For the love of food and travel

They say that no matter how old you become, when you are with your siblings, you revert back to your childhood. Growing up with my kid brother was one of the best adventures of my life. We’ve laughed over the silliest of things, fought for the tv remote almost everyday, we played as a team in home video games of Contra and Mario, watched the same movies over and over again and enjoyed the food during our every trip to the Gulf. He was my first “Foodie Buddy”. Years have passed by, and now when we are living in different continents, amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we still connect over food in our conversations of what we used to eat in the past and what we relish today. Growing up, we didn’t have big celebrations during birthdays with cakes and parties…didn’t feel the need then…but today, we look forward to celebrate any occasion. So, whether we’re near or far, birthdays and anniversaries we celebrate for each other wherever geographically we are. While my kid brother ce...

Happiness is family get togethers. A while back I had a wonderful opportunity to be part of one such party to celebrate a milestone birthday of my dear aunt. The date was set, the time was set and the location was set. My family from different parts of the country gathered together at a lovely resort in the Kappad Beach. While the celebrations were joyous and all of us had a gala time at the resort; a spontaneous stroll at the Kappad beach was a wonderful experience for me. I look my best when I’m totally free, on a holiday and walking on the beach. The Kappad beach is one of Kerala's highly tourist-attracted destinations due to its topography, is located 16 km away from Kozhikode is nestled away from the hustle-bustle of the city, which makes it an ideal beach holiday destination for relaxation. A very thrilling feature about the Kappad beach is the fascinating formation of rocks that protrudes into the sea. The beach landscape includes several coconut groves and long stretch...

I love homemade blueberry sauce…..whether it is spooned over a slice of cheesecake or on top of fluffy pancakes or also eaten along with a smooth panna cotta…it’s just absolute heaven. The thing I love the most about blueberry sauce…is that it comes together on the stovetop in less than ten minutes with just a few ingredients. Blueberries were called “star fruits” by North American indigenous people because of the five-pointed star shape that is formed at the blossom end of the berry. The blueberry is one of the only foods that is truly naturally blue in colour. The pigment that gives blueberries their distinctive colour—called anthocyanin—is the same compound that provides the blueberry’s amazing health benefits. The silvery sheen (or “bloom”) found on the skin of blueberries is a naturally occurring compound that helps protect the fruit. This is why you should only wash blueberries right before you’re going to eat them.  Consumption of blueberries has been linked to health benefi...

I love watching the sitcom Friends. In the episode of 'The One With All The Cheesecakes', Chandler and Rachel can't resist eating their neighbour's delicious cheesecake – and that episode always makes me crave for cheesecake.  Cheesecakes are essentially rich cheese and egg custards baked over a biscuit crust. It’s not technically a ‘cake.’ New York styled baked cheesecake is known for its creamy and satiny texture. It is rich, dense and with a flat top; that’s exactly how I like my cheesecake.  Homemade cheesecakes are surprisingly easy to make and require very little active time. The hardest part of the process is waiting for it to bake, cool, and chill overnight. The classic way for baking cheesecake is by using a water bath. A water bath, is the baker’s secret to creamy cheesecake perfection. All you need for a water bath is a deep roasting pan and foil. The cheesecake batter is basically a rich custard, it needs to be treated delicately. Without the moist heat of a...

  Red velvet cupcakes There is something really elegant about red velvet cupcakes. They just look so cool and they taste awesome, especially when covered with a nice homemade cream cheese frosting. Velvet cake is thought to have originated in USA in the early 20th century. During WWII,  soldiers and civilians had to ration off food and supplies. Baking products like sugar and butter were a part of the rations. As a result, some bakers chose to use beet juice in their cakes. Beet was and is used in some recipes as a filler or to retain moisture. The red color of the beets makes the cake have a more delicious appeal. However, not only do the beets make the cake pretty, but they also make the cake soft. These days, most have steered away from beets in their red velvet cake recipe, and instead opt for red food coloring to give the cake vibrancy. In recent years, red velvet cake and red velvet cupcakes have become increasingly popular in the US and many countries, especially a...

Summer time = Mango Mania. When the king of fruits is here.....we are all out to relish this wonderful juicy fruit in every way possible. Having it as it is - cut & sliced or juicing it or shaking it or drizzling it over yummy desserts....we leave no "Mango" unturned. Mango panna cotta is an easy yet classy dessert that you can make during the hot summer months. It is an easy make-ahead dessert that is served with a sweet and sour mango sauce on top ( https://bit.ly/3acecnH) . The perfect dessert for entertaining guests if you ask me! A spoonful of panna cotta is remarkably creamy, melting in the mouth without a trace of grittiness or lumps.  Panna cotta is a very basic pudding that is made of dairy thickened with gelatin. It originated in Italy and its name literally means "cooked cream". You can eat it straight out of a cup, but it's often unmolded onto a plate and drizzled with sweet sauce and garnished with fruit.  It is not known exactly how or when thi...