Author Archives: SD

Ski 2019- to ski or not to ski

Skiing holidays- the chance to spend a week escaping the relentless wheel of mundane existence by transforming into this super cool girl exuding positive vibes, zipping past upturned skis, long golden tresses flying impressively in the air…… nahhh, what am I talking about!!! In my case, even after many ski vacations, it is still construedContinue reading “Ski 2019- to ski or not to ski”

Amsterdam marathon- 2 weeks to go

Groaaan , I can’t do it today because my Garmin is dead…. and Strava too 😋 And so it started with 101 reasons to actually not do the long run , including its too early, too wet, too cold, too little time, Romeo needs me, etc etc. I snuggled deeper into my duvet only toContinue reading “Amsterdam marathon- 2 weeks to go”

Sa Calobra Ride

Sa colabra is a beast, a sinously laid out serpent, gliding its way lazily to the top and gracefully flowing back down to the sea. Built in 1932 by Antonio Paretti, it is stark and beautiful and a favourite among cyclists. Though not as challenging as the Italian dolomites or French Alp D’huez, it hasContinue reading “Sa Calobra Ride”

London Marathon 2017: A dream we dared to dream

40 years ago, London was just a name in fairy tales and nursery rhymes. 30 years ago, the same London turned into a fantasy place, where I would often escape into, mingling with statuesque regalia. 20 years ago, London was real, in all its glory, flesh and sweat as I toured around for the firstContinue reading “London Marathon 2017: A dream we dared to dream”

ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME

According to Phillip Schaff, the phrase  ” All roads lead to Rome” is a reference to the Milliarium Aureum – a marble structure speculated to be the base of the milestone  in the Roman Forum, the specific point to which all roads were said to lead. After attempting the Paris Marathon twice and the ‘bucket list’ London Marathon last yearContinue reading “ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME”

Grilled Peaches…

Grilled peaches with mascarpone, toasted walnuts and drizzled with honey, on a bed of raspberry coulis 😍 Sounds exotic but is a kid’s recipe indeed. Tasted this a few years ago on a skiing holiday and still vividly remember the play of flavours, ever so exquisitely balanced on my palate. Healthy quick dessert, perfect forContinue reading “Grilled Peaches…”

Pumpkin Vetthukozhumbbu

Kalpa’s Vetthukozhumbbu There is something very exotic with all our regional names for various dishes we make in India….. one particular name that has fascinated me was the Vetthukozhumbbu ( vettu-kozhumb-bbu ) which is basically a classic Iyer recipe for chilli ( vettal) and tamarind based gravy ( kozhumbu). A regular member of Kalpa Sundar’sContinue reading “Pumpkin Vetthukozhumbbu”

Dahi Aloo ( potato in yoghurt gravy)

Imagine cold dark winter evenings, snuggled in a cosy blanket, watching your favourite soap and a steaming hot bowl of  comfort food. And by comfort food, there can only be one name at the top, the mighty potato!!! This dish hardly needs anything other than potatoes and yoghurt…easy and quick to make and soul satisfyingContinue reading “Dahi Aloo ( potato in yoghurt gravy)”

Dal Makhani

Ah, for the love of dal makhani !! This name, for me, conjures up vivid images of the royalty of Tuli International, Nagpur in the early 90s. Dal Makhani used to be their signature dish and I always longed for that taste ever since I came to this country. This is, again, a very easyContinue reading “Dal Makhani”

Chicken in white wine sauce

European cuisine has been the bane of my life! Ask me about any complicated desi food and I can whiff it up in a jiffy. But the thought of even putting together a sandwich fills me with dread. I accidentally made this popular dish ( only 6 steps) and it tastes even better than whatContinue reading “Chicken in white wine sauce”

Stuffed Tinda / Indian Squash ( bharle dhemse)

Some recipes are forever! This particular one was my mum in law’s speciality. Aai used to make this with utmost pride and love, never rushing through it. Being raised in a purely non vegetarian household, I never understood her fascination for vegetables and to top it all, this was as bland and harmless as itContinue reading “Stuffed Tinda / Indian Squash ( bharle dhemse)”

Butter chicken

Aditi Gupte’s Butter Chicken recipe: PS: tastes exactly as the restaurant dish! Ingredients: Boneless chicken 1kg Tandoori masala powder 3tbsp Yoghurt 5 tbsp Lemon 1 Onions 3, very finely chopped Ginger garlic paste 3tsp 2 cans chopped tomatoes ( prefer Napolitana tomatoes) Kaju paste 2tbsp Kasuri methi 4tbsp roasted and crushed Kashmiri chilli powder 2tspContinue reading “Butter chicken”

Aai’s garlic chutney

Some memories forever entrenched in our hearts are our treasures indeed. One of them is early morning golden toast with amul butter topped with aai’s garlic chutney. 4 ingredients, 4 minutes I promise 😍😍 Ingredients and method: 6-8 pods garlic 1 cup grated coconut ( not dessicated) 2-3 tsp Red chilli pd 1 tbsp groundnutContinue reading “Aai’s garlic chutney”

The Italian Giro Files : Day 4

Day 4 : “It’s not the mountains we conquer but ourselves”, Edmund Hilary . Distance 104 km, Elevation gain 3140 m, Moving time 7.55 min Conquering the Italian Dolomites was the dream we dreamt for the last 8 months…. And the day was here! The ride started as usual with a 5.30am bag drop. ThereContinue reading “The Italian Giro Files : Day 4”

2 cars, 3 days, 1200 miles: A road trip of a lifetime through the land of fire and ice!

