Category: Drinks

Summer 2014 Mocktails
Come summer, come heat and sweat!! All one could possibly pray for in this season is either rains or a refreshing glass of cool drink. With the growing concern regarding health, many prefer to opt for the natural substitute to the drinks rather than the aerated varieties in the market. The problem is, natural is often least appealing. Fret not friends, your prayers seems answered. Here’s a refreshing mix of art and colour with nature. Whether it’s planning a party, a mid-day snack or if it’s a healthy non-alcoholic option you need for your next family and friends meet, these virgin drinks meet the demands across all age groups. And the best part is, they are delicious. The drinks are full of flavour —subtle, fruity, or just plain refreshing.

MINT JULEP

You’ve got a new party favourite across all age groups. It’s a perfect alcohol-free take on a classic party favourite.

Calorific Value: 140 calories Serves: 1

Ingredients
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup castor sugar
- 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves
- 2 cups crushed ice
- ½ cup lemonade
Directions
- In a saucepan, add water, sugar and the chopped mint leaves.
- Heat the mixture. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Cool the syrup. After an hour, strain out mint leaves.
- Fill the serving glass with crushed ice.
- Add lemonade to the ice and top up with a dash of the prepared syrup.
- Garnish with a mint sprig.
CARIBBEAN SUNSET

No one in the family or friends meet is ever going to miss alcohol after they drink this exciting and refreshing mix of wonders!!

Calorific Value: 140 calories Serves: 1

Ingredients
- 1 cup Sprite
- ½ cup Orange Juice
- ½ cupLemonade
- orange / lemon wedge and cherry for garnish
Directions
- Fill your serving glass of considerable length half full of ice
- To this, add the orange juice and lemonade
- Add sprite on top and give a good stir.
- Garnish with an orange / lemon wedge and cherry
LONG ISLAND TEA

Taste the original minus the alcohol!!

Calorific Value: 102 calories Serves: 1

Ingredients
- 1 cup Coke
- 1 cup Lemonade
- 1 cup Unsweetened Black Tea
- lemon wedge
- crushed ice
Directions
- In a tall glass, fill half with crushed ice.
- To this add equal quantities of coke and lemonade
- Top the mixture with unsweetened black tea. Stir.
- Garnish with lemon wedge
COSMO – TO – GO

A classic take on the cosmopolitan martini without the alcohol. Ahh!! Heaven!!

Calorific Value: 182 calories Serves: 1

Ingredients
- 1 cup Lemonade
- 1 cup Cranberry Juice (any citrus juice of choice)
- 1 cup lime syrup
- Lemon wedge
Directions
- Take a shaker and fill it with crushed ice
- Into the ice, carefully add the prepared lemonade, cranberry juice and lime syrup.
- Recap the shaker and shake well till all the ingredients are evenly mixed
- Strain into a martini glass
- Garnish with a lemon wedge
RED SANGRIA

Who said you need wine to shake up Sangria!!

Calorific Value: 200 calories Serves: 1

Ingredients
- ¾ cup of Pomegranate Juice
- ½ cup of Orange Juice
- ¼ cup Apple Juice
- Splash of Soda
- 1 orange wedge and cherry for garnish
Direction
- Take a tall thin glass and fill half full of ice
- Combine the juices – pomegranate juice, orange juice, apple juice and stir
- Add a splash of soda on top
- Garnish using cherry and orange wedge
SWEET ‘n’ SOUR SLIDE

Craving for a glass of cold whiskey? Here’s a healthy alternative

Calorific Value: 148 calories Serves: 1

Ingredients
- ¾ cup Sprite
- ¾ cup Pineapple Juice
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- pineapple wedge for garnish
Directions
- Fill a glass with half full ice
- Add to it sprite, pineapple juice and lemon juice in the given quantities. Stir well
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge
PEACH COLADA

An all year round favourite!!

Calorific Value: 350 calories Serves: 1

Ingredients
- ¾ cup Peach smoothie
- ½ cup Vanilla flavoured non-fat yogurt
- ¼ cup Coconut Syrup
- 2 cups ice
- 1 scoop whipped cream
- 1 peach slice for garnish
Directions
- In a blender or food processor, add the peach smoothie, yogurt, coconut syrup and ice; blend till smooth
- Pour into a serving glass of choice
- Garnish with whipped cream and a peach wedge
TROPICAL MANGO COLADA

A mocktail for all people across all seasons!!

Calorific Value: 200 calories Serves: 1

Ingredients
- 1 cup Vanilla flavoured non-fat yogurt
- ¼ cup mango juice
- 1 tbsp coconut syrup
- 2 cups ice
- 1 scoop whipped cream
- 1 tsp toasted coconut flakes
- 1 tsp toffee bits
- 1 mango slice for garnish
Directions
- In a blender or food processor, add the mango juice, yogurt, coconut syrup and ice; process until smooth
- Pour into a serving glass of choice
- Garnish with whipped cream, coconut flakes and sprinkle toffee bits on top. Add a mango wedge on the glass edge
ROMAN HOLIDAY

Not only is it bright, it is also light! A perfect night party drink!

Calorific Value: 210 calories Serves: 1

Ingredients
- 1 cup Orange Juice
- ¾ cup Lemonade
- 1 tsp caramelized sugar
- 1 orange wedge, lemon wedge and mint sprig each for garnish
Directions
- Fill a serving glass half full of ice
- Add the orange juice and lemonade along with caramelized sugar in the glass of ice; squeeze and add the orange wedge; stir well
- Garnish with a lemon wedge and a mint sprig
Georgie Rajan
June 15, 2014
How Food Affects your mood

It’s a known fact that fast foods are harmful to your health. It has been well documented and has been explained a lot. But you might be surprised to know that eating the wrong food might affect your mood severely. Recent researches have shown that the food you eat adversely affects your mood and it is necessary to eat foods which have certain nutrients which are called “happy nutrients” to lead a healthy and happy life. Turns out our fast-food diet, with all those processed chemicals and hardly any nutrients, throws off our body’s feel-good chemistry. Drew Ramsey, M.D., co-author of “The Happiness Diet”, says that eating the wrong foods can add to our daily stress and make us feel anxious, lethargic, and downright grouchy. What’s worse, a diet that deprives our brains of much-needed “happy” nutrients also makes us fat. When you’re stressed out, you’re more likely to reach for high-calorie junk foods that pack on the pounds, fueling a never-ending unhappiness cycle that goes like this: You eat bad, then you feel bad, so you eat worse, and then you feel even worse.

