Culinary skills at its best…

Thanks to Vijay who has helped in supplying me traditional Tamil recipe’s to satisfy my husband taste buds while I have submerged myself in Vidhu Mittal’s book Pure & simple for the north Indian dishes.

You can check Vijay’s blog here, but sadly he does not share any of the recipes on his blog – you will have to write to him for that! Lol… kidding – actually he was kind enough to ask me if I needed help to improve my cooking and I shamelessly said yes!!! :-0 sorry Vijay for the additional trouble I give you on and off!!!

A book review - I happen to come across this awesome book at a rendezvous with Sunil’s team-members one evening and was floored with it. So impressed was I, that I ordered this book from sapnaonline.com. Voila I received this in a day’s time and from then on I haven’t stopped myself from experimenting and trying out new stuffs. Am really amazed with her cooking techniques.

What I like about this book is that it not only gives you clear cut instructions but the recipes are simple and very easy to understand and isn’t lengthy at all. Apart from the recipes there are also additional information given w.r.t spices and all kinds of accompaniments. A very helpful book not only for beginners but also the housewife kinds...I give 5/5 on this and definitely a must have for any girl.

As far as Vijay goes – what can I say; he is the closest blog friend I have! Thanks so much.

Will the real honest politician please stand up?

I am in a dilemma – with the elections around the corner I am clueless on the appropriate candidate to cast my vote! I feel no one here deserves to be on the heading lurch!

Have you seen the petty fights and the cat fights that the members of each party are indulging in? It is disgusting! What kind of maturity are they displaying? I don’t think democracy means pelting stones at each other just for the sake of the throne… I really feel sad for us Indians – we have no place to go… We are back to square one!!!

The guilt (of wanting to vote but don’t know whom to) is following me each time I think of the elections – I have a lump in my throat at just the thought. Each party is filled with corruption and manipulation. Tomorrow will never change for us…

Why can’t we have someone who is well educated to carry the load for us, or why can’t we have a panel filled with educated and responsible people working for us. Yes they are working for us but the way it is portrayed, it’s always the other way around

My one question is that, these people claim that they are servants of people then how come they declare assets worth crores? Doesn’t that account to corruption? I don’t think they are born with all that money but yet can get away with it… and the common man still struggles with unemployment, inflation, increasing interest rates, etc. Is this the way India is going to prosper? They don’t really seem to be worried about all these problems , it is left for us to suffer in pain while they keep cashing on…

I am seeing an aggressive phase of elections in Indian history – the role of media to advertise candidates like it is some kind of a product that they are offering… I see them everywhere – on blogs, on TV and even on the local radio…. It is the new segment of Indian political drama!!!

End of it all – there will be no change – we will continue to have problems. We will still be targeted by terrorists while they will always get VIP protection, we will still have no valuable additions to our assets while they will show an increasing trend in the value of assets, we will still strive to add to our savings while they will cash it all in their bank account and all this in the name of growing India!!!

Obama says that Indians are the main competitors to the US and also that they are highly intimidated by us… But the reality something else… When all our talent is being eaten up by the politics of this country... We are cash rich country but unfortunately the cash is sitting with all the politicians and yet we beg IMF / World Bank for money each year.

Be Brave India. We still have to do our duty as all responsible citizens are required to do – Cast your Vote but think twice before you do that.

My day out

The long weekend was perfect way to spend two lazy days at home at the cost of one outside – well… that was the threat I gave my poor husband. Well whatd'ya expect, a girl needs a break after all! I just needed to cut loose from my crazy life!!!

So off we went on our drive!!! Roped in Shaatz & Dia and drove down to the old town of Mysore. It's about 130kms from Bangalore and takes you approx. 3 hrs to reach . We started around 9ish on the 11th (Sat), enroute stopped at Kadumane (at the outskirts of Blore) for a quick breakfast. Now, though I would have preferred Kamat Lokaruchi anytime we were too late and being a weekend, it would have definitely cost us a lot of time. That place is crowded even on a normal weekday… And weekend was totally out of question. The feedback on Kadumane – you might as well give it a pass…

The journey was nice with green pastures around when you move further from Bangalore. We finally reached Mysore around 12ish. Dia wanted to go to the Mysore Palace and we thought it would be a good idea for us to revisit the place and get a little nostalgic!!! Am sure all of us would have visited the palace during our school days…. After an hour & a half long trip around the palace (with the heat accompanying us) including a little bit of shopping (wee bit :-0), our tour of the old place got over at 2pm – just in time for lunch! We did work out quite an appetite!!!

