Navaratri Special: Quick Carrot Halwa (With Condensed Milk)

The festive season is here and it is helping to dissipate some of the gloom that has descended on us since the start of the year. 

Navaratri (Sanskrit: Nine nights) is a multifaceted Hindu festival held in honor of the divine feminine. The celebrations occur over 9 days culminating in Dussehra (also called Vijayadashami) on the 10th day. It is celebrated differently in different parts of India but the essence of the festival is the celebration of the triumph of good over evil. 

In my hometown of Mysore, a city in the state of Karnataka in Southern India, this festival is celebrated with legendary grandeur and pomp. People flock to Mysore during "Dasara" to experience the festivities. I sorely miss home during this time as it brings back innumerable memories of Mysore Dasara, a time during which the city is brilliantly illuminated, the traditional Dasara procession (known as Jamboo savari) takes place on the streets of the city followed by the torch-light parade on Vijayadashami. There are various music and dance concerts during this time. The whole city comes alive. Sparkling clean households are brimming with colors and lights, beautiful traditional clothes make an appearance, the smells of incense, flowers, ghee and deep-fried goodies only add to the festive vibe. It is a magical time indeed.

I'm not exactly what you would call religious but I do enjoy Indian festivals very much. Although, I’ll admit that living outside India, our celebrations are scaled-down considerably. For us it is work as usual so unless the festival falls on a weekend, we can’t really do much. The home is kept cleaner than usual, a little more effort goes in adorning the God's mantap and prayers are kept simple. We primarily celebrate through cooking of festive Indian dishes, wearing traditional clothes (usually only the kids get brand new ones 😛) and meeting up with close friends and family at the nearest opportunity. It's not much but it does help to alleviate some homesickness. 

Personally, I don't observe any kind of fasting or dietary modifications during Navaratri nor do I have the time or inclination to make a dizzying array of sweets and snacks. However, I do commit to making at least one of each. This year, I made homemade samosas and carrot halwa. 

For me, Indian sweets have to be quick otherwise I won't bother making them at all 😛 I made this carrot halwa using condensed milk which shortened the time to just about half an hour. I served the warm halwa with vanilla ice-cream which is how I like it (this again brings back lots of memories from back home). 

Here is the recipe folks. I always cut down the amount of sweetness but feel free to adjust the recipe according to your tastes.

Wishing you good health, prosperity and positivity. 

Cosmo Prime Air Purifier Review: Breathe Easy!

Product Review

If you know me personally, you would probably be aware that both I and my husband are complete sticklers for cleanliness and hygiene. It is an area of our lifestyle where we do not compromise at all. So unsurprisingly, this trait reflects in our home. Even with busy schedules and two young children, we have always made it a priority to maintain a clean and healthy home. 

We recently did a makeover for the kids bedroom to make the small space aesthetically pleasing as well as fully functional. With the bunk bed, wardrobe, study table, dresser and storage units in place, we felt like we had tackled the main areas. Since the room already had a CCTV camera, air-conditioning unit and a wall-mounted fan, I couldn't think of anything else the room needed until I received an e-mail about a product review for an air purifier. 

The quality of air inside my home was the one thing that I had not seriously considered. It is probably because Singapore enjoys better air quality than most Asian cities. I admit that the only time the air becomes a priority for us is during the few weeks/months of "haze" that Singapore suffers from due to forest fires in neighboring countries during the months of June-September. During that period the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings are frequently in the "unhealthy" range and like most people, we are weary of stepping out of the house. 

But then again, the air indoors can be polluted by mold, dust, cleaning chemicals, cooking by-products, pet dander and many other invisible products that tend to build up in our homes. It is often the case that we tend to invest a lot of time and money into our diet and make the effort to keep our bodies hydrated. But how often do we think about the quality of air that we breathe that is just as important as food and water for our survival?  

Today's air is much more polluted than it used to be. With an increase in population growth comes an increase of energy use and production which negatively impacts the air quality.  

Air purifiers can help keep the air in our immediate surroundings clean.  Dust and mold commonly collect in homes and can lead to respiratory issues such as asthma and allergies. Air purifiers remove these toxins from the home in addition to airborne bacteria and viruses to allow for improved breathing and overall health.

Best In Singapore, a convenient one-click online destination for the best deals and trends in Singapore has compiled a list of Best Air Purifiers in Singapore. You can check out their website for well-researched and detailed articles on the best Singapore has to offer. Alternatively, you can also visit their Instagram and Facebook pages. 

One of their top recommendations for air purifiers happened to be Cosmo Prime Air Purifier which uses trademarked technology and smart design to provide a long-lasting, silent and powerful air purifier. 

This is Singapore’s best-reviewed and best-selling air purifier for good reason.

Image source: Cosmo website

Features of Cosmo Prime Air Purifier

Designed in Germany, Cosmo Air Purifier boasts medical grade H13 HEPA technology which means that it comes equipped with a revolutionary 3-in-1 HEPA Filter. Unlike regular HEPA filters, this ultimate filter has been engineered to filter up to 99.97% of all air pollutants (down to 0.1 microns) including smoke, dust, dander, other harmful chemical and infectious agents in addition to pollen, dust, mould, bacteria and dust mites. 

The first pre-filter intercepts large suspended particles such as hair, dust, lint and fur. The second H13 HEPA filter removes microparticles and blocks germs and allergens while the third activated carbon neutralizes odors in the air and absorbs formaldehyde. Plus, these filters have pores that are up to 20 times finer than your average HEPA filters, hence ensuring that it traps the fine pollutants that it claims to. 

It also has a Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) of 400m3 and a coverage area of 80m2 – making it perfect for most rooms.

I was delighted with the color of the product since it matched the color scheme of the kids room. With a sleek and modern cylindrical design and dimensions of 27 cm (w) x 30.3 cm (l) x 49.7 cm (h), the air purifier fits seamlessly into any kind of room and looks quite chic. And it is unexpectedly light weight. It even has a cute handle for easy transportation. 

I would recommend that you read the instruction manual before plugging in the machine. The HEPA filter is protected by a plastic wrapping which you would need to remove first before fitting it back into the machine. After that, you are good to go!

When you press the power button the default wind speed mode is medium. 

You will notice the indicator light change sequentially from blue - cyan - green - yellow - orange - red - purple, which will last 30s for pre-heating. After 30s, the light indicator will reflect the true air quality. Blue = good air quality, yellow = average air quality and red = poor air quality. The digital display will also show the PM2.5 numerical reading according to the air quality.

I was super stoked to see that the air quality in my home is healthy.

You can adjust the wind speed according to 4 settings: Auto-High-Medium-Sleep. I usually turn on the Sleep Mode because this function turns off the LED air quality lights.