Street foods of North Calcutta

My house is situated at the heart of North Calcutta and from the balcony on the third floor I love to see the old world trying hard to catch up with what's in trend now. While every other day a new shop, a new eating joint opens up and rises to fame on Bhupen Bose Avenue, there are some little eateries that have existed for decades and continue to remain popular despite the new league of restaurants mushrooming every day.
One has to realise here that people living and from Calcutta are born foodies. We eat, breathe and sleep food. At breakfast we decide what we will have for lunch, while having lunch we chalk out our dinner, and while relishing our dinner we start dreaming about our breakfast. so the point is food is going to succcessful here. And also when thinking of food we never think of calories. so if you want to truly enjoy the delectable of north calcutta forget about your calories and carry a pack of hajmola or gelusil with you. You should be fine.
Some of my favourite foods are:
1) Kochuri and alur torkari from a little stall next to Baghbazar Bata. The slightly sweet potato gravy with piping hot kochuri is a breakfast made in heaven. When I am in town, my parents' driver without fail will ensure that this is brought home by 9:30 and served to me with a glass of cold coffee by 9:45.
2) Singara (samosa) from Subol or Dwarik is another treat. If you feel like having this savory in the morning then Dwarik is your choice but if you like it with your evening tea then of course it is Subol.
3) While of course aromatic Darjeeling tea is always available at home, "bhanrer cha" that the girls from the salon order from the tea stall is a must-have with the samosa.
4) Then there are the fabulous cutlets from Maloncho. Spicy and delicious, with some salad and mustard sauce this fried indulgence works well as both evening snack or dinner.
5) Puchka and jhal muri in front of Manindra College is a cool later afternoon treat.
6) And while rolls every where is good, few can match up to what's dished out by our home cook, Deepa.

And for those with a sweet tooth do stop at Dey's sweets for their ice cream sandesh and mishti doi and at Mahaprobhu for rasogolla.

Happy eating!

super effective facial

Facials are a luxury in my fast track life. In Delhi I can seldom spare time enough to go for this indulgence, therefore my army of serums and creams see me through my skin woes. Further, to tell you the truth, most often I don't like facials anywhere. Apart from the ones done at my mom's salon Saajo, in Calcutta. In Calcutta life is that of a princess (sigh!). Wake up at 8, no rush, lazy breakfast, just take the stairs down to the salon and sink in to a relaxing chair... after that it's bliss... head massage, manicure, pedicure, facial, repeat.... That's my routine when here.
This time in my pampering package I tried a new facial that mom has intriduced. It is a de-pigmentation treatments from Skyndor. The treatments was super effective. The 60-minute treatments involves cleansing, glycolic peel, enzyme treatment, massage with wheatgerm oil, and finally a gel-based face pack. An hour later my skin looked fabulous. The freckles had remarkably reduced and overall the complexion had a healthy glow.

Nailed It!

I was just hunting through my handbag for pen. The pen, of course, I didn't find but what I found was this: (one nail buffer from Divo and the other from Bastien--clearly the preferred one--wrapped tenderly in a velvet case, a cuticle cream, a nail scrub, a nail ridge filler, and six nail paints (Chanel, Dior, 2 from Essie, Leighton Denny, and Inglot) . Yes, I am obsessed about nail paints. They make me feel confident and good. In fact, when i feel low or i am tensed i paint my nails to relieve my tension. The whole act of neatly painting my digits takes my mind of my worry and helps me me also focus better. there was a time, when i was in college, i would change my nail colour every day! So it is no surprise that i have mastered the art of painting nails even in a moving car.

Laced with a prayer

Cooking makes me feel good. However, having said that, I must also admit that perhaps i wouldnt enjoy it as much had i had to cook every day. i am blessed to have a help who cooks decent enough food. but on days that i get back stressed and tired from work, i do like stirring up a warm meal to cheer me up. The whole process of slicing veggies, flavouring the meat, stirring the pot from time to time, the aromas filling the house, helps to gradually soothe nerves and gently calms you down. Another thing that i do while cooking, is putting in a prayer. For instance, when i was cooking for my brothers on Bhai Phonta, I put in a special prayer for each of them while cooking the meal. Somehow i was able to focus on my prayer better and the meal turned out really delicious.
This is no ritual. It is just something that i like doing, and i believe it works miracles. Whenever you pray for someone else, you feel good, and if you are feeling happy, chances are what you are making is going to be good. And this cheer in you passes on to your guests and gets transferred through them to other people they meet. So go ahead and spread this cheer this festive season.
Here is a simple recipe that you can try:
Baked Curd
Ingredients
1 tin of condensed milk
1 lt milk
750g curd
saffron, nuts, raisins to flavour

Method
1) hang curd in a muslin cloth for at least an hour to drain out the water.
2) Whip it together with milk and condensed milk
3) Pour it out in a baking dish and sprinkle saffron, nuts, and raisins.
4) Bake it in an oven at 100F for about an hour.
5) Take it out, and let it cool to room temperature.
6) Refrigerate.

