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Dubai
  • October 22, 2017
  • 7066
  • 5
  • 9

Online Boutique for Premium Scarves

Chicago
  • July 20, 2016
  • 9021
  • 14
  • 4

Review: Sony Alpha 6000 Mirrorless Digital Camera

Cebu
  • March 14, 2017
  • 2220
  • 10
  • 14

Cebu and Oslob: A Short Trip Filled With Memorable Moments

San Francisco
  • November 4, 2016
  • 2978
  • 8
  • 17

Brave the Stairs Up Telegraph Hill For Stunning Views of the City!

Dubai

Online Boutique for Premium Scarves

  • October 22, 2017
  • 7066
  • 5
  • 9
Newport

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

  • July 31, 2017
  • 7479
  • 6
  • 9
Dubai

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

  • August 14, 2016
  • 3004
  • 6
  • 12
Langkawi

Dinner in a Rice Paddy: Seashells Restaurant, Langkawi

  • November 21, 2016
  • 5046
  • 6
  • 15
Reviews
Hajj & Umrah
Recipes
Agra

Journey To Taj Mahal

“Did you ever build a castle in the Air? Here is one, brought down to earth and fixed for the wonder of ages“ – American…

  • July 1, 2008
  • 1818
  • 5
  • 0
Hyderabad

Qutb Shahi Tombs

Qutb Shahi Tombs is the burial ground of the seven kings of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, situated at Ibrahim Bagh near Golconda, Hyderabad, India. These…

  • June 24, 2008
  • 3268
  • 7
  • 0
Agra

Fatehpur Sikri

Fatehpur Sikri or the City of Victory, is located in Agra. It was founded in 1569 by the Mughal emperor Akbar to honor the Muslim…

  • June 23, 2008
  • 2192
  • 1
  • 0
Sharjah

Sharjah Aquarium

Masood and I went to see the newly opened Sharjah Aquarium at Al Khan road yesterday. Entrance is free this week, so we grabbed the…

  • June 21, 2008
  • 3972
  • 54
  • 0
Agra

Agra Fort

Agra Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Agra, India. It is about 2.5 km northwest of its much more famous sister monument,…

  • June 17, 2008
  • 2888
  • 7
  • 0
New Delhi

New Delhi: Must See Places

“India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother…

  • June 15, 2008
  • 2723
  • 12
  • 0
Recipes

Dahi & Besan Pakora Kadhi

This is my very first attempt at posting a recipe online. I have successfully been self-promoted from being a dishwasher, to a kitchen assistant, and…

  • June 10, 2008
  • 3009
  • 12
  • 1
  • 1
  • ...
  • 10
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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
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?
Our Kashmiri neighbours returned from their hometo Our Kashmiri neighbours returned from their hometown earlier today and gave us some freshly-picked apples from their orchard.

Before eating them, I just had to take this shot for @thenawabees apple blossoms honey. This particular honey variant is quickly becoming a bestseller at both Amazon and Flipkart.

Have you tried this type of honey?
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 😂
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?
Out to get pure, 100% natural honey. We’ve stop Out to get pure, 100% natural honey.

We’ve stopped buying commercially-available bottled honey and are getting directly from local beekeepers instead.
Freshly-squeezed orange juice, courtesy of @masood Freshly-squeezed orange juice,
courtesy of @masoodxb. He is kind enough to share the recipe as well.

Recipe: Cut oranges in half. Squeeze into a clean bowl. Pour into glasses. Enjoy 😀

He wants me to tell you that the secret ingredient is 🍊🤣
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.
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.
Tag someone who loves shawarma! This is our homem Tag someone who loves shawarma!

This is our homemade chicken shawarma that I’m truly proud of and so excited to share with you!

Swipe left for the recipe.

EDIT: It’s ‘wheat’ not ‘whear’, and jalapeño ‘pickles’ not ‘pepper’. Thanks!

Thank you to @masoodxb for being our shawarma wrap & grill expert. Having had countless shawarmas in the UAE, even at 2am(!) I’m so glad we can recreate something close to the original right in our home.

Guys, toasting or grilling the wrapped shawarma before serving makes such a difference, so don’t skip this last step.
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.
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!
They’re finally in season! For me, black plums, They’re finally in season! For me, black plums, or jamun, are one of the most anticipated fruits of the year (the other is mango). These little purple fruits are packed with antioxidant property, display antidiabetic property, may help reduce bad cholesterols and triglycerides in the blood, anti-inflammatory property, and may also help strengthen the immune system.
How’s the lockdown situation where you live? Ou How’s the lockdown situation where you live?

Our state has finally eased up on the lockdown since June 1. While there’s still curfew after 9pm, and restaurants only allow take-aways, most businesses are now open.

Interstate traveling is now permitted. For more than 2 months, we weren’t allowed to travel more than 3km from home.

So we had our first long-drive in forever when a cousin asked if we could come pick her up from the neighbouring state’s border (restrictions are still in place for Andhra Pradesh, we couldn’t cross their border). It felt a bit strange driving so far from home, and it feels surreal that the highways are mostly empty.

But it felt so good to be able to drive freely!
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?
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!
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 is a classic, easy, and healthy Mediterranean This is a classic, easy, and healthy Mediterranean and Middle Eastern hors d'oeuvre.

Mutabbal is a smoky, lemony eggplant dip that’s a mezze-table favorite all over the Levant and beyond.

So many call this Baba Ganoush. I did some research and discovered that while both have roasted eggplant as their base, Baba Ganoush does not have tahini. It contains chopped tomatoes and pomegranate molasses.

Mutabbal has tahini, garlic, lemon juice, cumin powder, red chili flakes, and even yoghurt. Extra virgin olive oil is a must.

I didn’t have parsley at home so I used cilantro instead. Plus, I didn’t want to deal with yeast to make pita so I made roti instead.

This is a delicious, healthy dip that I highly recommend. After all, there’s more to life than hummus.

Also feel free to adjust the ingredients! I may have added more lemon juice and cumin powder.

What’s your favorite dip?
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!
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