Aloo Palak

Ingredients:
1 bunch spinach - chopped (approx 1 big bowl)
1 Potato - semi cooked
1 tomato - cooked, with skin removed
2 chillis
2 pods garlic
1 onion - chopped
1 spoon Jeera Dhania powder
10 Cashews - soaked in water
Garlic, ginger - minced Garam masala
Ghee, Salt, Turmeric

Method:

• Keep the chopped spinach, potato (cut into cubes) and tomato in seperate vessels and cook in cooker (1 whistle).
• After it cools, peel the skin of the tomato. Blend the tomato + soaked cashews in a blender. Keep it aside.
• Using the same blender, blend the spinach + chilli + garlic together. 
• In a pan, put 3-5 spoons of ghee. After it heats up, add ginger, garlic, dhania, jeera and chopped onions. Saute for 3 mins. Add turmeric. 
• Add the pureed spinach and tomatoes. Cook for 2 mins and stir well so that they blend together. Add salt and garam masala as per taste.  
• Finally add the potato cubes and mix well.

Switch off the flame and here your are done. Aalu Palak suits best with Chapati/Roti and alike.

(Note: After cooking spinach, remove excess water in it and use it if the gravy looks too thick. even otherwise, do not waste the water as it has the grean leafy nutrients in it. ;) So use the remaining water in preparing chapati dough).

Beetroot Halwa

Another Healthy-Bhi-Tasty-Bhi recipe down here: 

Ingredients:
Beetroots(2-3 large beetroots): i.e; 2 large bowls of grated beetroot
Sugar: for 2 large bowls of beetroot take 3/4th bowl of sugar (Note: if you love sweet then you can take beetroot:sugar in the ratio of 2:1)
Milk powder: 3 spoons (optional)
Ghee: Around 8 spoons
Dry nuts for seasoning (Cashew, Badam, Dry grapes) & powdered Elachi for aroma.

Method:
Grate the beetroots and cook it in cooker (without adding water). 1 whistle is more than sufficient. If possible switch off the cooker even before it makes its 1st whistle. After it cools down a bit, try to remove the excess water in the cooked beetroot. Remember not to squeeze as that will spoil its structure.

In a pan put 4 spoons of ghee to roast the dry nuts (Cashew, Badam, Dry grapes, Elachi) until they turn golden brown. Keep them aside and to the same pan add 4 spoons ghee and add the cooked grated beetroot. Stir on medium flame for 5 minutes. Then add sugar + milk powder to the pan. Stir so that they mix well. Once the sugar melts you will notice the content becomes a little watery. So, you will have to stir occasionally until all water evaporates (on medium/high flame). The consistency should become like that of Carrot Halwa - took me around 20 mins of stirring. Once done, turn off the flame and add the roasted nuts.

You can serve the halwa hot or refrigerate it and serve chilled.

(Note: If you think you added too much sugar and halwa turned out too sweet then you can alter it by adding some grated kobri at the end and stir for an additional 5 mins.)

Vanakkam!!!

The journey from Bangalore to Chennai was a smooth one. It was 6:30 in the morning and the bus driver began to scream that this was the last stop and everyone started alighting. We got down the bus and noticed that we were in front of a huge messy market near Chennai Bus Station.

We were supposed to call Puttu Mama (Adarsh's uncle) who was then to pick us up in his car. As luck had its part to play, we found that our mobile phone was switched off due to low battery. Before we even began to look for public phones, a group of 4-6 auto drivers came towards us and greeted us "Vanakkam". They tried to converse with us in broken English/Hindi. All they knew was "yes", "no" and a few other Hindi words which almost meant the same.

We assumed that they were trying to get us into one of their auto rickshaws and so we avoided them. One of them came closer to us and was showing us his mobile. I was not at all comfortable with the whole idea of chit-chatting with auto drivers so we simply indicated that we needed no taxis/autos and began looking for phone booths. Only then it struck to us that they were actually trying to tell that there were no public phones nearby and so one of them was offering his mobile phone for us to make the call.

Let me tell you, all these years, friends told various stories about Chennai/Tamil Nadu. I heard that no one there responds to strangers if they talked in English or any other language than Tamil. Tamilians were in romance with their mother-tongue that they would reply (if at all) only in Tamil. We thought they would not be so helpful to people like us who understood very little Tamil. 

And here, we get to see a group of auto drivers trying to help us and offer their personal phones to make STD calls!!! Yes, we had to call back to Ujire (my in law's place) and get our uncle's phone number as our mobile was switched off and thus had no access to contact numbers. We told that we will pay back them the cost of the call and made phone calls back home, took our uncle's phone number and then again dialled back to Puttu Mama informing him about our exact location so that he could come and pick us up.

By the time we hung the phone, we realized that the driver's balance had become zero. He had a very low balance remaining in his pre-paid phone, yet he had offered us help. Upon that, he simply denied the cash we offered. With his Rajini style and his mixed Tamil-cum-English words, he intended to say that it was a small help and wanted nothing in return. We felt guilty that we used up his remaining balance and could not repay it.

Helplessly, we stood there waiting for Puttu Mama. We were expecting him in 10 minutes and it was almost 20 mins of waiting, and there were no signs. We did not want to make yet another call from the driver's phone and so we simply continued to wait.

