The glorious suburbia and other things

Last evening, my husband asked how my new blogging stint was going.

Okay, I said. But I wasn't quite sure where it was going. I was loving that I had another space to scribble in, apart from the work at the magazine I write for, but I needed a focus.

Should it be food? Given my current obsession with all things culinary, it seems about right. But I'm not a regular cook, I cook when I please. Probably not enough to blog about.

Films? Love 'em, but I'm not always up to dissecting them. Quite often I get put off when films are overanalysed, laid completely bare. Sometimes, I like films to stay in my head. Little strains floating about, coming back to me now and then.

Travel? I love sharing photographs and anecdotes when I'm out and about but I don't travel nearly as much as I would like to. Certainly not enough to sustain a blog! (Though next week we're off to our long-awaited hill holiday!)

Books? That's my digital life's biggest casualty. How I would devour novels when I was in school, college, even till later in my 20s. In the last couple of years though, I haven't kept up with novels the way I would like to, the internet (and crazy downloads) an ever growing distraction. So my reading, sadly, has been patchy at best. I try and keep up with the latest in contemporary fiction, but I'm not reading nearly enough to write about it.

Once my whining was done, my husband piped up: Why don't you write about living in the suburbs? It got my mind racing. A city girl in the suburbs, with lots of things to rant about :) That sounds like me!

So here I am. A nearly 28-year-old who's lived most of all her life in Delhi (discounting 3 years in Bangalore and 1 year in Chennai). A south Delhi girl till last year - now a happy, bumbling suburban resident. Still drive  28 km to work in Safdarjung Enclave, in the heart of South Delhi.

So to say that I am cut off from regular city life would be only a half truth. During the day, I have access to all that I grew up with, the city markets, the wide, well-shaded Delhi roads, my favourite eating spots, and full view of Delhi's incredible historic ruins (Purana Quila, the various neglected tombs dotting Hauz Khas, Lodi Garden...and many more).

By night, I settle into one of the many high rises that lie on the far east of Delhi, on the fringes of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad.

More on that in my next post :)

Life after Junior Masterchef

Life after Junior Masterchef....sucks. Seriously. I mean, it's nice that the very nice people at Masterchef Australia didn't waste any time in putting out the new season of the show right after the Junior version ended...but umm, I'm really not that enthused about the adult contenders on the show. They, ermm..seem to lack character. I miss Sienna's pretty smile and Isabella's coyness! Compared to their obvious cuteness, these adults just seem to be so clumsy and run-of-the-mill. Don't like :(

Yet, come 9 pm and I'm hunting for the remote because when compared to the other stuff going on on television currently, even the b-o-r-i-n-g adults on Masterchef come across as angels. I have never felt more disconnected from Indian television. Growing up, I would devour Mastarcard Family Fortunes with as much enthu as I would Friends. Anita Kanwar's Inspector KC in the detective serial Saboot was one of my favourite characters on television. Hell, I could even put up with Neena Gupta in the rather dramatic Saans!

Not anymore. I've never felt more dependent on American and British (and now Australian) television for my entertainment fix. And now that most of my favourites (The Good Wife, Mad Men, Downton Abbey, The Mentalist, Modern Family, in no particular order) are on a break till later this year, I'm so parched for good television! (I do wonder if Sorkin's The Newsroom is worth a shot!)

It looks like I'll have to rethink my affections for the a.d.u.l.t.s on Masterchef Australia, after all. Come on, guys, show some spark!

Summer highlights, mango delights

So I do have a weakness for food blogs, a very deep, dark weakness that could land me in a very dangerous overeating zone sometime very soon. I seem to be able to blabber on about anything edible till the end of time... or at least till my husband gives me that weird look, wondering what the fuss is all about.

But what would life be without all the glorious food on offer? And doesn't talking about it only make it more irresistible? I couldn't go a day without thinking of that one new dish in some corner of the world that i must try. Of course, Masterchef Australia and it's super awesomeness contributes heavily to my daily culinary aspirations.

Of late, I've been obsessed with mangoes. Like the rest of the nation! It's perhaps the only highlight in the oppressive heat of Delhi (oh, sorry, there's also the beautiful Indian summer coolers like shikanji and panna!). Come summer, I fall in love with mangoes all over again. Two weekends ago, I made Mango Cinnamon Kheer (courtesy my colleague Debarshi {He's on twitter @sanityturast }, at who's house I discovered how to make it because the one he made was just so good!). The same weekend, I tried Mango and Fresh Cream Tarts. Though the tarts I think were not stiff enough, the kheer was excellent. So naturally when I spotted another mango-infused recipe - http://thegreatcookaroo.blogspot.in/2012/06/mango-banana-gelato-just-three.html#comment-form by my friend Ruchira, who, by the way, is an incredible cook (so I have heard, read, and believe, even though I am yet to eat her gorgeous food). This one looks as healthy as it can get for a dessert sort of dish, and I'm going to try it this weekend for sure!!

     My first time with Mango and Fresh Cream tarts - buttery and crumbly with bits of sweetness

Meanwhile, let me sign off with that Mango Cinammon Kheer Recipe that you HAVE to try if you love mangoes...

But first, here's a peek at how it looks. I forgot to take pics of my own kheer, but this is how Debarshi's kheer looked:

                                                   Mango magic in a bowl

Mango and Cinnamon Kheer  (serves 4)

- Boil one cup of rice with 1.5 litres full cream milk

- Once the rice gets nicely cooked and milk condensed, your kheer is ready.

- Add 3-4 teaspoons of sugar after taking the kheer off the flame (adjust sugar quantity according to how sweet you want it because the mango will add its own sweetness)

-Puree 1 kilo mango in the blender-Add mango puree to the kheer, and then sprinkle 1.5/2 teaspoons of cinnamon powder

Mix well. Chill. Eat. Share!