Kashmir: A Dream Destination

I always wanted to visit Kashmir, but was always apprehensive about the safety issues there. We always thought that going as a couple is not safe one should always go as a group so that if something happens one has people to support. But all these apprehensions disappeared into thin air, when we were actually there.

I am too inspired by movies ;p snow clad  mountains, heroines dancing wearing a saree, bornfire and so on, so we decided to visit this beautiful place during winters, when the temperatures are low, snow everywhere.
So Feb was the right time.

To get to Srinagar the summer capital of Jammu and Kahmir we boarded a flight from Mumbai to Srinagar a direct flight of 2.30 hrs

At the Mumbai airport Good Times Bar

. We finally reached Srinagar and it snowed just 2hrs before our flight landed. The temperatures were already freezing.

Snow at the Srinagar Airport

We spent our first night on a 100-foot houseboat with carved cedar interiors on Nagin Lake., named as Gurkha Houseboats, a property of Welcome Heritage Group. 
Superb display of hospitality was seen at the houseboat. 

Inside view of the Houseboat

Speciality of Kashmir Paper Mache Handicraft

Dinner Laid out.

Just before the sunset we took a shikara ride on d dal lake, the captain of the shikara showed us various places on the lake like the floating garden, kabootar khana. These r the places where many bollywood movies were shot. we saw mughal gardens, which had no flowers but yes snow was all around.

Shikara Ride @ Dal Lake

An awesome view

Dal Lake in the evening

Shopping on the Dal Lake

Few Purchases

Floating Restuarants @ Dal lake

After a fantastic stay at the Gurkha Houseboats we shifted to enjoy the hospitatlity of the Taj Group of Hotels. A beautiful property on the hills. 

Taj Srinagar

Front View of Taj

Coffee Shop @ Taj

Satisfy your Food Cravings by ordering online through Food Panda.

Gone were the days when u were new in a city and you never knew where to have food. You are busy unpacking and have no time to go out and have something. The same thing happened with me when I had moved from Mumbai to Pune, then I came across this amazing website Foodpanda.com which promises to deliver food at your door step.
Before writing about my experience about ordering through the site I would tell something about the company and how it works.
Food Panda has its operations running in 8 countries including India. It has made ordering food more convenient   as you don't need to go the sites of individual restaurants to order food, You just need to register yourself on foodpanda, and thus all your problems are solved thereon.
In India, Food Panda has it oeprations in Bangalore, Pune, Delhi, Mumbai, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Jaipur, Greater Noida, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Noida and Panchkula-Mahauli-Chandigarh.

You can order your food in three simple steps: select your area, select the restaurant,  and then order. Many reputed chains of restaurant are registered with food panda like Pizza hut, Subway, Zaafran, mast kalandar, pind baluchi and many others. Depending on the city and the area you are living in u can order. There are around 1820 restaurants registered depending upon the cuisines like mughlai, continental, Italian, sea food, European, Ice cream, deserts and many more. You can browse through the menu of the individual restaurants and order as per your likings.
One more thing you don't need a laptop to go to their website, just download their application on android, ios servers and there you go.
I had a very fine experience while ordering. Due to server problem I was not able to get the unique id which you get when you register for the first time on your mobile network. The customer care was so friendly they called me and accepted my registration and order without any hassles.
Here is the link to this site:
http://www.foodpanda.in/

http://www.foodpanda.in/restaurants link to the restaurants. 

Lettuce & Pineapple Salad

Salads are considered to be the most boring of all the dishes, but  it can be the most adventurous one too. One can do so many experiments with it. Add in colors, different dressings and you can make a treat for your palate. All that it requires a little inspiration from here and there.

Lettuce & Pineapple Salad

Ingredients:
4 leaves of Lettuce
6-7 Cherry tomatoes
1/2cup Pineapple diced

For Dressing:
1tsp Honey
1tbsp Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Procedure:

• Roughly chop the lettuce leaves. You can do it with hands without using knife.
• In a bowl, add in chopped lettuce + diced Pineapple + cherry tomatoes cut into halves.

To make the dressing:

• Take a bowl add in honey + olive oil + lime juice + salt + pepper. Mix well.