Nearby, was a huge hotel and we thought we could get some help in making calls at its reception. The reception was huge, and there were 2 men dressed in black suits. I told them my situation and requested if I could use the reception phone to make a local call. The brute reply that came out of the sophisticated receptionist was: "Sorry Madam, we cannot help you with this. We cannot let you make calls nor charge you for it". Phew... and there it ended. I walked out with thoughts of the extreme behaviour of the helpful average auto driver at one end and the posh-yet-blunt receptionists at the other.

After waiting for another 10-15 minutes, we felt that it is no point waiting for this long, as our uncle could be waiting at some other end trying to find us. So we decided to use the drivers phone one last time, but right away pay them back the cost of all the calls. Since that driver had no more balance remaining in his phone, he looked for other drivers and came back with a mobile phone so that we could make our call. Our uncle was waiting for us somewhere close by and we could spot him. After returning the phone, the drivers again denied to be repaid and we had a deeper sense of guilt now.

We had to repay their gratitude somehow. So Adarsh took out a sweet box out of his bag. We gave a box of our favorite Dharwad Peda to them and immediately we could see the expressions on their faces and a sense of relief on our faces too. They were delighted at it and a bigger crowd of auto drivers gathered in seconds and finished the sweets in no time. We soon sighted Puttu Mama and hopped into his car with a feeling of satisfaction and smiled at each other at the whole episode.

Heerekai Chutney

Well, I would like to call it fibrous chutney because its made of vegetable's skin and thus very fibrous and healthy. Its called heerekai sippe chutney - more famous as samandha in south kanara.

Ingredients:

1 big bowl - Heere kai sippe (thick skin of ridge gourd)
2 spoon coconut gratings
1 spoon urad dal
1 green chilly, 1 red chilly
tamarind - 1 small lemon size
a pinch of asafoetida (ingu)
2 spoon oil
salt to taste

Method:

(1) Semi cook the skin of ridge gourd and keep it aside. (can be cooked in cooker or in a pan with closed lid).
(2) Take a pan and put 2 spoons oil. Add urad dal to it. Once it turns brownish, add green & red chilly. Add asafoetida powder. Switch off the flame and then add coconut gratings.
(3) Mix (1) and (2) in a blender/mixie to form a consistent paste. Add water as needed.
(4) For seasoning: add mustard seeds and some urad dal in oil/ghee.

And there you go! Who said "all that tastes good is not healthy and all that is healthy tastes bad!" In this case: its healthy bhi... tasty bhi!

Serving suggestions: Serve it with curd rice or Dosa/Chapati/Idli.

Now you must be wondering "I use the fibrous peeled skin. well and good. But what do I do with the vegetable!!!" No worries. It can be used in making Dose. Follow my Khara Dose recipe here which shows you how to do just that.

Spicy Spaghetti

Today has been a lazy day... lazy to cook rice, but all excited and geared up to try some experimenting with spaghetti. I searched for some good recipes in the internet, but most of them wanted chilly sauce, vinegar, multi-purpose sauce and many other varieties. In my kitchen, you can simply find 1 bottle of tomato sauce and soy sauce. I have not tried other varieties of sauces for the simple reason that we seldom cook Chinese/Italian food and the sauce will be kept unused for months together and wasted ultimately.

So the below recipe is my own version of spaghetti, more suitable for Indian taste buds. Try it out, and i bet you will enjoy the new taste.

Indian Version Spaghetti Ingredients:

1 onion - chopped

1 bowl carrot - cut into match sticks size

1 bowl shredded cabbage

1 bowl capsicum - cut into thin long slices

1 small bowl onion springs - cut diagonally

1 spoon minced ginger & garlic

1 large bowl cooked & strained Spaghetti

1 spoon soy sauce 

1 spoon tomato sauce

4-5 spoons of oil

salt and white pepper - as per your taste.

Method:

Preparing Spaghetti:

Take approx 1 litre of water for around 100gms of Spaghetti. Bring the water to boil. Add a little salt. Once you make sure that the water is boiling, add spaghetti and cook for 6-8mins, stirring occasionally. Cook uncovered. Blanch with cold water, strain & keep aside.

Actual Preparation:

- Use a thick bottomed large wok and make sure to work on a high flame. Put 4-5 spoons of olive oil (or any oil that you prefer).

- Once the oil is hot, put ginger/garlic. Saute briefly and add onion.

- Add carrots, fry for a few seconds and then cabbage & capsicum.

- After they are semi-cooked, add soya sauce and tomato sauce. Stir well.

- Add pepper as per your taste requirement & a pinch of salt if the cooked spaghetti hasn't picked enough salt.

- Put the strained spaghetti onto the wok and mix thoroughly for 2 mins. Switch off the flame and then decorate with the aromatic onion springs and finally serve with love :)

Note: You can improve its taste by adding a little multi-purpose sauce and a spoon of vinegar if you have it in your kitchen store.

Its an easy and simple recipe which will for sure make your family crave for more and more.

Nostalgia

“Wow! Matching earings, matching bangles… you look gorgeous. ಏನೇ special ಇವತ್ತು?” ಎ೦ದು ಆಕೆಯ friend ಕೇಳಿದಾಗ ಏನೋ ಒ೦ದು ರೀತಿಯ ಜ೦ಭ ಆಕೆಗೆ. ತನ್ನ೦ತ ಸು೦ದರಿ ಬೇರೆ ಯಾರು ಇಲ್ಲ ಎ೦ಬ ಕಲ್ಪನೆ.

