HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016!

Wish you all a very happy, prosperous and fun-filled New Year!

Delicious dishes, good memories and an awesome airport!

Yummy...!

Friends, these are some of the pictures taken at KLIA -2 (Kuala Lumpur International Airport), Malaysia recently. Not many changes here since my visit about 4 years ago but it was thrilling to see everything again. I was hungry when I landed and decided to eat something from the food court. After browsing thoroughly and observing people buying food I decided to try this fish ball soup. I was right, Wow, delicious!

Interspersed with not so fierce red chillies, super cool broth, some vegetables and soft noodles this soup was simply great! It was very much filling too.

The ambiance was also good. Not much rush at that time in the afternoon and I sat there quietly and enjoyed this dish.

                 

Upon return, there was a lot of time to kill before catching Malindo Airways flight back home. Walked and walked every nook and corner of this sprawling airport, browsed each and everything at duty-free shops, bought some data for phone and spent time on it too, went to watch a movie being shown on an LED TV near one of the gates, dozed off and in between enjoyed these two delicacies. The first one is hot chocolate and the second is green tea. Nice, good memories😊

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Elephant safari at Munnar, Kerala

Nestled in the serene western ghats bordered by the Nilgiris, the mountainous regions of Kerala, South India you will find Munnar, famous for tea plantations, cool weather and many more attractions like small waterfalls, beautiful gardens, and elephant safari.

The Carmelagiri elephant park is only a few kilometers from Munnar town and it is a must see tourist spot. Here you can ride the elephant of your choice, feed it and take photographs.

It was our long cherished dream to do an elephant safari like this! We actually got a chance when we visited Thekkady before, but unfortunately, it did not work out. But this time we made it happen😊

At the end of safari which takes about 20 minutes in the forest, they will hand over a basket-full of pineapples and corn that can be given to the elephant by sitting on top of it. Kamala, our elephant coolly collected it like this 😊. Awesome!

Well, this place is crowded almost always. So get there early so that you can enjoy the ride leisurely. Never forget to feed the elephants; they like it :) Well, they charge you for the photos which will be given to you, copied on CD's, but only their official photographer will be allowed entry into the trekking spot inside the forest. So they only will be able to get good snaps.

There are platforms built at a height from where you can mount on them easily. The trekking was smooth, but when the elephant negotiated the turn to return back to the base by climbing down a slope we were clutching hard on the handles! But it was fun😊

A great experience, indeed!

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Houseboat cruise, backwaters of Kerala, God's own country

It was our long cherished dream to enjoy the scenic beauty of the backwaters of Kerala on a Houseboat. I wonder why all these years we could not go for such a thrilling journey that has become so popular among the tourists, both foreign as well as domestic! Moreover, so many people here nowadays spend their weekends in houseboats experiencing the cool breeze, savoring delicious dishes prepared onboard listening to their favorite music while the modified traditional houseboats of Kerala originally called 'Kettuvallam' smoothly glide along the backwaters powered by powerful engines.

We went for the cruise at Alleppey (Alappuzha), in Kerala, South India. Alleppey is said to be the 'Venice of the east'! I was told that there are about a thousand houseboats here alone and sometimes during the peak season there will be difficulty in getting one if you do not have an advance booking! There are many categories of houseboats like Luxury, premium, deluxe etc. and some of the luxurious ones are furnished with almost all amenities like a five-star suite. Aircon, well...we might not need it because of the soothing breeze all throughout, still, they have it. Some prefer to stay overnight and that would be wonderful! Imagine spending the night on a traditional boat in the middle of still waters far and wide enjoying the moonlight getting reflected, the blue sky and cool breeze!

This is a 'snake boat' we spotted while cruising. Snake boat race (Vallamkali ) is another tourist attraction in Kerala. Such very long boats will compete during Onam, the festive season, in many places in Kerala. The most famous is the Nehru trophy boat race at Alleppey, the very same place where we go for a houseboat cruise.

Safety standards are excellent; staff extremely polite, courteous, professional and well behaved. The industry is well regulated by the authorities and all necessary certifications like periodic maintenance and environmental impact control etc. are taken care of. In the olden days, such huge traditional wooden hull boats (Kettuvallams) were used mainly as rice barges. I remember watching huge rice barges with thatched roofs sailing along the rivers and canals during my childhood. There was a time when these barges became a big liability to the owners with the advent of modern ways of transportation of goods. Then someone thought of converting Kettuvallams like this for tourism and it clicked in a very big way. Thus began the huge demand for old houseboats and nowadays people are 'building' such vessels. Some corporate companies conduct their meetings and conferences on houseboats these days!

