Indians are great eaters and great fighters and their most favorite fight is their fight for food. With so many states and endless cuisines every one has their favorite cuisine and unique customizations. Our love for food continues through out the year and the festivals which mark the calendar every month , the wedding season which is an integral part of our lives, a baby shower , a fun-fair, a house warming or this or that, every event just strengthens our food-bond.We worry about weight and take the new-year resolution to lose weight only to break it later on in the year when festive season starts :- ) :- ). Jokes apart, the first and the foremost thing which people in India miss when they move to abroad is the food here.
The food love of people can be seen on the facebook. Come the dawn of any day you can see too many food pics on your facebook news feed. Some times I wonder if I can dig in to the "feed/ food" with a spoon and fork and relish but sadly I can only watch the wide range of foods mercilessly shared on my wall ! The prompt this week on project 365- "Seconds" lead to my status update last sunday where I had a funny discussion with the authors of project - 365 - Sid and Sakshi :) The status goes like below.
"Going
through the news-FEED as and when I woke up confused me. I felt I was
reading animated online Menus of restaurants all over the world
There are so many cuisines explained on my wall, that I can actually
get a plate and spoon and dig in to the news-food I mean the feed !
Definitely the first and last love of most of the FB junta is food
(whether it is tasty or not is an open que ). Today my Faacebook looks like Food-book. From healthy to greasy to greeny - I have all kind of foods on my wall. This gives me an idea for the next theme Sakshi Nanda and Sid Balachandran "
I did not post this to make all others admit their guilt. I posted this as I was amused to see the food love of FB junta. From morning till evening the only bond which never fades is the food bond. A person may leave your side but food will never leave your side. It will be your honest companion for ever ! Some call the artistic way of presenting food as food porn , but not all presentations generate that tantalizing feeling on our taste buds. Some clicks are not at all appetizing. You can actually hear the echoing burps from those half emptied plates and utensils. Presenting food is also a great art which only few master at. You should be an excellent photographer too if you want to make your food look good. Sigh! Too many good cooks fail in this aspect as they don't have the presentation skills!
Anyway before I lose the track, I want to get back to the subject of the matter ->which is food ;) . This status update triggered my thoughts and I finally had enough food for my post this week :) . The word "Seconds" made me all dreamy as all my favorite foods got projected in my mind's eye. Which food should I choose and explain in detail? If I chose the aromatic Chicken Biryani my mom cooks, the haleem made by my dear husband will definitely feel bad as they both win the race when it comes to teasing your taste buds. If I chose my favorite naturals ice cream with all the fruit flavours, the eclairs cake made by mom will get angry and stop melting in my mouth like it always does. What about that Bombay chat bhandaar, that yummy Kareem's kebab, the unforgettable Hyderabadi double ka meetha, the mouth watering gol gappe, the hot MTR's idli sambaar in Bangalore, Rasgolla of Kolkata and so on so forth.
I already have a tickling feeling on my taste buds. Before I get attacked by the imaginary aromas let me list down my mom's cuisines which deserve not just the second but third , fourth and "n" number of servings. We had a small festival at home the same day I updated the status message above. I thought of updating the pics on FB but on a second thought I decided to share them in this blog post. The occasion was the gyarmi ka Fateha or Gyarveen which is celebrated in the memory of Abdul Khader Jilaani a Persian Islamic preacher who is highly esteemed by Sunni scholars! Most of them in South India celebrate this, distribute food among poor and invite friends/ relatives to the feast!
Every celebration is just an excuse to eat in India! Even if we are diet conscious some times it is extremely tough to resist our love for food. The below are the food items made by mom on the festive day.
Mutton Biryani
Chicken Shorba (gravy) - Yummilicious of all
Dal-cha (Hyderabadi delicacy)
Bhaaji and Raaita
Zarda (a simple sweet dish made with rice)
The Hyderabadi mutton/ chicken dum biryani is to die for but it is no match when compared to mutton biryani made by my mamma. The fragrance of biryani reaches the garage from the 7th floor where we stay!
