The Indo-moroccan flavor!

Morocco, a place on the coast of Africa, has produced a myriad number of dishes which have made their way to India of late. The lamb Shashlik is not a dish that is unique to morocco but their style of preparation as well as the sauce is unique to that region.

Recently, I was able to taste the lamb Shashlik prepared in the Moroccan style of cooking, while being coated with a hot apricot sauce that is Moroccan in origin. Needless to say the combination was just perfect, the hot sauce managed to give the Shashlik a whole new flavor and the ensemble was just great.

This is a dish that one should not miss out on, just imagine the shashlik coated in the apricot sauce and being grilled, with all the Moroccan herbs and spices. I am sure that as you are reading this, your mouth must have started to water, because that is what happened to me as the smell of the grill caught me unawares. My suggestion, try the Moroccan cuisine, especially anything that comes with the apricot sauce and after that, you would not want to partake anything else.

Coffee headaches while travelling?

Have you ever wondered why the rest of the world does not resemble your home? Well, if it did, then what is the point of traveling, is the quip I often get as an answer. The world is a huge place, that is a given, but what seems to escape most of us is the fact that each and every place has its own quaint customs and cuisine. The one way to truly appreciate the ambiance would be to make friends with the locals as well as try out some of their local cuisine.

Every time we travel, we will come across strange customs and new cuisine. Well, other than that, the most essential thing to remember is to respect their customs and traditions, as we would expect them to do while on our homeland. One of the things that I found a little bit difficult to get used to was a lack of strong coffee, while backpacking through Azerbaijan. I did get the coffee I wanted while staying in this great hotel, but the minute I stepped out of the air conditioned doors, well, it became something else altogether.

Azerbaijan is a beautiful country, from the top to the bottom, in ways you would not expect. For one, this place is such a mishmash of traditions and cultures, that I could not believe that I was in a Islamic country. The coffee that I got at the street stalls was nowhere near the black coffee that my system is used to, the result being that by the end of the day I had a splitting headache that was showing no signs of going anywhere.

It is important to remember to pack all of your medicines, the ones that you will need as well as the ones you may not need. With my headache in tow, I headed to the nearest pharmacy only to find out that saridon is not sold as saridon here and I did not know the name of its local variation. So, in the end, I got a herbal treatment for my headache, which was surprisingly effective.

There are a few things you may want to do before you head down Azerbaijan's way for one, get a language translation book if possible. That aside, remember to pack all the medicines that you may need. Try and research more on the place that you are planning to travel to. You can try one of the many sites for booking your hotel rooms and make sure that you have all the details with you when you travel, for example, I left mine in my desk drawer back at home and had quite a time in finding out which hotel I had booked. So if you want to avoid the headaches that I encountered, I suggest in trying to follow some of the guidelines that I have listed.

The cuisine that you will come across in this part of the world is rich in both content and variety. If you would like to experiment then this would be a wonderful place to begin it with. For one, I have never seen meat products being cooked the way that it has been done here here. There is a variety of products of both the vegetarian and the non vegetarian variety available here in Azerbaijan. You can snack on a lot of fast food items or try out their main courses, which are quite delicious. The food here is mildly spiced with spices such as cinnamon and saffron, and there is a ready to eat service available in most of the eateries. But there are a few places here in Azerbaijan which seems to have forgotten some of the basic rules of hygiene. So make sure that you choose the right place and as a precaution, make sure that you drink bottled water/boiled water.

Azerbaijan was an important place in the old silk route and as such, there are quite a few sights to see here. From the Shrivanshah palace to the national museum of Azerbaijan literature. My trip to Azerbaijan has certainly taught me quite a few things apart from not leaving my hotel details back at home. Hope that you would be able to have a great experience as I did on my trip to this warm and friendly country.

The Foreign experience in India!

First of all, some of the so called 'wild' behavior of the tourists, I have witnessed myself. The thing to remember is that whenever you visit a foreign country you should take care to pay heed to the local customs and traditions. Also, I have posted some guidelines here for the tourists visiting India for the first time.

Remember, India is a huge country and for the most part it is yet to adopt the western way. Just because you see a cow walking on the road that does not mean that the whole of India is backward or is still antiquated. Frankly, I do not see why seeing a cow on the street amazes the foreigners so much. The cows are present in the villages in the west as well, so why is it that an Indian cow can attract so much attention?

Anyway, here are some of the pointers that I think foreign tourists should take a look at,
1. First of all, leave all your perceptions of India back in the west, India is not just about snake charmers, elephants and jungles. There are quite a few tourists who seem to think that Rudyard Kipling's romanticizing of India is all true when it is not.