Some high-end hotel properties also have come up here. Many are having their own private pier for houseboats. Enjoy in style!

 A honeymooner's delight :)

It is easy to book a cruise. There are plenty of online portals offering attractive deals. Or if you prefer to book one on the site then use this pre-paid counter. There is a comfortable waiting room also.

The backwaters of Kerala are a chain of lakes, canals, and rivers that connect with the Arabian sea. There are small villages, towns, and lagoons all along these strips of water. Vembanad lake, the largest, borders Alleppey, Kochi, and Kottayam districts. Our cruise was at the Punnamada lake at Alleppey.

Look at those huge boats waiting for passengers! This is the 'finishing point' area of Nehru trophy boat race. From here we boarded our vessel.

 A must enjoy boat trip! Very popular among honeymooners😊

Yummy! Lobsters, fresh catch....the chef onboard will cook this in any style you like! There are plenty of vendors en-route who will be happy to sell you such exotic fishes :)

These are Karimeen (green chromide) fried in coconut oil, a very popular fish here! One thing I am sure no one will disagree. The yummy dishes that you get onboard these boats prepared by expert chefs! The rice, curries etc. etc .wow...!

What you see above is a dangerous fruit called 'Odallum'. Never ever eat these, it is fatal. They are poisonous. Sometimes boats stop at areas of lagoons for lunch where you will find these plants. They look like mangoes; be careful!                                                                                

An unforgettable experience!

Google tells me there are wonderful boat cruises similar to this in other parts of the world too. Please share your experience😊

Watch the videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie3myBZWL0g
                             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ED9_XNKwrE

Enjoy!

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The Global village, Dubai - an amazing video!

I have blogged a lot before about the Dubai Global village and the Dubai Shopping Festival. While going through my old collections I noticed these videos that were recorded while I visited a while ago. So I thought of uploading these amazing videos.

Dubai shopping festival takes place in the months of January - February every year. The Dubai Global village is a popular attraction in Dubai, UAE. During the time of the festival, the place will be vibrant with cultural shows, fireworks, etc. filled with shopping pavilions of many countries in the world.

This year it will remain open until April 11. Three more days left😊

Awesome Dubai; amazing festival!

Watch these videos too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WywrN5I_qqg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9mMO8gvnxw

http://globalvillage.ae
http://www.mydsf.ae

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Anchovies/Kozhuva/Netholi fried fish masala and curry

Today we prepared a fish curry using Anchovies fish. This fish is called Kozhuva/Netholi here. I think this fish seen in Kerala is a variety of the common Anchovies. I bought a packet of descaled, ready to cook fish from the local mall. For a twist, we added some green peas and garnished this curry dish with pomegranate. Other ingredients include fish masala powder, big onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, salt, and a little oil. 

This is fried fish with fish masala powder. This powder contains coriander, cumin, turmeric, red chilly, cloves, asafoetida etc. It is available in stores here. Ingredients differ from brand to brand and home-made. 

We cook fish rarely. Being rich in Omega - 3 fatty acids we usually go for Sardines, mackerel or Tuna especially white tuna. For a change, today we thought of preparing this fish. Liked it, tasty!

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Gionee L 800, long lasting battery power, awesome!

Why I purchased this basic mobile phone when I already have two cool, decent Android smartphones and a 3G, wi-fi enabled tablet besides access to landlines at work?

It is just because of the huge battery power of this compact phone. I bought Gionee L800 about 8 days ago, charged it to full capacity (it had almost half charge when unboxed) and it still retains almost half the power in spite of moderate to heavy usage ! 8 days and never had to charge it again!

Awesome😊

Look at the power, it is just a bar lost after 8 days! Mobile is never switched off, many calls and texts, browsed the internet, some photos were taken and videos recorded...it is still going strong😊

About all the sophisticated smartphones introduced recently we all know our apps and the device as such will suck away battery juice within a day or two even with limited usage. Even the latest iPhone 6 plus will have to be plugged in after 2 days of reasonable use. For me, power is important. I usually carry a 10,000 plus mAh Power Bank (portable charger for handhelds) while traveling but with this basic mobile I bought I am sure I need not worry about being offline anytime almost anywhere here. 

