Friday 27 December 2013
India, a land of contrasts. Every time I think I have a
handle on this extraordinary country, it throws me a curveball. From the first
step off a long flight, the smell of wood smoke, chill and the hints of dust in
the air... the cheerful faces of relatives, even at the unearthly hour of 3
AM... the sparkling lights of Christmas
time (any excuse for a holiday, here) and of course, the hot food at my aunts,
that she prepared for me, even though she works full time.
I loved the feeling of being home with my aunt Jessie. I've already spoken about my aunt, in this post here, but I have to reiterate, that she's an amazingly simple, elegant, down to earth person, who happens to be a super cook to boot. Lucky uncle and my cousin Jas.
The next morning brought back to me why I miss India so much. As Adz and I, bleary eyed, straggled our way downstairs - jet lagged and exhausted - the aroma of fresh, hot chai floated up and into our grateful insides. Along with sizzling, hot, buttered rotis and a crisp fried masala egg... well, to be honest, that's my idea of heaven.
I've been documenting my everyday adventures here on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, so don't forget to head over and ogle the beauty of my chais and chapathis :)
As it turned out, my aunt decided to take the day off, and along with another of my aunts, Aunt Justine and my cousin Jas, we decided to hang out in Bangalore, refreshing my memories of choking traffic and the sheer chaos of riding on roads without rules. I was mentally compiling a list of ten things about traffic and driving in India, and I will definitely share that with you all soon... trust me, it will make for exciting reading.
Meanwhile, when we got back from our meanderings, my aunt Jessie had been cooking all morning. On our way back from the airport, the driver of our car noticed that the vegetable trucks had just started unloading vendors loaded down with fresh greens and vegetables. A quick word to my uncle, and we stopped right there by the roadside, and off they went to grab some bargain fresh fenugreek, cilantro and spinach.
(Note: apparently, as the day gets on, prices go up significantly, so it does pay to be out at 4.30 AM)
Tuesday 17 December 2013
Skating at the Legislature Grounds
This week, Adz and I are travelling to India for the first time in four years. And I will be spending almost seven weeks with my family and catching up with all my friends and relatives. You can only imagine how happy I am to be doing this after all this time.
India is close to my heart in many ways. I'll be honest, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I am sure I am looking at it with the rose tinted glasses of an expat making my way home. And while I know India has its share of problems, but for me the number one reason going back is my wonderful family. Its hard not seeing them for almost four years, especially when I have never been away for so long before. So its hard not to be bubbling over with excitement.
I am also looking forward to showing my baby girl her mother's homeland. Adz has been to India before, but she was only two, and doesn't remember much of it. And my little girl is a very typical Canadian kid, so its doubly exciting to not just introduce her to family, but also show her all the places I grew up as a child. And ahem... the ice cream parlours. She's very excited about them, wink.
Part of me is unsure, even nervous about going back home. Its been a long time and things will have changed a lot. My beautiful childhood home no longer exists, for example. For the first time in forever, I will be living with my parents in an unfamiliar place, their rented apartment. Its going to be a definite adjustment, not just in terms of space, but also thinking about where to go and how to get there. And while I love the idea of sharing space with my family, you can imagine that the lack of space and privacy will take its toll. Not as much on me, as I grew up in India, and I revert to being Indian, down to the accent when I get there, but for Adz who is used to space and having her own room. But at the same time, it is a valuable lesson to learn for my little girl, and even if it may be a culture shock, its going to be one that is a learning experience too.
I am not going to miss the cold, that's for sure, neither am I going to miss the shoveling (ouch, my poor back). I will, however, miss the crisp days where the sun is warm on the cheeks, even as the ground sparkles with snow. I will miss a real, white Christmas, and the joys of snuggling in front of a warm wood fire on a cold night. And yes, I will miss my family and friends in Canada very much. But at the same time, I am looking forward to basking in some
Ten tips for travelling on a long flight with a child.
My survival kit for a long flight with a slightly older child (don't have a baby anymore) - these are probably old hat for those of you that travel frequently, but I always like reading such tips, because I usually learn something new every time.
A decent pair of headphones. I hate airline issued earbuds, and they are pain to wear for Adz too, so we carry our own lightweight sets.
A book. Computers and phones and movies are all well and good, but there is nothing like a good book to while away the long hours watching your kid sleep. This time, I am taking with me the delightful looking 'The Dilettantes' by local author Michael Hingston.
A change of clothes for said child. Whether your kid is 6 months or 6 years, there will inevitably be an accident which requires a change of clothes (trust me, I speak from experience...) An extra t-shirt and sweatpants will be your saving grace from overpriced airport duty free clothes (again... talking from experience, $90 tee-shirt, yipes)
Snacks. To get rid of the dreaded 'I am hungry' whines. I usually carry granola and fruit bars.
A few activities. There are only so many movies a child can watch before getting bored. So we are taking a few books as well.
Pyjamas and their favourite stuffed toy, and even a blankie if its an overnight flight. It settles kids down, and you can get a few hours rest while they sleep.
A water bottle. You can't take liquids through security, but I carry an empty bottle that I fill with 1/4 juice + 3/4 water + pinch of salt. Its a great way of keeping hydrated through the journey.
