How to start a day with a 15 minute early meal

If you have a job like me where you get flexi hours and can start your day excited about the kind of work you do and travel a lot then this is for you. This is a meal I have been trying to perfect for the best of late mornings in the kitchen. The best part is it covers the rainbow spectrum of vegetables along with necessary carbs from noodles. It's a simple noodles recipe I cooked my way.

Now this is not for dummies class so I am not going to cover how much amount of X you should take or give you a list of things you need. Go through these steps and make a note of what you need. I won't tell you to wash the vegetables and other nanny points here. Just use your brains. 

By cooking up a meal early on in the day gives you two things:

1. Cooking in the greens rejuvenates you, makes your mood sexy.

2. And most importantly it gives a sort of organizational skill warm up early on because you're doing lots of kitchen work in 15 minutes. That is a head start.

 

Steps:

1. Take a handful of noodles (cellophane or rice noodles preferred. Buy local)

2. Take out 4 big vessels with flat base. You will need it.

3. Take a handful of spinach leaves and coriander and keep it aside. Slice 2 capsicum (not vertically), so your slicing should make rings. Chop 3-4 tomatoes as per your liking and style of cutting. You can also add in beans, whatever kind suits you,  if you love chopping things like me. I love beans. 

4. Fill in the noodles in one of them and fill up with drinking water just enough to cover them up till you complete point 6 below which shouldn't take much time. You can use regular cooking oil and apply over the stack of noodles so they don't stick if you don't get your hands on rice noodles. Do it anyway, it's a fun activity if your partner is in the house. 

5. Fill up two vessels with drinking water with equivalent amount of water and put it on boil.

6.  Put the capsicum, tomatoes & beans (if any) in one of the boiling pots for 5-7 minutes. 

You could add eggs as well to boil it along and slice them over the mixed veg noodles later if you want.

 

 

 

 

7. Put noodles in the other one when you see it's about to boil. Put in spinach that you had kept aside in the noodles' pot after a minute. Keep it on flame for about 4-5 minutes.

8. Take a frying pan(if it's non-stick, heat it up initially and cut a piece of onion and apply safely over the pan. That temporarily gives it a non stick coating). Put oil in accord to the amount of noodles you have taken. Drain out the noodles and spinach into a vessel. Now is your chance to add your favorite salt and pepper to taste and mix it well with the noodles. (probably the 4 vessels are out now or you could drain this in the one where veggies were boiling).

9. Put in the veggies into the pan, fry for a minute. Take it out.

Then add in the mixed veggies and mix them well once more.

10. Put in the noodles & spinach and the rest of the lot back into the pan and you could crack two eggs over it to make it tastier. Plus the egg has other adhesive qualities over noodles which makes up for good cooking while in the pan. Happy cooking for a minute.

And it's done. Garnish it with coriander and you could make it tangy if you can squeeze in lemon over it. I personally don't do that.

 

 

And it should take not more than 20 minutes over all.

Mussoorie–Revisited!

Namah Shivay!

Long since a new article has been published here. It’s a pleasure expressing my joys as I write this with love. It was 19th of November, 2008 as I remember when I last saw the face of this scenic beauty. 30 kms from Dehradun, set in the lap of lush green Himalayan mountains, is a ride full of twists & turns & a mountainous terrain with steep falls & highs, that welcomes you to the grandeur of this small hill station, its beauty discovered by Col. Young during the British India era. Since then it has attracted foreigners every year throughout the year. The Mall road, Gun Hill, Camel Back, Lake Mist, Kempty Falls, Happy Valley, Buddhist Temple, Tibetan Market only to name a few. It requires one to have a stay of at least a week to fully set in the way of life here.

The Dehradun Shatabdi Express which runs from New Delhi station to Dehradun is a breath of fresh air when it comes to traveling. It’s like an economy flight on rails. The food is good & the signature habit of attendants of Rajdhani & Shatabdi to serve you mini meals every now & then keeps the tummy healthy & smiling. One of the most spectacular views is the green fields during monsoon season as the train leaves Ghaziabad & passes through the villages. At Haridwar, the Hindu culture is predominant & the way of life reflects here as well as soon as you see the confused foreigners, saints & devotees traveling with you get off the train & walk out to the welcoming mountains surrounding Rishikesh & Haridwar. Through the large windows the sight is picture perfect.

We reach our final destination after a spectacular sight of a dense patch of forests that can send ones imagination to a beautiful past which could have been so much colder, denser & mystical a decade or more back. They wouldn’t have required fans in this city back then. Beside the station is the Dehradun bus stand from where, every hour or so, one can catch a bus to the lovely Mussoorie, which is an hour & fifteen minutes ride approximately that would leave you amazed at how much the bus drivers are well acquainted with the steep turns & falls from the valley to the hills. It is reassuring to know how smoothly they handle the wheels at the sight of vehicles coming at you & overtaking vehicles from behind.