Mutton Biryani made on Gyarmi
This is a file photo . Biryani made on my bday. A ladle of this Biryani is enough to take you till the gates of heaven. I can vouch for it and my apologies to the hardcore vegetarians
Dal-cha is an authentic Hyderabadi cuisine. It is made with various kind of dals and choicest spices . The aroma will make you crave for it. Below video shows an easy to make Dal cha recipe.
Chicken gravy made my mom is extremely delicious. We even have chicken shorba soup with pepper before having the main course . Trust me it is the chicken soup for soul , heart , mind , brain and every thing. It energizes me and is a best cure for the common cold and many other ailments. Below is the snap shot of yummy Chicken Shorba (We call it sherva in south) . If you are a non vegetarian you should taste shorba atleast once in life! This link has 16 different recipes of Chicken Shorba - just check - Chicken Shorba recipes
Yummy chicken Shorba
Raaita is a delicious gravy and we all (Indians) are very much aware of it. Curd is well beaten and spiced up with onions , harimirch (green chilli) , Kothimeer (coriander) and salt as per the quantity. This is very tasty and goes well with Hyderabadi biryani!
Raita made at home
Zarda is a sweet dish made with rice. You can find a detailed recipe here. It is topped with fried cashews and kismis (raisins) and I am sure any one will love it just after having biryani! Other sweet dishes which are made by mom are Sheer Khurma and Dum ke sevayyan . They are usually made during Ramzan and if you have tasted it once there is no need to give details of it. When sheer khurma melts in your mouth you just feel like getting soaked in that flavor, taste and aroma!
Zarda and the cashew and kismis toppings
Sheer khurma and Dum ke Sevayyan
I will not post more pics and torture you. I will end my post just with one more surprise which will give nawabi feel to this luncheon and also my blog post ! Nothing will give you a high than the sweet pan after having biryani. Hyderabadis have special chai too and they think it is good for digestion but I love having pan ! Yes I am crude :P I just love the sweet pan . There are many varieties in paan too
And do remember to work out little extra in the gym the next day ! Have fun . Have a feast :)
Note: Do not waste food. If you have extra food during parties and weddings please call the food banks or orphanages and NGOs. They will be more than happy if you offer help. There are help line numbers too in your respective cities. Find out the details. We do the same in Hyderabad!
[This post is written for the Project 365 program at We Post Daily aimed
at posting at least once a day, based on the prompts provided. I am the
guest author for the month of February. The prompt for today is "Seconds- Describe the most satisfying meal you’ve ever eaten, in glorious detail."]
Some of my food posts from archives if interested -
When I read "surreal" all I could think of was traveling and how poetic my thoughts become when ever I travel. I have been to Manali in the year 2012 when I used to stay in Delhi. The 3-day travel experience is a memorable one and the trip included many things which I did for the first time. In this post I want to narrate my first rafting experience and the visit to Rohtang Pass which was challenging! God cannot be everywhere, so he created
mother. I very much agree but I want to modify it a bit. If you look
around,God is everywhere and it feels motherly! Whenever you are near
to mother nature, it always feels you need nothing else as you are
already in God’s lap and her various phenomena are so very much
intertwined with one’s own life! “The path leading to love is always a tough one. You have to walk in a storm or scorching heat and it is no fun. At times you are surrounded by folks, at times there is none. But you are love-thirst and wanderlust and walk and walk as you have sworn!”
River Beas in Manali
“Paths are smooth, paths are rough, paths are torn and new paths are born. You walk with a desire so strong that paths are always shown. A river flows with more speed due to rough wind or when it hits a stone. Be like that river which no matter what flows with high spirits all alone!”
These were the first lines I wrote when I saw the hills , the gushing icy cool river water , pine trees and much more. It felt like a dream land. People say - "What is life with out
some adventure?" . I am zero adventurous but first time tried rafting that
too in rough waters and loved the experience. I always was and am little hydrophobic and keep imagining that bridge may get destroyed and that the wave may eat me up
but after 2-3 icy cold waves I felt it like a friendly wave waving hi to me :- ) ! It is a memorable experience after which we went to Manikaran -not to say thanks
to GOD for saving us from water but to see the hot water springs and
to silently wish that we should over come our fears
eventually!! Manikaran (Punjabi: ਮਨੀਕਰਨ) is located in the Parvati
Valley between the rivers Beas and Parvati, northeast of Bhuntar in the
Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh. It is at an altitude of 1760 m and
is located about 45 km from Kullu. This small town attracts tourists
visiting Manali and Kullu to its hot springs and pilgrim centers. (Source :wiki)
Manikaran Hot water springs
Rafting
Our day 2
in the itinerary was to visit Rohtang pass. I actually want to
rename the place as Rohtang DUR (far) as
we spent a good 6hrs on the road to cover a mere 52kms which will not
take more than 2hrs! The trip increased our patience, controlled our temperament, taught us to cooperate with each other and reminded GOD and gave the stark realization that the godly places are always tough to reach!
