Strawberry Italian Cream Soda Mocktail Recipe ~ Creating My Own Igloo

Shriek!!!! Scream !!!! This cannot be true. " Temperatures across the UAE will peak at around 45C over the next few days, but the soaring humidity will make it feel as if it's, wait for it.... a whooping 64 degrees." Information courtesy What's On , Dubai. Please please Mr.S can we take a holiday to a place of cooler clime? He frowns and with the sternest no looks away into his news paper, too annoyed to be called out of his morning ritual of piping hot South Indian filter coffee and the freshest edition of Gulf News, which he, I think reads line by line. I get up looking for Mum-in-law, my saviour in situations like this on most earlier occasions. She, too, is busy in her morning invocation of the Almighty and I meekly recede back into my own cocoon. But I am so unable to concentrate on anything. The next best saviour after my Mum-in-law has always been the refrigerator. On occasions such as this, when things don't go my way, a peek into the refrigerator has always ended, with me cooking up a fire (oh no nothing hot seems to feel good this morning) or alternately digging into some comfort food or chocolates sitting pretty in my refrigerator. Oh dear gadget friend, please pull me out of my despondency this morning. I open the door of the refrigerator and the chill whiff coated with a white smoke that greets me is good enough to bring a kind of solace to me.

Murshidabad Postor Halwa Recipe / Khus Khus Halva Recipe / Poppy Seeds Halva Recipe ~ Rejoicing Two Fulfilling Years Of Blogging

Two years of a fulfilling journey into the culinary world of everything extraordinairé and I am all the more charged up to unravel further and further. This unending enthusiasm of mine to delve extensively into this fascinating world of food seems to be on an upscale even more now. As I sit back, retrospecting, the realisation dawns on me that so much has changed since this voyage began exactly two years from today. I have in my own little way learnt so many facets and things related to food which I would have never known had it not been for this Blog. My Blog propels me to constantly be on the quest for new cuisines, ingredients which I have never heard of before, connects me to the glorious past of countries through their food and also gives me the confidence to try recipes in my kitchen which I perhaps would not have done otherwise. Truly, this culinary adventure of mine has become so fascinating with each passing year.

DOODH PULI/SEMOLINA AND COCONUT DUMPLINGS IN THICK MILK - MY PRIZED SOUVENIR OF MOONDROPS

Yum

Childhood, pristine, overloaded with innocence, bereft of malice, couldn't we all remain like that all our life? But sadly no, we change, our thoughts too and the pure heart of a child transforms, giving way to something very different, something unknown to childhood. But that's the way things here are meant to be. Reflecting back, as a child the things which assumed immense significance are now totally mundane.

MA'S CHICKEN PILAF/MAYER MURGIR POLAO - RECIPE OF LOVE

Looking at me with her large doe eyes, Ma put her hand on mine and in the most reassuring tone said, " Trust me, everything will be fine". No sooner were these words uttered, would I be engulfed in her love and see magic happen. The situation would turn around in my favour, not because the things happening would change, but I would draw immense strength from her words and gain so much confidence, that the same me would see the situation in a different perspective and win over. Yes, every single time I was not sure of a life situation, this was what Ma did and continues to do. 

I think all of you will agree with me and must have experienced and are still experiencing this, in your lives. Mothers make our lives so much easier, don't they? I am sharing with you today MURGIR POLAO or CHICKEN PILAF which is again a recipe from my mother's repertoire. 

CHICKEN REZALA - CHICKEN MARRIED WITH THE CREAMIEST GRAVY EVER

CHICKEN REZALA

This dish was made in my family whenever there was a celebration or festivity. This super delicious Chicken is cooked in a white gravy with Curd and a paste of cashew nuts seeds as the main ingredients. A magical spice mix is added to the chicken while marinating which brings out such gorgeous aromatics that I start salivating while the chicken cooks.

ANDHRA CHICKEN CURRY/KODI KURA - MY MOM-IN-LAW'S PRECIOUS KITCHEN SECRETS

ANDHRA CHICKEN CURRY / KODI KURA RECIPE : 

My Mom-in-law's heirloom recipe