We stayed at Padmini Nivas Hotel, on the Mall Road, very near to the Tibetan Market, a 180 year old building, if what I heard is correct, built for the British sepoys as a retreat from the usual routine of life, a retiring place for the recovering & for those battered & bruised. The hotel started operating from 1980. One just has to let their imagination fly as to, back then, what this beautiful place would have been like. The tourists, commercialization hasn’t affected the natural setting as much as the trash thrown here & there that is littered across the boundaries of the hotels, shops that have sprung up, of many a kind. Tea shops, Chinese nook corner, bread & omelet shops, maybe throwing crumbs as well.

At 7000 ft. cracking jokes over a cup of tea & ‘pakodas’ would be an understatement. That’s what Gun Hill has to offer. When the clouds clear the eyes set in to bask in the glory of so many glacial peaks at sight, one could gasp and say a thousand more peaks please. Gangotri, Yamnotri, Rishikesh, Badrinath among others.
Going further on the the Kulri street I meet the age old man & his wife who run their fairy tale chocolate shop still. I am thankful to my sweetheart for managing to get me a beautiful autograph of the legendary Ruskin Bond. Just like before, it is now, a dream ride over there only clouded over the head and rainy, as it should be in the month of July.
More on this later folks.
(to be contd.)

This is how we do it

DEEP NATURE

It is a call that brings ones conscience back to their mother. Many struggle in life, bestowed with innumerable talents, single-mindedly towards their goals. That’s work. There are some who like to employ these talents keeping the life throughout a holiday. That too is the work actually.

Inspired by such blossoming figures, this post rememorizes many a journeys undertaken in the last few months.

Jabalpur-Tala

One of these happens to be during summers in the hot month of April this year to Bandhavgarh National Park, in one of the states, Madhya Pradesh in India, in the district of Umaria, near the eastern border of the state, next to the district of Shahdol which touches Chhattisgarh. With an area spanning 105 km²,the buffer zone is spread over the forest divisions of two districts covering a total of 437 km². Animal sightings in this zone is common as is their presence throughout the forests in the state. Easy to spot are ‘Spotted Deer’, fox & hyenas at nights.

To reach Bandhavgarh, the route via Jabalpur, which is a major city in M.P, is about 200 km away. The state highway SH-22 via Shapura takes a left turn which heads north-east towards Umaria. The roads are well maintained in this route & was our way in. There’re a few gas stations & a highway mini-mall as well. Bandhavgarh can be accessed by road from Umaria station , 32 Kms away or from Katni Station, 100 Kms or from Khajuraho, driving time is around 6/7 hours.

 

As one enters the forest, one is delighted to see a myriad of colors the birds have to show in their closet. During the jungle safari I was privileged to spot a few of them. The Plum-headed Parakeet, Large-billed Crow, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Jungle Babbler, Red-necked Vulture & House Crow are a common sight here as well as where my hometown is.

Luck would’ve played worse had we not spotted two tigers roughly 150 meters from our jeep. They were supposed to be taking their afternoon nap. We couldn’t get a clear picture but the thrill to have just been there & spotted them was satiating in itself.

The forest is divided into four major zones & a limited number of tourist are allowed in each, most important of these being the ‘Tala’ zone where tiger sightings have been reported to be maximum. Barking deer, Nilgai which is an antelope of Indian variety 4–5 feet high & about 2 meters long, Indian Wolf, hyena and the caracal are a few of the wild animals assured to be spotted once in the safari.

The sanctuary is laden outside for the tourist with many resorts with a budget to suit ones need. There’s not much for local shopping but that is not what a jungle safari is.

 

Surrounded by 32 hills in all, the region forms small valleys joining the lowly regions such as Chakradhara, Rajbahera, Sehradadra, Bhitribah, Bandhavgarh derives its name from a Sanskrit word which literally means ‘Brother’s Fort’, named after Laxman, the legendary warrior prince & brother of Rama in the Indian epic ‘Ramayana’ to watch over the lands, as a watchtower, guarding against the demon-king’s mercenaries from his ancient Lanka empire. To the brothers name still stands the ‘Bandhavgarh Fort’ which due to some reasons we couldn’t visit.

 

A luxurious stay & a fruitful safari compensates for the abrupt cancellation in the meeting with the king of the jungle. Save nature. Save Earth.

Next stop..coming soon.

