J's thoughts

If you are looking for a Yoga place in Kuwait, this is the best one.

Ever since I read about deodorants and their side effects, I have been on the search for an all-natural deodorant. Coconut oil can be used since it has antibacterial properties. Just apply a small amount after bath and when you wake up you will not have smelly underarms. But once you start sweating, you end up smelling but not as bad. But then it fails totally when you do some heavy duty work like exercise. Another option is mixing equal amounts of baking soda, corn flour and coconut oil. This concoction does work but it takes time for the body to get adjusted for it to work for you. And then too, it isn't effective during exercise. And again my search was on. It was during a casual talk with a friend that she mentioned about Tawas and how she was using it as a deodorant. I couldn't wait to try it out and bought it the same day :) This is how the packaging is.  A small see through container filled up to the brim. There are scented and non-scented var

Appam made of wheat flour? What? Huh? Really? - this was the expression on my face as I saw a friend's post on the social media. It looked like a doable kind of recipe and the curious me who likes to experiment wanted to try it out. And what say, the end result was a soft appam that didn't have the taste of wheat at all. I ngredients 1) Wheat flour – 2 cups 2) Milk – 3 tbsp 3) Sugar – 5 tsp 4) Yeast – ½ tsp 5) Salt – as required 6) Coconut milk – as required 7) Warm water - as required Method To lukewarm milk, add one teaspoon of sugar, stir till it dissolves and add the yeast. Close it and keep it aside for 10 - 15 minutes for the yeast to come alive and do its magic. Add the wheat flour into a deep bowl. Add the salt and the rest of the sugar (5tsp) into the wheat flour and mix it well. To this, add the fermented yeast. Mix well by adding warm water. You need to get a thick batter; not runny but very very thick batter without any lumps. Ke

When ever I make idli, I often end up with some left overs and this keeps sitting in the fridge until the day I throw it out.  I stumbled upon this recipe in my search for how to use those left over idlis. The recipe is tasty, nutritious and filling as well. The amazing colour of this dish is appealing to the eyes as well. This recipe is adapted from here . Ingredients 1. Left over idlis - 6 (crumbled) 2. Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp 3. Coconut oil - 2 tbsp 4. Onion - 1 (finely chopped) 5. Green chilli - 2 (slit) 6. Carrot - 1 (grated) 7. Turmeric powder - a pinch 8. Garam masala - a pinch 9. Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp 10. Methi leaves - 2 tsp  11. Tomato ketchup - 2 tsp 12. salt - to taste 13. Curry leaves - 5 14. Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp Method: In a deep pan, heat the coconut oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Add the curry leaves to it.  Add the onion, green chilli and saute till the onion turns translucent.  Then add t

I love to bake. It is therapeutic for me :) There is something about the measuring,sifting,kneading,pouring and seeing the fruits of my labour rising to glory in the oven. I have seen many bread recipes while roaming the cyber space but was a little scared to venture into trying a recipe; Until a friend of mine, who is an avid baker (oh my you just have to see her posts) posted photos of her home made bread on the social media. A little chat with her and she encouraged me and I went ahead and tried my hands at baking bread at home.  Oh my, bread making is a sticky process but at the end of it all, you feel proud of your creation. You can go wrong too if you are not careful. The bread can become dense if you knead it too much or add too much water. To sum it up, you need to try it out a few times before you can master it. Well, a semolina bread is what I would call a beginner bread baker recipe. You can never really go that wrong with this recipe. And a positive end resu

I do not consider eyeliner as a make up anymore. It is an integral part of my routine like a face wash or moisturiser.   I have tried a few eyeliners but was never really happy with any of them. The Lakme liquid eyeliner was my go to eyeliner since it did its job quite well until I was introduced to this eyeliner by the sales assistant in Boots. The Bourjois liner pinceau 16H eyeliner is available in black, brown and gold. I bought the ultra black one. The design is like a sleek pen. Now don't be fooled by the look of the packaging. The brush part is longer than the product part. You will feel that the product is less but it easily lasts for about 6 months. The expiry date of an eyeliner is 6 months and that is stated on the package.  The brush is amazing. It is of the correct length and thickness. You can draw an even smooth line in a single stroke without any smudges. The product isn't runny nor very thick. It has just the r

