tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601743813156375892024-03-08T06:29:24.164-08:00Different StrokesVegetarian recipes and travel trails.sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-15634068813013630132015-11-02T20:59:00.001-08:002015-11-02T20:59:26.427-08:00Travel | Horsleys Hill - When destination does not matter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Endless playing time, uninterrupted sleep and <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-healthy-one-pot-meal-quick-indian-soup/" target="_blank">travel </a>plans....the word vacation brings with it the joy of indulging in activities we all love.</div>
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First day of holiday for my children begins after the end of mid-term
exam and we were deciding on a small <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-whole-wheat-bread-date-cake-healthy/" target="_blank">weekend getaway</a> near
Chennai. And the next thing I knew, we were already on our way to <b><i>Horsleys Hill. </i></b></div>
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With no particular destination in mind and no prior bookings
required, these weekend getaways are a perfect way to rewind. I love these quick weekend trips for the sheer joy of traveling with my family, when destination does not matter to us and we <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-healthy-sandwiches-vegetarian/" target="_blank">travel </a>just to be together for some time.<br />
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Forget your long
to-do-list, take deep breath and just soak up the nature. Take time to discover and appreciate the small wonders of nature which are hard to find in city….tiny dew drops on leaves, colourful insects on ground, collect wild flowers and berries or listen to birds and animals in silence. </div>
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It’s good to shuffle your plans at times and slow down. These weekend trips rejuvenates and gives you new perspective on how to deal with what is ahead of you.<br />
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Please don’t read further if you are waiting for a <i>Taj Mahal</i>
to unfold as you walk through or waiting for a <i>Shikara </i>to take you for ride.</div>
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Like many other weekend destinations we have been to, this place also has nothing much to offer. But then, the destination does not matter, it's the entire process of getting started for the trip and the long travel together, which gets us excited.<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></div>
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As always we woke up at 3.30, took bath and started our journey around 4.30am. </div>
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We planned to visit <i>Kanipakkam</i>, one another temple dedicated to lord Ganesha en route. The deity here is seated in a well and the temple is said to be thousands of years old. </div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">After a wonderful <i>darshan </i>at <i><b>Kanipakkam </b></i>temple, we had our breakfast in a highway restaurant and started our journey towards <i>Madanapalli </i>town.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The large boulders resting precariously on the slopes of hills near</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Madanapalli,</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">make a spectacular view. As I peep out of the car I get the whiff of wild flowers and chilly mountain air.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Located at about 1,300 mts above sea level close to Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, this quaint hill station of</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><b><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Horsley</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Hills</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></i></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">is a perfect place for weekend travelers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The hillock got its name from W H Horsley, a British servant who served the collector of</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Cuddapah</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">during 1863-1867 and built this beautiful summer retreat there. The entire Bungalow is occupied by the government now and is converted into a resort called</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Haritha</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The resort has a good swimming pool, spa, Kerala massage center, restaurant and many outdoor activities for children in its premises. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">There is a small
environmental park which has a museum and a few caged animals and birds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The Wind rock view
point right behind the Governors’ Bungalow is a wonderful place to spend time.
One can walk down the hills and rocks and enjoy the sunset and heavy wind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />We reached the resort around noon, had out lunch and relaxed for a while. The property is situated on a very high altitude which </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">provides it with cool weather all round the year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Children played cards with their day and went around the resort clicking pictures and enjoying the nature.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">We went for an early evening walk to a small </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">environmental</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> park which </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">has a museum and a few caged animals and birds.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">And then proceeded to 'Wind rock' view point right behind the Governors’ Bungalow. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;">Children</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> walked down the hills & rocks and enjoy the sunset and heavy wind with many other </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">travelers</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> present there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">It rained heavily in night and we woke up to see thick fog and dense cloud covering the entire hill.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The mist and the clouds surrounding the entire valley….is famous for red sandalwood plants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Nest day morning we went for a misty morning walk and it won’t be an exaggeration if I say that the whole trip was worth just that walk!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The city sleeps early and gets up late and the roads were empty and silent at 6.30am in morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">We were shivering in the crispy chilly air, walking hard in dark clouds against heavy winds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">As we reached the wind rock, we could hear the sound of many people but could not see anyone, as the visibility dropped to near zero in the morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 18px;">With mist and clouds swirling us, and the visibility dropping to zero we were scared to venture down the steep valley and returned back to our resort. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">We decided to check-out around noon and visit the popular international residential school </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">‘</span><st1:place style="font-size: 13.5pt;" w:st="on"><i><st1:placename w:st="on">Rishi</st1:placename> </i><st1:placetype w:st="on">Valley</st1:placetype></st1:place><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">’, near <i>Madanapalli.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">We bid farewell to the hills and started our <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-healthy-sandwiches-vegetarian/" target="_blank">journey </a>back home. </span></div>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-6184314321291590612015-11-02T20:58:00.000-08:002015-11-02T20:59:54.272-08:00Yelagiri - Travel gives you a story to tell, the story of Bhairava the dog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Think of a quick weekend getaway from Chennai and the first
hilly place that strikes immediately is <i>Yelagiri</i>. </div>
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We love such short and sweet weekend trips by road. These trips are a great way to rewind, spent some quality family time together and just do nothing but relax with nature. </div>
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The best part of our trips is that both are children co-operate and are well accustomed to our frenzy way of travelling They get up as early as 3.30 am, take bath and make themselves ready for the trips.<br />
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We started at 4.30 am in morning as we had plans to
visit <i>Thiruttani </i>temple on route. We drove till the temple which is situated on top of a hill The climate was cool and the crowd was relatively less when we visited. </div>
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After a good <i>Darshnam </i>we had food at a highway restaurant and started our journey to <b>Yelagiri</b>.</div>
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The view you get while driving uphill and maneuvering 14
sharp hair-pin bends to reach Yelagiri in itself is worth the trip. </div>
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Dense forest,
pristine air filled with sweet smelling flowers & wild herbs and the
panoramic view of the valleys and hills gives a feel of tranquility….what more
one can ask for?</div>
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We stopped at many places and talked to the locals who were busy working in their fields.<br />
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I got a bag full of farm fresh finger millet from them...<br />
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While the children enjoyed walking into the fields and watching the farmers work.<br />
We reached our simple and no-fancy resort 'Silent Valley' around 12 noon, had our lunch and relaxed for a while.<br />
In the evening, we decided to take a walk to the nature's park nearby and explore the hilly life on foot.<br />
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I had my first taste of many unusual wild berries and bought wood apples and star fruits with lots of local spice powder from the lady.<br />
We reached our resort, had dinner and decided to trek to <b>Swamimalai </b>temple the next morning. The restaurant owner advised us to start early and avoid the sunlight and heat after 8am.<br />
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It was around 5.45 am when we reached <i>Managlam </i>village the base from where the trek to <i><b>Swamimalai </b></i>start. We were the first to reach the foot hills. It was really eerie to look at the dark and lonely pathway ahead.<br />
And then out of nowhere a mountain dog appeared in front of us. My children, who were already in double mind whether to trek or not, got scared and started to pester us to return back to our resort.<br />
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The dog moved away from us and stood on a rock ahead of us, as if waiting for us to continue our trekking.<br />
My hubby looked at the dog, smiled and softly called '<i>Bhairava</i>'...and we saw him wagging his tail with happiness.<br />
"<i>Come on babies, don't get scared, he is our friend & guide 'Bhairava' and he will take us to the temple safely</i>." <br />
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<i>Bhairava </i>was our motivator, happily hopping, showing us the way and waiting for us to climb the mountain with ease.<br />
After an hour or so, we could hear the mountain resonated with the happy shrieks of young and enthusiastic trekkers.<br />
While we chose to follow the already laid muddy food path there were many adventurous trekkers who took to more difficult route.<br />
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And yes, he also photo-bombed almost all of our pictures :)<br />
My daughter climbed a small rock and wanted a picture...and out of nowhere <i>Bhairava </i>emerged and sat right in front of her.<br />
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<i>Bhairava</i>, peeping down from the mountain top, waiting for us to reach. It took us two hours to reach the temple which is dedicated to lord Shiva.<br />
The view point was breathtaking with beautiful valleys and trees all around the temple. The temple had many visitors who were taking pictures and sharing the food they brought with them.<br />
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<i>Bhairava </i>was busy mingling with others and eating biscuits and food given to him by them. We could not locate him after some time.<br />
We spent a little time on the mountain, said bye to many co-travellers and started our journey down hill.<br />
And to our surprise <i>Bhairava </i>was standing right in front of us. He followed us again till the plains. We bought some biscuit packets and offered him and said good bye with a heavy heart.<br />
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Incidentally, <i>Bhairava </i>in Hindu religion is associated with lord Shiva who follows <i>Pandavas </i>in <i>Mahabharat </i>during their final journey.<br />
<br />
And our <i>Bhairava </i>was the star attraction who certainly stole the show of our weekend trip to Yelagiri! <br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nlywpN5unLs1lGJPIkimYNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="780" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7KLzijcGr98/VhzMsCFokrI/AAAAAAAANhk/OK9UBf6DIs4/s800-Ic42/_MG_8687.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
<br />
Back to the resort we had a hearty South Indian buffet breakfast which was complimentary.<br />
The buffet spread at the resort was good. The fun part was the bon fire they arranged with a magic show and impromptu dance from some of the families staying there.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WGvb0RagMHd3pdHk0JLrgdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="774" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JkniZF6yNlI/VhzNy55pOvI/AAAAAAAANi0/oUGnBC2K_Sk/s800-Ic42/_MG_8844.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