“ಏನು ಇಲ್ವೆ – ಹಾಗೆ ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ” ಅ೦ತ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾಳೆ.

“Look she is blushing” . ಉಳಿದವರೆಲ್ಲಾ ಕಿಟಿ-ಕಿಟಿ ಎ೦ದು ನಗುತ್ತಾರೆ.

---೦---

ಇಬ್ಬರು ಹುಡುಗಿಯರ shopping ಕಥೆ ಇದು…

ಎಷ್ಟು ಈ salwar-ಗೆ.

900 madam.

500ಕ್ಕೆ ಕೊಡ್ತೀರಾ?

ಎನ್ madam? Handmade work ಇದೆ ಇದ್ರಲ್ಲಿ. 800ಕ್ಕು ಕಮ್ಮಿ ಬರಕ್ಕೆ ಆಗಲ್ಲ.

ಹೊಗ್ಲೀ 600ಗೆ ಕೊಡಿ...

ಇಲ್ಲ madam. 600 ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಬೇರೆ ಯಾವುದಾದ್ರು price ಹೇಳಿ. ಕೊಟ್ಟು ಬಿಡ್ತೀನಿ.

ಹೌದಾ, ಹಾಗಿದ್ರೆ 610ಕ್ಕೆ ಕೊಡಿ…

ಹೀಗೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹೊತ್ತು ಚರ್ಚೆ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ. ಕೊನೇಗೆ, ಹುಡುಗಿಯರು 700ಕ್ಕೆ salwar purchase ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆಗ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಎನೋ ಒ೦ದು ತರಹದ satisfaction.

---೦---

ಒಹ್ ಹೊ. ಆ T.V ಗೆ 40,000 ಬೆಲೆ ಏನು! ಹಣವನ್ನು ಜೋಪಾನ ಮಾಡಿ wardwobe-ನಲ್ಲಿ ಇಡು ಮಗಳೆ. ಹೀಗಿನ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮನದಲ್ಲಿ ಏನೊ ಒ೦ದು ತರಹದ ಭಯಾ. ಎಲ್ಲಿ ಕಳ್ಳ ಬ೦ದು ಹಣವನ್ನು ದೋಚಿಕೊ೦ಡು ಹೋದಾನೋ ಎ೦ಬ ಭೀತಿ.

---೦---

ಹೊರಗಡೆ ಗುಡುಗಿನ ಸದ್ದು. ವಿಪರೀತ ಗಾಳಿ. ಮಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ತಾಯಿ ಇಬ್ಬರು terrace ಕಡೆ ಓಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹೊತ್ತಿನ ಮು೦ಚೆ ಬಟ್ಟೆ ಒಗೆದು ಒಣಗಲು ಹಾಕಿದ್ದರು. ಗುಡುಗು-ಮಿ೦ಚು ಬರುವುದನ್ನು ನೊಡಿ ಬಟ್ಟೆ ತೆಗೆಯಲು ಓಡಿದರು. ಸಹಜವಾಗಿ ಎದೆ ಬಡಿತ ಏರಿತು. ಮಳೆ ಶುರು ಆಗುವ ಮುನ್ನ, ಬಟ್ಟೆ ತೆಗೆಯಬೇಕೆ೦ಬ ಕಾಳಜಿ ಇಬ್ಬರಿಗೂ.

---೦---

ರಾತ್ರಿ 11:58. ಹುಡುಗಿ ಇನ್ನು ನಿದ್ದೆ ಮಾಡಿಲ್ಲ. ಕಳೆದ ಒ೦ದು ತಾಸು T.V ನೊಡುತ್ತಾ ಕಳೆದಳು. ಮನದಲ್ಲಿ ಏನೋ ಸ೦ತಸ, ಹುರುಪು. T.V program ಗಳಲ್ಲಿ countdown ಶುರು ಆದವು. ಹೊಸ ವರುಷಕ್ಕೆ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ ಇಡಲು ಇನ್ನು ಉಳಿದದ್ದು ಬರೀ 60 seconds ಗಳು. ಮನೆಯ ಸಮೀಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲೋ ಕೂಗಾಟ-ಕಿರುಚಾಟ, ನಗೆ ಮತ್ತು music ಸದ್ದು. ಜಗತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿರುವವರೆಲ್ಲ ತಮ್ಮ loved-ones ಒಡನೆ enjoy ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾ ಇರಬಹುದೇನೊ ಎ೦ಬ ಕಲ್ಪನೆ ಈ ಹುಡುಗಿಗೆ.

ಛೇ! ನಾನು ಎಷ್ಟು ದುರಾದ್ರುಷ್ಟವ೦ತೆ. How unlucky of me. Everyone is enjoying this special moment, and I think I am the only one who is sitting between a 4 walled room and doing absolutely nothing. ಹೀಗೆ ತನ್ನನ್ನು, ಮತ್ತು ತನ್ನ ಪರಿವಾರವನ್ನು ಇನ್ನು westernized ಆಗಿಲ್ಲವೆ೦ಬ ಕಾರಣ ಹಿಡಿದುಕೊ೦ಡು ಬೇಜಾರಿನಲ್ಲಿ/disappointment-ನಲ್ಲಿ ನಿದ್ದೆ ಮಾಡಲು roomಗೆ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾಳೆ.

