Bengali Egg Curry

Bengali Egg Curry is a delicious preparation of eggs and potato which are cooked in a gravy made up of onion, tomato and ginger garlic paste. The curry is delicious and can be served either with jeera rice or steamed rice or rotis. This dish can be served for parties or packed in lunch box along with rice and salad.

Bengali Egg Curry

Eggs are healthiest and most nutritious food. Eggs are rich in proteins and vitamin B2. Egg white lowers the bad cholesterol and are rich in number of vitamins and minerals which help in providing energy to the body.

Bengali Egg Curry

I learnt this recipe from my best friend Reena Dey and I dedicate this recipe to her. I had heard that Bengali egg curry turns delicious. This time I felt like preparing it. So I pinged Reena and asked her to share the recipe. She shared the recipe over a personal message on Facebook. The recipe reached Bangalore all the way from Turkey and Reena deserves all credits to this. Thanks for the recipe dear. Next time when you visit India, I will surely make this dish for you :)

Bengali Egg Curry
Ingredients:                                                Prep. Time: 45 Minutes, Serves: 4
4 eggs
1 medium sized potato

For marinating:
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the curry:
2 medium sized onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
5 black pepper seeds
1 medium sized tomato, chopped
1 bayleaf
2 elaichi/cardamom pods, crushed
½ medium sized onion, sliced
2 green chilies, slit
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 teaspoon panch phoron
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 cup water
4 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste

For garnish:
Chopped coriander leaves

Procedure:
1) Boil the eggs and potato separately. De-shell the eggs. Slightly slit the eggs and apply ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon red chili powder and salt. Keep aside.
2) Peel the potato and chop into cubes. Apply ½ teaspoon turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon red chili powder and salt and keep aside.
3) Add chopped onion, cumin seeds, black pepper and ginger- garlic paste and grind together to make a puree. You can add ¼ cup water while making puree. Keep aside.
4) Make a puree of chopped tomato and keep aside.
5) Now let us fry the eggs and potato.
6) So heat a skillet and add 4 tablespoon oil. Fry the eggs till they turn golden brown in colour.
7) After the eggs fry, remove and keep aside.
8) To the same skillet add potatoes and fry for some time. Remove and keep aside.
9) Now to the same skillet, add more oil if needed. Add bayleaf and crushed elaichi pods.
10) Then add the onion puree and mix well. Let it fry for 5 minutes.
11) Add tomato puree and mix well.
12) Add slit green chillies and mix.
13) Add the spice powders like cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and panch phoron and mix well.
14) Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add water ¼ cup at a time and let the gravy simmer for atleast 10 more minutes.
15) Add potatoes and salt to taste and mix well.
16) Finally add the eggs. Simmer the gravy for 8 minutes.
17) Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice or rotis.

 Also check other recipes with egg.

Bengali Egg Curry
Bengali Egg Curry

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Watermelon Juice And A Review Of KENT Cold Pressed Juicer

I always prefer extracting juice from fresh fruits instead of consuming packed juice. Juices are one of the easiest and safest ways to replenish the body with nutrients and fibres. I used to hate the process of extracting juice. Adding pieces of fruit in blender, blending it and then passing it through a sieve. The entire process was time consuming and bit tedious.

Last week I received a KENT Cold Pressed Juicer for review. It was love at first sight as I loved how the juicer separated the pulp from clear fruit juice. I tried different types of juices like tomato juice, apple juice, watermelon juice, pomegranate juice and even carrot juice. I was impressed by how juice from a vegetable like carrot was extracted.

KENT Cold Pressed Juicer
About KENT Cold Pressed juicer:

KENT has always believed that clean and healthy living is the right of every individual. They have created a brand which has become synonymous with well-being and health. KENT Cold Pressed Juicer uses a low speed squeezing technique which not only extracts juice, but also retains the natural and original taste. The extracted juice is healthier and tasty.

