for Travel buggies, Food lovers and Everybody else: May 2015

Hello Readers,

With the world going crazy about calories and healthy eating, I thought I should join the league too, not only that, share some recipes with you as well.
Healthy recipes are not always boring, they could be as good as or better tasting than samosas or bhajji.

The recipe I am sharing today is Paneer Chilla. Paneer as you know is indian cheese and chilla is a kind of salty crepe made with either gram flour or lentil flour.

I call this Proteinicious because paneer is a high source of protein and so is the gram flour. Also because there is no frying involved it makes this dish high in protein.
Lets get started now.

Ingredients:

Paneer	200 gms
Onion	1
Besan (gram flour)	100 gms
Baking soda	pinch
Carrom seeds(ajwain)	1/2 tsp
Coriander	few leaves
Green Chilli	1
Roasted Cumin powder	1tsp
Red chilli powder	1tsp
Salt	to taste

Method:

Take the gram flour in a bowl and add salt, carrom seeds and salt to it.
Add about half cup of water so that the mixture becomes runny and keep aside.
Soften the paneer by soaking it in some boiling water. If the paneer is already soft, then you don't need to do this step.
Grate the paneer, chop the onion, chilli and coriander leaves. Mix all of them in a bowl.
Add salt, red chilli powder and roasted cumin powder to the above mixture.
Heat a pan and lightly grease it with some oil.
Take a scoop of the flour mixture we had prepared before and spread it on the pan. Let it cook
After the chilla has left its sides, flip it and heat the other side.
After both the sides are crisp golden brown, lower the flame and put the prepared mixture on top of the chilla.
Lift up the sides so that if forms a wrap.
Flip and heat from the other side.
Cut from the center for ease of eating and serve hot with chutney or ketchup
Enjoy!!!

I hope you liked the recipe, do let me know if you tried it. Thanks for reading. See you again :)

Hello Everyone!

Here I am again with a new tale to tell. This time I am really really excited because I have so much to tell you about. Also because I wasn't expecting much from the place but it wonderfully surprised me in so many ways.
The place I am going to tell you about today is Malaga! Its a city in the South of Spain which is usually known as Andalusia.
Although there are many good beaches in the whole of Andalucia, we chose Malaga mainly due to the easy accessibility from UK. Expecting nothing more than a beach from it, Malaga surprised me with its fusion of cultures.

On one hand the city has preserved the old castles, Arabian theaters, baths, museums etc and on the other hand has an amazing public friendly city center, modern port, restaurants, shops and beautiful beaches which leaves every one mesmerized. So here I am going to share my two cents not the old traditional way by telling you where to go and what to do but in the new fashioned way of telling you 10 reasons why you should definitely visit Malaga :)

Reason 1: Easy accessibility

Being one of the major province in Andalucia, Malaga is quite well connected and accessible from the neighboring countries and regions. Malaga has its own airport which is a 30 mins drive from Malaga central. Bus service to Malaga Central from airport is available every half hourly and is super cheap.
You can reach Malaga via the sea as well, it has a magnificent port and most of the major world cruises find its way to it. Buses and trains also connect it to major cities within Spain. And as mentioned above its easy accessibility was the main reason I picked Malaga over any other beach destination.

pic source google

Reason 2: Cheap Accommodation

Although Malaga is a tourist destination, still you can find easy and cheap accommodation. There are numerous hotels in the city center and along the beach. For single travelers there are youth hostels providing cheap lodging. We booked in advance and got a really good deal at the Las Vegas hotel which was just next to the beach, had big luxurious room and yummy breakfast ummmmm....

Reason 3: Cheap Food and Wine

Yes! all you wanted to hear. The first thing we found out as soon as we landed in Malaga was that the food was so inexpensive. Most of the eateries have a selection of Tapas (small portion of a dish) which is served at 2 euros each max and 6 tapas for 10 euros is the tagline of many. There are restaurants at each and every corner of the Malaga city and all of them have nearly the same prices. If you happen to go to any of the interior alley ways in the city you might find beer as cheap as 0.40 euros and Tapas @ .90

The famous drink of Spain, Sangria is as common as beer and also as cheap. Malaga also offers a summer wine served over ice which is the perfect drink in a hot weather.