This was when we started
Rohtang Pass (Hindi: रोहतांग दर्रा) (Bhoti: Rohtang , lit:
pile of corpses, due to people dying in bad weather trying to cross the
pass) (altitude 3,978 m or 13,051 ft). It
is a high mountain pass on the eastern Pir Panjal Range of the
Himalayas around 51 km (32 mi) from Manali. It connects the Kullu Valley
with the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys of Himachal Pradesh, India.(Do refer wiki to know more.) and I am dedicating the below poem written long back to this road journey.
Some times road is smooth some times with friction.
Some times life is real some times with fiction!
Road has many milestones to cross.
Life has many phases to pass!
Road shows us mirages at times.
Life shows us dreams And dimes!
Road ends with destination.
Life ends with re-incarnation!
--------By Afshan----
The first glance of Himalayas was some thing like below which made me sing "Kyun nai lagrahi hai ye dharti gagan . Maine Poocha to boli ye pagli pawan Pyar hua chupke se"
- It is a song from the Hindi movie 1942 a love story. Call me mad, I
was even changing songs on my I-pod so that they suit the locations. The below
one is the most classic shot . Don't you feel like living in that house
along with grazing horses and cattle? It is like living in heaven.
The below
pic shows the back yard of the house where we asked permission to go to
loo. I clicked so many pictures here. I wanted to stay there for long but
as driver started scaring us mentioning the land slides and the traffic
jam we left the spot. Isn't the spot dreamy ?
As we
started taking turns and zig zags it started getting hazy , foggy and
icy. We visited in the month of July and hence we did not experience any snow fall . It was actually the best time to visit Rohtang pass as
during winter all the roads will be blocked with ice chunks which are
about 5ft in depth. Sometimes people get stuck due to land slides and
when there is no transport they may also die it seems hence the title of
the place - "Rohtang. Not sure how many hot bhutta (corn) and tea breaks
we took. Nothing passed the time and we were exhausted as we were stuck
at the same spot for a good 2 and 1/2 hours. Finally the traffic moved slowly after a total halt of 3 and 1/2 hrs. The ice
chunk was dirty as there is sadly no snow fall. The road flanked by ice on both sides made me sing the song - Ye ishq haaye baithe bithaye jannat dikhaye
from Jab we met. The song was shot on these roads and I
was continuously recollecting the song when our driver mentioned it.
Needless to say I tuned to the same song on my I-pod :) Trips and
bollywood go hand in hand!
The day was
both sunny and icy which troubled my sinuses. Many people puked on the
way. I was later told it is called Acute Mountain Sickness. We ate
nothing but still people were following the ritual to puke one by one
which made the atmosphere uneasy and I got a bad head ache.We were lured by the shops on the way , who charged some 500 for
the jacket and the special boots which we took on rent. Boots were useful but
jacket was a waste as it was not freezing!
Isn't
the above scene scenic? After all the hard ships , too many people
falling sick in our jeep and an unnerving traffic jam it was worth it
when we touched the ice. We were actually on the Himalayas. That made me sit
on cloud 9 :)
I started
feeling slightly cold as it was evening 5 and as we ate nothing since
morning my stomach started rumbling and the head ache got worse. I just
rested on the shining rocks by the side for a while where we got a
chance to get clicked again.
Finally this
stall made me happy. We had piping hot ginger chai(tea) and maggi .
