Thursday, October 30, 2008

Badam Puri!

Dear readers,

This is my first entry in this category...something that i rarely make and like:)))
This was made by Amma[ my dear Mom-in-law] , i just gave her a hand in it!! It was fun and yummy!!
This is a traditional sort of a dish usually made in sweet shops or during weddings! I didnt even imagine this could be so simple that it can be easily made at home too...and that too within half an hour!! Ain't that fantastic???

Take a look at it before you read on...


Ingredients-
For the dough-

1. Maida- Refined wheat flour- 1/2 cup
2. Chiroti rava- fine semolina- 1/2 cup
3. Ghee- according to the required quantity while making the dough.
4. Water- little

For the sugar syrup

1. Water - 1 cup
2. Sugar- 1 cup
3. Kesari/ saffron- little
4. Cardamom -3 to 4

For Milk

1. Milk - 1/2 litre
2. Badam powder
{mix them both and heat them so it becomes badam milk}
You can also use MTR Badam feast to make the Badam milk.

Making the sugar syrup-

On low flame add water and sugar & let it slowly cook while the water begins to evapourate making it a thicker solution. Keep it on low flame and add saffron to it. The solution should be slightly thicker than that of Gulab Jamun's.



Making the dough-

While the sugar syrup is getting made, you can make the dough...saves time :)
Mix the ingredients and add ghee while mixing. mix it to the extent that you should be able to hold it all together in your fist. Add a little water and knead the dough like Chapathi dough and it should look like this.

Now flatten the dough like making chapathi.


Fold it in a triangular manner.


Deep fry it in oil---preferably ghee, but considering diet concerns

Once it is fried add it to the sugar syrup. Remove it after a few minutes and serve it soaked in the Badam milk if desired.


Else this can be eaten after soaked in sugar syrup!!
Hmm..its time you tried it right?? Quick and easy!!
Do let me know!!
Love
Sujyothi






Singapore by foot!

Hey all!!



Singapore the Merlion,Airport, Man made beauty and hi-fi living,shopping on Orchard street, multi-cultural heritage,Nature,birds, fancy-tasy island, little India[Mustafa Market], food, sea coast, back water entertainment...If this is all you thought Singapore was...then please do give it another thought!



Seeing Singapore by foot...we lived into the depths of their living and walked the inches of the lovely Island country!



To know what we did, you have to know what we went through too! It was a very fascinating experience i must say!!



Hari Raya[Ramzan] vacations were on in Malaysia and so all theneighbouring countries had filled hotels, packed flights and buses and ofcourse highly priced-EVERYTHING. This is what usually happens during any holiday season in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore..whether it is school or public holidays,its the same story.



We were heading to Singapore and we decided to take the over night bus from Penang. We had booked our hotel and considering the budget issue,we had made it a budgeted trip. So we chose a hotel in Geylang unaware of anything.

During a casual conversation with a friend in Singapore we happen to tell him that we are staying put in Geylang and he enquired if we didnt find anything in any other locality. We hadnt actually. Then, he told us that Geylang was a legal Red Light area of Singapore!! Absolutely unaware of anything and due to non-availability of accomodation, we decided to head to it despite where it was.



Yeah...so we reached the much spoken of Geylang in the early hours of the day and we were welcomed by what Geylang is reknowned for! I had my first cultural...nah moral shock.

Then we checked in...pretty normal and decent hotel.

Watch out for our daily activities ahead of this!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Happy Diwali!!!

Hey all!!

A very very Happy Diwali to all my dear readers! Its festival time and time for new recipes this season!
I am going to give them all to you!!
Lights and lamps...diyas and candles...all for this Koumudotsava...or Diwali!!
A festival of sound and lights to waken up Goddess Lakshmi!




Ogling over these delicacies??? Is time to make them!
Hold onto your temptations and head to the kitchen while i jot them all for you!!

Have a lovely festival!!

Love

Sujyothi aka Jo
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Monday, October 27, 2008

Pearl of the Orient- Penang!!

Life and its uncertainities take us to places that we sometimes would have never heard of. One such places in my life was Penang! The place I fell in love with ever since I first saw it from above while landing at the airport. As the wheels touched base, my heart leapt and anxiety filled my eyes! I was travelling alone and hence felt weird to be smiling to myself...but I actually was...cos every passer-by smiled back :)))) !!!


The reason behind the glee...I was going to join my husband precisely a month after wedding. A new home awaited me as I awaited a blissful new life!


Inhibitions, jitters, smiles, inexplicable joy, heebie-jeebies about what was about to happen...All alone with a man I have barely known miles away from home. A place where except for him, I practically knew no one else.


So, I finally landed and picked up my baggage and walked towards the exit! There stood my handsome 6 footer husband with tears of joy,pink with blush and the anxiety that was probably missing even during wedding!!


We were finally together! A feeling of eternal joy...trust me!


On road to home...I completely fell in love with the place!!! Ah how do I comprehend the feeling I wonder!!



We entered our apartment and I took the first real look at our home and looked out of the window and felt like a dream come true!!






We dream a lot of dreams, but not many of us are fortunate enough to have them come true! The blessed that I am...I had my dream come true!

Cheers,

Jo