Happy Food

There is no such thing as food which gives instant happiness but certain foods have the tendency to give a positive vibe which might have a positive effect on our mood. Imagine a pleasant day, a plate with bright green spinach topped with caramel-colored crunchy nuts, dried fruits and a generous serving of chocolate syrup garnished on top. Immediately you feel a sense of happiness. You start feeling light. Food has such positive effects on your brain. Your favorite food can keep you happy. Omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, tryptophan, folate and other B vitamins, low glycemic foods, and chocolate have all been studied to assess their impact on mood. These foods are part of a healthy diet and when you have a healthy diet you feel about your body and confident that your food is not going to affect your body. This ultimately has a positive impact on your mood.

Chocolates are the most common happy foods. They have a very strong effect but the happiness is short lived. But if you want to feel good most of the time rather than in short bursts, then you need to build up your neurotransmitter levels in your brain. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that send and receive information around the brain and body. One of the best ways of doing this is to ensure that you have enough folate in your diet. A diet with plenty of dark green leafy vegetables, Brussels sprouts, endives, spinach and silver beet provides plenty of folate. Folate is killed by heat, so it’s important that the vegetables aren’t cooked too much. To improve your overall mood, you need to work on improving your serotonin levels. Anyone affected by seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, will be low on serotonin. Walnuts and Lentils are high serotonin foods. The food which has highest degree of happiness in them is fish, especially salmon. Salmon is packed with vitamins D and B12 as well as omega-3 fatty acids. And it is also good for boosting your serotonin levels, helping to fight off depression and lift your mood. Another common “happy food” is banana. Eating bananas boosts the dopamine levels in your brain, which reduces depression. They are also high in vitamin B6 and magnesium. Foods high in magnesium and B6 help you make GABA, the neurotransmitter that calms people down. People who don’t have enough GABA are anxious and tend to be less happy.

The Foods to Avoid

Most people suffer from hypertension and increased sugar levels because of their depression which is caused by work pressure. But researches show that the food you eat can also negatively impact your life in general your mood in particular. It is important to avoid certain depressing foods. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. If you have a history of a mood disorder, proceed with extreme caution. Your central nervous system is responsible for taking in information through the senses, controlling motor function, as well as thinking, understanding, and reasoning. It also controls emotion. Alcohol slows all this down, exacerbating symptoms associated with depression.

According to some experts, even a modest amount of caffeine can contribute to depression and anxiety. Caffeine disrupts sleep, making it more difficult to fall asleep and to stay asleep; those disturbances affect mood. It can cause agitation, tremors, and nervousness. Energy drinks, particularly, are bad news as some of them contain the caffeine equivalent of 14 cans of soda. Anything that is cooked with hydrogenated oils and contains trans-fats could potentially contribute to depression. Also watch out for saturated fats, found in animal products such as high-fat dairy, butter, etc. They can clog arteries and prevent blood flow to the brain.

Think before you Eat!

The next time you sit down to eat, before filling your plate think whether you deserve happiness. If you feel you deserve happiness then avoid those which are likely to depress you. Keep your food habits clean. Keep your stomach happy and it will automatically keep your mind happy and stress free!

June 13, 2014
Strawberry Pleasures

The heart shaped and juicy, as lovely as a love story. A bright red strawberry, is like a symbol of love. These strawberries were considered as the darling of spring’s transition into summers, with this fruit being available only in the month of June. But now with advance in agriculture techniques, these are now available all round the year. You can now enjoy these lovely strawberries anytime your heart desires.

Strawberries, small red fruits clad in scarlet red, dotted with tiny seeds and wearing green little caps, make one of the most delicious and attractive food on earth. They may be found in different varieties, colors or sometimes even different shapes.

Strawberries belong to the rose family and for centuries it grew as wild in America and Europe, but today them are not limited to their native place due to the advancement in crossbreeding techniques.

You’ll fall in love with them, when you know how good they are for you and your belly. These yummy berries are low in calories and fats, high in fiber, potassium, folic acid and antioxidants. You won’t believe that eight medium sized strawberries could impart you more vitamin C than oranges.

One full cup of strawberries contain 45 calories, 0 gm fats, 0 gm cholesterol, 1 mg sodium, 3 gm fiber, 7 gm sugar and 1 gm protein.

Reportedly, United States was the greatest producer of this fruit till 2005. Strawberries also carry the potential to some of the medical and beauty treatments-

l Strawberries if consumed on a regular basis help to reduce the possibility of cancers and heart attacks.

l These berries could also help to remove stains from your teeth.

l Their intake helps in reducing blood pressure.

l Strawberry juice when combined with honey, could provide cure for sunburns and inflammation.

l Intake of nitrate rich strawberries, helps increase flow of blood and oxygen to your muscles.

l Consumption of strawberries by pregnant women is helpful in reducing risk of birth- defects in child, due to the presence of folic acid in them.

Since long, strawberries have been associated with love. During the olden days, newly weds were served with strawberries. Some believe that splitting a double strawberry into two and sharing it with opposite sex may lead you to fall in love with him/her.Some consider them as a symbol of Venice, the Goddess of Love.

There are several strawberry festivals held in different parts of the world, especially in United States. These festivals are organized in late spring, which is the harvest time for this fruit. They are a treat for strawberry lovers as they offer a lot of fun activities and entertainment to the visitors. A number of strawberry delicacies, like pies, shortcakes, jams and desserts are served during this festival.

Some healthy strawberry recipes-

1. Strawberry shortcakes-

Combine 1 tbsp corn sweetener and 1 tbsp corn starch in a small sauce pan. Stir in 1 cup orange juice. Boil it, cook and stir it constantly for 1 min. Until mixture is thickened. Now cool the mixture by stirring. Combine orange juice mixture and some sliced strawberries in a bowl and stir them together. Cover it and refrigerate for 30 min. To serve, spread vanilla sauce over it.