<br />
The next day we went for an early morning walk around the resort enjoying the cool breeze and discovering some beautiful village
life.<br />
Children indulged in playing lots of indoor games with their daddy while I enjoyed my 'me-time' near the river side with endless cups of tea and coffee :)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/T18NcPEDl5L8nm33OEBRs9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FjQB63-15HU/VhzN91aE_oI/AAAAAAAANi8/7Gz0QiW9XHY/s800-Ic42/_MG_8867.JPG" width="547" /></a>
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Enjoying the misty valley while driving down and stopping for a click or two.<br />
<b>Yelagiri </b>is trekkers paradise, the best thing you can do there is an early morning walk, relax and do nothing. You can also take a cycle ride, fill your lungs with fresh air and discover the slow and rustic way of life uphill.<br />
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-33250912078246552142014-12-22T02:49:00.003-08:002014-12-22T02:49:51.273-08:00Recipe | Quick and easy yogurt eggless cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8zzWlgeab0w/VI78VaCerbI/AAAAAAAALyY/9OsquiKveVQ/s1600/IMG_4030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8zzWlgeab0w/VI78VaCerbI/AAAAAAAALyY/9OsquiKveVQ/s1600/IMG_4030.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
This eggless <a href="http://litebite.in/recipe-bites/" target="_blank">cake </a>recipe is quite easy to bake and can be adapted well to cook a steamed version of cake.<br />
I use the same batter to fill small aluminium moulds and steam them in a <a href="http://litebite.in/steamed-eggless-christmas-cake/" target="_blank">pressure cooker</a> (without vent) for about 20-25 minutes.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zr5thcmiYAY/VI78ciwvpyI/AAAAAAAALyg/_sHpyMsz7F4/s1600/IMG_3997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zr5thcmiYAY/VI78ciwvpyI/AAAAAAAALyg/_sHpyMsz7F4/s1600/IMG_3997.JPG" /></a></div>
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<o:p><b>Ingredients</b>;</o:p></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 ½ cups All purpose flour</li>
<li>1 cup powdered sugar</li>
<li>1/2 cup yogurt</li>
<li>1/2 cup vegetable oil</li>
<li>1/4 cup milk</li>
<li>5-6 Dates</li>
<li>1 tbsp. vinegar</li>
<li>1 tsp. Vanilla essence</li>
<li>1 tsp bakig powder</li>
<li>1/2 tsp baking soda</li>
<li>Chocolate sauce to garnish</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tfkkcVT_BFA/VJK1yssoppI/AAAAAAAAL2g/z9KcJaDMC7Y/s1600/IMG_4029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tfkkcVT_BFA/VJK1yssoppI/AAAAAAAAL2g/z9KcJaDMC7Y/s1600/IMG_4029.JPG" /></a></div>
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Preheat oven to 190°C and grease a cake pan.</div>
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Sift flour, with baking powder and baking soda.</div>
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De-seed the dates and chop them finely.</div>
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Pour milk, yogurt and oil in a large bowl and whisk with a
beater.</div>
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Add flour mixture, vanilla essence, chopped dates, vinegar in the bowl and
fold all the ingredients with a fork to combine.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5WoOT3cZgPw/VI78hImZOII/AAAAAAAALyo/GK403YSU7lQ/s1600/IMG_4013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5WoOT3cZgPw/VI78hImZOII/AAAAAAAALyo/GK403YSU7lQ/s1600/IMG_4013.JPG" /></a></div>
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Pour the batter in the cake tin (I used my pudding pan to get this lovely shape) and bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes or till a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.<
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Transfer the cake tin on a wire rack and let it cool.</div>
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Drizzle chocolate sauce over the cake, slice and serve.</div>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-66179165070949557142014-12-22T02:47:00.002-08:002014-12-22T02:48:07.823-08:00Recipe | Easy Eggless Custard Cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3Lg0WbgqfNY/VJRFGahHydI/AAAAAAAAL24/etYWOvRxUsY/s1600/IMG_3465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3Lg0WbgqfNY/VJRFGahHydI/AAAAAAAAL24/etYWOvRxUsY/s1600/IMG_3465.JPG" /></a></div>
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Custard powder used in the <a href="http://litebite.in/recipe-bites/" target="_blank">recipe </a>gives a light texture to this egg less <a href="http://litebite.in/baking-healthy-cornish-saffron-bread-cake/" target="_blank">cake</a>.The idea of using custard powder in baking a cake came from Aparna's blog.<br />
You can replace the custard powder with cornflour.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b><br /></b>
<b>Ingredients</b>;</div>
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</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 ½ cups All purpose flour</li>
<li>1 cup milk</li>
<li>3/4 cup vanilla flavored custard powder</li>
<li>1/2 cup sugar</li>
<li>1/2 cup butter</li>
<li>1/4 cup raisins</li>
<li>1 tsp. vinegar</li>
<li>1 tsp baking powder</li>
</ul>
<b>Method</b>; Add flour, baking powder, custard powder and raisins in a large bowl and combine.<br />
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<o:p>Preheat oven at 180°C and grease individual baking tins.</o:p></div>
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Whisk butter and sugar in another bowl till sugar is dissolved.</div>
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Add butter-sugar mixture, vinegar, and milk to the bowl of flour.</div>
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Fold all the ingredients to combine.</div>
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Pour the batter into greased baking tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or till done.</div>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-32598577534290552672014-12-22T02:46:00.002-08:002014-12-22T02:46:54.237-08:00Recipe | Quick eggless Date cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RHJqJUFijdk/VJagim7P24I/AAAAAAAAL4g/-jm0G-gd-Hs/s1600/_MG_8544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RHJqJUFijdk/VJagim7P24I/AAAAAAAAL4g/-jm0G-gd-Hs/s1600/_MG_8544.JPG" /></a></div>
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The goodness of Dates and wonderful aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg make these <a href="http://litebite.in/baking-healthy-cornish-saffron-bread-cake/" target="_blank">cakes </a>a perfect tea-time goodies.<br />
At times I replace Dates with Date syrup which is readily available in market. The syrup reduces time to assemble and <a href="http://litebite.in/category/baking-bites/" target="_blank">bake </a>this cake.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<b>Ingredients</b>; </div>
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</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 cup All purpose flour</li>
<li>1 cup chopped Dates</li>
<li>1 cup milk</li>
<li>1/2 cup melted butter</li>
<li>1/2 cup sugar</li>
<li>3 tbsp. chopped almonds</li>
<li>1 tsp. cinnamon powder</li>
<li>1 tsp. nutmeg powder</li>
<li>1 tsp. Baking powder</li>
</ul>
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<b>Method</b>; Bring milk to boil in a pan.</div>
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Take it off and soak
de-seeded and chopped dates in it for about 2 hours.</div>
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Grind the soaked date with sugar and milk into fine puree.</div>
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Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, chopped almonds
and nutmeg powder in a large bowl and combine well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pour date puree and melted butter in the bowl and fold in
with a fork or spoon to make a smooth batter. Preheat oven to 180°C and grease
small baking tins or a single round cake tin.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pour the batter in baking tins and bake for about 25-30 minutes
or till done. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mrGntK3l-KQ/VJagvK8p1dI/AAAAAAAAL4o/ymXzyu-KsEc/s1600/_MG_8538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mrGntK3l-KQ/VJagvK8p1dI/AAAAAAAAL4o/ymXzyu-KsEc/s1600/_MG_8538.JPG" /></a></div>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-80470223356583070502014-11-22T03:22:00.001-08:002014-11-22T03:23:25.068-08:00Recipe | 5 minute Chocolate Brownie in a mug<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; line-height: 21.609001159668px;">A slice of rich & dark</span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; line-height: 21.609001159668px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <a href="http://litebite.in/recipe-product-styling-easy-cocoa-brownie/" target="_blank">Brownie</a></strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; line-height: 21.609001159668px;"><a href="http://litebite.in/recipe-product-styling-easy-cocoa-brownie/" target="_blank"> </a>is a delight for any chocolate lover, be it a gooey, chewy, fudgy or cakey brownie you just cannot stop with one.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; line-height: 21.609001159668px;"><a href="http://litebite.in/no-bake-healthy-chocolate-brownie/" target="_blank">Brownie </a>is probably the easiest to make as against baking a cake, bread or any other goody. No waiting time needed for that intimidating yeast to work and flexing muscles for kneading the elastic dough, just mix it and bake it and you are in for a sinful treat.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; line-height: 21.609001159668px;">Normally a brownie is baked with less flour and without any leavening agents in it such as baking powder and baking soda which makes them quite dense and chewy bars.</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; line-height: 21.609001159668px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;">
<em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">What makes a Brownie different from a <a href="http://litebite.in/eggless-finger-millet-ragi-chocolate-cake-recipe/" style="color: #3c78a7; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Cake</a>;</em></div>
<ol style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12.7272720336914px; line-height: 21.609001159668px; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="list-style: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;">Brownies have high ratio of butter/oil to flour.</li>
<li style="list-style: decimal; margin: 0px 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px;">Quantity of sugar is more in brownies which make it gooey.</li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 21.609001159668px;">Here is a quick <a href="http://litebite.in/healthy-millet-cocoa-brownie-recipes/" target="_blank">Brownie </a>recipe in microwave I often make when my children demand some sweet treat during odd hours in night. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 21.609001159668px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<b>Ingredients</b>;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(serve 2)</div>
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</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>2 tbsp Cocoa powder</li>
<li>2 tbsp. whole wheat flour</li>
<li>3 tbsp Sugar</li>
<li>2 tbsp. milk</li>
<li>1 tbsp. Oil</li>
<li>2 tbsp. Chocolate chips</li>
<li>1/4 tsp. vanilla essence</li>
<li>A pinch of salt </li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KYhEjCcnYC8/VHBs8jey9NI/AAAAAAAALnk/QZiqRDlgBf0/s1600/IMG_7469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KYhEjCcnYC8/VHBs8jey9NI/AAAAAAAALnk/QZiqRDlgBf0/s1600/IMG_7469.JPG" /></a></div>
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<b>Method</b>; Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk with a fork or spoon for a minute.</div>
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Pour the batter in two small microwavable safe teacups or one large cup and microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds.</div>
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Allow the brownies to cool for a few minutes before serving.</div>
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Drizzle the brownie with chocolate syrup or dust it with cocoa powder.</div>
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<b>Notes</b>;</div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Add chopped nuts and dried fruits to make it more tasty.</li>
<li>Replace milk with curd for better results.</li>
<li>Substitute butter with oil for soft brownies.</li>
<li>All purpose flour or maida will make the brownies lighter. </li>
</ol>
</div>
<br /></div>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-64842071663901985302014-11-08T03:50:00.000-08:002014-11-08T03:50:13.746-08:00Recipe | Quick Pasta in Rice Cooker <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1hFdFV0FYIE/VF3XWFKaT4I/AAAAAAAALeg/J587iY2Rbs0/s1600/_MG_7995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1hFdFV0FYIE/VF3XWFKaT4I/AAAAAAAALeg/J587iY2Rbs0/s1600/_MG_7995.JPG" /></a></div>
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When it comes to a quick weekend dinner at home, nothing can beat piping hot delicious <b><a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-four-healthy-pasta-dishes/" target="_blank">Pasta</a></b>. </div>
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I have been cooking <a href="http://litebite.in/recipe-vegetable-pasta-in-wholewheat-white-sauce/" target="_blank">Pasta </a><a href="http://litebite.in/tag/recipe/" target="_blank">recipes </a>in pan and wok for many
years now, but have never had Pasta which tasted so rich and creamy. </div>
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On any normal day I first boil <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-four-healthy-pasta-dishes/" target="_blank">Pasta </a>shells in hot water,
drain and combine the al dente Pasta with sauce.</div>
