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Bangalore
  • May 21, 2018
  • 5674
  • 4
  • 4

What to Expect When Visiting Bangalore’s Famous Lal Bagh

Newport
  • July 31, 2017
  • 7506
  • 6
  • 9

The 124-Year-Old Summer Cottage that Took Our Breath Away

Langkawi
  • November 21, 2016
  • 5067
  • 6
  • 15

Dinner in a Rice Paddy: Seashells Restaurant, Langkawi

Dubai
  • August 14, 2016
  • 3029
  • 6
  • 12

Farzi Cafe: Bringing Indian Cuisine back “in-Vogue”

Chicago

Tips for Getting Better Pictures From a Train

  • July 15, 2016
  • 7330
  • 7
  • 4
Cebu

Cebu and Oslob: A Short Trip Filled With Memorable Moments

  • March 14, 2017
  • 2238
  • 10
  • 14
Kuala Lumpur

Why Staying in an Airbnb Apartment in Kuala Lumpur is a Good Idea

  • March 5, 2017
  • 3094
  • 6
  • 12
Princeton

An Evening Stroll in Princeton University Campus

  • October 10, 2016
  • 2749
  • 6
  • 11
Reviews
Hajj & Umrah
Recipes
Travelling in train in india is safe during the pandemic
Hyderabad

Is Traveling In India Safe During the Pandemic?

It feels surreal. My first trip during Covid is the first time I leave the city since the lockdown was first announced almost one-and-a-half years…

  • February 8, 2022
  • 202
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  • 1
my covid-19 experience
#Life

My COVID-19 Experience: A Story of Recovery and Death

It all started with a mild sore throat and back pain. Masood and I have been careful ever since the pandemic was announced last year.…

  • June 4, 2021
  • 1041
  • 14
  • 4
Reviews

10 Tips to Help You Travel During Corona Outbreak

The world wakes up to the news that the new strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, is declared pandemic by WHO. So what does it mean to…

  • March 13, 2020
  • 2785
  • 2
  • 5
Adoni

The Jinn That Lived Near Maasaheba Masjid

He looked and couldn’t stop staring. It was the most unusual thing to witness. He might have dismissed it as a figment of his imagination,…

  • November 4, 2019
  • 2786
  • 6
  • 4
Adoni

Shahi Jamia Masjid

A woman clad in a colourful sari sits on the roadside. Spread in front her are carefully arranged bunches of freshly-harvested coriander, mint, and fenugreek…

  • October 28, 2019
  • 3026
  • 5
  • 4
London

How to Spend the Day at Warwick Castle

I am assuming the reason for the conflicting reviews online for Warwick Castle is that it has been commercialized into some sort of a theme…

  • January 12, 2019
  • 5228
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London

The House Where Shakespeare was Born

During the warm summer months in Karachi many years ago, my cousins and I would spend the afternoon reading. To be honest, the responsibility of…

  • November 18, 2018
  • 3949
  • 0
  • 3
London

On a Clear Day from the Top of the London Eye, You Can See Forever.

It is the fourth-largest Ferris wheel in the world at 443 feet high. On a bright, clear day from the top of the London Eye,…

  • August 5, 2018
  • 5474
  • 5
  • 3
London

Summer In London

It’s another sunny and hot afternoon. The windows are wide open, the fans are on most part of the day, and we are eating homemade…

  • July 23, 2018
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Bangalore

What to Expect When Visiting Bangalore’s Famous Lal Bagh

The Mughal-inspired botanical garden is located in the midst of a bustling city. Thousands of local and foreign tourists visit Lal Bagh each year. But is…

  • May 21, 2018
  • 5674
  • 4
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Bangalore

Why You Should Visit the Summer Palace of Tipu Sultan, One of the Most Powerful Rulers of India

Tipu Sultan was the most feared Indian of his time in Britain. When he died there were jubilant celebrations in Britain, with authors, playwrights and painters creating…

  • April 21, 2018
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  • 5
Bangalore