2. Mango- ginger strawberry smoothie-

combine 1 cup peeled mango, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt, 1/4 cup cold water, 2 tsp honey, 2 tsp minced crystallized ginger and some crushed ice. Blend them all together, to make a soft gentle puree and serve in glasses.

3. Fresh strawberry jam-

Combine 2 cup sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a saucepan and cook at low heat for 10 min, till sugar is dissolved. Add strawberries and continue to heat for 20 min, until strawberries release their juice. Cook till the juice gels on the cold plate and store this refrigerated in sterilized jars.

4. Strawberry lemonade-

In a saucepan, add 2 cup water and 1 cup sugar and bring them to boil. Heat and stir the mixture, until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice, and then remove from heat. Let it cool, and then drain it. In a blender, puree the strawberries and add it to the drained mixture with lemon juice. Stir well and serve chilled, garnished with mint and strawberries.

5. Strawberry frozen yogurt-

24 hrs before you start making it, insert your ice cream maker into freezer. Add strawberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and rum to a bowl and toss. Cover the bowl with plastic and let the strawberries to soften at room temperature for 1 hour. Now, add strawberries with their juice in a blender. Blend the berries, and then add vanilla bean seeds and yogurt to it and continue to blend it. Place it in freezer to chill. Now, turn the ice- cream maker on and pour the yogurt into it. Churn until the mixture looks slushy, after 12 to 15 min.Place it in freezer to make the scoop hard.

June 13, 2014
Coffee Mania!

You get up in the morning and you have it. You come home tired after a day of grueling work and you have it. You want to take a break to rejuvenate and satiate yourself and you have it. Well, you may be wondering by now what this ‘it’ is. It is a very simple thing actually. A cup of steaming coffee!

Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from the roasted or baked seeds of several species of an evergreen shrub of the genus Coffea. Coffee plants are nowadays cultivated in more than 70 countries which are primarily in the equatorial region namely the continents of Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. In case of India, the best quality coffee plantations can be found in the regions of Kunnor Valley located in the Nilgiri Hills.

Have it hot or have it cold, pour milk into or have it without, add a dash of cream or not, take sugar with it or simply don’t – there are ample choices when it comes to sipping on this refreshing beverage. Coffee-lovers can partake of coffee in various ways. Here are some of the more popular ones:

(1) Espresso:

Espresso is a concentrated coffee beverage. It is brewed by forcing a very small amount of nearly boiling water which is about 86 to 95 °C (that is, 187 to 203 °F) under high pressure through finely ground coffee beans. Espresso often has a thicker consistency than the coffee brewed by other methods. The flavours and chemicals in a typical cup of espresso coffee are much more concentrated. Espresso often serves as the base for other coffee drinks such as a latte, cappuccino, macchiato, mocha, or americano. The usual serving size is much smaller in case of this particular beverage. But be very careful while you have this drink for a little bit too much and you will be sharing the lifestyle of certain night owls!

(2) Cappuccino:

This comes next in the line of popularity when it comes to coffee. Cappuccino is a coffee-based drink prepared with the help of espresso, hot milk, and steamed milk foam. A cappuccino usually exceeds the height of the cup it is served in. The foam is thus, visible above the side of the cup. A cappuccino is traditionally served in a Chinese porcelain cup which has far better heat retention characteristics than glass or paper. It also enhances the aesthetic beauty of this simple drink. The foam on top of the cappuccino acts as an insulator and helps retain the heat of the liquid which allows it to stay hot for a longer period of time.

(3) Latte:

A latte is a type of coffee beverage which has portions of both espresso and hot steamed milk. They are generally mixed in the beverage in a ratio of 1:3 to 1:5 espresso to milk. A latte always has a little foam on the top which acts a good insulator as well as makes the drink look extremely inviting. This beverage is very much similar to the Portuguese galão. It is immensely popular among the mass in the regions adjoining Portugal, Turkey and Spain.

(4) Mocha:

A mocha is almost identical to a latte except in the way it is garnished and for one special ingredient namely, chocolate. Mocha is usually prepared in the ratio of one third of espresso along with two thirds of steamed milk. However, a special portion of chocolate is added as garnishing later in the form of hot chocolate syrup. Some top chefs even add chocolate shavings and chips as an innovation. Mochas can contain either dark or milk chocolate. But in the current age of industrialization, other coffee vending systems across the world are designed in such a manner that they use instant chocolate powder as a ready alternative instead of the traditional chocolate syrup to marginalize profits.

(5) Indian Filter Coffee:

Coffee remains an integral part of South Indian culture in Asia. Whether it is a wedding ceremony or an occasion to entertain your house guests, coffee is an essential item on the menu. South Indian Coffee also known as Mysore Filter Coffee or ‘Kaapi’ (the South Indian phonetic rendering of “coffee’’) is a sweet milky form of coffee which is made from dark roasted coffee beans (70%–80%) and chicory (20%–30%). It is especially popular in the five southern states of India -Andhra Pradesh, Telengena, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is traditionally served in broad-based and goblet-shaped stainless steel glasses.

(6) Instant Coffee:

Instant coffee is the most popular choice of coffee drink in today’s fast-paced life. Instant coffee is a beverage which is prepared from brewed coffee beans. Through various manufacturing processes, the coffee is dehydrated into the form of powder or fine granules. These can be rehydrated when steaming hot water is added to the mixture in order to provide a drink which is almost similar (though not identical) to the conventional cup of coffee. Some popular brands of instant coffee include Nescafe, Bru, Mr. Brown Coffee, Folgers, etc. This is the most popular type of coffee in terms of preparation and efficiency for the globetrotters or even people on the move 24×7. Thus, it truly lives up to its name.

However, too much of a good thing is never beneficial. Thus, before signing off, let me caution you about the few health hazards excessive coffee consumption may give rise to. It might cause insomnia or heart ailments among some. But that is no major reason for you to get alarmed or panic. So, what are you waiting for? You now have all the necessary information which you require to make your decision regarding the type of coffee you would like to enjoy. Sit back, relax and simply enjoy your choice of hot (or cold) cup of coffee!