2. Please take care not to wound the sentiments of any Indians that you may meet, do not mock them or say things about their religion. Remember that most of the Indians, especially in the south know English quite well, even the beggar on the street would know a smattering of English.

3. When you leave the airport or the train station, ask the government official or the tourism board people to help set up your transportation, other wise you are setting yourself to get fleeced. Once you enter India, think in Rupees and not dollars.

4. DO not wear skimpy clothes, it only brings unwelcome attention and what is more it is not appreciated by the locals. I know that the Indian summer can make many a westerner sweat like anything, so do not travel to India in the peak summer season. Remember that India is not LA, so take care to wear modest clothing at all times.

5. Remember to drink plenty of fluids when in India as the heat can really get to you unless you are in the north where the opposite would hold sway, north as in the Himalayas.

6. Remember to buy some stomach medicine and carry it with you at all times as most of the Indian food is 'too spicy' for almost all the westerners. If you are the kind of person who loves a bowl of hot chili, you would love the Indian food.

7. Indians are always ready to help you at the drop of the hat, so if you need assistance, you can probably ask them for assistance. Indians by and large are quite friendly people.

8. When visiting a temple, please take care to heed the local customs, some of them may seem too antiquated to you but it is not your country so remember to follow them accordingly. When it says no photo should be taken in a temple of god, which means no photo. If you do not follow that, it may result in your camera getting confiscated or worse, in you getting arrested.

9. Certain temples are off limits to all foreigners and no exceptions are made as far as this goes, so sorry about that.

10. When you visit an Indian household, remember to take some gift with you. Take care to leave your footwear OUTSIDE the house. most of the Indians do not appreciate you trampling all over their homes with your shoes.

11. Do not hug or kiss an Indian woman as a form of greeting, that may be the norm in the west, but in India, it will result in you getting into a lot of hot water.

12. Above all, remember to be courteous and thank any Indian who helps you. Also, take care not to litter and have a nice time in India!

The yahoo travel portal!

The Yahoo travel portal seems to be getting more and more personalized these days. With the recent imbroglio concerning yahoo and Microsoft, i am not surprised that they are sprucing up the site but as i researched some information for my upcoming vacation to ooty, i was surprised to see the depth of the information that was available in that site. From the sights to see to the food that one can expect there, this portal had also linked up to reviews of other travellers as well. Check it out!

Dim sums and the glory of it!

I kind of like the title, don’t you? Well, any New Year that is on the horizon only gives us an extra reason to have fun. One of the ways for me to relax and have fun is to cook whether it is baking cookies or making a full fledged meal.
I love my Dim sums and make it a point to cook one variety or the other of it, at least, once every two weeks. You can make Dim sums as the steamed variety or the boiled ones or the fried ones. It is up to you. The thing to note here is that if you are planning to make fried ones, remember that olive oil can change the flavor altogether. So just use ordinary cooking oil for this purpose and forget all about the fat content of it and so on.

It is only once in a blue moon that you are making these dim sums so just use the cooking oil and not the olive ones. What is more it is only the trans fats that you should be worried about, so to use fresh cooking oil would not harm you much. Here, I am going off on to a different tangent altogether, so coming back to dim sums, they are very easy to make and you will enjoy the experience of making them.

My favorite dim sum is the chicken wontons and for this you will need 6 ounces of chicken breast, remember you can increase the amount of the ingredients and you will need to compensate. Now, you will also need some shallots, some garlic paste [makes it easier to cook with], some sesame oil or peanut butter [for that smoky aroma], some vegetables [ your choice, but I normally use carrots, cabbage and bean sprouts],2 tbs of soy sauce and some sugar. You will also need some chilly paste as well as some salt and a deep pan for the frying.

Heat the oil in the pan and fry the shallots, garlic paste and the chilly paste. Add the chicken and stir fry, remember that when the chicken changes color, which means that it is almost cooked. Tip: try to leave out the skins, as this will help the chicken to absorb the flavors quickly and cook well. Now, remove the pan and let it cool down. Take some of the wonton wrappers and place a small portion of the chicken curry mixture in the middle; now wet the edges of the wrapper with water. Use a second wrapper on the top and bring all the edges together. You can do it with the single wrapper but it is much better to use the two of them. You can then close it and make then ends as stylish as possible or not. It is all up to you.

Heat the oil again in the pan and start frying the wontons. Remember, do not keep the oil on high heat as that would sear the wontons and you do not want that. So, keep the flames on medium and fry the wontons until they turn golden brown. Enjoy your wontons and have fun at the same time. Good luck with your cooking and a Happy Chinese New Year!