For lunch we headed to another palace – Lalith Mahal (on the way to Chamundi Hills). Well, I was more than impressed with the palace than the food!!! But, we were so hungry that we would have even managed with grass if we could lay our hands on it. I had been there nearly 20 years ago and wanted to see if anything had changed (not that I remember it all that well)... I vaguely recall the place being so blue-blue and let me tell you that it hasn’t changed one bit!!!!

After a “bharjari oota” (sumptuous meal), we headed back to Bangalore around 3.30pm. Thankfully the weather gods were kind to us and the drive was a pleasant one with slight drizzle as well… The mood was perfect for some hot Chai (Coffee for me though) and some Maddur Vadas at Maddur Tiffany’s. With Sharath’s awesome driving skills on display, we finally reached home by 7pm, thus putting an end to my wonderful day out.
What the heck! It was fun to the core!!!

PS:- Unfortunately I have no pictures to show off!!!

Chikungunya

Is back and with the summer at its peak, it is infecting each door it passes.

My parents are infected with the disease for the last two days and what I do hear from our doc is that there has been an outburst reported recently, therefore my parent’s case does not come as a surprise to him.

What I do like to know from him is that, how did it manage to make an entry into my place with my mother ever so painstakingly particular about cleanliness not only at home but the surroundings as well. Now that’s a mystery to all.

And we try to find that one infected mosquito, I’ll leave you’ll with certain practical facts of the disease.

1. How do you catch Chikungunya – through a mosquito
2. Symptom – Usually begins with some pain in any part of the body, slowly moving to the whole body in totality and after which you’ll probably catch a shiver and finally fever (up to 103 degrees)
3. Duration – for an average adult, fever will probably last not more than 2 days or so but might take a while for the body to recuperate.
4. Action – Take a crocin immediately and rush to your nearest doc asap.
5. Diet – avoid all items of urad daal.

Precautions – since it is better than cure, my suggestion is sanitize your respective homes by whatever means you prefer be it Hit or burning a coil or by using any other disinfectant. My preference is Kachua chap coil. Just to inform you guys, normal All-out or Good Night mats WILL not help you in warding these mosquitoes.

Disclamer - The above mentioned action plans are from my own experience. Please use the best means you know.

Best of health always and keep clean.

Heatbeat

Seriously! Summer is something that I wholeheartedly hate… I wish it was winter all through, contrary to Sundru’s opinion (if it were for him I would have already melted away, the boy likes no fan/ air-condition even on a very hot summer day). Phew, we have two more months of such misery before rains strike again very typical of a Bangalore climate, we aren’t sure when the rains come or go or when it is sunny or not, the weather here has a mind of its own - if you’ve been here you’ll agree with me.

Usually the problem with Bangalore is, it gets highly affected with climatic/weather changes surrounding the place. For example if it rains in Chennai it will rain here and so on and so forth. It gets annoying after a while...

So, what do I do to beat the summer heat?
1. Drink lots and lots of water – preferably cold (earthen pot) not ice water (well that too sometimes, since I don’t have a clay pot at home)
2. Nice fresh homemade juice – nimboopani
3. Fan always at the maximum
4. No makeup – I do that either ways!
5. Wear loose cloths so that it doesn’t stick to your body - I like Kota -Doria sarees...very nice & cold... :)
6. Keep windows open all the time (there's a nice big tree right next to our apartment which keeps our drawing room cool)
7. Preferably if time permits have bath twice (again cold)
8. Drink lots of Tender coconut water - nothing like it
9. Dont venture out in the sun too much - not good for your tan as well as your head (gives me a headache)
10. Carry coolers all the time
11. Wash your face atleast 5 times - it's good for your skin too...
and last but not the least dont forget your sunblock.

Weekend Khana

Or should I say saappadu… with work and everything I simply don’t get enough time to cook an elaborate meal on weekdays… therefore when a weekend comes along, it’s time to put my culinary skills to test!!!

