For the love of food and travel

When exams finally wrap up and vacations begin, one question echoes through my house every single day: “Mumma, what’s there to eat?” With the kids’ hunger pangs kicking in, the demand is always the same—cookies, biscuits, and cakes. And of course, nothing beats homemade treats. But this time, I wanted to try something a little different, especially for my chocolate-loving kids. I’ve baked chocolate cake before, and I’ve also done a classic vanilla sponge. So, I thought—why not combine the best of both worlds? A delightful mix-and-match: a chocolate and vanilla marble cake.   Marble cake called Marmorkuchen in German, originated in Germany back in the 19th Century.  The technique of this cake is to create a marble effect with two different colors of cake batters together. Molasses, spices, raisins, currants, and even coffee was originally used to create the darker color batter for the marbling effect.  German immigrants that came to America before the Civil War bro...

If you’re planning a weekend getaway from Bangalore, Pondicherry is a destination that should be at the top of your list. Located about six hours away by road, this charming coastal town offers the perfect blend of history, culture, and seaside tranquility. We’ve visited a couple of times already, and each trip has been delightful—so much so that I’d happily return again.  Pondicherry, now officially known as Puducherry, derives its name from the Tamil words meaning “New Town.” Today it stands as one of India’s Union Territories, though its past as a French colony continues to shape its character in remarkable ways. Many of its streets still bear French names—Romain Rolland Street, Bussy Street, La Bourdonnais Street, and several others that echo its colonial heritage. Strolling through the town, one cannot miss the elegant villas built in classic French architectural styles, their charm adding to the city’s timeless appeal. White Town is where Pondicherry’s French soul truly c...

It was one of those welcome breaks—a holiday from both school and work that stretched into a long weekend. Perfect for a quick getaway. Mr. Peter and I have always been the kind of travellers who plan at the last minute, and somehow, it usually works out beautifully for us. This journey took place a couple of years ago, yet the memories remain so vivid that I can still relive every delightful moment. Our destination was Madikeri , the charming capital of Kodagu (better known as Coorg) in Karnataka. Nestled amidst rolling hills and dense forest ranges, Madikeri is surrounded by lush plantations, especially coffee estates that perfume the air. The cool climate and misty terrain are part of what made Coorg so alluring to the British, who occupied the region for over a century. They even fondly referred to it as the Scotland of India . It took us about six hours to drive down from Bangalore. We chose to go by car, with Mr. Peter at the wheel, and the journey was pleasant—the roads were ...

We’re the kind of people who thrive on impulse. One minute we’re home, the next we’re packing a bag and heading off for a few days. Sometimes it’s by car, other times a bus, and occasionally even a flight. Strangely enough, whenever we plan a trip, it almost always unravels or gets canceled, so spontaneity has become our way of life. After one of those unplanned getaways, I was unpacking and checking the pantry and fridge when I spotted it: a whole untouched loaf of bread. I couldn’t bring myself to toss it, but I wasn’t in the mood to eat it either. That’s when the idea struck—croutons. Out of nowhere, the perfect solution had arrived. Now for those who don't know, a crouton is a piece of sautéed or rebaked bread, often cubed and seasoned; that is used to add texture and flavour to salads and soups. Storebought croutons mostly are hard and dry, and they don’t have the fresh taste that a homemade crouton has. When you bite down on a homemade crouton, it's sooooo good that ...

A salad is one such dish which consists of small pieces of food mixed with a sauce. It may contain virtually any type of ready to eat food. What I like about salads is that we can be so creative with the ingredients which is based around a wide variety of foods like vegetables, fruits, cooked meat, eggs, nuts and leafy greens. Garden salads use a base of leafy greens like lettuce, arugula, kale or spinach; they are common enough that the word salad alone often refers specifically to garden salads.  Other types include Mexican bean salad, tuna salad, Lebanese fattoush, Greek salad, Thai Raw Papaya Salad and Japanese somen salad (a noodle-based salad). The sauce used to flavor a salad is commonly called a salad dressing; well-known types include Ranch, Thousand Island, Caesar and French vinaigrette. Salads can be served at any point during a meal such as an appetiser or side dish or as a main course.  Food historians tell us salads (generally defined as mixed green...

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” — James Beard Have you ever gone past a bakery and got a whiff of freshly baked bread? Hmmm!!!!! Just the smell of that makes one feel so warm and comfy inside.  It's always easy to buy a loaf from your local supermarket or from the bakery, but why not make one at home.  Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods. It has been and still is a staple food in many countries of the world. We have it for breakfast along with eggs, butter, jam and cheese or as an evening snack like bread pakoda, we make sandwiches and it's great as desserts too like warm bread pudding or the shahi tukda. So many ways to eat such a humble food like bread.  Not only is it an important source of carbohydrates, it’s also portable and compact, which helps to explain why it has been an integral part of our diet for thousands of years.  In fact, rec...

I love watching the American TV sitcom F•R•I•E•N•D•S all the time.  In those the Thanksgiving episodes are some of my favourites.... apart from the hilarious scenarios and funny moments.... the one thing that I really like is the Thanksgiving meal set at Monica's table. It would be a feast with a lot of delicious food and a nice big Turkey roast at the centre. Slurpp!!Slurpp!! oohh yumm!!! At first, I thought roasting turkey was a hard thing to do. It must take a lot of time & effort to get something to look so glorious and yummy. So, I started looking for the method of cooking on the Internet. And to my surprise, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Hence, I gathered all the information that I could........mixed n matched a couple of them and made a recipe of my own using chicken. What started off as a fun experiment, turned out to be a delicious and healthy meal in itself. It’s the perfect meal to make when you’re expecting company, fancy Sunday suppers,...

A few years ago, Mr. Peter and I decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary in a pretty unusual way—we hopped on a houseboat in the backwaters of Alappuzha. Honestly, all we wanted was a break from the city, the noise and the constant rush. It was one of those spontaneous trips where we didn’t plan much, but it turned out perfect. Just us, floating along, soaking up the peace and quiet—it felt like the world had pressed pause just for us.   I remember that anniversary—it was on a Saturday. Friday was a regular day: Mr. Peter was stuck at work, the kids had school, and we couldn’t sneak away early. Trains and flights didn’t line up with our timings, so we settled for the Friday night bus from Bangalore. It was the kids’ very first long-distance bus ride, and to our relief, they slept through the journey without any fuss. By the time we reached Alappuzha, it was around 8 in the morning. The air was fresh, with that mix of sea breeze and the earthy smell of wet soil. Our tour m...