What I feel is we all need to have a base model as stand-by, similar ones we used to have about 10-15 years ago that retained power for days together. I had an awesome old model Nokia mobile which I used to keep as a standby phone until recently. It stopped working, but the repair shop said they can't do anything. I added it to my antique collection!

Gionee L800 was brought to my attention by the salesman at the repair shop who vouched for its efficient battery. I researched online only to get surprised by the specifications in addition to the huge 3000 mAh battery. As you can see from the above picture it has almost everything that a smartphone offer. So this phone gives me much more than my old standby Nokia mobile. 

The battery is removable. The phone costs only Rs 2100 / - here in India. Gionee has become popular here in India. Introducing affordable, cool phones they are creating waves in Asia giving tough competition to big players. 

http://www.gionee.co.in

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Beetroot bitter gourd curry

Today's post is about a mixed vegetable curry. This curry is not hot; prepared using organic vegetables bought from a store near-by. I am planning to grow beets, collecting information about its cultivation. About bitter gourd, I am not sure if I can grow it at home because it is a climber that requires a lot of space.

The ingredients:

• Beetroot
• Bittergourd
• African malli / coriander leaves for garnish
• Salt
• Water
• A little turmeric powder
• Wheat bran (Rich in fiber, already blogged about this). Cut vegetables into small pieces and mix it with turmeric powder, two teaspoons full of wheat bran and a little salt. Cook it to perfection on a low flame until it assumes the looks that you see here. Add water also. This dish is easy to prepare, no oil added. Finally, add some chopped leaves of African coriander about which also I blogged recently.

Beets are said to possess:

• anti-oxidant activity
• anti-inflammatory activity
• detox activity
• anti-cancerous activity

Beetroot, as you know, is considered as a superfood. It is rich in anti-oxidants that neutralize the free radicals which are responsible for triggering the cellular reactions that cause many diseases. Betalain pigments present in beets are said to be having unique anti-oxidant properties. Half cooked or even raw vegetables are cool to eat. Limit the time of cooking to retain healthy nutrients. Some discoloration of urine is expected when you consume beets.

• Beets are said to reverse fatty liver. 
• Good source of lutein; improves eye health.
• They are an excellent source of copper.
• Good source of folate and potassium.

Bitter gourd (Bitter melon, Karela)
This is very popular in Asian countries especially India. This vegetable is said to possess anti-diabetic properties. Researchers have identified Insulin-like substances in this vegetable. Combining this with beetroot is an excellent way to increase its palatability. Beets are a little sweet and this will neutralize the bitterness of bitter gourd. Besides the popular use in Diabetes, it has uses in HIV-AIDS and cancer prevention. It may even cause hypoglycemia if consumed in excess. Avoid this if pregnant.

I have already outlined the medicinal value of African coriander in my post here...
http://magicalpresent.blogspot.in/2015/03/african-mexican-coriander.html

Please read the DISCLAIMER attached to this blog.

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Mix vegetable soup

For this dish of mix vegetable soup, I used only organic ones, all cultivated at home😊. Plucked two long greens from the Chinese long greens plant about which I posted the other day. Some leaves were taken from the green amaranth and from the Moringa / muringa too. Moringa grows into a big tree, but I have grown two in pots; pruned it to a manageable height. They both are supplying a decent quantity of leaves for routine use at home. 

That is my dish of tender mix vegetable soup without any fat added... yummy!😊

 

These are moringa / muringa plants. They grow into big trees producing fruits. The fruits, as well as the leaves, are edible. We like the leaves so we tried to grow it in pots. The stout one was planted about two years ago. When it grew long it was pruned. The small one was planted about two months ago; it is a high-yield variety. As far as the supply of leaves are concerned both are doing good and we are happy.

Plucked leaves of Green amaranth when I noticed it is going to flower. Thereafter it started producing a lot of leaves. The leaves were chopped into small pieces after thorough washing. Then the beans were cut about an inch long. Removed the leaves of moringa from the stem but kept the tender stems. Added a little vegetable masala powder, water, and salt. No oil added. Simmered in low flame about five minutes to cook the tender vegetables in their own juices until ready. Garnished with a small piece of tomato (Organic, but bought from the store).