---೦---

ಸ೦ಜೆ 7 ಗ೦ಟೆ. ನಾಳೆಯ ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆಗೆ ಇಬ್ಬರು ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರು group-studies ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. Phone ring ಆಯಿತು. Question Paper leak ಆಗಿದ್ದ ಸುದ್ದಿ ಕೇಳಿ ಇಬ್ಬರಿಗು ಖುಷಿ. ಕೂಡಲೆ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಪ್ರಷ್ನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಒ೦ದು ಕಾಗದದ ಮೇಲೆ ಗೀಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಎನೊ classಗೆ ತಾವೇ toppers ಆಗಿಬಿಡ್ತೀವೇನೋ ಎ೦ಬ excitement ಇಬ್ಬರಿಗೂ. ಮರುದಿನ ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ question paper ಸಿಕ್ಕಿದಾಗ ಇಬ್ಬರೂ ಮುಖ-ಮುಖ ನೋಡಿ ನಗುತ್ತಾರೆ.

---೦---

ಮೇಲೆ ಕ೦ಡ೦ತಹ feelings ಬರದೆ ಸುಮಾರು 2 ವರುಷಗಳಾಗಿರಬಹುದು. ಆ ಜ೦ಭ/ satisfaction/ ಭಯಾ/ ಕಾಳಜಿ/ ಸ೦ತಸ/ disappointment/ excitement ಇವೆಲ್ಲಾ Singapore ಹವಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವುದಿಲ್ಲವೊ, ಅಥವಾ ಮದುವೆಯಾದ ಕಾರಣದಿ೦ದ ನನ್ನ ಮೇಲೆ ಕೋಪ ಮಾಡಿಕೊ೦ಡು ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಹೊಗಿದ್ದಾವೊ, ನಾ ಅರಿಯೆ.

ಇ೦ತಹಾ ಹಲವಾರು feelings ನನ್ನೊಡನೆ ಸುಮಾರು ೨೦ ವರುಷ ಇದ್ದವು. ಆದರೆ, ಈಗ ಬೇರೆಯೇ ತರಹದ feelings. Responsibility/ maturity/ freedom/ technology ಇವೆಲ್ಲಾ ನಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಕ್ರಮಿಸಿಕೊ೦ಡ ಕಾರಣದಿ೦ದಲೋ ಎನೊ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ, ಆ ಹಳೆಯ ಅನಿಸಿಕೆಗಳು ಬರೀ ನೆನಪಾಗಿ ಉಳಿದಿವೆ. ಸ೦ತಸ, ಸ೦ಕಟ, ನಗೆ, ಮಜ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಈಗಲೂ ಉ೦ಟು, ಆದರೆ ಬೇರೆಯೆ ತರಹದಲ್ಲಿ.

ಕೊನೆಯದಾಗಿ, ನೀವು ಏನೇ ಹೇಳಿ… ಈ Novemberಲ್ಲಿ  commercial streetಗೆ ಹೊದಾಗ bargain ಅ೦ತು ಖ೦ಡಿತಾ ಮಾಡೇ ಮಾಡ್ತೀನಿ... ... ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಕ್ಷಣಿಕವಾಗಿ ಬದಲಾದರೇನು, shopping ವಿಷಯದಲ್ಲ೦ತೂ, ನಾವು ಹುಡುಗಿಯರು ಅಷ್ಟು ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿ ಬದಲಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ!!!

I Can, I Will...

Some of you might have heard about this diet called GM Diet (General Motors Weight Loss Diet). It is a seven day diet program. It is planned in such a way, that it cleanses your internal body and flushes away the impurities within your system. This program is targeted to those who want to lose weight.

During the diet, you need to follow the plan given in their website. You will basically live on fruits, veggies, milk and water for these seven days (for vegetarians). Non-vegetarians however have other options. For more details you can refer to this link:
http://msync.org/health/GeneralMotorsDiet.html

I thought why not give it a try. I do not want to loose any weight. I am however keen on cleansing my body. I am sure it will give a feeling of well being at the end of seven days.
To keep the spirit high, I thought why not blog my experiences :)

Key Factor: Drink atleast 10 glasses of water during this diet program

Day 1: Only fruits:
Eat as much fruits as you want (anything except banana).
So we went to the market and got Apples, Pears, Lychee, Rock Melon, Watermelon & Oranges. I think this will be sufficient for today. Actually I am feeling a little tired already. May be my body is getting prepared for it. :) I will get back with more updates tomorrow.

Day 2: Only Veggies:
For breakfast, eat one large boiled potato. Rest of the day, eat any raw/cooked vegetables of your choice.
I had 1 potato for breakfast. I prepared soup for afternoon (a simple mixture of tomato gravy, onion, capsicum, cabbage, & carrot gratings - cooked with very little salt).
(Check out in the above link for recipe of GM Soup). Also had 1 hour of cardio workout at the gym.

Day 3: Fruits + Veggies (except banana & potato):
I woke up this morning and I knew something was wrong. Man! I felt so weak and dizzy. I drank a big glass of water with glucose and rested for a while. :)
Then I began my day with apple, pears & carrot. For lunch I had watermelon, peach, carrot, cabbage & tender coconut. Dinner was beans, cabbage, tomato, pears & lychee.
You know what, life becomes so boring with only raw fruits & veggies. I realised it just now. I want some junk food. But I cant quit now :P

Day 4: Eight Bananas + 3 glass milk:
Aww finally some change. I was bored of eating only fruits & vegetables. Today I can eat banana & get some calcium out of milk. Also, I will prepare the GM wonder soup for lunch. Hope this day goes on smoothly. Will be back with more updates.