Recommended Halal Restaurants in Koramangala

Luxury apartments, posh bungalows, Instagram-worthy restaurants, and commercial structures line the wide, tree-lined boulevards of Koramangala. This is one of the largest neighborhoods in Bangalore. I…

  • April 17, 2018
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Surat

This Post Isn’t a Tribute to the Rickshaw

If you look closely, you’ll see a self-portrait in the picture above. Masood and I were in Surat, Gujarat, and we took the auto-rickshaw because…

  • March 7, 2018
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Guangzhou

Halal Restaurants We’ve Tried in Guangzhou

Chinese food outside mainland China is usually modified to suit the palate of the people where it is served. In Pakistan and India, for example,…

  • December 7, 2017
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Beijing

The Great Wall of China: An Iconic Travel Experience

“They surely have the air-conditioning on high around here,” I told Masood as we stood outside the arrivals gate at Beijing airport waiting for a…

  • November 25, 2017
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Dubai

Asateer Scarves: An Online Boutique for Premium Scarves

“Don’t start a company unless it’s an obsession and something you love. If you have an exit strategy, it’s not an obsession.” –Mark Cuban, serial entrepreneur and…

  • October 22, 2017
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Newport

The 124-Year-Old Summer Cottage that Took Our Breath Away

About 119 kilometres from downtown Boston stands a palatial summer cottage. When Masood and I were in US last spring, our colleague and good friend,…

  • July 31, 2017
  • 7506
  • 6
  • 9
Guangzhou

Huaisheng Mosque: One of the Oldest Masjid in China

It’s been drizzling on and off since morning. The clouds are thick and the sky overcast, the spring breeze cool. The taxi takes us to Guangta…

  • July 3, 2017
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Guangzhou

A First Timer’s Guide to the Canton Fair

One of the world’s biggest import and export trade fair is held bi-annually in Guangzhou, China. It was my first time at the Canton Fair,…

  • June 4, 2017
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Hong Kong

A 9-Hour Stopover in Hong Kong

Flying Cathay Pacific means stopping in Hong Kong, and we picked one that gave a 9-hour stopover. Time constraint did not allow us the chance to…

  • May 13, 2017
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Dubai

Carnival by Tresind, Dubai

How often do you get welcomed in a restaurant by getting bubbles blown at you? Having had a good impression with Trèsind, I looked forward to…

  • April 15, 2017
  • 7667
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  • 9
Kuala Lumpur

Jalan Bellamy: Where the Locals Make Excellent Ikan Bakar

“Go to Jalan Bellamy and don’t forget to try the ikan bakar!” the taxi driver cheerfully suggested. He seemed pretty excited about suggesting the place, therefore…

  • March 19, 2017
  • 4305
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Cebu

Cebu and Oslob: A Short Trip Filled With Memorable Moments

We’ve been planning to visit the Philippines for years, however, little did we know that it’s my father who will be the reason for us…

  • March 14, 2017
  • 2238
  • 10
  • 14
Airbnb Apartment in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur

Why Staying in an Airbnb Apartment in Kuala Lumpur is a Good Idea

Tourists in Kuala Lumpur would find it best to stay in the city center where famous landmarks, malls, restaurants, and hotels are nearby. The traffic…

  • March 5, 2017
  • 3094
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#Life

On to a Lifetime Filled With Fond Memories of My Father

I wake up to the phone ringing at 3:20 am. The screen shows Abbu’s name. Just as I was about to swipe on the screen,…

  • February 28, 2017
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Dubai

Bollywood Park: The First Theme Park in the World Dedicated to All Things Bollywood

Several leisure and theme parks opened in Dubai late last year, one of which is Bollywood Park. It is the smallest property within Dubai Parks and Resorts, a…

  • February 11, 2017
  • 2535
  • 14
  • 16
Ipoh

The Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat

It was a choice between an upscale hotel in the middle of the city with a very famous infinity pool on the 57th level that one shares…

