Hi friends , it was time for a short break from the same daily routine. We also had to think about a place which is nearby and also a real stress buster. The 'google search' came to our rescue. The blog concept has really been so helpful for me in deciding my earlier and current trip.
As i stay in West bengal, i looked for places nearby to it. Already the 'aila cyclone' had got us in two minds whether to go for an outing or not. But we took the risk and decided to visit a small hamlet named' Bakkhali' which is situated in South 24 Parganas. This was also one of the places being affected by 'Aila'.
Bakkhali is a small village with a beautiful silver lining of beach about 137 km from Kolkata. The west bengal government has made this place accessible via starting a local train daily to 'Namkhana' in the morning at 6.55 from Sealdah South. One can also visit bakkhali by bus which runs from Dharamtala - Namkhana in the morning at 6 and 7 everyday. We took the first option to go by train.
The first step was to book a hotel room for one day , so what else better than the Google Blog help. We got the hotel 'Sea View' contact number from one of the blogs and got our hotel booked. We also confirmed the situation in bakkhali due to the aila disaster and found that we can visit the place without any problems. So on saturday morning we woke up early at 4.30 a.m and packed our bag and food with Sandwiches, biscuits. We reached sealdah in time and the train was all set to take us to the silver beaches. The train was crowded in the beginning but as stations passed it was almost empty at the last stop - Namkhana. The journey was good and we reached namkhana by 10.30 a.m. The morning was too hot and we had to quickly move ahead to reach bakkhali. As we stepped out of the station we could see a cycle trolley carrying people from station to the jetty. It was new for me to see the so called ' Cycle Van' :) On our way we met a lady who had come to this place to provide help to the Aila victims. We reached the jetty in no time. the trip through the jetty was for just a minute or so and it cost us just 50paise per person. Strange in this world of business. No sooner we reached the other side of the river that we cought hold of the bus to Bakkhali.We had to wait till 11.15 for the bus to start with all passengers to load. The journey was for 45 min and it had started raining by then. We reached the hotel at 12.30 p.m. The hotel rooms were nice and decent. We were exhausted by the journey but decided to atleast visit the beach for few minutes. the beach was about a km from our hotel. We had our lunch and by that time the rains had made the climate quite bearable. Till the time we reached the beach, the sun was blooming at its peak. Not many tourists were visible in the afternoon.It was real drastic change in the weather. As we approached the sea, the glaze of the silver soil in the scorching heat made us feel that we were heading towards a silver cloud. The view was really beautiful but at the same time it was hot. As in the afternoon it was low tide, the waves were silent. As we dipped our legs in the water, we almost forgot the heat of the afternoon. Spending some time in the beach we reached back to the hotel.. On our way we decided to visit ' Henry Island' which is about an hour away from bakkhali. Henry island is an island with some tourist lodges, Watch Tower and fishing ponds at almost every corner of it. The view of the island and the forest from watch tower was awesome. On our way to henry island we could see the village view , the people knitting fishing nets and children running across the ponds. By evening 6 p.m we reached the Frasergunj market where we had delicious hot samosas (singada) and sugarcane juice. The next stop was at frasergunj Benfish Fishery where we sailed through the boat . The view of a river meeting the sea was spellbound . It was really a moment to cherish. The impression of the full moon in the sea made it glitter like diamond. By the sea shore we could see a red layer of something which we learnt from the boat man that those were a herd of crabs.. red crabs.. as we neared the shore it was amazingly red crabs in thousands crawling. It was time to return back to the hotel as it was getting dark. We reached the hotel and had a sound sleep for the night.
Next day morning we woke up early by 4.30 to get a glimpse of sun rise at the beach. Thought we got up couldnt reach the sea side till 6.15a.m. by that time sun had already rose. But the weather was quite pleasant and cool. There were chairs placed for the visitors to keep their belongings. But my husband got an idea of placing the chair right in the sea and take a view sitting on it. That was really funny. but we enjoyed it a lot. For two hours or so we had our dip in the water to our fullest.. It was now getting hotter so decided to leave. We had a nice cup of tea and breakfast of 'luchi- dum aloo' and ' hinger kochuri with chholar dal'. It became a task to get the 'reti' out of our shoes and dresses. After a nice shower and some rest in the hotel room we got ready to return back to kolkata. The bus was scheduled to leave at 1 p.m . After a typical bengali meal at a roadside dhaba we took our seats in the bus. To our dismay the bus brakes were not in good state and had to be repaired.. We were delayed for almost 3 hours than the scheduled time.. By the time we reached kolkata it was 8.30p.m. We were totally exhausted by a long wait and journey of bus and couldnt resist to jump into the bed for a sigh of relief. All this pain at the end of the trip was not at all painful as we knew we had a wonderful weekend and one of the experiences that we will cherish for our lives....