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I tried the same <a href="http://litebite.in/recipe-vegetable-pasta-in-wholewheat-white-sauce/" target="_blank">Pasta </a>recipe in my cool touch <b><a href="http://www.maharajawhiteline.com/multi-cooker" target="_blank">Maharaja Whiteline</a> </b>multi-cooker the other
day and was blown away by the richness and creaminess of the sauce and the
Pasta. Not to mention about the hassle free cooking where I just had to throw
all the ingredients in the multi-cooker, sit back and relax for a while till my
<a href="http://litebite.in/healthy-daal-dhokli-wholegrain-dumplings-lentil-curry/" target="_blank">Pasta </a>is done. </div>
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The recipe is a breeze if you have a <a href="http://litebite.in/harissa-tofu-recipe-guest-post/" target="_blank">Harissa </a>sauce or any
tomato based dip ready in your refrigerator. </div>
<a name='more'></a></div>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bkftTV_mEy-y1-if6enH79MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="723" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ERrvyas1fI0/VF3WkwDiTjI/AAAAAAAALeU/xsgZBAO6lIw/s800/_MG_7990.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
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<b>Ingredients</b>;</div>
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(serve 3)</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>2 cups Penne <a href="http://litebite.in/recipe-vegetable-pasta-in-wholewheat-white-sauce/" target="_blank">Pasta</a></li>
<li>5 cups water</li>
<li>4 large tomatoes</li>
<li>2 large onions</li>
<li>1 large capsicum</li>
<li>1/2 cup sweet corn kernel</li>
<li>3-4 garlic cloves</li>
<li>2 tsp. chilly flakes</li>
<li>1 tsp dried herbs</li>
<li>2 tbsp oil</li>
<li>3-4 Cheese cubes</li>
<li>Salt to taste</li>
</ul>
</div>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gCJiClcXFLPmBnoTTuKaxNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OHpO1zanQXw/VF3WYl0x8mI/AAAAAAAALd8/DMz376tb_j0/s800/_MG_7981.JPG" width="537" /></a><br />
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<b>Method</b>; Heat water in the rice cooker and add salt in it.</div>
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Chop and grind onion, tomato and garlic into fine paste.</div>
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Heat oil in a pan, add the tomato paste in it and sauté for 7-8 minutes till oil separates from it.</div>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Y9yt7yC0z0l8oUAhBoTpXtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="795" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8xC-qTINOE8/VF3WdMpHZEI/AAAAAAAALeE/D6xbFckWCqw/s800/_MG_7987.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
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Add chopped capsicum, sweet corn kernel, chilly flakes and dried herbs in the pan and pour this mixture in the rice cooker.</div>
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Add pasta in the rice cooker, cover the lid and let it cook till pasta is done. Stir the pasta in between to avoid it sticking to the bottom.</div>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/l9ZOAXlx_1eGx2fi-eytdNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gvaPCGMpVt8/VF3Wgu_HIOI/AAAAAAAALeM/0nPBgdSKlDc/s800/_MG_7983.JPG" width="548" /></a><br />
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Switch off the rice cooker and add grated cheese or cheese cubes in it, cover and let it sit for 5-6 minutes.</div>
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</div>
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hSoNB2TrF6tiDcIZZdoHbtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="790" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LnvpdktquIM/VF3WqA20xQI/AAAAAAAALec/Jl-qHno-qr8/s800/_MG_7996.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
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Serve the <b><a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-four-healthy-pasta-dishes/" target="_blank">Pasta </a></b>garnished with a dash of tomato sauce, more
herbs and chilly flakes. <br />
<b>Notes</b>;</div>
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</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>I added 2 tablespoons of ready-made <a href="http://litebite.in/harissa-tofu-recipe-guest-post/" target="_blank">Harissa </a>sauce in the
recipe.</li>
<li>For a quick <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-four-healthy-pasta-dishes/" target="_blank">Pasta </a>recipe, try adding any ready-made tomato
based sauce along with all the ingredients in the <a href="http://litebite.in/tag/recipe/" target="_blank">recipe </a>and cook.</li>
</ol>
<br />
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-90152504373411981262014-10-18T04:17:00.000-07:002014-10-18T04:17:33.936-07:00A walk down memory lane - My Trip to Udaipur - I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5pjh3BCyYFe9VQTIGIU__tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="794" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6KRkiR2O_pc/VEDYP84WgJI/AAAAAAAALOM/LpZDuaIyYwo/s800/_MG_7082.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
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<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
There are many things in life that I wish I could keep with me forever. The memories and days spent at my hometown in <a data-mce-href="http://litebite.in/recipes-garbanzo-bean-lilva-curry-sweetcorn-roti/" href="http://litebite.in/recipes-garbanzo-bean-lilva-curry-sweetcorn-roti/" target="_blank">Udiapur </a>tops that list.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
I had a <a data-mce-href="http://litebite.in/healthy-breakfast-sandwich-recipe/" href="http://litebite.in/healthy-breakfast-sandwich-recipe/" target="_blank">chance </a>to visit Udaipur last week, which incidentally was my shortest ever <a data-mce-href="http://litebite.in/recipes-healthy-one-pot-meal-quick-indian-soup/" href="http://litebite.in/recipes-healthy-one-pot-meal-quick-indian-soup/" target="_blank">trip </a>to my hometown. I started at the wee hours of morning, left my children behind for a week, changed two fights, killed never-ending transit time at airport, and then traveled by road again to finally reach Udaipur late in night.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Yes, I did it all in one day. But I am not complaining.<br />
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<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
I never believed in the saying that one travels more useful when they travel alone till I did it this time. Infact I don’t recall taking time to get away from daily responsibilities and having that solitude after my marriage in 1996.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
I had lots of time to <a data-mce-href="http://litebite.in/recipes-healthy-one-pot-meal-quick-indian-soup/" href="http://litebite.in/recipes-healthy-one-pot-meal-quick-indian-soup/" target="_blank">reflect </a>on the past years and the years to come during my <a data-mce-href="http://litebite.in/recipes-whole-wheat-bread-date-cake-healthy/" href="http://litebite.in/recipes-whole-wheat-bread-date-cake-healthy/" target="_blank">travel</a>. The wonderful memories and days spent with family & <a data-mce-href="http://litebite.in/baking-oatmeal-bars-recipe-travel-trail-india/" href="http://litebite.in/baking-oatmeal-bars-recipe-travel-trail-india/" target="_blank">friends</a>, how I have changed and grown over past few years, the opportunities lying ahead and what I want from my life.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
It was a wonderful experience to escape from the fast and complex modern world and live a quieter life for a few days.</div>
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EXjV81T2YWxuAHcs0zyjjNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tnwarWczYH4/VDvEgAS9trI/AAAAAAAALHs/mRqbl1-dTpk/s800/_MG_7185.JPG" width="537" /></a><br />
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
I wanted to make full use of my short stay in <a data-mce-href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2013/06/wedding-in-rajasthan-celebration-of.html" href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2013/06/wedding-in-rajasthan-celebration-of.html" target="_blank">Udiapur </a>this time and planned for a walk down memory lane.</div>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SHufRq9Qcb5ddkYfQ_NbdNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="764" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-32H0_kUpfmk/VDvGTatGmyI/AAAAAAAALK0/-f8jXNuE5dQ/s800/_MG_7157.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I got up at 5.30 am to see a bed of beautiful </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Parijat </i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">flowers right outside our gate.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/a8eQNMwGUVizlFWKkfwXzNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-xelet1yTnTY/VDvERo_7pVI/AAAAAAAALHU/PdjEZCf4v50/s800/_MG_7145.JPG" width="543" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I took my camera and went for a walk around <i>Fateh sagar</i> lake near my house.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Ah..the joy of breathing, walking and smelling the fresh air…one of the beautiful experiences I miss a lot living in a metro city.</span><br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/j-VAJnhRltWBNxc7GwctStMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5hc9-g-ApS8/VDvEVfad68I/AAAAAAAALHc/JtgDKrmBb8k/s800/_MG_7148.JPG" width="546" /></a><br />
<br />
The '<i>Paal</i>' or the pathway adjoing the lake was bursting with activities. Morning walkers, hawkers selling healthy snacks and juices, and small children zip passing the road on skaters.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZdGQ5bdTlhZzsJOrYvISVNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0M9zNsE6ZXc/VDvF7q143GI/AAAAAAAALKM/989Bf4LuI4o/s800/_MG_7321.JPG" width="535" /></a><br />
<br />
After a long time I could capture live waterfall on <i>Fateh sagar</i> lake.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jXpgBLJ6YWzKjajIFtRvrNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="799" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9IH1yEQeMSo/VDvEIR83snI/AAAAAAAALHE/dDm7xhIuJjI/s800/_MG_7105.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
I went to the old city in afternoon to have a look at the house where my granny once lived. My heart was beating faster as I climbed the steep road to see that house.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5qm3_7y_Jwx4OtkZYRsAOdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="783" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-m-no9fiUF70/VDvELfSfJfI/AAAAAAAALHA/Nz3Qp7D5yic/s800/_MG_7109.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
Sigh..granny's house was no more there...instead, a big mall was staring at me.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5dL5YjkbqyoNm_bZCKBlpdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="702" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BqMTV_I-cWs/VDvD-AhjlaI/AAAAAAAALGk/x9JtfRsla5w/s800/_MG_7093.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I saw many shops cropping up in the neighborhood selling antiques, now that Udaipur is one of the popular tourist destinations of India.</span><br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/S6dDIXzZ-82zGgNIy07jTNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="768" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WqLlB0aqQVs/VDvEBf9AfUI/AAAAAAAALGs/PCndIZ0Gh5M/s800/_MG_7094.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
They do possess some beautiful collection of antique pieces.<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5tLMQHNRutqVvVbmnRWyLNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZX9lQnWyWX4/VDvEE0aGEXI/AAAAAAAALG0/7aIXjc3SxcE/s800/_MG_7098.JPG" width="545" /></a><br />
Stopped at one of the jewellery shops and bought some.<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-nTYPMR8nfAkQsfjoiSUuNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4SW4bVXdc2c/VEDYUSTrq-I/AAAAAAAALOU/2eZi2D54sGk/s800/_MG_7174.JPG" width="549" /></a><br />
Walked till Sukhadia circle and watched the children play around.<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9RqdC-SCjmCZN_wNJ1PJX9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="774" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4Vi6xKAEr4w/VEDYZh2d35I/AAAAAAAALOc/JJgWIkFnQ9s/s800/_MG_7176.JPG" width="550" /></a>
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<br />
The <i>Chaat </i>stalls at Sukhadia circle looked tempting, but I did not feel like eating and walked back to home.<br />
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To be continued...<br />
<br /></div>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-69258866138530952232014-08-30T07:18:00.000-07:002014-08-30T07:18:13.575-07:00Recipe | Three Lentil Fritters or Parippu Vadai <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>Parippu Vadai </i>or lentil fritter is a perfect tea-time snack and a popular street food In South India. These deep fried crispy delicacies is quite versatile and can be easily adapted to suit the taste buds of any family.<br />
At home my MIL makes a variety of these <b><i>Vadai </i></b>and each version outshines the earlier one.<br />
This recipe uses three different lentils.<br />
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<b style="line-height: 20.1pt;"><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt;">Ingredients;</span></b><br />
<span style="line-height: 20.1pt;"><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt;">(makes 10-12 fritters)</span></span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.1pt;">1 cup </span><st1:place style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.1pt;" w:st="on">Bengal</st1:place><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.1pt;"> gram</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.1pt;">1/2 cup Pigeon pea</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.1pt;">1/2 cup Black gram</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.1pt;">4 green </span><span style="color: #505050; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 26.799999237060547px;">chilies</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.1pt;">10-12 curry leaves</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.1pt;">2 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.1pt;">1” ginger</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.1pt;">1 tsp. salt</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.1pt;">1/2 tsp asafoetida powder</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #505050; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 20.1pt;">Oil for deep frying</span></li>
