Cooking and Travel stories of a Mayurbhanjia Odiya living in US .. Welcome to my world!
No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing ― Julia Child
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Monday, September 14, 2015
Tuna Fried Rice
Ingredients
Canned Tuna (in Olive Oil) - 1 can
Potatoes - 4 Medium, boiled and coarsely mashed
Onion - 1 Large, chopped
Green Chilli - 3/4, chopped (if not available, 1 dry red chilli will do!)
Dry Bay Leaf - 2
Cooked Rice - 2 cups (or more, if you want more Rice compared to Fish!)
Eggs - 4
Shan Egg Fried Rice Spice Mix - 1/2 packet (optional)
Salt, as per taste
Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp (or lesser, optional)
Cumin Seeds - 2 to 3 pinches
Canola Oil - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Method
Use Paper towel to squeeze out the olive oil from the canned Tuna. The Tuna should eventually fall apart.
Mix it with Turmeric Powder, Chilli Powder and Salt.
Add the mashed Potato to the above and mix it together.
Heat 2 tbsp Canola oil in a flat pan.
Add Cumin Seeds, dry Bay Leaf and Green Chilli (or Dry Red Chilli). Let it sizzle and temper the oil.
Add chopped Onions. Stir and let it cook in medium heat for 5 mins till the Onion is translucent.
Add the already prepared Tuna-Potato mixture and mix it well.
Add little water if the mixture is sticking to the sides of the container. Keep stirring and let it mix till the raw smell is gone. Takes about 5-10 mins.
Keep this mixture aside. We will add it to the cooked Rice later.
Heat 1 tbsp Canola oil in a flat pan.
Once the oil is warm, add the eggs and let it cook. Stir it so that you have well cooked pieces of eggs.
Add Salt and Black Pepper for flavor.
Add the cooked Rice (room temperature is preferred for the Rice). Mix it well.
Add the Shan Egg Fried Rice Spice Mix, if you are planning to use it. Mix it well.
Add the prepared Tuna mix and combine them all together. This takes about another 5 mins.
I usually cover it and let it sit for 10-15 mins before serving. It goes well with a slice of Onion and Tomato or Raita or just Tomato Ketchup!
Bon Appetit! :)
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Jungfrau, Switzerland and Traveller's Khichdi!
Note - This post was in draft for more than 2 years now! :)
Day 3
We stayed over in Interlaken to take the morning train to Jungfrau. We went via Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg. This ride is also scenic - picture postcard like!
Ingredients
Rice - 1.5 cups
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - few pinches
Mix them all together in a zip-loc bag and seal it.
If you can, I recommend to carry a small bottle of hot pickle to serve as a side-item with this Khichdi.Or Papads can be roasted on the stove!
In your destination, remember to add the following to your grocery list as well as some pickle if you did not carry it.
Canned\Frozen Vegetables - 1 to 2 cups
Butter - 2-3 tbsp(You can use Canola Oil if you have that available - when traveling, I usually buy Butter only since we need that for breakfast - serves double purpose.)
Method
Heat a pan and add Butter.
As it melts, add the veggies and cook them in Medium heat.
When the veggie is cooked, add the Rice-mix and mix well. Cook the Rice and Veggie mix like this for another 5-10 mins till the Rice looks translucent.
Add about 4 cups of water and let it boil in High heat.
After the water boils, reduce the heat to Medium and cover the dish. It should be done in the next 5-10 mins. Serve hot with Pickle\Papad. Add a dash of butter on top if you like.
Day 3
We stayed over in Interlaken to take the morning train to Jungfrau. We went via Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg. This ride is also scenic - picture postcard like!
