Recipe of the month: Ragda Patties

Chaat includes a wide array of savoury snacks, typically served at roadside stalls or carts in India but have over the years (due to their growing popularity), started to appear on the menus of even the most sophisticated Indian restaurants. With its origins in east India, chaat has become immensely popular in the rest of India and even the rest of South Asia. 

Most of my family and friends are major chaat junkies. Though I am not really a hard-core fan, there are certain chaats that I am extremely fond of. One of them is Ragda Patties. The main components of this dish are a shallow-fried potato cutlets and a warm and spicy yellow peas gravy. The potato cutlets are smothered in the gravy, garnished with finely chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and topped off with a spicy chutney and a sweet and sour date-tamarind chutney.

This dish actually serves as a complete meal and doesn’t take much time to prepare provided you have planned ahead and done the prep work.

Mesmerizing Mauritius

Mauritius is an island nation known for its unparalleled scenic beauty off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar. 

We had been to Mauritius for a week in October 2008. It was a family holiday that came together after months of intercountry planning and discussion as we had to coordinate mine and my husband’s schedules with that of my parents and siblings.

Before I get on with our holiday escapades, here is something you may enjoy reading

Interesting trivia about Mauritius

• The main languages spoken are Mauritian Creole, French and English

• The currency is Mauritian rupee

• The cuisine is a blend of Indian, Creole, Chinese and European influences

• More than 50% of the population of Mauritius is Hindu.

• Mauritius is renowned for having been the only known home of the Dodo bird as a result of which, most souvenir shops in Mauritius bear the image of this bird on their merchandise

Fashion 101

Ok ladies, this post is for you 😊

I am not a fashionista by any stretch of imagination. In fact, most of the time, I am quite clueless as to what clothes would be flattering on my body type. There have been plenty of instances where my dress etiquette has been downright sloppy. 

However, now that I am in my late twenties, I am more conscious while shopping and I make a lot more effort to pick out clothes, shoes and accessories that are fashionable while not sacrificing comfort. I do think that it is important to look good. It has nothing to do with being vain or narcissistic really. It is just taking the time to look after and feel good about oneself. After all, our choice of clothing does reflect our state of mind, attitude and thoughts towards a particular event, person or activity. Don't you agree? 

We usually look at celebrities and envy them for their flawless appearance, slender figure and fabulous wardrobe but isn't it in their job description to look good? They have the best fitness trainers, dieticians, beauticians, stylists and designers at their beck and call so it's no wonder that they manage to look like a million bucks pretty much all the time. For regular women with careers, families and countless other responsibilities, the pressure to look good is real. But with the adequate fashion know-how, you and me can still look good minus the celebrity tag.  

To my mom....on Mother's day

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie" 

                                                  

                                                    ~ Tenneva Jordan

I love this quote because it is so typical of my mom. Only a mother can exhibit such selflessness. I think it comes as a default trait with the whole "mom" package. I think celebrating mother's day on one day of the year does absolutely no justice to what they do for us on a day to day basis. I can honestly say that my relationship with my mother is one of the most significant relationships I have in my life. On this mother's day I thought I'd write about all the things I love and appreciate about my mom.

Amma, this is why I am grateful that you are my mother...