And last weekend was no different... Since it was long weekend (Friday was also off since it was a local festival celebrated here in Bangalore), I started my arrangements to cook my best stuff a little ahead itself. Usually during weekends I prefer to start with some South Indian stuff – for obvious reasons (Iyer connection) and I did the same last weekend as well...

The Menu included– Arachutta vengaya sambhar, Beans poriyal, kosumbari, Parrupu saadam, rice, curds and some vadaams to munch... I took about 3 hours to do this all… I know this is an elaborate one but when you have a hardcore tambram in your family, you’ve got to sweat it out. :-)

Hope the Iyer boy liked it as much as I enjoyed cooking for him – after all “the way to a man’s heart is though his stomach” which I am totally getting the hang of it by now…

Some pics following the cooking…

Chai ya Coffee?

A typical north Indian Marwari community girl will go with the former any day while I choose the latter. This is quite contrary to my husband (an Iyer) who is an out and out Chai person while I am a total coffee gal!!!

I am obsessed with coffee and that’s probably why I am writing a post dedicated to one of the most important components in my day-to-day life… I cannot start my day without a fresh cup of coffee, preferably filtered (south Indian style) and since I don’t know how to make it, it is often prepared by Sundru every morning. And days when he is not around then I am forced to make my own using Nescafe instant coffee (that’s the only instant powder I use – can’t stand the others).

My obsession to try the best coffees has made me wander to the ends of Bangalore just to find that perfect blend of coffee and chicory… now mind you if you are resident of Bangalore then you’ll definitely vouch for the pain of travel… well not that I drive so I have nothing to complain ;-) it’s the poor husband’s headache – not mine :-)

Coffee or filter coffee (which is most predominant in the southern part of India) uses coffee beans of Arabica, Robusta, Malabar and pea berry. There could be many more but these are the ones I know. They are sold in abundance in this part of the world under many brands like Bru, Cothas, to name a few which comes to my mind. I usually prefer locally sold bags which I frequently buy in bulk each time I visit places like Coorg, where they are abundantly produced.

My quest for good coffee has made me a frequenter to the following coffee bars in Bangalore:-
I am writing in the order of importance or favorites ranging from the most to the least…
1. Sundru’s :-) (obvious choice otherwise I will be deprived of the morning nirvana)
2. Brahmins (along with hot Idlis and the famous chutney)
3. CTR (again incomplete without benne masala dosa)
4. Adigas
5. Airlines (along with yummy Channa Bhatura)
6. Java city – Mysore coffee
7. Kalmane coffee
8. Brio
9. Barista (now owned by Lavazza)
10. Café coffee day

Missing in my list are perhaps international brands like Star Bucks or Costa ones – just to experience what the flavor is all about, that makes it crazy worldwide. It is yet to step into India.

I shall leave you’ll with a nice picture of my coffee along with some tatted creations of mine.

Change

Are we ready for it? I am not sure whether I am. Not when we cut down our precious trees to make way for the ingenious automotives all over the place. Where have the long speeches of global warming/ campaigns of a green world gone?

I am not sure whether I like living in Bangalore any more - the once so ever green Bangalore is suddenly transpiring into a concrete jungle day after day. Every road I take is undertaking some structural changes, am not denying that this could possibly result in a better infrastructural undertaking but why torture the greenery around?

One thing that I have noticed is that due to the average tree cuts there has been a direct impact on the climatic condition. While a few years back we would refrain from using fans even on a normal summer day/night we are now resolving to install air conditioning in our respective homes and thus resulting in larger energy consumption and obstruct the green world. It is a full cycle if you ask me.

Even before we would feel the pinch of the sun, we would be stormed by rains but alas...now we just wait for the rains and yet no sign of it. thankfully owing to the occasional depression in Bay of Bengal helps us now and then - at least sending us strong pleasant winds these days, making me just sit by my window sill or my balcony - but then again i hear from the met dept to be short lives and we can expect soaring temps in coming days. *sigh*

I am surprised that no one condemned these or acted against it, but then I don’t know why I am even waiting for them to do it. I think as good citizens we should all take a pledge to plant 10 trees for every single tree cut. Only that can save us now.