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| Lauterbrunnen valley - oh so scenic! |
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| Near Wengen - looks like a painting, is n't it? |
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| Kleine Scheidegg - where we change trains to catch the luxury special train to Jungfrau! |
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| Jungfrau view |
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| Jungfrau view - the tour ends there where you can see the tiny people below..we did not realize that we will also reach there! :) |
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| View from Jungfrau |
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| Jungrau range |
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| View from where the tiny people in the picture above were being seen. |
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| As we walks towards the ice sculpture exhibition |
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| Ice Sculptures...just wow! |
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| Up in Jungfrau we found this Indian restaurant - Bollywood |
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| Indian restaurant in Jungfrau... |
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| Chicken Curry, Rice and Papadum in Jungfrau Restaurant |
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| Chocolates in Jungfrau Restaurant |
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| View on our return ride to Kleine Scheidegg - a surprisingly beautiful ride comes to an end! |
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| My desire to see a film shoot in Switzerland came true! What if it is not a Bollywood movie, it was an Asian movie. If anyone knows which movie this is, please share. |
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| Pretty, ain't it? I can almost imagine a Bollywood song being shot here with the heroine is a soft-colored Chiffon saree serenading the heroe! :))) |
Ingredients Rice - 1.5 cups
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - few pinches
Mix them all together in a zip-loc bag and seal it.
If you can, I recommend to carry a small bottle of hot pickle to serve as a side-item with this Khichdi.Or Papads can be roasted on the stove!
In your destination, remember to add the following to your grocery list as well as some pickle if you did not carry it.
Canned\Frozen Vegetables - 1 to 2 cups
Butter - 2-3 tbsp(You can use Canola Oil if you have that available - when traveling, I usually buy Butter only since we need that for breakfast - serves double purpose.)
Method
Heat a pan and add Butter.
As it melts, add the veggies and cook them in Medium heat.
When the veggie is cooked, add the Rice-mix and mix well. Cook the Rice and Veggie mix like this for another 5-10 mins till the Rice looks translucent.
Add about 4 cups of water and let it boil in High heat.
After the water boils, reduce the heat to Medium and cover the dish. It should be done in the next 5-10 mins. Serve hot with Pickle\Papad. Add a dash of butter on top if you like.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Cherry Blossom 2013 .. how could I miss it!
Hello Everyone -
Finally spring is upon us! Spring onset means arrival of the Cherry blossom season in DC metro area. This was my 10th year - don't think I will ever want to give it a miss. With the weather being very random this year, the blossoms were also short-lived. They peaked on a Wednesday and since there was heavy rain on Thursday night, the blossoms did not last long. I went along with my friend and her two adorable sons one weekend - it was lot of fun catching up and experiencing the spirit of DC during this time of year! Enjoy some of the pics from this trip...
| Tidal Basin - Jefferson Memorial |
| Drawing wall for kids to write and draw sending their message to kids of Japan - nice idea! |
| Few of the remaining blossoms...a close shot! |
| Cherry blossoms..lovely pink! |
| Tulip Garden @ National Mall...amazing colors and what a range... |
| Gorgeous..this is it! |
| Soothing... |
| Dainty... |
| Simply superb... |
| Beauties..such a lovely mix of color... |
| Japanese Lantern - saw it in the Junior Park Ranger book handed to kids. We went looking for it to complete the Bingo game in the book of my friend's son! :) |
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
I still exist!
Before everyone gives up on me, I have to make a random post to make sure you all don't give up on me (yet!) and my sudden disappearances...
Life takes on and blogging takes a backseat! Have been busy with lot of get-togethers, travels and happy times! 2013 has been good - I am quite optimistic..even in my toughest times, I have survived through it thinking it can't get worse than this, so sail through it! Had multiple bad news in 2011 and 2012 but yet kept going..as Karan Johan (yes, I am a fan!) proudly proclaims "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham".
Let me share some of my recent food pics for you to drool and enjoy..have a great day, everyone!
Life takes on and blogging takes a backseat! Have been busy with lot of get-togethers, travels and happy times! 2013 has been good - I am quite optimistic..even in my toughest times, I have survived through it thinking it can't get worse than this, so sail through it! Had multiple bad news in 2011 and 2012 but yet kept going..as Karan Johan (yes, I am a fan!) proudly proclaims "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham".
