Shireen's Baked Beans

Have you ever walked into a British bakery, ordered a plate of baked beans on toast, have a taste of it and think, "I could totally recreate this" but then reality hits you hard and then you realize that you have put in Indian spices into your baked beans but it still tastes dang delicious? Well, that's how this recipe was born.
At first, before tasting it, I was really skeptical. My mind ran everywhere thinking I had majorly messed up a lot of food, it took some courage to take one bite and five minutes to complete one serving. I'm not ashamed and I won't judge if you do the same.
Here goes everything:

Ingredients (makes three servings):

1. 1 and 1/2 cup of  cooked soybeans or any other bean of choice;

2. 3 diced tomatoes;

3. 1/4 cup tomato paste;

4. 1 cup vegetable stock;

5. 2 clove of garlic, finely chopped;

6. 1 large onion, chopped;

7. 2 teaspoons curry powder;

8. 1 teaspoon cumin;

9. 1 tablespoon chilli powder;

10. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil;

11. Salt to taste;

12. 1/2 cup cooked corn (optional).

Procedure;

1. In a medium sized pan, warm oil on medium-high heat;

2. Add in the garlic and onion until garlic is fragrant and the onion is translucent;

3. Add in the tomatoes and salt and let the tomatoes cook for five minutes;

4.Add in soybean, corn, cumin, chilli powder, tomato paste, curry powder and vegetable stock;

5. Stir around and cover with lid for 20 minutes or until thickened and reduced.

6. Serve warm with toast ( I serve mine with toast and cream cheese)

Voila! enjoy some warm Indian style baked beans!

Now, we all know that nobody knows it all. I love blogging recipes and stuff for you all but I don't know each and every recipe in town.
As a result, I always look up on YouTube to be updated on each and every new recipe. I don't, obviously, copy the recipes; I just understand the basics and create an ambrosia version of it.
YouTube can be tricky, you don't know if the recipes will come out great or not and you don't know which YouTube cook/chef to trust. So, here's a list of my favourite YouTube cooks/chefs; trust me their recipes always turn out great!
(In no particular order)
1. The Domestic Geek

The Domestic Geek is run by this amazing woman named, Sara Lynn. The food she posts are mostly healthy and will make your life more convenient and nutrition enriched.
Must try recipe: Every smoothie recipe!
2. Gemma Stafford:

Gemma is a professional baker who has brought it in her genius baking techniques to YouTube. I find her recipes easy to make and the ingredients she uses readily available in India.
Must try: Her microwave mug recipes and no-machine ice cream recipes.
3. Munchies:

Munchies is a food related show run by Vice. Munchies essentially captures the essence of food and does so by treating your eyes to not only recipes but also, techniques and too by professionals. With Munchies, your taste buds and eyes are in for a treat.
Must try: A standard Five Leaves brunch recipe by the chef of five leaves himself.
4. Brothers Green Eats:

Brothers Green Eats is a YouTube channel run by brothers, Mike and Josh Greenfield. Their food can be defined best as gourmet meets street; something I have looked for for years. The food they cook is simply what I'd call divine.
Must try: 8 simple microwave recipes for gamers.
Now, where is the YouTube tab?
(P.S.: The pictures belong to their rightful owners and are only used for represention purposes.)

Student Series: Lunch Ideas For School!