      Take a crazy idea, add equally crazy people to it and sometimes it comes to life in the most memorable way possible! 13 girls, all used to the various luxuries in life, decided to take a detour from their usual girlie holiday ( London, Paris, Portugal, Milan) and embarked on an adventurousContinue reading “2 cars, 3 days, 1200 miles: A road trip of a lifetime through the land of fire and ice!”

Ammu’s Kadala Prathaman (paayasam )

Onam and Vishu , two of the festivals that I used to wait for eagerly during childhood, not because of the new clothes or puja but because of this heavenly paayasam. I would excitedly hang around my grand mother in the kitchen, fascinated by the strength in her old, distorted fingers as they squeezed theContinue reading “Ammu’s Kadala Prathaman (paayasam )”

The Running Diaries- ”you are tomorrow what you believe today…”

‘’You are tomorrow what you believe today’’. I am not a runner; I can’t run for my life; I am not made for running; I have bad knees; I have a family history of arthritis; there is no way I can run; blah blah blah   These are just some of the reasons I encounterContinue reading “The Running Diaries- ”you are tomorrow what you believe today…””

Paris Marathon 2017 , here we come again….

​Running bytes 1- Motivation, Discipline, Perseverance #Parismarathon2017 training ‘A marathon is only about 6.2 miles actually, the other 20 miles are just there to reach that point on the day.’ – Sushant Hegde, marathoner Saturday  4th February 2017 Time taken – 2 hours, 39 mins Difficulty Level- 5 ( range 1-10) Positivity score ***** ItContinue reading “Paris Marathon 2017 , here we come again….”

​Varhadi Gola Bhaat 

I have been fortunate to have had two of the best cooks in the world guide me when I entered this amazing world of culinary  heaven.  On one hand, my mum, a totally and utterly eccentric chef, who could whip up the tastiest of food in an instant for as many people you could thinkContinue reading “​Varhadi Gola Bhaat “

Aubergine Sabji  

  Every  Indian state and family has their own secret recipes which they swear by….. It is known by many names ie vaangi bhajee, vayudennengya masala, kathrikai curry, badanaekai, etc etc. These are all perfect and we have all been witness too many duels between varying factions of the fairer sex as to which recipeContinue reading “Aubergine Sabji  “

Sharmi’s Mango Curry (Menaskai Mango Gojju)

This is one of the best mango dishes ever. We tasted it for the first time at Sharmila’s place and I was hooked!!! It is an Udipi recipe and goes by the name of Menaskai Mango Gojju. Easy to make and can be stored in the fridge for a few days. This can be made withContinue reading “Sharmi’s Mango Curry (Menaskai Mango Gojju)”

Vaatli Dal- of time past, comfort food galore 

There is a certain nostalgia when it comes to some food. While vada sambar reminds me of our indian coffee house, alu poha is associated with mohan ki tapri and vaatli daal is strongly ingrained with chaitra gauri during gudi padwa ( and the haldi kum kum with it). The freshness and simplicity is amazingContinue reading “Vaatli Dal- of time past, comfort food galore “

Thai Cooking Workshop 2016

Thai Cooking Workshop 2016 Thailand is a place where all your senses come alive…..in all aspects, whether it is the jaw dropping scenery, the people full of mirth and joy or most importantly the lip smackingly delicious food! I have never been a follower of ‘exact’ recipes, so when I witnessed a Thai cooking inContinue reading “Thai Cooking Workshop 2016”

Paris in Monochrome

Paris, the city of dreams. A place where we go again and again and there will always be surprises around every corner, sights that always amaze you again  and again! These are a selection of images that i captured during one of my visits. Some days were cloudy and overcast but some were perfect. TheContinue reading “Paris in Monochrome”

Venice

You can never have enough of Venice, I realised after my fourth trip to this jewel of an island. This time, I didn’t want to return and rightly so….. People ask me about itineraries in Venice, places to see, places to stay, places to eat and all I can say is that the best itineraryContinue reading “Venice”

I am a Marathoner – Paris Marathon 2016

Paris Marathon 2016 “Noooo……” That was the sound to which i jumped out of bed. The alarm had gone off at 4am, i had dutifully shut it and went back to the victory march near the arc du triumphe. And then it was 5am. We scooted to the airport and barely managed to catch theContinue reading “I am a Marathoner – Paris Marathon 2016”

Paris Marathon 2016 – the plunge!

1st January 2016 ‘Every great dream begins with a dreamer’ The beauty of our dreams is that there is no limit to it. But sometimes, we do like to test the limits of our dreams, to take on our dreams. This was the maniacal thought that made us ( subhash, Kalpa, Viji and me) takeContinue reading “Paris Marathon 2016 – the plunge!”