June 10, 2014
For the love of sea-side food (Alibaug beach)

Having lived 30 km from Alibaug, the glorious Arabian sea became like a second home. A feeling shared by many of the co-habitat of the region, I became fiercely possessive and proud of MY beach. With passing time the focus shifted from building sand castles to the serenity of the place . Lately i realized the serenity has as much to do with the food there as it is with the mildly threatening and soothing sound of the sea. The fact is I have lived away from my house for past 6 years and thinking of the beach is not about the lullaby of the waves, it is more about the heavenly food one has there.

It starts from the journey. We are travelling in direction of Alibaug from Mumbai. we start some 30 odd km before Alibaug. Now every one who has that curious bend of mind ( for food ) and does his research for the journey will know that there is a small shamble of a shack on the route to beach. Its halfway through our journey and what you get here is amazing drink called a s Ice cream soda. The soda -pub ( they do not like this tag) have much more to offer, the ice cream soda is widely popular. The place is legacy, with 3 generation of families enjoying same ambiance and surprisingly same server. the Pineapple juice is exquisite and is a part of the journey. the soda is sure to put a kick in your step and energize you fr the tour. The shack has been steady business through the recession period and is highly popular.

Next we travel to the beach itself and here is the mighty sea which calls you out for a dip You can walk and play . Wade through the sea and go explore the beach which is right into the beach. All this will work up a mighty appetite and the highly unhealthy and highly delicious food right outside is like a soldiers welcome back feast.

Here is the list of all the food one can have. Please appreciate the fact that you are soaking wet at this point and have that happy and hungry look. Now dig in.

Pani-Puri.

Those who live around a beach will know and agree that the beach is the one place where pani-puri tastes just right. It may be the air or the ‘feel’ but when the crisp puris mix with the spicy and sweet-sour juice and the added mixture of chick-pea meet the salty air of ocean the amazement of it is unbeatable. he hands of the maker works magic for they serve faster that you can eat and thus begins the race which ends with you giving up. But the end is surely delicious. Entire family crowds around the server to wait their chance for the delicious treat. The sukhi-puri in the end is a sigh of the expert of the preparation.

Other Chaat.

From ragda pattice to bhel to sev puri the whole scene is one which literally defines the beach. One has to enjoy all this when one gets a chance to visit the place. The spice mixes with sweet to create a different experience.

Dosa

It may seem weird but the beaches of Alibaug are known for their delicious dosa preparation. the line for this particular dish is long and tedious but the treat at the end of it is surely worth it. the tangy taste and the pipping hot dosas mix with the cold feet, courtesy of the wet water, makes for a smiling effect.

Coconut Water.

A must have for the beach goers. Period.

Maggie.

This seems like a stroke of genius for when one has a dip in the sea the tummy demands comfort food and what else other than a pipping bowl of Maggie right on the beach. Alibaug gives you this chance. Go nuts.

Chinese Shanty

For chicken lovers, the food list has to have something and beach seems to be a beautiful place to dig into that tandoori. Here you have delicious little hotel which gets you what you want and lot more. the taste has a distinct Konkani touch and the taste is apt for the place.

Gola (snow cones)

The Kala Khatta is the trade mark of Alibaug beach and is a perfect way to end your beach experience. The sweet and savory taste will baffle your taste buds and leave you asking for a lot lot more. It is no compulsion to have this version alone for the choices are abundant. Play with it and create a tradition your kids would love you for.

Alibaug has much more to offer form the famous mayur bakery to many hotels like Flora, foodies sure get their delight here . the sea foods baskets are a special treat.

June 9, 2014
Moreish Wanderings Part-I: Bengaluru
If you really wish to get-away from the stereotypical venturing of ‘popular’ places and join me in my gastronomic peregrination through an array of exotic spaces hid within the heart of one of the most popular urban destinations, your very own B’lore and discover for the ultimate “experience of the unknown”, then here’s your chance!

Bengaluru, commonly known as Bangalore or B’lore, which is ‘usually’ adorned with various titles of-the Silicon Valley of India, the Garden city, the most sought Cosmopolitan city, and so on, is where we are about to head to, but with a savoury twist! I take you to this journey with a promise of showing you the most enchanting incarnation of Bangolorean cuisine, hid within the pompous razzmatazz of its urban life!

Embroidered over the Deccan plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, it is its capital and already enjoys being exalted at the height of 3,000 feet above the sea-level, the fair weather (only if you can ignore the result of urbanization-Pollution) is thus explained!

