[Recipe] Fried Fish with Dip

Today, I am sharing a recipe which is a favorite in my home and is often cooked on a weekly basis.

Serves- 4 (1 Fillet each)

Ingredients
Sear Fish- 4 fillets
Salt- 1/3 Tsp.
Lime Juice- 2 Tsp.

Marinate
Crushed Garlic Cloves- 8
Vinegar- 2 Tsp.
Lime Juice- 2 Tsp.
Garam Masala (Indian Mixed Spices)- 1/4 Tsp.
Red Chilli Powder- 1/2 Tsp.
Carom Seeds- 1/4 Tsp.
Salt- 1/3 Tsp.
Lime Juice- 2 Tsp.

Coating Flour
All purpose flour- 1/4 Cup
Red Chilli Powder- 1/4 Tsp.
Salt- 1/3 Tsp.
Garam Masala- 1/4 Tsp.

Batter
Besan (Bengal Gram Flour)- 1/2 Cup
Water- 1/2 Cup
Garam Masala- 1/4 Tsp.
Carom Seeds- 1/4 Tsp.
Salt- 1/4 Tsp.
Red Chilli Powder- 1/4 Tsp.
Oil- 2 Tsp.
Oil for Frying

Mint and Coriander Chutney (Dip)
Coriander Leaves- 3/4 Cup
Mint Leaves- 1/4 Cup
Onion- 1/4 Cup
Lime Juice- 2 Tsp.
Green Chilli- 1
Salt- 1/4 Tsp.
Sugar- 1/8 Tsp.
Yogurt- 1 Tbsp.

Method
Fried Fish
1. Wash fillets and rub salt and lime juice and leave it for 15 minutes and rinse with water.
2.Prepare the marinate by mixing all the ingredients under Marinate and marinate the fish by rubbing the mixture over it. Let it marinate for 30 minutes.
3. In the mean while, prepare the flour by mixing all the ingredients together and also the batter by mixing together all the ingredients listed under each respectively. Make sure that there are no lumps.
4. Keep the oil for heating. Roll the marinated fillet in the flour and dip in batter to coat it well and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown.
5. Serve hot with Mint and Coriander Dip and a Lemon wedge.

Mint and Coriander Dip
1. Add washed mint and coriander leaves, Onion, lime juice, green chilli, salt and sugar in a grinder and grind well to make a fine paste.
2. Mix the yogurt well with the paste and serve.

The same recipe can be modified for kids by adding less chilli and spice and they will enjoy it as well. 

Do try out the recipe and let me know how it turns out!

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[Review] Human+Kind All-in-one Hand+Elbow+Foot Cream

I received this Human+Kind All-in-one Hand+Elbow+Foot Cream in the Vanity Trove (To know more about Vanity Trove, read the post here).
The first thing that I found interesting about the product is the brand name Human+Kind and the tagline skincare with a conscience. It is a brand that claims for products being simple, natural, dependable and multitasking... now who doesn't love multitasking products in this stressful life.

Product Description
Talking about the product, the packaging is also interesting with an all over floral pattern with a central medallion. Then comes the fact that this product is a multitasking product- All in One Hand+Elbow+Foot cream so there is no need for three or atleast two separate products.
This cream claims of No Chemicals, No Colourants, No Parabens, No Perfume, No Additives, No Animal Testing, Dermatologically Tested, Hypo Allergenic, Suitable for Sensitive Skin and presence of 8 active ingredients- Avocado Oil, Cocoa Seed Butter, Shea Butter, Centella, Rosehip Oil, Calendula, Vitamin E and Aloe Vera..

My Views of the Product
The cream has a light creamy texture and is instantly absorbed on application. It is non greasy as well... :) I was a bit sceptical about its effect on drier parts like elbows and feet but it instantly moisturized these drier parts as well.  It has herbal fragrance. Looks like a great product when you are travelling and don't want to carry a lot of luggage around. The 50ml tube will easily fit into your handbag.

Will I buy it again?

Yes.

