Luxury amidst the wild and the green

We visited Patlidun, in the month of January. The truly Indian welcome, with the tikka and the drink; hot ginger honey water at the Patlidun Safari Lodge, leaves you curious for more.



Each corner of the property has been thoughtfully built, with a story to tell. Let's start with name 'Patli- Dun', meaning Narrow (Patli) and Valley (Dun). You arrive at the property in a 4by4, with tall Sal trees around you, which is an experience in itself. The first thing you notice is the beautifully painted wall of the sitting area. The drawing is called 'Aipan', a traditional art of Kumaon. It is a 'Rangoli' like painting, which is considered to be auspicious for wealth and power. The locals, also, paint these 'Aipans' on cloth and and on the floor at their house entrances.


The stones used to build the rooms at Patlidun, have been procured from old houses as the stone mines producing Uttarakhand Stones, were shut down in 1982. There is also 'Italian' marble used, which is approximately 200 years old. All rooms have paintings depicting the Kumaoni festivals, which gives a local and welcoming touch.


We checked in to the property at late evening hours, where a bon fire was arranged with a classy bar on the side and an array of hot exotic snacks, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. High chairs for the kids let you enjoy the drinks, without worrying about them. The evening session was followed by Chinese dinner in our  rooms. The first sight of the cottages as you open the door, is nothing but pure luxury. There is a sitting area with all amenities and a bathroom and then as you enter the room, you see fine pieces of furniture, hand picked by the owners themselves from various parts of the country, mainly Jodhpur. The cottages are huge, and also have an open area to sit and admire the beauty of the jungle and the hills. As you move further, you see another big room with bathing and the wash. The bathtub with the wild look, adds on to the beauty of the cottage. The most fascinating part, was the 'Star Window', you can lie down on the bed and keep gazing at the stars, till you go off to sleep.
 The private pool, along with all cottages is enough to lure you for a dip.







A very interesting place that caught our attention was the dhaba, which opens only in the evening for 2 hours. You can sit back and relax, with Masala Chai being made and served the Dhaba way. Also, the containers and accompaniments and the whole decor gives you a rustic but a cozy feel.

The restaurant is big enough to accommodate a large number of people, with an option to sit in the open area. Also, the food served is extremely well made and delectable to all palettes.
Next to the restaurant, a TV room lets you chill after an early long day with nature. The big screen with projector, adds on to the whole experience.




The safari and other activities, which are provided by the resort are highly recommended. The minutest of the requirement is taken care of. Even if you skip your tea, while rushing for the morning safari, a hot cup of ginger tea awaits you, right before you hop on the jeep. The courteous staff, also arranges for a blanket and hot water bottle for one to enjoy the drive amidst the jungle, while spotting some wild animals. If luck favours you, a tiger can be spotted too. The morning hunger pangs are also taken care off, with the packed breakfast and hot tea. Having breakfast in a jungle, can be well imagined as adventurous and exciting.



As souvenirs, the gift shop, has a large variety of items to choose from at a decent price.

'Patlidun' is not just another resort, it is an experience to remember. 

Foodventures in the kitchen

We all love to taste and try out new foods and cuisines. Don’t we? Then why in our kitchens do we have to stick to cookbooks and standard recipes passed on to us by our mother and grandmother?  Quite often, we accidently create a sumptuous meal in our kitchens. Such an incident, done with a purpose, is what I call an Innovation.

Adding ‘Lauki ki sabzi’ to Pao Bhaji was my grandmother’s idea. ‘Idli Ka Poha’ was my mother’s brainchild. My experiment with food is the Makhani Lasagne. Stuffing the regular lasagna sheets, with mixed vegetables and pineapples, topping it up with cottage cheese and baking it till golden brown.

6-8 Lasagne Sheets, 4-5 tbsp grated cottage cheese

FILLING

3 tbsp Olive oil

½ cup diced carrots spinach

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

½ green capsicum, ½ yellow capsicum- shredded

1 ½ cup paneer- roughly crumbled, 150 gms

2-3 slices pineapple

¾ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper

MAKHNI SAUCE

250 grams or 4 to 5 medium ripe and red tomatoes

 2 to 3 tbsp dairy cream

2 tbsp butter

1 bay leaf/tej patta

1 tsp ginger garlic paste (1/2 inch ginger + 3-4 small garlic crushed to paste in a mortar-pestle)