The juicer comes with low speed squeezing technique which ensures preservation of fibers, nutrients and original taste. The KENT Cold Pressed Juicer has a reverse motor action to clear blockages. The juice flows quickly from the unique juice outflow passage. The body is made of food grade plastic and is quiet sturdy.

Extracting watermelon juice
There are two filters provided with the product. A fine-meshed filter screen for hard fruits and vegetables like carrot, cucumber, apple, etc and wide-meshed filter screen for soft fruits and vegetables like watermelon, orange, tomato, etc.

In comparison to conventional centrifugal juicers, KENT cold pressed juicer does not produce as much heat and thus keeps the nutrients and fibers intact. In conventional juices, the nutrients and fibers get oxidized due to heat generated from high speed spinning. KENT Cold Pressed Juicer produces more juice than conventional juicers.

Extracting carrot and tomato juice
You can even add nuts to get the yummiest almond or cashew nut milk shake which is not possible with conventional juicers. Also very less noise is produced compared to conventional juicers.

Summing up the features:
· Retains More Nutrients and fibers
· Produces More Juice
· Juices tastes better
· Faster Extraction
· Low noise
· Eliminates constant pressing of ingredients

There are plenty of unique features which cannot be matched to other conventional juicers available in the market. The juicer suits best for fruits which contain more juice like beets, carrots, cucumbers, apples, watermelon, pineapple, sweet lime, grapes and melons.

Free flowing, clear watermelon juice, straight from juicer
You need not remove the thin peels, just remove the thick outer skin of fruits like watermelon, orange, sweet lime or pineapple. You can also extract juice from leafy vegetables like spinach and lettuce. You need not remove the seeds from fruits like watermelon and pomegranate. The juicer takes care of all this.

Do not add starchy fruits like mango, banana and papaya to the juicer. They can be processed using a blender or food processor. You cannot use the KENT Cold Pressed juicer to extract juice from fruits like sugarcane.

I found cleaning the wire mesh a bit difficult. But they have provided a brush with the product which cleans the filter properly. I recommend to clean it soon after use. The parts cannot be washed in a dishwasher.

Kids love it too
KENT Cold Pressed Juicer which not only extracts more juice but also retains more nutrients and fibers in extracted juice. You can see the below video of how systematically juice is extracted and pulp is separated. Thanks to my little one who helped me make this video. She loves watermelon juice. This juice is a perfect thirst quencher on a summer afternoon.

Ingredients:                                  Prep. Time: 10 Minutes, Makes 1 litre juice
1 medium sized watermelon

Procedure:
1) Peel and chop the watermelon into bite sized pieces. Add the pieces to the juicer and get free flowing, clear watermelon juice.

Drink it immediately to reap maximum health benefits.

You can also make this watermelon and mint juice.


I also tried carrot and tomato juice. Simply add pieces of 2 carrota and 4 tomatoes to the juicer and get clear juice. The skin of tomato got stuck to the wire mesh, but I managed to clean it.


The apple and ginger juice turned delicious too. I added chopped and cored apple pieces and chopped ginger to juicer. Loved the pulpy apple ginger juice.


When I extracted juice from pomegranate, my hubby was impressed. You can try this pomegranate, kokum and tangerine sherbet too.

The juicer also helped in extracting clear pineapple juice. If you want thicker juice, use the wide mesh filter.

You can also make interesting mocktails like cucumber and orange mocktail or cucumber and coconut lemonade using this juicer and impress your guests. I will be trying many more fruit and vegetable juices. 

Do join me in taking a step closer to healthy living.


