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.)

Un-boxing of the Borosil Primus Juicer+ Two of my favourite juice recipes+ Review of said juicer.

There are only a few things in life I'll admit to, one of them being my ignorance towards the usage of a juicer. If and when I needed juice, I could go out and buy myself a pack of pre-made juice and that would be that folks.

Last month or so, I was walking around the mall with a friend of mine, you know, just Saturday afternoon window shopping, since we were bored out of our minds, we visited an electronic appliance shop and almost everything there was on sale, my friend pointed me towards the direction of a juicer which was 50% off but I neglected it and went on ahead. I’ve had my share of second thoughts on that very hasty decision.

So, when Borosil sent over this juicer for reviewing, I was like, “Ya, Okay, let’s see what’s all this about.”

After several minutes of thinking, I realized that a juicer is a useful kitchen asset and saves you those valuable minutes of above thinking. My kitchen is my sanctuary and almost every day, something delicious is created there. I am a huge fan of juice and this juicer came as a huge blessing. Fresh juice is better than packed juice because:

1.       It is free of preservatives and unnecessary sugar;

2.       It is fresh.

My mother wasn’t particularly happy about the juicer because, “saaf kaun karega?” (who’ll clean it?)

 Un-Boxing.

Now, unboxing the juicer was a breeze. The juicer was boxed perfectly and everything was intact, the juicer was pre-arranged to save your life and the instruction manual was as simple as it could be. The juicer, like any standard one, had a pulp collector, juice collector, food pusher, stainless steel micro-mesh strainer basket, feed chute, locking latch and a switch.

 Recipes.

Recipe: 1

I love green juice, probably any juice that contains green vegetables with fruit because then I’d have my nutrition and not have to put gross flavours into my mouth.

My first recipe is “detox and strength”. 

Juicing this recipe was a breeze, I just put all my ingredients into the juicer and dialled my dial to setting no.2 for I had apples in the system and juicing them would require more power. Now, when you’re making this recipe, be sure to layer the ingredients instead of just putting one ingredient after another, this way, you’re letting the flavours meet each other in harmony. Also, with this recipe, you have to juice the ingredients in two rounds because there’s only so much a juicer can take.

Ingredients:

     1 cup spinach;

          2 apples, roughly chopped;

        2 clementine oranges

       Now, just juice on setting no.2 and enjoy your delicious and nutritious juice.

Recipe: 2

I love orange, the colour and the fruit. Honestly, orange compliments all flavours; be it salad or chocolate but we aren’t talking about that today. Today, I’ll be sharing my recipe for a juice that’ll rejuvenate your soul.

-

My second recipe is “Rehabilitation.”

Ingredients:

1.       1 cup chopped carrots;

2.       2 clementine oranges;

3.       A dash of ginger;

4.       Juice of one lemon

Again, layer the ingredients up and this recipe also requires two rounds.

Juice it on setting no. 2 and blend that rehab of a juice up.

Verdict.

The juicer stands by its promise and gives you fresh juice under a minute. The juicer is easy to use and novices need not crack their brain open; the settings and instructions are clear.

While Juicing my second recipe, the sound made be the juicer sounded a lot like the audio derivation from Jurassic park but it was acceptable for it had to juice up a hard cup of carrots.

All in all, I loved this juicer; it is easy to deconstruct, clean and juice.

Shireen Review; 7/10.

Recommend it!

Fries before guys.

Okay, let's adress the elephant in the room. Yes, I've been inactive for more than a month but blame it on my half yearly examination and things got worse when the hardisk of my laptop committed suicide but since, my laptop is all well now, I can start blogging again. So, here it is.

FRIES!

I find fries hauntingly delicious, don't judge me okay, but I am a broke teenager who cannot eat restaurant grade fries everyday. I started making fries at home but those fries weren't as good or crispy as the ones you eat in some famous fast food joint, but I'm unstoppable. It took me several attempts to finally make my fries as crispy and delicious, and here I share my recipe.