Here are some snapshots that I took shocking and disapprovingly the heartbreaking infrastructural changes on Sheshadri road, an on-route to my work place, while some are from the web and some others I happen to take from my Phone. They sure look disturbing now.

Can you clone yourself?

Coz, I could do with one right now. I am completely lost in life, mental and frustrated to the d.

The reason for the sudden emotional outburst is that, I have been really busy these days with absolutely no time to spare… my mornings is lost in cooking both bfast/ lunch, rest of the day finishes juggling btw some stupid forced work training alongside my official work, finally I drag myself out of the beastly place and reach home by 8.30 – 9pm and it literally takes me an effort to cook dinner and by the end of all this I am pooped out!

I wish I had a way in to another Sapna… otherwise I might just break myself into two very soon (figuratively though).

I am done for the day – I am finally going to hit the sack now and wishing tomorrow never comes.

Holi Hai!

The ever so colorful festival this year has come but does not knock our door.

We have decided to refrain from colors this year in view of the two recent painful deaths in the family. This is our way of paying tribute to my late uncle and grandfather.

Usually Holi for me is a very dull festival, as I have long forgotten to play with colors – last being the year 2004… I guess one thing is age and the other the pain to clear the color off your face. Also I have become conscious of the chemicals that go into puccka (real) colors… now that coming from a Marwari is surprising as we are considered very jubilant when it comes to such festivities.

And while I am sitting here in office (since I don’t have a holiday today and Sundru has one) scripting this entry he is spending his day at home watching movies and lazing around (sigh! Don’t we all want to do that?) . Being an Iyer he is celebrating the festival in true sense than I…

I still remember my first official holi after wedding in 2007, Sundru & I did play little holi in our bathroom just for shagun:-0 (Yes we did). He quotes me in saying that he too doesn’t like it for the same obvious reasons but secretly I think he wants to just that I don’t give him that much required company, needless to say along with chilling thandai with a little bhaang in it ;)

As far as this year goes, I did go to my sister’s place (playing my part of the daughter of my family and filling in for my mom who is away on a holy business). For shagun I did put a little gulaal (pink color) to all her family members carrying along some savories for the occasion.

So here’s wishing everyone a very happy and a colorful holi…

Soaring temperatures in recession

That’s a very heating subject. Bangalore is getting hotter and hotter day by day.

Latest temperature shows that Bangalore has hit the 35°C mark already and it is just the beginning of March. We have a long way to go through the summer. No relief in terms of rains as well, I see clear blue skies forever.

Sigh and with the recession, companies have altered their cost structure to cut off Air-conditioning after a certain timeline during the day!

All I can say is we are being hit left right and centre. :-(

We need rain…

Another attack

And this time in Pak itself targeting the cricketers. They have me guessing the motive behind these attacks and I hope they have made their point clear in contemplation to why they have planned these for.

It’s atrocious, instead of moving forward the world is moving backwards with talibanising and terrorizing the globe! Thank God the players are safe and that too at the cost of 5 other lives…

God please save us for we are desperately in need of you and your support!

Book reviews

I recently read two books back to back by Indu Sundaresan – The twentieth wife and a feast of roses. I had wanted to read the Twentieth wife for a very long time now but never found the book here in India; finally I managed to catch hold of it along with its sequel a feast of roses.

The story revolves around Mehrunnisa (Nur Jahan) who was the Twentieth wife of Emperor Jahangir – more so with Mehrunissa. The writer knows the history well as well as is very much aware of the extravagance the Mughals lived in at their rein and that’s just what I loved in this book.

The lushness is intricately described taking you way back in time with virtual hallucinations. Both the book in captivate you knowing that the end is predictable but what makes the read worthwhile is the journey of Mehrunissa from birth till death.

Surely a must read, they are one of the best I have come across esp. if you like history…well not too much of it also. The love binds us all and that’s the theme behind the book.

Mamta's Wedding

With all the bad news following us around from the beginning of this year, we were literally thinking of postponing my sister's wedding to later in the year – but like the saying goes, God’s will cannot be altered. And so it was that we decided to carry on the wedding.

Though a very low key affair, the wedding took place on 20th February 2009 and with great effort we managed to put on a big smile and made the event successful, after all my sister’s wedding doesn’t happen every other day, does it?