#GetMoreJuice #KENTCOLDPressedJuicer

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Carrot, Beetroot And Radish Sandwich

Today I am presenting to you all another innovative recipe from my kitchen. The recipe name is carrot, beetroot and radish sandwich. I have used simple vegetables which were present in my fridge to make this sandwich. Normally children are fussy eaters and don’t eat all vegetables.

radish,carrot,beetroot sandwich

Carrots are rich in vitamin A and are good for maintaining a healthy eye sight. Beetroot is rich in folate and vitamin C and iron and radish are rich in folate, fibre and vitamin B6. Make this healthy recipe be 100% sure that you are making the best recipe for your child or family member during the 6’o clock hunger prangs. You can also pack it in your child’s tiffin or snack box.

radish,carrot,beetroot sandwich

Ingredients:                         Makes: 2 sandwiches, Prep. Time: 20 Minutes
4 bread slices
½ cup peeled and grated carrot
½ cup peeled and grated beetroot
½ cup peeled and grated radish
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
2 tablespoon butter
2 cheese slices
Salt to taste

Procedure:
1) For making the carrot, radish and beetroot sandwich first take a mixing bowl and add the vegetables mentioned in ingredients.
2) Add black pepper powder and salt to taste and mix well.
3) Take a bread slice and apply butter to it. On this spread the vegetable mix.
4) Place a cheese slice on top of this.
5) Close this with another bread slice and apply little butter on top.
6) Similarly assemble the other bread slice.
7) Grill the sandwiches in a panini grill press till the top most bread slice turns golden brown.

radish,carrot,beetroot sandwich

 Also check carrot and peas sandwich, egg white sandwich and fruit sandwich.

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Egg Dum Biryani

Egg Dum Biryani is a delicious preparation of rice, spicy masala paste and boiled eggs. Serve this dish with raita. You can make this biryani and serve this for parties. Sometimes you can pack it in lunch box too. I had prepared this egg dum biryani today and my family loved it. My daughter told me to cook this biryani frequently and also to pack in her lunch box.

egg dum biryani

The ingredient list is a bit long, but you can reduce the effort by cooking things simultaneously. Like you can cook rice and boil eggs simultaneously to save time.

egg dum biryani pics

You can also try this vegetable biryani and prawns biryani from my blog. They also turn equally delicious. Today is Eid and on this occasion I am sharing this wonderful recipe with you all.
Traditionally biryani is made in huge vessels and after mixing rice, the vessel is sealed with dough made of wheat flour. But I made it in a small utensil and sealed it tight with lid after mixing rice and biryani masala. Hope you try this recipe and I am sure you will love it.

egg dum biryani recipe

Ingredients:                                                 Prep. Time: 1 hour, Serves: 4
4 eggs
1 ½ cups Basmati rice
3 bay leaves
4 cloves
½ inch cinnamon
4 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

For biryani masala:
2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
1 medium sized onion, julienned
2 medium sized tomatoes, finely chopped
1 capsicum, julienned
10 garlic pods, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
2 cardamoms, crushed
6 black peppercorns
2 inch piece of cinnamon, broken
1 star anise
½ javitri/mace
1 teaspoon cumin seeds/jeera
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoon garam masala/biryani masala
1 cup mint leaves, chopped
10 cashewnuts
1 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
¼ cup milk
5-6 strands of saffron
Salt to taste
4 tablespoon oil or as needed

For marinating eggs:
1 tablespoon red chili powder
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoon oil
Pinch of salt

Procedure:
1) Add saffron to warm milk and soak it for 30 minutes.
2) Heat a kadai and add oil. Deep fry the onion juliennes till brown and crisp and keep it aside.
3) Deep fry the cashewnuts and keep it aside.
4) Boil the eggs. Cool and de-shell. Keep it aside.
5) Par boil the rice by adding 2 bay leaves, 4 black pepper pods, 1-inch cinnamon and 4 cloves.
6) After boiling, drain water and spread on colander. Alternatively you can boil rice by adding the spices in a rice cooker.

Now let’s marinate the eggs.
7) Make 4 slits in the boiled eggs.
8) Heat the kadai and add oil. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt and ginger garlic paste and mix well. Add the eggs and coat them with the spice powder mix. Remove and keep it aside.