Retail Price: S$ 15.00 for 50ml

Available At: http://www.whathewants.com.sg in Singapore

So, if you travel a lot and need to moisturise your hand and feet often, forget about carrying so many tubes of skin care products. This single product will be an answer to all your needs. 

Have you tried Human+Kind All-in-one Hand+Elbow+Foot Cream? Let us know how you feel about it by posting a comment!

Till then keep reading and discovering!

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[Review] BellaBox September 2013

Hey Lovely Ladies,
The September BellaBox was Pink all over, it came with the theme- "Pink Me Up". Pink which is the most feminine colour and is also used to represent females, is a colour which symbolizes innocence and passion, love and confidence all at the same time. Let me show you what was inside the box-

Talking about the products, they are-
1. Recolive Beauty Collagen, 3X5.2g sachets (Retail price- S$75 for Box of 30)- The sachet has a blend of German Collagen, French Olive and Red Grapes and is sugar and fat free. Collagen as we all know helps in getting a youthful skin with improved elasticity, moisture retention, bright and even skin tone and reduced wrinkles. Value of Sample- S$7.30

2. Vaseline Healthy White Perfect 10, 25ml Tube (Retail Price- S$7.95 for 200ml)- This is a non sticky body lotions targeting concerns like dark spots, fine lines, uneven skin tone to give a youthful radiance and glow to the skin regardless the age. It has a light texture and gets absorbed well into skin. Value of Sample- S$1.00

3. LA CLINICA Gly Refine Micro Dermabrasion Facial Exfoliating Scrub, 10ml (Retail Price- S$59 for 100ml)- This is a skin care remedy for smoother and softer skin. Scrub will get all the dirt off the skin making it brighter and radiant. It is made with certified organic ingredients. The product gas intense scrubbing action and does leave the skin feeling soft and smooth.  Seems like a promising product and would love to give it a shot. Value of Sample- S$5.90

4. Dr, Morita EGF Platinum Mask, 1 mask (Retail Price- S$15.90 for a pack of 10)- This is a Platinum age defying mask and the ingredients help to improve elasticity, firmness and smoothness at any age. Value of Sample- S$1.59

5. Dr. G Total Active Dual BB Cream SPF50+ PA+++, 5ml (Retail Price- S$55 for 50ml)- This BB cream has hydrating essence that moisturizes the skin and also has high SPF so gives sun protection as well. The tone is a bit light for my skin but provides a great coverage. Value of Sample- S$5.50

6. ENAVOSE Invisible Sunbrella UV Mist SPF-45, 10ml (Retail Price- S$ 39.90 for 30ml)- Great technology for sun protection. Rather than applying a layer of greasy sunscreen, it is so easy just to spray a mist and get going. Amazing... Value of Sample- S$13.30

7. Wish Formula JJOYY Bubble Peeling Pad, 1 pack (Retail Price- S$6.50 for 1 pack)- The mask contains natural AHA and extracts that help to eliminate dead skin cells and smooth out fine lines to reveal healthy skin. An easy way to exfoliate. Value of Sample- S$6.50.

8. Dr. Morita Eye Mask, 1 pack- This was a bonus product. The mask helps to ease out all the eye concerns like dark circles, firming and wrinkles.

Along with these products, there were vouchers from Recoliv and Enavose. From the products, I loved the LA CLINICA Gly Refine Micro Dermabrasion Facial Exfoliating Scrub and ENAVOSE Invisible Sunbrella UV Mist SPF-45. Will let you all know when I try it out for a while.

These all products are available at BellaBox Online Shop or if you would like to go for your own BellaBox every month, you may do so at bellabox.sg

Till then keep reading and discovering!