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
DAL PALAK
Hello everyone, the recipe for the dish that i am going to post is amazingly delicious and healthy. I hope you will like it.
Ingredients :
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp.
Onions -1 in number
Garlic - 5-6 cloves
KurryLeaves - 1 strand
Tomato - 1 big
Green Chillies - 2 slit
Palak( Spinach ) - 1 bunch
Bengal gram ( tur dal)boiled - 1 katori
Kokum - 1 in number
Jaggery -1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Red chilli powder - 1tsp
Oil for tempering
Salt to taste
Method
1) Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds,onions, chopped garlic,tomato kurryleaves, green chillies to it.
2) Cook the ingredients for 1min.
3) Add the chopped spinach and cook it for few minutes.
4) Add 'tur' dal, turmeric powder,red chilli powder and salt to taste.
5) Add the 'kokum' and then add jaggery to it according to the sweetness you prefer.Let it boil for few minutes.
6) Serve Hot with Roti or Rice.
Ingredients :
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp.
Onions -1 in number
Garlic - 5-6 cloves
KurryLeaves - 1 strand
Tomato - 1 big
Green Chillies - 2 slit
Palak( Spinach ) - 1 bunch
Bengal gram ( tur dal)boiled - 1 katori
Kokum - 1 in number
Jaggery -1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Red chilli powder - 1tsp
Oil for tempering
Salt to taste
Method
1) Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds,onions, chopped garlic,tomato kurryleaves, green chillies to it.
2) Cook the ingredients for 1min.
3) Add the chopped spinach and cook it for few minutes.
4) Add 'tur' dal, turmeric powder,red chilli powder and salt to taste.
5) Add the 'kokum' and then add jaggery to it according to the sweetness you prefer.Let it boil for few minutes.
6) Serve Hot with Roti or Rice.
TOMATO SOUP
Ingredients:
Ripe Tomatoes - 5-6 in number
Onions - 1 large
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
tejpatta - 1
Cinnamon powder - 1 pinch.
Tomato Ketchup - 2tbsp
Black Pepper - 1tbsp
Plain Flour - 1 tbsp
Butter - 2tbsp
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar and Salt to taste
Method :
1) Heat 1 tbsp butter in a cooker and add ginger garlic paste along with tejpatta and peppercorns to it.
2) Add the onions and saute it till golden.
3) Add the tomatoes and stir for a while.
4) Pressure cook this mixture for 1 whistle.
5) On cooling, pureed the whole mixture in a grinder.
6) In a pan, add 1 tbsp butter. To it add 1tbsp of plain flour and stir it till it turns light pink in colour.
7) Take care that the flour doesnt burn.
8) Add one cup of milk gradually to the flour and stir it continuously. MAke sure no lumps are formed.
9) Now add the tomato puree and tomato ketchup mixture and stir it evenly.
10) Add salt ,sugar and cinnamon powder to taste and serve hot with croutons.
Ripe Tomatoes - 5-6 in number
Onions - 1 large
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
tejpatta - 1
Cinnamon powder - 1 pinch.
Tomato Ketchup - 2tbsp
Black Pepper - 1tbsp
Plain Flour - 1 tbsp
Butter - 2tbsp
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar and Salt to taste
Method :
1) Heat 1 tbsp butter in a cooker and add ginger garlic paste along with tejpatta and peppercorns to it.
2) Add the onions and saute it till golden.
3) Add the tomatoes and stir for a while.
4) Pressure cook this mixture for 1 whistle.
5) On cooling, pureed the whole mixture in a grinder.
6) In a pan, add 1 tbsp butter. To it add 1tbsp of plain flour and stir it till it turns light pink in colour.
7) Take care that the flour doesnt burn.
8) Add one cup of milk gradually to the flour and stir it continuously. MAke sure no lumps are formed.
9) Now add the tomato puree and tomato ketchup mixture and stir it evenly.