  • February 9, 2017
  • 9717
  • 6
  • 18
Langkawi

D’Grill Seafood Restaurant: Beachside Dining

The ambiance in Malaysia’s Langkawi island is laid-back, lazy, relaxed, humid, and friendly. Afternoons are mostly quiet, with people either napping, reading, or relaxing by…

  • January 2, 2017
  • 2109
  • 5
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Langkawi

Aseana Resort & Spa

Langkawi—an archipelago made up of 99 islands on Malaysia’s west coast—is surrounded by turquoise sea, while the interior of the main island is a mixture…

  • December 29, 2016
  • 6176
  • 2
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Langkawi

Tips from Our Langkawi Cable Car and Sky Bridge Experience

“I think we’re going the wrong way.” The midday sun shines brightly on a nice and warm day. There are a few scattered clouds but,…

  • December 27, 2016
  • 3847
  • 13
  • 17
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  • 2
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  • ...
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About

Tips, advice and inspirations to help you plan your next adventure.

Places

nadiamasood

Visual storytelling from India and beyond.
Moved to Hyderabad in 2020.
#ExpatInIndia

Nadia Masood
Few things we added to the regular vanilla fruit c Few things we added to the regular vanilla fruit custard: fresh mango purée, thin slices of almonds, and little cubes of ruby-red raspberry jelly. Served chilled, of course.

What makes your fruit custard special?
Did you know that there are only 2 countries that Did you know that there are only 2 countries that do not sell Coke?

Cuba and North Korea.

I found this abandoned roadside restaurant along the highway the other day.

While so many didn’t pay attention to it, I was drawn to its vintage-y charm.

Also, I’m showing you the unedited version of the photo as well. It’s sort of a reminder that almost all content on social media platforms go through some sort of editing.

#instagramvsreallife
#beforeandafter
It’s their reflection that caught my eye. While It’s their reflection that caught my eye.

While some beaches of Vizag are crowded and, quite unfortunately, dirty, there are some that are clean and peaceful.

Saw these girls walking and noticed their reflection on the shallow water. It rained in the morning so we thought our trip to the beach would be canceled. Fortunately the sun shone and we made it.
What’s your secret to making your favourite panc What’s your secret to making your favourite pancakes?

Did you know that the oldest pancake recipe comes from an English cookery book, 1954 edition? It’s quite richer than the recipe we use these days. They suggest adding 3 tbsp of ale, ‘copious’ amounts of sugar, cinnamon, and ginger.

Swipe left to see some of the steps I take to make fluffy, soft pancakes that the family loves.

Also, did you know mascarpone cheese on the side goes so well with pancakes?

I’d love to learn more from you!
Heidi Klum, a German supermodel, attributes her su Heidi Klum, a German supermodel, attributes her success to sauerkraut soup. She says it helps her stay slim and trim.

Sauerkraut (SOW-uhr-krowt) is made up of the German words sauer (sour) and kraut (cabbage).

It appears that fermented cabbage actually began back in the days of the building of the Great Wall of China, when the wall builders lived on cabbage and rice. In winter, rice wine was added to preserve the vegetable.

Genghis Khan carried this “sauerkraut” (as it is now called) to the eastern edge of Europe.

This particular sauerkraut is from our favourite local brand @bazzinga_brew.

Apart from being delicious, this sauerkraut is packed with vitamins and minerals!

Swipe left for a list of some of sauerkraut’s health benefits as well as some tips on how you can enjoy eating it!

How do you like to eat sauerkraut?
What’s your favourite Indian street food? I hav What’s your favourite Indian street food?

I have so many! And one of them is this dabeli. Potato filling is cooked in dabeli masala & is garnished with sev, pomegranate seeds & roasted peanuts (which add the crunch). The essence of dabeli are the chutneys: the sour and sweet tamarind-date chutney and the fiery chutney made of red chillies and garlic!

The name Dabeli pertains to the act of pressing & is Gujarati in origin. It is essentially a snack where a potato filling is pressed into a paav or a bun.

Have you ever tried this?
Do you agree that food tastes better outdoors? Pro Do you agree that food tastes better outdoors? Probably something to do with fresh air and nature.

