Don’t believe the rumors. I not only love a simple hearty vegetarian / egg-based meal, I make some good stuff too. Testament below. Will keep updating. Goes without saying.
Of Meat Curries and More
A new prep. Every Week. Well almost
Right from a Maharashtrian Kala Mutton to a BIhari Curry to a Nadan Kozhi to a ready-to-cook lazy-day easy-peasy curry, I have tried to incorporate as many unique recipes that I could manage over the course of 1 year. There are a ton of vegetarian dishes I have prepped too. Will link you’ll to it soon.
Special mention to the following Queens and Kings: Ranveer Brar, Kabita’s Kitchen, Team YFL, Varun Inamdar, Smita Deo, Saransh Goila and various others whose recipes, tips and techniques, nuskhas I have used.
Will keep updating! Last Updated – 3 Nov 2021
Hope you’ll loved these. All the above are splendid recipes, and I am sure you’d have a grear time whipping them up in your kitchens.
PS
– No haste in ‘bhunaaoing’ the onions.
– Be careful while adding dahi, keep stirring so that it does not split
– Add water to the curry slowly, preferably hot water to avoid thermal shock. It evens out the temperature of the curry
– Cook with love, patience and a child-like enthusiasm
Putting Atmos in Atmosphere – #CleanAirBeautifulHomes by Asian Paints
“Monsters are real, ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win” -Stephen King
Now, we may be referring to metaphorical ghosts here, but you would be stunned to know that you might be dying faster than you think. Before, this post gets wrongly flagged for sounding like a ‘Blue Whale’ game teaser, let me clarify that I will be talking about the unimaginable silent killers which go unnoticed and are never really even taken into consideration. * gets feels of a certain cricketer who is always neglected by the board*
Umm, moving on, we all know home is where the heart is. Home is also where death lies. *wipes off sweat* I swear this is not an endorsement for anything abhorrent. I am talking about indoor pollutants and how they are way deadlier than the conventionally defined air pollution. They are lurking around like the joker from IT. Scared now?
Image Credits – umgflip.com Image taken from Google
Let’s science the heck out of this for a change rather than getting philosophical about Hawa bachao.
I am highlighting the most common murderers lurking around in the very comfort zone, you call home. And yes, this is much, much worse than outdoor air pollution
1. Paint
Now, who doesn’t love a splash of vibrancy on their walls. But zindagi mein rang bharte bharte lungs mein pollutants jam rahe hai. Harmful gases are released by paints leading to problems like lung infections to kidney and liver damage.
2. Cigarettes / Cigars
Even Agent Pena would have contemplated about smoking in his cabin while demolishing the Cali Cartel if he knew the Rodriguez brothers are not only the ones after his life. Also passive smoking > active – Bronchitis to cough to serious lung infections, tobacco covers it all.
3. Carpets
Aladdin would have thought twice if he knew a simple carpet can take your life. Newly setup carpets release all kinds of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that can prove fatal.
4. Kitchen Stove
Gordon Ramsay is not the only devil who’ll review you when you are in the kitchen. The real devil is poorly ventilated kitchens and improperly installed stoves which release gases like CO an NO2 and water vapour which can be extremely harmful causing stroke, lung cancer, obstructive pulmonary disease among many others. YES!
5. Molds
Now, a small damp patch in your house might seem as harmless as season 1 Arya Stark. But, give it time, the fungi will grow rapidly and eventually, will go all Season 6 Arya Stark on you. Inhaling or coming in direct physical contact with these spores can cause allergic reactions, apart from skin and eye irritation.
Don’t fret. I have got the solution to this *snaps fingers* Just use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, monitor radon levels with a charcoal liquid scintillation detectors, use dehumidifiers to reduce moisture content. *facepalms*
I am just messing with you. Amidst the technological mumbo jumbo, I have an easier solution for you guys.
Let’s tackle this unconventional problem with a rather unconventional solution. Rang badal do zindagi ke. Yes, your wall paint can be the doctor. Asian Paints acts messiah and brings to you – Royale Atmos, an environmentally driven and conceptualized paint to reduce harmful air pollutants and make you surrounding air cleaner. To top it off, it also acts as an absorbent for various foul stenches polluting the air around you. Oh, and your dream of splashing your home with beautiful colors stays intact.