½ tsp red chilli powder or kashmiri red chilli powder or deghi mirch

1-2 green chillies, slit

¼ garam masala powder or tandoori masala powder

½ to 1 tsp honey or sugar - add as required* check notes

½ inch ginger, julienned

½ tsp kasuri methi leaves/dry fenugreek leaves, crushed

1.5 cups water

salt as required

METHOD

1. Rinse the tomatoes very well. chop them and make a smooth puree in a blender or grinder. keep the tomato puree aside.

2. Melt butter in a pan. first add the tejpatta/bay leaf and saute for a few seconds till aromatic.

3. Add the crushed ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic goes away.

4. Add the tomato puree and stir well.

5. Add the red chili powder and saute this mixture till the fat begins to leave the side of the tomato paste. takes about 14 to 15 on a low flame. keep on stirring often.

6. When you see the tomato mixture clumping together and the fat leaving the sides, then add water.

7. Stir and simmer till the gravy or sauce thickens a bit. takes about 7 to 8 mins on a low flame.

8. Add the slit green chilies and ginger julienne. stir and simmer for a minute.

add the honey or sugar, salt and crushed kasuri methi/dry fenugreek leaves.

9. To complete the Makhni sauce, add cream

10. For vegetable filling, sauté all of them together with little salt and pepper except pineapple. Add pineapple slices in the end

11. To assemble lasagne, Spread 2 tbsp of Makhni sauce at the bottom of the baking vessel.

12. Dip 2 lasagne sheets in water and place it side by side leaving some gap around it.

13. Spread some makhni sauce and filling with a little paneer on top and repeat the process with 2 more lasagne sheets.

14. Cover with foil and bake it at 180 degrees for 45 mins. Now bake it uncovered for another 4-5 mins so that it turns slightly golden.

Innovative dishes can be created with the leftovers in the fridge or a fusion of cuisines or simply trying to google recipes with the fancy ingredients lying in your house and cooking them up your way. Often, I have seen people getting anxious over exact measurements. My advice is RELAX!!! Give your food your own touch, if your cake doesn’t rise too high like the one at your favorite bakery, just drizzle whatever sauce/crush you have, whether chocolate or any fruit and serve it as a gooey cake to your family after dinner and keep adding those compliments to your kitty.

I also came across something that Vikas Khanna and Vir Sanghvi are doing-  #foodventures , which sounds exciting and highlights the adventures done with food. Tastiest food is not created with perfect recipes but with the good thought of serving. ‘Share’your food adventures too.

Know what's the Mangalorean Cuisine?

What really impresses me about India, is the number of cuisines here. Just last month, I was travelling in the north and experiencing the Kumauni cuisine. Not that it was the first time, I was relishing each dish there but each time it's like a new experience. While I was travelling, I got an invite to be a part of the chef's table at Four Point Sheraton, Navi Mumbai, to try out the Mangalorean cuisine.

Super thrilled about trying out the food I had never tasted before, I googled about the variety of food in Mangalore. Even though I knew a major chunk of it would be non-vegetarian food and heavy on spices, I accepted the invite and joined the other bloggers at the chef's table with my better half Moksh. The dinner table was set at the hotel's multi cuisine restaurant, Asian Kitchen. We were the last one's to arrive, when everybody was already proceeding towards the desserts. However, a blogger couple and a few others decided to give us company, while we had our dinner. To my surprise, the main course was mainly vegetarian, with a few non-vegetarian dishes.
The food was prepared by the homechefs duo Mrs.Vijaya S Bangera and Mrs. Rekha S Salian who are renowned for their traditional preparations and have catered for various community events and also cooked for the late Mr. Bal Thackeray and  his family.
We started with Tomato Rasam, which was a little pungent for me but I guess most of the people savoured the flavors.

The vegetarian snacks included a chickpea chaat and baby corn sauteed in mild spices. Because, I wanted to taste each dish there, I also put the salads in the same plate. Tomato and Coconut salad was absolutely delicious and highly recommended.


A few other dishes which were a part of the buffet are- Kori Sukha, Bangude Puli Munchi,  Neer Dosa with Jinji chutney and the Mangalorean staple Ganjee rice served with assorted chutney.
Kadle Bele Kosambari (chana dal and coconut salad), Matte Sukha (Boiled Egg with dry coconut & Mangalorean spice), Genasu Podi (Sweet Potato Chips), Kappu Manji Meen Rasa (Black Pomfret Curry) and Bisi Bele Bhat

What I enjoyed the most was the Pineapple Stew, very mildly spiced Dal and Rice. It was a perfect meal to end a hectic day and kick start the weekend. The whole food gave a very homely feel and no points for guessing, the amount of love with which it was made.
 The dessert included Hannu Kesari Bhat, Sweet Appams, Gajar Halwa, Godhi Payasam, Mysore Pak and much more.
We ended our dinner with a hot cup of cappuccino and a group picture with fellow bloggers and the hosts.