Toss the salad with the dressing.
Serve

Indian Desert: Falooda Recipe

I remember having this awesome delight during my stay in Mumbai when I was here for the first time. We were staying in Holiday Inn, so one night after dinner, we were craving for some Indian desert. Pondering over the menu I came across Falooda read the description and found it quiet interesting, without second thought I ordered it. And so I discovered this awesome desert which is just superb with loads of flavours.
Then I came to know that it is the famous street food of Mumbai, Again I ate this in Chowpatty. So I  just wanted to try this at home.
Its quiet a simple dish to prepare and all the ingredients are readily available.You need to make little effort in finding the sabja seeds, I odered  it online from Big basket.com. Will review it in one of my posts later.

Falooda 

Yield:
Makes one Glass

Ingredients:
1glass of Milk (Full Cream)
50gms Falooda Sev or Vermicelli
2tbsp Rose Syrup
2scoops of Kesar Pista Kulfi (you can use any variant)
1tbsp Sabja Seeds (Sweet Basil)

Procedure:

• Soak Sabja seeds for at least one hour before making the desert.
• Boil the Falloda sev or vermicelli in water till its done.
• Remove the water once it is cooked, add the cooked noodles in milk.
• Add in sugar 1tsp and rose 1tbsp rose syrup.
• Cook this for five minutes.
• Remove it from gas. Allow it to cool.
• Keep it the freezer or refrigerator untill it is chilled.

For Serving:

• Take a tall glass, add in 1tbsp of Rose syrup at the bottom of the glass.
• Now add in sabja seeds.
• Pour the milk over it.
• Add in kesar pista kulfi.
• Serve chilled.

Falooda

Cottage cheese sizzlers with Green Rice & Schezwan Sauce

Sizzling is all about capturing the flavor of the most important ingredient “ smoke”.  The method of smoking food is a classic tradition in cuisines in an around the world. Smoking Kebabas, tikkas, are a favorite among all the foodies.

The whole drama involved in getting the hot skillet on the table with occasional steam and hiss makes the diner even more craving for the dish.

If one search on web about the origin of this spectacular dish, one may not find a lot about it as some says its American and some Italian, some even says its from the maximum city. Whatever may the origin be the sizzlers leaves you salivating for sure.

It might qualify as a culinary genius but surely a genius in tastes, presentations.

Sizzler tastes best with best made sauce be it Schezwan Sauce, black pepper sauce or simple Worchester sauce. 

Cottage cheese sizzlers with Green Rice & Schezwan Sauce

Ingredients:

For the Vegetables accompaniment:

1 cup cauliflower florets (boiled)

1 cub carrot (cubed) (boiled)

1/2 cup green peas (boiled)

7-8 baby onions

1/2 medium sized capsicum

1/2 medium sized red bell pepper

1/2 medium sized yellow bell pepper

Salt to taste

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tbsp red chilly sauce

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1tbsp Butter

French Fries

For the Patty:

250 gms fresh cottage cheese (paneer)

2 medium-sized potatoes (boiled)

2 green chilies

1tbsp garlic and ginger paste

Salt to taste

1tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Red Chili Sauce

For the Green Rice:

1 cup Long-grained Rice

250 gms Coriander (Finely chopped)

6-7 Garlic Cloves (Finely Chopped)

2tbsp Olive Oil

Salt to Taste

1tsp Basil

1tsp Oregano

2tbsp Chili Flakes

For the Sizzler Plate:

2-3 cabbage leaves

Procedure:

For the boiling of the vegetables:

Take a vessel put in the cauliflower + green peas +carrots. Add 3 cups of water in it + 1 tsp of salt. Let the vegetables cook for 10 minutes.

Sauté of the vegetables: 

• Heat butter in a kadahi, add in the onions. Sauté them for a while till it changes color and turns pink.
• Add in the capsicum + red and yellow bell peppers. Saute this also.
• Then add in all the remaining boiled vegetables. Mix them all well.
• Add in Salt + Red Chili Sauce + Worcestershire sauce+ Black Pepper + Oregano + Basil.
• Let all this cook for a while. Keep it aside.