</ul>
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Method; Wash and soak all Bengal gram (<i>channa daal</i>), Pigeon peas (<i>tuvar daal</i>), Black gram (<i>urad daal)</i> in water for 4-5 hours.<br />
Drain the water and add the lentils in a grinder with salt, green chillies, ginger with very little water and grind into a thick batter.<br />
Add roughly chopped curry leaves, coriander leaves, asafoetida powder (hing) and mix well.<br />
Heat oil in a flat pan and wet your hands with water or grease it with oil.<br />
Take a small portion of batter in your hand and shape it into a ball, flatten it slightly and deep fry till it is golden and crisp.<br />
Serve these delicious snack with green chutney or tomato sauce. <br />
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<b>Notes</b>;<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Add chopped onion to the batter before frying to get another scrumptious version of the se lentil fritters.</li>
<li>Adjust salt and chilly according to your taste. Add dry chilly powder if you like spicy fritters.</li>
</ol>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-46415289161670203362014-08-30T07:17:00.001-07:002014-08-30T07:17:46.673-07:00Recipe | Peppercorn Lentil Fritters or Milagu Vadai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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These peppercorn spiced lentil fritters or <i><b>Milagu Vadai</b></i> are
a delicacy of <st1:place w:st="on">South India</st1:place>. Normally prepared
and offered to lord <i>Hanuman</i>, these thin crispy fritters are quite easy to
prepare. </div>
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<a name='more'></a><b>Ingredients</b>;<br />
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<o:p> (makes 12-15 fritters)</o:p></div>
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<ul>
<li>1 cup whole black gram</li>
<li>1 tbsp. rice flour</li>
<li>1 tbsp black peppercorn</li>
<li>1 tsp. salt</li>
<li>Oil for deep frying</li>
</ul>
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<b>Method</b>; <st1:place w:st="on">Wash</st1:place> and soak black gram (<i>Urad daal</i>) in water for half an hour.<br />
Drain black gram and grind into thick coarse batter without
adding water in it.</div>
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Take out the thick an sticky batter in a large bowl and add
salt, crushed black peppercorn (<i>kali <st1:state w:st="on">mich</st1:state>)</i>,
and rice flour in it. </div>
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Mix all the ingredients with a ladle or your hand to make a
smooth batter.</div>
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Grease a small plastic sheet or banana leaf with oil.</div>
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Heat oil in a wok.</div>
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Take a marble size ball from the thick batter and roll it
into a ball. Place the ball on greased banana leaf and flatten it to make a
flat circular disc. </div>
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Pinch a small hole in between and deep fry in hot oil till
it turns golden brown and crisp. Repeat the same process to make all the
lentil fritters.</div>
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<b>Notes</b>;</div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Banana leaf or beetle leaf works well to shape these fritters.</li>
<li>Do not add water to grind soaked lentils.</li>
<li>The ground batter should be coarse and thick in consistency.</li>
<li>Keep the flame to medium heat to get evenly cooked fritter.</li>
<li>These lentil fritters stays good for many days.</li>
</ol>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-49004295804897839242014-06-05T21:17:00.000-07:002014-06-05T21:17:13.596-07:00Travel | Just another weekend in Yercaud<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Every <a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/search/label/Travel%20Trails" target="_blank">travel </a>leaves you with some unforgettable <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-whole-wheat-bread-date-cake-healthy/" target="_blank">travel </a>experiences you would want to treasure for ever. And what better way to freeze those precious moments than writing a bogpost and reflecting on your travel time with family and friends.</div>
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“<em>We have a marriage invitation from my colleague in Metur city this weekend. Do your Google search and let me know if there are any good places nearby worth visiting.</em>” Hubby informed me from his office and cut the line.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
A few Google searches and I liked this small hill station <strong><em>Yercaud</em> </strong>in Salem district which is located in the Shevaroys range of hills in the Eastern ghats of India.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
But wait...there is more. Every other person in the forum was advising not to visit <em>Yercaud,</em> as this small hill-station has nothing great to offer in terms of places of interest in the city.</div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
Which was all the more better, as visiting every nook and corner of the city and spending the entire day running from view points to museums to photographing the monuments is not our cup of tea. We had done the same during some of our earlier <a href="http://litebite.in/baking-oatmeal-bars-recipe-travel-trail-india/" target="_blank">trips </a>and disliked doing it.<br />
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I did not want to fall in the same trap again and booked a quiet plantation resort, Grange in <em>Yercaud</em>, far from the main city.</div>
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There is absolutely nothing to do in the resort except spending some quality time with family, relaxing and trying to be one with nature. And this is what exactly what I wanted from my travel trail!</div>
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We planned for a non-stop travel to <em>Yercaud</em> and started our journey at 5 am from Chennai on a weekend to avoid the early morning traffic.</div>
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We took a diversion before Salem city and followed a different route to reach Yercaud as suggested by a friend.</div>
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This route (via <em>Kuppanur</em>, diversion from Salem town) is full of dense Teak forest. We enjoyed the quiet, picturesque and almost traffic free uphill journey and reached Yercaud at 12 noon.</div>
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The strong scent of thousands of citrus trees, coffee and pepper climbers planted in 100 acre property of the resort welcomed us.</div>
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The next day morning I woke up at about 5 am and opened the door, it was eerily
quiet and dark outside. I stepped out of the room and there I was, just me and the pristine natural surroundings.<br />
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I immediately went inside to wake my hubby up, I was little scared of sitting out alone.<br />
We sat till quietly listening to the chirping of cricket in the forest till the day broke.<br />
We ordered coffee, by the time children woke up and off we went, for a long morning walk through
the 100 acre secured plantation in the resort. </div>
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Children enjoyed exploring and learning the many secrets nature unfolded in our morning walk.<br />
Tender Peppercorn climbers hugging and climbing on giant Jackfruit trees made a pretty site. <br />
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Children were amused to see green round berries of coffee beans.<br />
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Evening was spent playing cricket, running around and swinging with children in the resort.<br />
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Pretty Jack-fruit tree and a few tropical flowers growing in front of our cottage.<br />
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Playing time in the resort.<br />
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A quick trip to the botanical garden in Yercaud.<br />
We had a sumptuous breakfast in the resort, played cricket
in the large garden right in front of our cottage and decided to go out to
explore the city.</div>
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The city has nothing exciting to offer, so don’t have great
expectations. This small hill station is a perfect place to curl up with a
book, sip hot coffee made with fresh ground beans and do nothing.</div>
It was a wonderful experience exploring the rustic side of
the city during our early morning walk outside the resort.<br />
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We met some of the local people on streets, exchanged
greetings and asked for directions. The stunning view of Shevaroy hills, fruit orchards and
coffee plantations is a pleasant sight for sore eyes.</div>
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Way to the small restaurant in the resort where food is cooked and served on demand. We had a hearty meal and headed to visit a few places in the main city in afternoon.<br />
There is a popular lake in Yercaud which is too crowded during weekends by tourists and the local people, but children wanted to do boating and we heeded for their request.<br />
Botanical garden near the lake has a good collection of saplings and is maintained well.<br />
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The next morning, after a leisurely breakfast, we started
for <st1:city w:st="on">Salem</st1:city> city where we had already booked a
room in <st1:place w:st="on">Windsor</st1:place>
castle.</div>
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<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Salem</st1:city></st1:place>
was our stop over, from where we a went to attend the marriage in Metur and
proceeded to Namakkal, a historical town popular for enormous rock cut temples
and forts. </div>
On our way back to Chennai we met some of hubby's office colleagues who attended the function.<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HK_IoUs-CrySXkpyWat00NMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hiBDFawg4wE/U4204KFpsyI/AAAAAAAAJok/muyHa9GbCpc/s800/IMG_3492.JPG" width="575" /></a>
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We stopped at many places during the up-hill journey to catch up with nature and admire the beauty
of the surroundings. Had fun watching and playing in small rivers and cool water dripping from the mountain cracks.Chill and gentle breeze from the lush green Teak forest on the other side of the road made us linger for more.</div>
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We did stop at many places to let children watch the
hard yet extraordinary lives of mountain people. The benevolent farmers shared
some local fruits with us, beautiful mountain women posed for our camera while their children were
busy taking care of the cows and goats grazing nearby. </div>
Trip to Yercaud is for those who love the ‘journey’ aspect of travel and who travel for travel’s sake.<br />
Don't have any great expectations from this small <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-healthy-sandwiches-vegetarian/" target="_blank">hill-station</a>.<br />
Yercaud is a good place to relax and feel at peace with nature. .<br />
I would suggest you book a good plantation resort and make a weekend trip to the city without any agenda or purpose. <br />
Am sure, the city will not disappoint you.<br />
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-14035885069332374552014-03-03T04:06:00.002-08:002014-03-03T04:06:25.798-08:00Recipe | Panjiri - A Nourishing Indian Dessert <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The <b><i>Panjiri </i></b>is a winter specialty made in many houses in North and West India. This <a href="http://litebite.in/category/festive-bites/" target="_blank">dessert </a>is heavily laced with dried fruit and nuts and many other medicinal herbs to boost immune system and provide extra calories to sustain the extreme cold conditions there.<br />
In many parts of India <i>Panjiri </i>is given to new mothers as an aid to increase lactation and to provide extra nourishment after delivery.<br />
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The <i>gond </i>crystals are normally deep fried in pure ghee (clarified butter) before making special <i>ladoos </i>which are given to pregnant ladies for its medicinal values in many home of <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-wedding-desserts-sweets/" target="_blank">Rajasthan</a>. <i>Panjiri </i>has a long shelf life and stays good for 2-3 months.</div>
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<a href="http://litebite.in/tomato-baskets-in-veggie-gravy/" target="_blank">Mom </a>also adds roasted ground <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-fenugreek-methidana-subji-healthy/" target="_blank">fenugreek seeds (<i>methidana</i>)</a> and a few more medicinal herbs to this <i>Panjiri </i>. I remember hogging on this delicacy immediately after my delivery, all in the name of medicine ;-)</div>
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Lp5ErzSPzszqC5CJ4CG3hdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="773" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dMOcWXUcnZU/UxH8MKYJZXI/AAAAAAAAIbg/iY4vQZjbWts/s800/IMG_1433.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
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<span data-mce-style="line-height: 1.5em;" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em;">These are <i>Gond </i>crystals, a natural edible gum. Sap or resin extracted from the bark of Acacia tree hardens and form these yellow to brown coloured transparent crystals. The gum is used as binding agent in baking and has medicinal values.</span><span data-mce-style="line-height: 1.5em;" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1QAakQmXjok/UxNaZ0-X2YI/AAAAAAAAIco/3b0ZplBuFSQ/s1600/IMG_1421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1QAakQmXjok/UxNaZ0-X2YI/AAAAAAAAIco/3b0ZplBuFSQ/s1600/IMG_1421.JPG" /></a></div>
