Friday, March 25, 2011

The Chinese Chaat... ?


Lately I have been having cravings. Don't get ideas. As much as I am enjoying and exploring my new world here , there are weak moments when I miss home and the street food. There's nothing like eating Chaats- Pani puri, bhel puri or masala puri. Just the thought excites my taste-buds.


Today I stumbled upon something which satisfied my cravings ( to an extent).

Kueh Pie Ti:


Its an improvised pani-puri. The puri is in shape of cup-cakes.
The ingredients are :
Cooked Turnip- never thought I will eat Turnip, most hated veggie
Cooked carrot
Sweet sauce
Grated peanuts
Minced garlic
Chilli sauce
Coriander leaves

Thats all. At the first bite I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! Crunchy,salty , sweet - all at just one bite..


Popiah:

Its basically nothing but a  veggie wrap, or a spring roll. Its nothing but 'Rumali roti' stuffed with veggies and they call it Chinese Popiah! Have you have watched those experts flying the dough in the air to make thin round Rumali rotis? Thats exactly how they make the Popiah skin .Then the below ingredients are added and rolled carefully.
Cooked Turnip
Cooked Carrot
Sweet sauce grated peanuts
Shredded cucumber
Bean sprout
Coriander leaves


Nothing compares our desi chaat. But this almost comes close.
Out of all the dishes I have tried I would rate these the best!

A must try!

P.S: All veggies -  while the dish is whipped up,kindly keep your eyes open.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

A Big Fat Chinese Wedding!


How I love weddings! This wedding I attended yesterday was special one too. My first Chinese wedding.. An experience to remember.Although I would have loved to stay through all the ceremonies I could attend only the reception in the evening at The Regent, Four Seasons hotel.

An extravagant, lovely, fairytale wedding.The bride being my collegue. On arrival at the ballroom I was amazed at all the bright lights and flowers that adorned the room.
The wedding album on display

During the reception the happy couples montage is displayed also with a small video of the ceremony that has already taken place that morning( thats technolgy for you! Fast and trendy). On the morning of his wedding day, the groom is dressed by his parents. The groom arrives at the house of his bride . He brings gifts of cash, wrapped in red tissue, to give to his bride's friends, in exchange for 'letting her go'. The brides friends dont let go of the bride easily. This is the hilarious part. Just like in the North Indian weddings( if you remember Hum Apke Hain Koun) hiding shoes in return of the money? Something similar. The brides friends bully the groom and his friends . In this wedding the grooms party was made to eat bitter gourd with lemon, the groom had to peel a banana from his mouth and feed lip to lip to all his friends (!!!) and so on..What touched me the most was the Groom almost was in tears when he asked the brides parents for her hand in marriage! I felt my eyes getting moist (no kidding)
With the bride..

The wedding couple serves tea to both sets of parents while kneeling in front of them. gesture of asking for permission.This is the main ceremony which symbolises the wedding.Usually in a traditional wedding black clothes are not auspicious .
 The reception is a grand affair! The food , the guests, the hotel  etc..A welcoming speech was performed by an MC who is hired for the occasion. The speech is followed by a cake cutting ceremony. The  wedding cake was immense, with many layers. The layers symbolize a ladder that they couple will 'climb to success'.. The cutting of the cake is the only event of the reception. The bride and groom feed each other a piece of cake .. A piece is then cut for each of the parents and for the grandparents, who are fed by the bride and groom holding the cake together. A wedding toast is given and guests are invited to greet the newlyweds and their parents.
the dress...! wow..
What I love about this wedding is the bride and the Groom give a speech to the guests. Reading out their vows(just like the christian weddings) . Voicing out in public how much you love your partner and all that romantic stuff saying how you will cherish and flourish etc etc.... sigh! We never even get to talk at our own weddings!




And the bride and groom enters...as a couple.











Musical entertainment, is also a main attraction as the orchestra or band come table to table and sing the guests requests.It is customary for guests to shake hands again before leaving the reception. At this elaborate Chinese wedding we had a sit-down reception  featuring  a 10 course meal as well as musical entertainment.

ang pow
The Ang pau is an envelope in which you gift the happy couple( cash) usually based on how lavish the wedding is. This is so that you can make up for the wedding costs for the newly married to have good luck and prosperity .








The Gang... 
Yay! We Rule!

Girls just wanna have fun..






A happy Bride.

My Dinner Menu ( Special order) 10 course !!

                                                                                 


Tuesday, March 15, 2011

٩(-̮̮̃•̃)۶ ٩(×̯×)۶٩(●̮̮̃•̃)۶ ٩(-̮̮̃-̃)۶ ٩(͡๏̯͡๏)۶

This blog has been crticized lately as a waste of time as it has no monetary benefits. Money? The root of all evil.I care a damn about the money that would spoil relationships, make a human inhuman.

This day I take a solemn oath that this blog shall endure all high tides like a small canoe in midst the white waters ( Ah! thats me ,dramatic again!) lol...

The pursuit to happiness continues... I go wherever happiness goes .My happiness shall cause envy. heeheehee. (Random rantings on a Tuesday evening..)

                          Whats better than singing to make oneself happy?

╔═══╗ ♪

║███║ ♫
║ (●) ♫
╚═══╝♪♪        
                   Music heals all wounds...So here goes...another video with a happy me...                                     


Friday, March 11, 2011

♨ GADO GADO ♨


 Sounds like a funky song? Its not. Its a wonderful flavoursome classic Indonesian dish!

Lately lifes been so hectic that lunch means having subway sandwiches at my desk. Today being Friday , (friday being my favourite day, not sat/sunday) I decided to treat my tummy with some indonesian cuisine. And so we(4 of us -an indian,a filipino, a malaysian and a singaporean!) headed to an indonesian restaurant . After a lot of contemplation and questioning (pestering ) the waitress auntie I found 2 veg dishes. I chose Gado Gado coz I liked the way it sounded.Gado Gado along with the Indonesian Jasmine tea! What a Combo!