The flask pictured in this post is 4 years old. We bought it in Dubai, and it has been a constant picnic companion since.

Everyone in the family loves tea. Not the weak, bland, tea-bag-in-hot-water fiddle-faddle, but properly brewed karak chai. Therefore we make tea at home and take it with us on picnics or long drives.

This picture is taken on a recent drive out of town. An aunt packed us lunch and we made tea. Along the way, we found a nice spot under a tree and had lemon rice, rotis and gosht ka achaar.

It doesn’t even matter how simple your meal may be. Eating outdoors make any type of food taste more delicious.

What is your favourite picnic food?
If you’re a jalebi lover, I found just the perfe If you’re a jalebi lover, I found just the perfect recipe for you! It’s better than store-bought ones because a) you can totally control the level of sweetness, and b) you really don’t know when the sweet shops are going to reopen 😁

Let me know and I’ll send you the link to the recipe. It’s simple and requires few ingredients!
If you could have any breakfast tomorrow, what wou If you could have any breakfast tomorrow, what would you eat?

This is salmon and egg Benedict with capers, raspberries, slices of oranges, chives - everything coming together to make such a delicious breakfast.

I had this in San Francisco, at a restaurant that I woke up super early for (since it gets crowded real quick). I miss this every time I see this picture.

What is your dream breakfast?
Cheesy chicken tikka crepe. When I asked @masoodx Cheesy chicken tikka crepe.

When I asked @masoodxb what he wanted for Iftar today, this was what he requested. It’s delicious, filling, and easy so make!

Few things to remember:

Don’t add sugar in the crepe batter for this recipe. Remember to chill the crepe batter for at least 30-60 minutes (or even overnight) so that the flour is fully hydrated.

Using all water creates a limp crepe, while using all milk creates a heavy crepe. For the best texture, use a mix of both.

Butter the pan between each crepe if you want buttery crisp edges. But since the batter already has butter, I didn’t butter the pan.

What’s your favourite savoury crepe recipe?
My first attempt at making orange pound cake. It’s soft and delicious, but could be better. I’ll tweak the recipe a tiny bit and try again. I may have over-mixed the batter. Also, I’ll try baking at a lower temperature or reduce the baking time. Let’s see.

I love the recipe by @delscookingtwist and that’s what I followed. Freshly-squeezed orange juice and zest are used (the house smelled amazing while the cake baked). If you’d like the link to this recipe, let me know!
What’s your go-to photo editing app for Instagra What’s your go-to photo editing app for Instagram?

Mine is Snapseed. I use it for almost all my photos. I rarely post unedited photos (because I like my feed to look pretty). For this particular image (taken using my phone camera), I first edited the colours on Snapseed so they appear more saturated.

And then I used Pixaloop to make the clouds move. So cool, right? This app has been sitting in my phone since forever, and I now wonder why I’ve never used it!

I’d love to know what you use to edit your photos!
Mango season is here! Did you know that mangoes we Mango season is here! Did you know that mangoes were first grown in India over 5000 years ago?

The first few mangoes of the season aren’t always sweet, so we end up making shakes with them.
I haven’t been baking for a few months now. Turn I haven’t been baking for a few months now. Turned the oven on today only to find that the flame was going crazy and the temperature was all over the place. But @hooknweavebysabiha, @sumaiya_2110 and I were determined.

And in the end, we have warm, delicious homemade chocolate banana bread with toasted almonds!

#QuarantineDayWhatever
This dessert is easy to make and pretty enough to This dessert is easy to make and pretty enough to make a good impression!

Fresh mango chunk topped with fluffy whipped cream, then wrapped with a thin, moist and elastic crepe, this pillow-shaped Hong Kong style mango crepe is a must-try.

For a better presentation, use a single piece of mango for each crepe. When you cut the crepe through, a nice neat look will appear on each side.

These are originally called Mango Pancakes, by the way. You can experiment with other fruits, like bananas and strawberries.

