 When I was a kid growing up in a small village surrounded by the countryside, raining season meant several things. It meant the mango fell from the trees during storm, puddles of fresh rainwater on the street, beads of raindrops on the branches and leaves, warm noodle soup at home, and of course— mushroom picking season.
Wild mushroom picking is fun, but it can be very dangerous as well. You have to know what kind of mushroom you are looking at, and that they are edible or not. I haven’t been to mushroom picking in years. I missed it a lot. I remember the smell of wet mud and the sense of excitement when we found the spot where there were lots of mushrooms came up from the ground.
Here is one dish that reminded me so much about my childhood— a simple stir fried mushroom with ginger
Continue reading Stir Fired Mushroom with Ginger and Garlic
 I consider myself an okay-good cook when it comes to Indian food. I love the aroma and the intense flavor of Indian dishes. It makes my house smell like a cozy restaurant. And a cozy restaurant is how I like it to be when I have a party at home. I want everyone to tuck in a warm space, sitting shoulder to shoulder, colorful hot meal in the center, laughs and talks between the chews, our stomach filled and still eager to have that delightful dessert and more.
Rainy season have just arrived, the air is cool, and the grasses start to sprout green. It’s time to call friends to hang out, cook up something delicious and share it around the table. Since we moved to our new home, I’ve been meaning to break a party in this small balcony we have. It’s perfect to accommodate a small
Continue reading Party with the Kitchens of India
 Can you live without your smartphone for a day? I think the most honest answer would be like one of the most memorable quote of Jennifer Aniston as Sarah Huttinger in the movie Rumor Has It, saying, “I didn’t come here to tell you that I can’t live without you. I can live without you. I just don’t want to.”
You feel like being unplugged from the world, feeling emotional stranded and trapped when you lose your phone. I mean half your life is in there. Your friends live in there, and they are waiting for you in the group chat.
You know we don’t even adore our friends that much when they aren’t in the digital form. You carry them anywhere with you. There’re interactive. They’re always there for you, making you laugh, cry, arguing with you, making up rumors, being cute, etc… Oh, you know what I’m
Continue reading We Just Chat
 Hi,
It’s Sadik
Doing something special that you always wished to do, that too along with your wonderful friends, is something that every man wants. Here comes such a story…
It’s about my recent trek in Gadval Ranges of Himalaya in Uttarakhand state of India. I will be posting a series of stories about this wonderful journey throughout this month in Tes’s blog. Here is my first post on an over-a-week long adventure…
First of all, here is our fun loving, adventurous team. Without them, I wouldn’t have done this, and you won’t be reading this. So, thank you guys
Standing -Shashi, Nitesh, Sudeep, Sanjay, Mandar, Rajeev, Anikit Sitting – Suhas and I
Our planning started a month back, in April, when Mandar and Nitesh started creating a buzz in the group. Shashi (our Gadwal expert) checked out the best routes in consultation with local
Continue reading Sadik’s Himalayas Trekking Series Part 1
 Friday is the time for cleaning up a fridge. This week we did well on handling the grocery. I hate to have food spoiled in my house, but there weren’t much left in the fridge this week. So, yay!
I had half a bag of mixed salad greens, some tomatoes, red bell peppers, some cucumbers, some fresh herbs, a few strip of chicken breast and a log of old bread.
I also should let you in a little secret. I’m dieting! Hehe, it’s not really a secret because I’m dieting most of the time in my life. But this time, damn right I’m serious! (As I also said last time.)
Any way, here is a healthy lunch that took about 15 minutes to create right of things that were left inside my fridge on Friday.
Oh yummmm…
Pan fried chicken in olive oil and garlic with a
Continue reading Garlic Chicken Salad
 First of all, I’m so sorry about the picture quality of the photos in this post. I didn’t expect to write about this restaurant when we planned to go for a simple dinner so I didn’t bring my good camera. But when we went inside, I knew immediately that I had to share this with you. What a bummer!
