Recipe of the month: Methi Thepla & Tikhari

My apologies for not posting regularly on the blog since the start of 2023. I have been in India since the first week of February and having done a fair bit of domestic travel, I have not been in the headspace to even think about content creation. But currently I'm at home in Bangalore (not gotten into the habit of saying Bengaluru yet!) and have some time to myself so I decided to cook and blog a recipe that has quickly gone on to become a weekday staple meal. 

For those who have been following this space for a long time, you may be aware of my love for herbs and green leafy vegetables. Among those, methi or fenugreek leaves rank among my most favourite. 

In Singapore, fresh methi leaves aren't available at local grocery stores so the only way to get our hands on them is when we go to Indian grocery stores. Since they are hard to come by, I tend to buy a substantial amount and spend the next few days making some of my favourite dishes. If you have not done so yet, I suggest you try my recipes for Methi Paneer, Methi Pulao and Methi Dosa which are some of the dishes I typically make with fresh methi. I also tweak my Aloo Paratha recipe by adding in sautéed methi to the aloo (potato) filling which tastes just as great if not better. 

A dish I've learned to make more recently is methi thepla. I had it at a friend's house along with pickle and a spiced yoghurt-based side dish called tikhari a few years ago and I really liked the combination. I got the recipes, tweaked them a little to suit our preferences and I haven't looked back since. These nutritious theplas turn out tender and are both wholesome and flavourful. 

Methi thepla and tikhari now features as a staple on our weekday menu. My family loves it, guests appreciate it, and it is super travel and lunch box friendly so an all-round winning dish in my humble opinion.

I hope you try this recipe and it works just as well for you as it does for me 😊

Book review: Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

Let me start by saying that I do not typically gravitate towards the non-fiction genre of books as some of you might already be aware. A good story is what spurred my childhood love of reading and that doesn’t seem to have changed even after all these years. I consider myself to be a mildly imaginative and creative person by nature so escaping into a world of fiction where there is an absorbing story and compelling characters is my jam.

That said, I’ve been making a conscious effort to broaden my knowledge and perspective by interspersing fiction novels with non-fiction books in my reading list. I’ve read a couple of really thought-provoking non-fiction books in the last two years. They do tend to derail my reading pace but in the interest of personal growth, I’m determined to keep going. 

I added Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah to my reading list after seeing the sky-high ratings on Goodreads. The title of the book also piqued my curiosity. Born a crime? That sounded serious. 

Prior to reading the book, my husband and I had watched The Daily Show many times as well as several stand-up stage performances by the charming and hilarious Trevor Noah. But I had no idea if his flair for comedy and public speaking would translate into a good autobiography. Would the book be well-written? Would it be uplifting or bleak? What could I learn from it? These were some thoughts that entered my mind. In the end, I was not only pleasantly surprised but wowed even! 

In this fascinating memoir about his life, Trevor Noah, shines light on the complexities growing up as the child of a Swiss-German white father and Xhosa black mother during the dying days of apartheid in South Africa. His very existence as a biracial child during those times was considered illegal and even after apartheid fell, he continued to face the unique challenges from his ill-defined racial identity. He wasn’t black and he wasn’t white so he didn’t 'fit in' anywhere. 

In a nutshell, Born a Crime is an amalgamation of tumultuous history, brilliant storytelling, acute observations and meaningful reflection of the political climate and culture of South Africa during the 80s and 90s. At the crux of the memoir is Noah’s relationship with his mother, a single and formidable black woman who subverted the system at every step and equipped her son with essential skills that he needed in life to succeed.

Noah opens his memoir with a line stating that as a 9-year old child, his mother pushed him out of a moving bus. As shocking as that sounds, he proceeds to explain just why she did that and from there onwards, you just want to know more.

Restaurant review: Pano Kato Grill, Pizza & Deli, Singapore

Wishing all my readers a very Happy New Year 2023 💥 May the new year bring happiness, peace and prosperity. 

This is going to be a big year for my family. We have lots of changes, transitions and challenges up ahead. But we are preparing for it and I will post an update in due course of time 😊

I had some draft posts from 2022 that needed publishing. This post is from last November when my brother-in-law and his wife visited us from the US. They stayed with us for 10 days and it was a jam-packed but fun family reunion with us heading out somewhere or the other almost every single day. 

During that time we were specifically looking for non-Indian restaurants (that we had not been to previously) that offered a decent selection of vegan options. Although we are not vegan, our guests happened to be and so we wanted everyone to enjoy a good meal when we were dining out. 

