movie review.. A walk among the tombstones

Yet another detective movie by Liam Neeson.
The movie starts on a quite interesting note in which he is a retired cop, fighting addiction,  tasked with finding the serial killers in town.
But as it advances it starts losing its focus and  the middle of the movie, there comes a time when you check your cellphones as to check how much time is left.
Also the instances such as brutal murders, kidnappings, dark rooms, rains, cold countryside could be a little disturbing.
The thing missing from the movie is the "different" or "new" factor. The movie is very similar to the previous roles which the actor has done already.
All and all it is a intense thriller, well plotted but could not be the right choice if you are planning a day out with your kids or light hearted  outing with friends. However if you are Liam Neeson's  fans and love his acting.. this movie is a must watch.

Travel tips from a traveler's experience

Hello People!

Today I have locked "Ritika the cook" in a room and the person writing this blog is "Ritika the travel buggie" :D

Yes I love traveling.. discovering new places cities, cultures, people  and most importantly foooood.

It is not an addiction but it is exploration. You know how amazing it feels when you discover a random lake or a beautiful garden or an amazing food shop in a totally new city in a foreign country. All you want to do is share it with your loved ones and make memories out of it.

By traveling I do not mean going to far off places.. spending a hefty amounts on the hotels and  tickets  etc. It could be as simple as trip to your native village or a town nearby.

Hence as a wanderlustian I would like to share a few basic travel tips with you.

1.  
   
   Plan in advance:  I know.. I know how much do you want to have an impromptu trip with no itinerary which is exciting but planning goes a long way in making your trip successful. Planning your trip includes things like booking flights and hotels ,checking the best weather and best places to visit the place, checking the weather the week you are planning your trip, reading about the place people and culture so that you feel comfortable when you arrive. 
2.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
   
    Keep your itinerary handy: If you are travelling with friends and family, having an itinerary comes in handy. It not only keeps you tension free from planning everyday, also keeps everyone on the same page and helps managing everyone's expectations. Also printout your itinerary with address and possibly phone numbers of the places you are visiting and leave it at home. Trust me, it helps.
3.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                   
    Money matters: Yes money matters! Have a defined budget, it is wise to divide your money into cash and travel cards so that you do not carry excess cash in your pockets but also do not run out of cash in middle of a forest. If you are travelling abroad, make sure that you have converted your currencies before hand because the conversion rate in the airports etc are much higher than your local post office.
4.                                      
                                       Travel Light: I know how much do you want to flaunt your new dresses and matching accessories but make sure you do not overdo it. If you are travelling to a different country, do not carry too much gold jewellery. Also some flights gives you discounts when you just have a cabin luggage. So pack your bags really light and have a fantastic holiday.
5.  
                                            Mobile and Data: These days many travel companies offers special packages and offers to support calls and data outside the country as well, so that you can have easy access anywhere you go and can post selfies as soon as possible :P. So have a chat with your mobile phone company and find out in what ways they can help you out.
                                              

 Last but not the least... Enjoy!!!! :)

 These were a few basic things we need to take care for a good trip. So pack your bags and get set go  for an amazing holiday.

Chicken goes green.. Amazing chicken in coriander gravy

Hi Friends!

I think I am really too excited about having my own blog and writing to everyone what I feel. This is becoming like an addiction now.

Its good in a way because it is keeping me away from FB and TV :)

Have you ever heard of win-win??? I am sure you have haha. Well in my cooking terms I would say when you cook something in very little time, very less hassle and the dish comes out to be amazing :)
I think just describe a win-win-win... :P

Lets quickly go to this win-win-win recipe. The recipe I am going to describe below is also my husband's favorite which gives me all the more pleasure to share it with you guys.

