Nirvana In A Tea-Cup

By Aradhna Mangla

It wakes us up in the morning.
It's the cubicle dweller's sustenance.
It ranges from a burnt brown to milky orange.
Its something that was worn in small pouches by the first people to sail across the world.
Its what Britain paid China in opium for.

Its Tea for the urban sophisticate.
Or just "Chai" in the chalti bhasha.

Its an addiction of sorts. My body starts craving it after regular intervals. ( I need my daily fix :P )

However its also similar to sleep - "the balm of hurt minds."
Nursing a hot cuppa and brooding is sometimes the best hug you can give yourself.

I'm gonna share a recipe with you.

I like it black. It gives my system the kind of hit I want.
Its an esoteric blend of earth and warmth, of the sharpness of tea and the mellowness of honey.

I call it "Nirvana in a Tea-cup"

Things you need :

1 tsp of Tea leaves.
1 cup (150 ml) of Water.
1 tsp of Honey.
A few sprinkles of Rose petals.What you do now :

- Dunk the tea leaves into a pan of boiling water till the  desired color is achieved.
- The longer the tea stays in it, the stronger the tea will be.
- Add the rose petals.
- Strain it into your favourite mug, add honey, stir it up and enjoy!
strikeout(snuggle into your favourite pajamas, curl up and watch re-runs of F.R.I.E.N.D.S)

Complex flavors, don't you think so?
You must be saying to yourself,"She's putting roses into her tea! Eww!"

But believe you me, try it to believe it.
Soon its gonna become your little excuse to escape from the world. :)

Disclaimer: The author does not endorse substance abuse in any form whatsoever. However she is confused whether Bhang and chocolate come under this category. (Just kidding)

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Khaana Khazana

by Surya Tej Borra

Remember the last time you had some really sumptuous food? Your mind rewinds to your Uncle’s daughter’s wedding or the outing to Chutneys or the last reunion at City Gate. Vacations are around the corner and most of us will be going to different parts of our country to complete Practice School-I. LTGTR brings to you the different cuisines from across the country to make your stay there more memorable and enjoyable!

Now what is so special about the Indian food which makes it very different from other cuisines around the world? Spices!! The spice and life in the Indian food is something to die for! Spices are inseparable from our cuisine and an indispensable part too! Haldi, Garam Masala, Mirchi, Methi, Adrak….Wow, my mouth is watering already! India is a diverse country with many regional cultures with each region having its own food habits. The differences may arise due to local customs, geographical location and economics. Indian cuisine is also seasonal with priority placed on the use of fresh produce.

ANDHRA PRADESH

It is an amalgamation of Deccan and Telugu recipes and the coastlines treat you with the best sea food such as Chepala Pulusu (sambar with fish pieces) and Royyala Vepudu (fried fish curry) Andhra Pradesh is known for its usage of chilies and lemon juice in cooking. Pickles such as Avakaya (green mango) and Gongura Pachadi are simply awesome. The breakfast special includes Pesarattu Upma which is a combination of roasted dosa and upma which is served with ginger chutney and loads of ghee. A large variety of non-vegetarian dishes are also at your service like Natikodi Vepudu (fried chicken, Andhra Style) and Gongura Mutton. You can’t miss the Kebabs and Biryani in Hyderabad. You should taste the Ragi Sankati and Natikodi Pulusu (a main course served along with porridge) if you’re around Rayalaseema. And do not forget to taste the sweets Kakinda Kaaja (a layered sweet of wheat and sugar) and Putharekulu.

PONDICHERRY

Known for its typical Indo-French style of cooking, Tandoori potato, baked beans, stuffed cabbage and Soya Dosa are some popular recipes here. 

TAMIL NADU

Idli, dosa, pongal, idhiyappam (noodles clustered like an idli) primarily form the breakfast menu of people here. The well-known Sambar (:P) adds the much needed ‘da’-flavour to it. And the Madras filter coffee is a perfect complement to it. We may have savoured coffee in Barista and CCD but the Madras Filter Coffee of the “Mamis” is amazing. Don’t forget the Chettinad style of dishes! The Dindigul-Parota and Thalapakattu Biryani comes with a special Kaaraikudi taste which constitutes the non-vegetarian palette here. 

KERALA

Coconut and coconut milk are extensively used in Keralite dishes. Backwaters and a long coastline make Kerala very famous for sea food. Unique delicacies such as Appam, Puttu, Avayal, Payasam, Padumbari and Pathiri are a must taste here. One is very sure of falling in love with coconuts after tasting it here in God’s own land!

