I had spent Sat evening like many other ones – sitting down with the girls snacking on potato chips and having multiple conversations simultaneously. We have this group habit of talking to one person but always able to butt in another conversation still clued in.
Yes, it’s the usual girl talk bonding over conversation like fashion, work, food, etc. Nothing unusual about that except that it was not over the dinner table or at someone’s house – it was over Skype. Three of my closest friends are in London and here I am in India looking at them (through my 14.1 inch screen) eating gourmet chips and them looking at me eating Lays.
The Skype call happened because two of them had just arrived in London to visit J. As J was waiting for them to get ready before heading out, we moved from MSN to Skype. After the updates of recent events, we moved on to the usual direction-less chatter.
While sitting here looking at three of them chat, they really didn’t seem that far away. For me, they really could have just been over the table. Too bad the technology of multiple video calls is not yet readily available, else we could have got the rest to dial in too.
Point is, we agreed that to be able to hang out together via Skype is akin to hitting a new milestone in our friendship. I suggested that to take this further, they should bring along the laptop for dinner and we can all have dinner together! Ha.
Anyway, girls, am counting down to CNY when we will all meet again for many steamboat sessions and mahjong!
P.S: Within 5 mins after we hung up, I had a blackout that lasted for almost 2 hours.
About Me
- Grace
- Hyderabad, India
- Moving into a new place where many have not been to before, me and the hubby truely did not know what to expect. As we find out for ourselves what kind of hole we have thrown ourselves into living in Hyderabad, here's a peek for all into this new world of ours.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Comfort Food
It has been at least 3 months since I ate instant noodles. Not that I am a instant noodle addict but this is something that both hubby and myself had been craving for. Of all the brands here, only maggi mee is familiar to us but sadly, the taste is far far from same. No springy chew at all. :(
Even though the hubby has been bugging me to cook instant noodles, I refused because it is already not healthy stuff and if we were to eat the noodles, it had better taste good! Which the instant noodle here does not qualify.
So, when my friend gave me 2 packets of Myojo Mee Goreng and some Sri Lankan chili (similar to our sambal type), without doubt I knew that was going to be dinner last night! Knowing that the portion will not be enough,the noodles was topped up with fried egg and mutton kebab.
I could not stop thinking of dinner yesterday and kept willing in my mind for the hubby to come back earlier! Finally when it was dinner time, instant noodles had never tasted this good as I sank my teeth into it.
A taste of home.
Even though the hubby has been bugging me to cook instant noodles, I refused because it is already not healthy stuff and if we were to eat the noodles, it had better taste good! Which the instant noodle here does not qualify.
So, when my friend gave me 2 packets of Myojo Mee Goreng and some Sri Lankan chili (similar to our sambal type), without doubt I knew that was going to be dinner last night! Knowing that the portion will not be enough,the noodles was topped up with fried egg and mutton kebab.
I could not stop thinking of dinner yesterday and kept willing in my mind for the hubby to come back earlier! Finally when it was dinner time, instant noodles had never tasted this good as I sank my teeth into it.
A taste of home.
Mystery of the Dead Fruit Flies
Wednesday was everything but routine.
In the morning, I had gone to open the balcony door as usual and I could only stare at the sight that greeted me. Half the balcony was covered with dead fruit/ water flies plus a few other random dead insects. Just so that you can have a better idea of what I saw, imagine that you had disturbed the ant nest, all the ants came out but died on the floor. Except that instead of ants, they were flies.
What happened???
On Tues night as we were in the shower, we already noticed that there were more of these flies than usual. As these flies seem to like damp/ wet areas, we decided to make a bigger effort of drying out the bathroom so that they do not multiply so fast. But on weds night, things had gone back to normal, the flies from Tues had disappeared (probably dead on the balcony).
The few theories that we came up with:
#Theory 1
We leave a small light on during the night and that light had attracted the flies who tried to come in. But of course, they could not fly through the glass balcony door. Therefore, they had hit themselves on the glass, sustained head injury and died.