When I was younger, much younger (not two years ago), my mom used to pack me lunch everyday and you might think I'm good at cooking but my mother's cooking is divine. Whenever I opened my lunch box, the food would disappear in seconds flat; this was when I was in tenth grade and we had school from 8:35 A.M to 2:40 P.M. My mum packed me really good food everyday but her food mostly consisted of chapattis and a spiced up vegetable, I appreciated all of my mother's hard work because this food was not only tasty but also filling. Then came 11th grade, this was when our workload lightened up in the form of fewer subjects, our school decided to leave us at 12:45 P.M instead of the regular 2:40 P.M. routine. I then realized that mom's lunch just wasn't appropriate. We have lunch break at 11:00 A.M. and at around 1:30 P.M.(it takes us about an hour to reach home.) our faces had to be thrust-ed with more food (act like you don't eat after school). For the sake of my stomach I asked my mom to resign from the school-lunch maker post. For a few days I attended school without proper lunch (I still do), I hogged on my friend's lunch (sorry, Shatakshi) and ate from the canteen, which isn't the best thing to do, I went online and searched for food options I could prepare easily and were, in comparison, better than cafeteria food, I found several videos but the ingredients mentioned aren't exactly available in India easily or in a cheap manner. I searched again and this time with "India" typed with my search. The results I got, 'Pizza Paratha' NoThankYouVeryMuch. So, I brainstormed and brought out two lunch ideas for school, these food items aren't hard to prepare neither do they require 1/2 of your pocket money, here we go:

 Recipe 1: Corn Salad.

This recipe is a really simple one, it's easy to make and good to go.

Ingredients:

1. Corn kernels (Frozen or Fresh);

2. 1 tomato; finely chopped;

3. Juice of 1 lemon;

4. Few leaves of coriander (chopped);

5. Salt to taste.

Procedure:

1. Boil the corn kernels till they attain a golden colour;

2. Mix the corn in with other ingredient.

Vola!

Oh, and for the side, I just packed some boiled pasta with a bit of salt. (I like it okay. Don't judge.)

Recipe 2: Corn Pizza.

You might want to make this a night before.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup of boiled corn;

2. 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour;

3. Smoked chicken (optional);

4. 1 tomato finely chopped;

5. 1 and a 1/2 tablespoons Tomato ketchup;

6.1 tablespoon chili powder.

7. 1/4 cup of boiled corn.

Base:

1. Preheat an oven at 180 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty minutes;

2. Blend corn in a blender;

3. Add in the whole wheat powder, making it attain a dough like form;

4. Roll our the dough in a circle with a rolling pin (Chill, it doesn't have to be a circle);

5. Pop it in the oven for ten minutes or until perfectly done;

Sauce:

Okay, my go to sauce is just a mixture of Ketchup and chili powder. It's really good alright.

Procedure:

1. when the base is cooked, load it with the sauce and add the ingredients listed above or you know, improvise!

2. Pop it in the oven for about five minutes!

For the side, I chose two cut-up baby bananas.

Done and Done!

Also, also, also, This is the first installment of many blog posts yet to come dedicated to students, The Student Series!

I hope you guys like and enjoy all of them!

Until next time!

PIZZA!

Okay, let me just step right in, pizza is my favourite food ever, it is delicious. I didn’t like pizza as much when I was really young *le goes to the past and slaps young Shireen.* Ninety percent of people in this world love pizza, LOVE it. It’s saucy, full of freshness, cheesy and it just sits in your mouth and consumes your senses, you shut your eyes and you see heaven in that bite of a divine food, you just feel it being right for you, it overwhelms your senses but that’s alright, you love it, it rides down your throat and reaches your stomach and makes your stomach happ...... Wait! What? No!

The only downside to pizza is that it isn’t something that makes your stomach feel happy, one eats it on Sunday so as to compensate on it being unhealthy but if you’re anything like me, you probably crave pizza every other day and it is just so hard to suppress! Those pizzeria pizzas aren’t something that can be consumed on a daily basis (unless you’re PMSing, everything is alright then), so I have come up with a recipe that I thought you guys would cherish. This one’s called healthy and yummy pizza.

INGREDIENTS:

Base:

1. 1/2 cup cauliflower;

2.1/2 cup whole wheat.

3.1/2 cup water

Sauce:

1. 2/4 cup tomato ketchup;

2. 1 teaspoon chilli flakes

Topping:

Any veggie you like! I used:

1. 1 tomato

2. Half an onion

3. Basil leaves

4. 1 tablespoon cheese.

PROCEDURE:

1. Preheat an oven to 180 degree Fahrenheit.

2. Blend the cauliflower in a blender; when blended, mix it together with the wheat and water and kneed till the dough comes out in a ball.