KARNATAKA

It is a mix of Kerala, Tamil and Andhra cuisines. It is considerably influenced by Goan and Mahrashtran food as well. The famous Udipi cuisine here constitutes of Masala Dosa, Mysore Bonda, Maddur Vada ( Papad like vadas) and Rava Idli. The so called ‘bath’ culture is very famous here. Bath refers to a rice dish prepared along with a primary ingredient such as brinjal or tomato, examples being  Vangi bath (brinjal), Bisibele bath (rice and sambar together) and Khara bath (rice and mirchi) Sweets include Mysore Pak,  Kesari bath, Chiroti and Dharwad Pedha. 

PUNJAB

Food defines them. Usage of liberal amounts of cottage cheese, ghee, cream and butter is common here as it is tailor-made to suit their lifestyle. They toil all day in the fields after all! Dal Makhani is considered staple food here. There are certain dishes which are special to Punjab such as Mah ki Dal and Sarson da Saag. Tandoor is one of the specialties of Punjabi food. Most of popular Anglo-Indian dishes like pakoras, naan and vegetable dishes with paneer have their origin here. If you are in Punjab, you are assured of a heavenly boarding experience.

MAHARASHTRA

Maharastran diet basically consists of rice, wheat, jowar and vegetables. Kokum, a deep purple berry is widely used as an appetizer. The Vidarbha region here is famous for items like puranpoli, batata wada, ukdiche modak and sabudana khichdi (porridge of rice and dal). Coming to the hotspot Mumbai, it has more of a cosmopolitan menu with a huge Western impact. Urban delicacies such as Pav Bhaji, Vadapav, Ragada and Golgappa are an integral part of city lifestyle.

GOA

A happening place for tourists, Goan delicacies find their vegetarian fare influenced by Konkan recipes and non-vegetarian by Portuguese. Kingfish, Pomfret, mackerel, crabs, tiger prawns and lobsters are just a few names from the exhaustive menu of sea food you get here. After this meal, a cashew fenny or a beer can set things just right.

MADHYA PRADESH

Gwalior and Indore are known for milk-based dishes while Bhopal is known for meat-based dishes such as bafla, korma, keema (minced meat), biryani and kebabs. Another famous dish originated here in Malwa region - Poha (flattened rice) Laddus have their origin here.

HARYANA

Food in Haryana is devoid of added artificial flavors and preservatives. Because Haryana is rich in cattle population, milk products are extremely common. Kadhi Pakora, Besan Masala Roti, Bajra Aloo Roti,Churma, Kheer, Bathua Raita, Methi Gajar, Singri ki Sabzi and Tamatar Chutney are favourites here. All throughout Haryana, you will come across a number of Dhabas or roadside food stalls serving this typical fare. Lassi and Sherbat are the popular beverages.

UTTAR PRADESH

Uttar Pradesh has been greatly influenced by Mughlai cooking techniques which are famous in India and Pakistan. The Nawabi food in Lucknow is very famous for Dum Biryani, Galouti Kebab (roasted meat pieces) and other mutton dishes. The famous Indian breakfast item Puri, kheer, snacks such as samosa and pakora have their origin here. 

WEST BENGAL

The Bengali babus insist that a tour if India is incomplete without tasting their food which is a true combination of tastes and emotions of Eastern India. With an emphasis on fish and lentils served with rice as a staple diet, Bengali cuisine is known for its subtle flavours, its confectioneries and desserts, and has perhaps the only multi-course tradition from India that is analogous with French and Italian cuisine in structure. All the great sweets such as Rasagollah (small casein balls in sugar syrup), Rasmalai and Sandesh (fragile pieces of cheese kneaded with sugar) have their basIs here. The rest of eastern Indian cuisine is primarily non-vegetarian and has an intense tribal instinct.

This is the whole of India calling you to give it share of calories to make your summer a flavourful and delicious one. Go on, infuse life into your taste buds which lie comatose due to our lousy mess food. And most importantly do not forget to have a nice “PAAN” after your meal.

RAJASTHAN

Expect a ‘rich’ affair in this princely state as most of the preparations here are made out of  ghee and milk. Besan and gram flour are typical in Marwari food. The desert atmosphere here calls for food which can be preserved for long. The Rajasthani platter includes Daal-Baati, Tarfini, Raabdi, Bail-Gatte, Panchkoota, Chaavadi,  Laapsi, Kadhi, Boondi and snacks like Bikaneri Bhujia, Mirchi Bada and Pyaaj Kachori. 

GUJARAT

Gujarati cuisine is primarily vegetarian. It is distinctively sweet, salty and spicy at the same time. A special summer dish made of mangoes, Keri Nora, is an integral part of their meal. The steamed dhokla (steamed cubes of wheat), thepla, khakra, jilebi, kachori and undhiyu are some of its signature dishes.