Now, too much of talking done, to keep things simple and compact, here’s my awesome list of things you HAVE to visit and eat, to wholly experience Bangolorean essence!
- If you’re the ‘Dessert-Daisy’, your life finds meaning here! The Corner House Ice Cream, Residency Road, with an illustrious past of over 25 years, provides you with a haven of delectable delights starting from the simple Hot Chocolate Fudge, Hot Butterscotch and Chocolate Mint to the supremo Rum N Raisins, Death By Chocolate, Rocky Road, Brown Bomb and many more! Promising 100% dairy products since 1982, once a fun food café transformed to an enchanting ice-cream and sundae parlour now, is where the true illumination of indulgence unravels itself while you’re cascading with enthusiasm at their heavenly delights.
- Levitating through the allée of nostalgia, find yourself at Pecos, near Brigade Road, which seems but somehow stuck in the 1974s,with its classic, dark interiors encased within quaint walls with posters and framed music icons and an impressive collection of retro music playing in the background. A refreshing mithridate to the swathe of pubs in Bangalore, Pecos is a charming classic pub, where you can relax in sweet reveries of the past while ,with pitcher of Kingfisher and a bunch of friends to keep you company, you’re let afloat on an bevvied mist hearkening and humming to Dylan, The Stones, Leonard Cohen and so on. The food, here, is just eruptively delicious, especially the chilli beef and pork sausages, and the tamer chicken wings.
- And now, a legendary place near Lalbagh Botanical gardens, where you simply HAVE to go, once in Bangalore-The Mavalli Tiffin Room(MTR),which is indeed synonymous to Bangalore since 1924. Although you’d have to bear bucket loads of patience to get your seat and then your serving, once the food arrives, you would know, all that exercise was worth it! From filter coffees, early morning breakfasts, lunch thalis, masala dosas, rawa idlis, bisi bele bhaat, kesri bhaat, sweet boondis to honey halwas, badam burfis, chandrahara and what not, you can find here an entire assortment of dishes epitomizing the magnificent Karnataka cuisine.
Also, once done with the scrumptious and unctuous indulgence, do take a healthy stroll around the bushes of the garden to explore the bewitching glass house, a replicated version of the lovely Crystal Palace in London.
- If your urge to experience some more of Karnataka’s traditional moreish decadence is not yet over, hop in to another exalted food destination at Gandhi Bazar Circle, Basavanagudi-The Vidyarthi Bhavan, which is famed to serve Bangalore’s most plump, fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside, ghee-lustred Masala dosas. A very pocket-friendly venture (approx. Rs. 150 for two),this place gives you an extra delightful performance of ‘food-circus’ by their super-waiters in dhotis who can be seen juggling with 10-20 plates and serving them with electrifying speed and precision! However, its remains closed at lunch-time, as they staunching regard that their offerings are merely for tiffins and not meals!
- Get ready for a trip to the inception of liquor industry of B’lore, at Dewar’s bar, which is famed to be one of the earliest bars of Bengaluru. This 1920s bar posted on an attenuated lane of Cockburn Road near Benson town, Bangalore, and appears more like a heritage building(than a bar),wooden roofed, with cane furniture and framed pictures of Hindu as well as Christian deities on the walls. The food, here is a special surprise by Richard who is the Kitchen king of this place. A mechanic cum cooking-enthusiasts, he is sure to unleash you senses with his incendiary fried met and offals. Known to be the favourite hang-out spot for Tamil superstar Sivaji Ganesan and the city’s richest and renowned theatre owners, this place with its olde worlde charm, is surely to add another feather to your cap of toothsome adventures!
- An abode of luscious vegetarian food, Halli Mane is one of the most talked about authentic vegetarian restaurants of Bangalore, located in Malleshwaram .Literally the name means “Village Home” (Halli: village; Mane: home) and so does its exteriors and interiors suggest with rangolis and flower decorations at the entrance, tiled roofs, natural brick walls, lofty ceilings and bounteous greenery, everyday seems festive here! It is a MUST-experience for the bona fide Kannadiga cuisine, (such as ragi mudde, akki roti, soppu saaru, malnadu kadabu, obbattuand payasam etc.) born out of the recipes from agrarian Karnataka that are made using traditional cooking methods, from the staples of the state, and served in the most exquisite Karnataka style, on banana leaf which is laid out in an elongated row.
As mentioned before, this place is usually always alighted with the festive mode, as it regularly hosts fests for organic food, festival delicacies and niche community food. However, if you wish for an extra jingle to your trip to Halli Mane, try visiting this place during occasions like Ugadi, Dasara, Ganesha and Deepavali, as your arrival here would be made more special with traditional pujas and serving of delicacies synonymous to the occasion. Established with an intention of bringing together the much fading tradition of elaborate joint family meals, in the generation of nuclear families, through the rich journey of flavoursome delicacies, is an apt place to come with your entire family to bring back the much loved simplistic reveries of the past!
- Weary of all the dosas and idlis and hankering to set your eyes and bite through succulent pieces of meat? Welcome to the Shivaji Military Hotel! Though lingering into any military hotel would’ve done the needful, but an elitist would want the best, and so the BEST it is! Located at the opposite of Banashankari bus stand, Jayanagar, this is a hotspot for all ‘non-veg Romeos’ and ‘biryani-bonkers’. Other finger-licking items include the chicken-legs,chilli chicken,lamb chops and mutton dry. Though this place dons the back-to-school ambience, wooden seats stowed out neatly in an otherwise empty room,where being ‘empty’ and neat is indeed paradoxical, due it the swarming crowd during the peak hours, so do beware! The Chicken Biryani and Chicken starters get served from 8am till 11am, while from 11 till 3pm, Mutton Biryani and Mutton chops rule their world. So on your next trip to Bangalore, do step in to delve into the sapid extravagance of charcoal cooked biryani and smoky meat served traditionally on banana leaf that enhances its flavour furthermore.
- Now, another dwelling awaits you in this ‘Time-travel endeavour’ on St Mark’s Road, that would apparate you to the good old days of Bangalore in the 70s,at Koshy’s. Experience a time wrap once you set afoot within its chambers and forget about pollution, traffic jams, and other products of advancement that followed the IT boom. Mostly crowded, this place brings together all Bangaloreans, from students, theatrewalas, egalitarian assemblage of journalists, to the retired denizens,Lonely Planet tourists and so on, all cramped up within its bustling expanse, where waiters in bandgala coats cruise through the room to the beats of the whirring fans and the clatter of old cutlery!Prem Koshy, the present owner of this three-generation food joint boasts about this place for having fed almost everybody from Pandit Nehru to Queen Elizabeth. This food junction is extremely lively and is the best place to bump in with friends and spend hours over they’re amazing coffee, special appams-and-stew, while chatting away or snooping over conversations.
- Ho, I have something different up my sleeve! Unleash the Pirate within you (if you’re a Pirates of the Caribbean enthusiast) and come aboard to The Bierre Republic, while meandering through the alleyways of the Church Street. From the gigantic antique mirrors at the entrance along with antique wooden beer barrels heaped at the corner to welcome you, the faint lighting, the archaic wall hangings, to the muffled whiff of an old ship, the wooden staircase ushering to what seemed like an open wooden deck of the ship, everything is simply enthralling! And blimey, The unexpected whisk of the open and enclosed interiors of the restaurant cum bar whilst providing an alluring view of the outside, is what defines this place. For special events and parties, they also have a stage-like area and a DJ console. Get settled down with your tankard of grog, I mean beer, while the menu comes to your table in parts. If you love gooey, cheesy and luscious debauchery then the Chicken pizza is your sinfully mate ‘round here. Apart from that, the flavoursome BBQ chicken is a delight. Served with a candle burning underneath its presentation traps the flavour and adds on the smoky edge to it. Frankly, this place, its liquor and food miscellany, along with the extra edge of pirate theme makes it a very attractive endeavour!
- Ok, this one’s the last but not the least, the best way, in my opinion, to have end this odyssey. Not authentically Bangolorean for its food, but the ambience so deserves a thumbs up, of The Rogue Elephant Café. Though (sadly) you might not find, live elephants loitering around your tables, this restaurant, built in a lovely colonial bungalow, opposite Krishna Rao Park in Basavanagudi, provides you a visual treat with its vintage setting-marble top or heavy wood tables coupled with diverse chairs, and colourful net hammocks overlooking a magnificent garden that the house is attached to. With an extremely romantic setting- jackfruit and mango trees sharing the expanse with delightful rainbow-hued flowering bushes and of course the coconut trees, this place epitomizes tranquillity, where you can relax while reading a book, or breathe in the fresh air while watching the world pass by, and experience unperturbed nature, whilst digging into the bowl of ecstatic white chocolate pudding, steaming chicken lasagne, cinnamon roll or mezze platter. They even have little shop ‘round the corner called Ambara that sells all kinds of vintage artifacts, clothes, gardening items, etc. Come here to literally breathe in the laid-back attitude of B’lore, afloating in recollections of your otherwise electrifying trip, or maybe take your time to write a journal!
Though the list of abodes of Bangalorean delectable delights can hardly be abridged within these few names, a larger part of the gastronomic blueprint of Bangalore, stays unperturbed. These top ten places are worth adding to one’s itinerary, however, personal discoveries are always unparalled. So, get on your boots, and Get, Set, Gulp!
June 7, 2014
Milk – The Wonder Drink
Milk is a white liquid which is produced by mammals. The milk so produced by farm animals is used as a food item by humans. According to statistical records in 2011 about 730 million tones of milk was produced all over the globe. India is considered to be the biggest consumer as well as producer of milk. Milk can be considered as complete food as it is filled with all the necessary nutrients which are essential for the growth and development of humans of all ages. White, creamy with a glossy texture, milk is a natural product produced with no added preservatives. Other dairy products like cheese, butter, ghee etc is produced from milk as well. Other than calcium which is found in excess, milk also contains proteins, carbohydrate, salts, a lot of vitamins such as A, B6, B12, C, D etc. It also contains lactose which provides 40% of the calorie content. Milk is produced and sold in the market either fresh or pasteurized in plastic bags or tetra packs.