3. Make the sauce by simply mixing the tomato ketchup and the chilli flakes.

4. Flatten out the dough using a rolling pin.

5. Once the dough is flattened out, top it with sauce and the toppings and the cheese.

6. Put it in the oven and cook till the cheese is melted and the dough is cooked.

7. Top it with dried herbs.

Serve hot!

Chunked up!

Hey guys! How are you all today? I hope you all are fine, I’m not because I have my review tests that start this week, so, I’m a little stressed and that is reason why I am not posting recipes since, I don’t get time to experiment. Therefore, today, yet again is a food review, I’m reviewing Britannia’s Good day Chunkies.

The Brand:

Britannia is a well known brand in India; it has a huge line of biscuits. “Chunkies” has recently been released over here, so, I had to have it.

Packaging:

You don’t get a single chunky; you have to buy a box which has an individual cookie in an individual pack.

Taste and Texture:

And now, the taste and the texture, the taste is heavenly, it isn’t very rich, neither is it very light, it has a perfect texture, like it’s very name, it has a whole lot of chunks, anyone who loves chunks will definitely love this cookie, you can taste a little bit of salt which perfectly balances the flavour. All together, its taste is serendipity.

Pricing:

To be honest, chunkies is not what I would call “pocket friendly”, it retails for Rs. 50 for 100 grams or six pieces, which honestly is a lot, there are similar cookies which retail for half of its price and don’t compromise in taste.

Preference:

If you love chunks go for, even after its money factor, this cookie is worth a try!

That's it for today I guess,

Vola!

REMINISCENT.

So, today is the first day I review a food product, soo yyyaayy! The food product I’m going to review today is more like a drink product; I’m going to review three flavours of the paperboat drink franchise! The three flavours up for reviewing today are: Aamras, Jaljeera and Jamun kaala-khaata. These are the only three flavours I could get my hands on to, paperboat has a variety of drinks AND even ice teas, I will try to find some.

Let’s start with review, shall we?

1.    Aamras: Aamras had a really thick and velvety texture which makes your throat joyful, the smell reminded me of the sweet mangoes of summer but the taste disappointed, it tasted like every other mango drink in India.

Retails for: Rs. 20

Content: 200ml

1.       Jaljeera: I have mentioned this before but I’ll mention it again, I grew up smack in the middle of a metropolitan but, and here is the big but, my roots do not belong here, every once in a while, during summer vacations, we visited my grandparents’ town, me and my cousins played around in the heat and quenched our thirst to the jaljeera wala’s jaljeera, the taste still rides on my tongue, paperboat’s jaljeera drink will not disappoint you, trust me, it will remind you of childhood and the beautiful moments it contained.

Retails for: Rs. 20

Content: 200ml

1.       Jamun kala khatta: No words for this flavour, this flavour will remind you of the kala-khatta baraf ka gola from childhood, again, leaving you in nostalgia, this flavour is my personal favourite, and I recommend it!

Retails for: Rs. 20

Content: 200ml

Well, that’s it for today; I’ll see you guys next week!

ADIEU!

KOLKATA LIVING.

Hey guys, since, you know I turned my blog from just a food blog to a travel/lifestyle/food blog, you can see it all over my instagram, go follow me there, username: pompouscrap, I thought of posting my first lifestyle blog which is, of course, going to be about my hometown A.K.A Kolkata, Did you know that Kolkata used to be the capital of India during British rule? My city has an undeniable charm which attracts everyone towards itself, sure it’s not as developed as other metropolitans but this place never fails to surprise its visitors.

If you’re about to visit Calcutta, yes I like its old name better than its new one, here’s a traveller’s guide to a Calcuttan’s life (or my life):

 1.       Have you ever seen a Punjabi family run a South Indian food corner, yes, you can find one in Kolkata, this actually shows how diverse Calcutta is, or even, how diverse India is, not only is this place unique for its origins but also for its food, I swear by every dosa I’ve ever eaten that this is the best of it all. I don’t remember their address but all you need to do is go to ganeshtalkies, jorabagan and ask anyone about the best dosas in that area and they’ll point you to this South Indian food corner. Thank you uncle for the best South Indian food :3 YOU NEED TO VISIT THIS PLACE.

