Fusion of Flavours & Spices- Malaysian Cuisine

Malaysian cuisine, is as diverse as its culture, it ranges from plainly grilled dishes to elaborately cooked meals.The Malaysian population is comprises of 3 main ethnics- Malay, Chinese & Indian. And as a result of their historical migrations and geographical advantage their cuisine is a fusion of Malay, Chinese, Thai, Arabian and Indian cuisine. The Malay food is strong, spicy and aromatic, combining the rich tastes of the many herbs and spices. In fact is one of the most flavorful cuisines in the world.

King of the street Food- Chicken Murtabak- Murtabak is a stuffed pancake or a pan fried bread readily found in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Malaysia. It’s one of the most popular street food in Malaysia and is well known as Martabak . The spicy and tangy chicken filling adds a different flavor and zing to it.  

An Appetizing starter to your meal - Chicken Satay, This is another popular food in Malaysia.  The juicy and succulent chicken used for Satay is marinated, grilled and served on skewers. They are not too spicy and are served with a special peanut sauce. 

Happy Meal- Platter of MeeGoreng, Nasi Goreng and Roti Canai with Chicken Curry

A meal can never be more delicious and heavenly, when it comprises of all the perfect flavors and tastes as delectable as it looks.

Mee Goreng also known as Bami Goreng , is nothing but Malaysian style noodles cooked with shrimps.

Nasi Goreng , it literally means fried rice in Indonesia. This is a classic Indonesian/Malaysian dish which is spicy prawn fried rice with soy sauce, garlic, shallots, spring onions and peas.

Roti Canai, is a type of Indian influenced flat bread found in Malaysia and Indonesia. It’s paired with most of their curries out there and is considered as staple food, just like Roti’s in India.

My experience with Wine...!!!

Like every year I was looking forward to my birthday, since Birthdays are all about gifts & surprises and my husband loves planning surprises for me. This year he took me to Bangalore for my birthday and had a special weekend itinerary for me.

It was a bright sunny morning and Bangalore weather was just perfect for a nice drive to Heritage Winery located off Bangalore-Mysore Highway near Channapattanna , 60 Km from Bangalore. Away from the hum-drum of the city, this winery is located admidst rolling hills and lush greenery.

I was looking forward to the whole experience of Wine tasting and learning the art of making wine. We walked into a lush green estate and were ushered into a board room where we were inducted on the Heritage Wine History by our Tour guide and an introductory video.

Post that we took a tasting session of all the varieties produced and bottled by Heritage Winery.  Bangalore weather and its fertile soil is conducive for the growth of grapes. The Heritage team has been encouraging the farmers to grow more grapes and they've been procuring from almost 800 acres of vineyard around Bangalore to make premium quality wine under the supervision of their wine experts. We tried Cabernet Red Wine, Shirax Red Wine, Chenin Blanc White Wine, Twist Bubbly Wine, Heritage 2000 premium wine & Heritage sweet red wine. The wine expert educated us on the art of wine tasting. Learning how to taste wines is a straightforward adventure that will deepen your appreciation for both wines and winemakers. It’s all about Look, Smell and Taste. It’s the perfect combination of smell and taste that allows you to discern flavor.

We extended our experience to a different level by pairing the amazing wines with some gastronomical delights dished out by the experienced chef of the vineyard.  Our lunch menu was Greek Chicken Salad, Grilled Quail, Garlic Bread and Chicken Steak. I’m not a foodie but I was enthralled by the brilliant food. We ate and sipped on the wine to our heart’s content and then headed to check out the sprawling Vineyard, where our tour guide took us through the journey of uncovering the mystery of wine making process from grape to bottle.

The tour ended with me purchasing a couple of bottles of the Twist bubbly Wine which I carried back home to Hyderabad. A splendid day, great wine and delectable food, this was the best Birthday for me.

Chennai Express- This Journey isn't too much Fun..!!!

Being a Salman Khan loyalist I was disappointed to see an SRK Movie being slated for an Eid Release. Nevertheless I went ahead to watch Chennai Express with no expectations since Rohit Shetty is known for making no-brainers to target the masses and win the commercial chase at the box office.

I won’t go too much in details, as there isn't anything to talk about. Like all his previous movies, this 

one is also devoid of a convincing plot. And deliberately infused action scenes to make all his movies look larger than life, keeps the consistency of all Rohit Shetty movies. SRK, has his own charm but honestly speaking comedy is not his genre, his attempts at comedy seem more convoluted than convincing. For a Hindi movie, there’s too much Tamil spoken, I completely agree it keeps the authenticity of story, but then there could have been subtitles as most of the dialogues are just lost in translations.  Music is average, and some songs just seem to be forcefully added, however “Lungi Dance” seems to have been ruling the chart busters and the playlist at all the Night Clubs.