Now lets prepare the biryani masala:
9) To the same kadai, add oil.
10) Add the spices like bay leaves, black peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and mix. Let the oil get infused with the spices.
11) Now add chopped onion and fry till onion turns pinkish. Add chopped garlic and fry.
12) Add tomatoes and fry till they turn mushy.
13) Add capsicum juliennes and fry for 10 minutes.
14) Now add ginger garlic paste and mix.
15) Add chopped mint and chopped coriander leaves and mix well.
16) Add deep fried cashewnuts.
17) Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala and toss.
18) Add salt to taste and mix.
19) Add marinated eggs and mix well.
20) Simmer for 5 minutes and switch off the gas.

Let’s mix the egg masala and rice:
21) Take a deep bottomed pan. Add a layer of rice.
22) Top this with prepared biryani masala. Again spread rice. Top this with biryani masala.
23) Continue doing this alternatively till all the rice and biryani masala paste is over.
24) Top this with the eggs and deep fried onion juliennes.
25) Close the lid of the utensil and heat the biryani over low flame for 5 to 10 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve it hot with raita.

egg biryani

Check here for other rice varieties and here for recipes with egg.
egg biryani pic

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Kiwi Banana Milkshake And A Review Of OZIVA Nutritional Meal Shake

Since I am a software engineer by profession, I lead a sedentary lifestyle. After office, when I return home, I cook, click and write about food as I am a food blogger too. I have no time for exercise at all. I had been trying to lose weight since many years, but all attempts failed. I would start an exercise routine and leave it after some days due to lack of time. Recently I came across OZIVA Meal shakes and after finding more info about it, I decided to give it a try.


I logged into their website and found a helpline. I called the OZIVA helpline to know more and was convinced that I should go for this product as it is made with whey protein and ayurvedic herbs. The dietician also confirmed that the products don’t contain any sort of steroids or chemicals and are completely healthy. The dietician recommended me to try the OZIVA Nutritional Meal Shake for women as I was aiming at weight loss. 

I placed an order at the OZIVA website and soon after placing an order the dietician called me for a free consultation and told me to follow a particular diet which suits my lifestyle. She told me to replace one meal (either lunch or dinner) with this wholesome nutritional meal shake and to include atleast 20 minutes of walk every day. I chose to have OZIVA Nutritional Meal Shake for dinner along with a fruit and to stay hydrated throughout the day. I also walk everyday for 20 minutes when I go to office in the mornings, so I don’t have to do any extra exercise.


With the inclusion of OZIVA Nutritional Meal Shake in my diet I started feeling more energetic. After office I used to feel tired. But now I feel less tired and bit stress free too. I am also feeling bit lighter :)

About OZIVA Nutritional Meal Shake

OZIVA aims at solving the basic challenge faced by many people i.e. lack of nutrition, irregular meals, consumption of fast food, stress and lots of other factors which are a part of the modern lifestyle. The products contain nutritional components and ayurveric herbs which are selected with care maintaining highest quality. This ensures that the products are adulteration free and are full of nutritional value.


The Nutritional Meal Shake for Women aims at the weight loss that is to make fat loss and detoxification of the body more efficient. The shake is designed to fulfill the nutritional requirements of the body for one meal. It is made with ayurvedic herbs like Shatavari, Tulsi, Ginger, Green Tea Extract and Garcinia.

Ayurvedic herbs like Shatavari helps bring about hormonal balance, Tulsi has purifying properties, Green tea extract acts as a powerful antioxidant and fat burner.


Nutritional Meal Shake for Women is different because it digests rapidly, helps in muscle toning and the earthy properties of herbs help in maintaining overall health in a better way.

A glass of nutritional meal shakes (30 gm in 300 ml skimmed milk) will give:
  1. 28 gram of protein = to 4 serving lentils or 5 eggs
  2. 28 Essential Vitamins and Minerals
  3. Save 500-700 calories
  4. Keeps one full for long time (till next meal)
This meal shake is ideal for young ladies.