The Mangalorean fest is on till 10th February, 2016 and in my opinion, nobody should miss it :)

#GoCheeseTastingEvent

The #GoCheeseTastingEvent in association with Femina, at The Blue Frog,  was surely an afternoon to rejoice and remember.

I was super excited to meet my foodie friends, Mayuri, Priyadarshini and the masterchef Geetha Sridhar and a bunch of fellow bloggers, who were there sharing an equal amount of enthusiasm and where all arrived before time, waiting for the event to begin.

The event kicked off on a lighter note, with a comedy act by Angad Singh Ranyal, a well known Stand up comedian. Angad, made sure to regale the guests with his humorous dialogues and act about the new age generation.

The belly laugh, was followed by an insightful talk by the Chief Marketing Officer at Parag Milk Foods (Gowardhan), Mahesh Israni. He began by sharing a story on, how cheese was invented, where a set of travellers were travelling with milk and how that milk due to bacterial formation got converted into cheese. He also shared that there are over 2200 kind of cheese across the globe and we are yet to explore those. Also, sharing the potential for the growth of a market for cheese, he added, that the per capita consumption of cheese in India is 200 gms, per year, whereas in other countries like France, per capita consumption in an year is 25 kgs. Only, 9% of our population is exposed to cheese, there is still scope of introducing cheese to the other 91% of the population.To increase the usage of cheese, we need to start using it, at our homes first and then think of consuming it, with outside food.

The last talk was by Chef Ranveer Brar on pairing the right wine with various kind of cheese. As the chef started talking about the varieties of cheese and his role at #GoCheese as  a brand ambassador, the audience were served, the cheese platter along with a Red &White Wine. The platter consisted of 4 kind of flavoured #GoCheese, the Gouda Cheese, Mozarella Cheese and few more condiments.




 

Ranveer not only talked about the kind of cheese to go with the kind of wine but giving little tips on how to consume cheese in several ways during all courses of a meal from starters till the desserts.
One tip that I really liked and will surely try is to marinate the cheese cubes in Darjeeling tea concentrate and serve as a snack. Another point that he mentioned was to mix the kind of cheese, which I always do and found worth mentioning.
After a hearty cheese tasting, along with wine, the snack platter was served with dishes made out of cheese, eg. Quesadillas, Rice balls, Fried Mozarella cheese, tacos and an open cheese sandwich. As soon as we finished the snacks, we were served a dessert platter, which consisted of a fruit tart and a mousse.

The stage was left open for the audience to ask questions and interact with the chef. The question answer session was followed by a #selfie session with the chef.

 Here is another tip to use cheese in your homes- To break the monotony of daily stuffed paranthas, try mixing some #GoCheese cheddar with the filling and see your family drooling over it.

Last but not the least, we were given a wine and cheese hamper to take home, out of which, I have started experimenting on new dishes, one by one :)



  

My Review of the #SoftestForBabySkin Pampers Premium Care Pants

If I have to rate these new pants in numbers, I would give it full marks. There was a need of diapers, which were more comfortable, more absorbent and most importantly soft to prevent rashes for the toddlers.

1. I found the diapers to fit on my child's waist perfectly to prevent any leakage or make any uncomfortable marks. She can play and run around in the house without any worry.
2. The skin being so sensitive, she used to get a rash every now and then because of the diaper but those seem to have disappeared now.
3. I often have to stay out for the whole day, for work, leaving behind the little one with parents and the maid. The wetness indicator has made their and my life much simpler. I have to no longer give reminders to the help on when to change the wet diaper
4. The capacity of the diaper to stay on for a longer time is a brilliant feature. In India, all the washrooms are not baby friendly and often it is difficult to find a diaper change table. I, also being a very finicky mom used to keep changing the diaper every 2 hours. Now I am more relaxed, whie taking her out and also patient to find a washroom with a  diaper change table.

#SoftestForBabySkin Pampers Premium Care Pants are definitely a boon to the parents. The only downside to the diaper is the cost, which was actually put across by a friend, when I was talking to her about all the great features of the new pants. However, my vote still stays for the new premium care pants and I would not mind paying a higher price for the comfort of my baby.

This blog post is written for the Pampers #SoftestForBabySkin activity in association with BlogAdda.