Where ever you go you can find solace in maggi - the universal food and
you can say the staple food of hill stations in India. Due to dizziness
and nausea-tic feeling I couldn't have more than 2 spoons :(
Maggi - hot
The sight of this energized us
The below pic is my most favorite. I appreciate myself every time I see it . My best Rohtang pass pic
Lastly my
pic with my favorite travel partner - Harnoor from Chandigarh who made
me smile all the way with her silly jokes and doubts . She was a relief
when ever the journey seemed endless. Enjoyed her company hence a click
was must. Among other partners there were Harnoor's parents , 3 fiery,
feisty girls who worked in Delhi and Gurgaon, who were very co-operative
and offered us the middle and front seats when the back seat of the
jeep made us sick! Half of the clan fell sick and I just wanted the trip
of that day to end but in the return journey we again faced a jam
though it was not a prolonged one!
we enjoyed the sledge ride too on the ice where the person pushes the sledge down the ice slope.
me with Harnoor
Thus
our trip ended and even if the journey was little stressful I can never
ever forget this first time Himalaya experience in my life.
My
next dream destination is Leh- Ladakh. A tunnel is being constructed
from Rohtang to Ladakh to travel in all seasons. The works get halted
now and then as its very challenging to build the "tunnel" due to extreme weather conditions. I hope it soon gets completed .Next
time probably I will go to Ladakh and see a real snow fall. Lastly a beautiful song for you all which continuously played in my mind on that day (It was shot in Rohtang Pass).
[This post is written for the Project 365 program at We Post Daily aimed at posting at least once a day, based on the prompts provided. I am the guest author for the month of February. The prompt for today is "Whoa!- What’s the most surreal experience you’ve ever had?"]
I was reading Arabian Nights that night and reliving my childhood days. I finished "Alibaba and the forty thieves," "Sindbad the Sailor" and finally came to the page where "Alladin and the magic lamp" tale starts. I was immersed in the story and flipped the page by gently touching it so as not to destroy the brown tattered pages of the book! Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light. I instantly closed my eyes. When I opened I saw a bluish white genie glowing in the bright light holding a pile of books. My jaw dropped and I couldn't speak anything more than , "Who are you?!"
The genie: "You rubbed the page and here I am at your service. You rubbed the exact spot where I live. If you observe carefully you touched the spot with the picture of the magical lamp." Me: "But you are supposed to come out of the lamp right?" Genie : "But I am the reading and writing genie. You can also call me Wordinie!" Me: "Is that your name?" Genie: "Yes. I live in books and grant the reading and writing wishes. I am the bestest genie and you will not regret having me master." Replied the genie with an air of importance by folding his arms as a gesture of respect. Me: "I am still in shock. If you lived in this book, were you not summoned before?" "Of course I was summoned a couple of times. But I appear only if the pages are gently touched. Few readers were reckless. They swiftly turn the pages and don't relish reading. I don't grant wishes to such impatient readers." "Oh! Then I am the lucky one Wordinie. I feel glad." I replied smiling broad.
Wordinie bent his head low and conjured few books for me instantly based on my taste, interest and mood!
I jumped with joy. "Wordiniee. How do you know all this?" "They call me Wordinie for a reason master! I know everything." From that day Wordinie became my best friend. He is like my guardian, my sooth sayer, my best pal and my everything. I need no friends when Wordinie is around. What can be the biggest treasure than having a room full of books!? Wordinie also built a magnificent library just for me in nano seconds. It looked better than an ancient British library and it is trendy and humongous. It looked like the replica of Mysore Palace! Books were neatly categorized and placed in each floor. If first floor is for fiction, second is for non-fiction, third for poetry and fourth for fun and humor. If fifth hosted the suspense / thriller books, sixth and seventh have the general literary and self help books, eighth one has classics , Ninth has comics and kids books, Tenth - which is the top most floor has the legendary books like "The Fountain Head," "Atlas shrugged" and many more which are on top of all. As they are books which can never be forgotten Wordinie placed them on top of all the books! When I first saw the library it felt more than magical. I couldn't believe my eyes. I for sure felt I was in a dream and my mom will soon pinch me hard or splash water on my face to wake me up from my deep slumber. But none of this happened and I actually entered in to the magical library named as- "The Royal Library"-For the one who wants to get lost in the books! I did a jig in my heart and hugged Wordinie who was pleasantly surprised by my act! The set up inside will surely make you all jealous. Needless to say it was calm , soothing and enthralling. Depending on my mood and the book I am reading the look and feel of the corner where I am engrossed in the book or the floor where I am walking to select a book changes! For instance if I am reading Harry potter and I am in a page where Harry , Hermione and Ron are walking in the forbidden forest, I almost become one among them as my surroundings become forest like. Sometimes Wordinie even surprises me by placing a sorting hat on my head. I can even wish in my head and my surroundings instantly change as per my wish. Once I was thinking to myself to sit in the Gryiffindor common room and relish the chapter where Sirius black talks to the trio from the fire place and the next minute I was snuggled on the red comfortable couch of the Gryffindor common room.