The L4!

This is a roof top restaurant at the Citicenter in Chennai, and as such, it is really a nice place to have one's dinner under the stars. The food may be average but the ambiance is really good. What is more, it is right on the sea shore and it is really pleasing to see the ships pass by, all lit up like candles in the dark. With a brisk weather, one will find the time passing very quickly, when eating out at the L4!

Essaouira - the haven for many!

Since time immemorial, Essaouira has served as a haven for many travellers from all over the world. It is situated strategically along the Moroccan coast line and has a natural well protected harbour. Essaouira is a beautiful city to visit and the best places to go to Essaouira are many so it would not be possible to discuss them all here, but I shall do my best.

Where do I start, I guess in the beginning since that seems to be the apt place to start everything. Essaouira, was coveted by the Phoenicians and the Romans and some of the Carthage wars were fought on this coast line. That does make one think, does it not? Well, it did make me think, just as I was walking along the coastline, appreciating the ancient harbour, all the conflicts that had taken place here.
I came here from Marrakesh and the journey, although not comfortable and all that, still was picturesque enough for me to put up with it. But if you are allergic to dust and all that, then it is better that you put off the trip for some time. Anyway Essaouira is bustling with life just as it did under the Phoenicians. It is basically a sea faring village cum city. The markets are not to be missed especially early in the morning, just as the first catch trickles in to the city ramparts.

The life, the language, the spices, the colors and the way that people talk to each other, all of it makes for a very heady experience. The cuisine here is a hot pot of every invader who had come to Morocco and settled here. But the one common ingredient that you will find in most of its dishes is the chick peas. The dishes themselves are very subtle and not all that spicy as one may think, which is great news for the Western travellers.
The hotels here are quite affordable and do not forget to bargain for anything and everything here. It is the custom here to barter and do so, you may get very pleasantly surprised. Also, when you are in a shop to purchase something, do not wave your money about as that kind of arrogance would only attract the wrong sort of crowd.

The streets are very narrow here and I do mean narrow, it is kind of interesting to wander down the narrow alleyways thinking of the humongous freeways that we have back in our cities.The old fort is here and it does make up for that dusty ambiance that Essaouira has some of the time. That said, do not forget to pay a visit to the old harbour and see if you can do so during sunset. That is a sight that will stay with you for a very, very long time to come!

The restautrant that bites into your pocket!

I have heard of the fast and the furious but when i went to this place called the Saravana Bhavan for some Indian food, I never realised that I was entering the place of the Fast and the Costly. First of all, the food is priced very economically but even then this Restaurant still turned out to be one costly venture for me.
The prices may be low but the size of the food is really to small for anyone eating at this joint to feel really satisfied. The size of the idlis are way to small, even a 6 year old can hold that piece of Idli in her hands, so you can see how tiny it really is. That is not all, most of the portions given out at this place are very cleverly designed to make sure that the restaurant does not lose much, it is only the customers who lose out in the end. The quality may well be there, but the quantity is sadly lacking. Probably if you are on a diet then this is the place to go to. For me though, Sorry, thanks but no thanks!

The curse of the Oyster Mushrooms!

We all love to eat mushrooms and I have to say that I am quite particular to button mushrooms. But when it comes to oyster mushrooms, I have to say that they really take the cake. I made the mistake of thinking that oyster mushrooms are just like button mushrooms and decided to have them for dinner one day. Anyway I took the mushrooms out and I have to say at this point that they have a very earthly smell and with lots of root like creepers hanging over the caps of the mushrooms.

Anyway I decided to cook them just as I would cook button mushrooms [this is my first time with the oyster ones].anyway I cut off the stem and cut the mushrooms and roots et all [big mistake] and sautéed them. I had no idea what so ever that the roots were quite toxic. Anyway the effects of this hit me like thunder the next day. I could not even get up and when I did, my head literally went in circles. To say that I felt faint would be an understatement. I went to the hospital and did a check up. The doc told me that I had high toxicity in my blood and that the culprit was none other than the 'Oyster mushrooms’. I am sure that if you know how to cook them, they will be delicious but for me it is sayonara all the way!

Maldives,a divers paradise!

Maldives is a lovely country to visit and the scenery there is pretty much mind blowing.the cuisine there is a mix of pretty much all of the major cultures so do not be surprised to find chicken curry there!
The Maldives comprises of about 1000 small coral islands.there are places in Maldives where you can see the impact that the last Ice age had on this place.it is serene and the beaches long and beautiful.it is the perfect spot to go scuba diving or snorkel ling.it is after all the best way to see the corals in their pristine form.so do take a trip to the Maldives and enjoy yourself by letting yourself go!

