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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