe and measure things out but once I have made it a couple of times I go back to my own way of throwing ingredients together and make changes along the way.

I made shiro the other night and measured all the ingredients. My daughter wrote down the procedure.  It gave me an idea. Just like everyone else, my characters have to eat and I enjoy writing about the food they eat. So why not post those recipes for readers? So here is the first one. Bon appetite.
P.S. Because I don’t measure ingredients and seem to be incapable of following recipes, I have never been able to bake.

Shiro! Shiro! Shiro!

Makes 6 servings.

2t Unsalted Butter
1C Cream of Wheat
Scant ½C Sugar
2C Low Fat Milk, Skim Milk, or Water
Pinch of Saffron
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
Sliced almonds for garnish

Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat.  Turn to low heat, add cream of wheat and stir.  Roast on medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring gently, until golden brown.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine sugar, milk, saffron and cardamom.  Warm in microwave for about 3 minutes, or until sugar is melted. 
On stove, turn heat to high, and add milk mixture.  Be careful, as steam will rise.  Stir (about 3 minutes) continuously until you are able to pile the mixture into one loose mass.
Garnish with almonds. Serve warm.

It's a small world

For three weeks I visited my daughter in Paris. We went to an English bookstore called The Red Wheelbarrow at 22 rue St. Paul. It is a charming place. I introduced myself to the young woman named Abigail Altman behind the counter. She asked me the titles of my book. I was so surprised when she said that she had two copies of Blue Jasmine. Before leaving, I signed my books. A few days later I visited the store again and talked to the owner Penelope Fletcher. She promptly ordered Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet and took a picture of me and my daughter. It is posted on their website: http://www.theredwheelbarrow.com/
While I was in the store someone bought my book and asked me if I knew Mitali Perkins. I told her that I had just heard from Mitali and have enjoyed her novel Monsoon Summer immensely. She told me she was related to Mitali by marriage. It is indeed a small world!
The whole experience was such a thrill and I wanted to share it with my readers.
PS. I’ll be scanning the covers of my next two books as soon as I get them.

Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet: New Reviews

Publishers Weekly:
"Sheth's (Blue Jasmine) novel set in Mumbai offers readers a fascinating glimpse of modern Indian culture. Eloquent and insightful, this book invites introspection and may lead to lively discussions about the pros and cons of honoring and breaking tradition."

From School Library Journal (Grade 8 Up):
"Warmly descriptive of life in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), this love story has a rich sense of place. This first-person narrative is a lush and loving exploration of coming of age."

From Booklist:
"But like the hot, sweet mango pickles Jeeta savors, her experiences crystallize the combined pain and joy of tradition and family, which Sheth anchors in rich particulars of setting, cuisine, and dialect (a glossary is provided)."

Selected by Cooperative Children's Book Center as their Book of the Week:
"Jeeta's fear for her sister far outweighs her fear of violating traditional values in a story about a strong and loving family facing the challenges of blending new ideas with old. With complex characters, realistic relationships, and vivid, sensual details of setting and culture, Kashmira Sheths brings Jeeta's life into full relief in story that unfolds with grace and certainty." 

Blue Jasmine News

Blue Jasmine has been selected by Iowa's First Lady Christie Vilsack's Reading Club for the Month of June. Other selections are Heartbeat by Sharon Creech and Small Steps by Louis Sachar. Blue Jasmine has also been nominated for the Georgia Children's Book Awards for 2006-2007.

Printers Row Book Fair

Last weekend, I attended the Chicago Tribune Printers Raw Book Fair in downtown Chicago. Before I even reached the fair I sold a copy of Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet in a sandwich shop. Not a bad beginning. I was in a panel session with the author Laurie Lawlor (author of He Will Go Fearless and many others) moderated by David Kipen. It was a gorgeous June day, sunny with a cool breeze from Lake Michigan. People milled around and the biggest crowd was at the Good Eating Stage. I guess if we are what we eat then we are nothing if we don’t eat. It made me think that maybe I should not have abandoned writing a cook book with a friend of mine. Now I am busy working on a short story for Kahani magazine. Check out the latest issue of Kahani at http://kahani.com/

Thank you!

For all of you who took time out to join us for the launching of Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet at Barnes and Noble tonight, THANK YOU!

Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet

Jeeta's family is caught up in the whirlwind of arranging marriages for her two older sisters, but the drama and excitement leave Jeeta cold. She knows that tradition demands the parade of suitors, the marriage negotiations, the elaborate displays, the expensive wedding parties - but where is the love and romance that the movies promise? She dreads her turn on the matrimonial circuit, especially since Mummy is always complaining about how difficult it will be to find Jeeta a good husband, with her dark skin and sharp tongue. As Jeeta spends more time with her new friend from school, Sarina, and her educated, liberal parents, she begins to question her tradition-bound family's expectations. And when she falls in love with Sarina's cousin Neel, Jeeta realizes that she must strike a balance between independence and duty and follow her own path. With its gentle humor and a rich sense of place, Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet is an engaging coming-of-age novel set in contemporary Mumbai.

Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet can be purchased through Amazon.com, or Barnes & Noble online.

CLICK HERE for a discussion guide.

Blue Jasmine

"In this delicate, introspective debut novel, narrator Seema describes her assimilation to America, capturing the distinct flavor of two different cultures while celebrating the unifying force of friendship."
- Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

“A realistic emigration story told with empathy and sincerity.”
- Kirkus Reviews

[Read the complete FIRST CHAPTER]

Blue Jasmine has won several notable awards, including:

• 2006-2007 Iowa Children's Choice Award Nominee
• Oklahoma's 2007 Children's Sequoyah Award Masterlist
• The Paul Zindel First Novel Award
• 2005 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award
• ALA Great Middle School Reads
• CCBC Choice 2005

Blue Jasmine is published by Hyperion Books and has been translated in Turkish (MAVI YASMIN) and Swedish (BLÅ JASMIN).

Blue Jasmine will be available in paperback April 2006. It can be purchased through Hyperion Books, Amazon.com, or Barnes & Noble online.

Click here to get a teacher's guide (in PDF format) for Blue Jasmine.

Indian Holidays

Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi) is a festival celebrating the bond between a brother and a sister. It falls on full moon day in the Hindu month of Shravan. In the Roman calendar, this would take place around August. The sister ties a rakhi, a holy string made of silk, gold, and silver threads, on the right wrist of her brother to protect him from harm and to bestow good luck upon him in the coming year. In return for these good wishes he gives her a gift.

What I remember about the Raksha Bandhan is how excited I was to make a rakhi for my brother. I took a piece of red silk or velvet and made a rakhi attaching gold and silver sequence on it. It was elaborate and showy. When my brother and I grew up, I tied simpler rakhis on his hand. Even now, I tie a rakhi on my brother's hand and he gives me a gift.

Rakhi has a long and colorful history. The strong bond represented by Rakhi has been woven into Indian history. There is a legend that the Hindu King Porus refrained from striking Alexander, the Great because the latter's wife had approached his noble adversary Porus. She tied a Rakhi on Porus's hand, prior to the battle, urging him not to hurt her husband.

It is also noted that the Rajput and the Maratha queens sent Rakhis to Mogul kings who have honored their Rakhi-sisters by offering help and protection at critical moments.

Makarsankrant: Makara means 'Capricorn' and Sankranti is the day when the sun passes from one sign of the zodiac to the next. Makara Sankranti is celebrated in the month of Magha when the sun passes through the winter solstice, from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn. It is considered a very auspicious time of the year.This holiday takes place each year on January 14th.

Makarsankrant is celebrated in Gujarat with flying kites. The string is made strong by applying crushed glass powder to it. On the Makarsankrant day the sky is filled with kites and the laughter and shouts of children. Special sweet balls are made with sesame seeds and brown sugar called tal-sankli.

Author Visits for 2006

Here's a list of upcoming visits planned for 2006:

March 11, 2006
Guest speaker at the symposium sponsored by American Immigration Law Foundation (AILF)
200 West Jackson Blvd. Chicago IL 60606

April 8, Saturday (7:00 PM)
Radio Interview, Wisconsin Public Radio
HIGHER GROUND with Jonathan Overby

April 12, 2006
Author Visit
Barnes & Noble
1451, Coralridge Ave
Coralville, Iowa 52241
319-337-3337

April 18, 2006 (7:00 PM)
Book Launching of Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
West Towne Mall
7433 Mineral Point Road
Madison, WI 53717
608-827-0809

May 2, 2006
Author Visit
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
East Towne Mall
#1 East Towne Mall
Madison, WI 53704
608-241-4695

May 6, 2006, (1:00-3:00 PM)
Author Visit
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
Appleton
Fox River Commons
4705 West Grande Market Drive
Grand Chute, WI 54915
920-831-7880

May 12, 2006 (11:00 AM)
Author Visit
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
Mayfair Mall
2500 N. Mayfair Rd Suite 196
Wauwatosa, WI 53226
414-475-6070

May 13, 2006
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
Brookfield Mall
Brookfield Square Mall
95 N. Moorland Road Unit C-1
Brookfield, WI 53005
262-796-8550

November 16, 2006 (6:00 PM)
Middleton Public Library
National Children's Book Celebration
7425 Hubbard Ave
Middleton, WI 53562
608-827-7411

March 25-27, 2007
Wisconsin Educational Media Association Spring Conference 2007
Monona Terrace, Madison WI