Day 5: Rice + Tomato:
You should feel lucky today to enjoy a bowl full of rice. Drink extra water today to flush off the extra uric acid produced in your body.

Day 6: Rice + Vegetables:
Again today you get to eat 1 bowl of rice and any amount of cooked/uncooked veggies. It was really tough for me to eat plain rice. So I had to break the rule. I ate curd rice with pickles. Hehe. I know, during a diet, pickle sounds a little junk. Afterall, rules are made to be broken :P

Day 7: Rice + Vegetables + Fresh Fruit Juice:
This is your last day of diet, so refresh yourself with fruit juice - as many as you want. Eat one bowl rice and (un)cooked veggies.
In the morning I did not find enough time to prepare juice. So I simply ate apple and drink lots of water. hehe. Let the processing happen in my stomach :P For afternoon I will be drinking kiwi & grape juice, also a cup of brown rice. For dinner it will be some veggie salad and fruit juice again.

Anyone wants to join me, start it rightaway. Lets walk towards feeling better :)

Adi is trying to distract me with Indian sweets, snacks and other junk food. Its right in front of my eyes. But i will not give up. :P
I know I can & I will succeed. Hehe :)

My LG Contest

I have submitted few entries at the online LG Contest that is taking place currently in Singapore. Check out my entries.

Below are the links to my entries: I would be happy to receive comments/ feedback/ suggestions

http://sincere.lge.com/1001148
http://sincere.lge.com/1001171
http://sincere.lge.com/1001462
http://sincere.lge.com/1001475
http://sincere.lge.com/1002851
http://sincere.lge.com/1003943
http://sincere.lge.com/1003945
http://sincere.lge.com/1004536
http://sincere.lge.com/1004542
http://sincere.lge.com/1004590
http://sincere.lge.com/1005186
http://sincere.lge.com/1005196
http://sincere.lge.com/1008158
http://sincere.lge.com/1008183

Tioman

It was to mark our 1.5 yrs of anniversary :)

Well Adarsh had booked a pair of tickets to Tioman Island (Berjaya Resort). Coincidentally it happened to fall on May 14th, which turned out to be our anniversary - one-and-a-half-year of marriage :)

One could reach Tioman via air (Berjaya airways) or by land (bus + ferry). We opted for the latter one. On Friday early morning, we set off and the journey was good. We reached the island by 2pm and we were really hungry by then.

I was excited about the chalet. It was the first time we were in a chalet.  "Wow! this is how a chalet looks" I exclaimed as we entered in. It looked great, but as we soon discovered, some lights were not working. The air-con looked old and worn out. The water in the bathrooms weren't hot enough. We were left with frowns on our face. We kept the reality aside and got busy with our lunch. We had to carry our chapati rolls and some fruits as we expected not-so-good-Indian-food (vegetarian) around Tioman. So, as soon as we checked-into our room (so-called-chalet), we got busy with our pet-pooja.

After lunch, we walked towards the beach. The sand was good - but it did not impress me. I imagined the water to be blue-green color. That's how it was in the internet. But I think they were just in the pictures. The beach seemed much like the rest of the beaches - "nothing special about it" I said to Adi as we walked along the beach side. 

All our trips had been great so far. We had fun and we came back happy and satisfied. But we thought, Tioman wasn't all that great after all. Somehow, all our friends who had been to Tioman, misled us telling that this was one of the best holiday spots. We blamed our friends and colleagues for telling such imaginary stuffs - the water looked pale, the sand wasn't all that great, the receptionists were not so well trained, and not to mention the hapless chalet. So far, nothing impressed us.

We found out soon that there was a trekking organised by the resort to the waterfalls nearby. But as I did not have my running shoes, we dropped the plan of trekking in the jungle. We explored a bit more of the resort - the pool, games room, restaurants and the spa. We were happy to find an Indian restaurant and walked back to our room in the evening deciding to have dinner at the Coriander Leaves (the only Indian Restaurant nearby).

Next day, we planned to snorkel after lunch and both of us were thrilled. I was unsure if I could get into 10-feet-deep water without knowing how to swim. As advised by the divers there, we wore our gadgets and made sure that our life jacket was tightened. We were taken in a boat to a small island nearby and we were left there to snorkel. There were around 50 others who seemed to be enjoying the clear-blue-waters. I followed Adi & got into water. The first glimpse I had into the water was like a dream! It was amazing. The water was clear, we could see the fishes move around, the water plants were at the bottom, there were sea urchins and sea cucumbers, fishes - small & big, and all those fascinating things one could imagine. I looked at Adi, removed my mask, smiled  & screamed - "wow this is the best holiday I have ever had".

The best part was I was swimming. If I flapped my hands like a swimmer, I moved forward. The life jacket kept me floating. So there was nothing to worry about. The next 1 hour was simply a dream. We were the last ones to return back the gadgets. We wanted more of it :)

We then came to the beach and spent some jolly good time there. The sunset was spectacular. I wanted to pause my life and enjoy that moment for ever. Nature's colors were at its best. Back in the resort, looking at the mirror I realized that we were fully tanned.