And of course, while making it put in a prayer, and let me know how you feel.

refreshing drink

So, went for my first cards party last night. Yes, first cards party. I didn't know how to play cards, but I learnt, I played, I conquered, and I lost. And I enjoyed. But that's not the point of this post. The idea is to talk about the morning after the party and my cup of tea. Having fallen out of the habit of late nights (unlike the old me, now I go to bed early and wake up at the crack of dawn, well almost, by 6), last evening took a toll on this morning. Iwoke up late, felt miserable, tired, ill, and irritable. So I tried what I had recently read - "have a cup of hot water with ginger and lemon, to help digestion and to perk up" - and it really did help.
I am a great believer of the benefits of hot water. It aids disgestion, it keeps you alert, it improves your metabollic rate, it keeps you hydrated, and also helps your body to detox. It is far far better than having numerous cups of coffee to stay awake. You stay awake and fresh. So to improvise the benefits of hot water i try to flavour it with different ingredients and that's how i started experimenting with fruit tea infusions. I have tried several store-bought infusions. The spicy orange variant from Typhoo is delicious. Inspired by these, i decided to skip the tea bags and experiment with some fresh brews at home, and am very impressed with the results. Here's the recipe that i have concocted:

Ingredients
1/2 an apple
1 stick of cinnamon
1 clove
1/2-inch slice of ginger
1/2 lemon/lime
1 teaspoon of Darjeeling tea leaves
1 mug water

Method
1) Peel and dice the apple.
2) Heat the water in a saucepan and add the apple slices, cinnamon, clove, and ginger to it and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
3) Strain the concoction, and add the tea leaves to it. Let it brew for about a minute or two. Strain it out and add a squeeze of the lemon juice.

Serves: 1 person

This refreshing drink is loaded with vitamin C, is a great anti-oxidant, and delicious.
You could try replacing the apple with any fruit of your choice. Try strawberries, orange, pineapple, peach, or cherries.

Find out what's your cup of tea.

alternate remedy

Have you heard of Bach Flower Remedy? It is a branch of alternate medicine developed in the 1930s by a homeopath called Edmund Bach. These medicines address emotional issues, and in the process also heal physical ailments. I got introduced to this a few months ago and am much intrigued and impressed by their beautiful names, and almost mystical properties. If medicine could be poetry, then this branch of medicine is the only possible example.

My every season fashionably starts with a horrible bout of cold. first there will be a series of sneezes, followed by running nose, and if i don't take an anti-allergic instantly, it blows into a massive cold accompanied with fever, body ache, and sore throat. recovery takes at least a week and antibiotics are the only solution. however, last year most reluctantly, at the insistance of my husband i tried homeopathy and was pleasantly surprised. I was able to cure a full blown cold attack without antibiotics! and i didn't end up feeling weak and irritable - the usual side effects of anti-biotics. rather i felt kind of "detoxed". along with the traditional homeopathy medicines i was also prescribed a Bach Flower Remedy - Rescue Remedy and it really worked wonders. i had to travel with fever and cold, and it was two drops of this wonder medicine which kept me going all through.
for the last one year i have hardly taken any alopathic medicines and have relied completely on homeopathy and bach flower remedy, and now i swear by them.
Another Bach Flower Remedy that has become my favourite is Crab Apple, it helps get rid of anything that you don't want, it's a cleanser. so you can take for cold, for fever, for warts, pimples, and you can even add a few drops in your mop when cleaning the house. Believe it or not, i have a keloid and it has reduced considerbaly after taking Crab Apple.

One thing i have realised after taking these medicines is the fact that you need to believe in them for them to work wonders. sounds vague? but try it to believe it. read up as much as you can on the subject and give it a chance. i am sure you wont be dissapointed.

wonder serum

Hi, I am back. Yes, after a long time and it is nothing but my laziness that kept me away from the space. However, last night I read something... basically a guidance by my mentor, Daisaku Ikeda, where he urges us to keep moving forward always. Even if it's just a little, just a fraction, just about five minutes extra, the idea is to push yourself and move ahead a little from where you were yesterday as a human being. I had promised myself to write at least a page every day but have not done so, and three years have passed by. However, what's gone is gone, but I can take control of the present and do what i intend to do. I want to write something every day and hope that it creates value in my life every day.

I will start off with writing about a wonderful serum that I re-discovered last week. I say "re-discovered" because I have known about it for about a year now and have appreciated it since, but recently i have found it far better that i originally thought it to be. I'm talking about Forest Essentials' Soundarya serum. Made with saffron, turmeric, haldi, and gold bhasma it's great for dry and sensitive skin. It nourishes the skin and gives it a radiant glow. Try massaging your face with the serum before a shower and see how your skin glows.

I have been aware of this complexion enhancing property but what has caught my attention now is its amazing healing property. Last week my chin had got bruised while i was epilating the area, and the toner that i applied to soothe the area made matters worse... at the end of it i had a horrible burn on my face! I started applying an antiseptic cream. It helped but i my skin felt it needed something more moisturising. I remembered the soundarya serum and started applying that on the burn, and believe it or not in two days (without using the antiseptic cream) the burn has healed and has left no mark!

i wouldn't ask you to experiement with it on wounds or burns, but you should totally use it this winter to keep your skin looking healthy and young.

Check out Forest Essentials website to know more about the serum