#Theory 2
Animal migration. It could be that they were flying through the area in a big group, some got stuck/ attracted in the balcony area and decided to die there. But this theory does not explain how they died.
#Theory 3
I had sprayed some baygon in the balcony area on Tues to kill an stick insect on the floor and my helper had removed away the dead insect. But there could have been some baygon lingering around the balcony that killed these flies. But my question is, how can the baygon on the floor kill flies that are in the air?
Can anyone solve this mystery for me?
*There are no pictures as it is just too gross
Anyway, I have kept the balcony door closed the last 2 days (even in the daytime) to keep out all these unwelcome visitors. But because I had to dry the laundry today, I had started to keep it open again.
Every morning now, I say a very short and quick prayer before opening the balcony door. Lord, please no dead insects/ flies/ creatures.
What else kept Wednesday far from routine was:
1. Gmail seem to have lost/ not able to display the emails from the past one plus month. I freaked out as I do not use an email client and everything was online. There was no important emails lost (I think) but how could Google do this to me?!?
I did a quick search online and realise that this is not a new issue for Google except that it is not common. My emails started showing again yesterday, so I had quickly downloaded them all. So guys, you have been warned by me.
2. Installation of Windows 7. With the Gmail incident, I decided that it was finally time to do the upgrade on my lappy. As most of you will know, this is time consuming and not fun at all.
3. Power cuts. Of course, it had to happen more frequently today because it will disrupt the internet connection that I need to install Windows 7. Murphy's Law. Didn't help that today the building's back up generator took its own sweet time to kick in. At about 7-ish, I sat in darkness with my backup lamp staring into space for about 20-30mins.
In the morning, I had gone to open the balcony door as usual and I could only stare at the sight that greeted me. Half the balcony was covered with dead fruit/ water flies plus a few other random dead insects. Just so that you can have a better idea of what I saw, imagine that you had disturbed the ant nest, all the ants came out but died on the floor. Except that instead of ants, they were flies.
What happened???
On Tues night as we were in the shower, we already noticed that there were more of these flies than usual. As these flies seem to like damp/ wet areas, we decided to make a bigger effort of drying out the bathroom so that they do not multiply so fast. But on weds night, things had gone back to normal, the flies from Tues had disappeared (probably dead on the balcony).
The few theories that we came up with:
#Theory 1
We leave a small light on during the night and that light had attracted the flies who tried to come in. But of course, they could not fly through the glass balcony door. Therefore, they had hit themselves on the glass, sustained head injury and died.
#Theory 2
Animal migration. It could be that they were flying through the area in a big group, some got stuck/ attracted in the balcony area and decided to die there. But this theory does not explain how they died.
#Theory 3
I had sprayed some baygon in the balcony area on Tues to kill an stick insect on the floor and my helper had removed away the dead insect. But there could have been some baygon lingering around the balcony that killed these flies. But my question is, how can the baygon on the floor kill flies that are in the air?
Can anyone solve this mystery for me?
*There are no pictures as it is just too gross
Anyway, I have kept the balcony door closed the last 2 days (even in the daytime) to keep out all these unwelcome visitors. But because I had to dry the laundry today, I had started to keep it open again.
Every morning now, I say a very short and quick prayer before opening the balcony door. Lord, please no dead insects/ flies/ creatures.
What else kept Wednesday far from routine was:
1. Gmail seem to have lost/ not able to display the emails from the past one plus month. I freaked out as I do not use an email client and everything was online. There was no important emails lost (I think) but how could Google do this to me?!?
I did a quick search online and realise that this is not a new issue for Google except that it is not common. My emails started showing again yesterday, so I had quickly downloaded them all. So guys, you have been warned by me.
2. Installation of Windows 7. With the Gmail incident, I decided that it was finally time to do the upgrade on my lappy. As most of you will know, this is time consuming and not fun at all.