Ingredients:

1. Chicken                           250gms
2. Coriander                        1 bunch
3. Green Chilies                   2
4. Garlic Cloves                   3-4
5. Ginger                             1 small piece
6. Plum tomato                    1
7. Cashews                         10-12
8. Curd                               2 tablespoons
9. Redchilli powder             1 teaspoon
10. Coriander powder          1 teaspoon
11. Cumin powder               1 teaspoon
12. Turmeric powder           1 teaspoon
13. Garam masala              1 teaspoon
14. Ginger garlic paste        1 teaspoon
15. Pepper                           a pinch
16. Bay leaves                     1-2
17. Cloves                           1-2
18. Cinnamon stick             1 small
19. Black Cardamom          1
20. Salt                                to taste
21. Water                            1 cup
22. Cooking Oil                   3 table spoons                              

Method:

1. Take a blender and add coriander, chilies, garlic, ginger, cashews, tomato ,little salt and water and blend.
2. Take the chicken and add cut it into pieces.Then add curd, red chili powder, turmeric powder, pepper, ginger garlic paste, coriander powder,salt, 2 teaspoons oil and let it marinate for half an hour.
3. Take a cooking pan, add the rest of oil, let it heat up
4. Add bay leaves, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and cumin powder and stir.
5. Add Chicken to the pan, cover the pan and let the chicken cook.
6. After the chicken is cooked properly, add the blended mixture and garam masala.
7. Let both cook together for a while.
8. Add water if necessary.
9. Serve hot with chapattis :)

Tips:

1. Vegetarians don't get upset, try the same with paneer.. it works wonders :)

Comfort food.. Masala Khichdi :)

Hello People!

Do you have days where you are tired of eating hot, spicy , fried food from outside? All your heart longs for is something simple, light comfort food... Easy to digest, quick to make and yes reminding you of your land.

Well I am having a day like that today and the most basic comfort food I can think of is Khichdi.
It not only reminds me of my Sunday lunches but also of a comedy series we used to watch while having it, also called "Khichdi".

Okay before I get more nostalgic, I should start with the simple ingredients needed to make this tasty and healthy dish.

Ingredients:

1. Rice                                                            1 cup
2. Moongdal Chilka (split green gram)             1 cup
3. Chopped Mixed peppers                             1/2 cup
4. Chopped carrots                                          1/2 cup
5. Chopped beans(optional)                            1/2 cup
6. Chopped tomatoes                                      1/2 cup
7. Ghee                                                           2  tablespoons
8. Hing (asafoetida)                                        a pinch
9. Jeera                                                           1 teaspoon
10. Kadi patta                                                   7-8 leaves
11. Dried red chilies                                         1-2 
12. Chopped Garlic                                          2 teaspoons
13. Turmeric powder                                        1/2  teaspoon
14. Red chilli powder                                       1/2 teaspoon
15. Coriander powder                                       1 teaspoon
16. Garam masala                                             1/2 teaspoon
17. Salt                                                              to taste
18. Water                                                          4 cups

Preparation:

1. Take a pressure cooker , place it on the burner and add ghee.
2. When the ghee is hot, add jeera, asafoetida, curry leaves, dried red chilies and chopped garlic.
3. When you start getting the slight aroma of burnt garlic, add carrot and beans.
4. Saute for a minute and add the dal and rice.
5. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt.
6. Stir until the rice and daal are covered in the masala. Add water.
7. Add chopped peppers and tomatoes.
8. Close the lid of the cooker, put it on medium flame and wait for the whistles.
9. After approx 4 whistles, switch the flame off.
10. Let the pressure cooker cool and then open the lid.

Serve with raita, poppadoms and pickle and enjoy. :)

Tip:

Soaking the rice and daal together for sometime will help make your khichdi faster.

Hello! Namaste! Holla! Bonjour :)

Hello Everyone!

Feels so good that after years and years of reading other people's blogs, wasting time on FB and other stupid social media, I finally got brains of having a blog of my own.
Thanks to my Romanian friend Diana Vladulescu who was the inspiration behind this.

As this is my first post ever, I intend not to waste your time too much. Just an introduction to what this whole blog is going to be.
As we all grow up, we have experiences, these maybe good or bad but it is those experiences which make us a person who we are today or will be tomorrow. And also no one is perfect, we might have times in our lives where we made a silly stupid decision and which changed our lives completely. Although that experience definitely taught us something, it might help someone else committing the same silly stupid mistake again and regretting later. Hang on! don't get that serious I was talking about making a decision to watch "Humshakal's" :P

Hence here I would share my experiences as I travel, eat , cook and live and hope the same from you as well :)

Hence on a leaving note, I will leave you with this beautiful aerial view of one of my favorite cities in Europe.. Barcelona!

See you soon :)