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<b>Ingredients</b>;</div>
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<li>1 cups whole wheat flour</li>
<li>1/2 cup jaggery powder</li>
<li>1/2 cup ghee</li>
<li>2 tbsp. dry coconut powder</li>
<li>2 tbsp. edible gum or <i>gond</i></li>
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<b>Three cups of assorted Nuts;</b></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Almonds</li>
<li>Pistacio</li>
<li>Walnuts</li>
<li><i>Chaar Magaz</i></li>
<li>Fox nuts or <i>Makhane</i></li>
<li>Poppy seeds</li>
<li>Raisins</li>
</ul>
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<b>Spices;</b></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 tsp. cardamom powder</li>
<li>1 tsp. fennel powder</li>
<li>1 tsp. carom seeds</li>
<li>1/2 tsp dry ginger powder</li>
</ul>
<b>Method</b>; Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Fry edible gum (<i>gond</i>), stirring constantly, the crystals will puff up. Drain it on tissue paper.<br />
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Fry fox-nuts (<i>makhane</i>) in the same ghee till they turn golden in colour. Remove and place it on tissue paper.</div>
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You can roughly ground the gum and fox-nuts into coarse powder or leaves them whole.</div>
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Roughly chop all the nuts. Grate jaggery.</div>
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Add wheat flour in the same ghee and roast the flour on slow heat till it changes colour and it starts giving a nutty aroma. This will take about 10-15 minutes.</div>
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Add chopped nuts into the flour and roast for another few minutes.</div>
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Take the pan off flame, add roasted fox-nut, gum, dry coconut powder (<i>chopra</i>), grated jaggery and rest of the spices in it.</div>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-22856777762103614122014-01-06T07:12:00.004-08:002014-01-06T20:49:30.530-08:00Travel | Pudukkottai - Getting immersed in the rich cultural heritage of rural India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.5pt;">Continued from <a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2014/01/travel-kanadukathan-where-art.html" target="_blank">here</a>..</span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.5pt;">Stop. Take a deep breath. And walk, fly or
catch a train away from the city and into a world where the average pace of
life is slower than slow. "It is not down in any map; true places never
are." ~ Herman Melville.</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Many of these rural destinations have gained popularity in terms of their artwork, history and natural </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">beauty</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">. </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">If palatial mansions are what makes <i><a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2014/01/travel-kanadukathan-where-art.html" target="_blank">Kanadukathan </a></i>then these hand-made tiles from soil have brought <i><b>Athangudi </b>on</i> </span><span style="font-size: 15px;">travelers</span><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"> map. </span></span></span><br />
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There are many weaving centers and in-house tile factories
in the outskirts of <i><a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2014/01/travel-kanadukathan-where-art.html" target="_blank">Kanadukathan</a></i>. <br />
I would have almost missed this wonderful ancient form of art work by the locals in <i>Athangudi </i>when I was reluctant to get out of car due to sore feet.</div>
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This old man came out from his workshop and informed me that it will take just a few minutes to demonstrate the tile making skill.<br />
And when I entered his small thatched hut to watch him work, I could not believe my eyes. He created magic with just a couple of ingredients.<br />
Sand, colours, mould....and there I was, left with a most beautiful piece of artwork in front of me - <b><i>Athangudi </i>Tiles.</b><br />
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And this is how he creates patterns with colours and moulds.<br />
Sad that this form of art is now on the verge of slow death as more and more people are preferring the modern and mechanized flooring tiles in cities.</div>
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<b><i>Thirumayam </i>fort</b>; The next morning we left our hotel early and headed to <i>Thirumayam </i>fort.<br />
The fort was built in 1687 by a local ruler. Children enjoyed climbing rocks and watching the landscapes from hilltop.</div>
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The two rock cut shrines near the fort are dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu next to the fort which is worth visiting.</div>
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The rock cut Shiva temple dates back to 7th century while the Vishnu temple was built in 8th century. You are instantly transformed to another era when you step inside these ancient monuments.<br />
Most of these ancient temples are within a few kilometers radius from Kanadukathan and Pudukkottai district in Tamil Nadu.<br />
As we had our own vehicle we were able to cover many places the same day. If I mention and post the picture of all the shrines and ancient monuments that we visited, I need to create another post.<br />
<i>Thiruvanaikaval</i>, a popular Shiva temple under water, <i>Samayapuram </i>shrine before Trichy, <i>Kuberan </i>temple surrounded with beautiful birds & animals, <i>Kundrakudi </i>temple of lord Murga (Karthikeyan) located on a hilltop are some other places we liked during this trip.<br />
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I wasn't in the very best of gears to climb the rocks and huge boulders and had many falls while climbing the rocky and slippery surface with my slip-on. <br />
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We drove to visit another ancient rock-cut shrine dedicated to lord Ganesha called <i><b>Pillaiyar Patti</b> </i>near <b><i>Thirupattur</i>.</b><br />
The age of this temples is more than 2500 years and there are some sculptures which dates back to 500 BC.<br />
Thanks to the manager of our hotel in <i>Kanadukathan </i>who gave us such wonderful inputs and directions about the city.<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/T1LGNFENn6xa44tj3R_L2tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2xq5YSK28BA/UsfrUJQrqrI/AAAAAAAAH7w/qjT5_1GGwcc/s800/IMG_0860.JPG" width="517" /></a><br />
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A small pond inside the compounds of <i>Pillaiyar Patti </i>temple. As photography is prohibited in many Indian temples, I could not take my camera inside the sanctum sanatorium.<br />
From <i>Pillaiyar Patti </i>we drove to <i>Kundrakudi </i>and visited another shrine dedicated to lord <i>Murugan </i>(<i>Karthikeya</i>) on a small hilltop. The history of this temple dates back to about 1200 years.<br />
In most of Indian temples photography is prohibited and I did not want to break the rules and gave my camera a long rest.<br />
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The rich traditions and heritage of India lies are very well preserved in rural India.<br />
Women folk walking long distances balancing multiple earthen pots on their head, milking cows or cooking on firewood is a rare sight in modern world.<br />
Apart from ancient architecture and spiritual importance the most intriguing part of your travelling is to experience the simplicity of village life and be one with nature while travelling in such rural destinations.<br />
Yes, we did stop at every 50 Km of our journey to feel the same.<br />
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Children enjoying their cup of hot milk right from a small village kiosk and talking to the locals on the way.<br />
Travelling to rural places is a great way to reconnect with your roots. Hope this rich cultural heritage of India remains intact in times to come. <br />
But due to fast paced modernization, many of these villages are now being converted into money minting business towns and most of the younger villagers are moving towards cities for better livelihood.<br />
The inherent beauty of these villages and simplicity of rural life is one of the biggest gifts of our times that we need to reserve and pass over to our children. <br />
Continued from <b><a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2014/01/travel-kanadukathan-where-art.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>.<br />
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-76734077533135644112014-01-06T07:10:00.000-08:002014-01-06T20:13:44.469-08:00Travel | Kanadukathan - Where art, architecture and craft meet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Continued from <a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2014/01/travel-tiruchirappalli-strong-urge-to.html" target="_blank">here</a>..<br />
<i>Chettinadu </i>is a cluster of villages in Tamil Nadu and <i><b>Kanadukathan </b></i>and <i>Karaikudi </i>are a few popular towns in it.The colossal palaces and bungalows in and around <i>Kanadukathan </i>are a good place to understand and appreciate the love for art, architecture and craft of the a very influential business community of South India called <i>Chettiars</i>.<br />
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We had a hearty breakfast in hotel Breeze in <a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2014/01/travel-tiruchirappalli-strong-urge-to.html" target="_blank">Trichy </a>and started early for <i>Kanadukathan. </i>The city is<i> </i>a quite and serene village boasting many palatial 8th century mansions.<br />
As we were <a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2012/05/trip-to-ooty-through-picturesque-blue.html" target="_blank">travelling </a>around Christmas holidays, booking a resort was became a tough task. Our friend suggested this small but extremely comfortable Inn in <i>Kanadukathan </i>called <i><b>Chettinadu </b></i>Inn.<br />
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The hotel is located right behind the famous <i>Chettinadu </i>mansion overlooking many other resorts which were already booked. We parked our car and were greeted by the very homely and caring hotel staff.<br />
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Spacious dinning hall with a very clean kitchen was what attracted me in this small yet comfortable Inn. I also enjoyed the luxury of deciding my own menu and even entering the clean and well furnished kitchen cooking my own meal!<br />
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Thoguh entry to the most popular <i>Chettinadu </i>palace is restricted for visitors but it was worth stopping by just for the exteriors from the roads.<br />
We got up quite early the next morning and set out to explore the village life at 6 am.<br />
Most of these mansions
give a deserted look as the families have moved to other cities for greener
pastures. They have employed caretakers to manage and take care of their rich
heritage. A few of these palatial houses are converted into resorts.</div>
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I was completely floored by the wide courtyards, Burmese
teak wood doors and pillars, huge Italian marble pillars supporting spacious
veranda. The ceilings are heavily embellished with silver and gold
motifs, intricately carved and coloured with
vegetable dye which still look fresh after almost a decade.</div>
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The entrance of these
mansions leads to a large veranda or covered courtyard which entertains guests who were not allowed
to enter the private rooms inside.<br />
This veranda leads to another open veranda
which is surrounded by many rooms and store rooms. The open to air center
verandah looks beautiful, I was imagining how beautiful it must have been
during the rainy days.</div>
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Most of these mansions have more than hundred rooms in it. The pillars in the pictures are carved in Burma teak wood which still stand tall and strong.<br />
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In some of the bungalows the pillars are made with imported granite and marble. I am still unable to digest the fact that the entire mansion was owned and managed by a single family.<br />
We finished our 3 hours of early morning adventure, met locals, watched the simple yet exciting village life and reached hotel for breakfast.<br />
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There are no artificial lights in most of these palaces and I was finding difficult to click pictures, listening to our guide and managing my children at the same time.<br />
In afternoon we visited the <i>Periya
veedu </i>or big house in <i>Attangudi </i>which is extremely beautiful and is well
maintained. </div>
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We were informed by the caretaker of the mansion in a hush-hush voice that the metal carving on the ceiling is done in pure gold.<br />
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Windows, doors and mirrors are embellished with glass murals. <br />
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The stained glass windows in the large dinning table gives a lovely light effect during mornings. These windows lit the entire dinning area which is double the size of a Tennis court. </div>
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No doubt that these hundred plus rooms pretty mansions are a dream house for anyone. But I think I will settle with my three bed room house, lest I am lost managing the same, my entire life.<br />
And our travel trails of rural India continue <b><a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2014/01/travel-pudukkottai-getting-immeresed-in.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>.<br />
