Recipe : Masoor -é-Aloo

In summers, the variety of vegetables available is very less. So adding an option of a ‘sabji’ without any veggies, to your kitchen is like a resource addition in scarcity. Bringing to you

Masoor -é-Aloo

Ingredients:

Red lentil (masoor dal) -   1bowl (about 125 gms)

Potato- 2 medium (diced)

Onion -1 big (chopped)

Garlic -3 to 4 pods

Ginger -1/2 inch

Tomato - 1 big

Bay leaf -1 leaf

Black pepper- 4 to 5

Green cardamom- 2

Clove - 1 or 2

Cumin - ½ tsp

Cinnamon- ½ inch

Red chilli powder- ½ tsp

Turmeric powder -½ tsp

Salt - according to taste  

Coriander powder- ½ tsp

Mustard Oil -1 tbsp

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:  

• soak the dal for about 30 min.
• Make tomato, ginger and garlic paste.
• Place oil for heating in a wok.
• Now add all whole spices (bay leaf, black pepper, cardamom, cumin, clove and cinnamon) to temper in oil on a low heat until aromatic. Add chopped onion and fry for a few seconds.
• Add ginger- garlic- tomato paste, sauté it. Now add salt, turmeric, chilli, coriander powder, sauté it well.
• Then add soaked dal and diced potato, sauté it 3 to 4 times.
• Add water. After 1 boil at high flame, cover the wok with the lid and keep it on low flame. Boil it until dal and potato get cooked.
• Garnish it with coriander leaves
• Serve it with chapatti or rice  

Tips : Out of the box Tip for trip planning

Out of the box Tip for trip planning  

Whenever we plan a trip, we do many things like, seeing map, 

listing the places to visit, planning for itinerary etc.

Here are some out of the box tips regarding trip, which will make 

your tour more enjoyable and memorable.

You can also share your ideas/such tip(s) in your comments, which 

may also, benefits others.

• Switch to packaged drinking water, for the entire trip.
  
  This will cost you less than Rs.100/- per person per day, but will avoid the health risk. Try to maintain reputed brand.

• If you are traveling to a place of different food-tradition, (e.g. north Indian person traveling to south India) then include a few of your favourite ready-to-eat packed food(s) in your essential travel list.
  
  This will help you in 2ways:

1. It can be used in case of emergency, i.e. food is not available.
2. It will help you to break the monotonous taste of the cuisine of that place.

• If there are kids traveling with you,

1. Keeping butter chiplets will help you
   
   to mend the available food according to their taste.  
2. Keep skimmed milk powder with you; this will help you to fulfill the requirement of the milk.
   
   You can also make them have it as it is. It is good in taste, so kids will also like it.   

• In your luggage, avoid unnecessary stock of the things, which are easily available like chips, biscuits, diapers etc, just keep stuff for the journey and a little more.
  
  You can buy such things anywhere. This will reduce your luggage space.

Trip Review: Rishikesh

The summer vacations are about to begin. Enjoying vacations and promenading is one of the Shades of Life. So, keeping in mind the requests of some of my readers, I am going to start a new segment of Trip Reviews. For this segment, if you think you have been to a place which others should also visit, you can share your trip review with me via mail(anuadviadvay@gmail.com), and I would post it in your name.

Rishikesh – An adventurous yet 

religious pleasant place

In the previous summer vacations, I went to Rishikesh with my family. Thinking about the place, I have written this review of the city, which may help you to visit the same. it is a pleasant religious place, but full of adventure sports, so people of any and every age group can enjoy there. So, pack your bags for Rishikesh.

Rishikesh is a place which not only offers you a religious atmosphere but also some adventurous sports.

We went there by our car. But it is also convenient to go through train, bus or flight. The Rishikesh railway Station is located in Adarsh Nagar, Ganga Nagar;

while there are many bus stands like Sanyukt Yatra Bus Stand, Bus Stand Laxman Jhula, Roadways Bus Stop, Inter State Bus Terminus, I.D.P.L. Bus Stop, Tehri Private Bus Stand, Neergarh Bus Stop, Uttarakhand Roadways & Laxman Jhula Bus Stand. If you are going by flight there is an airport in Dehradun, from where you can take a bus to Rishikesh.

