This summer to beat the scorching heat, we decided to go on a vacay to a hill station…Kalimpong…nestled in the himalayan foothills of West Bengal..but my luck…the so called cool hill station was as hot as Kolkata….with temperatures at 36* approx
Here’s me in a BAKHU…a traditional Sikkimese dress…complete with accessories…
Feeling like a South Korean Agashhi 😜 (thanks to watching all those endless Sageuk dramas…)
Bakhu…traditional Sikkimese dressFeeling like an Agasshi!!!
Next on my list..to wear a Hanbok…
Happy Sunday everyone…Happy father’s day ….may all the dad’s be strong and continue to shine!!!
Been a long long time..hope all my reader friends are doing good….
Today’s post is more of a self reflecting and self assuring message!!
In today’s world, being a working mom, one is torn between being there for your kids and trying to excel in one’s career… Sometimes in the relentless race to strive and do our best, we tend to stop, look back and self reflect…. I too am no exception…trying to be the best version of me…best put as struggling!!!
Being a female surgeon in a male dominated world, calls for competition and the need to excel at every step!! Don’t even get me started🙄
Being a mom, managing a home, trying to teach my baby to survive in this unforgiving world, trying to be there for your kid at every point in their life, pursuing the extra hobbies I have always wanted to but couldn’t due to never ending studies, one has to sacrifice a few things …
I do look longingly at the many a faces presenting at conferences, being famous for their outstanding work, getting a chance to travel the world and think am I doing enough but then at the end of the day you either sacrifice family life or your career..( kudos to women who manage both…I do envy them but gladly cheer for them too)
So here’s me trying to hold on to both…Jack of all trades, master of none one might say, but all I know is I am being myself…Being Nee!!!🧑⚕️
Taking that much needed break when I want to, not wanting to be a part of the rat race, trying to be there for my family and daughter.. Cause at the end of the day people don’t remember your presentations, they remember your presence in their life and how you made them feel.. So that’s how I would like to be..
PS : This post is more of a self assuring message for myself and for all those Women/Mother’s hounded by the thought that they are not doing enough… Reassuring myself..yes I am doing my best…This is enough!!
Todays post is a traditional South Indian tamilian recipe…
Puli in tamil means tamarind.. Milagai is chillies…
So that’s chillies simmered in a tamarind base…
This yumm spicy tangy chutney is a must try…
In India, a visit to the farmers market is incomplete without the sabjiwale/ vendors giving us extra chillies just like that..
Sometimes due to lack of change or just a complimentary with coriander and curry leaves…
I am always left with abundance of green chillies, which eventually lying unused, rot away..
Chillies of any kind can be used!!
So when I came across this yummy tamilian recipe, I had to try it out and trust me a dash of this with curd rice is like heaven…
It can also be had with our traditional dosas and idlis and simple hot hot rice with ghee..
The recipe is courtesy Chitra Muralis kitchen
The ingredients are pretty simple
🌶Green chillies – as many as you want to make😊
🌶Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
🌶Methi seeds – 1 teaspoon
🌶Asafoetida – a pinch
🌶Curry leaves – a sprig
🌶Jaggery – a small blob
🌶Salt to taste
🌶Tamarind – a lemon sized ball
Recipe
🌶Soak the tamarind in water..
🌶Chop the green chillies
🌶In a kadai/ wok, add in cooking oil,the mustard seeds,methi seeds till they splutter…add asafoetida…curry leaves and sauté well…
🌶Now add in the chopped green chillies and stir fry for some time..then add in the extracted tamarind pulp, next is salt, once it comes to a boil, put the jaggery and stir well till it thickens up..
🌶Now serve hot or cold as a side dish/ chutney with dosas/ idlis/ steamed rice/ curd rice..do try it out…yummy tangy and spicy!!!
With the festive season on in India..I have been missing in action what with pujas to attend and places to visit, With precautions of course..But it seems like a totally new world out there in these pandemic times…
So as Durga puja is over and we await diwali… I explore kolkata…
I came across this quaint little coffee shop tucked away in the bylanes of bustling kolkata…Mrs.Magpie
Sugar toys…
Giving out the vibes of old calcutta,this place serves English breakfast and high tea…colonial indeed!!
Cute Caramel Brownies…
A Pujo special menu with unique flavours and platters of assorted cupcakes and cookies to choose from..
A very beary cupcake s!!!
Right from its decor to the the items on the menu everything seems to have a colonial feel..
Lady birds… Toadstools… Honey bee…enchanting forest feels!!! A delicately made 3 tiered cake!! Happy tot!!!
Glad I found such a place..the only disappointment being it did not offer me my favourite cinnamon rolls.. But makes up for it by its charm and the cute yummy cakes.. So if you are anywhere near city center 1 kolkata… Do visit Mrs. Magpie…
Oh that’s my order… A hot chocolate with magpie cookies!! Oh I am soo in love with these…
No introduction..no background stories..no memories nothing…just plain simple cravings…welcome to my chat filled outing.. To satiate my sudden cravings for samosa chat
Well one has to dive deep into it to locate the chole and crushed samosa…
Dahi puri chat…
I was too busy / greedily eating up my samosa chat, I put hubby to the task of clicking pics of his favorite dahi puri chat.. Giving him a chance of trying out his photography skills.. 😛
Yes of course it is a different story that I ended up eating 3 of those puris, cause hubby being the generous one lets me have my fill…hence the many pics of the dahi puri in all angles and close ups..
And while your at it, Please do stop by for some pani puri too… 😜
The above picture was taken at a confectionery shop at Kolkata’s City Centre 2..a shopping mall… One glance and it reminded me of the toadstools in the fairy tale books… Oh how I wish that was me sitting atop it…. 😍
Reminded me of this poem I read long long ago… It goes like this…
The Toadstool House
I wish I lived in a toadstool house, Beneath an old Oak tree, With a tiny door and a chimney pot, And windows – one, two, three.
I’d play with each wee squirrel, Who chanced to come my way, I’d get to know the woodland birds, And feed them every day.
And if you’d ever wandered by, I’d ask you in to tea, Inside my little toadstool house, Beneath the old Oak Tree.
Sometime when you’re feeling important; Sometime when your ego ‘s in bloom; Sometime when you take it for granted, You’re the best qualified in the room: Sometime when you feel that your going, Would leave an unfillable hole, Just follow these simple instructions, And see how they humble your soul.
Take a bucket and fill it with water, Put your hand in it up to the wrist, Pull it out and the hole that’s remaining, Is a measure of how much you’ll be missed. You can splash all you wish when you enter, You may stir up the water galore, But stop, and you’ll find that in no time, It looks quite the same as before.
The moral of this quaint example, Is to do just the best that you can, Be proud of yourself but remember, There’s no indispensable man. (Saxon White Kessinger)
Outlaw_nee 