Girgaon Katta

“Rocky and Mayur have ventured out to explore food from all parts of India and curate videos on Askme.com  I'm contributing my part by relishing my favorite dishes at Girgaon Katta and sharing my views with you all!”

         

          Today when you visit any restaurant; you can find variety of cuisines, ranging from North Indian, South Indian, Chinese, continental etc. But you seldom get that ghar-ka-khana (homemade food) taste and feeling. But now-a-days that scenario is changing.

          I had heard about this place in Borivali (west) since long, but never got to taste their delicacies. Situated at 5 min walk from Borivali station on a bustling Chandvarkar road you must visit this place if you long to taste some authentic, Maharashtrian specialty.  

          Be it their thali or kothimbir and methi vadi, or thalipeeth or missal pav you can please your palate to no end. Their cool drinks, piyush and aam panna is also a must taste to polish of the food one eats.

          Their thalis offer you complete meal consisting of soft chapatis, 2 types of veggies, dal, rice, curd, buttermilk with fried pappad and pickle. The taste is simple, not too spicy and reminds you of food cooked by your mom. Their special thali includes all of above with an additional subji, 1 sweet dish and veg-pulav instead of plain rice.

Special Thali

          Their kothimbir vadis, missal pav, thalipeeth all bring out the typical taste which makes you feel that you are eating at your home and not at some eatery.

          Also the sweets and savory item too are worth a try. Be it bhajni chakkli or pedas or puranpolis; their taste linger on your palate which makes you go back to this place again and again.

         Also during Sankasthi (a day when many Maharashtrian people observe fast) they have special menus for people on fast. Also they make Ukadi che modak (steamed dumplings with sweet coconut filling) on orders.

          So if you are tired of eating the same hotel taste of masalas and gravies and oil, give Girgaon Katta a try. You will not regret.

Parenting - #AajKalKeBacche Part2

          Now-a-days we say kids are getting out of control; they are becoming very stubborn and arrogant. But who is to blame?

           Previously when we were kids and our parents used to go to work, even then they didn’t pamper us to eat our food by making us sit in front of TV. We had a rule, no TV during eating time, first finish off eating, then watch TV. But today’s parents give their smart phones in their kid’s hands so that they eat. And then we blame them for their phone addiction.

          When we say to our child “your friend has got 98%, why haven’t you scored that much?” then why can't they say “My friend’s parents have got him so-and-so brand phone why can't I have one”? Who taught them to compare?

          In many situations I have seen parents turning a blind eye to their child’s mistake. They boldly say “My child can't do such thing” without even listening or hearing out the person. This gives the child unwanted support and they become bolder enough to commit grave mistakes because they know even if they are caught their parents won’t punish them. When we were kids our parents never took our side until we were proved innocent.

          Children learn from what they see, what they hear. We are their first teachers. When we used to walk on road with our parents we always used to be on their left side i.e. on safer side of the road, but on many occasions I have seen, now kids on their right side of parents. Once I saw a mother managing 2 toddlers on her right hand side on a busy road.

          During many functions parents are so busy catching up with their relatives and friends, that they are least bothered about what their kids are upto. And then if anything happens either they scold and beat their child or put the blame on others.

          Technology is useful but making our kids addicted to it in a wrong manner will do us no good.

• Fix a time for their time to watch TV or play games on laptop or smart phone. 
• Encourage them more for outdoor activities and games.
• Teach them value of money and saving just as our parents taught us.
• Teach them value of life, time and people.
• Teach them healthy eating.
• Don’t just preach but practice too.
• Teach them what's right and what's wrong.
• Be their first best friend. Only then they will learn to trust you.

         Being a parent is never easy. But we can try and make it simple just as our parents. Today’s generation is a digital and fast-forward generation. But life is a circle; what we give, comes backs to us. So think and act.

“This blogger contest is supported by Kid Social Shell, a unique digital parenting platform with 11 gaming-learning apps. Use it play 3D nursery rhymes, counting number games, shapes games, fun math worksheets, coloring games and more!”

Parenting - #AajKalKeBacche

          Parenting is a job wherein you are on-duty 24 /7, you are not paid and are expected to be ready at little one’s beck and call.

          But in current situation wherein children are born smart, have access to gadgets and smartphones since they start crawling, handling children is one difficult task. With both parents busy at their workplace, children have access to internet and websites; you never know what children are susceptible to?

          Children now-a-days are smarter and pick up things faster than their parents did at their age. But the childhood we experienced was totally a different one than what today’s children experience.

          Today’s children Google their queries on internet and find their answers, whereas we used to pester our parents or dig in those huge encyclopedia for answers.

          We never had to compete with our friends on whose birthday party is better, or where is it in held or in which theme. For us birthday parties meant our favorite delicacies cook by our mom, and inviting our friends and neighbors for lunch/dinner and having a blast.

          We never had to compete with our friends for 1 single mark which we lost, but now-a-days parents pressurize kids to no end and it starts even before the child starts to turn in their cradle.

          We were never pressurized in attending extra-curricular activity classes just because our neighbour’s child is attending.