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[Recipe] Tomato Mozzarella Salad

Hi Everyone,
Today, I am going to share one of my favorite salad recipe with you all- Tomato Mozzarella Salad. It is a fairly filling salad and is great as an appetizer or a side. Here is my version of Tomato Mozzarella Salad

Serves- 2 
Ingredients
1 Cup Cherry Tomato cut into halves
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese Pearls or cut into cubes
1/2 Cup Green Bell Pepper
1/2 Cup Basil Leaves (chopped)
1 Tbsp. Oregano

For French Dressing
1 Tbsp Vinegar
1 Tsp. Lemon Juice
1/4 Tsp. Salt
1/4 C Olive Oil
1/4 Tsp. Black Pepper Powder
1/2 Tsp. Sugar

Method
1. Toss all the ingredients for salad except Oregano together
2. For French Dressing, Put all the ingredients in a bottle and shake vigorously to blend and pour on the salad.
3. Toss again and sprinkle some oregano on top.

Mozzarella Cheese or Cottage cheese sprinkled with little salt and black pepper is a great snack for kids. I prefer to use Honey Tomato instead of cherry tomatoes as they are not too sour and slightly on the sweeter side and can be tossed with cheese for kids. 
Enjoy this healthy salad with your family and let me know how it turns out.

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[Review] Fragrance- Marc Jacobs Daisy

Hey Everyone,
Hope you all had a great weekend! Today's post is about a perfume sample that I received in Vanity Trove (To know more about how Vanity Trove works, read the post here). So, fragrance is Marc Jacobs Daisy, launched in 2007.

Image Source: http://www.theperfumeshop.com

Though I just recieved a sample but when I looked for the bottle, I found the bottle design quite interesting. Rarely you find a decorative design for perfume bottles. The bottle is definitely worth keeping on the dresser. The lid has daisies in white and gold on it.
Talking about the fragrance, it opens with strawberry and grapefruit notes and is immensely fruity, which is definitely something I don't like. The middle notes give way to floral notes dominated by Jasmine and after a real long time, you get to smell a light woody fragrance with musk and vanilla. The fragrance is really fresh and a little soapy as well. Somehow, for me it seemed to be dominated by fruity and floral notes and which I am not really fond of. But someone who loves it would really love the fragrance as well. It has quite fresh and clean scent.

Available as EDT 50ml at S$94.00, 100ml at S$124.00 and EDP 50ml at S$129.00 at http://sg.strawberrynet.com 

If you would like to receive your Personalised Vanity Trove, go for a Vanity Trove subscription at Vanity Trove for just S$25 a month. You may also like register with Vanity Trove, fill your beauty profile, and interact with others and see what they love and are using. The platform is like a facebook for beauty. You may also like to follow me here to know about my favorite products, my wishlist and also product reviews... See you there!

Have you tried Marc Jacobs Daisy? How do you like it? Or if you have not tried it yet, would you like to try? What makes you want to try it? Do leave a comment and share your views and experience with us.

Till then keep reading 

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[Random Thoughts] Me at 20 Vs. Me at 30

Today as I complete 30,  I could not help but compare myself with me a decade ago... My 20 year old introvert and self-conscious self would have never thought that she could turn out to be a fairly social person that I am today. At 20, when I used to hesitate to even open my mouth to speak even with a relative or friend, let alone the strangers would have never thought of that I could turn out to be in a profession or rather professions which require me to talk talk and talk and meet new people almost every other day. Starting from teaching, which I began around the age of 23 and went on for more than five years. It required me to talk to group of students; atleast almost everyday I had to face the same people. Then moving on to a being an Image Consultant where everyday I meet different people, whom I have to convince to believe in me and trust me with their looks... Phew! I am sure my 20 year old self would have always preferred quieter professions, which do not require so much human interactions which were dreaded at that point, but who was to know what is stored in the future.
The 20 year old me was a perfectionist, getting everything done at the right place, right time and in the right way. Right way was the only way and right time was the only time for things to happen and this continued for quite a long time in my twenties till our Champ understood that he also has mamma's genes and things should work his way or no way. Now, I am a little more relaxed about doing things and getting things done ;)
Well, these were the major changes but certain things remain to be as it is and I am glad for them as well, like I still love reading, painting, embroidery and helping others with whatever I can. And, yes if ask Mr. Scientist I am still as short-tempered as I was when we met more than eight years ago :) I feel this is just me- a new and better version but with some old qualities retained as well!

Signing off with new Hopes...