Have you tried this before? Don’t forget to save this post if you haven’t yet!
Do you love hummus? I feel like it’s one of the Do you love hummus? I feel like it’s one of the best dips in the world!

I am yet to find good hummus here in Hyderabad - the kind one finds in middle eastern restaurants.

Good thing hummus is super easy to make at home!

Please swipe left for the recipe, including how to make your own tahini paste with only 2 ingredients, and also for tips to help you make your own creamy hummus at home.

Don’t forget to bookmark or share this post ❤️
Is it wrong to enjoy the day when others are hurti Is it wrong to enjoy the day when others are hurting?

Eid is a celebration that I like to think of as a reward for fasting for an entire month of Ramadan. And all my memories of Eid are filled with joy, laughter, family gatherings, Eidi, and Sheer Khurma.

This year, Muslims around the world experienced a different kind of Eid. Given the current pandemic situation, we couldn’t go out to offer the mandatory congregational prayer, for example. We prayed at home instead.

There are so many COVID-19 related deaths worldwide. There are natural calamities. In India, we have a list of issues that leaves so many people hurt and frustrated. In Karachi, a plane which had 99 people aboard, crashed into a crowded residential district after twice trying to land at the airport.

Recently, I’ve taken a few days off social media because I felt overwhelmed with everything that’s going on.

Then comes Eid. To celebrate or not? Is it wrong to enjoy the day when others are hurting?

Then I look at my family, the people I love and cherish. There’s @masoodxb’s grandmother. She’s almost 90 and is bedridden.

Life is uncertain. The current situation reminds us of this every day. This is why I celebrate Eid.

I celebrate Eid as a way to be grateful for what I’m blessed with, to bring the family together and create happy memories to cherish ... because problems will always exist and life is uncertain.

So we make Sheer Khurma on Eid day, a tradition that goes back several generations. This rich vermicelli milk pudding not only evokes so many happy memories, but also reassures me that everything is going to be alright Inshaa’Allah.

Lots of love and prayers, from my family to yours.
We’re picking wild berries today. Well, to be p We’re picking wild berries today.

Well, to be precise, our Kashmiri friends are doing all the picking (claiming that the activity is high-risk for us city dwellers) while we do the eating.

Do you know what these little raspberry-like fruit is called?
Chicken daleem with cashew and boiled egg, Hyderab Chicken daleem with cashew and boiled egg, Hyderabadi style.

This is originally an Arabic dish, made with meat, ghee, wheat, rice and whole pulses. It is said to have come to Hyderabad during the Mughal period via Iran and Afghanistan.

Daleem is traditionally prepared in 'Bhattis' or brick-and-mud ovens, during Ramadan. It is a slow-cooked delicacy, often cooked for 7-8 hours and is done on firewood.

Around 2,000 restaurants and hotels across Hyderabad usually prepare and sell daleem of different varieties during Ramadan, and people look forward to this months before Ramadan. However due to the ongoing lockdown, the only daleem available this year is homemade.
How do you incorporate pomegranate into your cooki How do you incorporate pomegranate into your cooking?

As a little girl, I’d been fascinated with pomegranates. I imagined them as leather-bound gifts with a bow on top. If I was lucky, I’d open my gift to reveal bright red rubies.

Pomegranate has inspired legends, tales and poems throughout history. In Ancient Egypt, kings were buried with pomegranates so that they could take them into the afterlife. Hades tricked Zeus’ daughter with a pomegranate.

Now talking about food, pomegranate seeds are generally sprinkled on dishes and desserts or made into syrup, molasses or pomegranate vinegar. Pomegranate is commonly used in dishes and sauces in Iran, its biggest producer.

In India, its second-biggest producer, pomegranate seeds are dried and crushed to create a spice called anardana, which is used to add tartness to various dishes.

The pomegranate is also used extensively in many Middle Eastern cuisines. Pomegranate juice is reduced and this is used to add a sweet-tart flavor to many dishes.

I’m planning to make some pomegranate molasses (for the first time!). What’s your favorite dish that uses pomegranate as an ingredient? Let me know in the comment section!
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