10) Add salt ,sugar and cinnamon powder to taste and serve hot with croutons.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Jhuluk
आज अचानक एक वार्याची झुलुक काही तरी सांगुन गेली
मला उमजुन गेल, मला समजुन गेल सार काही
हा मंद सुवास , हा धुंद वारा आला होता माझ्या गावाहून
आज अचानक एक वार्याची झुलुक काही तरी सांगुन गेली
मला सोडून आली मला सोडून आली माझ्या बाल पणी
ऊर भरून आले , डोळे पानून गेले , भान हरपून गेले
आज अचानक एक वार्याची झुलुक काही तरी सांगुन गेली
आईच्या मायेची थाप अणि वडिलांची प्रेमळ हाक मला आठवून गेली
आज अचानक एक वार्याची झुलुक मला स्पर्शुन गेली
मागे सोडून गेली माझ्या आठवांची झोली ।
------------------------------------------------सोनाली
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Palak Paneer
Hi friends, today I am going to share my recipe of Palak Paneer with all of you. Out of 100 people atleast 80 of us love palak paneer for its heavenly taste. I have been trying this recipes since i was child. After ages , i could now make a tasty palak paneer. So shall we start with it...
Ingredients:
Fresh Spinach - 1 bunch.
Paneer( Cottage Chees) - 150 gms.
Onions - 2 medium sized in number.
Garlic Paste - 1 and 1/2 tblsp.
Tomatoes- 2-3 ripe.
Fresh Cream - 3-4 tblsp.
Green Chillies -2-3 ( depending upon the hottness).
Jeera - 1 tsp.
Kasuri Methi - 1 tbsp.
Garam Masala- 1tbsp.
Sugar to taste.
Red Chilli Powder - according to taste.(optional)
Oil/Ghee - for cooking and frying the paneer.
Charcoal - 1 in number.
The Method:
1. Wash the spinach and get it blanched in a salty water for 2-3 min.
2. Drain the spinach and run it under cold water, remove excess water.
3. Grind spinach and green chillies into a smooth paste.
4. On the other hand get the paneers fried in oil.
(TIP: drop the fried paneers immediately into cold water, inorder to keep it soft)
5. In a pan heat oil/ghee ( ghee adds to the taste) and add jeera to it. Let the jeera splutter and then add the pureed onions. Fry the onions till golden brown till oil seperates.
6. Now add the garlic paste and saute for 30 secs. Add the pureed tomatoes, red chilli powder and cook till the oil seperates.
7. Add the kasuri methi (grind it in between your palms to liven its fragrance) and cook again for few seconds.
8. Pour in the pureed spinach along with salt, sugar and cream and let it boil.
9. Now add the fried paneers and garam masala. cook for few seconds and switch of the burner.
10. Now the magic step - heat a charcoal on a gas till its red hot.
Place this charcoal on a small steel plate and safely keep it in the pan of palak paneer.
Now add a tsp of ghee/oil on the charcoal and immediately close the lid of the pan.
11. Hot and delicious Palak Paneer is ready to be eaten with naan or roti or even rice.
Ingredients:
Fresh Spinach - 1 bunch.
Paneer( Cottage Chees) - 150 gms.
Onions - 2 medium sized in number.
Garlic Paste - 1 and 1/2 tblsp.
Tomatoes- 2-3 ripe.
Fresh Cream - 3-4 tblsp.
Green Chillies -2-3 ( depending upon the hottness).
Jeera - 1 tsp.
Kasuri Methi - 1 tbsp.
Garam Masala- 1tbsp.
Sugar to taste.
Red Chilli Powder - according to taste.(optional)
Oil/Ghee - for cooking and frying the paneer.
Charcoal - 1 in number.
The Method:
1. Wash the spinach and get it blanched in a salty water for 2-3 min.
2. Drain the spinach and run it under cold water, remove excess water.
3. Grind spinach and green chillies into a smooth paste.
4. On the other hand get the paneers fried in oil.
(TIP: drop the fried paneers immediately into cold water, inorder to keep it soft)
5. In a pan heat oil/ghee ( ghee adds to the taste) and add jeera to it. Let the jeera splutter and then add the pureed onions. Fry the onions till golden brown till oil seperates.
6. Now add the garlic paste and saute for 30 secs. Add the pureed tomatoes, red chilli powder and cook till the oil seperates.
7. Add the kasuri methi (grind it in between your palms to liven its fragrance) and cook again for few seconds.
8. Pour in the pureed spinach along with salt, sugar and cream and let it boil.
9. Now add the fried paneers and garam masala. cook for few seconds and switch of the burner.
10. Now the magic step - heat a charcoal on a gas till its red hot.
Place this charcoal on a small steel plate and safely keep it in the pan of palak paneer.
Now add a tsp of ghee/oil on the charcoal and immediately close the lid of the pan.