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[Random Thoughts] 30 Things that I have enjoyed doing in 30 years

Hi everyone,
I would like to tell you about certain things that I have enjoyed doing in these 30 years. Some of these things were done only for a while or were age oriented but some are such that I am still doing but nevertheless when I first got into them, they really became my passion atleast for a while.
Let me list them now in random order...
1. Reading- still very much into it.
2. Embroidery- usually get spurts of interest for embroidery every few years and when that happens, I am embroidering almost day and night. Check out my creations here.
3. Playing games online
4. Watching Tom & Jerry cartoon
5. Playing with dolls
6. Surfing the net
7. Chatting with random strangers on net using fake profile- have gotten over it completely now ;)
8. Doodling
9. Painting using various media on paper or canvas
10. Dancing- am a trained Indian Classical dancer
11. Collecting lyrics of Indian Bollywood songs
12. Collecting Stamps
13. Collecting Stickers
14. Making greeting cards for various occasions
15. Decorating greeting cards with Stickers
16. Writing
17. Doing up my eyes
18. Taking care of my feet
19. Collecting perfumes
20. Travelling to different places
21. Collecting souvenirs from every place I visit
22. Appreciating Textile and Craft Traditions of India
23. Teaching
24. Collecting books on textiles, fashion, style and crafts
25. Buying Toys for my Champ
26. Shopping for clothes and accessories
27. Graphic designing
28. Inculcating the habit of reading in my Champ
29. Loving Mr. Scientist
30. Loving Myself

And a lot more but I had to mention 30 only so just shared those 30 that came to my mind first. Do you share any of my passions? If Yes, do share your experience by leaving a comment

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[random Thoughts] 20s The Most Exciting Decade of my Life- Continued

Continued from the previous post 20s the Most Exciting Decade of My Life... 

The life became a little more adventurous after that... there I was with a two month old baby and we relocated to Japan, a wonderful country to settle down but the assignment there was for less than a year so we tried to experience all that we were capable of with the baby. I became a SAHM looking after my Champ and the house, something I thought I was not capable to doing  but managed fairly well. It was then that I had a chance to clear my misconception about the close knit Japanese society which doesn't like intruders foreigners. We got to hear that language is a big problem there, if you don't know Japanese, it is difficult to survive there but believe me, though we started learning Japanese but even with English we were able to manage quite well. The Japanese people go an extra mile to understand you and help you. if you go to a Department store or a Super market and an employee cannot understand what you are saying, they will get somebody who can understand English and will help you out. It was never like 'I can't understand so I cannot help you!' It is more like 'I can't understand but I'll get somebody to know what you want and get it for you!' What wonderful people they are! I got a chance to sit and experience the Japanese Bullet Train (Shinkansen). We visited Tokyo and got a chance to see a city with so many skyscrapers surviving frequent earthquakes, we missed one by few hours (Thank God for that!). Then another place we went was Hiroshima and looking at the pictures and other things in the Atomic Bomb Memorial Museum really makes you wonder- Why? Why all this had to happen? We got to experience two lovely seasons in Japan- Autumn and Spring. It is so amazing to see the leaves changing colour in Fall and the cherry blossom in Spring. Another thing that amazed me about Japan was the kind and variety of products available specially in the 100 yen stores. I don't know if we will ever go back to Japan but will always cherish the experience that I had in those few months.

Within 10 months came the relocation to next place- Singapore. We came here and started hunting for the house and bought one. Once my house and other things were settled here, I went back to studies and became a Certified Style Coach and Image Consultant. I started my own company and also got into writing this blog. On personal front, our Champ was growing up well, he started going to a play group and is loving it there- learning, playing and socializing. We met lot of new people and became friends. I am having regular playdates with these friends (read my post on Playdates here). Since, Singapore is going to be our home for atleast 5-7 years, we are still exploring. So, the adventure continues...

After all this excitement, sometimes I wonder will the next decade be as exciting as this one... but I have to remember that whenever I think, Yes! I have achieved everything and there is nothing to look forward to... I get presented with a new set of adventure (about which I would have never thought of), making my life even more fun.

