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.

Teaching Experience in Kanpur

My trip to Kanpur was an awesome experience as it was my love for food and travel combined together! I was offered a 4 days workshop at the GD Goenka school, which was primarily for the mothers of the kids attending summer camp there and of course the teachers, who were present in the school at that time.

I arrived in Kanpur, in the early evening hours and my parents arrived a little before dinner time, to look after Vedika (my daughter) when I would have gone for my sessions in school.

I had an agenda for 4 days of the workshop, which we did not follow keeping the demands of the students in mind. However, the dishes that were taught were simple, less time consuming and could be made by ingredients that were easily available. I could sense the curiosity and eagerness to learn in each one of the parents sitting there to learn more about healthy food for kids. At this time I realised that I am not the only one struggling to feed my daughter. All kids avoid food. 

On Day 1, being the first day, all of us struggled with collating the ingredients, utensils and setting up the kitchen in a classroom. The efforts were successful and we made a Hawaiian Sandwich, Fruit Punch and Oats Kathi Roll. Everybody was really impressed with the way Oats were used, instead of the regular Oats and milk, upama and poha. This evening, we all went out to have chaat, which was not that great but filling enough for us to skip dinner.

Day 2, the audience was more comfortable and much more participative. On this day, we made Sprouty Peanut Tomato Rice, Tikka Parantha Sandwich and Broccoli and Apple salad, which again was enjoyed by each one present there. On this evening the Chairman of the school was kind enough to request one of his friends to show us around the city. He picked us up from the hotel and being a native, he took us to all the non tourist streets of the city. We started our evening with some shopping of artificial leather bags and chikan kurtas at the New Market in Kanpur. Followed by the famous 'Ramswaroop Chaat' at Birhana road, which is surely not to be missed. I do not remember having a better chaat than this one ever. People there also told us that this chaat guy was invited by Ambani for one of his house functions in Mumbai. After this we picked up the famous 'Thaggu Ke Laddu' and had it's 'Badnam Kulfi'. Honestly, I did not like either of it much. We ended our city tour with a visit to the 'Cawnpore Club', which was huge with several dining places, disco, bar, gaming, gym, swimimg pool, play area for kids, coffee shop, huge lawns and majorly all sports. After the club, we were dropped at a friend's place for dinner and then back to the hotel.

Day 3- Healthy Paneer Burger, Nutri Nugget Kebab and The Rose Kulfi was the menu. I had to wind up my session early on this day as the other trainer had to leave on this day and her session was immediately after mine. This evening, we had nothing much planned as the previous day we had covered most of the things to do in Kanpur, we chose to skip the regular tourist places there and visited the JK temple close to the hotel and a local fair, which was too much fun, picking up liitle things at dearth cheap rate.

Day 4- The farewell day. on this day all the dishes were made on demand, including 2 kind of pastas, salsa, sour cream, cheese corn balls, stir fried greens etc. Since, on this day we had a little more time to ourselves, we ended with a small cooking contest for participants and gave out little goodies. After the session, my parents and my daughter joined the principal, chairman and me for lunch at the school and we were bid farewell with loads of gifts. Not to forget another brilliant sweet that we picked up from Kanpur was 'Banarasi Ke Laddoo', the best boondi laddu, one could have.

Overall, a great experience and awesome food :)

Travelling with an Infant

Motherhood is as you take it, for some it can be rosy while a few others just count days to school. I have an 11 months old daughter and I partially fall in both these categories. Apart from the daily challenges, I must say, both my husband (Moksh) and I have had some great times with our daughter. Both of us are extremely fond of food and travel, so is our daughter. At this age too, she senses the outside food and loves to eat. About travelling, she is always happy to go on a drive at any hour. An important part of our family is our little dog 'Milo', who has been a part of most of our travel.
We have experienced travelling by road, ship and flight with the little one Vedika and are yet to experience the train travel. Here are some handy tips to travel with your little one-

1. If travelling by car, try getting your child to sit in the car seat for sometime if not the whole journey. This is important for you too, to stretch your legs and enjoy the drive. A little tip to make your child sit in the car seat is to keep her busy, with music or conversations. Also, give her a biscuit or a toy in her hand to play with.

2. Clothes- Please please do not overburden the child with fancy clothing. The diaper is enough to make the child feel hot. Make her wear clothes, where her body movement is not hindered. A body suit is recommended and if it is winters team it up with Pyjamas and socks. Keep changing the diaper too.

3. Baby essentials- Always remember 'You will have a successful trip, only if your child is comfortable'. Each child's requirements are different, cater to them first. Carry medicines, snacks and little toys to keep her busy.

4. Baby Gear- A pram and a carrier comes really handy. It is difficult to pick the kids up and roam everywhere. A pram lets your baby sleep anywhere, anytime. If you as a couple, want your own time, give the baby her time as well. Also, the airlines allow you to take the stroller till the aircraft, which makes it very convenient. The best part is that, it is not counted as a part of your baggage but carrying it is free of cost :)

5. Choice of destination- Do not choose destinations that are very high on activity. Cover the laid back ones till they turn 5, so that both you and the child have time to relax and do not have to run around. Children are most cranky, when they are sleepy. Make sure they get enough rest.

6. Respect their schedule- I agree its difficult to follow the child's schedule when you are out. Try planning your day as much as possible according to her timings to avoid discomfort to everybody.

7. Travel Light- Most difficult part, but carry bare minimum stuff as its you, who has to pack, roam around with and then unpack. Restrict the number of bags to one or two. Chances of leaving things here and there are very high with the little one.

8. Some items not to be missed- A liquid soap for washing bottles. Even if you do not sterilise them for a few days, its completely Ok. Boil the water in the electric kettle and wash them with it after washing with the soap. A liquid detergent for clothes, do pack the dirty clothes but sometimes the clothes are really dirty to pack. Wash and dry them before putting them back in your suit case. Odomos or any mosquito repellent, for a peaceful sleep and a comfortable evening stroll. An electric kettle, if you are driving down and have no constraint for baggage.

9. Camera- Believe me the best family photos are captured when you are travelling. If you want the best photos of your baby and the family, do not forget to pick up the camera bag.

10. Advance bookings- Very important to have a well planned trip. Make all bookings in advance and check out the hotel websites and amenities before you land there. I have once had a horrible experience because I had not checked on the hotels my travel agent had allotted to us. When you have a child, you need decent places to stay. Home stay can also be taken as your child is bound to feel more comfortable there with company.

I hope you find these points helpful. Also, on another note, do not cut costs on your trip.
Memories of holidays stay forever. A good hotel might increase your budget by 20%-30% but can increase your joy by 100%.
Have a happy and a safe trip!