Maybe, I wasn’t convincing enough! Trust an enchanting woman to do the needful? Hear from her here
If you do not pay heed to this deadly killer, be prepared to live like this for the rest of your life in your own house
BANE**** what air is this?
#musthavesbydextaaaar Part I- Flatlays
#musthavesbydextaaaar is my attempt of showcasing the best of bombay’s food. Kindly note, the dishes classified under this hashtag are solely my choices, and of for some reason, you do not find them worthy, please do not go all apeshit on me. Let’s talk if the choice fails to entice you 🙂
Part I is on flatlays. Some home delivery reviews while some clicked at restaurants/cafes/bars etc.
Here’s the lowdown-
JIMI’s BURGER
Easily one of the best burgers in town. Hyperventilating after seeing this setup
BOWL BABY BOWL
Meals in a bowl never got better! Also did I read bacon and donut in the same line?
HELLO GUPPY
BKC has a clear winner. Also, Japanese vocab has significantly increased!
HIGHWAY GOMANTAK
Seafood lovers ka jannat
CHAWLAS^2
Indian meals are a weighing scale’s worst nightmare. Believe it
THE CENTRAL KITCHEN
Repeat the above line *burp* *unbuttons pants*
OYE PAPPE!
Repeat the above line AGAIN *burp* *unbuttons pants*
AASWAAD
No, seriously, this iconic gem needs no expounding
KITCHEN BOX
Some good Pan Asian fare here!
PIZZA HUT
Nostalgia on a plate. Took me back to childhood
BREWBOT
Bots are usually cursed but not this one. This one brings beer
China 1
The good China ka maal
Pepper Munch
Pocket friendly is bae
SamBar, Khar
Go all Nakka Mukka after Anna’s exceptional dishes
Olive Bar and Kitchen
Brunch goals, amirite?
Seasonal Tastes, Westin
Sunday lazy lunch goals!
Indizza
Easily the best Indian meal in town
Sindhful
I am culturally Maharashtrian, ethically and business wise a Gujju and a Sindhi
Shree Datta Snacks
The most imporatnt pitstop on the Mumbai-Pune expressway
Bombay Coffee House
Kickass Brekkie..kickass day
Tea Villa
Naam toh suna hi hoga!
Masala Library
Every dish is magic on your plate!
Citrus, The Leela
Oh, I love buffets part 37287729840923
Phew! That’s it for now. Will keep updating this space.
Go figure! till then.
The Luxury of the Chase
I spend too much time on the internet and that enables me to across a platter of different content, different subjects all somehow shape up or supplement my thought process. Somewhere, when I was reading some article, strewn around was the phrase, ‘Lucky are the ones who have find someone to tell that they love them’. Like how we Indians forget bomb blasts, corruption, crimes against women, I read and forgot until very recently I, once again took an untimely risk of opening up to someone which as anticipated resulted in a negation. The only difference this time is, I didn’t lose much of my self respect. After an assured ‘NO’ after confirmation, I bid goodbye instantly. It was less painful. In fact, Chester’s untimely demise affected me more than this rejection. I am not kidding, I teared up listening to ‘Breaking The Habit’ and this rejection was not even at the back of my head at that moment. I don’t really give a rat’s ass about the person anymore. Well, that doesn’t mean I am spiteful. I wish good for her and that she succeeds in whatever she wants, and is happy in her life etc etc
The plain simple reason that I didn’t sob or moped around in agony was that I cut the chase and got to the point of bluntly asking her out. After experiencing a lot of mental torture, I simplified my algorithm to remain as stable as I can. It’s not a conventional approach and might be considered mechanical and rude but I really believe mental health over everything and thus my algorithm. I would loved to ease into it, wait for the right time, wait for the right opening, the perfect ambiance, untimely sweeping them off their feet, but privilege is a bitch.
Not saying, I am saying this without evidence. I was probably too young when I actually experienced the chase. It was irrational and inexplicable. But then again, if you can attach sense and rationality to it, it’s not really love. I had no one to teach or guide me. I had to navigate myself through this unknown non-taken path. The only upside to this exercise was I learned as I took steps, I figured out how the variables operate in this domain. I understood what is to what selflessly feel for someone without a motive. Being the business background, I cannot really think of bonding without an RoI. But that was different. That was without an ulterior motive. I chased hoping it would work out but life had other plans, other plans of making me stronger for other debacles. With each mess up, I did not lose. Actually, they lost on someone who selflessly cared. That’s what i keep telling myself and this exact approach now enables me to function decently better.