What are the health benefits?
  1. Accelerate weight loss
  2. Detoxify body
  3. Relieve stress
  4. Prevent fat build-up
  5. Boost vitality
  6. Curb cravings
How to use?
  1. Replace 1 meal (lunch/dinner) with 1 serving of Nutritional Milk Shake with 300 ml of skimmed milk.
  2. Add 20 mins walk/jog or exercise or do yoga.
  3. Achieve your ideal weight in a healthy way.
The OZIVA Nutritional meal shake provides the protein required for building body’s muscles(tissues). Protein is also important for healthy hair, skin and nails and aids skin tightening.

They have products for both men and women. I am planning to buy Protein and herb shake for Men for my hubby too as he is a software engineer and an active football player. Definitely this product will help him ease post workout muscle soreness and provide stress relief.

The product is available on OZiva website ( You can Buy Here) , Amazon and Paytm as well.


Today I am sharing with you this delicious Kiwi And Banana Milkshake to which I have added a scoop of chocolate flavoured OZIVA Nutritional Meal Shake. You can add this nutritional powder to any type of smoothie or milkshake.You can even add it to a glass of milk, mix and drink. The chocolate flavour makes the meal shake tasty and does not leave any after taste of herbs.
Ingredients:
1 banana, peeled and chopped
1 kiwi
1 cup milk
1 scoop OZIVA Nutritional Meal Shake
¼ cup water
2 tablespoon sugar

Procedure:
Let us prepare the Kiwi Banana Milkshake:
1) Peel the kiwi and cut into cubes.
2) Heat a sauce pan and add water.
3) After water boils, add kiwi and sugar and let it cook for 5 minutes.
4) Switch off the heat and let kiwi cool down.
5) Take a blender and add chopped banana, cooked kiwi, milk, 2 tablespoon water from the sauce pan in which kiwi was cooked and Oziva nutritional meal shake.
6) Blend till you get smooth puree.
7) Serve it with some ice cubes or drink as it is.


Note: This product is not to be used for medicinal purpose.

The products are FSSAI approved and are made in FSSAI/ISO certified manufacturing units ensuring high quality.

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Chettinad Fish Fry

Chettinad fish fry is a delicious and spicy preparation of fish made in the Chettinad region of South India. This cuisine is known for spicy food which is made using freshly ground masalas. You can use any type of firm fleshed fish in this recipe. I used surmai/seerfish to make this delicious fish fry.

chettinad Fish fry

Fish is rich in omega 3 fatty acids which promotes heart health. They are also rich in proteins and promotes eye and brain health. Eating fish regularly lowers blood pressure and increases good cholesterol levels. 

chettinad Fish fry

Since I love to cook fish, I try different recipes using fish. We love spicy food and this Chettinad fish fry turned spicy and delicious. Normally I cook rava fried fish, but this Chettinad fish fry was a winner. Serve this Chettinad fish fry hot with steamed rice and fish curry.
Ingredients:                            Prep. Time: 45 Minutes, Makes: 4
4 steaks of seerfish, finely sliced

For the Chettinad Masala:
1 tomato, chopped
1 sprig of curry leaves
1 big marble sized ball of tamarind, soaked in 2 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
8 garlic pods, chopped
1 teaspoon ginger- garlic paste
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
10 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon oil

For frying the fish:
5 tablespoon oil

For garnish:
1 lemon

Procedure:
1) Wash the seerfish and keep it aside.
2) Heat a tadka pan and dry roast curry leaves, garlic and spices till nice aroma is released.
3) After the spices cool down, using a mortar and pestle grind these spices by adding 2 teaspoon oil. I tried grinding it in mixer but since the spice quantity was very less the spices did not grind well.
4) Now add tomato, tamarind along with the water in which it was soaked, the ground spices, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt to a mixer.
5) Grind it into a thick paste. The paste will be dark brown in colour.
6) Check salt and add more if needed and mix well.
7) Smear each and every seer fish steak with this spicy paste on both sides. Be generous while smearing the paste. Let it be thick.
8) Marinate this for atleast 20 minutes.
9) After 20 minutes fry the fish.
10) Heat a non-stick pan. Spread oil.
11) When oil gets heated shallow fry the marinated fish.
12) After 5 minutes, carefully flip the fish to the other side.
13) Continue to fry till the fish gets cooked.
14) The fish will appear flaky when it’s cooked.
15) Garnish with lime juice and serve hot.