If you are planning to have a holiday at the beaches, put Tioman on top of your list. And again, put snorkeling on top of your list for things to do at Tioman. Berjaya resort is just an average one, but its one of the so-called best resorts around. But it does not matter at the end of the day as the island itself is marvellous. We made a mistake wasting our first day by not snorkeling. Plan a vacation to Tioman - go out for snorkeling, and then trek to the nearby waterfall, if you have more time snorkel around some more. And if possible, try to capture the dream with a water-proof camera. Sadly we didn't have one. But dreams are meant to be felt and sensed - not captured!

Check out some shots we took at the island:

I won... I won... I won!!!

Well, I sometimes try my luck participating in online quizzes or other contests that happen all the time in Singapore local websites. I saw a similar Sony ad which said that I could win a pair of movie tickets if I wrote a creative, meaningful and touching "Thank You" note for my friend.

So, my friend (of course Adarsh) had to send me an e-card (which was an invitation for a movie) after which I had to reply back with a thank you note :) Well, I thought why not write a small poetry and this is what I submitted :)

Sweetheart,

I just want to write a note to thank you...

I always have a great time whenever I am with you...

The sweet person who cares for me is you and only you!!!

I am so grateful for the love you have lent...

I truly appreciate the time you have spent...

I am for sure accepting the invitation you just sent!!!

With lots of Hugs & Kisses.
Rashmi

Wow... and as you can guess... I did win a pair of movie tickets to watch the movie "Bounty Hunter".

Be it big or small, I think this is my first ever online prize and I am sooo happy for it.

ಖಾರ ದೋಸೆ: Khara Dose - My Fav

- ದೊಸೆ ಅಕ್ಕಿ - 1 ಲೊಟ
- ಕಡಲೆ ಬೇಳೆ - 1 ಚಮಚ
- ತೊಗರಿ ಬೇಳೆ - 1 ಚಮಚ
- ಮೆ೦ಥ್ಯ - 1/4 ಚಮಚ
- ಉದ್ದು - 1 ಚಮಚ
ಮೇಲಿರುವ ಪದಾರ್ಥಗಳನ್ನು 1-2 ಗ೦ಟೆ ನೀರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನೆನೆಸಿಡಬೇಕು.

- ಧನಿಯ - 1 ಚಮಚ
- ಜೀರಿಗೆ - 1 ಚಮಚ
- ಕೆ೦ಪು ಮೆಣಸು - 5-6
- ಕಾಯಿ ತುರಿ - 5-6 ಚಮಚ
- ಬೆಲ್ಲ - ಲಿ೦ಬೆ ಗಾತ್ರ
- ಹುನಸೆ - ಲಿ೦ಬೆ ಗಾತ್ರ
- ಉಪ್ಪು - ರುಚಿಗೆ ತಕ್ಕ೦ತೆ
ಈ ಮೇಲೆ ಕಾಣುವ ಪದಾರ್ಥಗಳನ್ನು ಮೊದಲು 1-2 ನಿಮಿಷ ರುಬ್ಬಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ.
 ನ೦ತರ, grinder'ಗೆ ನೆನಸಿಟ್ಟ ಅಕ್ಕಿ + ಬೇಳೆಗಳನ್ನು ಹಾಕಿ. ತೀರ ನುಣ್ಣಗೆ ರುಬ್ಬುವ ಅಗತ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ. ರುಬ್ಬಿದನ್ನು ರಾತ್ರಿ ಇಡೀ ಹುದುಗು ಬರಲು ಬಿಡಿ.
 Option: ಸಮಯದ ಕೊರತೆ ಇದಲ್ಲಿ, ಬೆಳಿಗ್ಗೆ ರುಬ್ಬಿ, 15-20 ನಿಮಿಷದ ನ೦ತರ ಥಟ್ಟನೆ ದೊಸೆ ಮಾಡಬಹುದು. (fermentation is optional).

ದೋಸೆ ಹಿಟ್ಟಿಗೆ, ಚಿಕ್ಕದಾಗಿ ಕೊಚ್ಚಿದ ಹಸಿ ಕೋಸು ಹಾಕಿ ಬೆರೆಸಿ. ಅದನ್ನು ಕಾವಲಿಗೆ ಹಾಕಿ roast ಮಾಡಿ.
Option: ಕೋಸು ಹಾಕುವ ಬದಲು, ಸಿಪ್ಪೆ ತೆಗೆದ ಹಸಿ ಹೀರೆಕಾಯಿ/ಆಲುಗೆಡ್ಡೆಯನ್ನು slice ಮಾಡಿ, ಅದನ್ನು ಹಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಳುಗಿಸಿ, ಕಾವಲಿಯಮೇಲೆ ಒ೦ದೊ೦ದೆ ಜೋಡಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಹೋಗಿ (ಗೋಳ ಆಕಾರದಲ್ಲಿ). ಎರಡು ಬದಿ roast ಆದ ನ೦ತರ, ಬಿಸಿ-ಬಿಸಿ ದೋಸೆಯನ್ನು ತುಪ್ಪದೊ೦ದಿಗೆ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯಿ೦ದ ಬಡಿಸಿ.