Today other than just drinking milk, it is used as an ingredient to prepare so many dishes and drinks which is not only tasty but is also good for health. I have given preparation techniques of some of these dishes which we can then try out at home.

Pista Faluda

The ingredients that we need for this dish are – Pista essence (1/2 teaspoon), chopped pistas, milk, sugar, and faluda shevai and vanilla or pista ice cream.

The method of preparation is very simple. We first add 2 tablespoons of shevai in a serving glass and then mix it with milk, sugar and pista essence and mix well. The final step after this is to add a scoop of vanilla or pista ice cream and garnish it with the chopped pistas and there we have our pista faluda ready to be served.

Sponge Vanilla Cake

The specialty of this cake is that it can be prepared both with eggs and without eggs. The recipe given below is for an eggless cake.

The method of preparations –
- In a bowl add flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of baking soda and mix well
- Now in a separate bowl mix 2 cups of maida with 1 cup of sugar and milk or milk powdered each, 1 tsp of ghee and little salt that is approximately ¼ tsp of salt.
- Now add this batter with the baking powder mixture and add some tutti fruit and mix well in one direction.
- Preheat the oven at about 180C for 15 mins.
- Pour the batter in a pan which is lightly greased and spread it evenly and break all air bubbles.
- Bake for about 20-27 mins. After taking the pan out of the oven, place it in a cooling rack and wait for it to completely cool down
After the cake is completely cooled down, it can now be served.

Phirni

This dish is a combo of rice and milk. Therefore we will need about 1/3 cups of rice soaked in water for 20 mins.

Direction for preparation –
- Add about 4 cups of milk in a vessel and bring it to a boil. After the milk has boiled leave it to simmer. During this process about 1/4^th quantity will be reduced.
- While the milk is put to simmer, drain the soaked rice and grind it and prepare a paste by adding about ½ cup of the boiled milk.
- When the milk has simmered completely, slowly add this paste and keep on stirring so that the base does not burn. Continue stirring till the milk starts to thicken.
- During the process add sugar and about ½ tsp of cardamom
- Finally transfer it to a serving bowl and let it chill till the time to serve arrives. Before serving we can garnish it with some pistachios and rose petals.
Doodh Peda or Milk Fudge

The next dish on the list is also called milk fudge which is usually prepared during Christmas. Since the dish does not need much of preparations and is very quick to make, it is usually prepared during normal days as well.

Directions –
- In a vessel boil about 8 table spoons of butter
- Add to it condensed milk about 300ml and milk powder 1 ½ cups and mix well.
- Remember to cook it in low or medium flame and stir continuously and along the process add cardamom powder and stir till a thick paste is created.
- After the paste is created turn off the heat and allow to cool
- After the cooling process is over, create small balls with your hands and flatten them slightly
- You can decorate the pedas with nuts and they are ready to serve.
- We can store the left over contents in an air tight container in the fridge.
Sweet Lassi

Lassi is one of the most demanded drinks during summers consumed by all age groups. It’s usually recommended for children who are fussy about drinking milk.