With this hope, I would like to Sign off....

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Birthday Wishes to the Love of my Life and the World's Best Dad!

Well... the post title says it all but then also I would like to share with you all that what a wonderful person we have in our lives. As I mentioned in my last post (here), that I met Mr. Scientist in a very unconventional manner but I could say that was the best thing that happened to me. What drew me towards Mr. Scientist was his caring and understanding attitude and this was the reason that led me to have an interesting long distance relationship for almost two years, which led to tying the knot.
Along with being a great husband, he's been a wonderful father. He is always there when me or our champ needs him. It is because of him and his support throughout that I am able to manage and deal with everything.
So, on his birthday I just want to wish him a very very long, healthy and wonderful life.
Happy Birthday to the best person I've ever known in my life!

[Random Thoughts] 20's The Most Exciting Decade of My Life!

In a few days, I'll achieve yet another milestone of my life- interesting for some and dreaded by others, Oh yes! I'll be 30! But before going on to that, I would like to share with you all my journey in the most -I would like to say Adventurous- decade of my life, the 20s.

Before turning 20, most of us have a predictable life- preschool, primary school, elementary school, high school, university etc. My life was also the same and I felt it would continue the same way but who was to know, what's going to happen next. But, the fun and excitement started a couple of days before I turned 20. I was an Undergraduate student and just a week before my birthday, an educational trip was planned by our department to Jaipur, the capital of a Western Indian State, Rajasthan, which is known for its rich textiles and craft traditions and being students of Fashion and Textiles, Jaipur is a Mecca for us. So this trip was planned for 3 days and we were to return on the day of my birthday. It was going to be the first time when I was going to be away from my family and parents on my birthday and my dad's birthday (which is just one day before mine)... so there I turned 20 amidst my professors and friends and after returning home in the evening, celebrated with the family. That I could say was the first adventure and excitement of 20s. Then started a roller coaster fun ride- actually I achieved a lot in this decade- starting from a Graduate Degree, getting admission into the Post Graduate course of my choice at my preferred University, getting a Post Graduate degree, my first job at the most Prestigious Fashion Institute in India.

All this on professional front but something more interesting happened in Personal Life. I met my first love in not so conventional way and that was so unexpected of me considering my introvert personality (will talk about it later), got married to him and for the first time went away from my hometown to get settled in another part of the country and that I could say was the beginning of moving around and settling in different places.

But, within a few months, Mr. Scientist got a new and better job opportunity and we moved to yet another city, this time in the Southern part of India- Bangalore and I was still hoping to get a job after moving there and could not believe my stars when I was offered the teaching job in one the prestigious colleges in Bangalore just the next day after keeping my foot into the city...:) That was fun and really enjoyed teaching there and guess what this time I took my students to experience the art and culture in Jaipur. 

After that, I got a chance to go to USA with Mr. Scientist who had to be there on a project for three months and I joined him for a month and we celebrated our third marriage anniversary there.
It was here in Bangalore that our Li'l Champ was born.  We spent more than three years in Bangalore and left the city in less than two months after the birth of Champ to relocate to Japan... I went to Bangalore as almost New Bride and left from there as a New Mom. I met lot of interesting people there and some relations and friendships I cherish even now, after almost two years of leaving the city.

Well, that was almost eight years of this decade. Will talk about the remaining two in my next post... which were almost as fun as these...

Keep reading for more

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[Kids Corner] Why Playdates are Important?

Hey Mommies,
Most of us are familiar with the concept of Play dates. Play date  is an expression primarily used in the US for an arranged appointment for children to get together for a few hours to play (Wikipedia). Although it started in USA but now it is popular all over the world. 
Playdates are usually planned for kids of similar age group to help them socialize and let them play with other kids. It is usually parent accompanied for younger children and parents may or may not accompany the older ones. The frequency is generally once a week or once a fortnight, while twice a week or more is also not unheard of.

Where to have Playdates?
Playdates can be planned at somebody's house, at a play area (indoor or outdoor). It can also be in a form of a visit to zoo, museums or anything based on children's age and interest.