I can’t afford to waste time. I can’t afford conventional methods. Experiences have made me stoic and extremely brutal when it comes to making the next move. I lay out my ideas strategically and tweak my algorithm. I can’t afford the goody-goody happy go lucky running after and playing guessing games and getting hurt in the end. There is a reason why I loved ‘Answer in one word – Yes or No’ in school exams because it left nothing to interpretation or being equivocal. A clear honest answer is good than lengthy bullshit. The next time I ask you out directly and expect a blunt YES/NO without force-feeding my crap and keep me hanging, please don’t think or believe I am being rude and treating you as an option. It’s only because I honestly don’t have the luxury to chase.
Till next time,
Cheers
Keeping Options
I always knew ‘Variety is the spice of life’ and it’s always great to explore and get acquainted with something new. But the naïve young me only aligned this philosophy with food where I used to happily hold my dad’s hand as he took me to my favorite fast food places. Eventually the good old father-son bonding lessened and our fast food visits stopped because growing up happened. Fast food joints got slowly got replaced with coffee shops which then turned into pubs and bars. Milkshakes and Cola floats got replaced with ‘Whisky Sour please. Hold the egg!’ The constant here being the exploration and getting acquainted with new places and new food items. On a side note, I do miss the fat me running towards the McDonalds counter and ordering the usual.
Anyway, before I digress, I always had the opinion that most people are selfish and mean. It’s instinctive to an extent. You see, to survive, we must bend the goody-goody convention and be cruel if needed to. As I was exposed to the functioning of this world, I slowly realized that humans not only align their ‘variety’ with food or exotic places, they do it with people too. We all do it. Sometimes, it is as harmless as having a back-up for hanging out OR sometimes it gets tricky where you can’t decide with whom, you should take it up a notch. If you know what I mean! There, there, stop grinning!
Having options lets you be in the controlling position. Humans love authority. Boy, we LOVE exercising control and playing around. Having options, sort of is empowering. You feel good about yourself. It’s all about validation in the end. The way to seek it differs from person to person but the common denominator is with having options around, you are unchained, liberated and in a definitive position. Also it is a safety net which is now not only restricted to choosing an IT company. Today’s safety nets includes people. We all are messed up and indecisive. Also, it’s thrilling to have multiple people at your disposal. Like I said, it’s about wanting to choose. When you have options, you know you are not lonely and need not be obligated to stick with the one same person
The way we used to be confused about choosing an ice-cream flavor at Baskin Robbins, we are now confused about choosing a person. Technology has made it a cakewalk to enable one to keep options. The biggest fuck-up of having the ability to keep options is we take people for granted and stomp on the ones who actually might be good, and resort to dumbfucks to enjoy the moment. Fairytale romances are a thing of the past, and life has turned into one big auction. Oh, also we all love to judge and rate.
Is it a bad thing? Maybe. Maybe not. We need to survive and if this is what it takes, then *sigh*. In the end, validation is essential to function healthily. Life has anyway turned into a menu card. The least we can do is choose something that suits our taste buds. The metaphor just got out of hand I guess.
Till next time,
Cheers
Just Listen
Extrapolation gives you a valuable insight on how critical and severe a problem can get. Heartbreaks can be devastating. You hopes come crashing down like an avalanche and you roll down into an abyss. I was temporarily sad, felt the necessary amount of grief and eventually moved on with a bang looking forward to the good things in life. For that limited span, I hated everything, couldn’t focus on anything, cried randomly, sat at a place doing nothing, stared at walls aimlessly, lost interest in everything, and wanted to be left alone undisturbed. But, let me emphasize on the word TEMPORARILY. I took my emotional turmoil, raised to infinity and imagined someone feeling the same turmoil every single day. Gave me goosebumps!
Depression and sadness are not the same. Sadness is a bout of a mellow feeling which passes while the later clings on to you like a parasite sticks to its host and refuses to let it go.