1.    2.   What comes first to your mind when you hear “A hole in the wall”? To me, this place called Kapila Ashram, it’s a hole in the wall which serves one of the best fruit cakes of Calcutta during the winter season and the best sherbets during the summer season. I highly recommend the “abar khabo” sherbet. Address: 204/2, Bidhan Sarani, Machuabazar, Kolkata: 700006

1.   3.    Buy fruits from the roadside because it is cheap and has more variety than any convenience store

Ride the tram because if you don’t then shame on you.

1.     5.  Eat puchka from the roadside vendors, I don’t know if it’s healthy much but it’s definitely delicious much and also, they make my eyes water and make me doubt my decision to leave Calcutta for college AND, IT’S NOT PANI PURI OR GOLGAPPA, IT IS PUCHKA, ROLL WITH IT.

That’s not it, let’s just call this part 1 of Calcutta living, part 2 will surface soon.

Email address for inquiries: shireengupta101@gmail.com.

Till then :)

ALLAHABAD.

Hey guys, how are you all? I know, it’s been weeks since I last posted, I’m really sorry for that but I was making major decisions for this blog, so, this is officially a Lifestyle, travelling and food blog. So yaay!

This first blog after WEEEkKKSS, is travel related. Hands up if you love travelling, would do it even if you had to put up in a dingy motel, not tourist around, won’t go on a itinerary tour, won’t follow a map and do what the locals do because that is what I’d do. I love travelling and even the cons it offers. So, you might not know this but my aunt lives in a city named Allahabad which belongs to the state of Uttar Pradesh. I spent my summer vacation there this time, huehuehue. I’m a Kolkata girl, born and raised in a metropolitan, small towns just don’t speak to me much, it also doesn’t help that I live smack in the middle of the city and I love noise, it helps me sleep, *le Shireen Gupta trying to be deep* but seriously I hate silence, I thought of Allahabad to be one of those ghost towns but I was a tad bit surprised. You might just go ahead and call me condescending but I think lowly of towns and I had the same idea for Allahabad but it was amazing to be honest.

Here’s a list of do’s and don’ts for all ya wanderlusts out there :3

DO’S:

Places to visit:

To be very very very honest, until and unless you are a religious person, I don’t think you’ll like to tourist out.

Now, the real deal, the underrated places you must visit. :

1.        There’s this apparent haunted house which used to be a factory and where around four murders took place, I don’t know the exact address but what I can tell you is that there’s a famous tank near a hanuman temple and a lane right beside it, go straight and take the first left and you’ll find a wall which has the word “disputed” written all over it, across the wall is a small house like building. Yup, that is your destination. Here’s a picture, ain’t it spooky? (BTW, you can’t go inside the house ‘cause it is disputed)

1.      2. Another haunted house, guess who’s a freak, this girl. This house is more abandoned than haunted, we went inside and all but we didn’t see or feel anything, it does have animal bones lying around but nothing scary really,oh and if you do enter this house, please go up to the terrace, the view is breathtaking. Address: Ashok Nagar, military cantonment, “Bhut Bangla”

2.    3.   If you visit Allahabad and don’t visit El Chico then God wouldn’t forgive. THE FOOD, THE GODDAMN FOOD IS HEAVENLY. Go ahead, be jelly.

Address: 24, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Civil Lines, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh: 211001.

Phone no. 05322427696

DON’Ts:

1.   1.    Don’t visit Khusro Bagh until and unless you are a couple who likes meeting in secret yet publicly.

22. DON’T GO ANYWHERE FROM 12:00 P.M. to 5:00 DURING THE SUMMER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE BURNED TO DEATH.

Best season to visit:

Autumn, autumn in Allahabad is to die for.

Things to try:

THE CHAAT, if it were up to me, every meal of mine would consist of chaat.

Oh, if you’re in luck, you’ll experience summer rain in Allahabad which is the best thing ever.

So, yeah, that’s about it I guess!