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-86251523980580930612014-01-06T07:08:00.001-08:002014-01-06T20:52:23.199-08:00Travel | Tiruchirappalli - A strong urge to reconnect with history<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A <a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2013/06/travel-relaxing-vacation-in-diu-beach.html" target="_blank">vacation </a>with your loved ones is a perfect way to give your mind and body a much needed break when work pressure creeps on, making you unfocused.<br />
And that is what we did during our year-end winter <a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2013/05/travel-udaipur-trip-part-i-of.html" target="_blank">holidays</a>. As always, this vacation was also unplanned and we could not book tickets for our trip timely.<br />
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My hubby suggested we drive down by road and explore something different this vacation.<br />
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A close family friend of hubby who hails <i><b><a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2014/01/travel-kanadukathan-where-art.html" target="_blank">Kanadukathan </a></b></i>suggested we make a trip to this lesser known town of <st1:city w:st="on">South India</st1:city>.</div>
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He also ensured that the rich heritage of <i>Chettinadu </i>palaces, simplicity of rural villages and many ancient temples surrounding the town will mesmerize us. </div>
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So, with the strong urge to reconnect with history and explore the grandeur of <st1:place w:st="on">South India,</st1:place> we started our trip on a weekend.<br />
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We planned to visit <i>Kanadukathan </i>and near by places with a one day halt at <i><b>Tiruchirappalli </b></i>or <i>Trichy</i>. <br />
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To avoid the traffic on the high way, we packed and placed our luggage in the car at night and started as early as 5 am the next day.<br />
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And as we planned to take our car, we had the luxury of <a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2013/05/travel-udaipur-trip-part-i-of.html" target="_blank">traveling </a>at our own pace and I stocked as much as edibles as I could, much to the chagrin of my hubby.</div>
I baked a <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-whole-wheat-bread-date-cake-healthy/" target="_blank">wholewheat banana bread</a>, <a href="http://litebite.in/healthy-granola-bars-recipe/" target="_blank">20 Oats granola bars</a> and some <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-whole-wheat-bread-date-cake-healthy/" target="_blank">mini Date ring-cakes</a> for the trip.</div>
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Early morning drive was quite peaceful. Few vehicle zip passing and breaking the silence on the pitch dark roads village side.</div>
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Getting a room in Trichy was not a problem as there are many options available. We stayed in hotel Breeze, which is centrally located and is quite comfortable with a swimming pool and a large in-house restaurant.<br />
We reached Trichy by 11 am, had a simple lunch, a power afternoon nap and headed to <b>Rock fort</b> around 4 pm.<br />
Rock fort temple is located on a hilltop and was built in 7th century. The temple has steep steps carved out of large rocks and is dedicated to lord Ganesha.<br />
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From the hilltop we could spot the famous <i><b>Srirangam </b></i>temple, located on an island and is connected with bridges from Trichy.<br />
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401..474...humf....climbing these steep, never-ending rock-cut steps gave me nightmares...<br />
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and finally reached the hilltop....signals of getting old?<br />
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It was such a wonderful feeling to touch, feel and walk alongside these historical monument carved centuries ago.<br />
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Some of the benefits of travelling in your own vehicle is that you can stop at remote places and be with nature whenever you wish. Children wanted to watch the herds of goats grazing happily on the other side of road.<br />
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We stopped for a tea break and to stretch ourselves, when a herd of goats came near us searching for food, scaring my daughter away.<br />
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I could not stop myself clicking the serene surroundings on the other side of the high way drive.<br />
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Me posing...err...can you make out something from my ear to ear smile?<br />
Yes, I collected a few naturally weathered wood planks form here.<br />
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The next morning we visited Srirangam temple and headed straight to <i>Kanadukathan</i>.<br />
Read more about this ancient magnificent temple <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srirangam" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
If you are in a mood to explore offbeat rural destinations of India, continue reading <b><a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2014/01/travel-kanadukathan-where-art.html" target="_blank">here</a></b>.<br />
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-17680017628204692092013-12-14T08:20:00.000-08:002013-12-14T08:20:39.038-08:00Recipe | Easy Cocoa Brownies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Easy Cocoa <a href="http://litebite.in/healthy-millet-cocoa-brownie-recipes/" target="_blank">Brownies</a>, the recipe is my savior when I have unexpected guests at home and my pantry is devoid of cooking chocolate. These Brownies are egg free and quite easy to bake. The process of heating butter and sugar gives a wonderful gooey texture to these <a href="http://litebite.in/healthy-date-brownies/" target="_blank">Brownies</a>. <br />
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<b>Ingredients </b></div>
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<li>½ cup All purpose flour</li>
<li>¼ cup cocoa powder</li>
<li>½ cup butter</li>
<li>1 cup sugar</li>
<li>2 tbsp. yogurt</li>
<li>2 tbsp. milk</li>
<li>2 tbsp. chopped nuts</li>
<li>¼ tsp. baking powder</li>
<li>1 tsp vanilla essence</li>
<li>A pinch of salt</li>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lm9SpsP75NQ/UqyC-ktKk2I/AAAAAAAAHv4/dTs_p6rHpE4/s1600/IMG_0784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lm9SpsP75NQ/UqyC-ktKk2I/AAAAAAAAHv4/dTs_p6rHpE4/s1600/IMG_0784.JPG" /></a></div>
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<b>Method</b>; Line a sheet of parchment paper or butter paper in a rectangular baking tray. Preheat oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.</div>
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Sift flour, salt and baking powder in a large vessel. Chop nuts into fine pieces.</div>
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Heat butter in a medium pan and add sugar in it. Let the sugar melt completely. Cool it a bit and add chopped nuts, vanilla essence, milk and yogurt and stir well.</div>
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Pour this liquid content in the dry content and mix lightly.</div>
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Pour the batter in the lined baking tray and bake it for 20-25 minutes at 180°C.</div>
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Cool it completely before slicing the Brownies.</div>
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<b>Notes</b>;</div>
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</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>If you add the chopped dark chocolate to the recipe, the <a href="http://litebite.in/healthy-millet-cocoa-brownie-recipes/" target="_blank">Brownies </a>will come out more chocolaty and gooey. </li>
<li>The amount of liquid absorption by whole grain flour differ according to the variety of grain used and thus the recipe has to adjusted with adequate amount of liquid in it.</li>
<li>Cocoa <a href="http://litebite.in/healthy-date-brownies/" target="_blank">brownies </a>will come out dense and cakey unlike the chocolate brownies which get the typical gooey texture due to the cocoa butter and extra sugar in the dark chocolate added in the recipe.</li>
</ol>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-832494080766170642013-10-28T21:26:00.002-07:002013-10-28T21:26:48.933-07:00Recipe | Churma Ladoos - Traditional Diwali Sweet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N51S4aKhgVQ/Um8poFgMmTI/AAAAAAAAHYQ/W42QXUy-X8c/s1600/IMG_9664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N51S4aKhgVQ/Um8poFgMmTI/AAAAAAAAHYQ/W42QXUy-X8c/s1600/IMG_9664.JPG" /></a></div>
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Hmm...traditional sweet recipe from <a data-mce-href="http://litebite.in/recipes-wedding-desserts-sweets/" href="http://litebite.in/recipes-wedding-desserts-sweets/" target="_blank">Rajasthan </a>- and I could not think beyond <strong><em>Churma Ladoos. </em></strong></div>
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The instant flashbacks I get when I think of <em>Churma Ladoos</em> is - firewood, smoke filled kitchen, large black iron kadai (wok) and my grandma with a ladle sitting on a small wooden stool, slow roasting coarse whole wheat flour adding ladlefuls of fresh homemade cow’s ghee from a copper burni (pot) beside her and a funnel in another to fan the hearth.</div>
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This if the ‘power of food’ - to bring back good memories.</div>
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It has been years I made <em>Churma Ladoos</em> the authentic way, but for the recipe submission to the magazine....I can't imagine deep frying the Baatis in Ghee. I did roll the <em>Ladoos</em>o be done for the magazine but made a slightly lighter version also by adding millet and baking the <em>Baatis</em> instead of deep frying the same in ghee.</div>
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The recipe is features in one of the popular regional magazines in South India, Dinakaran in their Diwali edition. </div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Ingredients;</b></div>
<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
(makes about 20 small ladoos)</div>
<ul style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
<li>2 cups wheat flour</li>
<li>11/4 cups powdered sugar</li>
<li>3/4 th cup warm milk</li>
<li>3 tbsp + 1/2 cup Ghee</li>
<li>1/4 cup finely chopped nuts</li>
<li>1/2 tsp. cardamom powder</li>
<li>Ghee for deep frying</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xFIzUb7lJ5o/Um8pew1ky8I/AAAAAAAAHYM/ZLc3hXUH4xo/s1600/IMG_9315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xFIzUb7lJ5o/Um8pew1ky8I/AAAAAAAAHYM/ZLc3hXUH4xo/s1600/IMG_9315.JPG" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Method;</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Take a large bowl, add wheat
flour and 3 tbsp. ghee in it. Rub the mixture with fingers to form crumbles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Add warm milk and knead
stiff dough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Pinch small balls of dough
and roll into cylindrical shape ‘Baatis’ and press it slightly to make impressions
of your fingers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Heat ghee (for deep frying)
in a thick bottomed kadai and deep fry all the Baatis till they are golden
brown in color. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Let the fried Baatis cool
slightly and break them into small pieces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Grind the broken ‘Baatis’
into fine powder in a blender. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">If your mixture is very fine
you can continue making the Laddos or else sieve the mixture and grind the
larger pieces again into fine powder or ‘Churma’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Add powdered sugar, finely
chopped nuts (almonds/cashewnuts/pistachios), cardamom powder and 1/2 cupp ghee
to the ‘Churma’ and mix well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Take small portion of above
‘Churma’ in your palm and press it lightly to make a firm ball of '<i>Churma
Ladoos’</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-75987009446860523812013-10-26T05:50:00.002-07:002013-10-26T05:50:40.916-07:00Recipe | Quick Saffron Fudge or Kesar Peda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-afY73Mj1GSs/Umu6ML0oLLI/AAAAAAAAHT0/vTRXdrt6tJc/s1600/19+quick+Kesar+pedas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-afY73Mj1GSs/Umu6ML0oLLI/AAAAAAAAHT0/vTRXdrt6tJc/s640/19+quick+Kesar+pedas.JPG" width="521" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>Kesar Peda</i></b> is one of the 30 recipes I did for an <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-healthy-festive-ladoos/" target="_blank"><b>assignment </b></a>for a regional magazine. The issue is out and is liked by many who called to say the same. Here is quick saffron Peda recipe; </div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Ingredients</b>;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2pt;">1 cup
Cottage cheese (paneer)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2pt;">4 tbsp.
condensed milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2pt;">1/4 cup
sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2pt;">1/2 tsp.
cardamom power</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2pt;">Few
Saffron strands</span></li>
</ul>
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2pt;">Method</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2pt;">;
Make fresh cottage cheese with one litre of milk. Drain it well and crumble it
lightly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Heat a
non-stick pan, add cottage cheese and saffron in it. Cook it for 6-7 minutes on
medium heat till all the moisture is dried completely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Add
sugar and condensed milk in the above mixture, cook for another 2-3 minutes
till the mixture forms a soft ball. Add cardamom powder and mix well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Let it
cool slightly. Make small balls and flatten to give the shape of Kesar Pedas.