People there are kind and soft-hearted. The place though being religious  is not much crowded. No one their forces themselves into you, but if one needs help, they would not stay behind.

To explore the place, you may use public conveniences or ride on a bike or scooter - that can be hired there.

Main Attractions:

The place has many attractions out of which some are:

• Ram Jhula is a hanging bridge above the holy river Ganga. The bridge keeps swinging and walking on it gives a good experience.

• Geeta Bhavan has a temple inside the premises, surrounded by many rooms and a huge hall, which provides free shelter to pilgrims and devotees.
  
  The place has a religious atmosphere with river Ganga flowing just in front of it. The committee of Geeta Bhavan provides a room or a place in the hall (as possible) for the devotees to live in. There, they can take thalis costing  Rs.40 per plate or cook their own meals for which crockery is provided. But the above is given only when the person stays there at least for 10 days.

• Parmarth Niketan is a compound with a temple, some tableaux (झाँकियाँ) and statues. In the entrance there is a huge sculpture of Lord Shiv performing tandav.

• Parmarth Niketan Ghat is a bank on the river Ganga where an aarti takes place. There not only pundits but also the people get a chance to perform the aarti.
  
  In front of the ghat there is a huge statue of Lord Shiv and nearby of  Lord Hanuman. One can sit on the steps of the ghat keeping his feet dipped in the cold flowing water of river Ganga, mesmerized by the nature or can also take a bath in the holy river Ganga.

• Laxman Jhula is also a hanging bridge, just like Ram Jhula. But this bridge swings more than Ram Jhula. It takes long to reach the bridge as you need to go down by steps which would be around 90 in number.

• Laxman Jhula Ghat is the most famous ghat for rafting and speed boat ride.
  
  For rafting one should be above 14 years and for speed boat ride one should be older than 2½ years.

• Triveni Ghat is a shallow ox-bow lake separated by the river through huge grasses. The ghat is such shallow that a person can easily stand on the ground in the water. One can also take a bath there. The ghat is known for the famous aarti which takes place in the evening. One can also take a holy dip there in the cool water of the river Ganga.

• Chotti Waale ka Dhabba is a famous restaurant with tasty food at nominal rates. It is situated near Ram Jhula.

• Rajasthani Mishthaan Bhandaar is another famous restaurant that along with multi-cuisine food serves sweets at reasonable prices. Rajasthani Dal-Baati Platter is the best choice to have here.

Itinerary :

2 days are sufficient to promenade some major tourist attractions.

On your first day, you can start your trip by 4:00p.m. First, you can go to Ram Jhula. Then, to Geeta Bhavan and the nearby Geeta Press. If you want to have tea and snacks, they are available in the market at reasonable prices. You may then head on to Parmarth Niketan and its Ghat to attend the aarti, which starts around 6:30p.m. After attending the aarti you can enjoy the cold water of the river Ganga. For dinner you can go to Chotti Waale ka Dhabba. The next day, you can go to Laxman Jhula, enjoy the rides there and go to Triveni Ghat, where you can bathe or take a holy dip. Afterwards, for lunch have a seat in Rajasthani Mishthaan Bhandaar. Or, if you want to attend the aarti at Triveni Ghat you can postpone the second day’s plan to the same day’s evening.

Some tips:

• Before going inside water do wear loose clothes so that it is easy to change afterwards.

• Remember to keep an umbrella with you as it drizzles or rains sometimes in the evening.

• It is better to promenade in Rishikesh from 4:00 p.m.The days are warm, while the nights are soothing in the month of June.

• Some adventure sports like white water rafting, bungee jumping, trekking, rock climbing, etc. take place here, to participate in which one should be elder than 14 years.

Advika Sahai