Direction for preparations –
- Blend together milk, curd, sugar and water
- Blend for about 1-2 minutes, don’t overdo it
- Lassi is prepared, pour it in a glass and garnish with nuts and ready to serve.
So we have some recopies out here which we can prepare at home. The ingredients involved in the preparation of these dishes are mostly found in every household. Consumption of milk is very beneficial for us. Ofcource its is packed up with a lot of nutrients for a healthy life but other than that milk is also considered as a skin cleanser and cures other skin problems as well such as dryness. Therefore it should be noted that milk should always be a part of our diet in order to live both healthy and happy.
June 7, 2014
Summer Specials: Sweet And Spicy Watermelon Recipes
When you think about summer, all that comes to your mind is the picture of “scorching sun, large ice cubes and watermelons!” Being the fruit of the summer and also so sweet that it could even be served as a dessert, these watermelons not only act as the body hydrating “thirst-quenching” factor but also serve other health benefits. People generally assume that it has only water contents and nothing more. But actually, watermelons are rich in various nutrients that are essential for our body to maintain good health. They are high in vitamin A, vitamin C and contain the required daily amounts of potassium and most importantly less in calories. They are also rich in the amino acids called L-Citrulline that is converted by our body into L-Arginine which is a very essential amino acid that helps in relaxing the blood vessels and improves blood circulation. Thus they help in soothing the muscles when consumed after doing heavy physical work. They also help in improving the cardiovascular health by maintain the blood pressure especially in women in postmenopausal period and also middle aged adults. Now that you know the nutritional values of watermelons, I guess it is time to know how to enjoy them as a fruit, juice and also as a yummy dish!
A bite of these cool watermelons adds fun to the summer and makes the day more refreshing. The yummy melons can be eaten raw as they are juicy, sweet and really delicious or made into a juice and chilled with ice or can be made into a smoothie, add it in a fruit salad along with all the other fruits or make a super cool summer salad with onions, salt and black pepper. There also various other recipes that can spice it up a little bit and be served over a summer barbecue too. For those who don’t enjoy the taste of watermelon, a watermelon-strawberry-lemonade will do the magic! It has a fresh taste and is loved by most of the watermelon haters!

The Five Minutes Watermelon Frappe

This watermelon frappe takes just 5 minutes to make and serve. All you have to do is dice the watermelon into small cubes and add the mint leaves into a blender and run it until it becomes a liquid. Remove the extra pulp and seeds using a strainer and garnish it with mint while serving!

Ingredients to serve two:
- 4 cups cold watermelon chunks
- 8 mint leaves
The Melon-Strawberry-Lemonade

This is a very delicious juice served especially for watermelon haters! Yes, it has a fresh taste due to the flavors of strawberry and lemon blend in together with the watermelon. Add the mentioned amounts of the ingredients in a blender and serve it immediately

Ingredients to make 2 quarts of the lemonade
- 8 cups cubed seeded watermelon
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, halved
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 cups water
Here are some of the try-it-now recipes with watermelons with a different flavor apart from its usual sweet-juicy routine.

Less than a minute Summer Salad with Feta and Mint

This is a very simple summer salad that takes less than a minute to make with a combination of sweet, salt and spices! The preparation is so easy. Place the sliced and diced tomatoes and watermelons on a serving plate and sprinkle the watercress and cheese evenly on top of them, then add some olive oil and vinegar with mint. Now season it with sea salt and ground pepper to suit your taste and it’s ready to serve!
Ingredients
- 4 cups cubed or balled watermelon or muskmelon
- 1 pint cherry, grape, or pear tomatoes, cut in half
- 4 ounces cubed feta cheese (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 bunch watercress, stems removed, washed and drained (about 2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- Sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Fire & Ice Salsa

The watermelon fire and ice salsa is a make-it-quick and serve-it-now dish. It just takes a maximum of 15 minutes to prepare and can be served immediately! This is the best dish for a summer barbecue with a replacement of tomato with watermelon in the salsa which gives it a sweeter and cooler touch. Mix all the ingredients cut into tiny cubes in a bowl and serve it with tortilla chips. You can also use it as a topping for grilled chicken or fish.
Ingredients to make 4 cups of the Salsa
- 3 cups chopped watermelon
- 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon chopped green onions
- 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
The Watermelon Salsa

This is a Sweet-n-Spicy dish, more on the sweeter side that takes just 20 minutes to prepare and can be served after 1 hour of refrigeration. All you have to do is, cut all the ingredients into tiny cubes and mix them all in a serving bowl and cover it for refrigeration. You need to refrigerate it at least for one hour for the flavors to blend and add taste to the dish. You can also use hotter chilies if you are a lover of hot and spicy dishes.

The required ingredients to serve a minimum of 2 cups are given below.
- 2 cups seeded and coarsely chopped watermelon
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- 3 tablespoons seeded, chopped Anaheim chili
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
June 7, 2014
Beat The Booze : Curing Hangover At Home

Partying hard is something that comes naturally to youngsters these days. It is the new trend that is gaining momentum all over the world. But it comes with its own bag of after-effects. And the worst of them all is a hangover and due to this, after an awesome evening of indulgence, it is hard to keep that awesome feeling going in the morning.

Hangover is the experience of various physiological and psychological effects following consumption of alcoholic beverages, and is characterized by severe discomfort, that may last more than 24 hours. It is caused due to accumulation of alcohol inside the body and occurs when intoxicating effect of alcohol begins to wear off the next morning. The symptoms include headache, drowsiness, fatigue, nausea, stomach problems, sweating , dry mouth etc.

When you wake up the next morning after partying, your main aim is to cure the piercing headache and the lingering hangover. Normally, you just pop in a powerful painkiller or some other medicine to curb the headache, without knowing the side effects. And the condition becomes worse, when you are a regular party- goer because you can’t just pop in those tablets day after day. This is where natural remedies have a role to play.

There are some easy food items in your kitchen which help to cure that hangover without any worries about side-effects. They even detoxify your body by removing toxins from your liver, and thus reduce the effect of those hard drinks. So using these simple home remedies for curing the hangover is very beneficial for you as they don’t harm your body.

Water :

Drinking water is one of the best cures for a hangover,as it rehydrates the body which is dehydrated by the alcohol. Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to treat that hangover.

Tea:

Being mostly water, tea is a great agent for rehydration. Green tea is a great source for detoxification of body as it is packed with anti-oxidants. Also, ginger tea can be used to cure a hangover because ginger has long been used to treat nausea and stomach sickness, which are one of the symptoms of a hangover. By combining 10-12 freshly cut ginger root pieces with 4 cups of water, this ale can be quite effective for curing a hangover.