Technorati Tags: deep forest,nature,bandhavgarh,forest,madhya pradesh

Culture Rock

What: INDEXPO-Indore Powered by biztradeshows.com INDEXPO-Indore Date: 04-FEB-11 to 07-FEB-11 INDEXPO-Indore is an international exhibition for Steel, Pharma, Automobiles, Food Precessing, Print & Packaging, Industrial Automatons and Industrial Suppliers. For each category a separate pavilion is built. Total 70,000 sq feet of area for displaying plants and equipments and machinery. The event will be held between 04-07 Feb. 2011. Venue: TBA, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India When: Friday, February 4, 2011 (all day) Where: TBA TBA, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India Bhainsdehi, Madhya Pradesh   India

Technorati Tags: Indore,Mandu,Madhya Pradesh,Tourism

In the meantime when you think of the title, instantaneously pops up in mind the C minor, G tones & guitar. Rock culture. Many rock songs that resemble each other in the way they were composed or sung or perceived. Only a handful become classic or notes to remember by. The real thing that still rocks in my mind is evergreen music. Evergreen unheard voices echoing in the corridors of ancient fortresses, temples, mansions of kings & queens famous & infamous alike.

Likewise, thanks to Madhya Pradesh government’s tourism department for promoting its tourism activities through media & advertisements, this one thing is justly running collateral with reality of historic proportions. The very fact that Madhya Pradesh is a state of mixed cultures, where all the people are following the legacy of their ancestors as far as they can in their own capacities, makes it an interesting land to visit.

One such interesting place is Indore, the commercial heart of M.P. Now known as mini-Mumbai here in the state, the investment in commercial & tertiary services is at par with that of any metro town. The basic drawbacks are poorly planned city infrastructure & water borne diseases. But that hasn’t stopped the city from expanding. There is a chain of malls, over 70 of them & yet more to open. Unbelievable!

And unbelievable is in harmony with the air of this mythical land dating back to the times of Mahabharata. Situated 90 kms from Indore, in the Vindhya mountain ranges is the ancient city of Mandavgarh, the ‘Ghost City’. Also known as “Shadiabad”, which means the city of joy, Mandavgarh or venerably called ‘Mandu’ was fortified as early as the 6th century, but became a capital of power & cultural hub in around 10th century A.D. as the fort capital of the Parmar rulers of Malwa. Mandu was founded by Raja Bhoj in the 10th century as a fortress and retreat. Later, in the latter half of 13th century it was ruled by the Sultans of Malwa, under whom it was named Shadiabad.

Situated on an isolated hill top, Mandu is the largest standing fortified town in the world. Mangoes, tamarinds & banyan trees cover this romantic town. Jahaz Mahal, Hindola Mahal, Rupamati’s Pavilion and the Jama Masjid are the major tourist attraction. Mandu’s lure has called upon itself many a great rulers ranging from Sultans to Rajas to the Mughals till the Marathas deserted it after they shifted to a nearby town called Dhār.

This town carries a simple, sensual & enigmatic appeal with it because of the great love between King Baz Bahadur & Rani Rupmati, a peasant lass. Story has it that when Mughal King Jalalluddin Akbar waged war against the ruling King, he had no choice but to flee & Rani Rupmati was captured by the new ruler. But before anyone could touch her, she committed suicide by swallowing ground diamonds.

 

The Roopmati Pavilion is situated on the banks of the Rewa Kund. This retreat was built by Baz Bahadur for his queen Roopmati. From here, the Roopmati could see the Narmada river flowing at a distance as a silver screen on the horizon. The pavilions, square with hemispherical domes are the latest additions and have added distinction to the building. The sunrise and sunset can also be enjoyed from here.

This place stands competing Jaipur & Udaipur in terms of number of foreign tourists that it invites every year. The floating palace also known as the Jahaz Mahal is situated on the sweets of the lake, adjectively speaking. This is the heart of the nation, reminding us of the strong foundations of our cultural rock.

Dehradun-Mussoorrie

Flickr Tags: Dehradun,Doon,Mussoorie,Holiday

Dehradun is a home away from home. It is any day given, a better getaway than the jazzed life in a metropolitan city or its disco pubs. I feel comfortable in the midst of forests. And from Delhi I reached Meerut, my birthplace, taking NH-58 roadway around afternoon. Meerut is said to be the capital of the kingdom of Ravan’s father-in-law Mayasur, known as “Maya-Rashtra”" back then. He was also the chief-architect of “Maya-Sabha”at Indraprasth, the great hall which he was ordered to build by Lord Krishna & Arjun for Arjun’s elder brother Yudhishthir.

Dehradun Mussoorrie aerial view

I had visited Dehradun during the spine-chilling month of November in 2008. I had the privilege of staying at FRI (Forest Research Institute) campus, which is by far one of the largest campuses in India & the largest Forest University in Asia, which in turn was my basking place at nights, an escape from the shivery cold outside.