Also check rava fried kingfish and Kerala fish curry with kingfish.
chettinad Fish fry

chettinad Fish fry
chettinad Fish fry

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Tea Appreciation Event By Sublime House Of Tea

We all Indians love to start our day with a cup of tea or “chai”. Many of us have around 4 to 5 cups of tea a day. But I am sure that majority people have atleast 2 to 4 cups of tea during the day. Last Friday I attended a tea-tasting event at Soul City, Oakwood Premier, UB City, Bangalore. Being a tea lover I always wanted to learn more about tea and how to brew the perfect tea. This was the first time that I attended a tea-tasting event. Apart from tasting different types of teas, I also learnt lots of things about tea.


The tea tasting event was sponsored by Sublime House of Tea. There was a talk and a cook-off. Anamika Singh who is a tea-taster by profession engaged the audience in a 30-minute demo on tea appreciation. Following this there was a tea tasting session. I got to learn lots of notes about tea. 


Anamika Singh started her talk by saying that “tea is one beverage which completely centers you”. You bond over tea when you have it with a group of friends. She shared lots of interesting things about tea and various types of teas. I also learnt that tea is also grown in Orissa and Bihar and not just Coorg and Darjeeling. Oh and did you know that tea comes from different bushes? Yes! Assam CTC comes from Assam bush and Darjeeling tea comes from China bush. Oh did you know that Nepal and Sri Lanka are also sources tea?

So did you ever wonder what goes into making of tea leaves? Ok, Only the tender unopened leaves are plucked from the tea bush to make tea and not all the leaves from the bush. Many such interesting things were shared about tea at the tea appreciation event.

The tea expert also told us that we should sip tea and not “drink” tea. She also told how we should taste tea. First smell the tea and then take a sip and first taste it by swirling in the mouth and swallow it. Tea should not be drunk like a soft drink, but we have to enjoy and sip it. Also remember, we should sip tea without sugar, honey or milk to reap maximum health benefits.


Anamika also told how we should buy tea. Never go by the box and packaging. But you should know from where the tea is sourced. Just like how you buy your vegetables, you should be very particular while buying tea. 

We infuse Darjeeling tea and brew masala chai or Assam tea. The moment we add sugar and milk to tea and boil it continuously the health benefits of tea die down. 

I never knew that water also plays an important role while infusing tea. Water is the mother of tea. It should be at the right temperature. If tea does not taste right, it means either the source was not right or the tea was not done properly. Also while making tea, first add tea leaves to the pot and then pour water from a height on to the leaves. This ensures that the leaves uncurl and open out to better release their flavours.

Tea should always be served in transparent glass cups. We always first taste with our eyes, so let it look visually appealing. Infuse tea in rounded glass or porcelain pots. The round pots allow the tea leaves enough space to move around and to release the flavor.


During the session we were also tasting different types of teas. The first tea which I tasted was the Darjeeling tea. The tea has  rich muscatel aroma with floral finish. It is also referred to as 'Champagne of Teas'.   It has a light, flavourful and thoroughly distinctive taste. 


Followed by this we tasted Sublime’s Green Jasmine Mandarin tea. These are premium green tea leaves having the Jasmine fragrance and dried mandarin orange. The delicate fragrance of jasmine makes the green tea refreshing and leaves us feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.


The next tea which came for tasting was the Sublime’s White Tea with Raspberry flavor. The white tea was everyone’s favorite as it has a delicate fruity raspberry flavor. I can have this tea any number of time in a day.