For the Patty:

• Now in a bowl, mash the boiled potato, and then add in the cottage cheese. Mix it well.
• Add in the green chilies + ginger + garlic + Red chili sauce + Worcestershire sauce. Mix them all well.
• Then divide the batter in equal part so that 3 patties can be made out of them.
• Take one part, make it in a big flat tikki (patty)
• Heat oil in pan; put the patty in it to roast it.
• Once it get cooked. Keep it aside.

For the Sauce:

• Take another pan; add 1 tsp oil in it. Then add in 1 tsp chopped garlic.
• Then add in the 2 tbsp of sauce Schezwan + 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce. Mix it well.
• After one boil, switch off the gas.

For the Green Rice:

• ·         Soak the rice for 1 hour before cooking.
• ·         Boil the rice with salt and 1tsp oil.
• ·         Heat the remaining oil in a wok; add in garlic and the chopped coriander.
• ·         Add in salt (if required) + basil + oregano + chili flakes.
• ·         Add in boiled rice.
• ·         Mix it well.
• ·         Add in lime juice.
• ·         Mix and keep it aside.

How to assemble:

• Put the plate on the stove.
• Place the cabbage leaves on it.
• Put the patty on one side of the plate. and 1 bowl of vegetables on the other side.
• On one side of the plate spread rice.
• Put some french fries on it also.
• Add 1 tbsp of butter over it to get that extra smoke.
• Add 1 tbsp of schezwan sauce over the patty and the vegetables.
• Sprinkle water so that the smoke gets even more wild.
• Serve hotttt

Chocolate Chip Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache

Yet another Day, yet another craving for cupcakes and this time it is Chocolate.  Read somewhere:

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” 
― Charles M. Schulza

So all the chocolate lovers gear up for this weekend and try these yummilicious cupcakes with loads of chocolate.

Chocolate Chip Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

110 gms Flour

110 gms Castor Sugar

110 gms Butter

1/4 tsp Baking Powder

30 ml Milk

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Procedure:

• ·         Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
• ·         In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder and keep aside.
• ·         Put the butter and sugar in a bowl.
• ·         Cream with beater till light and pale.
• ·         Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well.
• ·         Add in vanilla extract.
• ·         Gradually add in the flour, seeing that no lumps are formed.
• ·         Add in milk.
• ·         Mix it well.
• ·         Do not over beat the batter.
• ·         Pour the batter in greased and lined muffin tray.
• ·         Bake for 15-20  minutes at 160 degrees.

F       For the Icing:

     Chocolate Ganache

    Ingredients:

    100 gms Chocolate

     50  ml Cream

     Procedure:

• 
  
•     Melt the chocolate on a double boiler or you can do it in the microwave also.
•     For 30sec-1minute microwave it in the oven.
•     Fold in cream.
•    Whisk together to combine.
•     Put it in piping bag/spread it over the cupcakes.
•     After spreading the ganache, top it with whipped cream
•     I added yellow color, in the whipped cream you can choose any of the colors.
•     Decorate with sprinkles.
• 
  

• 

  Chocolate Chip Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache

1. 
   

I

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I am posting another awesome flavour of cupcakes. As February is approaching, Red Velvet Cupcakes  are ideal for the month of love decorated with hearts and other sprinkles.

Hoping u all will enjoy these beastly creatures a lot.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

125gms Flour

125gms Castor Sugar

50gms Butter

15gms Cocoa Powder

1tsp Vanilla Extract

1tsp Baking Powder

1/4tsp Baking Soda

1 Egg

Few drops Red Color

85ml Buttermilk

Few Drops of Vinegar

Procedure:

·          Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

·          In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.

·          In another bowl cream butter and sugar till pale.

·          Add the egg beat well.

·          Then gradually add in the flour mixture.

·          Finally add the color, buttermilk and vinegar.

·          Pour the batter into the lined and grease muffin moulds.

·          Bake in an oven for 15-20minutes at 160 degrees.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

Ingredients:

100gms Butter

200gms Icing Sugar

50gms Cream Cheese

Food color of your choice

Procedure:

·          Beat the butter in a bowl.

·          Add in the cream cheese.

·          Then add in the icing sugar.

·          Beat till stiff.

·          You can add the food color but I have kept it white color.

·          Pipe on the cooled cupcakes.

·          Decorate with sprinkles