[Pastimes] Doodle Complete...

Hey Everyone,
I was talking about this latest doodle that I was working on, in one of my last posts (Check here). I thought it's going to take a long time to finish, was expecting to finish it by coming weekend but could not stop myself to go back to it as and when I had some free time and here I am with my completed piece a bit too soon.
But never mind, let me show you how it went on after I left in my previous post...

[Pastimes] My new Doodle... the most elaborate one till now

Hey everyone,
Almost after a year, last weekend, I spent some time on doodling on a piece of paper. You can see my previous doodles here. The paper was lavender colored and I was using my favorite Uniball Signo 0.28 tip black pen to work on it. I just love this pen as I can use this for fine detailing. Again the design that came out had to include a paisley... cannot work without having them in my designs. This is the most elaborate doodle I have done (or rather have been doing still) up till now. I don't know how long it will take to complete but will definitely show you all once it is done, in the meanwhile let me show you how the design is progressing. 

[Pastimes] Embroidered Pouch

Hey Everyone, 
During the time when I was heavily into embroidery, I wanted to make a pouch to carry pens and other stationery to my classes when I was teaching. Having worked on the design for a while I was able to create a design with which I was quite happy and satisfied. The design is inspired from heena design. You can see my other designs inspired from heena here. If you notice, I have used the Paisley motif here as well... cannot design without using one! Here is the design...

[Pastimes] Trying my hand at Paper Quilling

Hi Everyone,
You must be wondering... now what? Paper Quilling? Somehow I can't explain but there is an itch in my hand to try out as many art and craft techniques as possible atleast once in my lifetime. So, here I was trying my hand on Paper Quilling. Paper quilling, also known as Paper filigree is an art form where strips of paper are used to create various forms. The coloured strips are rolled, coiled and glued to create various shapes. The average strip width may vary from 2mm to 1-2cm. The process is tedious and may get monotonous but the end results make it all worthwhile. Check out my two creations with quilling and these are just the beginner trial level. 

[Kids Corner] First Movie Experience (in Theatre) with a Toddler- Disney Planes

Hey Everyone!
So what happened was... we got tickets for screening of Disney Planes from nuffnang. I was super excited as we were really waiting for the movie to release on September 5th, 2013 and had plans for the weekend. But, this invitation came for Screening to be held on September 2nd. 
This was going to be our first movie in theatre with our Champ and after great success of Disney Cars and Cars 2 at our home, we were expecting similar results for Disney Planes as well.

Colours of fall- Random Thoughts!

Slowly, the heat of Summer is giving way to the coolness of Fall, though this is not so evident with Singapore weather as the only weather we experience here is hot and wet, anytime and all the time. But, nevertheless, we all are gearing up for the Mid Autumn Festival with Mooncakes and lanterns with less than a fortnight away. So, the spirit of fall is still evident here although the visual effect of fall with yellow, orange, brown and red leaves as seen in other countries is missing. Singapore is an evergreen country. During my visit to USA in fall and my stay in Japan, I got an opportunity to witness the changing colours of Fall and it is so fascinating to see how within a matter of few weeks, leaves turn from green to yellow to orange to red and drying up to brown and falling off, giving way to new leaves that will grow in spring.
Though we all love our childhood and youth, where we are in the green of our lives and look great but we should never forget that as we grow older, we may not have the look and beauty of our youth- we have various skin concerns like wrinkles, dryness and darkening of colour just like the leaves of fall, we may not look beautiful but we sure have the power to make our surroundings look beautiful... afterall who doesn't like to click fall pictures with so many colours around.

[Recipe] Apple, Cinnamon and Cranberry Muffins

Hey Everyone, 
Hope you had a great weekend! Continuing with my Sunday 'Bake-day' Afternoon baking, I made these super healthy muffins- low in sugar, low in fats, high in fiber and amazingly yummm. I was a bit sceptic when I came across a recipe of Apple Cinnamon Muffins and was not quite happy with the way it was so tried a couple of variations of the same and here comes the Recipe we all loved and will be trying on with more flavours.