The corner of my library which resembles the gryffindor common room :) The scene changes depending on the book/ story - Image source : here
The
magic doesn't stop there. Wordinie even surprises me with a hot mug of
chocolate or mug of frothing butter beer now and then. The royal library
is my home. No one can find me there as it is just conjured for me.
Every one else will just see an old heritage building in the place where
my royal library is built. This fact fills my heart with thrill and
over joy. No one stands in between me and my books. Not even the
facebook or a free wy fi. If I am reading Ruskin Bond I can see snow out of my window. .If I am reading any Indian book I get a hot glass of kaapi to go with the book! If I am reading a crime-thriller the library transforms and has a mystic ambience and there were moments when I was scared to death while reading the paranormal books and the genie had to turn off the new changes :) ! Same happens when ever I write. The aura around me instigates my mood and I can write more and more. If I am very emotional and am trying to write a nostalgic post then my atmosphere is so calm that even my words echo from my blog or my paper. If I am happy it is all vibrant with bright flowers and a sunny back ground. If I am writing about movies / current affairs Wordinie projects the data and pages on a near by wall which I have to go through while writing. Under normal circumstances I have to sit in-front of my laptop and open 100s of windows google searched by me for may be an hour, so as to be sure of what I am writing but with a genius genie like Wordinie around me my present effort is cut to 1/10th of my earlier effort! Wordinie obviously provides the free wyfi when ever I am in the mood to write. Rest of the time its all "No Wyfi- Only Read" time. If my wrist is paining he types the words for me. I just sit there and dictate munching some cup corn or biting a chocolate bar! I daily go there and read for hours and hours
and come back home bubbling with enthusiasm and overwhelm. With wordinie around my days are bright and nights are always spent in the anticipation of how to plan the reading hours for the next day! On one such fine sunny day when I was reading "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain sitting by the window from where I had a view of Mississippi river Wordinie approached me. I instantly recognized that he was not in his usual high spirits. His dull / droopy face bothered me. "What's wrong Wordinie. You don't seem OK ?" I asked. "The time has come to leave master." Wordinie replied.
The earth below my feet shattered. I couldn't bear the thought of Wordinie abandoning me.
Me: "What ? But why?"
Wordinie: "Another master summoned me and there are no other genies available so I have to go."
Me: "But there should be some arrangement right?" It first time stuck me that I never bothered about the world of genies from the day I met. That second a surge of questions popped in my head and were fighting with each other to come out of my mouth! Wordinie: "If there is shortage of the available genies then we have no other go master. We have a leader who decides all this!" replied the genie with finality in his voice.
I was speechless even if I wanted to shout loud and express my displeasure. Wordinie hugged me and tears welled up in my eyes. Wordinie: "Don't worry master. We will meet some other time. The books I gave to you will be with you but I am very sorry as I have to dismantle the royal library. It will be owned by some one else now!"
I burned with anger and jealousy that second.
Wordinie: "But you are one of my most favorites. I planned a surprise for you at your home. Hope you will enjoy that. Till then adieu master!" Saying so Wordinie shook my hands and vanished. The royal library vanished along with him and I was in the mid of the road with my books sack. I rushed to my bed room to witness the stylish book rack below.
I wanted to kiss Wordinie the same moment. I longingly looked at the page which hosted Alladin's lamp as Wordinie said it will glow bright when he decides to meet me next...
[This post is written for the Project 365 program at We Post Daily aimed at posting at least once a day, based on the prompts provided. I am the guest author for the month of February. The prompt for today is "Writing room- A genie has granted your wish to build your perfect space for reading and writing. What's it like?"]
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