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Category:Cebu

Cebu

Cebu & Oslob: Pictures from Our Very Short Trip

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 to visit the country. Cebu wasn’t on the plan, but since I spoke with an…

  • March 14, 2017
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nadiamasood

Moved to Hyderabad, India in 2019. Love reading, exploring places, food, & designing websites for small businesses.
šŸ @thenawabees

Nadia Masood
These bottles of carbonated drink were bought main These bottles of carbonated drink were bought mainly because I wanted to try the goli soda experience myself.

Not sure why I’d never seen these growing up...are they not available in Karachi? Anyway, so I’ve first heard about these drinks from Masood. Apparently, it’s pretty common here.

First of all, it’s the brilliant design of the bottle. It’s called the ā€˜Codd Neck Bottle’ and was invented by an Englishman named Hiram Codd in 1872.

The design of the bottle uses the effervescent pressure of the soda to force the marble against a rubber stopper in the neck of the bottle.

The pinched-neck design solves the problem of the marble getting in the way of drinking and pouring, so it never stops the drink when you pour it!

All you have to do is push the marble down with your finger or thumb. I’ve later learned that one can re-real the bottle by first shaking it vigorously and then turning it upside-down to force the marble back to its original position. I’ll have to buy some more to try this!

@thesparksoda has a few other flavours, like zeera, lemon and guava.

Have you tried these?
Did you know that Kashmir is the prime source of t Did you know that Kashmir is the prime source of the total apple production of India?

Our friend and neighbour recently went home to celebrate Eid with his family in Kashmir. When he returned, he brought these apples for us - picked from their own orchard.

The horticulture industry is one of the pillars of Kashmir's rural economy and apples remain the jewel of this industry.

Unfortunately since the lockdown, which coincides with the harvest season, locals are unable to sell their produce. Most of it are either rotting on the trees or in the vehicles or fruit markets.

I pray things start getting better for them and also for the rest of us.

These apples brought back so many wonderful memories of the time @masood and I spent in Kashmir. That hand-carved wooden bowl was also bought during that trip, something that always reminds me of that beautiful trip.
Deep-fried, crispy, savoury South Indian lentil-ba Deep-fried, crispy, savoury South Indian lentil-based doughnuts called medu vada.

Early in the morning, when you go visit the restaurants in Hyderabad, you’ll almost always find medu vada in the menu. These are served with sambar and coconut chutney.

I find it challenging to shape these vada by hand. It’s messy and I never get them right. So if you’ve seen my IG stories (see ā€˜Lockdown’ highlights), you’ll find that I’ve used a vada maker, which makes my life easier.
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?
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?
Do you know the best health benefits of kombucha? Do you know the best health benefits of kombucha?

It contains probiotics that can help your gut. Because it’s fermented, you get probiotics, aka good gut bacteria. This helps improve the health of your intestines.

It contains antioxidants that help you stay healthy. Do check labels to make sure you’re choosing ā€˜kombucha’ and not kombucha-like product. And look for actual tea in the ingredients.

It helps detoxify the body, which may improve your liver health.

It can help you cut back on drinks with high sugar content. Bazzinga kombucha contains 5gm of sugar compared to 28gm you’d find in the same-sized commercial Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte, for example.

Please Note:

Kombucha is a fermented drink. This means it has a sweet-tart (vinegary) taste. I suggest first-timers try flavoured ones. I personally like @bazzinga_brew Pineapple Pie flavour.

Since kombucha is made through fermentation process, there’s going to be sugar in the drink. Check the label to make sure the sugar content isn’t too high.

Pregnant, breastfeeding women, and children should seek medical advice first.

Also, this is not a paid sponsorship. This company is owned by a good family friend so I can vouch for the excellent quality of this product.

Please tag someone who loves healthy drinks!
When authorities deem bakeries ā€˜non-essential’ When authorities deem bakeries ā€˜non-essential’ and close them down, is when I feel the need of bread in my life even more.

Of all things baking related, bread intimidates me the most. It’s because one needs to take so many factors into consideration in order to make decent bread. One tiny mistake, and the end result suffers drastically.

Fortunately, these pav (dinner rolls) turn out well. Not bakery-perfect, but good enough. If you have bread-making related questions, please reach out to my expert friend @didipaterno šŸž
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!
Phenti hui, or whipped coffee, is a common way to Phenti hui, or whipped coffee, is a common way to make coffee in India and Pakistan. Growing up, that’s how I’ve seen women at home make coffee.

However, it is apparently a South Korean actor who named this ā€œDalgona Coffeeā€ and made it viral.

How ironic to make something ā€œviralā€ during a pandemic! This coffee will now forever remind me of COVID-19.

I made cold Dalgona coffee. It’s sweet, creamy and, undoubtedly, delicious. It’s also a lot of work for a cup of coffee.

Now please excuse me as I need to wash the 10 items (used to make this coffee) waiting in the sink.

#DalgonaCoffee
#QuarantineLife
A glimpse of the 136-year-old Empress Market in Sa A glimpse of the 136-year-old Empress Market in Saddar.

The foundation stone of the Empress Market was laid by the-then Governor of Bombay, James Fergusson in 1884.
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!
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.
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?
Ragi cookies made with @wildberryorganics organic Ragi cookies made with @wildberryorganics organic cookie mix.

I ordered the cookie mix a few days ago, and have gotten around to baking them today.

The cookie mix comes in a glass jar, and the packaging is plastic-free. There’s a little pamphlet inside with easy-to-follow instructions.

All I needed was a bowl, 2 measuring spoons, a baking tray, and a cooling rack. How convenient is that!

The cookie mix is made up of ragi (or finger millet), cocoa, coconut, almond, and sugar. To make it vegan, chia seeds is used as a substitute for egg.

They taste really good, like chocolate cookies with a hint of coconut and almonds. I don’t think I can taste the ragi. They have a light crunch and are perfectly chewy.

This is, undoubtedly, the easiest cookies I’ve ever baked! Even if it’s your first time baking, you can’t go wrong with this.
Identify this snack. When you visit India (please Identify this snack.

When you visit India (please wait until travel restrictions are off and it’s safe), don’t leave without having tried this.
What do you think is behind those doors? What do you think is behind those doors?
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).
This is the unfinished tomb of Mirza Nizamuddin Ah This is the unfinished tomb of Mirza Nizamuddin Ahmed, who died in 1674.

This structure stands just outside the second gate, the area that’s now a parking lot.

It stands there in it’s sad, mournful, unfinished state for 400 years now.

Mirza Nizamuddin was the second son-in-law and successor of Sultan Abdullah. The eldest son-in-law was a Mughal prince, who was probably busy with ruling his own kingdom and, therefore, didn’t need the Golconda dynasty?

I couldn’t find much information, but apparently due to the political or social situation back then, Mirza Nizamuddin couldn’t succeed to the throne after his father-in-law (the 7th ruler of the kingdom of Golconda).

After the Sultan Abdullah died, it was his youngest son-in-law who sat on the throne.

Don’t you think this was just sad?
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
My neighbours out on their daily walk. Hope this p My neighbours out on their daily walk. Hope this photo does not make it look like I’m stalking them 🤭
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