3. Power cuts. Of course, it had to happen more frequently today because it will disrupt the internet connection that I need to install Windows 7. Murphy's Law. Didn't help that today the building's back up generator took its own sweet time to kick in. At about 7-ish, I sat in darkness with my backup lamp staring into space for about 20-30mins.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Eating Out: Chutneys @ Banjara Hills
Wikipedia: Chutney is incorporated into English from Hindi describing a pasty sauce in Indian cuisine. It is a term for a class of spicy preparations used as an accompaniment for a main dish. Chutneys usually contain an idiosyncratic but complementary spice and vegetable mix.
Since the time we arrived here, we kept passing by this restaurant that didn't look too welcoming but there was always a crowd. Later, we found out that it is an established vegetarian restaurant that we should go try. However, the location is not too friendly as it is near a busy intersection and there was no other shops nearby. It has been 2 months plus now and finally, I had gone there for lunch today after gym.
I had been craving for masala dosa/ thosai for a few days now and my friend so kindly gave into my craving, suggesting that we have it after gym. Thanks D!
My first masala dosa was at Minerva Coffee Shop and I had tried it at Ohris before too. Dosa is made out of rice and black lentils and you can have many different fillings. The masala dosa's filling is mashed potatoes with spices but it is not too spicy which suits me well. I cannot quite describe why I like dosa, but to me it tastes very clean, is healthy and satisfying.
Out of the many chutneys, the one that I like best is this peanut-coconut chutney that is very full flavoured. Besides that would be the sambar (looks like a watered down curry) which is usually served along with the dosa.
The place was so crowded when we arrived as it had clashed with lunch hour which is around 2pm+ but we only waited for around 15mins. One reason why this place is popular with locals is also its friendly-priced menu. D had the steamed dosa and we ordered idly (soft steamed rice cakes) to share. With a drink each (coffee for D and mango lassi for me), our meal came up to about Rs350/ SGD12.
So on a Sat when I went to the gym, had my craving of dosa satisfied plus a good time of girl-bonding, it was a great start to the weekend.
Since the time we arrived here, we kept passing by this restaurant that didn't look too welcoming but there was always a crowd. Later, we found out that it is an established vegetarian restaurant that we should go try. However, the location is not too friendly as it is near a busy intersection and there was no other shops nearby. It has been 2 months plus now and finally, I had gone there for lunch today after gym.
I had been craving for masala dosa/ thosai for a few days now and my friend so kindly gave into my craving, suggesting that we have it after gym. Thanks D!
My first masala dosa was at Minerva Coffee Shop and I had tried it at Ohris before too. Dosa is made out of rice and black lentils and you can have many different fillings. The masala dosa's filling is mashed potatoes with spices but it is not too spicy which suits me well. I cannot quite describe why I like dosa, but to me it tastes very clean, is healthy and satisfying.
Out of the many chutneys, the one that I like best is this peanut-coconut chutney that is very full flavoured. Besides that would be the sambar (looks like a watered down curry) which is usually served along with the dosa.
The place was so crowded when we arrived as it had clashed with lunch hour which is around 2pm+ but we only waited for around 15mins. One reason why this place is popular with locals is also its friendly-priced menu. D had the steamed dosa and we ordered idly (soft steamed rice cakes) to share. With a drink each (coffee for D and mango lassi for me), our meal came up to about Rs350/ SGD12.
So on a Sat when I went to the gym, had my craving of dosa satisfied plus a good time of girl-bonding, it was a great start to the weekend.
Chicken Curry via SKYPE
Technology is a life-saver in many many ways. For one, it gives me direct access to a walking cookbook also known as my mum. :)
A few days ago, I had by mistake cut open a packet of coconut milk instead of tomato paste. Yes, it is possible when both packs are identical with only the printed name on the pack as differentiators. When the fire is going and there are 10 others things lined up to be done, you (or is it just me?) just don't take a second look.