The vegetables being homegrown organically were tender, tasty and juicy. No doubt, these taste different from the ones bought from a shop. I tried eating raw the tender ladies finger that I have grown organically; believe me, they were awesome!

                                        

Moringa leaves are very nutritious. Wiki says...100 grams of moringa leaves contain about 9.3 g protein, 434 mg calcium, 404 mg potassium, 738 μg vitamin A, and 164 mg vitamin C.

The whole tree is said to be having medicinal properties. There are so many products available in health stores containing various parts of this beautiful tree claimed to be effective in a variety of ailments, all over the world. Leaves, seeds, bark, roots all are said to be having medicinal value. Moringa is said to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, antirheumatic, antibiotic, cholesterol, anti-hypertensive, anti-cancerous, anti-ulcer, anti-pyretic, anti-asthmatic and anti-microbial activities. The seeds are said to possess aphrodisiac properties. This is a miracle plant.

http://magnificentdewdrops.blogspot.in/2015/03/chinese-long-beans-home-cultivation.html

Please read the DISCLAIMER attached to this blog.

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Fiber is important for digestive health

                              

Wheat bran is the hard outer layer of wheat. Being rich in fiber it is considered as one of the best sources of dietary fiber that we all require daily for optimal digestive health. As you know, good quality fiber is essential to regulate our digestive activity and as such, it is effective in the prevention of cancer and other disorders of the digestive tract. Wheat bran is also rich in Iron and some other micronutrients. It doesn't contain cholesterol, sugar or sodium. Wheat bran can be added to Atta for fiber betterment. 

http://www.bagrrys.com

Millets are nowadays getting a lot of attention. The widely grown varieties are:

• Pearl millet
• Foxtail millet
• Finger millet (Ragi)
• Proso millet
• Kodo millet
• Little millet

Pristine organics product 'Refiber' is awesome. It contains Ragi which is rich in calcium. It helps in the management of cholesterol metabolism and fat absorption. It is purely organic. The ingredients include Organic Finger Millet, Organic Foxtail Millet, Organic Little Millet, Organic Kodo Millet, Organic pearl millet and Organic Amaranth.

Finger millet (Ragi) is rich in Calcium and Iron. Including this daily in the diet is a sure way to provide us the daily requirement of these two very important nutrients very much needed for healthy bones and prevention of osteoporosis. Include Ragi in the daily diet of children especially girls for them to get strong bones. Always keep in mind 'prevention is better than cure'.

http://www.pristineorganics.com

Quaker Oats plus, I like this variety of Oats introduced recently. This is a cool combination of :

• Oats
• Ragi (Finger millet)
• Wheat
• Barley

Barley is said to be good for heart health. Rich in beta-glucan, it helps in reducing cholesterol levels. Moreover, it lessens the risk of Type - 2 diabetes.  

http://quaker.co.in

I take a little of all the three every day; Wheat bran, millets and oats plus. Just a teaspoon full of all the three together with diluted low-fat milk and sugar. Simmer on low heat for some time until thoroughly cooked. Put a crushed almond, a speck of nutmeg and a small seed of cardamom. Cool it and enjoy with crushed ice or have it warm. It is yummy, both ways😊

Note: Please read the DISCLAIMER attached to this blog.

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Chinese long beans, home cultivation

 

 

The other day I posted about growing ladies finger organically at home in Magical present, my blog. I have mentioned I put a sturdy plastic net to protect those plants, hope you all remember. Well, this net is now serving as Trellis support for my Chinese long bean plants!

I bought seeds of Chinese long beans/yard long beans/asparagus bean/pea bean/achingapayar/sitaw /butong from a local vendor at the market. It was an impulsive buy; normally I go for high yield variety from reputed seed suppliers only. Moreover, the guy told me this is bush variety and will not need support since it is not a climbing vine. Anyway, the two seeds I planted sprouted quickly and stems began elongating day-by-day. I was confused about what to do because I have very limited outdoor space at home being in a metro city so I do not go for any climbers. I bought it from the vendor only because he told me this is a bush variety. Well, it wasn't! I watered it too daily when I go there to water ladies fingers. The plant began clutching to the plastic net that I kept for protecting my ladies finger plants. I was about to pluck away these two but decided to keep it there anyway. As days went by these two began growing vigorously entwining the net crisscross. I was in a dilemma again. A week ago, that is after almost 45 days since planting seeds these two began flowering. The flowers were colored bluish-white. Two days ago I noticed bean sprouting from these buds and today I found it has elongated to about 15 cm! I do not know if it will reach a yard or so, but I will have to pluck those to cook, maybe after a few days, otherwise it will become fibrous.