Deepika Padukone manages to add great visual appeal to the movie with her amazing screen presence. But what’s with that fake Tamil dialect? I’m sure whatever Tamil she spoke was completely incomprehensible even to the Tamilians. Nevertheless, she managed to pull off the character of a damsel in distress very convincingly with her incredible beauty and over the top glamour quotient. This girl is capable of carrying any avatar in the most gorgeous manner and makes her traditional get up look as glamorous as her style statements in previous movies like Cocktail and Yeh Jawani hai Deewani.  That’s an incredible feat, considering she’s just a few films old.

The movie doesn't have too much to offer to the audience who expect a lot when you have such a strong star cast. Chennai Express will still appeal to the SRK loyalist, who will be enamored with his patent charm of a lover boy.  This movie is fun for all those who enjoy the comedy endorsed by Rohit Shetty.

Race to the Finishing Line...!!!

Here comes a movie after a long time, which definitely makes it to the finishing line of the Box office not only with just great response but along with accolades and admiration from the critics and the masses.

“Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” is a not just a biopic on the legendary Milkha Singh, it’s a cinematic experience that comes straight from the heart.  Thankfully Rakesh Om Praskash Mehra is back in form after the sheer disappointment of Delhi-6.

Scripted in detail by Prasoon Joshi, the movie chronicles the athlete’s triumph and failures. The only place where the script falters is the excessive repetition of melodramatic scenes, recalling the tribulations faced by Milkha Singh as a child during the India- Pakistan partition. These scenes could have been escaped to avoid the 3 hours and 40 minutes length of the movie.  

Some scenes are really endearing and done to the minutest detail with perfection. Portrayal of Milkha’s aspirations of to earn a glass of milk for breakfast, to wear a blazer with the national emblem, and the strong determination to break the world record will leave you stunned with the impeccable performance of Farhan Akhtar . Rakesh Mehra could be inconsistent with his part records but when he’s good he’s excellent.

And it’s needless to emphasize that without Farhaan Akhtar, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag would be a body without a soul. Yes, Farhaan Akhtar does it again and again. He proves his dedication and hard work in the most unique way with his each film. Right from getting the physique, to the look and the mannerisms of a Sardar, this man deserves applaud and a standing ovation for breathing life and soul into the Director’s vision.

Watch it for Farhan Akhtar who impeccably replicates the soul of Milkha Singh and leaves you with goosebumps and for Rakesh Mehra who comes back with an almost perfect narration.

Nautanki Saala is an official remake of the French film Apres Vous, I haven't seen the latter so can't draw any comparisons. Just got to know its Rohan’s Sippy lowest budget film ever and considering that it’s decently done.
But that’s not all what one expects from Rohan Sippy and especially Ayushmann Khurrana who made a very promising debut last year with Vicky Donor. The only saving grace here is Kunal Roy Kapur, who ends up stealing the show with his earnest and sincere performance. The humor is subtle and completely relies on dialogues more than the situations. The movie is on a whole character and dialogue driven rather than situation based since there is no concrete plot or story. The pace of the movie is sluggish and it’s only few moments that end up infusing some life.
Rohan Sippy is known to show Mumbai in its erstwhile glory of beautiful, clean and peaceful locations of Colaba, Marine Drive & Bandstand. You will find a lot of similarity in the cinematography of this movie with Bluff master, which was shot in similar locales. 
The music of the movie is peppy and the songs are hummable especially Ayushmann Khurrana’s composition Saddi Gali. 
If you must, check it out for Kunaal’s performance, the fun music and few glimpse of the Raavan Leela

Christmas Cheer is finally here..!!!

Pick it up from where you left it Last...!!!

For all that glitters, is not always gold,
This is a truth, but hardly told.
Friends may be many, but few are precious and rare,
Hence it’s a relationship that should be handled with care.

Thus behold all these lovely people in life,
And cherish all the moments of togetherness.
Coz’ they are the one who who’ll strive hard,
To cast away all your burdens and kill life’s emptiness.

Those good old late night chats,
The fight over the last pizza piece.
Will bring back that glitter in your eyes,
Of some long lost beautiful memories.

You may not talk daily,
But they are always on your mind.
All those crazy old mad times,
You would always want to rewind.

But such is life,
It always treads us on different paths,
So don’t waste your time in fretting,
Just pick up your conversation from where you left it last..!!!