          Today’s kids are so pressurized to excel in everything that they really don’t know what does enjoying childhood means. For them vacations means going to foreign land and not to their native land from where their parents & grandparents belonged. They don’t connect to their roots but want to connect to the skies they want to reach.

          In today’s parenting each parent is sometime so busy fighting their own wars that they seldom pay attention to their child’s need.

          I would like to narrate today’s incident, wherein I saw a girl of approximate 7-8 years had come to a restaurant with her parents and both grannies for lunch. She asked her mother for something, in return her mother scolded her very badly, all this in absence of her father. After his return when he saw her princess sullen face and enquired, his wife told him something which made the girl burst into tears. Instead of hugging her father, she hugged her mother for support. I was bit surprised.

          Parenting is a challenge. If done in a right way can give excellent results, but if not then, we are the ones to be blamed for child’s behaviour and not the child itself.

“This blogger contest is supported by Kid Social Shell, a unique digital parenting platform with 11 gaming-learning apps. Use it play 3D nursery rhymes, counting number games, shapes games, fun math worksheets, coloring games and more!”

Recipes that makes me drool - #BloggerDreamTeam

          Food forms a major part of our existence. Many “eat to live” and others “live to eat”. Some like spicy food some have a sweet tooth. Some relish “ghar ka khana” some swear by a so called restaurant specialty. Each one of us has a different choice, different liking.

          But for all of us the ultimate food is piping hot food made and served by our mother. There is no doubt about it. Even though its simple dal rice, its tastes yumm, when it is served by our Mom.

          Rice and coconut are staple ingredients of people along coastal Maharashtra and Karnataka. No dish is complete until it has a dash of fresh grated coconut as garnish. Be it any sweet dish or a savory dish rice and coconut forms a part of that dish in one form or other.

          One of such dish which makes me drool is a typical Mangalorean – Udupi dish which is made during Gudipadva festival at all households. It’s called “seviya – ras”. It’s basically rice flour noodles served with coconut milk sweeten with jaggery and flavoured with cardamom powder. It is one of dish which my mom makes and I can never have my fill, no matter how much I eat.

         

Ingredients

For Rice Noodles

1 cup rice flour

1 cup water

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon oil

For Ras (sweet coconut milk)

2 cups of thick coconut milk

Jaggery according to taste

Cardamom powder

• In a thick bottom vessel, add water and bring it to boil.
• Add salt and oil to this water while it’s getting heated.
• Once water starts boiling add the rice flour, and keep stirring till it all the water is absorbed and it forms a lump.
• Allow it to cool.
• Once it’s cooled, make balls of the cooked dough and steam it in steamer or cooker just as we steam while making idlis, for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Once its steamed, keep the seviya maker ready as the noodles has to be made when the rice balls are bit hot.

• If you don’t have the traditional seviya maker at home, you get these modern, handy, easy to use seviya maker in market, one can use that also.
• While making the seviya, one has to take care that the seviya has to be made when the rice balls are hot, else the seviya won’t be that soft and fluffy.

• To make the Ras; in a bowl add the coconut milk.
• Add jaggery according to one’s taste. Some prefer very sweet some less. Stir till the jaggery dissolves.
• Add the cardamom powder.
• Serve hot piping seviya with cold sweet coconut milk.
• Once you taste this, I am sure you will want to eat more.

For more of easy and yummy recipes check out my food blog www.fud4health.blogspot.in

For #BloggerDreamTeam– Food & Travel Carnival

To my Papa - #HugYourDad

          One hug speaks of thousand emotions. Emotions; which can't be expressed through words, Emotions, which sometimes are best left unsaid.

          Though mother is an important person in our life, our Father is the pillar of support. He is the one with the invisible magic hand.

          As it is said, no matter how much old we grow, girls are always the little princess in their father’s eyes, so true.

          My Dad or Papa as I call him is my pillar of support, my support system. Like every father-daughter relationship, we both too had our share of fights and love.

          When I was young, Papa had a very bad temper. He used to get angry at drop of hat. He used to scold us, sometimes beat us also. But later when his anger used to subside, he would wrap us in his arms and cuddle us to sleep.

          He was one who introduced me to reading. He initiated the habit of writing day-to-day account in diaries. He always used to tell, Put 100% effort and expect 90% result even if you are expecting 80%, so that, if you score 81% you won’t feel bad.

My hero & his Princess

         He always used to tell me, no matter how much high you reach never forget your roots. Never forget the position from which you have risen up.

         After my brother’s untimely demise, he had become more attached to me. When marriage proposal had come, and everything had got finalized I asked him, how will they live without me? To that he told me assuring, “Today or tomorrow you have to go. We will have to manage in your absence.” It really made me cry that day.

       On my wedding day as the time of wedding muhurat was nearing, and when I entered the hall decked in wedding finery, my Papa who was putting up such a brave face since months, broke down. That one incident I will never be able to forget. Seeing him cry, I almost developed cold feet.