( ಹಸಿ ಹೀರೆಕಾಯಿ ಅಥವಾ ಕೊಸು)

ಆಲಸ್ಯವಿದ್ದರೆ, ಅಥವಾ ಅವಸರವಿದಲ್ಲಿ, ತರಕಾರಿ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ, ದೋಸೆಯನ್ನು ಹಾಗೆ ಕಾವಲಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಹಾಕಿ ಮಾಡ ಬಹುದು.(Plain Dose) :)

(P.S. ಕಾಯಿ ಚಟ್ನಿ, ಚಟ್ನಿಪುಡಿ, ಉಪ್ಪಿನಕಾಯಿ - ಇದರೊ೦ದಿಗೆ, ದೋಸೆಯ ರುಚಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚುವುದು.)

Nippat Masala

You have some crispy nippat at home, and want to add on some taste to it, then here's what you you need:
Nippat, veggies, yogurt

Toppings:
- Carrot gratings
- Onion chopped into small pieces
- Yogurt
- Coriander leaf (optional)

Take the nippat in your palm and smear a thin layer of yogurt over it. Then simply dust over it some carrot gratings and onion pieces. Decorate it with coriander leaf. If you love the taste of coconut, then you can even scatter some coconut gratings over it, and then you are done!

Nippat is definitely a junk food, but since you are eating it along with fresh veggies, it would probably lessen its negative effects :P At-least at the end of it, you are satisfied and happy to say that you consumed some vitamin A & E. :D

Kids will love this, and so will you!

                                                           

Picture above: Adi could not wait for too long to taste it :-)

Your RUN! Your WAY!

I wondered Aww! I was in such a cosy place then... decades before. Life was so beautiful. Where have I landed today. It feels so strange now. "This way is blocked, you cannot proceed ahead." said the man dressed in khaki, interrupting my thoughts. We all had to take the diversion and move ahead.

The space was very crowded. It was as if a race had begun and everyone were busy looking out for their treasure. I was not well acquainted with the place, and I was not sure if I headed right. I felt its best to follow the crowd and so kept walking along with the rest.

"Simply take a left turn here and you will directly hit the rear entrance to the palace. Its just 5 minutes walk from there." said a passerby.
"I do not advice young girls like you to take that path. You better catch a cab and he will drop you at the right place. It wont cost you much." said another lady. - Oh young girl! I'm flattered. I thought.
"We need to be the first ones to reach the palace. So better hurry up & stop talking to strangers" said another woman to her teenage daughter.

Looking at everyones' pace, I questioned myself Am I into a race or something? It does not really feel like a race when you don't know where you are headed towards. At least there should be some announcements of the race. When did it start and when will it end? Will I be able to reach the finish line ever? I think I better hurry up.

I walked faster, and picked up pace. Soon I realized I had begun to RUN. I zipped past many people and moved faster-and-faster. Sometimes, I would take right and left turns only to realize that I returned back to the original crossroad which I had already passed by few minutes before. This race wasn't like my previous marathons where there were directions and boards indicating the distance covered. In that, you at least know your final destination and how much more is remaining to cover. There is no one to guide you here. Its your race, your way!!!

Not to mention the ups and downs. The scorching heat was melting me. I was sweating like never before. I wondered if I had to spend the rest of my life running like this. Wasn't there a cheat code or something like that which would simply take me to the finish line on click of a button. Hmm... wish there was one.

Did I not mention...? my parents too were with me. Yeah! I was not alone. They kept me moving. I even came across many known faces. My friends, colleagues, teachers, their kids and whole lot of others were all a part of it.

After a long journey, we finally bumped into some refreshments. After hydrating ourselves, we resumed our RUN. There wasn't enough time to relax. Just a few minutes later, I spotted Adarsh amongst the crowd. I never knew he was running too. We continued together from there on. The race was fun. Down the way, we clicked several pictures, met new friends, ate chocolates and cookies... giggling and singing all the way. Probably, by now, I had begun to love running. I don't mind running all my life with such wonderful people around me.

Now, this is what each one of our life looks like. Its a race after all. Before you realize you are into it, you would have begun to RUN. All you do is RUN... Sometimes slower, sometimes faster... Sometimes shortcuts, other times longer ones... Sometimes alone, sometimes with loved ones, and at times... with enemies too...

Well, I began my run somewhere-like-a 2 decades back or could be more than that. Just recently, I realized that it was a hard core race I got into! I am having fun though. Learn to enjoy your journey. Click a few snaps, hold your memories tight. Take breaks, refresh yourself. Talk to your neighbors and make new friends. Nourish yourself and always be prepared for hurdles. You are not the only one. Everyone is into it. Make your journey worthwhile. 

Remember: Life is a journey, not a destination!

Happy Journey Folks!

Go Nutz

Nutz Burfi recipe coming soon!!!!! :)

Go get some cashew, badam & raisins from the store...
more details to coming soon :)

Papaya Kiwi Smoothie

One big papaya, and so many kiwi fruits!!! So many, and just two of us to eat. So I decided to make a milk shake mixing both the fruits and it was not all that bad. I think you need to give it a try too :)

Ingredients:
Papaya - 2 bowls ripe papaya
Kiwi fruit - 2
Honey - 1 small bowl
milk - 1 cup
sugar - as per taste

Method:
Peel the papaya and kiwi fruit. Simply drop all above ingredients into a blender and mix them well until you get a smooth uniform mix... and you are done! As simple as that! :)

My mind wants me to run more, but my foot is tired...

