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Category:Surat

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 they are skilled navigators, slithering through the jam-packed roads of India. This means we get…

  • March 7, 2018
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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
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?
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?
Have you tried Tepache De Piña? I’m a new Tepa Have you tried Tepache De Piña?

I’m a new Tepache De Piña fan. This is a vibrant and tart fermented drink with the flavour of pineapple, and infused with spices (I can taste cinnamon and star anise).

Tepache is native to pre-hispanic Mexico and was traditionally made with corn. It was not until the arrival of the Europeans that pineapple appears to be incorporated into the drink.

Tepache de Piña by @bazzinga_brew is a slightly fermented drink made from fresh pineapple peel, spices and brown sugar. It has such a refreshing taste!

This particular brand is vegan, halal, 100% natural and gluten free.

I’d like to know if you’ve tried this drink!
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 ❤️
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 😂
Is there a dessert that you didn’t care for as a Is there a dessert that you didn’t care for as a kid but end up liking as an adult?

That’s Zarda for me. As a child, I couldn’t understand why rice must be sweet. But now I appreciate and enjoy it.

The name Zarda comes from Persian word 'zard' meaning 'yellow'. It is greatly influenced by the cuisine prepared in the royal kitchens of the Mughals.

From the North Indian cities & small towns to Deccan Hyderabad, and the neighboring Pakistan, Zarda is a popular dessert served during festivals & occasions such as marriage & birth ceremonies.

Swipe left for the recipe and tips to make this traditional dessert.
Zero carbon footprint because they’re picked fre Zero carbon footprint because they’re picked fresh from the backyard.

It’s a cold rainy morning. As we sit cross-legged on the carpeted floor of the warm kitchen, we can see our friend through the window. He positions an old wooden ladder next to the roof of the cow shed. There’s a rung missing but it doesn’t seem to bother him as he expertly climbs up the rickety thing.

The plum and apricot trees are laden with fruits. It’s easier to reach them from the roof of the cow shed. I watch as he picks the ripe ones. The rain gets heavy. He must hurry. A few children stand nearby waiting to get their share.

Moments later, the fruits are served for breakfast. There’s warm chapatis, stir-fried collard from their garden, and sunny-side up eggs laid by grandmother’s chickens. Tea is already simmering in a pot.

I’m sure I’m going to miss all these when I return home.
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?
This is what’s commonly called murukku or murkul This is what’s commonly called murukku or murkul in South India.

The reason why @masoodxb bought them is because they’re colourful, and thought I’d find them pretty.

These are to be fried (they double in size!) and are often eaten as a snack or to munch on with meals.

I don’t see a complete list of ingredients on the packet, but I’m told these are primarily made of white lentils and rice flour.

I haven’t fried them yet. They seem prettier sitting in my glass bowl for now.
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?
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?
Thai Milk Bubble Tea by @bubblerecap The chewy, Thai Milk Bubble Tea by @bubblerecap 

The chewy, addictive texture of the tapioca balls and the sweet, creaminess of the milky tea. My bubble tea cravings thoroughly satisfied! 

Did you know that bubble tea originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s at a small tea stand?

What’s your favourite bubble tea flavour?
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.
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?
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!
Mango-vanilla custard. I added diced mangoes, bana Mango-vanilla custard. I added diced mangoes, bananas and grapes (because that’s what I have). These are the first batch of mangoes, which aren’t very sweet yet, so I added some sugar.

PS:  I just noticed my recent posts are all yellow/orange 😀
You’d be surprised to know what the original Rus You’d be surprised to know what the original Russian salad recipe by Chef Olivier contained.

It had fillet of boiled hazel grouses (I had to Google to see how they looked), boiled veal tongue, and black caviar among other ingredients.

We desi folks have our own version, of course. I’ve even seen someone sprinkle chat masala!

The Russian salad I made today had potatoes, peas, corn, carrots, apples, pineapple, and grapes. I mixed mayonnaise and cream, then seasoned with salt and pepper.

It turned out really good.

What’s your Russian salad recipe?
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.
Don’t leave Kashmir without experiencing a Shika Don’t leave Kashmir without experiencing a Shikara ride! It may look like a tiny, narrow wooden boat
But it can easily and quite comfortably fit 4 adults and the person rowing the boat.

Forget the crowded and polluted Dal Lake. Instead, head over to Manasbal.

Almost every tourist go to the famous Dal Lake. It gets crowded and the water is polluted. You can hardly enjoy the serenity of Kashmir’s scenic beauty.

Manasbal is 30km from Srinagar. The fresh water lake is the deepest in India at 43ft. And if you visit in August, there’s a large growth of lotus plants in bloom at the lake’s periphery.

#KashmirDiaries #ManasbalLake #Shikara
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?
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