Apart from this, milk thistle tea can also be taken as it cleanses the liver of the harmful toxins in alcohol. To make milk thistle tea, add a tablespoon of milk thistle seeds to a cup of hot water and have it.

Coconut water :

coconut water contains potassium which will help you feel better in no time if you are suffering from a hangover. It also hydrates your body much more effectively than simple water.

Juice:

Tomato juice is a great cure for hangover as long as it is not Bloody Mary induced, as it acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and replenishes the lost nutrients in the body. Orange juice is also a great way to cure a hangover as it raises your blood sugar levels and helps to lose some of the symptoms. But, you should skip acidic juices (like orange juice) if your stomach is upset and have apple juice instead.

Honey and lemons:

Have a classic hot drink of honey and lemon mixed with water, as it replenishes fluids and sugar lost to hangover. Lemon replenishes the vitamins you need and honey has fructose which competes with alcohol metabolism, which in turn helps to expel alcohol from the body. For curing a hangover, boil 1 cup water and mix honey and lemon juice and have it several times a day.

Bananas:

When you are drunk, lots of potassium is lost from the body and eating a banana will surely give you a giddy-up and go, as it is loaded with potassium.

Potatoes with milk :

Eating potatoes is another way of replenishing the body’s potassium levels, and if taken along with milk, there is a great boost to your calcium levels as well. Thus, this is a perfect combo to reduce the hangover.

Apart from this, you should have foods which are light and easy to digest, like rice, soup or toast. Eating something solid will help to cure the headache and stomach problems. If you have a very bad headache, you can also compress your forehead with an ice pack, or just rinse a washcloth under cold water and put it on your forehead for some time, to get significant relief.

So if you take these natural things to treat your hangover, then it will be easier for your body to endure those cocktails and hard drinks. Keeping all things apart, most of all, you should follow the mantra of “prevention is better than cure” in your life. Excessive drinking may be curable at first, but it can cause long term effects if consumed like an everyday affair. So controlled drinking is advisable for all-the-time-hangover-stricken people in the first place, blended with these simple and fruitful home remedies, which nullify the extremely harmful effects of alcohol on your body by its cleansing and detoxification.

June 5, 2014
Unveiling The World Of Food Fraud

Everybody knows that homemade food is best for our health. But if we step out of this illusion, then, we will find that even homemade food can be potentially harmful to us. This is not because of the cooking, it is because of the ingredients used in cooking. Those ingredients, even if are present as less as 1 tablespoon in our food, can turn the food into a poison. Adulteration has taken away the joy of eating. Today, we are exposed to harmful chemicals in almost everything that is not grown at home.

Food fraud is a term that encompasses deliberate substitution, addition, tampering or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients or packaging. Adulterants are used to save money and to contaminate the food and the responsibility of safeguarding ourselves falls solely on us.

From loose packed ground spices to wet produce like milk, everything has a potential of being adulterated these days, even if purchased from a reputable grocery retailer. Even the official systems set for food safety and prevention are constantly outdone by hidden and booming food adulteration business.

But obviously, turning a blind eye to food adulterants is no solution, we have to plan and avoid the adulteration. Here is a list of commonly adulterated food stuff, so that next time when you buy them, you can be extra cautious.

Turmeric:

The common adulterants in turmeric these days are a chemical known as metanil yellow and kesari dal, to enhance the yellow color of turmeric. The chemical is highly carcinogenic if consumed for a longer period of time and can also cause stomach disorders.

Green chilies :

Malachite green, a green colored dye that is often present in green chilies, has proven to be carcinogenic for humans, if consumed for a long period.

Milk:

Milk is a at the top of the food fraud list. Earlier it is used to be combined with water to increase the volume and decrease the nutritional value. Nowadays, even the water it is combined with, is contaminated. We also have higher levels of adulteration like starch, caustic soda, sugar, urea and lime, to give milk a thick texture. This can cause grave stomach disorders.

Ice cream:

Ice creams are adulterated with fatty substances when it is in the cold chamber, like pepperoni, ethyl acetate and washing powder. These substances are never mentioned on the packet of the ice cream; and are added to give beautiful white sheen and lightness of flavor to the ice cream, but instead cause stomach and liver disorders.

Coffee:

Do you know that your morning cup of coffee is not just coffee, it is a huge bag of sawdust, tamarind seeds and chicory powder and these ingredients cause more harm to us than the caffeine provided by coffee. They are added to provide bulk and color, and can cause diarrhea, stomach disorders, giddiness and severe joint pains.

Seafood:

The mercury content in sea food is something that is not hidden from the world. And we humans accumulate this carcinogenic mercury, not only by eating the seafood, but also by eating the birds which eat these fishes. Eating many such birds and fishes can cause cancer in our bodies.

Flour:

Rice and wheat are India’s staple food, and these are adulterated with starch to thicken them and leaves the consumer in the illusion that our diet is perfect. This, in reality costs us our life. Therefore, the process should be very carefully executed from cleaning of grains to grinding it.

Saffron:

Given that it is the most expensive spice in the world, there’s no doubt it is a victim to adulteration. Sandalwood, dust, starch, yellow dye and gelatin are common adulterants in starch. The easiest way to detect adulteration in starch is to avoid deep red color ones and cheap ones while buying.

Honey:

The purest form of honey are nowadays only found when winnie the pooh sticks his hand in the honeycomb to lick out the honey. In markets, honey is adulterated with minerals, antibiotics that are not meant for human consumption, corn syrup etc. Moreover, the ultra filtration process done on honey bottles makes the adulterants undetectable.

Olive oil:

It is said that olive oil is one of the best fat-free oil for human consumption. Well, the truth is that when it is adulterated with cheaper cracked oil, deodorants, corn oil, hazelnut oil and palm oil, it deteriorates the health instead of improving. Sometimes, it is laced with mineral oil, which makes the matters even worse.

So, next time when you buy this stuff, make sure it doesn’t have something that will land you in hospital. Take care that your food is authentic and there are minimal chances of you falling prey to the locus of adulterants; as your health is much more important in your life than anything else, and it is solely your responsibility to take care of it. So gear up, and say no to adulteration of food!

June 3, 2014