Tag: featured

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The Cop’s Holiday.

aveekoiqbalneep

There is a cop who stands at an inter junction near a mall .It is a five way traffic plus there are two side roads and as you can imagine the traffic there is a piece of cake. Such a piece of cake that you can walk the distance you want to go in thirty minutes but by God’s grace if you have a car then even God can’t help you move.
You would be stuck there at a single spot for about a cool thirty minutes and then as forseen result of the magnanimous traffic jam, you will miss lunch or dinner and will also miss the live telecast of your favourite football or cricket match and then silently curse yourself for being at that place. As I said before, it is wise to walk in this sizzling summer than be waiting in the silly car or any other automobile.
So the main point is, that a cop regularly maintains traffic discipline in that junction.He does a superb job of managing the traffic and he does it wisely and he is very helpful towards the pedestrians and helps elderly people cross the lane by personally going with them and he sees to that, they safely reach the road across. A lot of honking and shouting goes on there and he doesn’t get perturbed by it. Some even jeer at him still he maintains his cool.He scolds some drivers but in a cool and polite manner.He is a cop who must be respected.
Now sadly his is on leave.He has taken the leave to go on a holiday with his family.
As that junction was his appointed area for managing traffic, so now for two three days hardly any one mans that area and the traffic management is left completely to God’s own mercy.The cop’s holiday is now people’s rolly-polly days. I think that the cop can’t spend his holidays in peace simply by thinking about the signal he works at. Now at that junctions three volunteers man it but the rush remains the same.I am expecting my friend to be back soon.

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Coriander-The Wonder Herb

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Coriander is a green leafy herb with minute leaves. It’s paste as a chutney is so tasty that many chefs keep on tasting it while they are cooking. As cooking is an art which is gifted and divined by God Almighty, so is coriander. It is known as “Cilantro” in the North American continent i.e. The United States of America and Canada. In India we famously and locally call it “Dhania”. It is sold a bunch for ten rupees. In other countries it’s price varies according to the local market.
Coriander is such a food ingredient that without it nearly all Indian and Asian dishes are incomplete. You simply name it; whether it is soups or lentils or any vegetarian or non vegetarian preparation,coriander is a must.
For eg:- Take any chicken soup preparation. You will find that the chicken in the soup is tasting a bit like raw chicken. It is a standard issue with chicken soups. Just add a few coriander leaves or two tablespoons of coriander chutney and the taste of the soup will simply be brilliant. South Indians and South Indian dishes are simply non-existent without coriander.
Roasted coriander seeds are also used in many preparations.
Coriander powder or dhania powder is a major spice, which is added in majority of the Indian dishes.
Many celebrated chefs use coriander for garnishing most of the main course food dishes as garnishing any dish with coriander, whether that dish is simple or not, makes the dish look marvelous. It is handy, quick to use and easily available.
Even when a person is sad, he or she can simply tear apart some coriander leaves and have it and his or her mood will be uplifted or God forbid otherwise, their whole day would be spoiled, as some coriander leaves do have dirt in them and having dirt in one’s mouth is not an experience that many would love except maybe kids, who despite their parents telling them no eat dirt, eat it with relish, as if it is the greatest candy in the world.
Coriander is truly a wonder herb. It has many uses,it is wonderful and it has ability and capacity to make the common happy as it’s price doesn’t ever rise or soar over one’s head and budget.
Love coriander. Eat coriander. Live Happy.

Eat Light.
Be Happy.

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Aamras Gola (Mango Snow Cone)

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In this unbearable,hot and super hot summer season aamras gola is a cool snow cone refreshment, which sets your taste buds dancing with relief and one who sips the aamras feels that the life force is coming back into him and life itself has some meaning in this scintillating summer time .

To make a mean aamras gola i.e. (mango snow cone refreshment),take mangoes of the highest quality.You can take either Alphonso or Hapoos or any variety of mango.Just make sure that it is sweet and fresh. Take four-five mangoes and then peel off the mango skin and remove the mango seeds. Put all the mango flesh into the mixer.When it turns into juice,turn off the mixer. Then taking the mango juice in a bowl and some crushed ice into it and blend it nicely with a ice blender or a plain blender.This tends to smooth out the mango juice. Taste it and if it tastes a bit less sweet, then you can add two to three drops of sugar syrup.
Then keep the mango juice in the freezer for about twenty minutes.