The recent suicide at Taj Lands End brought back again the taboo that is depression. Everyone was left aghast at the whole episode. What was even shocking that the live video was that clickbait sites / random pages whoring for likes. Get that video off the web so that there is no repeat, there are no copycat suicides. Maybe, just maybe the boy could have been saved. No one knows the surety, but one thing I can be sure of – He did not have anyone to listen to his pain, which snowballed into this calamity.
We all have experienced sadness and we all can agree that talking helps. More than talking, our recipient plays the most crucial part in the healing process. We don’t need advisors and counselors, we need listeners. Someone who can just absorb our words, feel our pain, resonate to our chaos, and not go all ape shit psychologist on our heads. Whatever bouts of sadness I have faced, be it marks, college admissions, heartbreaks, job scenes, work pressure, I was lucky to have listeners in my life. Also, hugs can do wonders. Having someone who will calmly listen to your problem and bear your rants keeps you stable.
Just be there. Just offer your silence in return for their turmoil. Just sit there and let them know they are not alone. Just make your presence felt. Just listen. Keep your philosophical and practical insights to yourself for the time being. Those who need advice will come to you. Also, I might be generalizing but as a guy, I personally feel that a dude is comfortable sharing emotional problems with his female friends. Girls can understand you in a much much better way and offer unconditional love and support. Your bros will hand you a bottle of Old Monk and tell you to let the fuck go of your problems. Skip the rum for some silence. It’ll be worth it.
Don’t tell them to simply move on. Don’t tell them it’s a phase. Don’t tell them to just let it go. Don’t offer your half-baked psychological inputs. Don’t tell them to learn to focus. Don’t blame them for their misery. Most importantly, don’t tell them shit like stop being sad and smile. The next time you know of someone who is exhibiting symptoms of depression, reach out, give them the tightest hug, and JUST LISTEN.
Till next time,
Cheers.
Closure
Truth is everybody is going to hurt you. you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for – Bob Marley
People are temporary. Yes, most of them, and even though we convince ourselves with convenient lies that we will always be surrounded by the same people, subconsciously we know it’s a load of donkey balls. Growing old has its perils like intolerance to loud EDM, and sleeping instantly after drinking too much. Plus I cannot tolerate young kids dancing at pubs anymore. I have started respecting the 25+ age limit which pretty much curbs the imbecile undeveloped young age group. But beside all this, with aging comes a reality check as the masks wear off. Your life automates through a funnel filtering a lot, A LOT of people and eventually the residue is what you are left with. Those are the ones you can count on.
It’s good to let people go at times because it clears your head. It’s a beautiful feeling to know that you can continue surviving without those people. No one has an implicit compulsion to stay in your lives forever. But, leaving with confrontation is a dick move. Pushing off without a reason, however preposterous is uncalled for. Ghosting randomly is pathetic and cowardly. Talk, give an explanation, bloody confront…..what I mean is SAY SOMETHING before vanishing. You might feel it won’t impact much but leaving without closure can unimaginably damage someone. I am not merely talking about relationships. The less discussed part of closure is when friendships fall apart like dominoes without valid reasons and last goodbyes.
I have seen people devastated because some assholes thought it is okay to leave without saying goodbye. I myself have suffered at a few instances. It’s horrible. You wonder if you went wrong somewhere. You blame yourself because someone left your side. You start questioning your own character and whether you are the bad person here. You curse yourself for not giving it your 100% whereas in reality you realize later you are better off without that entity in your life.
Unrequited love is cancerous but we love to indulge in self destructive behavior. We continue to pursue our friends because we value the bond we have. We continue the chase because we feel good about ourselves that we are trying to fix things. We continue to hang on to the already gone because that’s how we are programmed! To keep believing that we can return to the past. Then finally it runs its course and we finally get used to idea of letting it go. Self respect FTW.
Social media has emboldened our cowardice and how. We say byes over text messages and break up over emojis. We leave voice mails and cryptic messages and vanish into thin air. Man up, face it and leave. But no, we want our farewell to a bitter hurtful one.
I wish life has that unsubscribe button. If you don’t want to stay in someone’s life, give them a reason and go away as far as possible. Not everyone is mature enough to realize this, and its okay. Not everyone will give you a reason, and its okay. With horrid experiences and aging, I have realized that the ones who wish to stay in your lives will make the efforts. Any bond, requires two-way efforts to make it work. Those who do not deserve your time and efforts will retract on their own. That’s a nice way to look at it right?