The potting mixture was the same I used for planting ladies finger. Good quality organic soil, cow dung powder, vermicompost, cocopeat and a handful of neem cake powder. I was so excited to see these beans coolly dangling from the stems. It was totally unexpected! I read online it will take at least 60 days for it to fruit and will need a lot of space for a climber like this. Nothing like that here, it occupies only a limited space and seems happy growing crisscross, up and down.

Pesticide usage and other harmful cultivation practices are big problems here. It has become almost impossible to find pesticide-free items. Our State has assumed the status of a consumer over a period of time depending on the neighboring States for almost everything including vegetables. Being a small State, the availability of land for cultivation has become less. Labour has become costly with limited manpower. Certified organic products are expensive. There is widespread coverage in the media in Kerala about the harmful health problems associated with a toxic pesticide, fertilizer, and hormonal use. The Incidence of serious diseases like cancer is on the rise like never before. This has prompted people to grow whatever possible in their homes even if it is very limited in quantity. Organic vegetable gardens have become popular here. There are training classes on organic cultivation; agencies are supplying seeds and other planting materials. People are sharing their experiences online and through other forums. Organic vegetable farming movement in Kerala has picked up in a big way.

Urban farming in Kerala is challenging, but things are possible. That is my experience 😊

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Chinese potato (Koorkka)

Chinese potato is a common edible tuberous crop in India. It is very popular among people over here. This yummy tuber is known as 'Koorkka' in Malayalam, our mother tongue.

Chinese potato/country potato / Hausa potato is cultivated in Africa, India and many parts of Asia. The botanical name is Plectranthus rotundifolius  / Solenostemon rotundifolius.

The crop looks smaller than potatoes and comes in bizarre shapes and sizes. It has a dark brown skin that can be scraped off easily. The sweet taste and unique aroma is undoubtedly the plus point of this cool tuber that makes it stand out among the innumerable edible roots and tubers available for culinary use.

The above dish is called 'mezhukkupuratty' (a dish that is a little oily) that is made of Koorkka. The cut pieces of Koorkka mixed with vegetable masala powder, a little red chilli powder, water, and salt is sauteed with a little oil in a saucepan. That's it... Yummy dish😊

Well, this is my recipe :), nothing elaborate. No claims this is an authentic Keralite mezhukkupuratti (Upperi) recipe for which there are plenty of culinary sites and blogs online😊, if interested, readers may kindly browse.

Koorkka is a rich source of Calcium and Iron.

Note: Please read the DISCLAIMER attached to this blog.

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Don't worry, be happy...International day of happiness

March 20 has been recognized as the International day of happiness by the UN.

Happiness is a fundamental right and pursuing it is serious business. Happiness for all human beings on this planet and let us all try to make each other happy.

These photos were taken in Dubai during the Dubai shopping festival some years ago. It was wonderful, festive season over there and the weather was cool! These drummers were awesome; we all felt thrilled. People were dancing and even they invited many to join them drumming on stage. You don't need any special training for playing those drums, they will tell you what to do and we are in sync with them! So simple!

During the height of frenzy, a guy would shout with the microphone in hand 'forget the past, be happy, live in the present'

Well, not so easy to forget all the bitterness of the past but why can't we give it a try, at the least?

You are all familiar with the Burj Al Arab, the iconic structure on the Jumeirah beach in Dubai. I never tire taking pictures of this magnificent artistic structure! I have blogged a lot about this awesome hotel. What a beautiful building!

I have a happiness group on my Google plus page; ' Find happiness here', kindly join 😊

Live happily, spread happiness 😊

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Greenery, everywhere...!

 Arecanut trees against the backdrop of setting Sun...

 Coconut tree...

 Beautiful yellow flowers...

 Wonderful white flowers...

 Green pepper!

 This is Chinese chilli (Kanthari mulaku, in Malayalam ), a very hot chilli variety...

 Green pepper...

 A cute rose flower...

 Tomato cultivation...

Plantain, a fruit, and a plant...
A common sight in most of the households in Kerala, especially in the villages.

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