Last Friday, Sadik’s uncle, came to town for a brief visit. We took him to dinner before he went back at the very same night. I suggested us to go Zambar, a South Indian Restaurant in Phoenix Market City. I’ve always wanted to visit this place, but my skeptical husband always said, “Kerala food is only good in Kerala.” Anyway, it was my lucky night because I finally convinced them to go there.
I really love the design and ambiance of the restaurant. It integrates traditional South Indian
Continue reading Zambar, South Indian Restaurant in PhoenixMarketCity, Viman Nagar Pune
 My mouth is all watery when I think about South Indian breakfast. Mmmm different types of soft Appams (soft pancake), hot Dosa (savory pancake), steamy Idli(rice cake), Poratha (Kerala flatbread) for a heavy weight type of breakfast, not to mention a spongy Puttu loaded with grated fresh coconut. Along with them, coconut chutney, Sambar (spicy vegetable stew) or different type of curries are served.
My favorite South Indian breakfast of course is Puttu. It’s a steamed ground rice with grated coconut. Puttu is very soft and spongy. It is usually served with chickpea curry, fish curry or a combination of banana, Papadom and black tea. At breakfast, we couldn’t help stealing some steamed grated coconut out of each other’s plate. Puttu is a really hearty and healthy dish.
To prepare Puttu, you need a steaming vessel called Puttu Kutti, which allows Puttu to come out in the beautiful
Continue reading Puttu, South Indian Steamed Rice and Coconut Cake
 Thai cooking is one of the easiest cooking in the world. I’m not saying this because I’m from Thailand, but the fact is Thai cooking is quick and fuss-free when you understand the ingredients. We don’t usually spend an hour or two to make one dish. In most typical Thai cooking, we barely take 30 minutes to create 3 different side dishes in a single wok. Fresh and simplicity is the key of whipping up the perfect grandma-passing-down-dishes.
Thai Shrimp Cake is an aromatic shrimp fritter. They come in a bite size, served with sweet chili sauce and cucumber salad. It just like Fish Cake, but we used shrimp instead of fish.
When I was in Thailand, fish cake and shrimp cake were sold on the streets. The aroma of curry paste and kaffir lime leaves rose from the wok of hot oil. I remember how the
Continue reading Thai Shrimp Cake
 4 years ago, when Yaseen was just 9 months old, we had a fun road trip from Kerala to Bangalore. On our way, we found this peaceful, scenic lake and decided to make a quick stop. We were one of the few groups wandering in that tranquil sanctuary. It was raw, silent and beautiful.
I’ve remembered Pookode Lake to be a shy, little quiet, nature embraced park, but it isn’t like that anymore. Today, it is alive, crowded, commercialized, yet enticing to visit.
Pookode Lake is located in the Wayanad District of Kerala, India. It is a small lake with clear water, perfect for boating and hanging out around the shore. The lake is surrounded by forest. It’s a perfect spot for a leisure walk, picnic and boating.
There are a number of activities to enjoy around the lake. You can take a walk along the trail
Continue reading Pookode Lake
 Ancient caves always fascinate me. Last October we went to visit Edakkal Caves in Kerala. They’re very different from the caves we have ever been to. Most caves we visited during the past several years are Buddhist cutout rock caves with elaborate crafting details. Edakkal Caves are unique; they are raw and filled with prehistoric charm.
From Wikipedia
Edakkal Caves (11°37?28.81?N 76°14?8.88?ECoordinates: 11°37?28.81?N 76°14?8.88?E) are two natural caves at a remote location at Edakkal, 25 km from Kalpetta in the Wayanad district of Kerala in India‘s Western Ghats. They lie 1,200 metres above sea level on Ambukutty Mala, beside an ancient trade route connecting the high mountains of Mysore to the ports of the Malabar coast. Inside the caves are pictorial writings believed to date to at least 5000 BC, from the Neolithic man, indicating the presence of a prehistoric civilization or settlement in this region.[1] The Stone Age carvings of Edakkal are rare and are the only known examples from south India.
Edakkal Caves were discovered
Continue reading Edakkal Caves
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