You can also roll the dough and cut it into circles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-52872547351538456122013-10-26T05:12:00.002-07:002013-10-26T05:12:17.998-07:00Recipe | Kesari<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YQwzULbD8A0BBCj14gI769MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NINhtw71RU4/UlV3drwYq0I/AAAAAAAAHQQ/t_wOeGkhpuY/s800/IMG_5371.JPG" width="529" /></a><br />
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Semolina <b>Kesari </b>is a popular sweet in South India. In my hometown <a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-millet-and-lentil-daal-dhokli-a-comforting-one-pot-meal/" target="_blank">Udaipur </a>we make Suji ka halwa which has almost the same ingredients but proportions are different. Halwa has fluffy texture while Kesari is fudgy and seta like burfi.</div>
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</div>
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<b>Ingredients</b>;</div>
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</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1/2 cup Semolina or rawa</li>
<li>1 cup sugar</li>
<li>1 1/2 cup milk</li>
<li>3 tbsp. Ghee</li>
<li>10-12 cashew nuts</li>
<li>1/2 tsp. cardamom powder</li>
<li>A pinch of orange food colour</li>
</ul>
<b>Method</b>; Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan and roast cashew
nuts till they turn brown in colour.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Add semolina to the same pan and roast till it turns light
brown in colour.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Boil milk in another vessel and add roasted rawa and orange
colour in it. Stir it well so that there is no lump formed in the milk. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cook for 3-4 minutes till
rawa gets cooked. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Add sugar and keep cooking for another 4-5 minutes till
Kesari leaves the sides of the pan. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Add ghee, cardamom powder and fried cashew nuts in it.
Grease a large plate with oil and spread the cooked Kesari on it. Flatten the
top with a ladle and let it cool completely.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Slice it in desired shapes and serve. </div>
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hcqBBW-l5arSY94_MUJ73tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="763" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-W7wgWzbAfLM/UlV3hQPwHfI/AAAAAAAAHQY/MNMzlVTv4v4/s800/IMG_5375.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
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<b>Notes</b>;<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Replace water with the same quantity of milk for a slightly different taste. Milk makes this Kesari recipe richer and denser. </li>
<li>Avoid orange colour if you are allergic to food colours.</li>
</ol>
<br /></div>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-39831641658264373332013-10-26T04:21:00.000-07:002013-10-26T04:21:03.331-07:00Recipe | Methi Pakoras or Fenugreek Fritters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Ingredients</b>;</div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 cup tightly packed Methi leaves</li>
<li>1/2 cup chickpea flour</li>
<li>1/4 cup rice flour</li>
<li>1 tsp. red chilly powder</li>
<li>1 tsp. Chaat masala</li>
<li>Salt to taste</li>
<li>Oil to deep fry</li>
<li>Water as required</li>
</ul>
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<b>Method</b>; Pluck Methi (fenugreek) leaves, wash it with water and chop them
finely. </div>
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Take a large vessel and add chopped Methi leaves and rest of
the ingredients eacept oil and water.</div>
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Mix all the ingredients thoroughly with hands. Add water if
you feel the batter is not binding together. </div>
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If you want crisp Pakoras add very little water and keep the
batter thick, almost like chapatti dough. If you wish to make soft Pakoras add
enough water to make a batter of flowing consistency.</div>
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Heat oil in a wok and drop small portions of batter to make
Methi Fritters or Pakoras.</div>
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<b>Notes</b>;</div>
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Add a little hot oil in the batter to get soft Pakoras.</div>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-53078479029655183592013-10-26T04:17:00.003-07:002013-10-26T04:17:47.361-07:00Recipe | Fresh corn Fritters or Pakoras<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Rain and Pakoras go hand in hand. These crispy corn fritters or Pakoras make a perfect tea-time treat.<br />
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Ingredients; </div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 cup corn kernel fresh or frozen</li>
<li>4 tbsp. chickpea flour or besan</li>
<li>2 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves</li>
<li>1 onion</li>
<li>1 tsp. Chaat masala or lemon juice</li>
<li>1/2 tsp. red chilly powder</li>
<li>Salt to taste</li>
<li>Oil to deep fry</li>
</ul>
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<b>Method</b>; peel and chop onion finely. Grind corn kernel to make a coarse paste.</div>
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Take a large vessel and add all the ingredients together except oil.</div>
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Heat oil in a wok and drop small portions of batter in it. </div>
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Fry the Pakoras till they turn golden brown in colour.</div>
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Serve hot Corn fritters or Pakoras with green chutney or tomato sauce. </div>
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<b>Notes</b>;<br />
Grate a fresh corn and use in the recipe for better taste.<br />
Replace 2 tbsp. of chickpea flour with rice flour more more crispy fritters.<br />
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-33676172340769998192013-08-22T05:00:00.000-07:002013-08-22T05:00:01.557-07:00Recipe | Quick and Easy Tofu Fritters <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BEiDN5L1ly4/UhXN2MizboI/AAAAAAAAHBE/PqkX4FG8OfY/s1600/IMG_3124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BEiDN5L1ly4/UhXN2MizboI/AAAAAAAAHBE/PqkX4FG8OfY/s1600/IMG_3124.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">Paneer Paoras or </span><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.1875px;"><a href="http://litebite.in/tag/cottage-cheese/" target="_blank">cottage</a></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;"><a href="http://litebite.in/tag/cottage-cheese/" target="_blank"> cheese</a> fritters are a common street food in many parts of India. I like to use Tofu to make these fritters,.A delicious tea time treat </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.1875px;"><a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-tofu-malai-koftas-and-stuffed-okra/" target="_blank">Tof</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;"><a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-tofu-malai-koftas-and-stuffed-okra/" target="_blank">u </a>fritters are easy and </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 19.1875px;">quick</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;"> to make.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Ingredients;<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">1
cup Tofu cubes </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">1/2 cup chickpea flour (<i>besan</i>)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">1/2
cup corn flour (<i>makki ka atta</i>)</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">1/2
cup <a href="http://litebite.in/desserts-three-easy-panna-cotta-recipes/" target="_blank">buttermilk</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">2
tbsp finely chopped mint and coriander leaves</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">1
tsp chaat masala</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">1/2
tsp red chilly powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">1/4
tsp. turmeric powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">1/2
tsp roasted cumin powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">Salt
as desired</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">Oil
for deep frying</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hUB2Gd_JFQ4/UhXPPIkHfPI/AAAAAAAAHBQ/18Z5mIAUHcY/s1600/IMG_5925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hUB2Gd_JFQ4/UhXPPIkHfPI/AAAAAAAAHBQ/18Z5mIAUHcY/s1600/IMG_5925.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Method</b>; Cut small cubes of Tofu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt;">Add chickpea flour (besan), courn flour (makki ka atta), red chilly powder, turmeric powder (haldi), cumin powder, chaat masala, shredded mint and coriander leaves, salt in large bowl and mix well. Pour buttermilk and make a thick batter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt;">Make sure the batter is slightly thick in consistency to coat it well around each Tofu cube.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt;">Heat oil in a large flat pan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt;"> Dip each </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.4pt;">Tof</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">u cube in the batter and put it in the hot oil. Deep fry all the paneer cubes till they turn golden brown in colour, stirring once or twice in between.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt;">Serve these delicious snack of Tofu<a href="http://litebite.in/recipes-tofu-malai-koftas-and-stuffed-okra/" target="_blank">http://litebite.in/recipes-tofu-malai-koftas-and-stuffed-okra/</a> fritters with any green chutney or tomato sauce.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 14.4pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt;"><b>Notes;</b></span></span></div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">Use <a href="http://litebite.in/tag/cottage-cheese/" target="_blank">Cottage cheese or </a></span><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;"><a href="http://litebite.in/tag/cottage-cheese/" target="_blank">Paneer</a></i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;"><a href="http://litebite.in/tag/cottage-cheese/" target="_blank"> </a>in place of Tofu and make yummy </span><i style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">Paneer Pakoras.</i></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">Increase the quantity of red chilly powder if you like spicy treats. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 14.4pt;">You can add finely chopped green chillies in the batter too.</span></li>
</ol>
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<br /></div>
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-19764653288773712992013-06-25T02:47:00.000-07:002013-07-19T01:59:11.115-07:00Travel | Somnath Temple in Gujarat, immersed in God's word Part - 5<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Continued from <a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2013/06/travel-gir-in-sasan-our-first-sight-of.html" target="_blank">Part 4</a><br />
'<i>Prayers does not change God, but it changes him who prays.</i>' ~ Kierkegaard. This eternal shrine of <i>Somnath i</i>n Gujarat was destroyed six times and was rebuilt with more vigour and devotion every single time. The first temple was supposed to be built before the beginning
of Christian era. The present temple is the seventh temple on the original site
of <i><b>Somnath</b></i> which was completed in 1995.<br />
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There is a trust called <i>Shree Somnath</i> Trust which takes care of temple complex.</div>
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I haven’t read many scriptures on Indian mythology and all I
know is that the 12 <i>Jyotirlings</i> of utmost spiritual importance in India are pillars of lights where Shiva appeared as
a fiery column of light. These Lings also represents the endless universe which
has no beginning and no end, symbolizing the infinite nature of lord Shiva. Somnath is one such ancient <i>Lings</i> in Gujarat. </div>
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There are several boarding options available from the trust around the temple which can be booked online. We were so fortunate to get this accommodation with the reference of my brother. I could not have ask for more from our entire trip than getting a chance to stay in this magical hotel. <br />
Yes, our room was right next to the temple complex with the balcony sharing the same boundary overlooking the gorgeous Somnath.<br />
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The rooms are very basic with temple complex at one end and Arabian sea on the other. What took me with surprise was the prominent sign board in yellow and black in our room which said ' Photographing temple from the rooms are stickily prohibited'...there it goes..Kaput....<br />
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I spoke to one of the staff members and convinced him that I won't be using the pictures for any commercial reasons.<br />
I clicked a few pictures of the temple and sea shore and loved spending most of my time just sitting in the balcony, watching the waves kissing the shores of temple.<br />
Daughter clicked a few pictures of moi in pensive mood....<br />
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We were there at the temple at 6 AM to watch the morning prayers and the rituals of decorating the <i>Lings</i> and performing <i>Abhisheks </i>with milk, curd, honey, turmeric and Ghee.<br />