I know I am not ready to cook curry with no curry paste but I also don't want to waste the packet of coconut milk. So I decided to improvise with what I have and try. Finally, I took out the mortar and pestle that I had bought on a whim when we first got here.
My plan was to try to re-create something close to curry paste. I have helped my mum do this chili paste thingie for vegetables (think sambal kangkong) before when she cooked and thought that would be the next best substitute. I know there was chili, onion, garlic, belachan, ginger but what else? Then the other questions came up. Was there lime juice? Do I have to add water to the coconut milk? Does the paste go in first or later?
I tried looking for chicken curry recipes online without using curry paste but could not find any. So I decided to call home using Skype to ask mummy. We had paid to get Skype credits for calls to Singapore and these calls do not cost much at all. So I have the luxury of calling home when I want to. I mean, if it was 10 years ago when the call might have cost $10+ for a few minutes, would I have called for curry? I doubt it.
So, she told me what went into the paste and of course, I didn't have all the ingredients. Though she was saying "the taste will be different without this and that", I just had to make do. I felt quite happy with the end result though I just could not get that red colour typical of our chinese curry.
This was what the end product looked like:
A few days ago, I had by mistake cut open a packet of coconut milk instead of tomato paste. Yes, it is possible when both packs are identical with only the printed name on the pack as differentiators. When the fire is going and there are 10 others things lined up to be done, you (or is it just me?) just don't take a second look.
 |
| The metal version of pestle and mortar |
My plan was to try to re-create something close to curry paste. I have helped my mum do this chili paste thingie for vegetables (think sambal kangkong) before when she cooked and thought that would be the next best substitute. I know there was chili, onion, garlic, belachan, ginger but what else? Then the other questions came up. Was there lime juice? Do I have to add water to the coconut milk? Does the paste go in first or later?
I tried looking for chicken curry recipes online without using curry paste but could not find any. So I decided to call home using Skype to ask mummy. We had paid to get Skype credits for calls to Singapore and these calls do not cost much at all. So I have the luxury of calling home when I want to. I mean, if it was 10 years ago when the call might have cost $10+ for a few minutes, would I have called for curry? I doubt it.
So, she told me what went into the paste and of course, I didn't have all the ingredients. Though she was saying "the taste will be different without this and that", I just had to make do. I felt quite happy with the end result though I just could not get that red colour typical of our chinese curry.
This was what the end product looked like:
 |
| The weak looking curry that tasted not too bad! |
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Made in India
Take a closer look at things that we usually buy and chances are that it will be a "Made in China" tag.
Not surprising since everyone know that in a populous country, production costs can be kept very competitive.
Right here in Hyderabad, most things that we see are "Made in India". Refreshing change, I thought. I mean after all the news about China using inferior or unacceptable materials for toys or even milk, how worse can it get right?
When shopping here, most of the tags shows that the clothes are manufactured here. When a country is big, I can see how important it is to support your own domestic market. It creates jobs and when things are produced here, of course it is cheaper as compared to goods that have travelled on a plane/ ship.
I have not mentioned it before but if you shop here, you will see quite a few major brand's boutique. Nike, Adidas, Lacoste, Esprit, Mango, Aldo, Pepe Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger, etc. I was thrilled! There is actually shopping to be done!
Well, true and not true. I can go shopping for an entire day and not buy anything. Some of the things are cheaper than back in Singapore but the quality and design is totally different. Nike shoes were heavier and most designs totally not cool. Casual bags were of cheap material and even though I really need a bag (mine is peeling after arriving here), I could not bring myself to buy one.
Brands like Mango and Aldo has got a good mix of local and important products but the imported ones are so expensive! I reluctantly stepped into Charles and Keith to look at the bags after much persuasion from the hubby (I mean, to buy Charles and Keith outside Singapore?!?!) and found that the bags are more than SGD100!