          His important lessons of life which he gave us was,

• After every exam, he used to say, don’t cry or brood over what has gone, concentrate on tomorrow’s exam. You can't change what has happened yesterday; concentrate on improving your tomorrow.
• If you do anything wrong, don’t be afraid accept your fault, but if you are not wrong, come what may never apologize.
• Save money for future. If you earn 100 rupees, try to save atleast 10 rupees out of it.

       Even today, one look at my face and he comes to know what am I going through. Recently when they had been to our native for some work and he had met 1 of my college lecturer. My professor had enquired about me. And when he told that I was his favorite student, I could sense the amount of pride he must have felt at that moment.

       Come what may, just as bonding with mother is unique, similarly father’s bond is entirely unique. Just as we turn to our mom’s for kitchen tips, we turn to our Dad’s for life decisions.

Dads are Dads… We love them no matter how strict they are.

This father’s day, I am expressing my love towards my dad by participating in the #HugYourDad activity at BlogAdda in association with Vicks.” & Embed this video in your blog.

My 100th blog post...

          Yippeee… my 100^th blog post…

Phew! What a journey it was since I started. Can't believe it’s been 4 years and this is my 100^th post.

Any guesses what’s special on my 100^th post?

          But before that, I would like to thank all my followers, friends and well-wishers who supported me, followed my posts since past 4 years, gave me their valuable inputs, liked and voted for me.

A big Thank you to all…

Now moving to my century post... did anyone guess what’s special about this post???

Take a Guess...

Well it’s a guest post by a well-known blogger, writer, my best friend, my sister and whom I also call, my “Teacher”. Presenting, Janaki Nagaraj, who introduced me to blogging, who read my each and every post, who pointed out my mistakes and advised me on my area of improvement, is my guide since I started blogging.

Janaki, mother of 2 kids, pens her emotions on her personal blog, captures surrounding beauty on her photo blog, does book-reviews and has recently started a health blog… Phewww….What a lady… I admire her, for her writings, her strength, and her cool and always ready to help nature… In short I just love her. J  

Let’s hear from the poetess herself.

Colours

What color is the pain?

Is it the red that flows out of your eyes?

Is there a color for that sinking feeling?

Gray perhaps?

Or the gut wrenching blue?

The suffocating black of the bottomless abyss or

The never ending brow of the desert

The nothingness of the expanse....

How does it seem when your chest tightens?

Indigo?

The depressive purple of emptiness....

Pain is not an isolated feeling

But akin to multi organ failure

On a life support system

Alive, yet wishing upon death!

Can we ever experience the pain someone is going through? We can only imagine. 

Yet, parents of special kids are judged.

I was really touched the other day when my Dad said - "I wanted to prostrate before Aparna for the mother she is!"

So true;

We can imagine her pain and struggles but not live it. It takes a special heart to understand her special child.

PS: after reading this post of Janaki; I have no words left...

Ambipur's #SmellyToSmiley

          For a human being all our senses play a very important role. For example we eat 1^st through our eyes and nose and then through our mouth. For us our olfactory sense (i.e. nose) plays a major role in our day to day life.

          We like to smell fresh early morning air, smell of earth after 1^st rains, we like the smell of the morning brewed coffee or tea, but we hate the smell of burnt food, smelly socks etc. In rainy season, most of housewives most worry about 2 things, smell of damp clothes and kitchen smell and to get rid of these nasty smells we try all kinds of ideas. Burning incense sticks, spraying perfumes, trying out all kind of room fresheners and fabric fresheners; but sometimes nothing seems to work, especially when someone is gonna visit our abode.

          Imagine your husband has invited his close friends for dinner; you have slogged the entire day in kitchen to get everything ready. Before they arrive you get dressed, get everything ready. But suddenly you realize that your house smells dal tadka, behndi masala, sauté garlic, fried chicken etc. Even the smell of damp clothes refuses to go. Though you had the exhaust fan and the gas chimney on while cooking, these smells didn’t vanish.

          No matter what you do, the smell refuses to go… no amount of perfume or incense sticks drive away that smell. You feel as if you are losing a battle against a stubborn smell war. Your husband who was till now happy and feeling proud of the spread you have put up for his friends is somewhat has a dejected look on his face.

          Because we know, the moment a person enters a house, this smell will hit and we always expect to welcome a guest; if not fragrant but atleast non-smelly home.

          What will you do now? We women always liked to be praised

(a)            For food we put up in front of guests &

(b)            For the neat and tidy house we present.

The solution for winning this war against stubborn smell is using a room freshener which not only drives away the lingering smells, but also the fragrance stays for longer period of time.

          After trying of various brands and products, I trust only 1; Ambipur. I have tried 2 of their car fragrances: Lavender spa and Light Citrus. So to drive away those nasty smells of kitchen I trust Ambipur’s Lavender Vanilla & Comfort.

         

         When it comes to perfumes or deo or room fresheners I prefer 1 which doesn’t hit one’s nose as soon as it is sprayed leaving the person sneezing. I prefer one which remains invisible but still does its work of spreading nice fragrance across the room. So next time you go to buy a room freshener you know which one to pick.

PS : I am blogging for #SmellyToSmiley activity at BlogAdda.com in association with Ambi Pur