Pampers #SoftestForBabySkin

We were privileged to be a part of an awesome event, the preview of the new Pampers Premium Care Pants. The event was hosted by the entrancing Mandira Bedi, in conversation with the charismatic Tara Sharma, a very experienced child sleep consultant Ajita Gopal Seethepalli  and the Pampers R&D expert Dr. Wei Sing Long.

Dr. Wei Sing Long took us through the features of the new Pampers Premium Care diapers, which included the wetness indicator and baby lotion. The wetness indicator was a great relief as many a times, the new age moms have to leave their kids with maids and other family members, who need an indication to change the diapers and the baby lotion to prevent rashes, if there is a delay in changing the diaper.

With Tara and Mandira sharing their motherhood experience, we realised that motherhood is not only about doing things for the children, its also about rejoicing that age, which will never come back. Of course, with other mom bloggers around, it was some solace that we are not the only ones deprived of sleep :)

Another good news was the capacity of the diaper to keep the baby dry for 12 hours, which ensures good sleep for the little one and in return a peaceful night for the parents. Thinking about the previous generations, when there were no diapers, I have all the regards for the mothers who used to take their kids out without diapers and washing and drying the nappies all the time. Diaper is a boon to the new age moms, where they can enjoy and exchange memories, instead of washing and wiping the floor and the sheets. These diapers are a step ahead than the regular diapers.

When a child is born, it is never so rosy as it is portrayed everywhere. There is pain, sleepless nights, at times helplessness and the never ending mood swings. I consider the new pants as a gift not only to the babies but also to the mothers, where they are relieved of a few challenges, if not all. 

I can vouch for the new pants by my personal experience. We received a goodie bag and the samples for the new diapers. We were scheduled to go on a vacation soon after the event and without second thoughts, I kept the sample packet with me while travelling. It was by far the most comfortable journey for my 1 and a half year old daughter, which I could make out with the level of her activities. Also, during the entire flight and the road journey, I did not had to change her diaper. 

I have always used Pampers  for my daughter, since she was born, also, tried a few other brands but always got back to Pampers. Now I guess the only diapers I would buy and recommend will be the new Pampers Premium Care #Softestforbabyskin

This blog post is written for the Pampers #SoftestForBabySkin activity in association with BlogAdda

The Maggi Meetup

The Maggi Meetup

One morning Moksh called me from office and asked if we should do a Maggi meet up. I loved the idea but another thing that also crossed my mind, is this what he is thinking about early morning at office? Did he not have his breakfast properly or is he really missing Maggi? Whatever, the reason was, I was totally game for it.

Even though I’m not a big Maggi fan but can imagine the number of people who survive on it. The bachelors, ‘n’ number of Maggi points on the hill stations, the only food kids can cook, while their mothers are away and of course a midnight snack for most of us.

As soon as I floated the idea of doing this meet up on twitter, people started bombarding me with negative comments and were ready to slaughter me. These were the same people who had a stock of Maggi lying in their houses but not consuming it because it suddenly became toxic after the news spread.

We still went ahead with our idea and created a Facebook invite and invited all our friends to our place for a Maggi party. Now another challenge was to find Maggi, as it had been removed from all the stores. One day while walking, Moksh and I saw Maggi hanging in a basket at a very small shop in one corner. On asking the lady there, how she still managed to have it, she replied that her shop was closed the day Nestle guys came to remove the stock. This turned out good for us though and we picked it up from there in bulk.

I am glad I have people on my friend list who support Maggi like we do and they turned up with all the enthusiasm on a Saturday evening. Nobody had a clue about the agenda of this meet up, however, we had planned an activity for them. We made 10 chits with names of different kind of Maggis like Tom Yum, Soupy Maggi, Gujju Maggi, Mix it up etc. We were 14 people in total and made 7 teams, each team picked up one chit and created the Maggi, which was written there.

There were all the possible chopped vegetables, sauces and spices on the table along with boiled Maggi and an induction with a pan. Everybody cheered each team as they came up with their innovation and enjoyed whatever was cooked.

Along side, was the Xbox and the tasting session, to keep everybody engaged. The tasting session after each innovative Maggi, made everybody so full and left no space for dinner. This was the first time, when people were invited to our house and I was not cooking J

The other thing that I found really sweet was that everybody participated whole-heartedly, in true spirits and made it an evening to remember. When we posted pictures on Facebook of the event, many people called us and said that they too would have liked to be a part of it.

I would like to Thank everybody to make this event a success and we look forward to more such evenings.