Closer on the home front, my kettle just malfunctioned on me today. The hubby had mentioned that his morning drink tasted different and I told him that we had changed from choc Horlicks to the Cadbury brand. Since it is not nice, let's not buy it again.
Later in the morning, as I was having my breakfast, I did my morning routine of drinking warm water first and nearly choked. The water had the taste of something burnt. I smelt it and confirmed the same. I went to the electric kettle and that same burnt plastic smell was overwhelming. So, it wasn't the Cadbury.
Hubby had gone to buy a new one in the afternoon and we agreed no "Made in India" kettles. The price difference was great but what to do? When I bought my pots and pans, I had insisted on getting imported ones just in case if the coating of the pans was not of accepted standards. After searching high and low, we finally found Teflon (Made in France) and bought it.
We bought honey on one of our supermarket trips for me to make honey drink or to cook with but never got the chance to use it. A few days after as I was reading the papers, it was reported that most honey made in India had a higher level of antibiotics than normal and was not allowed for import into certain countries. They did not mention anything at all about what should local consumers do (how about a product recall and get a refund?) but I reckon that the same product in the domestic market is usually the same quality or worse.
Let me show you what happened to one of my plates one fine day after microwaving food on it.
Not surprising since everyone know that in a populous country, production costs can be kept very competitive.
Right here in Hyderabad, most things that we see are "Made in India". Refreshing change, I thought. I mean after all the news about China using inferior or unacceptable materials for toys or even milk, how worse can it get right?
When shopping here, most of the tags shows that the clothes are manufactured here. When a country is big, I can see how important it is to support your own domestic market. It creates jobs and when things are produced here, of course it is cheaper as compared to goods that have travelled on a plane/ ship.
I have not mentioned it before but if you shop here, you will see quite a few major brand's boutique. Nike, Adidas, Lacoste, Esprit, Mango, Aldo, Pepe Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger, etc. I was thrilled! There is actually shopping to be done!
Well, true and not true. I can go shopping for an entire day and not buy anything. Some of the things are cheaper than back in Singapore but the quality and design is totally different. Nike shoes were heavier and most designs totally not cool. Casual bags were of cheap material and even though I really need a bag (mine is peeling after arriving here), I could not bring myself to buy one.
Brands like Mango and Aldo has got a good mix of local and important products but the imported ones are so expensive! I reluctantly stepped into Charles and Keith to look at the bags after much persuasion from the hubby (I mean, to buy Charles and Keith outside Singapore?!?!) and found that the bags are more than SGD100!
Later in the morning, as I was having my breakfast, I did my morning routine of drinking warm water first and nearly choked. The water had the taste of something burnt. I smelt it and confirmed the same. I went to the electric kettle and that same burnt plastic smell was overwhelming. So, it wasn't the Cadbury.
Hubby had gone to buy a new one in the afternoon and we agreed no "Made in India" kettles. The price difference was great but what to do? When I bought my pots and pans, I had insisted on getting imported ones just in case if the coating of the pans was not of accepted standards. After searching high and low, we finally found Teflon (Made in France) and bought it.
We bought honey on one of our supermarket trips for me to make honey drink or to cook with but never got the chance to use it. A few days after as I was reading the papers, it was reported that most honey made in India had a higher level of antibiotics than normal and was not allowed for import into certain countries. They did not mention anything at all about what should local consumers do (how about a product recall and get a refund?) but I reckon that the same product in the domestic market is usually the same quality or worse.
Let me show you what happened to one of my plates one fine day after microwaving food on it.
Best! I first saw sauce leaking and I thought that the clingwrap was lousy. But when I started to take the plate, I was shocked to see that the veg remained in the microwave and I had a ring plate in my hands! But well, I honestly am not that surprised and thought it was quite funny even. And yes, these plates are sold as microwave safe.
I am sure that this will not be the end of my "Made In India" story. Ask me the next time you see me and see what else.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)