Thursday 26 February 2015

Treat Yourself In Nawabi Style: Dawat -e- Lazzez - The Awadhi Food Festival at Westin Gurgaon

                             Dawaat - E- Lazzez: The Awadhi Food Festival at Westin Gurgaon

Awadhi cuisine originates from the land of Nawab's, the modern day city of Lucknow. The era known for the grandeur, mannerisms and monuments lives today with its cuisine. The peculiarity of the cuisine originating from this land lies in its style of cooking often described as "dum" synonymous for cooking on a slow fire, a technique than allows slow but substantial infusion of spices into the delicacy, such that it stands out grandly much like the Nawab shahab's it was cooked for. So when I got an invite for "Dawat-e-Lazzez", a festival that celebrates a culture, an era gone by with it's cuisine it was more than pleasure to experience it all right here in Gurgaon, in the company of my favorite food lovers Sneha (http://thekitchenespion.blogspot.in/) and Shalini (http://allthingsnice-shalinipereira.blogspot.in/).

                                    Master Chef Qadir Khan (picture courtesy: Shalini)

Awadhi cuisine stands out for their kebabs, breads, sweets and dum biryani. All of these in multiple varieties were on the menu at none other than The Awadhi Food Festival at Westin Gurgaon. The best part was though Nawab's were definitely not vegetarian, not alienating our species and those who for health or other reasons prefer the vegetarian cuisine were treated equally lavishly as vegetarian options too were multiple. All thanks to Master Chef Qadir Khan from whose kitchen originate the wonders you would now see. 

       The Aesthetically Pleasing Venue  "Seasonal Tastes": The 24 hour restaurant at Westin Gurgaon 


We were warmly welcome by the PR team Linopion and the extremely hospitable team of Westin Gurgaon. Seasonal Tastes - the 24 hour restaurant of Westin was the venue and its colors are enough to make you forget the worst Monday blues. To make us feel at home and relax after a long tiring day, we were served shots of Thandai (left) and Gulab Sherbet (right). Feeling relaxed thereafter we began on the mission to savor the delicacies and time travel into the era gone by.
                                                                       


The starters began with our all time favorite Paneer Tikka, which were soft and just perfect. The next kebab was Subz ki Seekh (left) - a perfect blend of spices and veggies . It was very soft, melt in mouth and rich in spice, this kebab tops my all time favorite kebabs. The next on the menu was the well known Gilouti Kebab (right). It was also very soft, much like the Nawabs would have loved and a little less spicy.
                
                                                                                                 
After relishing the kebabs of the Nawab's began our rendezvous with the main course which consisted of variety of Raitas, Dum Biryani, Dum Dal (thick yellow lentils cooked in dum style), variety of Papads, Mirch ka Salan. I particularly like Mirch Ka Salan which was again as my taste goes rich in spices (not pungent). The bread was Sheermal, which was different from the Kashmiri Sheermal, mildly sweet and rich and softer. This Sheermal is similar yet again as the nawabi food goes softer than the Mughlai Sheermal. 

Varieties of Papds and Curries with Dum Biryani's..Veg, Chicken and Mutton

The Main Course

Dessert Time: The best part of a meal for a sweet-tooth like me is always the dessert. I am sure the Nawab's would agree with me and therefore you can see a wide variety their cuisine consists of. I tried many of them for the first time like Jou Ki Sai which was something I have never tasted before. Even the traditional Badam Halwa and Shahi Tukda were rich and satiating to the taste buds and the soul. The sweet-tooth in me was in the heavens.

            Desserts Galore...Badam Halva, Shahi Tukda and Kheer

     Kubani Ka Meetha

                                         Jou ki Sai....the most delicious desert, tops my list.


                                                          The Traditional: Kesar Phirni 


                        The Satiating Plate For The Sweet Tooth...and this is just round one :P

A complete experience is the one where the mind is enriched along with the belly, and the conversation with Master Chef Qadir Khan was just that essential ingredient of the evening. He explained us in detail how each cuisine was cooked in dum style, the difference between spices, addition time and duration in Mughlai, Kashmiri and Awadhi cuisine. It was really sweet of him to solve our smallest queries in detail.

                            With Master Chef: Qadir Khan and Sneha (picture courtesy: Shalini)

                                                               The Satiated Soul: Me 

Worked too hard this week? It's time to treat yourself royally - the Nawabi style only at "Dawat-e-Lazzez"- The Awadhi Food Festival at Westin, Gurgaon.  It ends on 28th February 2015, so hurry...

I thank Sukhdeep Bahra, Chef Deepak Bhatia and Masterchef Qadir Khan  from Westin Gurgaon for the amazing hospitality and delicious cuisine. Special Thanks to Mounisha Chakraborty from Linopinion for the invite.


Sunday 1 February 2015

She Is Everything Beyond Situation With A Smile

She smiles at you and welcomes you with a warmth fading away from human beings. People come to her beauty parlour for that also I suppose. What each woman needs to look good is a personal touch and Shweta di as we call her does just that. Her smile travelling to the eyes that beam as they welcome you. When she jokes around and entertains you as she gives a perfect arc to your eyebrows or pays attention to the smallest scar while tending to your skin you would feel she is the happiest person on earth. But when in a rare moment of sadness on a bad day after two years of knowing her she reveals she is bringing up her two children single handed, by running a small beauty parlour for women in a middle class locality in a small town in Gujarat, you will just wonder ...do you even know her? How does she hide the pain? Upon asking these questions she answers with a smile "I chose to be a mother to a daughter and another daughter". That in short defines a lot but what she has endured and yet dared to embrace the And is an inspiration for every woman.