Some tea storage tips were also shared. We normally store the tea in kitchen. But according to Anamika Singh, tea should be stored in cool, dry, dark cupboard away from direct sunlight and away from kitchen. Exposure to moisture reduces their flavour.

Sublime House of Tea will also sell some gadgets specially to be use for brewing tea. We got to see some tea timers and infusers at the event too. The tea timers are sand clocks which can be used to time the brewing process.


During the second part of the session Chef Michael Swamy spoke about teas and cooking with teas. He also put together a special cocktail with limited edition tea.


Chef Michael Swamy spoke about smoking meats like lamb and duck. He smoked chicken with tea. He demonstrated two recipes that used tea. Vegetarian pesto salad was served to vegetarians and chicken salad smoked that was smoked with tea leaves was served to non-vegetarians.


Then Chef Michael demonstrated making of cocktails with tea. For whiskey he suggested to use strong flavored teas like oolong tea and for vodka use lighter rose in bloom tea. The rose in bloom is a herbal tisane that combines rose petals, liquorice, fennel, aniseed, pepper and nutmeg. This fresh brew cools the body down and is an excellent digestive drink.


The tea tasting session went really well and at the end of the session I was richer in knowledge about tea. It was a gift for a tea lover like me.

Sublime House of Tea:

Sublime House of Tea was started in 2013 by Uzma Irfan who is the Executive Director of Prestige Group and Founder of Sublime Galleria. Sublime House of Tea’ is promoted by the Prestige Group and Sublime Galleria.


The tea has been handpicked with care to value quality and diversity rather than quantity. There are various types of Sublime teas in its portfolio. From sought after bouquets such as Green Tea, Assam Tea and English Breakfast to intriguing localized brews like Moroccan Mint, and Seventh Heaven, eclectic admixtures like White Tea with Raspberry and the complex flavors of herbal tisanes like Rose in Bloom and Chamomile, there is a tea to suit every palate and occasion.


The tea is packed in pyramid tea bags, rather than the regular filter paper tea bags, thus further enhancing the taste of the tea by giving the fullness of the liquor. The ancient Chinese believed that tea can be used in treatment of wide variety of medical conditions. Recent studies show that white and green tea is rich in catechins. Catechins are a variety of antioxidants that help to counter the harmful effects of free radical cells in our body and lower cholesterol levels. Drinking tea can potentially be beneficial in preventing diseases like cancer, neurological conditions and coronary heart diseases. Studies are being conducted the world over to determine the exact nature and extent of the benefits.

For more information on Sublime House of Tea - visit: 


While I was walking for the tea tasting session, I also got to see some beautiful art works in Sublime Galleria.

The Galleria invites art enthusiasts and tea lovers alike to come, indulge and savour the moments, best suiting one's own tranquility.

Let me wind up the post here. Stay tuned for more posts on the restaurants that we visited at UB City.
Also visit www.ubcitybangalore.in for more details about UB City.

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Bosch Dishwasher Review – Get Sparkling Clean, Dry Utensils Without Any Noise

2 years back I had been to California on a short vacation of 10 days. I stayed in one of the 5-star residence hotel. My single bedroom suite provided all the comforts and luxuries. It also had a fully equipped kitchen with an expensive dining bar. The kitchen was equipped with stove, chimney, oven, fridge, kettle, utensils, crockery and a Bosch dishwasher which made my stay enjoyable.


I used to shop for grocery from the local mall and cook different Indian dishes in my hotel room. After eating food my hubby used to load the dishwasher and we used to then freak out touring the city. Oh, I loved the dishwasher as after returning back, the utensils used to be sparkling clean and dry. Ever since then I loved the dishwasher and wished that one day or other I will get it home :)

Some weeks back my hubby surprised me by saying that he is buying a dishwasher for me. I jumped up with joy as I knew that this is one of the best thing which will come home. Soon an appointment was fixed with a technician who visited my home for site inspection. After the dishwasher was delivered, the technician visited and installed the product and also gave me a demo.