Wine, The New Era Beer In America

By Ayanjit Phukan

In essence beer is just grain wine. We can see that the people who fall between the age group of 20-25 years, who are just out of college are generally beer drinkers. Beer is more famous amongst men than women because beer has an image problem. It is thought that an individual after drinking a couple of pints feels like 6”10 and bullet proof. People think that it is an unhealthy drink and beer drinking leads to gain in waist dimension also commonly known as the “beer belly”. But actually a glass of dark beer is as healthy as that of a red wine glass. It has been seen that out of the age group of 20-25 years (women), only 14% women drink beer and 54% men love their ales. Women do not like drinking beer much because of the bitterness imparted by the hops. Not all beers are same, there is a beer for everyone. For women Belgian beer is more suitable because the taste of the hops is very mild. But still beer is a favourite beverage as it quenches thirst, goes, goes well with almost any food and one can enjoy several beers without going drunk due to the low alcohol percentage, and they are priced in such a manner that anyone earning an average wage can enjoy it. Chefs around the world have started beer and food pairing. In America Chefs are pairing roast beef (dry) with British style pale ale. Chefs have even paired soups with beer. An American Chef has paired the Indian National soup Mulligatawny with a Scotch Ale.

People in the age group on 25-35 years are matured drinkers who love their wines, whiskies and cocktails. Nowadays it’s seen that global professionals are drinking more of wine than any other alcoholic beverage because of health reasons, since drinking wine is considered healthy. Drinking a moderate amount of wine helps reduce weight as it cuts fat, reduces forgetfulness, boosts immunity and prevents bone loss. People have started drinking more wine also because of disposable income, availability of good quality New World wines at a price which is affordable amongst the masses. Wine consumption has also seen an increase due to the easy availability of it in online stores. Online wine industry is really doing good specially amongst the millennial generations as they are heavy internet users. According to an article in the Global Wines and Spirits, in the United States of America only 6% of the consumer had bought wine from the web site of a winery in the year 2003. In the year 2007 the percentage of online buying went to 17%. Wine is a very vast subject. Today people are drinking good wine as they are better educated about the subject then what people were about two decades back, hence the increase in consumption. Also with the opening of a lot of customer-friendly wine stores and well educated seller. Today there are a lot of expert wine making consultants who has helped in the production of good quality wines.

Ayanjit Phukan is a 3rd student at Insitute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad.

Gastronomical Desires Of Astronomical Proportions

By Roopak Khandekar

No. This isn’t a ‘review’ on the condition of the Mess. I had written one last year, but hadn’t posted it on my blog for the simple reason that my blog didn’t exist back then. As a matter of fact, it came into this world around nine months after the self-respect and dignity of a certain ‘party’ (used in the ‘legal’ sense) were tampered with (Any person in the right state of mind should understand both these to be totally independent events).

Anyway, back to the topic. You can’t expect too much from a mess (it’s a ‘mess’ after all). But eating in a mess (or the Mess in this case) teaches you to find joy in little things like detecting the presence of paneer in a paneer parantha. However, soon the  monotony sets in , leaving you yearning for ‘real food’. The lure of ‘food’ has a pretty strong influence on the laziness of people; this has been practically observed among people who feel too lazy to walk across the ‘football ground’ to the new mess, but do not hesitate to visit places like Aalankrita or KFC, provided they aren’t bankrupt (though they do tend to occasionally stumble upon some generous soul). Eventually, however, some people (the Curdivore, a ‘leguminophobic’, may be considered a satisfactory example) build up enough patience or endurance if you may call it so, to sustain themselves until they go home during a ‘long’ vacation or when the semester ends.

Talking of quality of food, picturise ten filthy rich fellas feasting on fantastic, fabulous food ,‘finishing’ their meal leaving behind enough food to provide a good meal for five other people. You must have received at least one e-mail showing pictures of terribly malnourished people struggling for even the tiniest morsels of food. You may not have forwarded the e-mail to others, but the message certainly provides some food for thought.

When experts proudly mention the huge amounts of crops cultivated, why doesn’t the common man’s observations and experiences agree with it? The reason, as is easy to figure out, is wastage. No one really seems to give two hoots about it. Ordering amounts which are twice the volume of your stomach and discarding half of it. Being clueless about how a “few” crore rupees worth of food-grain rots away or vanishes into thin air. Knowing about the shortage of storage space and still going gaga over excellent yields (which eventually rot away)… Pathetic.

We may not be “shedding every value our mothers taught”, but sometimes we do tend to forget simple things like finishing all the food in your plate. If you aren’t sure whether you’d like it, don’t take such gargantuan amounts. Sense and simplicity…!!

 Small contributions by a large number of people can create a bit of hope.

Happy eating.