A portable charger for your phone. We don't have a tablet, but I do have a few games on my phone, and they sure do drain the battery fast. This portable charger is lightweight, the same size as my phone and takes the same USB charger, and is invaluable for long trips. It charges my phone from dead to full life twice, and its worth its weight in gold :) Thanks for the tip, Diane.
OK, considering everything I just said earlier, this is a little contradiction, but pack lighter carry on luggage :) Especially if you have connecting flights. Its a pain to drag a child, a whole bunch of bags and race through terminals trying to find your boarding gate. If you can do without it, check it in. While some European airports are wonderful and have in-lounge trolleys, most airports make you walk through. So I pack a lightweight suitcase that turns into a backpack, if necessary, and double up my camera bag as my handbag, so I am only carrying 2 pieces of luggage. I also keep space in my bag to put in Adz's books and toys, so when she gets tired of carrying her backpack, I can easily stow her stuff in mine. I found this carry on size bag a massive help!
And finally... I know this is a hard one. Do try and enjoy the flight. It used to be that flying was so much fun. We were all excited and looking forward to it all the time, and it was a big deal. We even got all dressed up to fly. Somewhere along the line, flying became a stressful activity, full of angst and anger and rage. I want to reclaim the joy of flying, of that excitement, of that sense of wonder of being in a tin can far above the world. This year, I have made the decision to not get angry with bullies, to ignore the tut tuts of passengers who don't think kids should be fly, and I am going to just relax and try and recapture the wonder of flying with my beautiful daughter. I want her to grow up to be a considerate passenger and the only way I can do it is if I myself am one, a relaxed, happy passenger, who loves the idea that flying just means that we're one step closer to getting to what matters most - family.
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PS - None of the links on these posts are sponsored. These are all products I paid full price for and love so much that I recommend them personally :)
Sunday 8 December 2013
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You can only imagine that a tropical girl like me might find it hard to like winter. Well, for the majority of the time, I can just about handle it. I mean, we did make a choice to come to one of the colder places in Canada... so to say.
But when the temperature dips to -42 with windchill... well, then I get a bit grumpy and miserable. I love the joke that we find it warm when the temperature rises to -15... what can I say, I might even be caught in a tee shirt (ha, not likely). The one thing you will find me doing, though, is cooking a lot of comfort food.
Comfort food means different things to different people. For my husband, his comfort food is a simple root vegetable stew. I, on the other hand, turn to my spices when I am in need of comfort. So of course, when the Turkey Farmers of Canada asked me to come up with a couple of recipes for their series on 'Comfort Food Makeovers'... well, I knew that I had to come up with something that embraced my culture, as well as something that is easy to whip up and comforting to everybody.
So of course, I turned to a classic Indian-turned-Western soup, the mulligatawny. Mulligatawny soup has an interesting history, having first originated in British India. The origin, and recipe of mulligatawny soup is hotly contested. Some people claim that the recipe is based on the hot South Indian broth, rasam, while others say that it is a predominantly Muslim dish.
Even the recipe has its share of controversy. For example, one of the versions I make is a vegetarian one, based on the rasam, and I like to keep it simple with just lentils and stock. The only ingredients that people seem to agree on are lentils and Madras curry powder. Everything else is up for debate, including the use of coconut milk.
I decided to go all out, and I created this recipe as a nod to the traditional mulligatawny soup, but with a few of my own flourishes. I loved using turkey in this recipe. Not only is turkey healthier, but this is an unusual way of using different cuts of turkey. In this recipe, I have used turkey thighs, as I like that they stay moist when grilled. I have also grilled the thighs separately, as I love the smoky, chargrilled flavour of the meat. But you could always use turkey breast, and poach it in turkey stock before shredding and adding to the soup. The base of the soup is super simple, and the flavour is exotic, yet comforting, with its creamy texture, fragrant spices and light coconutty flavour.
Either way, for me, this is comfort food, redefined.
You can check out the recipe and print it here.
And when you're there, why not check out some of the other wonderful comfort food makeover recipes that my fellow bloggers have come up with?
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Disclosure: I was offered a stipend to create these recipes. The recipes are original and were developed, tested, written and photographed by me, in keeping with the theme of this site and my personal cooking and eating philosophies. But then you know that already, right? :)
Thursday 5 December 2013
Christmastime means many different things to people. For some it is a religious holiday, a time to celebrate Christianity, and indeed, the spirit of Christmas. For others, its a winter holiday, a time to celebrate with family and friends, to revel in the season for giving and for its cheer and happiness.
Preparations for Christmas start early. The stores have their lights on and their goodies early. Halloween is no sooner done, than the Christmas decorations come out. Everyone puts up their trees and houses are beautiful with twinkling lights and sparkling reindeer (I even saw a moose this year, yay!) In our family we do things a little differently. We have two birthdays to celebrate first, and so in order to make sure everyone gets their moment in the lights, we start our Christmas preparations after the second birthday is done. Our tree and lights go up a little later, and (by this time, poor, broke me) starts thinking about Christmas presents. I don't bake all that much, to be honest, simply because its just the three of us and I don't love all that sugar floating around :) Plus we have lovely friends that always bring us Christmas goodies.
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