 

Located in the Doon valley of Uttarakhand, 246 kilometers north of India's capital New Delhi, this city offers a glimpse of what Garhwali region is all about. Beauty, halt, stillness, inhaling life & realization. It is the icing on the cake that Uttarakhand culture is all about. To the North-East, lies Nepal & there are many Tibetan immigrants in this region, only increasing when one reaches Mussoorrie.

To reach Mussoorrie, one cannot help but stop at these eateries called “Maggie-points”! Trust me, I can make varieties of dishes with these two minute home made noodles but no one makes it better than these people at road side shacks. As you sip the noodles tucked in your vehicle enjoying the scenery, you get dissolved into a Harry-Potter’s World. For real!

 

It’s like Ruskin Bond has hypnotized you even before you had him sign his autograph for you in that old Arcade shop on Friday evenings! And the winds mate, the winds. It just lifts your soul up. You feel connected. The next best place to go would be Leh, another Buddhist land. If only the world wouldn’t change its geography & barge in on scenic beauties with floods. But that’s another story.

I cannot describe Mussoorrie without Tibetan influence. When Dalai Lama finds the capital of Mahayana Tibetan Buddhist Religion in Dharmshala, I find hot momos, Pork soup, Yak’s milk & Mr. Ruskin Bond the capital attraction of this wonderful spiritual hill-station called Mussoorrie. Youngsters in numbers, holding hands, cozying under their soft wool gather on the streets at evenings, their cheeks blossoming pink with the excitement & aura of one of mother nature’s most pacifying form.

I could see myself pacifying with food, although I made the terrible mistake of having stale, days old delicious Biryani from a street shack & couldn’t savor the nights hot menu at a Tibetan nook corner!

SURKANDA DEVI MATA MANDIR, Ichhoni Village is in the Tehri Garhwal region & is as important a trip as the trip back home if one gets past Dhanaulti, which is just 25 kms beyond Mussoorrie, which one should visit considering the charm of this place. Besides, Garhwal lasses are one of the best breeds in the world, mystically speaking mind you. From here, Gangotri, Yamnotri, Badrinath, Rishikesh can be clearly spotted.

 

Looking forward to another trip soon.

A Diwali Worth Spent

What:	Bacardi flavrz Presents Timeout nights with DJ LOOPKIN (Bhavishyavani) Loopkin, DJ/producer, plays groovy, progressive, funky and dynamic electro-techno music. His sets are an analog delight - he always uses turntables and effects. As part of the now-legendary Bhavishayvani Future Soundz crew, Loopkin regularly presides over some of the best dance music gigs in Mumbai. His sets have been fixtures at the city’s leading venues like Aurus in Juhu and Blue Frog in Lower Parel. Unknown to most clubbing regulars who’ve been treated to his sets, before Loopkin arrived in Mumbai in 2004, he set up and ran a record label (Hologram) as well as producing the work of well-known European and American DJs. You can find his own music on this label too. His DJing career, however, can be traced back a decade ago when Loopkin first discovered the original techno sound from Detroit after listening to a “mix-up” of DJ Jeff Mills - a discovery that turned his life upside down. He began spinning acid-techno tunes in Britanny (the western region of France) in 1995. Loopkin began to be well-known in Britanny thanks to the radio show “Line-up’” where he and his best mate, played regularly from ‘95-97. During this time, Loopkin proved he can mix everything from acid-house to techno and made people dance as never before. Besides playing marathon 10 hour DJ sets, he ‘s gigged all over France with international DJs like The Youngsters (f.com, Fr), Stryke (Guidance USA), Steve Bicknell ( Cosmic, UK) and the father of French house music, Laurent Garnier (F com, Fr). Promoters:- Mypurplemartini in association with The Bombay Elektrik Projekt
When:	Saturday, November 21, 2009 9:00 PM to Sunday, November 22, 2009 1:00 AM
Where:	Bonobo, Linking Road Mumbai, Mahārāshtra   India

It was just a month back, I remember. I was about to die, not from any externally inflicted disease but lost within myself, I searching for a trail to get my hands on just one pill of that rat poison. How does that look like? I don’t know, there aren’t many rats around my house. And I thought if I spend this Diwali in a lifetime of loneliness, it’s better I die.

But fate had it otherwise. I was blessed with a fat sponge who dropped by with a host of friends that I had not quite recognized from my school’s past. It took me a while to recognize that the shiny face of my sponge friend is none other than my school mate and the sick looking still in tenth grade physique with porcupine hair is actually a college undergraduate. I pray that he survives adulthood.

I had taken an oath of not bursting any crackers and hopefully a bunch of these guys were scary cats. Last year I almost did the great thing of cracking my cars driver windows. It was close to where I had buried a whole set of those ‘tiger-bombs’ under the sand. Anyhow, it has been a year worth of learning and surviving and struggles. So, I think holidays are meant for slumbering till noon.