Soon I started using my dishwasher. Every morning after cooking food and packing the lunch boxes, I would load the dishwasher and leave for office. It does a fab job of cleaning the utensils, drying them and leaving them sparkling clean by keeping its mouth shut. Opps... I mean it does the job silently. I don’t have to listen to my maid’s tantrums any more. The normal utensil washing activity in any Indian household is noisy and messy. I am in love with the dishwasher as it does the fab job of cleaning utensils noise free. 

You all know how Indian cooking is. We cook in heavy kadais. But right from the milk vessel, tea utensil, oily kadai and rice cooker inner utensil, all the utensils came out sparkling clean. The tava which I used for frying fish too was neat and clean. All the bowls and kadais should be placed upside down as the water gets jet-splashed from the bottom. There is a separate stand provided for small spoons and forks. 


It is better to use the detergent recommended by BOSCH for the dishwasher. Just add it to the small compartment meant for detergent. For reducing water hardness, salt is added to a compartment in the dishwasher. Rinse-aid is also added for shine and also to prevent water spots which normally remain on utensils after washing them. A 200 ml bottle of rinse-aid lasts for approximately 3 months. 

The entire washing cycle takes approx. 2 hours, but you can set the program to run the cleaning cycle for 30 minutes too. This depends on how badly your utensils are spoiled. It also does not consume much water as compared to manual washing where the tap is left open. And yes, it does not consume much electricity too. So do not worry about the electricity bills.


The compartments are designed in such a way that all the utensils fit properly. The plates, bowls, small glasses, big woks or big kadais, tavas, etc. fit in properly. You can set different temperatures for washing the utensils. You can choose intensive program for those badly or heavily soiled utensils. For glass and plastics, you can set the temperature to 40 degrees or less and also set less time as these utensils do not need much time to be cleaned.

Oh yes, the utensils get dried too. You need not wipe them clean to store them in the kitchen cabinets. They are sparkling clean and dry after the wash. 

Pros:
1) Consumes less water compared to manual cleaning of utensils where the tap water is left open for long time.
2) Consumes very less power, so do not worry about electricity bills.
3) Makes the utensils sparkling clean.
4) Dries the utensils and they get ready to be stored in kitchen cabinets.
5) Different settings are available for the wash. So depending on whether the utensil needs heavy cleaning or mild, you can set the temperature and time.
6) Child lock option for door is present.
7) If in case there is a power cut-off in the middle while the washing cycle is on, the product automatically resumes the washing cycle from the place from where it paused.
8) There is no sound of utensils being washed. This is a plus point.
9) Vinyl coated basket material helps to keep it rust free.

Cons:
1) Product is big. You need more space to store this product. But if you have a big kitchen, you can easily store it in the kitchen cabinet. It is the size of a fully automatic washing machine. So if you are planning to build a new home, do keep in mind to design in such a way that you can store your dishwasher.
2) You have to use the cleaning products meant only for dish washers. Normal detergents which are used for manual cleaning won’t work here.
3) Since the product is heavy, it is not possible for one person to move it easily. But I don’t think one will ever need to move it after the installation.

Though there are some cons, they can be neglected as the pros are really too many and the cons are not very major issues. The best thing is that it does the cleaning job noise free. So even at night prior to sleeping, I put on the dishwasher and go to bed. By early morning the utensils come out dry and sparkling clean. I use the dishwasher at night to specially clean the tiffin boxes which comes out sparkling clean in the morning ready for packing food for the day.


With all the pros mentioned, I have really loved the sound of cooking dishes. I now cook food without any worry about the cleaning. I have almost forgotten the sound of washing the dishes :) Hey I should say that this product comes with a 2-year warranty and is worth every penny spent.

The product is available in all electronic stores. So if you are planning to buy one, you can visit any electronic store and purchase it. 
To know more about this dishwasher, visit the Bosch website:

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