Gado Gado  & Indonesian Jasmine Tea

Gado Gado is basically a salad . Salad of veggies like boiled potato, cabbage,green beans,lettuce,tofu, bean sprouts and rice cakes. ( usually  you have an option of eggs, but vegetarians like me have to specifically tell them not to serve any) . The dressing for this would be peanut sauce and coconut milk to make it thicker ! After probing a little more, I found that they use tobasco sauce to spice it up. Gado is garnished with potato or Tapioca crackers. (papad in india?) Care must be taken by vegetarians to check whether theres any shrimp paste added. Usually Indonesian and Malay(Its Malay food , not Malasian food - as corrected by a friend) food use a lot of shrimp paste.

Gado Gado can be an appetiser or a meal. What uppittu/Upma is for us, Gado gado is for the Indonesians. So filling and importantly healthy! What I noticed is food at this part of Asia is more to the sweeter side. Nothing is what we call' spicy'. My taste-buds have adapted to the food here so I quite enjoy myself more out of excitement. As every dish tried is a feather in my cap.

I have realised something in the past few months of exploring:
Why dwell on the miseries that surround you when you can find ways to make it a happy place? Look around! Theres so much more to learn and feel and see and taste!
Whats the use living in another country if you dont learn and understand the culture? The culture mainly being belief, art and food! Absorbing the good things and making life better.
People travel to learn not to show the stamps on their passports.  Knowledge is gained only by exploring and opening your mind to new horizons.
 After all we live only once.So have all the Gado Gados you want and be merry!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

♬ Sound of music ♬

Jim Hendrix was the first one to set his guitar on fire on stage and smashed a few during his concerts. 
Another Hendrix in the making.....

Sunday, March 6, 2011

♪ My first Kannada Song! ♪

Hilarious as it may sound, many people ask me whether I know Kannada. This is to answer THE question once and for all. It was a pleasure singing this song. In one take!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

✍ Singapore , as i see it - II



This little dot on the world map is famous for its multi-cultural existence.In this tiny island you will find - Little India, China town, Arab street! Singapore also (un)popular for its strict laws and rules. The strange laws are enforced in this city and know what? The citizens are tamed and very much law abiding.

You will be fined an obscene amount for littering, breaking traffic rules. For every rule broken there is a fine!You will be fined if you are found with a pack of chewing gum, coz chewing gum is banned! Everywhere you will see signs like this:


"Low crime doesnot mean no crime" , this slogan is seen  mostly in the train stations. I call it the 'national motto' :) True to its words. Every morning when you wake up and sleepily grope for your newspaper there wont be any eye catching, sensational news. I havent witnessed even a small accident on the road, living here in the past 2 years! But then, if a person is found guilty for a crime ,big or small the consequences are heart wrenching. Caning is a common punishment in prison. But in case of bigger crimes the convict will face either a death sentence or will be hanged to death. And there are not too many such cases in the history of Singapore. Singapore is counted among the top safest places on earth!

The water we drink here is recycled. Drinking water from sea-water , also sewage (as heard from a Singaporean!) Recycled! Yet very hygienic and safe. I can vouch for that! 2 years and I have never felt  healthier! Talking about the health freaks in Singapore! Mornings or Evenings you will see joggers of all age group from 15- 60's. Every Singaporean believes in taking part in the frequent marathon runs .Any sport be it badminton, Tennis, Table tennis ,all Sports and Community centres will be booked 2 weeks in advance! An average Singaporean would save to go for vacation atleast once a year. They love to travel and see the world. Most of them also cultivate various hobbies .Other countries should learn a thing or 2 from Singapore.

 One can never get lost in Singapore . Reason being the signs are everywhere indicating where you are and where your destination is . All you need to know is to read the signs ! The public transport here is just so well maintained and impressive. Another amusing thing, if you are new in Singapore you will notice that theres no tipping in restaurants :)

And now its time for the down side. The condition of the elderly and the disabled. Its heartbreaking to see the aged selling tissues, especially in the food courts. My heart goes out to those aged almost homeless people. An average Singaporean can be very selfish and greedy. Very much unlike the Indian close knit families this would be a culture shock for a first timer in Singapore.The parents take care of the kids till they start earning on their own. The elderly sometimes do not wish to be taken care of by their children or vice versa( as explained by a cabbie uncle ). One remarkable thing is you will harldy find any beggars.Maybe a few singers (blind/handicapped) but atleast they sing and earn! And thats not begging!

The government can sometimes be very stern with their laws too. I say this by my experience . This was way back when I first arrived at this small island. New place, new life as a wife and no job , no friends. 2 months of staying at home watching the chatter box endlessly I decided to do something with my life. Those were the testing times for me. Troubled that I was . So I made up my mind to volunteer at a school a few minutes away from my house. The school is meant for autistic kids aged from 3-7! Ah! the little angels . I didnt even last a day as a volunteer ! Why? Just the sight of those disabled needy kids whose future you know is a hard rocky mountainous terrain  is very disturbing. The principal incharge told me about the pitiful conditions of the kids. The 'authorities' fund for their studies or welfare only till the age of 21. So my next question was evidently , What after that? The answer is very distressing. The autistic kids are on their own. The reason- the 'authorities' believe in investing on the brighter kids who can add to the economy and prosperity of the country. Thats downright cruel and heartless! So that was the first and last day at the school. I never could work up the courage to walk that way again. Cowarldy as it may seem..Survival of the fittest.. Sounds nice only in books.

Nonetheless, theres no perfect place on earth . But to me Singapore definitely comes close to perfect . More on the next one..