Then begins the <i>Aarti </i>or prayers, singing and chanting hymns in praise of lord in chorus. The entire process was mesmerizing and an act of getting closer to the creator. </div>
There is light and sound show every evening which starts around 7 PM.<br />
All the pictures are taken from my room. I may not be able to divulge the name of the hotel for the obvious reasons....<br />
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Where sky, water and Earth meet.....<br />
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Another view from my balcony....a sit out in the temple complex from where you can watch the light and sound show in evening or just be with sea.<br />
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The hotel is overlooking the Arabian sea and the beach is right in front of the entrance. On the beach after a light lunch of Gujarati <i>Thali. </i><br />
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Clicked this picture from the corridor while getting down to watch sunset on the right beach opposite our hotel.<br />
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Children and hubby, one with nature.....<br />
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Joy is a feeling....children spent some of the best times playing, talking and walking around the beach with their daddy. <br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;">An evening on the beach watching sunset, walking, cherishing my time alone and trying to </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10.5pt;">find my answer to life which gets more elusive the older I
get.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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On Ahmedabad airport waiting for the flight, reminiscing about the good times and planning for the next travel....<br />
The thrill of being in the unknown place, talking to nameless yet friendly faces and challenging yourself to adapt to uncomfortable environs is what makes traveling a complete experience.</div>
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I am not sold to the idea of traveling outside <st1:country-region w:st="on">India yet</st1:country-region>, and how can I, when I haven’t seen even one fourth of my country after years of traveling…and when there still is so much to discover.<br />
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PS; Travel during the month of May-June in Gir forest or most parts of Gujarat is strictly recommended for the adventure seekers and is best avoided by those looking for comforts in their trip.<br />
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This is my entry to '<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmbiPurIndia" target="_blank">The perfect road trip</a>' on <a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/topic.php?topic=83" target="_blank">IndiBlogger.</a><br />
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-46972157195188281202013-06-25T02:45:00.000-07:002013-07-19T02:01:33.600-07:00Travel | Gir in Sasan, Our First Sight of Asiatic Lions in Wild Part - 4<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Continued from <a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2013/06/travel-gir-is-calling-sinh-sadan-in.html" target="_blank">Part -3</a></div>
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The Safari system is pretty organized in Gir if you have prior booking for the rooms as well as for the safari.</div>
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Each safari cost INR 2000 including guide charges which is mandatory. I already read about people facing troubles in sightings lions in shared gypsies with noisy & cramped rides. We did not share our gypsy with anyone and did all are safaris by ourselves.<br />
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The booking office opens at 5.30 AM, while th visitors start queuing up for getting the permit as early as 4.30AM.<br />
I was up by 5AM, ordered tea from the cafeteria inside the complex and was ready for my permit. I got the permit at 5.45 AM without hassles as I had already booked the Safari earlier.<br />
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We were the first to enter the Gir forest on both the days which gave us an added advantage to spot the lions and other animals.<br />
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The drive was filled with spotted deer, Sambhar, Neelgai, peacocks and pea fowls.<br />
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We felt a sudden jolt when our driver put a sudden brake and informed us that he sighted a leopard hunting a deer hardly a few meters away. All of us forgot to start our camera and click...we were engrossed in watching the Leapord in hunting pose and the deer standing right behind the bush.<br />
I did try to zoom but my kit lens could not capture those rare moments. Moreover my hands were trembling when the guide said that leopards are more dangerous than lions and often attack humans.<br />
Can you spot the tiny leopard in attacking pose in those dry bushes?<br />
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We then saw foot-marks of a pride of lions and started following....<br />
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And this is what we saw...a pride of 6 lions. Two males and 4 females, peacefully resting after a hearty meal in night. Two female lions were gorging on the leftover catch.<br />
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Watching the king of jungle from so near is really scary....both the children were slightly nervous and kept on asking me to sit quietly and stop clicking pictures...the click sound from camera may disturb lions.<br />
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What a majestic walk...The dry forest is a perfect cameo for these lions.<br />
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And then came a moment when our gypsy was in between a pair of two young lions who were sitting on both sides of the track. They sat there facing each other looking at our gypsy and giving perfect poses.<br />
My daughter was scared and asked the guide to take pictures who willingly did the job.<br />
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The driver then asked us to sit firmly as we had to cross the lions sitting on both sides of the track. The nervousness on my daughter's face is seen in the picture...."<i>Do we really need to cross, can we change track mom"</i>? was her question.<br />
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And then we crossed, our gypsy almost touching the lions who looked up and gave a strange look. Mom...camera...click..fast..mom...click.. focus...Ah-oh we already crossed....Huh...<br />
My hands are still trembling when I write about those moments. The mixed feeling of fear, anxiety and excitement is hard to describe in words.<br />
<b>And we had our first sight of the Asiatic lions in the wild!</b><br />
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Our driver crossed the two lions and stopped a few meters away for us to get a better view and take pictures. The male looked majestic with his golden coat glistening with the morning crimson rays of sunshine. The innocent look in his eyes, elegant and confidence posture made sure he rules the forest.<br />
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This guy figured out that we are a bunch of crazy visitors and are done with our shoot....and the king finally dozed off. </div>
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This was an amazing experience for children who were still in a state of shock and breathing hard for having a brush off with the king of beast face-to-face.</div>
Everyone who starts off to a wildlife safari has a dream of sighting these majestic animals. Though there are many amazing animals & birds on the way, every eye would still reach as far as the land is seen, head would rotate 360 degrees in anticipation, to get a glimpse of the king of the jungle.</div>
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We were thrilled to have come across a rare sighting of a leopard hunting for deer, a pride of 12 lions lazying around after a hearty meal and 2 young lions sitting next to our gypsy.</div>
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Pack your bags and head out….Gir is calling…growllllll</div>
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PS; I am not a wildlife photographer and my pictures certainly do not justify how majestic and graceful the king of jungle look.<br />
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Continued her <a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2013/06/travel-somnath-temple-in-gujarat.html" target="_blank">Part - 5</a><br />
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This is my entry to '<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmbiPurIndia" target="_blank">The perfect road trip'</a> on<a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/topic.php?topic=83" target="_blank"> IndiBlogger.</a><br />
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sanjeeta kkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03156697546805999945noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2760174381315637589.post-72837582749136628142013-06-25T02:42:00.000-07:002013-07-19T02:02:45.273-07:00Travel | Gir is Calling, Sinh Sadan in Sasan Part -3<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Continued from <a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2013/06/travel-wonderful-day-on-island-of-diu.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a><br />
Finally we were heading towards the mystical forest of lions called ‘Gir’in Gujrat. You can take a taxi from <st1:place w:st="on">Diu</st1:place> or board a local bus which is a much cheaper option if you are on a budget.</div>
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There are many resorts and hotels near Gir forest but you may lose precious time if you book there. Everyone who wishes to go for lion Safari has to come to Singh Sadan to get a permit before heading to Gir forest.<br />
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Sinh Sadan is at the border of Gir forest and is managed by Gujarat government. It has several cottages inside the complex which needs to be booked in advance. We had a booking in one of the cottages in the premises.</div>
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Make sure to book these cottages and the Safari well in advance if you are a wild life lover and do not wish to loose time in paper work before starting the safari.<br />
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There are three Safaris each day, I was keen on going for the morning Safaris on both the days, as the lion sighting is more during early morning hours and the weather is pleasnt too.<br />
We went outside the complex to explore the rustic village called Sasan.<br />
The locals are quite friendly are ready always to direct you to some wonderful places to visit in Sasan. We went around a few Mango farms and enjoyed the simple and laid back rural life in Sasan.<br />
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We made some friends who were our neighbors in Sinh Sadan and went to the nearby Crocodile breeding park with them.<br />
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I found a beautiful river flowing behind Sinh Sadan and asked the staff how to go there. Though heavily loitered we could get a glimpse of village life from there. <br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2a5vQWydxHt6mOWlKe-kLdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-r93Jv5cChGo/Uang8ASX7eI/AAAAAAAAGTA/YpPoD4LdbBc/s800/IMG_7056.JPG" width="486" /></a><br />
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You need very little to make a happy living...and I could read the happiness written on the faces of these simple villagers.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DA2U2HILXZEpx00cEh0en9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6ROw6juQQu4/UanhH5NN-6I/AAAAAAAAGTQ/FWgykU-ct-c/s800/8.JPG" width="462" /></a><br />
Sighted some colourful peacocks on the way...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8c2EtmSlzUjvsNeETS8iGdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-TK864fFUD4w/UanhNCxkoRI/AAAAAAAAGTY/XCFR-Edrn-E/s800/9.JPG" width="527" /></a><br />
<br />
And a herd of grazing deer...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Cf1dalsAd_vGtuIspYiIFdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="689" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nUgfW7qfrYM/UanhCHTQRrI/AAAAAAAAGTI/-neDYQagr_E/s800/IMG_7045.JPG" width="550" /></a><br />
Was fun to watch village children splashing and playing happily in the muddy river...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ob7Hx-ZgZICJL5I-hyYKEtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="800" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iLtbM6YVcBQ/UangsgAxdPI/AAAAAAAAGSg/FkPxJUXooXo/s800/3.JPG" width="543" /></a>
<br />
Had a simple dinner at the dinning hall in Sinh Sadan, walked around the complex and chatted with other visitors staying in the cottages.<br />
And we were all set to start our first Safari the next day morning.<br />
<br />
This is my entry to '<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmbiPurIndia" target="_blank">The perfect road trip' </a>on <a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/topic.php?topic=83" target="_blank">Indi Blogger</a>.<br />
<br />
Continued....<a href="http://sanjeetakk.blogspot.in/2013/06/travel-gir-in-sasan-our-first-sight-of.html" target="_blank">Part -4</a></div>
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