Top 5 Cuisines In The World

Compiled BY Vaibhav jain

5. Thai Cuisine - The foods are characterized by the use of fresh herbs and flavors, such as lime juice, lemon grass and fresh coriander. Rice is the main component in Thai foods as well. You will often come across nam pla, a strong fish sauce, shrimp paste and noodles. If you’re looking to get a kick of out your lunch, you should try the raw beef, fermented fish paste or deep fried insect larvae mostly present in the Northeast, where eating insects in fairly common.

4. Indian Cuisine - One of the world’s most sophisticated and diverse cuisines.  The Indian food served in restaurants worldwide is North Indian, also known as Mughlai or Punjabi. There are other 3 categories of Indian cuisine: South, East and West. 

3. Chinese Cuisine - is now eaten by a third of the world’s population every day. The cuisine is easy to create, economical and tasty. Most of the food is prepared in bite-sized pieces because the Chinese culture regards knives and forks as weapons. Usually, every person at the table is given a bowl of rice while the other dishes are shared by everyone at the table.

2. Italian Cuisine - One of the oldest in the world, the Italian cuisine brought potatoes, tomatoes pepper or maize on the list of ingredients. An Italian meal is structured into several sections: antipasto (the appetizer), primo (pasta or rice dish), secondo (meat course), dolce (dessert). Italy is also famous for over 400 kinds of cheese, including the famous Parmigianino Reggiano, and 300 types of sausages. 

1. French Cuisine - It can be called in the 21st century “haute cuisine”. Pastries are a large part of French cooking. Cheese and wine are also a major part of the cuisine, being perhaps the most famous of all. The modern restaurant has its roots in French culture so restaurants are bountiful. In Paris alone, there are over 5,000 places to eat, with prices and menus to suit anyone’s taste.

Please Sir, I Want Some More

By Shruti Vishwanath

I have a confession to make. This is not 1838 when Oliver Twist was written (and the above quote) and I am not talking about hungry Oliver and his orphaned friends in a seedy, third rate orphanage. This is India in 2010. So what, I care to ask. Is it any better?

Don’t go fooling yourself. You (and I) have 3 square meals a day (even hostelites), and we can afford the occasional pizza, ice cream and booze. But here are some statistics. Proven data, no sympathy pleas (yet). 43% of children in India are malnourished, accounting for 32% of the world’s malnourished children.

 To buy food amounting to 2200 Kcal a day and sufficient vitamins, minerals etc, a person needs money. About 40% of India lives on less than $1 a day. For infants and pregnant or lactating mothers, one needs to be extremely careful. Enough vitamins and minerals in the diet. For adolescent girls, enough iron.

One may argue that the Indian government has taken its steps. The Right to Food act. Offshoots of it being the midday meal scheme for schoolchildren and (a highly flawed) Public Distribution System,  ridden with corruption. But possibly the state of the hungry is far too daunting a problem for any government to face. So rather than being cynical, the question we must ask ourselves is, what can be done?

In a study I am carrying out for a project on nutrition in Maharashtra, I have been extremely fortunate to come across a village that is a model of excellence in implementation of Anganwadi (childcare centres), and the midday meal scheme. This particular village, Kasaramboli, is plagued by a lot of problems- environmental, water shortage, power cuts- as no doubt most villages in this country are. Their Anganwadi is a half completed structure with a Shiva temple covering half of an 800 sq ft unit area. Yet their menus are exemplary. More nutritious than our own breakfasts here. Peanut and rava ladoos (laddus) for breakfast, sprouts and chapattis for lunch. Within the government budget.  The children are happy. Parents are happy. The sarpanch is happy.

It’s not such a rosy picture in most other places. The midday meal scheme is constantly plagued by the problem of higher castes refusing to touch food cooked by lower caste women. Menstruating women have been questioned in Tamil Nadu by Brahmins. Hindus refuse foods cooked by Muslims. In all of these places, panchayats and the sarpanch of the villages should be extensively counseled and benefits offered to the villages implementing the schemes properly and peacefully.  The only problem being- the sarpanch usually gains more by funneling off some of the grain for the system for his own house.

We need to focus on bringing high nutrition foods into the reach of our starving children. Multinationals with their money and glamorous processed food? Maybe- but what are the long term health implications for us as a country? Do we want to become another United States, with the obesity, diabetes and heart disease? Is that what we aspire to?

India as traditionally eaten good food- chapattis, dal, rice, veggies, fish, jiggery based sweets, milk. We need to find a way to get good, nutritious foods to the majority of our population. To stop people from dying of hunger on the streets. Feed the pregnant women. Perhaps most importantly- set our midday meal scheme straight so that children can get both education and food.

Never in the history of mankind, has the task of feeding so many rested in the hands of so few. And the ratio can only get worse. To make sure that we as a nation get proper nutrition, along with all its allied benefits- better health, better productivity- is critical. And unless we act now, the task of feeding the 500 million hungry can only get more daunting. Food for thought, anyone?