Versions of the rice pudding can be found in every Indian home. In south India rice cooked with jaggery is called Payasam, in the north rice cooked with lots of milk and sugar is kheer. Festivals, birthdays, feasts at temples and churches — almost every occasion ends with a bowl of this delicious dessert. My […]
On Nov 7th it seemed all roads in Sharjah led to the Expo Centre. We braved traffic enroute and outside the centre only to find a sea of people at each information counters. Two words were clearly audible everywhere ‘Kalam and hall no 5’. And when we finally managed to locate the hall we found […]
The sun is no longer blazing hot. With the November air getting cooler it heralds the beginning of the short winter in UAE. A time when we all head to the many parks with picnic hampers and barbecue sets. It is also the time when several annual cultural events take place across the emirates. Beginning […]
One weekend morning we enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast at the Lakeview restaurant overlooking the Dubai creek. Although the menu is quite simple and limited the views make up for it. That’s my green tea, with sauteed mushrooms, croissant, bacon strips and salami. For one the ride to the restaurant is through a green pathway lined […]
Images from the Middle East most often portray strife and violence streaked with blood and tears. But the Rawiya Collective, a female photographers group from the Middle East, brings images of happy faces, slices of everyday life and the promise of education for women. This exhibition titled ‘She who tells a story’opened at Gulf Photo […]
Had Uzbek food for the first time, lip-smacking experience, those are beef cutlets with mashed potatoes, Samsa with potatoes and onions (a cross between samosa and patty) from Tashkent restaurant, Dubai. #Samsa, #Tashkent restaurant Al Barsha Dubai, #Uzbek food Dubai, #Uzbekistan cuisine Dubai
When the sun is a scorching 50 degrees life does come to a halt. With workers getting mid day breaks and schools closing for the summers the streets get deserted and everything comes to a stand still really. We took a short break to yet another hot place with the promise of intermittent rain but […]
I am not fasting but that hasn’t stopped me from tucking into a few delicious iftars. I clicked this pic of fresh fruits, nuts and juice at one such iftar — perfect comfort food to break a fast. #Iftar food, #Ramadan in Dubai
Wherever I have travelled in the Middle East an integral part of every meal has been a basket of Arabic bread. They come in all varieties — thin, flat, soft and fluffy, with toppings of sesame seeds or sprinkled with zatar. In Turkey we were served bread with our kebabs and in Jordan and Egypt […]
Imagine a day driving through green mountains with cherry blossoms lining on either sides and reaching a quaint village with coloured walls and white laces. Some time back we celebrated our anniversary by spending a gorgeous sun kissed day in Lefkara village, known for its lacework, in Cyprus. We walked through cobbled streets with lemon […]