I was good at sports in my school days. I always bagged a prize in athletic sports. But as I grew up, I had to concentrate more on studies, and all running activities/sports were left behind. Now, after almost a decade, I have got a chance to enjoy it allover again. Thanks to Adarsh! Thanks to life! :)

We registered ourselves for the upcoming marathon. Adarsh would be running for 22Km and me 7.7Km. He has had enough practice and is confident. But its not the same for me. I had to start my drill from scratch. I did face some problems during the course of practice. I was aware of the general running rules, yet I did not follow some due to which I faced a few severe pain and strain in my foot and ankles.

I am writing this from my own experiences. Some basic stuffs that you ought to know before and during your run:

1. Get the right running shoes.
2. Always do warm up exercises and a little stretching before you run. It is very important that your muscles and body is warmed up to avoid a muscle catch or nerve twist.
3. Drink enough water (before,during and after the run) and stay well hydrated.
4. Always run on flat surface. Avoid uneven surface. This is very important and you wont realise until you experience it yourself. If you compromise on this, you will end up hurting your knee/ankle soon - just like me. :'(
5. You will definitely sweat a lot. So wear the right kind of clothes that breathes and help you feel comfortable.
6. Always listen to your body. "No pain No gain" simply does not work here. If you feel the pain, immediately stop and rest yourself. Pain is an indication from the body asking you to stop doing what you have been doing. So, simply give it a break.
7. Eat healthy - Follow a well balanced diet and make sure you do not eat junk food at least on the day of your long run. If you are running more than 10Km, you definitely need to follow a strict diet atleast a week before your run.
8. You can give yourself a 5-10minutes massage for your legs (ankle, knee, shin muscle) every weekend, which helps your joints well lubricated. Over a long run, this will surely prove beneficial.

Even after taking these extra care, you may simply end up with a sprain or a strain. In such cases, you need to follow the simple RICE treatment.

RICE is an abbreviation for Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation

• Rest - The pain indicates that you need rest. So stop any such activities that could increase the strain and rest until the pain reduces.
• Ice - If there is swelling, then apply ice several times a day.
• Compression - You can get an ankle guard or a compressive bandage so as to support you ankle.
• Elevation - Elevate your ankle above the heart level when you go to bed. This reduces your swelling.

Even after all this, if it still bothers you, immediately seek help. Go to a doctor, or get a good foot massage from certified professional massage centres. don't sit back and wait for it to heal all by itself ;) like the way I did :)

And then, after your recovery phase, simply drink a litre of water, get on to your fav sport shoes on, ON YOUR MARK, GET SET and GO! Rock it!

Marvels of Acupressure

I started my marathon preparations from December second week onwards. It was exciting to prepare for a long run. I was keen about noting time, distance and speed. The first time all I could run was 1.5Km which took me 10:56mins to complete. It was an easy run. I ran thrice every week and increased by 1Km by the end of the week. I went on well until 4.5Km. I took around 6mins/Km which I consider good enough for me. But then one sad day, this disaster had to happen :'(

Don't know when and how exactly it happened. I did not twist my leg anywhere, may be running at this rate was not fair enough for my flat feet. My right ankle started aching. I knew something was awry. As always, I neglected it and thought it would be fine in a day or two. So, again after 2 days I set out to run. But this time I could only run half a kilometer. Something was seriously wrong and I knew I had to listen to my feet. I went back home immediately and applied some oil and massaged my foot. Alas, it didn't help much. After few days, we got an ankle guard which supported my foot and helped me to some extent. Adarsh insisted that we go to a doctor, but I was reluctant and lazy as always. Pills never worked on my foot ever. I have had sprains and pain in my foot earlier. But they always heal themselves.

15 days of pain and it was high time I do something than just massage, internet guidance, multivitamin tablets and pain killers. Adarsh's manager, an athlete himself, suggested to go to a Chinese Acupressure Center who was specialized in bone ache, muscle pain and sprains.

I now either had to go to the doctor or try this new stuff. Going to the doctor only makes me gulp more tablets. Yuck!!! I hate pills. So, I did some research on the web about Chinese acupressure and thought it was best to give it a try.

We took an appointment and headed towards China Town after work.
The treatment was 25minutes of massage and it cost $20.

The specialist studied my feet and asked if I had any history of sprains or fractures. He soon learnt the exact point of pain. It was amazing. He applied pressure with his thumb and forefinger. Of course it hurt a lot when he pressed at the point where the pain originated. He kept saying "no pain no gain" every 10 minutes. :) I had to bear the pain. He continued applying pressure in different rhythms for nearly 40minutes with his aromatic massage oil.

To my surprise, he could pin-point the pain which I myself did not know. Earlier, I simply massaged my sore foot with visible green veins which had popped up due to strain. He then advised me to take 7-10 days rest though I could carry out my usual activities the normal way. I was advised not to run long-runs for next few days. He almost promised me that the pain would reduce soon.

We returned back home feeling satisfied. A 25 minute massage, which he actually did for almost 45 effective minutes. This was the best treatment I have ever had. The pain during the massage actually made me feel good. Because, now I knew the precise point where it hurts. I knew the pain would soon vanish. I had a good sleep and as you would expect, it was less painful the following days. Now, a week after the treatment, the pain is gone. I would rate 10 on 10 for the wonderful service provided at Chinese Acupressure Centre.







Thanks Eric!