Ingredients:

1. 3 large potatoes;

2. 1 tablespoon cornflour;

3. Ice cold water;

4. Oil of choice ( I used vegetable oil).  

Procedure: 

1. Peel, cut and rinse the potatoes thoroughly;

2. Soak the potatoes in cold water for at least 30 minutes;

3. Heat the oil in a frying pan to 180 degree Fahrenheit;  

4. Dry the potato cuts in a towel;

5. In a bowl, mix half a glass of water and cornflour and dunk the potato cuts in the liquid;

6. On medium heat, add the potato cuts to the oil and keep it on medium heat till the potatoes are cooked on the inside;

7. Now increase the heat level to the highest and the hottest and let the fries attain their crunch and color;

8. Cook till the fries are blonde in color and are crispy enough.

Done and Done!

Kolkata's passion and legacy.

This blog is for concord 2015 by Shireen Gupta of D.P.S Megacity
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Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, is the third metropolitan of India. It's one of the few cities in India that is still holding on to its authentic charisma, it keeps its history alive in every way possible.

Not unlike any other city, Kolkata doesn't have one aspect to it, it has several, each aspect of Kolkata tells a glorious tale and to do justice to these glorious tales, I'm going to divide this blog into four different sub blogs; Food, people, festival and attractions. So here we go:
FOOD.
Kolkata is known for a lot of foods but since, it is not possible to cramp it all in one post, I'll only name and describe three of the most promising foods:
Puchka: puchka is a fried light batter of different grains later filled with spiced, mashed potatoes or sweet fritter and then dipped in tangy water for not more than five seconds to retain its crispy texture but fill it with tanginess, so, when you put it in your mouth, there's a burst of all kinds of flavours. Sweet or spicy, puchkas have a way to every Kolkatans heart.

Bhapa ilish:
Bhapa ilish is ilish fish roasted in mustard sauce with curry leaves and several other spices, with a strong taste, it wins the heart of those who enjoy such serendipity, every Kolkatan loves this dish and reminisce's over it when not home.
Rasgulla:
If you know anything about Kolkata, you know how Kolkatans have an obsession with rasgulla but are we to blame? With the light textured cottage cheese derivate with a smooth sugary syrup, how can you not fall in love?
People:
People in Kolkata or Kolkatans have an undeniable charm, with a charming smile and a sweet as rasgulla voice, they attract every person towards them. Kolkatans take pride in being a part of this glorious city and so you can see.
Festival:
Kolkata is a diverse city, people of all different cultures call it home and thus every festival is celebrated with an enthusiastic turnover but the festival that every Kolkatan holds close to their heart is, "Durga Puja", this festival is celebrated because if local legend is to be believed, this is when the goddess Durga comes to visit her maternal home each year, for this celebration, "pandals" and status of goddess Durga are made which takes around one month and a lot of human toil to make. The pandals require the same amount of hardwork a temporary house requires and as for the statue, it is believed that if the statue does not pay respect to the goddess Durga, the artist who makes dies an untimely death on the day of the unmasking of the statue. So, my point is, you don't want to anger Goddess Durga.
Attractions:
Kolkata is a huge place and so it has a lot of attractions but, again, it's not possible for me to mention each one of it, so I'll mention of it:
1. Howrah bridge: Built at the time of the British empire, Howrah bridge is as authentic as it gets, one doesn't take a stroll on the Howrah bridge but it tells its story from a great distance as well.
2. Park street: Down south of Kolkata, Park street still has an imperial aura to it, you can walk down the streets during the winter and trust me, you'll think you're walking down the streets of Birmingham. Park Street is home to the oldest book store in Kolkata, the Oxford book store and Flurys which was founded by Mr and Mrs. Flury and the food is heavenly.
3. College street: If you're a book worm and you stumble on to College street, you have found paradise my friend, it has every book imaginable and that too at atleast ten percent off, you're welcome.
4. New market: Anyone who complains that they can't find foreign items in Kolkata has never been to New Market, you can find almost everything from the foreign market in New market, if you don't, it means that the specific product has not seen day light yet.
5. Bara bazar:Saree or dry fruits, bara bazar has everything, you can try finding God there or you could just stumble on to him, I guess.
Well that's about it, there's a lot more to Kolkata than mentioned above but you cannot understand Kolkata in words for this is the greatest city I've ever known and I'm proud to call myself a Kolkatan.
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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!

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!