A fair bride, a good sum of dowry, gifts for life and a son or better more sons, are some of the demands from a daughter in law across classes in India. It was more so of in the era gone by, and do instead of spending on Shweta Di's education her parents saved for her dowry as do most Indian parents. A huge mistake that is costing one everything. Soon after Shweta Di's marriage her in laws would abuse her for being dark coloured. They demanded for more and more money, which her poor parents couldn't afford. Knowing she never asked and was beaten up regularly by husband and in-laws. Then came the greatest crime a woman in Indian society make, give birth to "a girl child". They abused and pressurised her again and she was pregnant once more though doctors suggested a break in between. When do Indian women have those privileges? 

She clearly remembers the faces after second delivery. It was her mother in law first and then her husband, with the worst expression on their faces uttering the words "its a girl again, why can't you just produce a son for us". The child was abandoned by everyone and the operated mother Shweta Di picked her up. When she was taken home plans were being made to kill the child, not welcome it. It was all there a huge tub full of water. Her mother in law took the baby and drowned it. She cried and fought and before it was too late she took it back. They hit her, injured her like animals, she took it for her daughter. Then they said it "If you wish to live in this house, drown the child". How could a mother, any mother in the world do that? She chose her child. She left for her mothers place but they were poor people and for how long could they sustain her. Her mental condition broke, she knew she had no where to go, she was alone and had two girls to bring up. What would she do?

She was being treated at Psychiatric hospital. As the medication helped her forget her problem and de-stress she decided to live her dream that she had before marriage of being a beautician. Not having enough money for professional courses, she would go to local beauticians who needed assistance and would teach her. The little money she got home, was welcome and so was she more welcome than the burden before. She learnt little by little, step by step and when confident enough she set up her own. 

Today she earns on her own, has her personal outlet, a flat and is now learning English. Her husband couldn't find another fair skin bride it seems or now needs her back she isn't taking him, for her he is the devil who wanted to kill her daughter. Her daughters study in English medium school and she only saves for their education. 

Her journey is yet to achieve its destination but she has started, the best part she always smiles and if you didn't know her closely you would feel she is happy woman. Its the local hero's like her that motivate me. She was given a choice to be a mother or a wife but today she is an excellent beautician and the mother of a girl child and another girl child and an amazing fighter at that.

This post is a part of #UseYourAnd activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette Venus“.

Chat Buy and Sell With Quikr

Online shopping is one of the things of this generation.  Well my son will buy even his toothpaste online as he can do it anytime and at all times. It is such an addiction or call it convenience that even people of the generation before have also adapted to it. Great offers, saving time, money, exposure, pollution and the hassle of finding a parking for your car, petrol costs, time and most of all traffic, the older ways don’t seem fun when the option at the opposite end is a click of a mouse.

Also now one can just not buy but also sell your old stuff online via Internet and that is something I find even better. The consumer is not just limited now to your next door neighbour or a friend circle but extends much beyond to the entire nation. Who dreamt one day that would be possible?

Well the grass does have ants, it can become a nuisance too. Like once we put an old phone of mine to sell and all we got was phone calls all through the day. It was good as we wanted to sell it but for the price I was getting how worth it was it? Plus from some kind of calls All I wished was I hadn't put my number there. But then how else will I sell. So I thought can some Internet portal help me do it with a chat instead of call and help me do it quicker without much stress and guess what I found? Yes Quikr it was!

The following features are the reason I use it and I am sure if you give it a try you will agree that chatting is a better option.



1.  It’s a written word:   Researchers two years ago showed that you lie the most and build castles in the air when you talk. Also us Indians are talkative people, we can talk for hours and only when the time has gone by we realise all we did was talk. Many a times the talk can be true many a times blown to an unimaginable scale and many a times false. So I believe in going for the option where people will not tend to lie.

Also while dealing online it’s not always that you may find the right person so a chat is always a proof of you deal. Anything may happen you have their written word as proof of the deal between the two of you. Chat conversations are legally accepted and can be used if something turns sour. So as the people in the olden days said “it’s the written word” this is one thing Quikr helps you achieve through chat.

2. Mobile Number Privacy:  As I said earlier many a times while dealing with selling I wished my number didn't go everywhere. With there being a breach of privacy, I am held with doing the deal just for this one reason. I shall not have the deal instead of having a breach with my privacy. Quikr keeps your number safe and its not available or accessible for others. That is another reason I prefer to go with it.

3. Saves Time and Money:  The endless phone calls at all hours are not when you can attend to just to sell a small thing. This is the biggest issue I faced. I would rather have a selected time and slot to do it as per my convenience over a chat than my phone ringing all day at all hours. If I missed a call I would spend equal amount in calling and spend that much time.

However while chatting you can chat with multiple people at one go. The younger generation is better at it, they have ten chat windows open. I used to wonder how, but now I think its very efficient when you have to buy or sell. Also while negotiating with multiple people at one go you get the feel of the best deal you are going to get as the negotiation with multiple parties happen at one. So you can reach a decision faster than ever and make that deal, get over with it!

This blogpost is a part of Indiblogger Happy Hours with Quickr: 

So to get things done fast get Quickr here:  http://www.quikr.com/.