11. Hot and delicious Palak Paneer is ready to be eaten with naan or roti or even rice.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Kolkata - City of Joy
KOLKATA - The city of joy, The city of Sweets, the city of tradition. its been a year now and I have started to like this city. Though being a pakka 'Puneri Punekar', I am now feeling a part of Kolkata. Before being to Kolkata, I have known It in books as a Huge Metropolitan and a home to the great Rabindranath Tagore, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Subhash Chandra Bose etc. From beginning itself I was fascinated by the charm of beautiful bengali 'Bahu' wearing a red bordered sari with huge red tika and sindoor and long hair. Its not difficult to recognize a bengali in the bunch even today by their typical bengali tone and skin texture.
Many of us have seen the bengali culture in movies like Devdas, The auspicious marriage ceremony, The Durga Puja, The Havelis and The Jamindars. During the British Rule, Kolkata was one of the important cities they had their impact on. Even today you can see the british architectured buildings here. Through the city flows the river Ganges making the city divine and the Famous Howrah Bridge which adds glitter to it.
Its little amazing to see a class of people who are simple, traditional, stuck to their roots, lost in past on one hand and the new, modern, sophisticated class of people on the other hand of the same city. Kolkata has lot of places forthe tourists - the famous Victoria Memorial, Science city, Eden Garden, Dakshineshwar Temple, Birla Mandir, Planetorium and many more. The most exciting place that I enjoyed being to was Eden Gardens on the First IPL Match of Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Deccan Chargers for which Shahrukh and troupe were present. You cannot get better crowd thean in Edens. Its electrifying and great stadium.
Moving to tasting the delicacies of Bengal, Kolkata is a place for Non Vegetarians. You can graze on variety of Fish, Chicken, Mutton Rolls, Kababs and Chops and Biryanis. Vegetarians do have a choice of Chats and Veg Rolls and the totally uncontrollable 'Phuchkas' . Phuchka is similar to Pani Puri but quite different at the same time. If you are a restaurant person you can drive to Park Street which is a street of Restaurants where you can get all kinds of cuisine and it is also a good hangout place. Try out the typical Bengali Cuisine at 'Bhojohari Manna'.If you are a shopaholic than ' New Market' isthe place where you can get anything and everything.
If you dont talk about sweets , you are missing out majorly. I swear by the soft,spongy and juicy 'Rossagulla'. I bet you cannot resist to have just one. One such speciality in sweets is a 'Khajur Gud' and sweets made by using it. I was knowing only a sugarcane 'Gud' but was really taken aback to hear of 'Gud' made of 'Dates' (Khajur). Every Bengali meal is incomplete without a Mithai and complete when you have a couple or more of them. :) Thats why people here are said to be sweet or mishti . On this sweet note i sum up my experience uptill now in Kolkata
Many of us have seen the bengali culture in movies like Devdas, The auspicious marriage ceremony, The Durga Puja, The Havelis and The Jamindars. During the British Rule, Kolkata was one of the important cities they had their impact on. Even today you can see the british architectured buildings here. Through the city flows the river Ganges making the city divine and the Famous Howrah Bridge which adds glitter to it.
Its little amazing to see a class of people who are simple, traditional, stuck to their roots, lost in past on one hand and the new, modern, sophisticated class of people on the other hand of the same city. Kolkata has lot of places forthe tourists - the famous Victoria Memorial, Science city, Eden Garden, Dakshineshwar Temple, Birla Mandir, Planetorium and many more. The most exciting place that I enjoyed being to was Eden Gardens on the First IPL Match of Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Deccan Chargers for which Shahrukh and troupe were present. You cannot get better crowd thean in Edens. Its electrifying and great stadium.
Moving to tasting the delicacies of Bengal, Kolkata is a place for Non Vegetarians. You can graze on variety of Fish, Chicken, Mutton Rolls, Kababs and Chops and Biryanis. Vegetarians do have a choice of Chats and Veg Rolls and the totally uncontrollable 'Phuchkas' . Phuchka is similar to Pani Puri but quite different at the same time. If you are a restaurant person you can drive to Park Street which is a street of Restaurants where you can get all kinds of cuisine and it is also a good hangout place. Try out the typical Bengali Cuisine at 'Bhojohari Manna'.If you are a shopaholic than ' New Market' isthe place where you can get anything and everything.
If you dont talk about sweets , you are missing out majorly. I swear by the soft,spongy and juicy 'Rossagulla'. I bet you cannot resist to have just one. One such speciality in sweets is a 'Khajur Gud' and sweets made by using it. I was knowing only a sugarcane 'Gud' but was really taken aback to hear of 'Gud' made of 'Dates' (Khajur). Every Bengali meal is incomplete without a Mithai and complete when you have a couple or more of them. :) Thats why people here are said to be sweet or mishti . On this sweet note i sum up my experience uptill now in Kolkata
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