Let me share some of my recent food pics for you to drool and enjoy..have a great day, everyone!
| Lunch @ Athenian, Pike Place Market, Seattle - loved the view from in there! |
| Prawn and Chips @ Athenian, Pike Place Market, Seattle - Delicious food and awesome service! |
| Veggie Sandwich @ Athenian, Pike Place Market, Seattle - my friend loved the flavors! |
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Bonsai & Penjing Museum, National Arboretum, DC
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My friend Raji at work informed me of the class and since she had already enrolled for the same, I also went ahead and signed up. Our morning ride to DC was an adventure enough - what with the day starting off with my alarm cheating on me! I overslept but managed to meet her and also reach there just in time! Before I show you the wonderful exhibits they have, let me first show you the Ficus which I worked on and am now responsible to look after.
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| Before | After |
I so missed not having my SLR with me that day to capture these beauties. Enjoy the lovely exhibits from the museum - hope to someday have these types of trees in my collection and created by me. Long long way to go.. but proud that atleast I have made a start! :)
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Monday, July 23, 2012
Steinbock restaurant@Lauterbrunnen, Isenfluh and Interlaken..Day 2 Continuation
After we got back from the falls to Lauterbrunnen, we were very hungry and hit the warm and inviting Steinbock Restaurant right across the station. It took us some time to find someone to seat us - since it was quite warm outside, we ordered a veggie pizza to keep us light for the rest of the day. It was quite tasty though on first look, to be honest, it did not look as inviting.
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| View outside! |
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| Food click! |
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| Veggie Galore... |
After this, we decided to try the cable car ride from an adjoining scenic village Isenfluh. The bus driver was quite grumpy - maybe the only grumpy soul of Switzerland. But the person manning the cable car ride was a cheerful soul - he volunteered to check if the connecting bus back to Lauterbrunnen was still on and confirmed the same for us.
These odd-looking scooters called "Monster-Trotti" are available for rent (at Sulwald) to ride on and get back to Isenfluh. They use the cable car to transport the scooters back to Sulwald - a neat little arrangement they got there! Definitely one of the things I want to try next time..not sure how much my fear of heights will co-operate - we will see!
This is the gorgeous view from up in the mountains of Sulwald. They have a nice little coffee-shop where you can hang-out and relax. I took a stroll down the hiking pathway near the coffee-shop and got these scenic clicks. It was just gorgeous. Reminded me of the New Year cards we used to exchange as kids and they used to have these scenic clicks or some flowers! :) Wonder if anyone lives in the house in this pic - how lucky to live among nature like this!
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| Coffee shop @ Sulwald, up in the mountains |
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| Cable car on it's way down to Isenfluh - the click was taken from Sulwald! |
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| Lovely mountain wild flowers near the bus stop at Isenfluh |
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| Wilderswil Station on our ride back to Interlaken |
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| Beautiful cuckoo clocks |
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| Some more cuckoo clocks |


After the Thai dinner, we treated ourselves to some nice ice-cream and headed to the room. Again, back to the chalkboard on our plans for the next day! :) Oh, I also realized that my bank account was blocked for fraud-alert due to access from foreign country (inspite of my informing them in advance!) - so you can imagine how disgusted I was - anyway, managed through the next two days before it was resolved after a number of frantic international calls to my bank! So this was some drama .. but I am proud that I refused let it spoil my vacation mood! Took some conscious effort ... :)
Day 1 - Geneva to Resort in Ovronnaz, Valais
Day 3 - Wengen, Klein Scheidegg, Jungfrau and Grindelwald
Day 4 - Basel and Bern
Day 5 - Lucerne, Golden Pass Tour through Zweissimen, Saanen, Gstaad, Montbovon, Montreux
Day 6 - Zermatt and Glacier Express to Andermatt
Day 7 - Back to Geneva and home
Day 2 Afternoon Travel was primarily this:
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