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Mushrooms and Eggs!

Mushrooms and eggs are a favorite food for many a food lover.can you imagine the musky smell of mushrooms and the zany smell of an omelette's.well,that is what a mushroom omelette's smells like.it is a great dish to have and very easy to prepare.
contrary to what most people think,it is okay just to rub the mushrooms and then slice it all up.then slice up some of the onions and some spring onions as well.now saute the onions till they change color.
Now add the sliced mushrooms and saute it with the onions till they are cooked.please note that the mushrooms take very little time to cook,between 1 and 2 minutes.once they are done remove it from heat.now break the eggs into a pan and mix up the mushrooms and the eggs.beat it until it is fluffy.you can use a fork or spoon to do this.then light the fire under the skillet.pour some oil and once it is hot,pour the rest of the mixture and wait for the magic of Mushrooms to transform an ordinary omelette's to that of a delicious mushroom omelette's.enjoy!

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China town does a reapperance!

Well as most people in Chennai would have eaten at the old China town restaurant the new one will take them by surprise.it takes off where the old one left off and the food is really scrumptious and great.what is more it is decently priced and not over priced.if you were to say walk to any five star hotel and order the same you will probably get the same quality but the quantity will be less.here at the new China town,it is all fantastic.the only negative thing i could find about my dining experience there was that the service took quite some time.i had to wait for nearly 15 minutes for a glass of water.but to be fair,the restaurant was quite crowded with all the tables full.it is no wonder that there was such a rush in the restaurant seeing that the food there was so good.try the chili lamb!

cordon bleu in Chennai!

Lets just say that of late Chennai has become more cosmopolitan than ever before and if you are the kind of person who enjoys the finest in food then this is the place to be.first of all the Chennai cuisine itself is multi-layered with different religions adding their own dash and color to the whole package.
Anyway there are a whole range of restaurants for you to choose from.for example,if you believe in not watching what you eat and love to try out the different ways of cooking a dish,then you must go to 'Mocha' restaurant.Mocha as the name suggests is a part of the restaurant chain with the all too infamous one being in mumbai.once you are at Mocha,you must try out their pastas,which will give you a totally different take on all the bland ones that you may have had before.
And of course lets not forget their hookah's.personally i prefer the real thing,but if peppermint is your thing then give it a shot.nowadays the hip crowd hangs out at the tapas bar opposite chola sheraton hotel.it is the new thing in town and somewhere you are meant to be seen and not heard.i mean the music is way way too loud for any decent conversation.so if you want to let your hair down and take a few then go to Tapas.that's all for now,more reviews later!

Baked Spaghetti, to drool all over!

Just click on the link above and see the recipe in full detail.i recently prepared this dish with both mozarella and parmesean cheese and i can tell you right away that each bite was just fantastic.just as you take the first bite and think that it is hot[come on,it is baked!]try to cool your mouth with a cool glass of wine.i cannot suggest any particular wine since there are so many but the rule of the thumb is to always have red wine with any baked dish especially if cheese is involved.red wine just complements this food in ways that you may not think possible.so try it out right away and did i tell you that it is very easy to prepare with?

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The Duchess resturant!

If you are in Chennai and you are in need of good food but not at very high prices then this place is a must.it is located on the TTK road just opposite the Narda ghana sabha.this place like so many resturants has a myriad of dishes to offer it's customers.so say you are from europe and you need food just like it is at home,then you can give this place a shot.
The ambeince is nice and it is non smoking,so you can breathe easy.as far as the continental section of the food is concerned,they have the usual steaks and the usual dishes but with a few suprises as well.their fish and chips is just great and so is their sea food macaroni au gratin.their soup especially their mushroom soup needs to have a few more mushrooms in it as well as the flavor but all in all it does make for a wonderful dining experience and lets not forget the most important bit of all,it is heavy on the stomach but light on the wallet.so try it and you will enjoy it!

San Fransisco's Ferry plaza starts calling all!

Well these days there is always a huge Q heading down to ferry plaza to get the regionally grown produce as well as to try out the various epicurean delights that are made from them.all in all it makes for a wonderful experience.you get to taste new delights of a common egg that you have not tasted before.whats more you may even see the people who grew the organic food as well as talk to them.i short it is an experience that you would probably remember for quite some time to come!especially when you consider the snap peas, heirloom tomatoes, mesclun, fava beans and "humanely raised" lamb.so see you there soon!