Thanks to my elder sis Mukti, who ran around so much that I have no words to thank her or praise her enough. She is definitely one of a kind and next to my mother to me… though just a couple of years older to me, she definitely acts like my mother at times :-)… and on top of everything she gave my family the best beautiful gift we ever asked – my sweet nephews Anuj and Darsh.

Well as far as my sister Mamta goes, we call her chotu at home – all I can say is she is no longer a chotu anymore…it was a bit weird to see her going away to a different house. I guess that felling is always there when every daughter gets wedded.

I hope the best for her in her new and the next phase in life.

Shraddhanjali

To my grandfather… we lost him on the 14th of Feb 2009. I guess god loved him so much that he decided to spend his valentines with him.

It has been a very tough year on our family, first we lost our Uncle on 31st Dec 2008 and then just after a month and a half we lost my grandpa. Two closest people ever in my mother’s life!

I leave a snapshot of him at my wedding ceremony.

A once in a life time opportunity!!!

Is what I would call my lunch date today with the dear husband… in all our 4 years of relationship there has never ever been a day wherein only the both of us have met for lunch on a working day, marking today an exception...

We had our sweet two hour lunch date at Fiorano, a small Italian restaurant in Koramangala. Over Crostini, Lasagna, Penne and a delicious dessert, we pretty much had little to say but just gobbled, enjoying each other's company…. But sadly we had to get back to work, thus tipping off our cute little endeavor to an end. :-(

Leaving you with a snapshot of him at lunch!!! My dashing hero eh????

Excitement or Nuisance???

Yesterday while shopping for my sister’s upcoming wedding (scheduled for next week), so engrossed was I that I failed to see Gautami, a yesteryear Tamil actress… not that I care for any actor or actress... am absolutely dispassionate about any of them (except for Aamir Khan of course ;-) )..

Well, I bumped into her yesterday while entering Lifestyle store on Richmond road… she was leaving the store after shopping and her inconsiderate driver had parked the car right at the entrance... this really pissed me off and I was literally swearing under by breath for that... not sure if she heard that but then who cares… and while she was wondering what I was actually upto, there was a huge crowd which had gathered to catch a glimpse of her (including the dear husband enquiring if I recognized her DUH!!! Is there a need?)... I felt that was really stupid...

They seemed awestruck and were gaping at her like she was a goddess or something - that's when I realized how crazy we Indians really are... we give so much importance to certain people who we hardly know... may be I would have been like that when I meet someone like Abdul Kalam – now he's really worth all the attention and not these bollywood/tollywood or any “wood” actors...

They have never managed to get that kind of attention from me and guess, will never in future as well – after all, they are also humans like us, have the similar problems like us, eat, sleep and do everything like us, so why give us that snooty behavior??? Such pity!!!

Later I thought I should have asked her about how Kamal was doing ;)…. That should have caught her off-guard – naughty me ;-)

Dev D

I just got out watching this movie sometime back... I hate to say I haven't seen such a movie in a very long time!


Couldn't digest it AT ALL..... total Crap!

My Travel Plan for the Year 2009

As per my resolution I made up a list of places in India that I would like to visit this year…

Here goes it

1. Coorg (can’t take it out as I’ve already done it)

2. Flameback/ Serai in chickmagalur

3. Goa of course – it’s been two years (plus Sundru has already gone alone last week :-0)

4. Karwar and Gokarna

5. Masinagudi jungle lodge

6. Northeast India

7. Rajasthan (very nostalgic :-()

8. Coimbatore (again very very nostalgic)

9. Windflower in Mysore (for the lovely massages)

10. Pondy? I am not sure on this one though but if I make it there then might as well club mahabalipuram along as well.

11. Delhi (wanna meet everybody) & Agra (Just for Taj and S&S posing in front of it ;))

12. Shimla & Kulla for the snow

Now what does the husband want to add to it?

Coorg!

My much awaited trip and the first one for this year… looks like I am at least following two of my resolutions religiously if not for the others… :) one blogging and the other traveling.

Here go the fine points of the trip...

Where – Coorg
When – 24th Jan to 26th Jan 2009
With whom – The Boyz
Why - ??? Do we really need a reason!

I have no strength to elaborate on the trip… it was great yet a tiring one – maybe later when I have the time to write perhaps… for now the pictures will tell our story.