The happy hours in Malaga last for 5 hours :P from 4p.m to 9p.m so you can easily drink yourself to death :D(just joking). The most common drink flowing in the happy hours is Mojito! Hence if you are a foodie and love drinking, this place is next to heaven for you. Here are a few more pictures.

Restaurants near the beach serve grilled sardines which you can give a try.

So all you foodies, add Malaga to your travel plans now!

Reason 4: Great Weather and People

Every where we went in Malaga, people were very friendly, warm and welcoming. I think that's one of the qualities of Spanish people, humility. Everybody whether it be a receptionist at the hotel, waiter at the restaurant,drivers, helpers or even strangers on the street will greet you with "Hola" without fail :). Even though common people knew little English, they tried really hard to make their point clear. Sometimes it had to take the form of sign language which I found so cute, well it's just me being crazy.

The weather is as good as the people there. All the days we stayed were warm, sunny with clear blue sky. Temperature ranging from 25 degree Celsius to 30. Sun rises early and doesn't set until 10ish in the evening, giving you plenty of sunshine. I still feel quite nostalgic and keep checking the weather in Malaga, sitting in the rainy UK just to make me feel warm.. haha crazy! But this is to assure you that the people in Malaga or the weather will not disappoint you.

Reason 5: Beaches

Here comes the main reason why I am writing this blog. It all started when I was looking for a beach holiday and found this win-win option. Malaga has very beautiful beaches along the Coasta De Sol.

Not only Malaga but the adjacent beaches of Torremolinos and Marbella are breathtaking as well.

Tourism being the major source of income, kept it beaches very clean. Police patrols the beaches, glass bottles are not allowed, restaurants, changing rooms and showers are spread all across the beach for the visitors comfort. This make Malaga a must visit beach destination.

Reason 6: Cultural Heritage

Although people think that South of Spain is just meant for a beach visit, that's wrong. Malaga beholds such a rich cultural heritage. It has influence of the moorish culture which is the medival muslim period, preserving their architecture, theaters and Hamams.Being in Spain, you can find Flamenco dancing, Bull fighting events every now and then.

We also had a chance to see a cultural festival where people from Africa presented their traditional dance. So if you like the mix of cultures, you should visit this place.

pic source google

Reason 7: Lots of places to visit

Apart from the beaches, there are a number of things you should visit when you are at Malaga. The Gibralfaro castle which is at the top of a hill,

View of the bull ring from Gibralfaro

Alcazaba , Malaga Catherdral , Picasso museum , Thyssen museum are the ones among the must visits.

Malaga Cathedral

Even if you spend time roaming about in the streets like Calle de Lores etc you will be amused with the sheer magnificence of the city.

Plaza de Merced

Reason 8: Amazing Nightlife

For you the youngsters and also the one young at heart :) this place is amazing to have a cities nightlife experience. With clubs and pubs opening from 10p.m until late, serving cheap alcohol and Tapas, this is definitely a place to be. There are a few pub crawls which start at around 11:30 p.m (way past my sleeping time :P) and last until the early hours of morning. I also found the city completely safe and no mysterious or hooded men hitting the streets even at late night. So all those who want to party until late! you just found your destination.

Reason 9: Port of Malaga

The port of Malaga is also a famous place to hang around. With big ships doced at the port, fancy parties going on the yachts, designer shops and plenty of restaurants, this places is a hit among the families and also young couples.

Reason 10: Artists at every corner

Although there are many other factors but this one is truly a winner. Malaga has given birth to world renowned artists like Picasso but the art resides in common man too. Painters , musicians , dancers etc can be found at every corner specially the city center.

We came across a man who was painting small piece of glass by rubbing colors with his fingers in a matter of 1 minute. It left me totally spellbound. Here are few of his painting that I bought.