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Category:Beijing

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 taxi. We just flew in from Guangzhou where we attended the Canton Trade Fair. It…

  • November 25, 2017
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Tips, advice and inspirations to help you plan your next adventure.

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nadiamasood

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

Nadia Masood
Other people vs me visiting the Natural History Mu Other people vs me visiting the Natural History Museum.

On a serious note, this museum is a must-visit when you’re in London. Entry is free!
Almost 500 years old. These historical tombs are Almost 500 years old.

These historical tombs are finally undergoing the much-needed restoration works.

Once upon a time, these structures were adorned with intricately carved stonework and surrounded by beautifully-landscaped gardens.

Imagine these domes overlaid with blue and green tiles, golden spires rising over them to distinguish the Sultan’s tombs from those of other members of the royal family.

While I’m sure the team is doing the best it could, it’s a fact that returning these historical structures to their former glory is impossible.

What’s the oldest structure near you?
Noodle wrapped chicken by @makskitchenhyd. Hot, cr Noodle wrapped chicken by @makskitchenhyd. Hot, crunchy and deep-fried! It was so good.

This can easily be made at home. Maybe you can bake these instead of frying, but I’m sure the taste won’t be the same.

There are several recipes online but the one we tried was by @sooperchef, which came out great.
What’s your favourite recipe for when you find y What’s your favourite recipe for when you find yourself with lots of delicious, fresh cherries?

COVID restrictions have been eased down in Kashmir, much to the local farmers’ delight. This means harvesting of seasonal fruits is in full swing. #BuyLocal

We’ve made few really good Kashmiri friends through @thenawabees, and they sent us a couple of boxes of these sweet cherries today.

My sister-in-law makes amazing cherry cake. What do you like to make with cherries?

PS. The last picture is from India Times.
To be unveiled in it’s full glory in 2023. This To be unveiled in it’s full glory in 2023.

This archeological park includes 40 mausoleums, 23 mosques, 5 water structures, a hamam, pavilions, garden structures - all built during the reign of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty. They surely had everything planned back then!

They ruled Hyderabad for 170 years in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The restoration work that started 7 years ago had the conservation team map out every inch of this historical site.

This, along with the Golconda Fort next door, are under UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Site. I hope that happens!
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!
These pillowy, soft donuts filled with sweet vanil These pillowy, soft donuts filled with sweet vanilla custard are easy to make!

Store-bought donuts are mostly too sweet and I hardly buy them. But when you make your own, that’s when you can control the amount of sugar and the end result is so worth the effort.

I made these for the first time, following @emmafontanella’s recipe on YouTube. You guys, they turned out so good!

They’re obviously not the uniformly-sized, good looking donuts like the ones Emma made, but they turned out soft and delicious.

Do you have a favourite donut recipe?
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?
I have a box of jelly falooda mix at home. With so I have a box of jelly falooda mix at home. With some vanilla-strawberry ice cream bought from a nearby milk shop, we made falooda at home.

The history of falooda goes back to Iran (Persia), where a similar dessert, faloodeh, was popular. The dessert came to Medieval India with Muslim merchants and dynasties that settled in the Indian subcontinent in the 16th to 18th century. #wikipedia

Falooda is traditionally made from mixing rose syrup, vermicelli, sweet basil seeds with milk, dried fruits, and is often served with ice cream.

What dessert did you have recently?
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?
What’s your favourite shake or smoothie? For us What’s your favourite shake or smoothie?

For us, using seasonal, locally-grown fruits is important. Not only do they taste better, they are healthier.

Seasonal, locally-grown fruits are fresher and often harvested at peak nutrition and ripeness. This also leads to better flavour, whereas produce grown elsewhere during off-season is picked days (even weeks!) prior to consumption and ripens on the shelf or is force-ripened by artificial methods.

When we buy seasonal produce, we also support our local farmers!

Pictured above is a banana-mango smoothie by @masoodxb. He is inspired by the countless tiny ‘cafeterias’ in the UAE that serve a variety of fresh juice and shakes (named ‘Burj al Arab’ and ‘Internet’ etc) even at 2 am. Most of them deliver at your doorstep too. 
So what’s your favourite smoothie? I’d like to have some ideas. I mean, I need help thinking beyond mangoes 😂
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.
That guy in the opposite train (holding a green fl That guy in the opposite train (holding a green flag to let our train pass) appears to be unfazed by us taking photos. It’s just a typical day for him.

This is our train from Vizag to Araku. Seriously, if you’re ever traveling this route, ditch the air-conditioned cars (the cloudy glass windows ensure zero chances of getting good photos).
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?
Mango-banana milkshake with saffron. Yet another d Mango-banana milkshake with saffron. Yet another delicious shake by @masoodxb.

I can totally get used to this!

What are you having for Iftar tonight?
Tips to make your hummus smooth, creamy and better Tips to make your hummus smooth, creamy and better than the store-bought ones.

✅ Soak dry chickpeas overnight.

✅ Use a good food processor.

✅ Use freshly-squeezed lemon juice.

Check out the rest of the tips + recipe in the post.

Are you a fan of classic hummus or is there a hummus variation that you particularly enjoy?
This beautifully packaged chocolate was first intr This beautifully packaged chocolate was first introduced 90 years ago by Terry’s, a British chocolate and confectionary maker.

A family friend recently visited us and brought this from London. I must admit that I’ve never heard of Terry’s chocolate before.

A quick Google search will show you so many delightful recipes using this chocolate.

Yes, @terryschocolateorange is good, however I’m more impressed by the branding and packaging.

How cute are those chocolate orange slices!

Love their tagline too:

“Deliciously Unsquare Since 1932”

What’s your favourite chocolate brand/flavour?
Ramadan comes while we’re in the midst of a pand Ramadan comes while we’re in the midst of a pandemic. This is unusual for us Muslims, as it makes us improvise on our usual customs and traditions, like going to the masjid for taraweeh each night or socializing at iftar gatherings. But you know what? It’s okay.

We’ve always been taught that Ramadan is a month where we learn perseverance and patience. So let’s make the best out of it.

Let’s continue to be responsible: stay at home, pray with family, be grateful, consume less and share more, remember and make dua for those who are not doing as well as us ... let’s just simply try our best.

Ramadan Mubarak!
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.
An old structure within Deccan Park, Hyderabad. Th An old structure within Deccan Park, Hyderabad. This park has been embroiled in controversies and legal battles for almost 15 years.

There were court cases related to the land’s ownership, there was also dispute over what the park should be named, then some argued it was too close to the historically-significant 400+ year old Qutb Shahi Tombs.

Finally in July 2017, Deccan Park was inaugurated and officially open to public. My favourite spot is the top of the hill, where you can see a section of the city in the distance, the domes of Qutb Shahi tombs, and even the Golconda Fort (used to be a trade centre of large diamonds).
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