Well, I like to try out different recipes. And l ent time is when my recipe search intensifies for want of variety in dishes.  Now this is one such recipe. I use cashew nuts for garnishing, or as a paste in some recipes or simply eat it. You could make a korma or curry out of it was news to me.  The recipe is adapted from here . The korma was thick, creamy, delicious and rich.  Definitely not a weight watcher's delight. lol It is one of those curries which can be had once in a while. 

So what to do when you end up with a lot of strawberries in hand? Unfortunately, the shelf life of strawberries is too short. So I HAD to find a way to use them. I need to find a way to preserve them and my thoughts led me to the idea of strawberry preserve or a jam. The recipes on the internet calls for pectin sugar which gives the consistency of jam. I had none at hand. So I just went ahead with the castor sugar I had. 'Oh well, this is going to be an experiment anyways; so go ahead without any fear' I reassured myself. Ingredients: 1. Strawberries (crushed) - 3 cups 2. Sugar - 2 cups 3. Lemon juice - 1/4 cup Method: Wash the strawberries and hull them. Crush the strawberries with your hand or gently blend them so that you have pulp with pieces of strawberry. Heat a deep pan and add the crushed strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Once the mixture starts boiling, reduce the flame to low and keep cooking the strawberries till the mixture reduces

Ever since the American franchise, Quiznos, opened up in my work place, I wanted to try it out. They have subs, soups and salads. Quiznos doesn't have many branches in Kuwait. But one can order online through talabat . They do have a Facebook (Quiznos Kuwait), twitter  (quiznos_kw) and Instagram (quiznos_kw) accounts and a  website . Their hotline number is    188001. Their small subs are like 5 or 6 inches long and is more than enough to satiate you.  You can choose brown or white or jalapeno or rosemary Parmesan bread. I am in love with the rosemary Parmesan bread ever since I tried it.  That is how it is packaged. I bought the egg and cheddar breakfast sub on a rosemary-parmesan bread.I do not like jalapenos and pickles in my sub, so I always avoid it. And thank god they do not give you much options like Subway :). My friend ordered the steak, egg and cheddar sub. The bread is quite flavorful and light. You do not feel heavy after eating t

It was through a friend here that I came to know about the Albohayra farm aka Blue Lake farm. The strawberry picking part was what got me all excited about. So with great expectations, on a Friday morning, my family set out to experience and explore the Albohayra farm. It is easy to find the location of the farm on google maps or waze app. The sporadic rains in Kuwait has made the desert look yellowish green [The drive kind of reminded me the lands in India in the summer :). lol, what an irony.] It was an hour and a half drive.  Once we reached the farm, we parked our car and went right in. The gates to the strawberry farm was already open.  Usually they open the farm by 12:45ish; so try to reach there early i.e. atleast  by 12:30pm so as not to miss picking the reddest ripest strawberries. There is always a crowd and the ripe strawberries get picked up fast. Make sure to call them to affirm that there IS strawberry picking on the day you are planning to g

This is a made in Kuwait tea brand. I saw this tea when i visited Albohayra farm in Abdali. They have a variety of tea available like lemongrass, lemongrass and ginger, green tea with mint, black tea with basil etc. The package is a tall cylinder which holds the cups, sugar, stirrer, and the cover for the cups. The color of the packaging is different for different flavor of the tea. Each individual cup holds the tea leaves and there is a mesh (which acts like a tea strainer). So when you pour water into the tea, the flavour seeps into the water without the messy tea leaves swimming all around the cup [it is a nightmare to drink that]. And yeah, no need to use a tea infuser or a tea strainer. Just pour hot water into the cup, stir in sugar, close with the lid and you are good to go. The expiry date is two years from date of production. They have an instagram account @nabtabrand and also a website www.nabtabrand.com I picked the lemongrass a