Please note the following part-
As soon as you have made the mango juice and have kept it in the freezer, immediately start making the snow cone. In all it shouldn’t take more than fifteen minutes.You need to make a snow cone. There are many ways to do so. There are a lot of snow cone makers available in the market and there are homemade techniques to make snow cone also.In my previous post, I have written about it and that how it can be made.You can find it here-.

After making the snow cone, insert a wooden ice cream stick in it, so that the snow cone holds itself together and place it upside down in a mug or glass. Then take out the mango juice from the freezer and pour it slowly over the upside down snow cone.When you see that the snow cone is completely drenched in mango juice or aamras, then you can know for sure that your mango snow cone is ready. Have it and enjoy your summer.

Eat light.

Be happy.

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Shahi Gola (Royal Ice Popsicle)

aveekoiqbalneep

“Shahi Gola” in Hindi means royal ice ball or popsicle.Gola is a street food in India and it is a succulent ice ball with different flavours layered over it and ice is the major ingredient in it.
For this you need to make broken ice first.Pour water in your ice maker and put it in your freezer.After an hour or so, take out your ice maker and break the ice chunks into fine ice crystals.If you are making ice in an ice cube tray, then also it is fine. Simply take out the ice from the ice cube tray.

Take a big utensil and put all the ice in it.Use a hand blender to crush the ice nicely.Initially ,the ice would simply avoid the blender, but finally it would surrender to the supreme power of the ice blender and get crushed under it’s mighty blades.Then drain out the water, which is formed as by product of ice crushing, from that big utensil using a strainer .
To work out the remaining ice smashing effort; as we need fine ice, put all the crushed ice in a mixer grinder for further smashing and pounding.Turn on the knob to the setting no.”2″ on the mixer knob panel and within ten to fifteen seconds, you will see finely crushed ice and very small fine crystals of ice which are finely grounded.
Take a glass or a plastic glass or a mug and fill it nearly upto the brim with the crushed ice and insert a wooden or plastic ice cream stick inside it, placing it in the center of the ice ball, so that when you take out the ice ball or popsicle, then the wooden stick will hold it together.
(You can find wooden,plastic ice cream or popsicle sticks in your local market and they are to be used as the base for holding the ice ball together).

Now turn that glass upside down and take out the ice ball carefully.If you find that edges are unsettling, then use a spoon and straighten them out and if you find that the ice is lose in someplaces or that the ice ball has not formed properly, then using your hand, press the ice ball into a smooth round ball and the ice will hold it together.
Then again place the ice popsicle upside down in a glass, so that the various syrups can be poured over it.
Now the main part, to make the shahi gola. To make the shahi gola we will use seven different syrups which will give the gola varied tastes and it will look beautiful also.
Remember in shahi gola, you don’t pour the syrups all over the ice ball.The syrups are poured side by side in striations,making different designs.We can assume that the end product should nearly resemble a rainbow i.e. seven colours or atleast four different colours will show on the ice popsicle.
To make the shahi gola pour the syrups side by side on the popsicle, in the order given here:-
1.Cranberry syrup
2.Vanilla syrup
3.Kala Khatta syrup or raw mango syrup
4.Caramel syrup
5.Strawberry syrup
6.Pineapple syrup
7.Mango syrup
After you pour all these syrups over the ice popsicle, have a taste and check whether it is too sweet or is it too bitter.
If it is too sweet then add kala khatta syrup or the raw mango syrup and if it is too bitter then add the caramel or the vanilla syrup.You can even use a bit of sugar syrup on it as a topping.
The same can be made with nuts drizzled on it.

The main characteristic feature of shahi gola is that nearly all the flavours should be felt on tasting it, with sweet being its main base.
It is a refreshment for the royals which each and every human being is.

This recipe is my recipe and this is how I make shahi gola.

Eat healthy and be happy.
Enjoy the shahi gola.

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My best friend- the Morning Sun

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My best friend is the morning sun. At six thirty am, early in the morning, the sun is like a big red ball. It feels as if I can take shelter under it and the morning sun is sweet and very cute. Once I have seen the early sun, my day is set and then I can take on any challenge in any aspect of my daily life. The afternoon sun which is nearly always hot and blazing is not at all my friend. On the other hand the evening sun which sets off , to let the night takeover is also my friend, but it is not like the morning sun because at the evening, the sun is too tired to be sweet and cute.

The monsoon days are really very morose, as there is no sun visible and without my friend, my days also pass in a dull way. Thus, my friend says enjoy the drizzle and wait for the cloud to pass by, so that you can take a glimpse of the wet sun.