I'm usually aware of new and/or buzzworthy restaurants that open in Singapore, especially those that are vegetarian-friendly. I invariably come across them on social media or I hear about them from friends and colleagues. So when my husband suggested Pano Kato Grill, Pizza and Deli, a Mediterranean eatery housed in Tanglin mall, I was mildly surprised because I had never heard of the place. 

This restaurant is the culinary adventure from the owners of House of AnLi, Anne-Jean and Panagiotis. Pano Kato in Greek translates to upstairs downstairs referring to House of AnLi's store & bistro located upstairs and Pano Kato located downstairs inside Tanglin Mall.

At Pano Kato, delicious food from the Mediterranean region made with good-quality natural ingredients is served in all its simplicity.

The stylish restaurant is bright and airy, has ample space and a lovely white and green Mediterranean-inspired décor embellished with rattan furnishings and potted plants for a tropical touch. The restaurant has a welcoming and relaxed vibe. 

I spent a few minutes gazing at the delectable food enclosed within the glass shelves. There were stuffed peppers, salads, falafel, patties, cakes, tarts and puddings among others. 

The staff were friendly and hospitable. They had us comfortably seated and handed us the menu. The menu offers a wide selection of appetizers, salads, sides, pizzas, burgers, pasta, wraps, Greek desserts and artisan ice-creams. Most dishes are from Greek and Italian cuisine. There are gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options available. There is also a section for kids menu and I was glad to see it included some wholesome dishes instead of the deep-fried or cheese loaded junk food that is commonly found in the kids menu section at most restaurants (this is a huge pet peeve of mine by the way!). 

After placing our lunch order, we snuck over to the adjacent House of AnLi to check out the homewares and furnishings. They have some really nice stuff but most of it is rather pricey so a fat wallet is recommended 😄

Fort Canning Park & National Museum of Singapore: Where Nature Meets History, Art & Culture

Fort Canning Park is an iconic hilltop landmark in Singapore which has witnessed many of the island's historical milestones.

The park dates back to when Malay royalty once ruled in medieval times. Through time, it served as the Headquarters of the Far East Command Centre and British Army Barracks. The decision to surrender Singapore to the Japanese in 1942 was also made on the hill, in the Underground Far East Command Centre, commonly known as Battle Box. More recently, the park has turned into a venue for celebrations and plays host to exhibitions, concerts, theatre productions and festivals. Weddings, parties and gatherings are also a common sight at the park's expansive lawns.

The park was originally known as Bukit Larangan, or 'Forbidden Hill' in Malay as it was believed to be haunted. It was renamed Fort Canning in 1861 after Viscount Charles John Canning, the first Viceroy of India. 

Although small in terms of area, the hill has a long history intertwined with that of the city-state due to its location as the highest elevation within walking distance to the downtown city area. Today, the 18-hectare space surrounded by centuries old gateways and gazebos is a hotspot of attractions—from ancient artefacts for history buffs to manicured lawns for outdoor recreation and lush greenery for nature lovers. 

The charming boutique Hotel Fort Canning, is also situated within the premises.

Back in 2014, we stayed at Hotel Fort Canning as part of a babymoon staycation and spent a few days leisurely exploring the park. We hadn't been back since and it had always been on my list of places to visit with the kids. 

Fort Canning Park

A few months ago, I picked Fort Canning Park as a scootering venue for the girls followed by a visit to the National Museum of Singapore located nearby and finally a family lunch at Hotel Fort Canning to relive some fond memories.

After parking, one of the first sights we came across was the Gothic Gate. This archway serves as the entrance to Fort Canning Green and is marked with the letters “IHS” which translates to Iota Eta Sigma (the first three letters of the Greek word of Jesus).

There are enough sign posts and information boards so you can go about exploring the park in an organized manner. If you go with kids in tow, I encourage you to let them read for themselves and try to grasp the history of our Little Red Dot 😊

The ASEAN Sculpture Garden is the first garden that we encountered. There are 5 sculptures signifying different things that are put up for display in the garden.

We came across The Battle Box aka the Underground Far East Command Centre. During the Second World War, Lieutenant General Arthur Ernest Percival (Commander of British Forces) used the underground bunkers at Fort Canning as his commanding base.

I remember the 9-Pound Cannon from my previous visit to the park. Dating back to the 19th century, the cannon was said to be fired thrice daily to announce the hour; it was also fired to warn about town fires or even as a salute. The South Battery sits next to the cannon, and this is where the main gun battery was mounted to defend Singapore.

Fort Canning Park has wide open paths flanked by soothing greenery that makes it a great location for scootering, cycling, walking or running.