It sucks to be left stranded but maybe they were protecting you by running away. Maybe, or maybe not? Sadly, some questions remain unanswered.
PS – Took some inspiration from a few posts off the web. Cannot find the links now. Will do so if I can.
Till next time,
Cheers
Sweet love stories always ‘click’
If there’s one thing that connects us trashing boundaries and breaking barriers in the pure unadulterated love for food. The best part about cultural diversity is the plethora of items it offers leaving you awestruck and spoilt for choice. When it comes to pleasing your sweet tooth, we leave no stone unturned. As geography changes, ingredients change, taste changes, flavor changes! That’s the beauty of India. The downside to shifting geographies is distance acts a palate pooper. We are left with nothing but a void in our heart, a tear in our eye and endless scrolling on the PC virtually satisfying that dearth. What if I told you this will soon be a thing of the past? Intrigued? Read on.
Thank heavens for Place Of Origin which is your one-stop pit stop to savor the best of Indian sweets. The website is your online sweetmeat store. The best of your nation brought together by a few button clicks.
Let me introduce you the sweetest section in http://www.placeoforigin.in – Mithai. Craving for some Badami Halwa from D Damodar, Mumbai? Craving for pillow-soft rassogullas from Ganguram, Kolkata? Dreaming about savoring some waist expanding legendary Shrewsburry biscuits from Pune? Imagining crumbly biscuits from Sudhan Bakery, Hyderabad melt away smoothly on your palate? Put an end to all those cravings by visiting the website and ordering your favorite.
Whether it is for your own soul or you wish to gift a box of goodness to your loved ones, you are just a few clicks away from doing the needful. Scan, drool, order, wait, receive, and indulge.
Erm….Payment modality you ask? Order your diabetic attack by Net Banking, Credit Cards or Debit Cards.
Oh! Internet you beauty! Oh Place Of Origin, you beauty! You can now enjoy sweets from across the country at your doorstep.
Brotimes and Whisky – One memory at a time
Friends and alcohol go hand in hand. A quintessential combination, we all have reminisced over the good old days over a peg or…err maybe ten, am I right? Boy, life does happen and you lose touch of your old pals and those times that you experienced together. I was ecstatic when my friend returned back after eons and called me and I heard those three magical words- “Chal Pite Hai”. The plan was made, everything else was canned and it was time for good brotimes!
We entered the same bar we used to flock during our college days. Oh, those days where we had absolutely questionable whiskeys to go along with our bar snacks. We skimmed through the menu. Inflation was REAL. We opened the drinks section and were genuinely surprised to find that there actually was a good choice to pick from. Our bar was upgraded and how. My finger which was racing down the menu at full speed suddenly stopped at Golfer’s Shot. We exchanged quizzical looks and for a moment we were dubious of a change. But then we somehow mutually agreed to raise a toast with a new friend.
The past is so captivating. Once you start discussing your college days, you just cannot keep track of time. We were punctuated by the waiter who served us our whisky in regular glasses and banged them against the table. Ambience can change, so can the alcohol selection but some habits die hard. Since it was a new brand, we awoke our inner connoisseur and started debating about the color, mouthfeel, nose, finish, and alcohol-centric jargons. I proclaimed I was getting dark chocolate and fruits, while he was hell bent that he was getting spice, and flowery notes. We were right but later we concluded that we are getting drunk.
The good times had just begun. Pegs and anecdotes were going hand in hand. There was laughter, exasperation, regret, guilt, chuckles with every passing memory. Our new friend was a wonderful catalyst to the ecstasy. We couldn’t help but be in awe of a brand we had never heard of before. Alcobrew Golfer’s Shot was the hero the world surely deserved to know. Smooth, smoky, malty, we decided to shift our loyalties. We so wished as to why we never spotted this brand during our college drinkages. Drat, someone give me a time machine already? That speaks volumes, doesn’t it?
Suddenly memories took a backseat and this whisky was hogging the spotlight. I guess we either were just high or we totally had a new crush haha! While I was obsessing over its golden-amber color, my friend told he forgot to tell me that he got promoted to the Branch Head of his agency. WOW! Not like we needed a reason to order another round, but we clinked our glasses, gulped our last two 60mls celebrating his success and rise up the hierarchy.
REBEL DIARIES 